August 2008 Archives

            The excitement is underway at Flushing Meadows.  Let’s establish that Rafael Nadal is the clear cut favorite on the men’s side.  On the ladies side, it appears that one of the Williams sisters will advance to the finals, and have a battle with one of the Russian medalists at the Olympics.  Ana Ivanovic isn't in championship form, but showed a lot of heart grinding her way to the second round.

            Rafa’s hard court game has made leaps and bounds since winning Wimbledon.  To see the Spaniard roll through Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open would be uncanny and beyond impressive.

            Where is Roger Federer in the mix?  It is safe to say that the defending champion won’t hoist another trophy in 2008.  Roger’s loss to James Blake at the Olympics proves to be the nail in the coffin this season.  Fed will most likely win a few solid matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium, but falter in the second week of the fortnight.  Dark horses?....Del Potro, Querrey, Blake, Safin, Simon, Murray, Djokovic and Haas.  The best time of the year for tennis fans!  Will be heading to Flushing Meadows tomorrow.

This is an NBC Olympics story with a great lesson to be learned:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0817_SD_SHM_RC_CE262

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0817_SD_TEB_RC_CE267

Here is an NBC Sports report recapping the Olympic Tennis from China.

It's coming down to the wire in Beijing on the men's side.  The most notable stat to me is the fact that Roger Federer and his long time hitting partner Stanislas Warwrinka are still in the gold medal hunt for doubles.  It shows a lot of heart on behalf of Roger, to see him hanging in doubles, as he realizes how special a gold medal is.  If Fed and Stan hold on for a doubles gold, that serves as proof that Federer has some heart.  I'm still really disappointed that Andy Roddick didn't compete in the Olympics.  Furthermore, it would be very special to see Rafael Nadal on top of the podium as a gold medal winner.  PS- How great was Andre Agassi?  Winning all four major titles, and a gold…great story, great champion.  More tennis coverage to come from NBC Sports in The Big Apple.

Here's a recent Tennis Piece that I did for NBC Sports and NBCOlympics.com...A great tennis event in Beijing

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0811_HD_TEB_RC_CE079

Dear fellow tennis fans, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the world of tennis as the Olympic Games have begun (the 5th Major of 2008, leaving Key Biscayne as the 6th).  It's an honor to be covering the action for NBC Sports, NBCOlympics.com....stay posted for analysis throughout the Beijing Games!  All eyes in America will be on James Blake for a run towards a medal, while the Williams Sisters are also top favorites in the women's bracket.  The great Cinderella story to watch for is Jill Craybas, as she got a last second bid into the women's event as an alternate.  The most interesting player to watch is Roger Federer; if he is able to capture his first career Gold Medal, it could give him a much needed boost going into the US Open.  Expect to see Federer and Nadal to be fired up for the Olympic event.  Best of luck to all athletes and countries.

How about that Marat Safin?  Apparently the Russian star wasn't just "in the zone" during his run to the Wimbledon semifinals, as he is playing inspired tennis in the City of Angels (LA).  Marat out lasted Wayne Odesnik in straight sets for a spot in the third round.  It's interesting to see John Isner and Jamie Cerretani teaming up on the doubles court.  Jamie is a long time friend of mine, and I recently did an NBC feature story on his rise to the top of the ATP doubles circuit.  Jamie is ranked in the top 50, and top 4 in the USA on tour, so watch for him to make a few cameos at the Davis Cup.  Isner is also a nice colleague, and is riding high after winning the Newport doubles crown with fellow American Mardy Fish.  Congratulations to Rhode Island native, Jill Craybas, for getting a last second bid into the Olympic Summer games.  I spoke with her parents this afternoon, and they emphasized just how prestigious the Olympics are for all athletes, including tennis players.  With that being said, it's very confusing as to why Roddick, Fish and Harkelroad aren't competing?

RESULTS – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2008

Singles - Second Round

F Serra (FRA) d [2] [WC] F Verdasco (ESP) 62 76(4)

D Gremelmayr (GER) d [4] F Lopez (ESP) 75 75

[5] M Safin (RUS) d W Odesnik (USA) 63 62

[6] M Fish (USA) d V Spadea (USA) 67(5) 61 60

Doubles - First Round

[2] S Lipsky (USA) / D Martin (USA) d S Ratiwatana (THA) / S Ratiwatana (THA) 16 64 10-5

T Parrott (USA) / D Vemic (SRB) d [3] M Gicquel (FRA) / R Lindstedt (SWE) 64 62

R Bopanna (IND) / E Butorac (USA) d [WC] J Brunstrom (SWE) / J Rojer (AHO) 63 16 10-3

It's taken a few years, but Donald Young has finally "arrived" on the pro tour.  I'll never forget when Donald was questioned for taking wildcards into the main draws of tournaments and losing first round.  The most memorable instance was when he lost 6-0, 6-0 to Carlos Berloq in Miami; Carlos went on to lose 6-0 6-0 to James Blake in the next round.  However, Donald just earned his stripe in LA with an impressive straight set victory over Tommy Haas.  Tommy is still a major talent on the ATP Tour, and that's by far the best win of Young's career....maybe there is some hope for USA Tennis?

COUNTRYWIDE CLASSIC

$475,000 ATP International Series

Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.

August 4-10, 2008

Surface: Hard

(-7 hours GMT)

RESULTS – TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2008

Singles - First Round

[5] M Safin (RUS) d J Isner (USA) 63 64

[7] C Moya (ESP) d [WC] X Malisse (BEL) 62 16 76(5)

D Young (USA) d [8] T Haas (GER) 62 64

[LL] D Vemic (SRB) d [Q] S Warburg (USA) 36 76(5) 64

W Odesnik (USA) d B Reynolds (USA) 46 61 64

[Q] A Delic (USA) d D Sela (ISR) 64 64

[Q] A Stoppini (ITA) d I Kunitsyn (RUS) 61 63

V Spadea (USA) d S Grosjean (FRA) 63 36 63

Doubles - First Round

J Del Potro (ARG) / F Fognini (ITA) d [4] R de Voest (RSA) / B Reynolds (USA) 62 64

C Haggard (RSA) / S Huss (AUS) d T Perry (AUS) / R Wassen (NED) 60 ret. (Perry – neck)

Here at Tennis Talk we considered Dinara Safina to be a sleeper during the 2008 hard court season; the Russian star and French Open finalist proved this prediction to be true with an impressive Rogers Cup title.

Results - Sunday, August 3, 2008
Singles - Final
(7) Dinara Safina (RUS) d. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 62 61
Doubles - Final
(1) Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) d. Kirilenko/Pennetta (RUS/ITA) 61 61
Final Facts
- Safina wins her third Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of the year (after Berlin and Los Angeles) and the eighth of her career (before 2008 she had won titles at 2002 Sopot, 2003 Palermo, 2005 Paris [Indoors], 2005 Prague and 2007 Gold Coast); she is now 8-6 lifetime in Tour singles finals.
- Safina began the season with an 11-10 record but since going to Berlin is now 27-3 (broken down that’s 6-0 at Berlin, 6-1 at Roland Garros, 3-1 at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, 2-1 at Wimbledon, 5-0 at Los Angeles and 5-0 in Montréal); among the 27-3 record is a 9-1 record against Top 10 players (including one win in Montréal, over Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals).
- Safina is the fourth player to win three Tour singles titles this year, following Sharapova, Serena Williams and Radwanska.
- Cibulkova is now 0-2 lifetime in Tour singles finals, having finished runner-up at the Tier II green clay court event in Amelia Island earlier this season (to Sharapova).
- Cibulkova, who was unseeded, beat four seeds to reach the final, including No.5 seed Dementieva and No.2 seed Jankovic (her wins over the world No.6 and world No.2 were her third and fourth career Top 10 wins, having beaten Venus Williams and Chakvetadze earlier this year).
- Safina is projected to rise from No.8 to a new career-high of No.7 on the new rankings; Cibulkova is projected to rise from No.31 to No.20 (which would be her career Top 20 debut).
- Black and Huber win their seventh Tour doubles title of the year (and 19th overall); they had already won titles this year at Antwerp, Dubai, Berlin, Birmingham, Eastbourne and Stanford; this was their second Tier I title of the year (following Berlin).

Final Quotes
Dinara Safina, 2008 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank singles champion:
"I think my experience helped me a bit in the final; I'm sure Dominika's time will come soon. It's the first time in my life I've won back-to-back tournaments. I used to win a tournament then lose first round the next week. But now I'm always just taking it one match at a time. It's a new experience for me and really just amazing. I'm so happy to win today."

Dominika Cibulkova, 2008 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank singles runner-up:
"I was pretty nervous in my first big final and I wished to play better. I'm kind of upset with how I played in the final. I wanted to have a good match against Dinara. But I think she played really well. I hope in my next final I will play better."
courtesy: WTA tour media

So much for Rafael Nadal's hard court hot streak, as he dropped a straight set loss to Novak Djokovic in the Cincy semifinals.  The result of course isn't good for the Nadal Camp, as he would've gained even more confidence on hard courts with a Masters Series win over Novak.  On the other hand, it's good for tennis to have Djokovic back in the mix, as a true contender against Rafa and Federer.  After the Australian Open, Novak was considered to be quite possibly the player to beat on the ATP Tour, but after a few slip ups (such as he early round exit at Wimbledon), he lost some of that respect....tonight's win over Nadal proves that Novak is officially "back." 

CENTER COURT start 12:00 noon
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [3] J Erlich (ISR) / A Ram (ISR)
Not Before 3:00 PM
[8] A Murray (GBR) vs [3] N Djokovic (SRB)

Ana Ivanovic didn't sit atop the WTA Tour standings for too long, although her country is still well represented with Jelena Jankovic claiming the #1 ranking.  Jelena's #1 spot doesn't seem as "legitimate," considering she hasn't won a Grand Slam title yet, as Ivanovic did with the 2008 French Open....none the less, congratulations to Jelena on the accolade.

JELENA JANKOVIC TO ASSUME SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR NO. 1 RANKING ON AUGUST 11

 Serbian star to become 18th player to reach No.1 spot in Tour history the week of August 11, 2008

 ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will crown Jelena Jankovic as the new World No. 1 when the official Tour rankings are published on Monday, August 11.

 Jankovic will replace her Serbian compatriot Ana Ivanovic, who will have held the top ranking for nine weeks, beginning June 9, 2008. Ivanovic was the first player from Serbia to become the World No. 1, with Jankovic now following right behind. The two are projected to be in close competition the next few weeks for the illustrious top ranking, with eight points separating them come August 11 - Jankovic owning 3,620 points and Ivanovic with 3,612 points.

 Jankovic ascends to the pinnacle of women’s professional tennis after capping a 12 month display of impressive and consistently successful results. Over the course of the past year, Jankovic has won the Tier I 2008 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and has reached the finals of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, the 2007 Rogers Cup in Toronto and the 2007 China Open in Beijing. In addition, she has advanced to the semifinals of two of the three Grand Slams contested thus far in 2008, falling to eventual champion Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open and eventual champion Ana Ivanovic at Roland Garros. The Serbian star also reached the 2008 semifinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, CA and the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai.

 “Since I was a young girl it's been my dream to become No.1 in the world,” Jankovic said. “When you get older, at least one day you can say you were No.1 and no one can take that away from you. You are in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour history books and it's a great achievement."

 At 23 years, 5 months and 13 days, Jankovic will become the 18^th top-ranked player in women’s tennis history, joining a distinguished list that includes Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Jennifer Capriati, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Amélie Mauresmo, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic.

 “Jelena has had a fantastic year and displayed incredible grit and determination,” stated Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott. “In addition to her tremendous talent and skill on the tennis court, Jelena also finds a special way to entertain and engage her fans, adding a unique spark and personality to our sport that is appreciated worldwide. Jelena’s success adds another amazing milestone for Serbian tennis and I am sure we will continue to witness great achievements by her.”

"We are delighted to congratulate Jelena on the brilliant achievement of becoming World No. 1,” remarked Aldo Liguori, Corporate VP and Head of Global Communications & PR of Sony Ericsson. “She joins a distinguished list of players who have held the top spot. Sony Ericsson is proud to be associated with the ongoing success of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour as it continues to raise the profile of women's tennis."

Jankovic began defining herself as a potential Sony Ericsson WTA Tour World No.1 approximately two years ago, when she labored past a string of ten consecutive opening round losses and a ranking drop to No.38 in the middle of the year. She successfully turned the season around and vaulted to No.12 by year end. Since then, the Serbian has been a consistent figure in the Top 10, securely staying inside the top elite since February 26, 2007. Her season-ending ranking has improved from No. 194 (in 2002), to No. 85 (in 2003), to No. 28 (in 2004), to No. 22 (in 2005), to No. 12 (2006) and to No. 3 (in 2007).

* Total weeks at No.1; can be non-consecutive | ** Denotes week of August 11, 2008 Courtesy WTA Media department

Once again, a number of upsets have taken both the WTA and ATP Tours by storm.  On the ladies side, World #1 Ana Ivanovic was stunned in the second round of in Montreal, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 against Tamira Paszek from Austria.  The men's tour saw the biggest upset take place, as Roger Federer was ousted from the Western Financial draw at the hands of Croatia's Ivo Karlovic.  As stated before on Tennis Talk, Roger is in an absolute state of shock after losing to Rafa at Wimbledon, and could be in deep trouble with the US Open approaching.  Coming up, Carlos Moya will face the red hot Andy Murray, expect a fun match-up between the two baseline grinders.