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The WTA's Lost Girls
One of the things that makes tennis so unique is the ability to categorize periods in the sport by generations; the struggle of the "new guard" to take control from the "old guard" is a constantly recurring narrative. With the news Wednesday that Agnes Szavay has officially retired from professional tennis due to lingering back issues, it's only right to take a look at the highest-profile players in what can be dubbed "The Lost Generation" of the WTA; each of these women, fairly close in age, all found success over a short period of time that all went away in an instant due to injuries, personal problems or both.
It all began with Nicole Vaidisova.
In 2004, her first full season as a professional, Vaidisova became the sixth-youngest champion in WTA at the Tier V event in Vancouver, aged 15 years, three months and 23 days. Behind her strong serve and attacking baseline game, Vaidisova looked to be the next champion who had been groomed of the courts of the Bollettieri academy.
Despite being born in 1989, Vaidisova was a force on the senior circuit while her contemporaries were still playing juniors. When she made the semifinals of Roland Garros in 2006, defeating Amelie Mauresmo and Venus Williams along the way, Caroline Wozniacki was the second seed in the junior event, players including Dominika Cibulkova and Ekaterina Makarova were unseeded there, and Agnieszka Radwanska won the title; in addition, Victoria Azarenka was the 2005 ITF Junior World Champion. Vaidisova reached her second Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open in 2007, and peaked at No. 7 in May of that year.
Also in 2007, the trio of Anna Chakvetadze, Tatiana Golovin and Szavay arrived.
Golovin burst on to the scene very early in her professional career, reaching the fourth round in her debut at the 2004 Australian Open and winning the mixed doubles with Richard Gasquet at their home slam in Paris later that year. She boasted an impressive all court game, also highlighted by a lethal forehand. Inconsistency followed, but Golovin found form late in 2006, when she reached her first, and only, Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open. She captured her two career WTA titles in 2007, finished runner-up to Justine Henin in two big events in the fall indoor season, and ended that year as World No. 13.
At her peak, Chakvetadze was perhaps the only player with legitimate claim to the (oft-misguided) comparison to Martina Hingis; Hingis herself affirmed the comparisons, once stating, "She's very smart around the court and she has good vision. You don't see anything specific that she's winning matches [with] so I definitely see some similarities." The Russian burst on the scene in 2004 as well, when she qualified and defeated reigning Roland Garros champion Anastasia Myskina in the first round of the US Open. Following a steady rise, she won her biggest career title at the Tier I event in Moscow in late 2006; on the back of a quarterfinal in Australia in 2007, she made her top 10 debut in February. Another quarterfinal at Roland Garros, a semifinal at the US Open and four titles put her among the elite at the 2007 Year-End Championships in Madrid. She is one of only a handful of players who can boast a win over both Williams sisters.
Possessed with a strong serve and elegant two-handed backhand, Szavay rose from obscurity to "destined for stardom" in a matter of a few months in 2007. As a qualifier at the Tier II event in New Haven, she reached the final, where she was forced to retire against Svetlana Kuznetsova up a set due to…a lower back injury; looking back, an injury which had originally been attributed to a taxing week may have been a sign of things to come. Nonetheless, Szavay reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, where she was again stopped by Kuznetsova. The Hungarian pulled off a lot of upsets in 2007, but perhaps greatest of these was her 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-2 triumph over Jelena Jankovic in the Tier II event in Beijing; at a set and 5-1 down, Szavay hit a second serve ace down match point en route to one of the greatest WTA comebacks in recent memory.
After starting the season ranked No. 189, Szavay ended it ranked No. 20. For her efforts, she was named the 2007 WTA Newcomer of the Year.
With the good, sadly, came all the bad. Vaidisova suffered from mononucleosis in late 2007 and her form took a nosedive; she officially retired in 2010, as her stepfather stated she was "fed up with tennis" and that it was "understandable" because "she started so young." Chakvetadze, after being tied up and robbed in 2007, dealt with a whole host of injuries; she too is currently sidelined with a recurring back injury. Having made a foray into Russian politics in 2011 with the Right Cause Party, and being a featured commentator on Russian Eurosport for the 2013 Australian Open, it's unclear when or if she will return to competition. After reaching a career-high ranking of No. 12 in early 2008, Golovin has been inactive since due to chronic lower back inflammation, and has ruled out a return. Whilst still being troubled by her back, Szavay showed only flashes of her best form in the seasons since, including upsetting then-World No. 3 Venus Williams 6-0, 6-4 in the third round at Roland Garros in 2009. 2010 was her last full season; a failed comeback in 2012 concluded with a retirement loss to countrywoman Greta Arn in the first round of the US Open, her last professional match.
It's hard to say if this quartet could've taken the next step into legitimate slam contenders, or even champions, more than five years removed from their days in the sun. But largely due to matters outside their control, we'll never even know.
Tennis in the Commonwealth – Katie O'Brien New British No. 1; Alicia Molik Ends Retirement
By Leigh Sanders
* Andy Murray of Great Britain has picked up his sixth title in 2009 after he defeated Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Valencia Open. The top seed was playing his first tournament for six weeks after recovering from a wrist injury and he will be delighted to have returned to the court in such style. Murray broke the Russian early on in the first set and never looked back, taking his fourteenth career title. It serves as perfect preparation for the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals in London, England, later this month. Along the way, he saw off local favorite Fernando Verdasco as well as seeing through a tricky encounter with the Argentine Leonardo Mayer.
*World No. 1 and 2 (doubles) players Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic ended their recent run of early round defeats to win the Davidoff Swiss Indoor doubles championship in Basel. It is the third time Nestor has won here, having done so with long-time partner Mark Knowles in 2003 and 2006. They ended the hopes of Pakistani Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and the American James Cerretani in round two and the final saw them comprehensively beat the formidable Bryan brothers 6-2, 6-3. Australian Paul Hanley was eliminated in the first round with his partner Simon Aspelin of Sweden.
*The doubles is also underway in Paris with huge interest for Commonwealth tennis fans. Canadian Daniel Nestor and his partner Nenad Zimonjic are set to face the French pair Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra in round two after a first-round bye was given to all seeded teams. India's Leander Paes and partner Lukas Dlouhy also had a first round bye and line up against Jordan Kerr of Australia and the American Travis Parrott after they defeated Martin Damm and Jonathan Erlich 6-3, 6-4 in round one. Fifth seeds Wesley Moodie (South Africa) and Dick Norman prepare for a second round encounter with Spanish duo Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo after they overcame US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro and Fernando Gonzalez 7-6(2), 6-2 in their first round match. Another Aussie, Paul Hanley, and his Swedish partner Simon Aspelin claimed a huge first-round scalp as they overcame the French pairing of Jeremy Chardy/Gilles Simon. They now face the third seeds Mahesh Bhupathi (India) and Mark Knowles (Bahamas) as they enter the action. The only Commonwealth player to taste defeat at the first hurdle was South Africa's Jeff Coetzee who, with partner Marcelo Melo, went down 3-6, 4-6 to the home-grown pair of Julien Benneteau and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
*Australia's Samantha Stosur failed to progress past the group stages of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Indonesia, after winning one and losing one of her Group B round robin matchups. She was narrowly edged out of her opening encounter 7-6(4), 7-5 by Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Despite then beating Agnes Szavay, Martinez Sanchez' victory over the same player condemned Stosur to elimination. The tournament was won by Aravane Rezai of France after Marion Bartoli retired through injury after one set in the final.
*There were Commonwealth representatives in the doubles too at Valencia but they unfortunately saw little success. Ross Hutchings of Great Britain and Australia's Jordan Kerr fell at the first hurdle while South African Jeff Coetzee and another Australian, Stephen Huss, lost in round two to the eventual champions Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak.
*The race for the final two berths at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, England, hots up this week as seven contenders battle it out at the Paris Open to secure a place. Nikolay Davydenko is favorite for one slot and his first round 6-2, 6-1 thrashing of German Benjamin Becker means he'll make it as long as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Robin Soderling or Fernando Verdasco don't win the tournament. Tsonga looked set to miss the finals after retiring from his first match at Valencia last week with a wrist injury but he's also through to the second round this week and will face compatriot Gilles Simon. Verdasco's progress ends the slim qualification hopes of Radek Stepanek and Maran Cilic while Soderling faces Ivo Karlovic for the right to face Davydenko and end the hopes of one of his rivals.
*Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach have become the fifth team to qualify for the doubles at the ATP World Tour doubles Championship. The final three berths will also be decided at Paris this week.
*This week's ATP World rankings (09/11) sees a two-place drop for Australia's Lleyton Hewitt who now lies in No. 22. His compatriot Peter Luczak climbs a place to 79 while Canada's Frank Dancevic (123) is now above India's Somdev Devvarman (124) after the latter dropped eight places this week.
*The ATP doubles rankings sees no movement in the top 25 ranked players in the world this week (09/11). Below that, Paul Hanley of Australia drops a place to 27 and fellow Aussies Jordan Kerr (31), Ashley Fisher (41), Carsten Ball (58) and Chris Guccioni (62) also see dropped rankings. Rik De Voest (South Africa) drops a place to 47 and Great Britain now occupies 51-3 with Ross Hutchins, Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming while Jonathan Marray continues his climb in to the Top 100 with a nine-rank jump to 91. Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi climbs five to 66 while India's Rohan Bopanna drops one to 95.
*In this week's WTA singles rankings (09/11) Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak has dropped a place to 35, seeing her as the highest place Commonwealth player to see a change in their ranking this week. Katie O'Brien now finds herself the new British No. after climbing from 90 to 88 and compatriot Elena Baltacha fell to 89. Anne Keothavong is now ranked 100 and faces dropping out of the top 100 in the World as she continues to recover from injury.
*In the WTA doubles rankings (09/11), Marie-eve Pelletier of Canada climbed a place to 66 while her compatriot Sharon Fichman narrowly hangs on to her top 100 status as she now finds herself ranked 99. Brit Sarah Borwell fell one to 76.
*British No. 5 Dan Evans is through to the second round of the Caversham International AEGON Pro-Series Event in Jersey with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Austrian Martin Fischer. Dan Cox fell at the sword of the top seeded German Florian Mayer in their first round match.
*Former world No. 8 Alicia Molik of Australia has cut short her retirement from tennis after only 12 months and has secured a wild card for the main draw of the 2010 Moorilla Hobart International. She has formerly won two Grand Slams in doubles (France and Australia) and represented Australia in both the Fed Cup and the Hopman Cup.
*Electrical goods giants Panasonic have signed a new three-year deal as the main sponsors of the Australian Open, the Medibank International Series and the Brisbane International which commences in January 2010.
*Former Australian Davis Cup legend Colin Long has sadly passed away aged 91.
Tennis In The Commonwealth – Stosur on Verge of Top 10
By Leigh Sanders
Britain's Andy Murray has offered his support to Andre Agassi after the former star's revelations about crystal methamphetamine use in his autobiography. While other top players, such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have voiced disappointment at the news, Murray claims it has not ruined his views on his boyhood hero.
"I judge him as a tennis player; he was great, one of the best of all time," said Murray. "I loved Andre, met him numerous times. I guess it's something he has to deal with himself. He's entitled to say whatever he wants and I wish him the best."
Meanwhile, Murray tasted victory on his return to the court at the Valencia Open after he defeated Spanish qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 6-1 in his first match in six weeks. It was Murray's first appearance on court since Great Britain's embarrassing Davis Cup defeat to Poland in September.
*A dozen WTA stars who have excelled on the international tournament level this season have gathered in Bali for the inaugural Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions. The draw on Monday split the stars in to four round-robin groups of three with Australia's Samantha Stosur drawn in Group B alongside Maria Jose Martina Sanchez and Agnes Szavay. After the three competitors in each group play each other the group winner will advance to the semifinal on Saturday with the final held on Sunday. Depending on results this week, Stosur could realise her dream of entering the World's Top 10 with victory in Bali.
*In this week's ATP singles rankings (02/11) there was little movement for Commonwealth tennis players. Australian Peter Luczak continued his climb up the top 100 with a three place jump to 80 while his compatriot Chris Guccione jumped one place to 103. Somdev Devarrman of India climbed five to 116 while South African Kevin Andersen is up to 120.
*The ATP doubles rankings for November 2 see a little more movement for Commonwealth players. Daniel Nestor (Canada, 1), Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes (India, 7 and 8) and Wesley Moodie (South Africa, 9) all remain unmoved in their top 10 berths. Australians Paul Hanley and Jordan Kerr remain in 26 and 29 respectively while Ashley Fisher drops to 40 and Stephen Huss climbs to 45. South African Rik De Voest is behind him in 46 and Briton Ross Hutchins is 47. Fellow Britons Ken Skupski (16) and Colin Fleming (14) saw massive climbs to 50 and 53 respectively following their victory in St. Petersburg (see below). South Africa's Jeff Coetzee dropped 21 places to 56. Jonathan Marray of Great Britain climbs one place to enter the Top 100.
*This week's Sony Ericsson WTA Singles Rankings (02/11) see Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada fall from 30 to 34 while Australia's Jelena Dokic has jumped from 64 to 57. British No. 1 Anne Keothavong now finds herself ranked 84 as she continues to fall during her period of injury while her compatriot Elena Baltacha also dropped one spot to 87. British No. 3 Katie O'Brien also dropped a place to 91 but there are now only a few ranking spots and only 63 ranking points between the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked players from the British Isles.
*In the doubles (02/11) The Australian duo Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs dropped from No. 5 to No. 7 this week while Sania Mirza of India climbed a place to 37. Canada's Marie-eve Pelletier fell a place to 67 and British No. 1 Sarah Borwell was up three to 75. Another Canadian, Sharon Fichman, climbed to 97.
*The race for the final two ATP World Tour Finals places in London, England, later this month heated up this week. At the Valencia Open, Gilles Simon, Jo Wilfried-Tsonga and Gael Monfils led the French charge in to round two as they looked to make the Championships while the Spaniards Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco also progressed as they look to secure a place. The Russian Nikolay Davydenko is also looking for one of those two slots and he is through in Valencia too, beating Alejandro Falla of Columbia 6-2, 6-1.
*In the doubles at Valencia, British-Australian pair Ross Hutchins and Jordan Kerr were knocked out in the first round by the in-form third seeds Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak on Monday. The match was closely fought and they eventually went down 4-6, 6-4, 10-6. The Czech-Slovak duo are one team with a chance of claiming a berth at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, England, later this month. In the quarterfinals they will face South African-Australian pair Jeff Coetzee and Stephen Huss who overcame Spanish wild cards Marc Lopez and Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo.
*British doubles pair Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski picked up their second ATP World Tour title when they beat the French pairing of Richard Gasquet and Jeremy Chardy in the final of the St. Petersburg Open. The win capped a memorable year for the pair who won their first title at Metz in September and followed that up by winning the ATP Challenger event in Orleans, France last week. They are expected to represent GB against Lithuania in their forthcoming Davis Cup tie.
*Aussie Paul Hanley has lost in the first round of the Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel doubles with Swedish partner Simon Aspelin. The fourth seeds were upset by the South American pairing of Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa 5-7, 3-6. Canadian world No. 1 Daniel Nestor and his partner Nenad Zimonjic survived a scare against South Americans Lucas Arnold Ker and Fernando Gonzalez as they came from a set down to win 4-3, 6-3, 10-5 in the same competition. Nestor has triumphed twice here in 2003 and 2006 with long-time partner Mark Knowles. Wildcard home favourites Roger Federer and Marco Chiudinelli were also defeated in the first round. They fell to Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan and American James Cerretani.
*Another Aussie to taste an early defeat was Peter Luczak in the singles at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel. The qualifier was downed by the Czech Jan Hernych who saved six break points to win through 6-3, 6-4 in 76 minutes.
*Jelena Dokic of Australia continued to show her fine form as she won her second ITF title in two weeks in Poitiers, France. She beat the Swede Sofia Arvidsson in the final. Despite a few setbacks this year including a back injury and a debilitating virus she has climbed from 198 to 64 in the rankings this year. "I'm very happy with the way things have played out these last three tournaments," said Dokic. "It shows that my consistency is at a very high level and the fact that I can win so many matches in a row."
*Britain was mightily close to more glory this week at the $15K AEGON Pro-Series Event in Cardiff, Wales. Marcus Willis and Dan Evans both reached the semifinals of the singles before losing to Yannick Mertens (BEL) and Henri Kontinen (FIN) respectively. In the doubles, Brits Alexander Slabinsky and Tim Bradshaw lost in the final to the Irish pair of James McGee and Barry King.
*Sarah Borwell of Great Britain partnered American Raquel Kops-Jones to the semifinals of the $100k Doubles Event in Ortisei, Italy. The No. 2 seeds went down 6-7(3), 3-6 to Tathiana Garbin (ITA) and Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), who went on to win the tournament.
*Christopher Simpson won the AEGON British Tour in Taunton after winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 against Artiom Kolpakov (LTU). He had beaten fellow Briton David Brewer in the semi final. In the women's event, Jessica Ren triumphed over another British girl, Alexandra Walker 6-3, 6-3 in the final. She had beaten her sister and No. 1 seed, Jen Ren, in the semifinal.
*Marinko Matosevic of Australia was knocked out of the quarter finals of the Samsung Securities Cup in Seoul, Korea by The Dutch third seed Thiemo De Bakker. His compatriot Greg Jones fell at the same stage to Lester Cook of the USA. Moving on to the Flea Market Cup in Chuncheon, Korea, Matosevic has reached the same stage with victory over the German Matthias Bachinger. Fellow Aussies Greg Jones and Sadik Kadir fell in the round of 32.
*Hot Canadian prospect Vasek Pospisil clinched his third straight tournament win in Mexico over the weekend. The 19-year-old won the $10K event in Obregon to add to his two wins in September in Italy. In the doubles, he partnered Australian Nima Roshan to the Championship, beating Adrien Bossel and Julien Dubail 6-7(5), 6-3, 11-9 in the final.
*Young Australian tennis starlets Olivia Rogowska and Bernard Tomic have been nominated for the 2009 Sports Performer of the Year awards. Rogowska came perilously close to upsetting Dinara Safina in the first round of the US Open while Tomic is the most anticipated Australian prospect since Lleyton Hewitt.
Mondays With Bob Greene: I'm Recharged
Caroline Wozniacki beat Elena Vesnina 6-2 6-4 to win the women's singles at the Pilot Pen in New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Fernando Verdasco beat Sam Querrey 6-4 7-6 (6) to win the Pilot Pen men's singles in New Haven
Tatjana Malek won the EmblemHealth Bronx Open, beating Kristina Barrois 6-1 6-4 in The Bronx, New York, USA
"Now it's my time. It's my turn to win some tournaments. I just feel I've had a great year. I'm so happy that it's my name coming up a lot of times now." – Caroline Wozniacki, after successfully defending her Pilot Pen Tennis women's singles championship.
"I never got a chance to go back there to defend my title in 2006 because I was injured with my left wrist and then pregnant in 2007. So while this does feel like a new beginning, I am looking forward to walking through those gates again for the first time in four years." – Kim Clijsters, who won the US Open in her last appearance at the year's final Grand Slam tournament.
"I am number three in the world, and the number three in the world should have a chance to win, no?" – Rafael Nadal, on his chances to win the US Open.
"I have to take it as a positive that I will have more time to get ready for the Open. It's been a really busy summer for me so I'll just take advantage of these (early losses) and keep training and preparing for the Open." – Venus Williams, talking about early exits from her last two tournaments.
"I'm recharged. I know I can play and move well and compete with the top players as good as I was, if not better. The US Open is my main goal." – Jelena Jankovic.
"With every tournament I feel physically I'm getting better and getting a good sense of the court, but it's still a work in progress. I'd like to forget I was gone for a long time but you have to put things in perspective." – Maria Sharapova, noting her chances of winning the US Open this year are slim.
"This year I equaled my best result in Australia (last 16), did two rounds better than I ever did at the French (quarterfinals) and got further than I have done at Wimbledon (semifinals). So now the slam is the last thing I need to do. I believe that I can do it." – Andy Murray, saying he's one of the favorites to win the US Open.
"Andy's not under the radar anymore and that's probably a good thing. Now that the expectations are there I think he's ready to handle it. He is definitely one of the six guys capable of winning." – Brad Gilbert, speaking about Andy Roddick.
"One of the important things he has over everyone, and he has it more than any other player I've seen since (Jimmy) Connors, is his love for the sport. Real love. He loves to be out there, to be around tennis, everything about it." – John McEnroe, talking about Roger Federer.
"I've never had a normal life, so I don't know what a normal life means." – Fabrice Santoro, who, playing in his 20th season on tour, will retire after the US Open.
"I just look to be prepared for the Open. This is my first important thing for me is to just get there and be prepared for a fight." – Flavia Pennetta.
"I think I've learned, especially in the last year, that it's a lot simpler than I realized, playing professional tennis. There are no secrets. You got to do what you do well and you have to bring that to the table every day." – Rajeev Ram, who won his first ATP Tour title earlier this summer…
"I don't think I am going to do anything special because it is my last Grand Slam. I am not planning it. But you never know what can happen. I know I am not going to win, there is no chance. So we will just see." – Marat Safin, the 2000 US Open champion who will retire at the end of this year.
"For the next year or so I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. I just want to stay healthy and enjoy my tennis." – Katarina Srebotnik, whose US Open appearance is her first tournament in 10 months because of injuries.
"She was just playing with me like a pussy cat, one corner to other corner. In the second set I started to be more aggressive and I started serving a lot better." – Elena Vesnina, after her three-set semifinal win over Amelie Mauresmo in New Haven.
"I elected to go with disaster control and the high powder-puff. Everyone asks did you bounce it. I just threw it over the catcher." – Andy Roddick, talking about throwing out the first pitch at a New York Yankees baseball game.
"I contemplated things like whether I would be able to accept myself for not being on the level that I was in my teens, twenties, and when I was 25; whether I would be able to accept losing, moreover be able to accept a losing streak. I did spend a lot of time contemplating about this. Yet, after I made my decision to be back on court again and challenge myself, I haven't really thought about it." – Kimiko Date Krumm, who returned to the WTA Tour after a 12-year retirement.
"It makes for something special. You sit in the players' lounge and you wait. It doesn't rain so often here so I don't think they should change anything." – Dinara Safina, saying she thinks something might be lost if a roof is installed over Arthur Ashe Stadium and there were no rain delays to sit though.
"I've peeked at the draw and seen where some of the qualifying spots are. I'd love to play a Federer or Nadal or a Roddick. We'll see. I just want to play in there." – Michael Yani, who at age 28 qualified for his first US Open, pointing at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Twice Andre Agassi closed out the US Open by winning the men's singles. This year, he is the headliner on opening day, being honored for "giving back." In 1994, the year he won his first US Open title, Agassi established the Andre Agassi Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming public education in Las Vegas, Nevada. As part of the Opening Night celebration, the USTA is recognizing the 40th anniversary of the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL), which was founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder as a network of community tennis organizations seeking to develop the character of young people through tennis and education. Besides Agassi, others honored on opening night include Mia Hamm, David Robinson and Doug Flutie.
Andre Agassi's autobiography, "Open," will be published in November. The eight-time Grand Slam singles champion writes about his start in tennis, his relationship with his father and his failed marriage to actress Brooke Shields.
There could be a USD one million dollar payday in Sam Querrey's future. By winning the US Open Series, the American has a chance to earn a bonus of between USD $15,000 and $1 million, according to how he finishes in the US Open. Querrey reached the final of the Pilot Pen in New Haven, Connecticut, before falling to Spain's Fernando Verdasco 6-4 7-6 (8).
The US Open wants players and their entourages to be careful about what they post on the social networking site Twitter. Signs at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center warn that Twitter messages could violate the sport's anti-corruption rules. The signs say tweeting is not allowed on court during matches and warns about using Twitter away from the court, saying information about players, weather, court conditions, status, outcome or any other aspect of an event could be determined as the passing of "inside information." The warnings say they apply to players, coaches, agents, family members and tournament staff.
Because of tropical storm Denney, the semifinals of the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven, Connecticut, were moved indoors. After waiting in vain most of Friday for the steady rain to cease, the women's semis were switched from a 13,000-seat stadium to an indoor college court where only 300 fans were able to be squeezed into the building and leaned over a balcony that overlooked the court or stood on adjacent courts. There, Caroline Wozniacki beat Flavia Pennetta and Elena Vesnina downed Amelie Mauresmo. The men's semis followed suit Saturday morning, with Sam Querrey stopping Jose Acasuso and Fernando Verdasco defeating Igor Andreev. Both finals were played outdoors late Saturday as the storm finally subsided and the hard courts were dried.
Dominika Cibulkova won't be able to match her French Open performance at this year's final Grand Slam tournament. The semifinalist at Roland Garros pulled out of the US Open because of a rib injury. Her withdrawal allowed Alberta Brianti of Italy to move into the main draw, while Agnes Szavay becomes the number 32 seeded player.
Several players are nursing injuries as they begin their US Open run. Marion Bartoli retired from her match at the Pilot Pen in New Haven, Connecticut, because of a left thigh strain. A hand injury forced Agnieszka Radwanska to retire before the third set of her match in New Haven. And Nikolay Davydenko needed a doctor to look at his right wrist midway through his quarterfinal final loss to Sam Querrey in the Pilot Pen men's singles. Davydenko said his wrist became sore from the force of Querrey's serves hitting his racquet. Sabine Lisicki, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury, will play in the US Open.
India's Sania Mirza received acupuncture treatment on her right wrist before heading to New York and the US Open. The 22-year-old underwent wrist surgery in April 2008, but the problem flared up again at the Beijing Olympics, forcing her to miss the last year's US Open. She had reached the semifinals of a challenger event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, when she again felt pain in her right wrist. So she flew home to Hyderabad, India, to get treatment. "I'm much better now, but not absolutely pain-free," she said.
Katarina Srebotnik is making her comeback at the US Open. She was ranked as high as number 20 in the world in singles and number four in doubles, and had posted victories over Serena Williams at Roland Garros and Svetlana Kuznetsova at the US Open a year ago. But pain in her Achilles tendon and a shoulder injury forced her off the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour for 10 months. It's called the luck of the draw, and for Srebotnik it's bad luck. Her first-round opponent will be 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova.
Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic has denied deliberating taking a banned substance. The 25-year-old tested positive for a derivative of the banned stimulant pseudo ephedrine following a Davis Cup quarterfinal match against Argentina in July. "I have never consciously taken a banned substance," said Minar, who is ranked 66th in the world. "This is why I rejected the accusation of doping in my reaction sent to the ITF." Minar cited an injury when he withdrew from this year's US Open.
Serena Williams says she is telling all in her autobiography, "Queen of the Court," which is going on sale during the US Open. Serena says it was important for her to give an honest account of her life because she has not been as open as she should have been since the shooting death of her sister, Yetunde Price. She said that while she told the press injuries kept her from playing, she was also beset by depression because of a delayed reaction to Tunde's death. Serena says three things got her out of her depression: seeing a therapist, going to Africa where she began a school, and winning the 2007 Australian Open over Maria Sharapova. "It opened up a lot of doors I left closed to the public and to myself," Serena said of writing the book.
Brydan Klein promises to be on his best behavior after completing a racial sensitivity course. The former Australian Open junior champion was banned for six months and fined USD $10,000 by the ATP after making a racial slur against a black South African player during a tournament in England in June. The 19-year-old Klein has a history of clashes with officials, having been suspended from the Australian Institute of Sport for repeated on-court misbehavior. Ranked 223rd in the world, Klein said he has apologized to fellow player Raven Klaasen for the slur. He also said he cannot afford to slip up again. "I'm definitely on my last warning," he said. "This has been a step back for me and it hasn't been a nice experience."
John McEnroe has always been a big man in New York City, but this is ridiculous. A 100-foot high by 35-foot wide (30.48m by 15.24m) banner of McEnroe hangs on the side of Madison Square Garden promoting prostate cancer screening guidelines. McEnroe's father was diagnosed with the illness in 2006 but is now doing well. Now 50 years old, the younger McEnroe says he knows many men his age are reluctant to get screened for cancer for the same reason they don't like to ask for directions: they may view it as a sign of weakness.
Billie Jean King and actor Alec Baldwin will be the spokespeople for the expanded environmental initiatives at the National Tennis Center named in her honor. The two will join the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in encouraging US Open fans and others to help preserve the environment. Expanded 2009 initiatives will include a site-wide recycling effort placing more than 500 recycling receptacles across the 42 acres of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. There also will be on sale an exclusive organic t-shirt designed by two-time US Open champion Venus Williams.
Venus Williams has been named to the first Power List of O, the Oprah Magazine. Selecting "20 remarkable visionaries who are flexing their muscles in business and finance, politics and justice, science and the arts," the magazine picked Venus Williams as "The Power of Female Strength." Noting her Grand Slam and Olympics medals as well as her voice in the lobbying effort to win equal prize money for female players, the magazine said: "Both on and off the court, Venus Williams embodies a perfect marriage of power and grace. In the singular artistry of her play, we see that beauty and brawn aren't mutually exclusive."
The US Open logo – a flaming tennis ball – accounts for about 42 percent of all sales at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the year's final Grand Slam tournament. Sarah Cummins, the USTA's managing director for merchandising, told Bloomberg News that clothing, hats and other gear bearing the US Open logo brought in almost USD $14 million during the two-week tournament last year.
When James Blake debuts his new Fila line of clothes at the US Open, he will be thinking about his father. The logo on Blake's new clothing is "TR," and the line is called Thomas Reynolds, the first and middle names of his late father, who died in 2004. Fila will help capture the lessons instilled in James by his father through print ads and through hang tags on the line. While Blake will be wearing the clothes on a tennis court, there are plans for the Thomas Reynolds brand to be on golf, fitness and leisurewear as well. "I wanted to be part of something that wouldn't necessarily have to always be tied to me and be more about the spirit that father embodied," Blake said.
Following her third hip surgery, Jamea Jackson is retiring from the women's tour and will become assistant tennis coach at Oklahoma State University. The 22-year-old from Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, will also be a student at OSU. Jackson was a member of the United States Fed Cup team.
John Alexander's new game is politics. The former tennis player and commentator has joined the Liberal Party and is running for a seat in the Australian parliament. Alexander is an advocate for preventive health and believes the decline of public tennis courts and other facilities in Australia has contributed to childhood obesity and health problems. He said he joined the Liberal Party at the invitation of a friend, who told him he would be more effective in securing change by trying to be part of a government. Ranked as high as eighth in the world, Alexander was the youngest player to represent Australia in Davis Cup. He played Davis Cup from 1968 to 1980 and has been captain of Australia's Fed Cup team.
The US National Championships, known since 1968 as the US Open Tennis Championships, is the second oldest of the four Grand Slam tournaments and is the only one to have been played each year since its inception in 1881. This is the 129th version of America's premier tennis event and has been played on three different surfaces: grass, clay and hard court. The tournament has been held on hard court at Flushing Meadows since moving from Forest Hills in 1978. The only major sporting event in the United States older than the US Open is the Kentucky Derby, which began in 1875.
New Haven (men): Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer beat Bruno Soares and Kevin Ullyett 6-4 7-6 (3)
New Haven (women): Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat Iveta Benesova and Lucie Hradecka 6-2 7-5
The Bronx: Anna-Lena Groenfeld and Vania King beat Julie Coin and Marie-Eve Pelletier 6-0, 6-3
US Open: www.usopen.org
Kim Clijsters: www.kimclijsters.be/
Roger Federer: www.rogerfederer.com/en/index.cfm
Rafael Nadal: www.rafaelnadal.com/nada/en/home
Serena Williams: www.serenawilliams.com/
Venus Williams: www.venuswilliams.com/
Andy Roddick: www.andyroddick.com
Andre Agassi Foundation: www.agassiopen.com/
(All money in USD)
ATP and WTA
US Open (first week), New York, New York, USA, hard
ATP and WTA
US Open (second week), New York, New York, USA, hard
$120,000 Genoa Open Challenger, Genoa, Italy, clay
Mondays With Bob Greene: It shows how important Andy is for the team
Rajeev Ram beat Sam Querry 6-7 (3) 7-5 6-3 to win the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, USA
Agnes Szavay won the GDF Suez Grand Prix, beating Patty Schnyder 2-6 6-4 6-2 in Budapest, Hungary
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat Caroline Wozniacki 7-5 6-4 to win the Collector Swedish Open Women in Bastad, Sweden
Julia Goerges beat Ekaterina Dzehalevich 7-5 6-0 in Biarritz, France, to win the Open GDF Suez de Biarritz
Karol Beck won the Open Diputacion Ciudad de Pozoblanco in Pozoblanco, Cordoba, Spain, beating Thiago Alves 6-4 6-3
World Group Quarterfinals
Czech Republic Argentina 3-2; Croatia beat the United States 3-2; Israel beat Russia 4-1; Spain beat Germany 3-2
Americas Zone Group 1 Playoff: Peru vs. Canada; Group 2 Second Round: Venezuela beat Mexico; Dominican Republic beat Paraguay; Netherlands Antilles beat Jamaica; Bahamas vs. Guatemala
Asia/Oceania Zone Group 1 Second Round Playoffs: Kazakhstan beat Thailand 5-0; Korea vs. China; Group 2 Second Round: Philippines beat Pakistan 3-2; New Zealand beat Indonesia 5-0; Group 2 Playoffs: Hong Kong-China beat Oman 5-0; Malaysia beat Kuwait 4-1
Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 Playoffs: Belarus beat FYR Macedonia 4-1; Group 2 Second Round: Slovenia beat Lithuania 5-0; Latvia beat Bulgaria 4-1; Finland beat Monaco 3-2; Cyprus beat Ireland 3-1; Group 2 Playoffs: Egypt beat Georgia 5-0; Hungary beat Moldova 3-2; Denmark beat Montenegro 3-2; Portugal beat Algeria 5-0
"It's a beautiful way to celebrate my career. … I wish my dad would have been here today, but I know he's here in spirit because without him I wouldn't be sitting here today." – Monica Seles, on her installation into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
"These days don't come around very often unless you're (Roger) Federer or (Rafael) Nadal. There's definitely pressure. … Winning tournaments is not normal on the tour for 99 percent of us." – Rajeev Ram, after beating fellow American Sam Querry in Newport to win his first ATP title.
"I'm sorry I spoiled your (birthday) celebrations, but I promise I will buy you something instead." – Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain, after beating Caroline Wozniacki on the Dane's 19th birthday.
"For the first time I have absolutely nothing to say, usually I just can't stop talking, and I started to cry like a little boy." – Andy Ram, after teaming with Jonathan Erlich to win the doubles and clinch Israel's first semifinal berth in Davis Cup competition.
"It was a great fight. At the end I was just fighting like a tiger. That was the difference, I think. It wasn't about the tennis in that match. I was so close to losing." – Agnes Szavay, after beating Patty Schnyder in the final in Budapest.
"I was so embarrassed to be with them that I called everybody sir. Those players have won Wimbledon, Davis Cup, Forest Hills, French Open, and I have one trophy, Monte Carlo." – Andres Gimeno, who joined Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad and others on the pro tour before he won his only Grand Slam tournament title, the French Open, in 1972.
"It shows how important Andy is for the team. Being on the No. 2 spot is less pressure than playing on the No. 1 spot." – James Blake, losing both of his singles matches after being forced to play No. 1 when Andy Roddick pulled out of the United States-Croatia Davis Cup quarterfinal tie with a hip injury.
In a string of circumstances, Andy Roddick's hip injury may have been the catalyst that led to Rajeev Ram winning his first ATP title. When Roddick pulled out of Davis Cup with the injury, he was replaced by Mardy Fish, the top seed at the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island. Knowing he would get a spot in the main draw because of Fish's leaving, Ram withdrew from his final round of qualifying, then became the tournament's "lucky loser." With rain curtailing play on Tuesday and Wednesday, Ram played eight matches over the last three days of the tournament as he became just the third player on the ATP World Tour this year to win both singles and doubles at the same event. He downed fellow American Sam Querrey 6-7 (3) 7-5 6-3 for the singles title, then teamed with Austria's Jordan Kerr to beat Michael Kohlmann of Germany and Dutchman Rogier Wassen 6-7 (6) 7-6 (7) 10-6 (match tiebreak) in the doubles. Ram, playing in his fist ATP final and ranked 181 in the world, is the lowest ranked player to win a tournament this year. Until the Newport tournament, he had won a total of six career ATP matches.
In the biggest shocker of the Davis Cup weekend, Israel advanced to the semifinals of the World Group for the first time by upsetting Russia 4-1. The Israelis clinched the tie when Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich bested Marat Safin and Igor Kunitsyn to win the doubles and give their side an unassailable 3-0 lead over the two-time Davis Cup champions. "I actually can't describe how I feel. … I am so proud to be an Israeli today, to be a part of this team, so proud to be part of this sport and Davis Cup tennis, it was a classic tie," said Israel team captain Eyal Ran. Israel took a surprising 2-0 lead on the opening day when 210th-ranked Harel Levy upset Igor Andreev before Dudi Sela beat Mikhail Youzhny. Israel will take on defending champion Spain in the semifinals on September 18-20.
The other semifinal will pit two other surprising teams against each other. The Czech Republic edged Argentina, last year's Davis Cup finalists, 3-1, while Croatia defeated the Andy Roddick-less United States 3-2.
The singles winners at the US Open will pocket at least a record USD $1.6 million. The two champions also can earn an additional USD $1 million in bonus prize money, which could help in building a new garage on their home since they will also receive a new 2010 Lexus IS convertible vehicle. The USTA announced that the total US Open purse will top USD $12.6 million, making it the third consecutive year that the prize money has increased by USD $1 million. In addition to the base purse of USD $21.6 million, the top three men and top three women finishers in the Olympus US Open Series may earn up to an additional USD $2.6 million in bonus prize money. And just in case that's not enough to make ends meet, the US Open winners – like all the other players in the field – will receive per diem payments to help with the cost of accommodations and other expenses during their New York City stay.
Andre Agassi is returning to the US Open. Twice a champion in the year's final Grand Slam tournament, Agassi will headline the opening night ceremony on August 31 as the US Open celebrates charity work by athletes. Agassi, who began the Andre Agassi Foundation in 1994, ended his 21-year career by retiring at the end of the 2006 US Open. His foundation has a charger school in Las Vegas, Nevada, which graduated its first senior class in June, sending all 34 students to college.
The marathon Wimbledon final in which Roger Federer outlasted Andy Roddick was the most-watch All England Club men's final in the United States in 10 years. NBC said an average of 5.71 million people tuned in to watch Federer win his record-setting 15th Grand Slam title, the most since Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the 1999 final. The 3.8 rating and 10 share was the best for a men's final since Sampras defeat4ed Patrick Rafter in 2000, and surpassed last year's five-set battle between Federer and Rafael Nadal by nine percent. The fifth set of the Federer-Roddick match was the longest in major final history.
While in Newport, Rhode Island, to attend his colleague Donald Dell's induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Ray Benton told the story about how he once advised Ivan Lendl that if he showed how much he enjoyed playing tennis it could help the bottom line. Benton, Lendl's agent, theorized that if the stoic-looking Lendl just smiled and acted happy after he won matches, it would result in the player earning an additional USD $1 million dollars a year in endorsements. Benton said Lendl pondered the idea for a few moments, then said, "It's not worth it." Lendl, who won 94 singles titles in his career, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
The top mixed doubles team in the Advanta World TeamTennis Pro League will be playing on the big stage come this August. The mixed doubles team that finishes at the top of the WTT Pro League rankings will receive a wild card into the 2009 US Open mixed doubles tournament. More than 50 players are competing in the Advanta WTT Pro League this month for 10 franchises throughout the United States. "World TeamTennis has long featured some of the best players in the world, especially in doubles," said WTT commissioner Ilana Kloss. "We are very excited to work with the USTA to provide our players with this opportunity to be rewarded for their high level of play." World TeamTennis matches feature three sets of doubles – men's, women's and mixed – along with one set each of men's and women's single. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis.
Spain reached back into the past to gain a victory in their Davis Cup tie against Germany. When Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer both pulled out of the World Group quarterfinal because of injuries, Juan Carlos Ferrero was added to the team. Then Spanish captain Albert Costa replaced Tommy Robredo with Ferrero in the decisive fifth match, and the former world number one bested Andreas Beck 6-4 6-4 6-4. It was the first time since 2005 against Italy that Spain won a fifth match to determine the outcome of a tie. It was Ferrero that time also who came away victorious. "It's amazing what I felt on the court today," Ferrero said. "It's a long time I didn't play Davis Cup competition and this tie for me was very special. To come back and play the last point, I felt amazing on the court."
India's Sania Mirza is making headlines for reasons beyond her tennis. In the latest incident, two engineering students have been arrested and accused of stalking her. All of this comes as she is being engaged to family friend Sohrab Mirza, whose father owns Universal Bakers chain in Hyderabad, India. The 23-year-old Sohrab is reportedly heading to the United Kingdom to pursue an MBA degree. Police said Ajay Singh Yadva was apprehended as he tried to barge into the tennis player's house, apparently to profess his love. He was taken into custody when he refused to leave. Yadav's arrest came a day after another student threatened to commit suicide if the engagement was not called off. Last month, the Andhra Pradesh state government found that a man had secured a white ration card showing Sania Mirza as his wife, complete with photos of the tennis star. White ration cards are meant for people living below the poverty line. The 22-year-old Mirza became the first Indian woman to climb into the top 40 in the rankings. At one time, the Muslim player was assailed by conservative elements of the Indian community for competing in short skirts and sleeveless shirts.
Former junior Australian Open champion Brydan Klein has been banned from the game for six months for racially abusing South African Raven Klaasen during an ATP event in England last month. The 19-year-old Australian also will undergo a racial sensitivity course and was fined USD $10,000 by the ATP. Australian media said Klein called Klaasen a "kaffir" and spat at his coach and another player. Klein earlier had been fined USD $13,290 by Tennis Australia, which suspended him from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and cut off his funding grants. "I sincerely regret my error in judgment in using the language I did and I am deeply sorry for the offense caused," Australian Associated Press (AAP) quoted Klein as saying in a statement. "I am accepting the ATP's ruling and am now looking to put the whole incident behind me. I will undergo a racial sensitivity course and am determined to learn from this mistake." The suspension covers all ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour events. The final two months of the suspension and extra fine will be waived if Klein successfully completes the racial sensitivity training course.
Jelena Dokic's ailment has been diagnosed as mononucleosis. The illness has plagued Dokic since the end of the French Open. Blood tests taken after she lost at Wimbledon revealed the illness. She was told by doctors to do nothing but rest for at least two weeks. "I am disappointed to have to pull out of a couple of events, but I am also relieved to finally know what was wrong," said Dokic, who once was ranked as high as fifth in the world before dropping off the tour with personal problems. "It has been so frustrating since the French. My natural work ethic is to get on court and train hard with intensity. I just haven't been able to do that, and until now I didn't know why."
Todd Woodbridge is Australia's new Davis Cup coach. A 16-time doubles Grand Slam tournament champion, Woodbridge has been appointed national men's and Davis Cup coach in an expanded full-time role. Tennis Australia made the move in an effort to reverse the country's flagging fortunes in the competition, which they have won 28 times, second only to the United States. Woodbridge is Australia's longest serving Davis Cup player and was a member of the 1999 and 2003 Davis Cup winning teams. The country currently has only one player ranked in the top 100 in the world, Lleyton Hewitt. It ended its 2009 campaign by forfeiting a regional group tie against India earlier this year, claiming security concerns on the sub-continent.
Being that tweeting while playing is against the rules, Justin Gimelstob needed help to tweet during his doubles match at the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island. Gimelstob would write notes and give them to a ball girl who would run over to the side of the court where another person would post them on Gimelstob's Twitter account. Some times he would mouth a few comments for the intern to post in between points. Most of the twittering was standard play-by-play recaps. "There's so much competition for the entertainment dollar," Gimelstob explained. "Fans want to know what goes on behind the scenes. Fans want to know what goes on in the players' heads."
The death of French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt has been attributed to cardiac arrest. Montcourt, who had just begun a five-week ban from tennis for gambling on other players' matches, was found outside his apartment in Paris after he spent the evening at the home of Patrice Dominguez, technical director of the French Tennis Federation. Ranked 119th in the world, Montcourt was cleared of influencing the outcome of any of the matches he had bet on. He also had been fined USD $12,000 for the offense, which he called ridiculous since he had only bet a total of USD $192.
NH Hoteles has extended its sponsorship of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas for an additional three years. Originally a Spanish brand, NH Hoteles has grown to 348 hotels in 22 countries in Europe, Africa and the Americas. The International Tennis Federation (ITF), in making the announcement, noted that since NH Hoteles joined the Davis Cup family in 2004 as an international sponsor it has added 106 hotel properties to its portfolio.
Newport: Rajeev Ram and Jordan Kerr beat Michael Kohlmann and Rogier Wassen 6-7 (6) 7-6 (7) 10-6 (match tiebreak)
Bastad: Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta beat Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-2 0-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)
Budapest: Alisa Kleybanova and Monica Niculescu beat Alona Bondarenko and Kateryna Bondarenko 6-4 7-6 (5)
Biarritz: Yung-Jan Chan and Anastasia Rodionova beat Akgul Amanmuradova and Darya Kustova 3-6 6-4 10-7 (match tiebreak)
Indianapolis: www.tennisindy.com/
Bastad: http://men.swedishopen.org/
Stuttgart: www.mercedescup.de/
Prague: www.pragueopen.cz/
Palermo: www.countrytimeclub.com/web/club/home.asp
Portoroz: www.sloveniaopen.si/
Bad Gastein: www.matchmaker.at/gastein/
Los Angeles: www.latennisopen.com/
Gstaad: www.allianzsuisseopengstaad.com/e/
Umag: www.croatiaopen.hr
Stanford: www.bankofthewestclassic.com/
Istanbul: www.istanbulcup.com/
(All money in USD)
$600,000 Catella Swedish Open, Bastad, Sweden, clay
$600,000 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, clay
$125,000 Bogota, Columbia, clay
$220,000 Internazionali Femminili di Tennis di Palermo, Palermo, Italy, clay
$220,000 ECM Prague Open, Prague, Czech Republic, clay
$1,500,000 Bet-at-Home Open, Hamburg, Germany, clay
$600,000 Indianapolis Tennis Championships, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, hard
$220,000 Banka Koper Slovenia Open, Portoroz, Slovenia, hard
$220,000 Gastein Ladies, Bad Gastein, Austria, clay
Mondays With Bob Greene: This is not a tragedy, losing here in Paris
Robin Soderling beat top-seeded Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-7 (2) 6-4 7-6 (2)
Agnes Szavay beat third-seeded Venus Williams 6-0 6-4
Philipp Kohlschreiber beat fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-4 6-4
Samantha Stosur beat fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva 6-3 4-6 6-1
Victoria Azarenka beat eighth-seeded Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-3
Nikolay Davydenko beat eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco 6-2 6-2 6-4
Sorana Cirstea beat 10th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (3) 7-5
"This is not a tragedy, losing here in Paris. It had to happen one day. That's the end of the road, and I have to accept it. I have to accept my defeat as I accepted my victories – with calm." – Rafael Nadal, after having his record 31-match victory string at Roland Garros snapped.
"This is for sure the biggest moment so far of my career. I couldn't even dream of this before the match, so I will remember this match for the rest of my life." – Robin Soderling, after beating Rafael Nadal.
"Everybody's in a state of shock, I would think. At some point, Nadal was going to lose. But nobody expected it to happen today, and maybe not this year." – Mats Wilander, a three-time French Open champion on Robin Soderling's victory over Rafael Nadal.
"It's just a bad day at the office, as they say." – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Philipp Kohlschreiber.
"I'm used to beating people 6-0. I'm not used to my shot not going in and losing a set 6-0. So it completely was foreign ground for me." – Venus Williams, after losing to Agnes Szavay 6-0 6-4
"In the fourth game, I just suddenly started feeling so dizzy, and I completely lost my balance." – Ana Ivanovic, after losing to Victoria Azarenka.
"I'm angry, because even though it was (Roger) Federer, it was a near-miss. I was so close to winning this match." – Jose Acasuso, after losing to Federer 7-6 (8) 5-7 7-6 (2) 6-2.
"She (a WTA Tour official) told me to play with another T-shirt otherwise I was facing a fine. I told her to find one for me otherwise I would have had to play naked." – Virginie Razzano, who was told to change her shirt because a sponsor badge on the shirt was misplaced.
"I'm just glad I finally won a match out there." – Andy Roddick, an American who finally won a match after three straight first-round losses at Roland Garros.
"Well, he actually looks a little bit tired to me. He doesn't look like he's fresh enough. I think it's going to be tough challenge for him to win this time, actually." – Elena Dementieva, predicting Rafael Nadal will not win a record fifth straight French Open men's singles title.
"The point is never over. I mean, the ball is a little bit far but I have to find a solution to jump or to dive or slide or whatever, to reach it. And when I think I can, I will try some magic. On a break point, you have to jump or dive. I mean, I go for it." – Gael Monfils, on his acrobatic style of play.
"He's not (Rafael) Nadal, but he's still a great player on clay." – Janko Tipsarevic, on Andy Murray's improved game on clay.
"Winning the semifinal is not winning the tournament, so it doesn't change anything." – Roger Federer, when asked if he was relieved to see his possible semifinal opponent, Novak Djokovic, lose his third-round match.
"For the Americans, a lot of times, this isn't our main goal of the year. Ours is generally Wimbledon and the U.S. Open." James Blake, an American, after losing a first-round match to Argentine qualifier Leonard Mayer.
"I wasn't nervous at the beginning, but at the end, when I had to close the match, I was very nervous, yes. I was dying of nerves." – Leonardo Mayer, a qualifier who beat James Blake.
"We're trying as hard as we can. Once these two weeks are over, the clay talk is over, and we'll be looking to my most fun part of the year: Wimbledon, grass courts. That's where we play our best." – Mardy Fish, an American, after losing a first-round match.
"I feel very disappointed. She's Serena. She's one of the biggest players here, so bad luck for the draw," said Klara Zakopalova, after failing to cash in on eight match points in her first-round loss to Serena Williams.
"I don't see trouble. What I see is a champion that found a way to win on a day that she didn't play good. See, in order to be a champion, you have to win when you should lose." – Richard Williams, after his daughter Serena squandered eight match points before beating Klara Zakopalova 6-3 6-7 (5) 6-4.
"I felt like I had the match in my hands and I was doing well and even if I didn't win, I was playing really well … I felt like I probably played the best tennis that I played this year." – Jelena Dokic, after retiring with a back injury while leading fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva.
"I think the Serena now would definitely beat the other Serena. I'm older. I think I'm wiser. I think I'm just a more mature player." – Serena Williams, after her second-round win over Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Rafael Nadal's stranglehold on Roland Garros was smashed by Sweden's Robin Soderling in a fourth-round match. It was the first time the Spaniard, who was seeking his fourth consecutive French Open title, had lost on the red clay of Roland Garros. In his opening round match, Nadal snapped Bjorn Borg's record of 28 straight French Open match wins by a man. His second-round victory eclipsed Chris Evert's overall tournament record of 29 consecutive match victories. He got to 31 straight before running into Soderling, a player Nadal had never lost to before. In their last meeting, on clay in Rome in April, Nadal won 6-1 6-0. This time Soderling finished with 61 winners, 28 more than Nadal, and advanced to the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career.
Serbian Ana Ivanovic has failed to defend her women's singles title at Roland Garros, losing a fourth-round match to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2 6-3. Last year's French Open victory pushed Ivanovic into the top spot in the WTA Tour rankings. Since then she has struggled and came into this year's tournament seeded eighth. Ivanovic had a trainer look at her neck before the final game of the first set, and later said she began feeling dizzy and lost her balance. Azarenka grabbed a 4-0 lead in the second set en route to her victory.
She spent the first week working overtime, but Maria Sharapova was still around at the stare of the second week of the French Open. The unseeded Russian won four straight three-set matches to gain a quarterfinal berth at Roland Garros for the fourth time in her career. This is Sharapova's first Grand Slam tournament since she lost a second-round match at Wimbledon last summer. She then suffered an injury to her right shoulder and underwent surgery in October. Sharapova only played one singles tournament before her remarkable run in Paris. "I'm definitely a little bit sore, but I'll be fine," Sharapova said. "That's why the Grand Slams are great. You have a day in between, a day to recover, and that always helps the body."
Sisters Venus and Serena Williams won't be adding to their stash of Grand Slam doubles titles at this year's French Open. The American duo wasted a match point in their 7-6 (4) 5-7 7-6 (6) loss to Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States and Nadia Petrova of Russia. Venus served for the match at 6-5 and was broken. The sisters led 6-5 in the tiebreak, one point from victory, before Mattek-Sands and Petrova won the last three points of the match. The Williams sisters won the French Open in 1999, one of their eight Grand slam doubles titles.
Jelena Dokic was leading fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva when she was forced to retire from their second-round French Open match because of a back injury. Playing in her first French Open since 2004, Dokic appeared to pull something in her lower back at 2-2 in the second set. She left the court to receive treatment from the tournament trainer and returned to break Dementieva and take a 6-2 3-2 lead. But Dementieva won the next two games before Dokic, tears streaming down her face, retired. "I didn't deserve to win this match," Dementieva said. Once ranked as high as number four in the world, Dokic rolled her ankle in his fourth-round match at the Australian Open in January. "Obviously it's not my time at the Grand Slams," she said. "I'm not 15 anymore, so it's time probably to take more care now."
A teenager from Portugal, Michelle Larcher de Brito, was the talk of Roland Garros more for her sound than her game. Grunting, squealing and moaning with every shot, the 16-year-old qualifier reached the third round before she was silenced by France's Aravane Rezai. "It's very disturbing, it's disturbing me," Rezai told the umpire before insisting the umpire consult the Grand Slam supervisor on the issue. Larcher de Brito shrieked when she hit the ball, yelped when Rezai's shots were long and slammed her racquet when she was frustrated, earning boos from the crowd. "It's just something I've done always since I started playing tennis. I'm going to keep on doing it because it's really part of my game," said Larcher de Brito, the first Portuguese player to advance to the third round of a Grand Slam tournament.
It took three sets before Serena Williams finally beat her Spanish foe, but it was a point in the opening set that riled the world's number two-ranked player. With Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez close to the net, Williams fired a shot right at her. She managed to get her racquet on the ball, but Serena says the ball also hit her opponent's arm. "The ball did touch her 100 percent on her arm," Serena said. "The rules of tennis are when the ball hits your body, then it's out of play. You lose a point automatically." Television replays seemed to back Serena's version, but Martinez Sanchez insisted the ball did not hit her and the umpire agreed. "To say I'm a cheat is stupid," Martinez Sanchez said. "I'm not going to comment on it."
Rafael Nadal wants the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to stick up for the players and against the World Anti-Doping Agency's new out-of-competition drug-testing rules. A number of top players, including Serena Williams, have complained about a new WADA rule that says athletes must say where they will be for one hour each day so they can be found for testing. Saying that's too invasive, Nadal complains that it will be tough to keep WADA constantly updated on his whereabouts.
Tennis isn't the only thing on the mind of Sania Mirza these days. The 22-year-old Indian star has become engaged to a longtime friend, Sohrab Mirza. Despite the same last names, they are not related – yet. According to family members, the 23-year-old Sohrab Mirza, who is studying business, and the tennis star will be married on July 10 in her hometown of Hyderabad. In January, Sania became the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam tournament title when she teamed with India's Mahesh Bhupathi to win the Australian Open mixed doubles crown.
Two-time Grand Slam tournament finalist Mark Philippoussis says he is broke, facing a legal battle to keep his home and suffers from depression. The Australian player, who earned more than USD $7 million during his career, said he is being sued for failing to pay the mortgage on his home in Melbourne, Australia. Once ranked eighth in the world, Philippoussis says he has been unable to play for three years following several knee operations. The knee injury ended his ATP tour playing career, which saw him reach the 2003 Wimbledon final, losing to Roger Federer, and the 1998 US Open final, where he fell to Patrick Rafter. Philippoussis said he is looking to play in tennis legends events with former stars like John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Pat Cash.
Two freshmen are the newest National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tennis champions. Unseeded Devin Britton of the University of Mississippi became the youngest men's singles champion, while Mallory Cecil of Duke captured the women's singles crown. Britton ended a 22-match win streak by Steve Moneke, beating the Ohio State senior 3-6 6-2 6-3. In her final, Cecil beat Laura Vallverdu of the University of Miami 7-5 6-4.
Southern California has been awarded the 2008 Pac-10 Conference men's tennis title after UCLA was penalized for using an ineligible player. The violation was self-reported by UCLA and the ineligible player wasn't identified. UCLA had to forfeit all singles and doubles matches in which the player participated. As a result, team results of UCLA's matches against Southern California and Arizona State were reversed, giving Southern Cal a 7-0 record. UCLA dropped into a second-place tie with Stanford at 5-2.
Paris: www.rolandgarros.com/index.html
Prostejov: www.czech-open.com/
London: www.aegonchampionships.com
Halle: www.gerryweber-open.de/
Lugano: www.challengerlugano.ch
Marseille: www.opengdfsuez-marseille.com/
(All money in USD)
ATP and WTA
Roland Garros, Paris, France, clay (second week)
$170,000 UniCredit Czech Open, Prostejov, Czech Republic, clay
$1,000,000 AEGON Championships, London, Great Britain, grass
$1,000,000 Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Germany, grass
$119,000 BSI Lugano Challenger, Lugano, Switzerland, clay
$220,000 AEGON Classic, Birmingham, Great Britain, grass
$100,000 Open GDF Suez de Marseille, Marseille, France, clay
The Sony Ericsson Open 2009 provides us with some big shocks!
The tournament of big shocks is what I would like to call the 2009 edition of the Sony Ericsson Open. Dinara Safina was ousted by none other than Samantha Stosur in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 . Ana Ivanovic is out as well, she was beaten by Hungarian Agnes Szavay in a three set match 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
Gisela Dulko took out Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 6-7 (5-7). Another surprise exit for the top seeds.
See what I mean when I call it the tournament of big shocks.
As much as it's a shame that some of the forementioned players have exited the tournament, the following photos does them justice. So here we go with Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams, Vera Zvonareva, Venus Williams.
Enjoy the photos!
Mondays With Bob Greene: I still have that craving
Sony Ericsson Open
(First Week)
Samantha Stosur beat second-seeded Dinara Safina 6-1 6-4
Gisela Dulko beat third-seeded Jelena Jankovic 6-4 7-6 (5)
Li Na beat sixth-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-4 3-6 6-2
Agnes Szavay beat seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic 6-4 4-6 6-1
Ekaterina Makarova beat ninth-seeded Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-1
"I still have that craving." – Kim Clijsters, saying she will return to professional tennis after a two-year retirement, marriage and motherhood.
"As a past U.S. Open champion and former world number one, Kim (Clijsters) has been a great ambassador for our sport. We are excited about Kim's return to tennis and look forward to welcoming her to New York this summer." – Jim Curley, US Open tournament director, confirming Clijsters will receive a wild card into this year's event.
"It'll be great for the game because she had such a great spirit and she's such a good player. And, also she was just so nice. It's good to have people like that around." – Serena Williams, on Kim Clijsters' return to the WTA Tour.
"I am amazed how many players I don't even know. There are even many names I do not know how to pronounce." – Kim Clijsters, who left the WTA Tour in 2007.
"Now is the right time for me to embrace a new challenge." – Larry Scott, announcing he is stepping down as chairman and chief executive of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
"We're all sad. He had a special vision and the personality and character and talents and abilities to carry it out. It takes someone special like him." – Venus Williams, about Larry Scott leaving the WTA Tour.
"There is a gap there right now. You can't deny that. It's very tough out here." – Alexa Glatch, acknowledging there are no young American players currently ready to succeed sisters Serena and Venus Williams.
"We don't have anyone right now. If you look at the rankings, with only Venus at age 28 and Serena at 27, it's not a good state." – Lindsay Davenport, agreeing with Glatch on the state of women's tennis in the United States.
"She's obviously a great player, and if I can beat her then that means I'm on top of the game, so I hope we can meet in the semifinals." – Venus Williams, talking about her sister, Serena.
"I've been trying to get a win like this for a long time. I was happy I was able to do it and hopefully there will be more to come." – Samantha Stosur, after upsetting second-seeded Dinara Safina.
"Obviously it's nice to get to stay in your own bed at the tournament. That doesn't happen too much throughout the year." – Andy Murray, noting he has an apartment in South Beach, Florida, not far from the Sony Ericsson Open.
"I'm at the point where I just want to select the tournaments I'm going to enter and not play too much during the year, and really just try to do well in those tournaments." – Amelie Mauresmo.
"I don't have a preference. I prefer to go out with a nice and funny girl. Doesn't matter if she is a player or an artist." – Rafael Nadal, answering a reporter's question.
"We have received advice from a variety of sources referring to traveling to India. It is on that basis of security concerns that we have asked for the tie to be moved out of India." – Steve Wood, chief executive of Tennis Australia, in a statement.
"We're a wonderful country as hosts. We'll provide foolproof security and we want the Australian tennis players to come and play in India." – Anil Khanna, secretary general of the All India Tennis Association and president of the Asian Tennis Federation.
"It is always important for me to be a good sportsman on the court and give the right example for others to follow and hopefully inspire the next generation. It also means the world to me to be the fans' favorite player for the sixth year in a row. The support I receive from the fans around the world is so motivating." – Roger Federer, who was named Sportsman of the Year and Fan Favorite on the ATP tour.
"I'm not going to clean off the court, for sure." – Novak Djokovic, when asked what he will be doing at his own tournament, the Serbia Open.
Ending a two-year retirement that saw her get married and give birth to her daughter Jada, Kim Clijsters will return to the scene of her greatest triumph: the US Open. "I am not coming back to lose in the first rounds," said Clijsters, who asked for a wild card entry into America's Grand Slam tournament. "We have been in contact with Kim regarding her comeback and have committed a 2009 US Open wild card to her," said tournament director Jim Curley. Clijsters also asked for wild-card entries into the hard-court tournaments in Cincinnati and Toronto that lead up to the US Open. The 25-year-old Belgian right-hander won the US Open in 2005 and was runner-up at four other Grand Slam tournaments, the US Open in 2003, the Australian Open in 2004 and Roland Garros in 2001 and 2003. She was ranked number one in the world in both singles and doubles I 2003.
Larry Scott is stepping down later this year as Sony Ericsson WTA Tour chairman and chief executive and will become commissioner of the Pacific-10 Conference, a college athletic conference in the United States. Under his six-year guidance the WTA Tour has attained equal prize money at every Grand Slam tournament, made sweeping reforms to its calendar and introduced innovations, including electronic line calling. Scott said he began thinking about leaving tennis when the ATP rejected his proposal for a merger of the men's and women's tours. "For a variety of reasons it wasn't accepted," Scott said. "It's clear that tennis, for whatever reasons, isn't ready for that vision to be realized. And then I realized, you know, I've done most of the major things that I could want to do. And if this coming together of the men's and women's tours is impossible right now, maybe it is a time to think about what else I could do that could be gratifying." He will work with the WTA Tour board on the selection process for his successor.
Anil Khanna, secretary general of the All India Tennis Association, says Australia's call for a change of venue of their upcoming Davis Cup tie is based on unfounded security concerns. Steve Wood, chief executive of Tennis Australia, said his country sent a request for a venue change to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after receiving advice from "a variety of sources." Khanna, who is also president of the Asian Tennis Federation, said he is expecting the ITF to reject Tennis Australia's claims. The Asia/Oceania Group I series is scheduled to be played May 8-10, with the winner advancing to the playoffs for a spot in Davis Cup's elite World Group. The Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament was just moved to South Africa after the Home Ministry said it could not guarantee safety because the dates of the competition clashed with the country's general elections. In a statement, Wood said: "We have received advice from a variety of sources referring to traveling to India. It is on that basis of security concerns that we have asked for the tie to be moved out of India."
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has rejected Pakistan's demand to move its Davis Cup tie against the Philippines to a neutral venue. In a letter to Dilawar Abbas, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) president, the ITF said the second-round tie will be played in Manila. The July 10-12 competition was originally scheduled to be played in Lahore, Pakistan, but was moved to the Philippines after a terrorist attack in Lahore on cricket players from Sri Lanka. Pakistan said it is concerned about its players' safety in the Philippines, which also has been dogged by violence.
John McEnroe lost a reported USD $2 million in what has been called an art investment scam. Art dealer Lawrence Salander was arrested in New York and he and his gallery have been charged with 100 counts, including grand larceny and securities fraud. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Salander faces up to 25 years in prison on the most serious charge. McEnroe lost his money by investing a half share in two paintings. Authorities said the share in the paintings was sold at the same time to another collector and McEnroe never recouped the money. The former tennis star was alerted to the scheme when he learned an art collector owned the same painting he had. Twenty-five other victims of Salander's alleged scheme have been identified.
In a dispute with the father of Novak Djokovic, Niki Pilic has stepped down as tournament director of the Serbia Open. Pilic said his decision came after Srdjan Djokovic held a news conference "without previously consulting with me and spoke of things he has no place or capacity to talk about." Pilic said he will remain as advisor to the Serbia Davis Cup team and "this will not influence my cooperation with Novak Djokovic, with whom I still have a great relationship." Novak Djokovic is part owner of the Serbia Open, which will be held in Belgrade next month.
Roger Federer continues to pile up the trophies off the court. Fellow players voted the Swiss star the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award for a record fifth consecutive year, while fans selected Federer for the sixth consecutive year as their favorite. The only other person to win the Stefan Edberg award five times was Edberg himself, and he needed eight years to do it. Rafael Nadal, who became the first player since Bjorn Borg to win both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year and the first left-hander since John McEnroe in 1984 to finish the year ranked number one in the world, was selected Player of the Year . Other awards went to: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, Doubles Team of the Year; James Blake, Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Most Improved; Kei Nishikori, Newcomer of the Year; Rainer Schuettler, Comeback Player of the Year; Bob and Mike Bryan, Fans' Favorite Doubles Team; and Alan Trengove, Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award.
For the second time in her career, Serena Williams has been voted the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's Player of the Year. Besides winning the US Open in 2008, the 26-year-old American took over the top ranking for the second time in her career. She also teamed with sister Venus to win the doubles gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Cara Black and Liezel Huber earned their second award for Doubles Team of the Year, while Dinara Safina was named Most Improved Player. Other awards passed out during the Sony Ericsson Championships in Miami, Florida, went to Zheng Jie, Comeback Player of the Year; Caroline Wozniacki, Newcomer of the Year; Ana Ivanovic, Humanitarian of the Year; Elena Dementieva, Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award; and Liezel Huber, Player Service Award.
Dudi Sela, Israel's top player, lost his qualifying match, yet still reached the main draw of the Sony Ericsson Open when Mario Ancic had to withdraw with an injury. Sela then became a "lucky loser." Some luck. Sela, who is ranked 57th in the world, was drawn to face former world number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the featured match of the tournament's opening evening. Hewitt, who received a wild card into the tournament, lost the first set before handing Sela another defeat, this time 3-6 6-4 6-3.
Dick Enberg, ESPN's lead commentator on Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open, will receive the second Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting. The award will be presented by WFUV Radio at its second annual Spring Gala in New York City on May 6. Also receiving awards that evening will be newscaster Jim Lehrer and musician Paul Simon. The honorees were nominated by their colleagues in their respective field. The award is named for Scully, the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers who is an alumnus of WFUV and is now in his 60th season of broadcasting Dodgers' baseball games.
Hall of Famer Butch Buchholz was honored at the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) and First Serve festivities in Miami, Florida. The special evening also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Sony Ericsson Open. Buchholz, who played key roles in the evolution of both professional and amateur tennis, was inducted into the ITHF in 2005. He was commissioner of World Team Tennis (1977-78), ATP executive director (1981-82) and a member of the International Men's Pro Council (1981-83). He created the Sony Ericsson Open in 1985 and was also instrumental in setting up an ATP World Tour event in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buchholz also teamed with Arthur Ashe in 1992 to form the "Good Life Mentoring Program" benefiting hundreds of elementary and middle school children in the greater Miami area. As a player, Buchholz was ranked number five in the world in 1960 and was a member of the United States Davis Cup team in 1959-60.
For the third straight home tie, the Czech Davis Cup team will be playing at the CEZ Arena in Ostrava. The Czech Tennis Association announced the site for the Davis Cup quarterfinal competition against Argentina on July 10-12. Playing on the same court, the Czechs defeated Belgium in last year's first round and France in this year's opener. The
Czech Republic is looking to reach its first Davis Cup semifinal since 1996 against last year's runner-up Argentina, which defeated Netherlands in this year's first round.
A man suspected of being part of a betting scam was ejected from a tournament in Les Ormes, Jersey, Channel Islands, Great Britain. Carl Baldwin, the International Tennis Federation supervisor, confirmed that officials were alerted when a player spotted the man acting suspiciously and relaying scores from matches via his mobile phone. The man was asked to leave the Caversham International Tennis Tournament, and he complied without resistance. Britain's Katie O'Brien won the tournament when Claire Feuerstein of France retired while trailing 7-5 1-0.
Jamshid Ehsani of Greenwich, Connecticut, has been named to the board of directors of USTA Serves, the philanthropic and charitable entity of the United States Tennis Association. Ehsani has served in senior leadership positions with a number of multinational corporations, including the World Bank, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, and UBS and Swiss Re Financial Services.
Miami: www.sonyericssonopen.com/
Napoli: www.atpnapoli.com/
Casablanca: www.frmtennis.com
Houston: www.mensclaycourt.com/
Ponte Vedra Beach: http://mpsgroupchamps.net
Marbella, Spain: www.andaluciatennis.com
Torhout: www.koddaertladiesopen.be/
(All money in USD)
$4,500,000 Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (second week)
$116,000 Napoli Cup, Napoli, Italy, clay
$4,500,000 Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (second week)
Asia/Oceania Group IV at Dhaka, Bangladesh: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Myanmar, Qatar, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe/Africa Group IV at Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire: Armenia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Cameroon
$550,000 Grand Prix Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco, clay
$500,000 US Men's Clay Court Championships, Houston, Texas, USA, clay
$220,000 MPS Group Championships, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA,. Clay
$220,000 Andalucia Tennis Experience, Marbella, Spain, clay
$100,000 Koddaert Ladies Open, Torhout, Belgium, hard
US Open Day 4: Ana Ivanovic Loss Is Biggest Upset In History Of Women's Tennis
NEW YORK – Maybe the number one ranking was too heavy. If so, top-seeded Ana Ivanovic doesn't have to worry any more. Her US Open is over in what is being called the biggest upset in the history of women's tennis.
Julie Coin of France, ranked 188th in the world and playing in her first WTA Tour event, calmly kept her poise as she overpowered Ivanovic 6-3 4-6 6-3 in a second-round match on the hard courts of the year's final Grand Slam tournament.
It was the earliest exit for the top-seeded woman in US Open history since 1973 and the first time the number one seed has lost in the second round of a major tournament since Justine Henin fell to Tathiana Garbin at Roland Garros four years ago. It also was the worst loss by a top-ranked player since Ivanovic lost to 133rd-ranked Zheng Jie at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
While Ivanovic struggled in her first-round victory, Thursday's loss came as a huge shock. After all, Coin had never played in a WTA Tour event before and had failed to even qualify at the other three Grand Slam tournaments this year: the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She didn't do any better at the smaller tournaments, losing in qualifying at Estoril, Birmingham, Stanford and Los Angeles.
On Thursday, though, Coin was more than Ivanovic could handle.
"She made a lot of errors, so I got a lot of free points," Coin said. "I thought maybe she was nervous, more than I was."[ad#adify-300×250]
It wasn't all errors, however.
Coin powered five aces and finished with 19 winners and only 27 unforced errors, seven fewer than her opponent. But it was her nerves – actually the lack of them – that carried the Clemson University graduate to victory.
"Today I felt nervous at the beginning. Then it went away," Coin said. "I was just playing on the court in a normal match for me. At match point, it (the nerves) came back. To win the last point a lot of pressure came back."
Ivanovic has been hobbled by injuries since winning the French Open and gaining the number one ranking earlier this year. A right thumb injury caused her to withdraw from the tennis event at the Beijing Olympics earlier this month and she was unable to practice until just before the Open began.
Time and again it was Coin coming out a winner on their baseline battles. The 25-year-old showed a quickness that was more than a match for the top seed, and a power game that produced winners throughout the battle.
Coin double-faulted on her first match point. Two points later, Ivanovic saved the next match point when her cross-court forehand skipped off the sideline. Victory was Coins when, on the third match point, Ivanovic sailed a forehand wide.
"Today was just, like, perfect," Coin said.
Closer to perfection were the Williams sisters as they both grabbed spots in the third round. Venus routed Rossana De Los Rios 6-0 6-3 before Serena opened the night session with a 6-1 6-1 romp over Elena Vesnina.
Venus needed just 28 minutes to rip through the opening set, and she never faced a break point on her serve. In fact, she was taken to deuce just twice in the match, both times as she was serving out the victory.
"I think I just had a lot more power than she did today," Venus said. "She plays a game where she hits a lot of high balls, which at my height doesn't, you know – I think it would be effective against a lot of players, but with my height and my reach, it doesn't phase me as much. I think that helped me."
Serena also was much too powerful for her Russian opponent, who tried unsuccessfully to trade ground strokes with the two-time US Open winner. Serena pounded out six aces and won 57 points to just 32 for Vesnina.
"I was disappointed I lost my serve," Serena said. It was the lone game Vesnina won in the second set.
Two other seeded players in the women's draw were eliminated Thursday. Italy's Tathiana Garbin upset 13th-seeded Agnes Szavay of Hungary 5-7 6-2 6-3, and Severine Bremond of France ousted 20th-seeded Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic 7-5 6-3.
In the men's second round, American Mardy Fish upset 24th-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4. In the next round, Fish will play his best friend on the tour, ninth-seeded James Blake, who advanced when Belgium's Steve Darcis retired while trailing 4-6 6-3 1-0.
None of the upsets had the impact of the one by Coin, a former college All-American.
"I was nervous going onto the court because I never saw her play before so I didn't know what to expect," Ivanovic said. "I thought I can slowly get into the match, and she played completely different than I expected. She was serving extremely well and hitting very powerful shots.
"I really struggled and made too many unforced errors, and my serve was not working really well. Obviously, it's very frustrating, because I know I can play so much better.
"This was very, very disappointing loss for me."
Mondays With Bob Greene
31 March 2008
Qualifier Kevin Anderson upset defending champion Novak Djokovic in the Serb's opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4.
Lindsay Davenport continued her comeback by knocking off world number two Ana Ivanovic 6-4 6-2 in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open.
Roger Federer is at least still winning off the court. While the world's number one player has yet to capture a tournament in 2008, for the fourth straight year he won both the ATP Tour's Player of the Year and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award. Additionally, fans voted Federer as their favorite player for the fifth consecutive year.
For the second time in her career, Justine Henin has been named the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's Player of the Year. She also won in 2003. Last year Henin won 10 of the 14 events she entered, became the first WTA Tour player to win over $5 million (USD) in a single year and finished as world number one.
Other ATP Tour honors went to brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, Doubles Team of the Year for the third straight year; Novak Djokovic, Most Improved; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Newcomer; Igor Andreev, Comeback Player; and Ivan Ljubicic, Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year.
Other Sony Ericsson WTA Tour winners were: Cara Black and Liezel Huber, Doubles Team; Ana Ivanovic, Most Improved; Lindsay Davenport, Comeback Player; and Agnes Szavay (photo) , Newcomer.
Novak Djokovic's habit of repeatedly bouncing the ball ad nauseum before each serve, caught the attention of the umpire during his Sony Ericsson Open match against South Africa's Kevin Anderson. Serving at 2-0, 30-40, Djokovic bounced the ball so many times that he received a time violation from the umpire. Although he won that point, Djokovic ended up losing the match 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4.
Svetlana Kuznetsova won off the final 11 games to overcome a 5-2 second-set deficit and a match point to beat Victoria Azarenka 1-6 7-5 6-0 in a third-round match at the Sony Ericsson Open.
One week after they won singles titles at the Pacific Life Open, Serbian stars Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic were ousted from the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida. South African qualifier Kevin Anderson eliminated Djokovic 7-6 (7-1) 3-6, 6-4 and former world number one Lindsay Davenport crushed Ivanovic 6-4 6-2.
"I can compete with the best in the world. I proved that to myself, whether he was on form or off form." – Qualifier Kevin Anderson after knocking defending champion Novak Djokovic out of the Sony Ericsson Open 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-4.
"On the last point my shoelace was broken, but I'm not trying to find excuses." – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Kevin Anderson.
"Obviously the first time you play against someone, you try to get to know them and try to get rhythm in the beginning. But against her you just don't get it." – Ana Ivanovic, who fell to Lindsay Davenport 6-4 6-2 in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open.
"In this comeback, for lack of better words, I've not made a fool of myself. I've done pretty well for my age and for what I've been through. Obviously days like today just give me more incentive to keep going." – Lindsay Davenport, who has returned to the women's tour after becoming a mother, following her victory over world number two Ana Ivanovic.
"For that to happen, he must maintain his hunger for victory, for records, and that is not easy." – Bjorn Borg, when asked if Roger Federer can become the greatest player in history.
James Blake and Sam Querrey switched sports when they showed up at an exhibition baseball game in Miami, Florida, between the Florida Marlins and the New York Yankees. Facing batting-practice pitches from Marlins hitting coach Jim Presley, Querrey hit consecutive home runs over the scoreboard in left field. Not to be left out, Blake also cleared the fence.
Shahar Peer was honored by Beth David Congregation in Miami, Florida, for making political history when she became the first Israeli athlete to compete in the Arab world, participating in the Qatar Total Open in Doha in February. Also honored were the men's doubles team of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram, who became the first Israeli duo to win a Grand Slam title, capturing the crown at the Australian Open in January.
Justine Henin says she considered having surgery on her right knee earlier this year. Instead, the world number one chose a more conservative approach and received a cortisone injection after the Australian Open. She also rested last week, skipping the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, California.
When the United States takes on Russia in a Fed Cup semifinal in April, sisters Venus and Serena Williams will not be on the squad. Lindsay Davenport, who will play for the Americans, said she had been turned down by both sisters when she approached them about playing. Russia will field a strong squad consisting of Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina.
The BBC will continue to televise Wimbledon through 2014. The new five-year contract stretches the British Broadcasting Corp.'s association with the world's premier grass court tournament to 87 years. Neither the All England Club nor the BBC disclosed the amount paid for the rights.
- Miami: www.sonyericssonopen.com
- Estoril: www.estorilopen.net
- Valencia: www.open-comunidad-valencia.com
- Houston: www.riveroaksinternational.com
- Amelia Island: www.blchamps.com
ATP and WTA Tours
$3,770,000 Sony Ericsson Open, Key Biscayene, Florida, hard court
$370,000 Estoril Open, Estoril, Portugal, clay
$370,000 Open de Tenis Comunidad Valencia, Valencia, Spain, clay
$436,000 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, Houston, Texas, clay
$600,000 Bausch & Lomb Championships, Amelia Island, Florida, clay


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Modern Concrete Home & Workspace in Argentina: Sobrino House
Sobrino House was designed by A4 Estudio and is located in Mendoza, Argentina. Here is an official description from the architects: "Facing a complex project where the house is also a workplace, we proposed an organized level where all the living uses and human relations are possible: relax, shelter, contemplation and work. In a topographic operation, all the family activities converges in a common volume that lands on the highest level of the ground and rises 2.5 m from the lowest part. This operation proposes the entry to the house underneath all these activities, stripping at this point the natural slope. Square floor plan, perimeter activities program in relation to the best sunshine light and views, and the circulations related to a central patio that strips the natural slope of the site, structure an eccentric and dens spatiality, where the path ways became the heart of the house. At the top of the house, a system of inverted beams and concrete tensors hold the corbels, exposing the structure as part of the identity of the house". Enjoy the photos and don't forget to give us your feedback.

subset: commoncrawl


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Since 2007, EcoAction Partners provide solutions to create sustainable mountain communities in the San Juan Mountain region.
Our Mission
EcoAction Partners is a sustainability organization that tracks the regions greenhouse gas emissions and provides programs that reduce energy and waste.
We currently run programs throughout the greater San Miguel County and Ouray County region to accomplish Greenhouse Gas reduction, focusing on energy, waste, and food efforts. Our staff and volunteers actively support sustainability in our community through programs such as our Green Business Certification Program, Greenlights LED Light bulb Program, Truth or Dare Community Challenge, Zero Waste Teams at Telluride's festivals (and regional events), and much more.
EcoAction Partners originated as The New Community Coalition in 2007 to implement sustainability efforts in San Miguel county. Our 501(c)3 non-profit organization is funded by the Town of Telluride, Town of Mountain Village, and San Miguel County. We have also received major funding in the past and present years from the Telluride Foundation, Faraway Foundation, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association and San Miguel Power Association. Our name was changed to EcoAction Partners in the Spring of 2012 to emphasize our active role in the community on the forefront of San Miguel County's sustainability initiatives.
What We've Achieved
Developed our region's GHG Emissions inventory, updating and tracking emissions since 2010.
SMPA IQ Program: Supports low and middle-income households by providing a free energy assessment that prioritizes and implements cost effective energy efficiency improvements.
Truth or Dare: School programs that teach saving energy and reducing waste by establishing sustainable life habits.
Greenlights: LED lightbulb rebate program to encourage energy efficiency and save businesses and citizens money.
Green Business Certification: Helps businesses realize the financial benefits of energy efficiency through certification programs.
Regional composting program: We secured a grant to start a composting program in the town of Ophir with plans to expand regionally.