Serena's Title to Win

Posted: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:00 PM
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Cicma: Roddick and Federer Likely Foes

Posted: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 8:57 PM
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Veterans prevail

Posted: Monday, June 29, 2009 4:46 PM
      Andy Roddick could legitimately win this tournament.  It is unbelievable how hard he has worked, and the results are showing.  A-Rod will win his semi-final match, and give Federer a major run for the title.  This tournament is going GREAT, with so much excitement (I love it).  How about Tommy Haas?!  What did this guy eat for breakfast?!  Tommy's game is suited better for grass, meaning he could beat Federer en route to the finals.  We all saw how close Haas came to ousting Fed at Roland Garros; so there is major potential for another 5 set Grand Slam epic.  And what about Juan Carlos Ferrero?!  This is the "event of veterans".....and Lleyton Hewitt?!   If Goran Ivanisevic played this year, he'd probably make the quarterfinals, based on these results.  With all joking aside, it is very good for the game to have these legendary veterans still alive in the draw, and if you had to make a prediction, it will be Federer, Roddick or Murray winning, with an asterisknext to Roddick's name, due to his extreme hunger and physical shape.
      As for the ladies, the top 4 seeds will make the semifinals, and one of the Williams sisters will win.  Yes, I know that's a boring prediction, but it appears to be accurate.  I'll be at NBCSports.com with Tiffany Simons tomorrow to break down the action in studio.  GO TENNIS!
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Roddick is Gutsy

Posted: Saturday, June 27, 2009 12:29 PM
    Andy Roddick is very gutsy for consistently hanging in the top 10.  So many critics questioned that he would be a has been 4 years ago, but now more than ever, he is a Grand Slam threat.  If A-Rod hadn't injured his ankle against James Blake in the Queens semifinals, he would be my favorite to win Wimbledon.  Apparently Andy is healthy, and he will continue to wreak havoc as the event continues.  For all those rising junior or college players out there, it's a very simple equation that Agassi, Muster, Nadal and Roddick have displayed:  Extreme training leads to results.
    Jurgen Melzer beat me and Greg Schweitzer at the SAP San Jose Open doubles event (1st round, 6-1, 6-3).  He is a great guy and the lefty serve is lethal on grass.  It's also nice to see Jurgen hanging around in his later years.  Watch out for Roddick, something is brewing!
     PS- I'm hitting the road with World Team Tennis and WTT.com next week, will be courtside reporting for the Tennis Channel and WTT.com, so check it out...  GO TENNIS!
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Legends hit the Links

Posted: Friday, June 26, 2009 3:29 AM

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video courtesy: Maarten Nagtegaal

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Huge Upset

Posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 1:24 PM
     Maria Sharapova losing, is the biggest upset thus far at Wimbledon.  After a very impressive run at the French Open, it appeared that Maria's stamina and match toughness would be strong enough to make a logical run at the Wimbledon title.  Today's 3 set result further strengthens the notion that Serena Williams is the player to beat on the ladies' side.  Her groundies are unstoppable on grass, and her serve is looking as unpredictable as ever.
    One name that hasn't been mentioned enough on the men's side, is Juan Martin Del Potro, he has the game to get it done at the All England Club.  He reminds me of a much more consistent version of Goran Ivanisevic.  Juan doesn't put as much juice on the serve, but has the flat heavy groundstrokes which sit nice and low on grass...yes, even the hard Wimbledon grass.
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Levine Shines

Posted: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:22 PM
      American Tennis has lived up to my predictions thus far (which isn't saying much, since the tournament is just getting underway).  Andy Roddick looked solid in the first round, as did Sam Querrey; but the BIGGEST result thus far is the impressive play of young qualifier, Jesse Levine.  Jesse scored a huge win over 15th seeded Marat Safin, and has clearly set the tone for the Wimbledon fortnight.  I just checked Levine's facebook wall, and he had about 100 messages from friends saying "NICE WIN".....he deserved it.   On the other hand, what happened to James Blake?  This could be the closest thing to a nail in the coffin for the James' summer, unless he digs deep for the American hard court season. 
    10th seeded Fernando Gonzalez also appears to be in great form, meaning he will be a force to be reckoned with.
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Federer is the best after French Crown

Posted: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 11:01 PM
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Wimbledon Mens' Preview Presented by Mercedes Benz

Posted: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 10:53 PM
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Wimbledon Ladies Preview Presented by Mercedes Benz

Posted: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 10:51 PM

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More Grass Court News: 3 FORMER CHAMPIONS HEADLINE FIELD FOR 2009 CAMPBELL'S HALL OF FAME TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS PLAYED FOR THE VAN ALEN CUP

 

# 3 Ranked American, Mardy Fish, Leads the Field

 

NEWPORT, RI - Three former champions, including two-time defending champion Fabrice Santoro (2007,2008), headline the field for the 2009 Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships scheduled for July 6-12 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Santoro, who has never lost a match in Newport, will be joined by fellow former champions Robby Ginepri (2003) and Taylor Dent (2002).

 

The Newport Tournament, an ATP World Tour event, remains the only professional tournament played on grass in North America. The Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships features 32 of the top men in professional tennis competing for the Van Alen Cup and $500,000 in prize money.

 

Sixteen players of the first 27 singles players entered into the 2009 Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships have been accepted in the Wimbledon main draw that begins Monday, June 22. Top Ranked ATP World Tour Pros entered into the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships include:

 

Mardy Fish, the third highest-ranked American, will be seeded at Wimbledon. Earlier this year, Fish won his third career ATP World Tour title in Delray Beach.  Fish will be making his eighth appearance in Newport, where he reached the quarterfinals three times. He also captured the 2008 Newport doubles title with partner John Isner.

 

Fabrice Santoro is the two-time defending champion of the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships and has never lost a single match in Newport. Last year's victory in Newport gave Santoro his sixth career ATP World Tour title. Santoro is currently the oldest player (36 years and 6 months) ranked in the Top 100. Santoro has said 2009 will be his final year on tour.

 

Sam Querrey is making his second appearance at the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. The fourth highest-ranked American turned pro in 2006, and last year won his first ATP title in Las Vegas. Querrey also reached the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo, and the semifinals at both Indianapolis and Delray Beach in 2008. Opening the 2009 season as a finalist in Auckland, he has also reached the quarterfinals in San Jose and Memphis.

 

Arnaud Clement of France is making his debut at the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. Clement holds four career singles titles and twelve doubles titles. He reached the doubles final of the 2008 Australian Open with partner and fellow Newport draw member Michael Llodra.

 

Taylor Dent is making his fifth appearance in Newport. Dent captured his first ATP World Tour title on the Hall of Fame's legendary grass courts by defeating James Blake in the 2002 final. He now holds four career singles titles and has made great strides in returning to competition in 2009 from back surgery, playing in eight ATP World Tour events this year. One of his best results was qualifying for the Miami tournament and reaching the round of 16 before bowing to Roger Federer.

 

Robby Ginepri is making his fourth appearance on the grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Ginepri won his first singles title here in Newport in 2003. Last year, he reached the semifinals at Las Vegas, San Jose, and Delray Beach.

 

 

Prakash Amritraj is making his fourth appearance in Newport receiving a Wild Card. He followed up a 2007 quarterfinals appearance on the legendary grass courts by reaching the finals in 2008 against Fabrice Santoro. On the 2009 Challenger circuit, Prakash has reached the semifinals at both Rhodes and Dallas. Prakash, whose father Vijay Amritraj is a three-time Newport champion, is the second highest ranked player in India.

 

American Vincent Spadea is making his eighth appearance on the legendary grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Last year, Vince reached the Newport semifinals, losing to defending champion Fabrice Santoro of France. In 2005, Vince had his best showing in Newport, reaching the final, where he lost to Greg Rusedski of Great Britain.

 

Benjamin Becker of Germany is making his second appearance in Newport. Becker has been dominating the 2009 Challenger circuit winning four tournaments in Cremona, Rhodes, Baton Rouge, and Heilbronn and finishing as a finalist at Ramat Hasharon. The 2004 NCAA Singles Division I Champion while playing for Baylor, Becker qualified at the 2006 US Open and defeated Andre Agassi in the third round in what was Agassi's last professional match.

 

Below is the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships full initial acceptance list and two wild cards for the 2009 Van Alen Cup with their ATP World Tour Rankings from the week of June 15, 2009.

 


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About this blog


Harry Cicma tackles the hot topics in tennis, sharing his insight on the favorites, tournament news and players to watch. Harry was ranked for three years on the ATP Tour doubles circuit and played four years of NCAA Division-I tennis at Rutgers University. He now covers all sports as a TV producer/anchor on NBC in Southern New England.

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