So much for my prediction about Novak Djokovic beating Jo Wilfried Tsonga for the Bangkok title....Tsonga was able to pull through in dramatic fashion.  Also Andy Roddick recorded a much needed title in Beijing with a three set win over Dudi Sela...it's A-Rod's third title of the year, and helps his position for making the year end Masters Cup.  Jelena Jankovic and Maria Kirilenko both won their respective WTA Tour titles this week:

BANGKOK RESULTS – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2008

Singles - Finals

[2] J Tsonga (FRA) d [1] N Djokovic (SRB) 76(4) 64

Doubles - Finals

[1] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) d S Lipsky (USA) / D Martin (USA) 64 76(4)

FINAL REVIEW – TSONGA DOWNS DJOKOVIC TO CLAIM FIRST ATP TITLE

• French second seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga captured his maiden ATP singles title by avenging his Australian Open final defeat to Novak Djokovic with a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over the Serbian top seed in the final on Sunday.
• The 23-year-old Tsonga, who made his return from knee surgery at the US Open after a three month absence, becomes the ninth first-time ATP title winner this season, matching the achievements of Kei Nishikori (Delray Beach), Sergiy Stakhovsky (Zagreb), Sam Querrey (Las Vegas), Marcel Granollers (Houston), Victor Hanescu (Gstaad), Juan Martin del Potro (Stuttgart), Albert Montanes (Amersfoort) and Marin Cilic (New Haven).
• The victory gives a boost to Tsonga’s chances of qualifying for Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai for the first time; the Le Mans native was in 18th position in the ATP 2008 Race standings at the start of the week, 94 points behind No. 8 James Blake, and will now add 35 Race points to his tally.
• World No. 20 Tsonga, who now improves to a 5-6 lifetime record against Top 10 players, trailed No. 3 Novak Djokovic 3-4 in the first set with the Belgrade native holding a break advantage. However, Tsonga hit back with two straight games to lead 5-4 and went on to clinch the tie-break 7-4. A break of serve in the ninth game of the second set handed Tsonga a 5-4 lead and, after saving two break points, he closed out the victory after 1 hr., 41 min.
• The last time the two had met was in the final of the Australian Open – Tsonga’s maiden ATP final – after Djokovic had defeated Roger Federer and Tsonga had knocked out Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. On that occasion, Djokovic triumphed in four sets to capture his first Grand Slam title.
• Since then, Tsonga has reached a career-high South African Airways ATP Ranking of No. 11 (May 26, 2008) and also advanced to the semifinals at Casablanca, where, before his match with Gilles Simon, he sustained the knee injury that kept him sidelined through the summer.
• The 21-year-old Djokovic was appearing in his 16th ATP singles final (10-6 record) and was looking to capture his fourth title of the season, and first since May.
• The Belgrade native stands at 58-14 for the season, highlighted by winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, and two ATP Masters Series shields at Indian Wells (d. Fish) and Rome (d. Wawrinka). He was also a finalist at Queen’s (l. to Nadal) and AMS Cincinnati (l. to Murray).
• The recent US Open semifinalist and Olympic Games bronze medalist has already secured his place at the Tennis Masters Cup for the second straight year, along with Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Tsonga: “I feel great, it’s got to be one of the best moments of my life. I just played unbelievable tennis against Novak and it was just my dream so I’m really happy."

"[It came down to] maybe a couple of points. The last game was very hard and I was just saying in my head “Go On! Do It!” so it was incredible. I was not nervous (about the match), I was just a little bit nervous about Novak because he has played just unbelievably and, for me, it’s difficult to play against him because I have a really good serve and I think one of the best parts of his game is the return."

Djokovic: “I lost the final against a great player. Jo wisely used his opportunities and deserved to win his first title. I played a bit too defensively today in the final. You have to use your opportunities and I didn’t. It’s unfortunate to lose in the final but I lost to a great player so I have no regrets. Congratulations to Jo and his team on his first ATP title. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of him in the future.”

“Reaching the final is a great result for me, especially considering the difficult period I had with the tough Davis Cup match after the US Open. I haven’t won a tournament since Rome but I’m not that disappointed since I have played consistently at the major events. I will now work on my endurance and strength and am aiming for good results during the indoor season. There are several important events coming up.

[About his bleeding eyebrow in the middle of the first set]: “I was watching Jo before the match and was scared that he was going to punch me but obviously I did it myself with my racquet... It looked a little funny but that can happen in sports.”

DOUBLES – TOP SEEDS DLOUHY/PAES WIN FIRST TEAM TITLE

·         Top seeds Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes combined to win their first team ATP title with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Americans Scott Lipsky and David Martin on Sunday.

·         The Czech-Indian duo fired five aces, won 74% of points on serve and converted two of four break points to secure the victory in 1 hr., 16 min.

·         Individually, the 35-year-old Paes has now won 40 ATP doubles titles, while Dlouhy, 10 years his junior, has compiled five. It is the second title in Bangkok for Paes, who also triumphed in 2005 with Paul Hanley (d. Erlich-Ram).

·         Currently No. 6 in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race, Dlouhy and Paes joined forces for the first time at Roland Garros in May and have since reached the finals at Halle (l. to Youzhny-Zverev) and the US Open (l. to Bryan-Bryan) and made a semifinal exit at Wimbledon (l. to Nestor-Zimonjic). They improve to a 21-6 record.

·         Lipsky-Martin were chasing their second title of the season from a fourth final. The California residents captured the title at San Jose (d. Bryan-Bryan) and finished runners-up at Munich (l. to Berrer-Schuettler) and Indianapolis (l. to Fisher-Phillips).

[On winning 40 titles]: "It is special and I think that one of the things I like to do is see my partner win a lot more. This is the challenge for me because I know if he’s winning I’m winning too. I’m trying to step up Lukas, this is the fifth one that he’s won, so now I’m trying to step up his wins because then mine will go up automatically." courtesy ATP media

Singles - Semifinals

[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d [3] T Berdych (CZE) 75 61

[2] J Tsonga (FRA) d [4] G Monfils (FRA) 60 63

Doubles - Semifinals

[1] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) d F Santoro (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) 64 62

S Lipsky (USA) / D Martin (USA) d J Benneteau (FRA) / N Mahut (FRA) 63 36 10-7

 ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2008

 CENTRE COURT start 12:45 pm

[1] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) vs S Lipsky (USA) / D Martin (USA)

Not Before 3:00 PM

[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [2] J Tsonga (FRA)

The struggles continue for Ana Ivanovic, as she was upset in the quarterfinals of Beijing, dropping a three set battle to the fan favorite, Zheng Jie.  Ana's countrywoman, Jelena Jankovic is still hot off her run to the finals at Flushing Meadows, as she ousted Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets, for a spot in the final four.  COMPLETE BEIJING RESULTS:

Results - Friday, September 26, 2008
Singles - Quarterfinals
(1) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (7) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 75 61
Zheng Jie (CHN) d. (2) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 76(4) 26 64
(4) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 62 64
(5) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 60 61

Doubles - Quarterfinals
(WC) Lu/Zhang (CHN/CHN) d. (1) Srebotnik/Sugiyama (SLO/JPN) w/o (Srebotnik: right wrist injury)
Shvedova/Tanasugarn (KAZ/THA) d. (2) Yan/Zheng (CHN/CHN) 64 75
Han/Xu (CHN/CHN) d. Savchuk/Senoglu (UKR/TUR) 75 64
Medina Garrigues/Wozniacki (ESP/DEN) d. Cornet/Pavlyuchenkova (FRA/RUS) 63 75

Order of Play - Saturday, September 27, 2008
Stadium (from 12.30hrs)
1. Lu/Zhang vs. Medina Garrigues/Wozniacki
2. ATP: Sela vs. Schuettler (NB 14.00hrs)
3. Jankovic vs. Zvonareva (NB 16.00hrs)
4. ATP: Phau vs. [Ferrero or Roddick] (NB 19.00hrs)
5. Kuznetsova vs. Zheng

Court 1 (from 14.00hrs)
1. Han/Xu vs. Shvedova/Tanasugarn
2. ATP: Kohlmann/Schuettler vs. Huss/Hutchins (NB 17.00hrs)
3. ATP: Fisher/Reynolds vs. Moser/Phau (after suitable rest)

Singles – Quarterfinals

[2] A Roddick (USA) d J Ferrero (ESP) 26 63 64

B Phau (GER) d [3] F Gonzalez (CHI) 63 46 63

[7] R Schuettler (GER) d [4] R Gasquet (FRA) 46 63 64

D Sela (ISR) d [6] T Robredo (ESP) 64 61

Doubles - Quarterfinals

S Huss (AUS) / R Hutchins (GBR) d [4] J Cerretani (USA) / J Scherrer (SUI) 63 62

F Moser (GER) / B Phau (GER) d E Butorac (USA) / S Querrey (USA) 75 63

I'm competing in the KIA Australian Open Amateur Championships. The tournament has a number of strong D1 college players and ATP caliber "grinders." Rafael Nadal's US Open win over Sam Querrey helped guide me through the opening round (against a player that had beaten me just nine months ago). Sam is physically bigger and has a MUCH 'bigger' game than Rafael, but Nadal's sheer heart, focus and ambition won the match, proving just how powerful the mind can be in any sport....If you BELIEVE that you can win, and "do your physical homework" before a tournament, you can pull off un-imaginable victories.  It was a treat to get back to the competition....now back to covering sports!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this....Boris Becker, back on the courts!

BORIS BECKER TO MAKE OUTBACK CHAMPIONS SERIES DEBUT IN DALLAS

 Three-time Wimbledon Champion To Play In The Stanford Championships At SMU Oct. 22-26

 Draw and Schedule Released - Krickstein and Arias Join Headliners Becker, Courier, Philippoussis and Kournikova

 NEW YORK, N.Y., September 24, 2008 - InsideOut Sports & Entertainment today announced that three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker will make his debut on the Outback Champions Series tennis circuit at The Stanford Championships, to be played October 22-26 on the campus of SMU in Dallas, Texas. Becker will be competing in his first tournament in the United States since he played in the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla., in 1999.

Becker will play fellow former No. 1 player in the world Jim Courier, defending Stanford Championships winner Wayne Ferreira and former French Open finalist Mikael Pernfors in group A of the round robin portion of the event. Mark Philippoussis, the Wimbledon finalist in 2003, and 1999 US Open finalist Todd Martin will be joined by Americans Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias in group B. Anna Kournikova, the former top 10 star of the WTA Tour and former No. 1 doubles player in the world, will also compete in mixed doubles exhibition matches during the tournament.

Tickets for the event are available now and can be purchased by calling 877-332-TIXX (8499). Ticket prices start at $12. Full ticket and event information can be found at www.ChampionSeriesTennis.com.

“I am very excited to play on the Outback Champions Series in Dallas and again play tournament tennis in the United States,” said Becker. “I am looking forward to renewing some great rivalries, particularly with Jim Courier, and getting my competitive juices flowing again at The Stanford Championships.”

Becker, 40, burst on the scene as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon in 1985, where he beat Kevin Curren in the men’s singles final to become the event’s youngest men’s singles champion. Becker also won Wimbledon in 1986 and 1989, while he was a runner-up at the All England Club in 1988, 1990, 1991 and 1995. In all, Becker won six major singles titles, also winning two Australian Open titles in 1991 and 1996 and the 1989 U.S. Open. A Hall of Famer and the world’s No. 1 player for 12 weeks, Becker also guided his nation to victories in Davis Cup in 1988 and 1989 and, in 1992, he and countryman Michael Stich paired to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s doubles. He won 49 career tour singles titles, including the 1988 WCT Finals in Dallas.

“Boris is an icon,” said Courier. “I am thrilled to be able to play him in Dallas and know it will be a very tough test. He always forces me to up my intensity level to match his so I can't wait for Friday night.”

Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Courier and many others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team.

The Outback Champions Series features eight events on its 2008 schedule, with each event featuring an eight-man round-robin match format. The winner of each four-player division meets in the title match while second place finishers in each division play in the third-place match. Each event features $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $54,000 as well as Champions Series ranking points that will determine the year-end Stanford Champions Rankings No. 1. Beginning in 2008, the year-end champion will receive a $100,000 bonus courtesy of Stanford Financial Group, the official rankings sponsor of the Outback Champions Series. Through the first four events in 2008, Courier holds the No. 1 ranking with 2200 points. McEnroe holds the No. 2 ranking with 1800 points while Ferreira is in third position with 1050 points.

The 2008 Outback Champions Series kicked off March 12-16 in Naples, Fla., at The Oliver Group Champions Cup where Martin defeated McEnroe in the final. Courier won the second event of the season at The Residences at The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman Legends Championships April 16-20, defeating Ferreira in the final, while McEnroe won his first career Outback Champions Series even in Boston April 30- May 4, defeating Krickstein in the final. Pat Cash won his first Outback Champions Series title in Newport, R.I., in August, defeating Courier in the final. The next four events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series calendar are stops in Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Texas, Surprise, Ariz., and Dubai, U.A.E. More information can be obtained by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

RESULTS - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

Singles - First Round
[5] [WC] F Verdasco (ESP) d B Reynolds (USA) 63 63
[8] S Querrey (USA) d J Levine (USA) 16 62 76(4)
D Sela (ISR) d N Devilder (FRA) 64 63
I Minar (CZE) d H Lee (KOR) 63 36 62
[Q] J Scherrer (SUI) d [WC] P Sun (CHN) 64 76(7)
G Soeda (JPN) d [WC] Y Bai (CHN) 64 75
[Q] B Evans (USA) d R Karanusic (CRO) 76(5) 16 76(10) - Saved 3 M.P.

copyright, NBC Universal, Harry Cicma

Nikolay Davydenko's name has been cleared by the ATP Tour.  The Russian star has had a negative asterix next to his name throughout the past few months due to speculation that he "throws" matches for money and is involved with fraud.  It's refreshing to know that Nikolay's name is clean and we can finally just enjoy his top quality tennis without questioning his integrity...onward and upward!

12 September 2008

ATP Statement Regarding The Sopot Match Investigation

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, U.S.A. – A fundamental role of the ATP is to ensure that men’s professional tennis continues to be free of corruption.  For this reason, the ATP instigated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the match in Sopot between Mr. Vassallo Arguello and Mr. Davydenko on 2^nd August 2007.  ATP can confirm today that it has concluded its investigation and found no evidence of a violation of its rules by either Mr. Arguello or Mr. Davydenko or anyone else associated with the match.

During its investigation, the ATP worked with a number of leading external integrity experts. As well as interviewing a number of individuals involved in the match and reviewing betting account details of those who wagered on the match, the investigating team also requested and reviewed records from the players and from individuals closely associated with them.

These included telephone records from individuals including Mr Vassallo Arguello and Mr Davydenko as well as members of both players’ support personnel. Certain individuals declined the ATP requests and appealed them to the independent Hearing Officer. After lengthy legal proceedings, the independent Hearing Officer directed those individuals to turn over the requested records to ATP.  A number of records were received and examined, however due to the length of the legal proceedings some of the records were confirmed as having been destroyed by the relevant telephone providers in line with local data protection laws.

This confirmation means that the ATP has now exhausted all avenues of enquiry open to it and the investigation is now concluded.

The in-depth investigation of the circumstances surrounding the Sopot match, together with the findings of the recent, independent tennis integrity review by Jeff Rees and Ben Gunn, will play a large and important role in informing and advancing the imminent creation of the tennis wide Integrity Unit and its accompanying regulatory framework which will now have responsibility for running the new global Tennis Anti-Corruption Program on behalf of the ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slam Committee tournaments.

-ends-

Doubles legend discusses his Mixed title, and Men's doubles finals at the US Open, among other topics:

      Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick have created a lot of tension at the US Open; it's yet to be determined who is to blame.  It was shocking to hear Novak's on court interview after his match with Andy.  Novak displayed questionable sportsmanship by arguing with the US Open fans; but at the same time, you have to give the guy credit for having such bravery.  I don't know many people who have the guts to pick a fight with New York City fans on national TV.  Unfortunately it's not very good for the sport to have one of it's biggest stars [Novak] getting in fights with the fans; on the other hand, Andy's comments were clearly done to get under Novak's skin before their battle.

      "Mr. Class" aka Roger Federer is back to his old winning ways; he looks strong going into the Flushing Meadows finals.  I did predict that Roger wouldn't win the 2008 US Open, but after his easy first round match, that prediction looked pretty glum.  Give Fed some credit, he is playing with serious fire and enthusiasm, showing just how much he loves the game and respects the US Open title.  In my opinion, the biggest problem with Federer used to be his lack of emotion, on and off the court, but now the guy is fighting with the guts, proving what a true champion is made of (ie, Agassi, Sampras, Muster and Connors).

      Being at the 2008 US Open was as magical as ever.  It took a few days for sports fans throughout the world to “regroup” after the Olympics, but now the Big Apple, and the world of sports, are totally focused on the action at Flushing Meadows. 

      It was a pleasure to watch Rafael Nadal battle the young American Sam Querrey.  Rafa’s focus was at a top level, and he exhibited the work ethic that has gotten him to the #1 ranking in the world.  Another highlight for me was speaking at length with Roger Federer’s father, Robert.  Robert and I first met at the Sampras-Federer match at Madison Square Garden, and it was nice to see him again.  The main topic of discussion was how slowly the courts are playing throughout the ATP Tour, and how serve and volley players are virtually becoming extinct.  Most notably, the Wimbledon grass is playing like a slow hard court now. 

     Robert Federer is a class act, and as they say, “the seed doesn’t fall far from the tree”….hence, Roger is also a classy gentleman.  I often chose underdogs over Federer in my pre match predictions; however, it's worth taking a moment to tip my hat to Roger and Robert and to say thank you  for being such good people in such a competitive sport (tennis).  It’s ironic how the two best players in the men’s game, Roger and Rafael, are the two most humble.  Neither of them party before Grand Slam matches, and both are all business.  After Rafa's match with Querrey, I asked him "How do you like New York City, having fun?"  He said, "I haven't seen New York too much, I'm here to play tennis"…..In short, what a great US Open it has been!...looking forward to Roddick and Djokovic.