October 2008 Archives

Masters Series Paris

Posted: Friday, October 31, 2008 10:48 PM

So Nadal is out with a right knee injury, Federer is sidelined with a back injury, Andy Murray was ousted by Nalbandian and Roddick lost a heart breaker to Jo Wilfried Tsonga; what a tough day for the top players in Paris. The real story of interest is the injuries of Nadal and Federer. I don't want to harp on the overbearing pro tennis schedule in every Tennis Talk blog post, but seriously, these guys should be sitting on their couches right now watching television on Sunday afternoons as part of their offseason relaxation.

I was thinking about it this afternoon, I actually feel bad for the players on the WTA and ATP Tours during this late stage of the season; how mentally/physically drained must they be right now? It's similar to working our "normal day jobs" without EVER having a vacation. Without knowing that we have that vacation coming every few weeks/months, it is hard to stay positive/sane at work sometimes...imagine how the pros feel...Federer and Nadal are banged up [go back to the Wimbledon final, they have been in first gear ever since], and they have a matter of days before the Shanghai Masters Cup; and after that a matter of weeks before the Australian Open...and then the whole battle starts again....forever. When our two top players, who are the most physically fit players on tour, both go down with freak injuries this late in the season, it makes you think twice. On the bright side, Juan Martin Del Potro is still dreaming about competing in the Masters Cup, and he is playing the best tennis of his life at this late stage of 2008, then again he is just over his teenage years. As for the WTA final event, watch for Venus Williams to make a big impact in the draw, and possibly go all the way. She squeaked into the top 8, and will swing from the hip on the fast indoor surface.

BNP PARIBAS MASTERS
€2,270,000 ATP Masters Series Tournament
Paris, France
October 26-November 2, 2008
Surface: Hard (Indoors)

RESULTS - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008

Singles - Quarterfinals
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d [1] R Nadal (ESP) 61 Ret (right knee)
[11]J Blake (USA) d [2]R Federer (SUI) walkover (back)
[8] D Nalbandian (ARG) d [4] A Murray (GBR) 76(3) 63
[13] J Tsonga (FRA) d [7] A Roddick (USA) 57 64 76(5)

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[5] J Bjorkman (SWE) / K Ullyett (ZIM) d M Melo (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) 64 36 10-7
[6] J Coetzee (RSA) / W Moodie (RSA) d J Monaco (ARG) / R Nadal (ESP) walkover (Nadal - knee)
M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d [7] S Aspelin (SWE) / J Knowle (AUT) 63 64
A Clement (FRA) / M Llodra (FRA) d [8] A Ram (ISR) / B Soares (BRA) 62 76(3)

ORDER OF PLAY - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2008

COURT CENTRAL start 2:00 pm
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) vs [8] D Nalbandian (ARG)
[13] J Tsonga (FRA) vs [11] J Blake (USA)
M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) vs [6] J Coetzee (RSA) / W Moodie (RSA)
[5] J Bjorkman (SWE) / K Ullyett (ZIM) vs A Clement (FRA) / M Llodra (FRA)

Quote of the Week

Posted: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 3:03 PM

"I always wake up thinking about Shanghai." -Juan Martin Del Potro

That is the quote of the week, as Argentina's Del Potro speaks about his goal of qualifying for the year end Masters Cup event, which is only open to the top 8 players on the ATP Tour. As of now, Juan is in a group of several players vying for the final three spots in the round robin event.

It's nice to see such hunger and passion coming from a top pro player. That quote reminds me of a young high school athlete who is fired up for the big "Thanksgiving Day football game," or a junior tennis player who is trying to qualify for the Kalamazoo Nationals. The irony is that Del Potro isn't too far off from those examples, as he is just barely 20 years old, meaning that in American standards he would be classified with High School students [hard to believe]. When I spoke one-on-one with Del Potro at the US Open, I was very impressed with his confidence and love for the sport. By no means was he cocky, he just exuded confidence [knowing that in a year of two he could be among the most dominant players in the world]. Don't worry Juan, your "Shanghai Dream" will become a reality in a few days.

Juan punishes a crosscourt backhand

courtesy dailylife.com

Federer Stays Sharp

Posted: Sunday, October 26, 2008 11:03 PM

It appears that world #2 Roger Federer is focused on staying sharp as the year end Masters Cup approaches...there is no question that he would love to salvage one victory over Nadal before the season is over. "Rocket Roger" stepped it up with another ATP tournament win infront of his local fans of Basel. It's interesting to think that David Nalbandian used to "own" Federer during their years in the ITF juniors. That goes to show that Junior tennis is important, but not the end all be all when determining who will shine in the pros.

FINAL REVIEW – FEDERER WINS THIRD SUCCESSIVE BASEL TROPHY & 57^TH CAREER TITLE

Top-seeded Swiss Roger Federer captured his third successive title at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors on Sunday after he knocked out 2002 champion David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 in 70 minutes. It was the pair's 18th career meeting (Federer 10-8 record).
It was the first time since 1993, when No. 2 seed Michael Stich beat No. 1 seed Stefan Edberg that the top two seeds have reached the final.
Federer struck eight aces and lost just seven points on serve. He converted two of eight break point opportunities – at 4-2 in the first set and in the third game of the second set.
The Basel native was playing in his hometown event for the ninth time (29-6 record). He won titles in 2006 (d. Gonzalez) and last year (d. Nieminen) in addition to runner-up finishes in back-to-back finals in 2000 (l. to Enqvist) and ’01 (l. to Henman).
The 27-year-old superstar is tied with former World No. 1 Ilie Nastase on 57 career titles and three trophies shy of Andre Agassi (60-30 mark). Federer is 57-21 lifetime in ATP finals.
Federer improved to 63-13 on the season, highlighted by his 13th Grand Slam title at the US Open (d. Murray) in September. He also took home silverware at Estoril (d. Davydenko) and Halle (d. Kohlschreiber).
The Swiss also reached the final at ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo and Hamburg, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, losing to Rafael Nadal each time. He surrendered his No. 1 ranking to the Spaniard on August 18th after a record 237-week reign.
The 26-year-old Nalbandian was making his seventh appearance in Basel (22-5 record). He clinched the 2002 title (d. Gonzalez) and finished runner-up in 2003 (W/O vs. Coria) and 2004 (l. to Novak).
Nalbandian dropped to 2-2 in ATP finals this year and 9-9 lifetime. The Cordoba resident won ATP crowns at Buenos Aires (d. Acasuso) and Stockholm (d. Soderling). He reached the Acapulco final (l. to Almagro).
The World No. 8 dropped to a 27-38 lifetime mark against Top 10 opponents, while Federer improved to 104-46 (7-8 in 2008).
Federer received 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points (50 Race points) and €145,200 while Nalbandian collected 175 ranking points (35 Race points) and €78,475.
Four-time Tennis Masters Cup champion Federer has already qualified for the prestigious circuit finale and is No. 2 in the ATP 2008 Race with 1016 points. Nalbandian is placed No. 13 with 275 points. Three spots remain up for grabs at the eight-player Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai in November.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Federer: “I’m happy the way things are going right now; I played well at the US Open, in Davis Cup and last week in Madrid. This was another good week for me. It was fantastic to beat one of my biggest rivals in a good match. It was great to win at home. That is what really stands out for me, realizing a childhood dream and winning the title over and over again.”

Nalbandian: “Roger played almost perfect, he played great. He served very well and although I didn’t play bad he was better than me today. I had a good week though.”

DOUBLES FINAL – KNOWLES CAPTURES 50^TH CAREER TITLE; THIRD CROWN THIS YEAR WITH BHUPATHI

*courtesy: ATP Media

Dramatic Exit for Harrison

Posted: Sunday, October 26, 2008 11:02 PM

Reynolds on the Rise

Posted: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 12:43 PM

How did Roger Federer drop a set to Bobby Reynolds in the first round of the Swiss Indoors event? It seems like just yesterday when Bobby and I were playing in the 2003 Atlantic City Challenger, just a few weeks after he led Vanderbilt University to the team finals of the NCAA championships. At that time, Bobby was light years away from being ranked #86 in the world, and it seemed unlikely that his game would ever be able to win a set against an all-time great such as Federer. It's only a set, big deal right? Well, I think that result means one of two things: 1) Reynolds is improving tremendously and deserves to be considered as one of the top flight Americans; his 2008 results prove this (round of 32 at Wimbledon, Quarters at Indianapolis, Quarters at Delray Beach); by next year, he could be well into the top 35 on the world rankings. 2) Federer is losing focus/hunger at this stage in the season. Rafael is a lock for the year end #1 ranking....Roger already has his US Open title and Olympic Gold Medal under his belt, and there is virtually nothing to play for at this point of the season except the Shanghai Masters Cup title. I am 100% sure Roger wasn't giving the same effort against Reynolds that he was against Igor Andreev at this year's US Open.

Side Note: We all love tennis, but seriously, what is the point of playing these tournaments this late in the season? As a fan, I would MUCH rather see the Shanghai Masters Cup take place in early October, and spend October-December talking about "who will come back strong after the off-season"....these tournaments after the US Open mean very little (with the exception of Davis Cup), and are a good way to burn players out and make them more injury prone going into the Australian Open....As Rafa would say "shorten the tennis schedule!"

Bobby Reynold rips a backhand

photo courtesy: Dailylife.com

Murray Captures Madrid

Posted: Sunday, October 19, 2008 4:06 PM

Andy Murray is on a roll. The British star captured the Madrid tournament in style.. Could Andy be the next #1?...probably; I could see him getting to #1 eventually, but then dropping after a few weeks. Hence, there's a lot of depth in the top five, and you could eventually see "musical chairs" with Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic trading the #1 spot. It's getting tight at the top on the ATP Tour!

Singles - Final
[4] A Murray (GBR) d G Simon (FRA) 64 76(6)

Doubles - Final
[7] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d [4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) 64 62

FINAL REVIEW - MURRAY CAPTURES SECOND STRAIGHT ATP MASTERS SERIES SHIELD, FOURTH TITLE IN '08

World No. 4 Andy Murray claimed his second successive ATP Masters Series shield by halting marathon man unseeded Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-6(6) in the final of the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid on Sunday.
The Scot was competing in his third final in four events, having captured his first ATP Masters Series crown at Cincinnati (d. Djokovic) and reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open (d. Nadal; l. to Federer). He is already assured of his place at Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai for the first time, currently No. 4 in the ATP 2008 Race.
This week has also seen Simon build a strong case for his place at the season-ending finale. The 23-year-old Nice native came into Madrid at No. 12 in ATP 2008 Race. He will now move to No. 9 in the ATP 2008 Race, within six points of No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro, and become the No. 1 Frenchman.
Dunblane native Murray becomes the first British player to win two ATP Masters Series titles, as Tim Henman (2003 Paris) and Greg Rusedski (1998 Paris) both won one each. The right-hander is also the first player to win back-to-back titles at ATP Masters Series Cincinnati and Madrid (since 2002).
It is the Scot's seventh overall ATP title and fourth of the season. Murray, who also triumphed at Doha (d. Wawrinka), Marseille (d. Ancic) and Cincinnati, becomes just the third player this season together with Juan Martin del Potro (4) and Rafael Nadal (8) to win four ATP titles. He is the first British player to win four titles in a season, eclipsing Mark Cox who captured three in 1975.
Simon, who played a decisive third set tie-break four times during the week, made a slow start to the match. He surrendered his serve in the fifth game as a lob from Murray forced him out of position and the Scot capitalized with a strong backhand up the line to force the error.
Simon survived a break point against him early in the second set before settling into his rhythm and forcing the tie-break. He looked poised to take the match into a third set when he held two set points at 6-4, however he failed to convert both and Murray seized the initiative. The Scot hit a backhand return winner to earn a 7-6 lead and converted his first match point as Simon missed a tricky backhand volley after 1 hr., 35 min. Throughout the encounter Murray served 11 aces and did not face a break point.
In the semifinals Murray had toppled Roger Federer, while Simon had edged out home favorite and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal. The Neuchatel, Switzerland resident had saved six match points and spent a total of 11 hr., 47 min., on court en route to the final.
Simon, who dropped to a 45-23 match record on the season, was bidding for his fourth ATP title of the season, having claimed his first three at Casablanca (d. Benneteau), his first title on U.S. soil at Indianapolis (d. Tursunov) and last month at Bucharest (d. Moya).

Murray now joins an exclusive list of players to have won at least two ATP Masters Series titles in a season since 2004:

        2008 -- Rafael Nadal 3, Novak Djokovic 2, Andy Murray 2
        2007 -- Rafael Nadal 3, Novak Djokovic 2, Roger Federer 2, David Nalbandian 2
        2006 -- Roger Federer 4, Rafael Nadal 2
        2005 -- Roger Federer 4, Rafael Nadal 4
        2004 -- Roger Federer 3, Marat Safin 2

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Murray: (on what he expected going into Madrid) "I didn’t expect to win the tournament. Like I said, I was playing really well in practice beforehand. The thing that’s difficult for me is that I played like one or two matches in five weeks. Although I was hitting the ball well in practice, its always different in the matches. Obviously, I started great and that gave me some confidence."

(on being established and comfortable as a member of the top four) "I´m still a long way behind them, I´ve played great the last few months, but those guys have been unbelievable for the last couple of years, so consistent on every surface and throughout the whole year, the points total that Djokovic has got for being the No. 3 player in the World is ridiculous. He would have by been by far No. 1 in the World at some stages. Those guys have been awesome and I´m still not close to them yet, I still need to keep working hard."

(on becoming first British player to win two ATP Masters Series titles) "Yeah there are a lot of things, today it was huge for me. Although Tim and Greg, have achieved a lot more than I have, over a long period in tennis, I´ve done something that neither of them were able to do. Tim was obviously a great player for eight, nine years, that’s how tough it is to win a Masters Series and the ones that I have won, its not like I´ve beaten bad players. I´ve beaten Federer and Novak in the ones in the last two that ive won and Djokovic in the one before that when I lost in the semis, so I´m having to beat really good players to do it consistently. It´s great to make a little bit of history."

Simon: (on chances to qualify for Tennis Masters Cup) "Yes, I am closer after this week. It won´t be easy because there are only one or two more tournaments left. I´m not sure if I will play in Lyon right now. Right now I just want to rest, I think two days. If there is only one tournament, you can´t make any mistakes, you have to win, you have to do better than the two guys before and that means to defeat a player like Federer or Nadal again, so it won´t be easy. I will do my best, I will try and if I play Shanghai it will be a good thing for me but it´s not the end of the world. Andy didn’t play the Masters Cup last year and he´s number 4 in the world right now."

(on his successful week and competing with top players) "I´m not scared when I play this kind of player because I know they are good, but I think that I am good too. I just know that it is going to be hard to win because they are not in the top 5 for nothing. They are great champions and it´s always hard to defeat this kind of player, but when I play them I am not scared because I think I have the ability to beat them on one day. It´s not like if it´s a 100% certain they will win. Even if its 70/30, there´s still a 30% chance that I can win so I try to play in that way."

DOUBLES FINAL - FYRSTENBERG-MATKOWSKI EARN FIRST ATP MASTERS SERIES SHIELD (courtesy ATP media)

Andy Roddick, Nude Tennis Lesson?!

Posted: Friday, October 17, 2008 11:05 PM

Wow....I just caught this article on Andy Roddick....giving a nude tennis lesson for charity?

Andy Roddick Offers Up Nude Tennis Lesson, Banks Charity $15,000

Posted Oct 17th 2008 4:35PM by Shane Bacon (author feed)
Filed under: Tennis

Too many times we forget about the female readers around these parts, so here's a little something for the ladies: 26-year-old Andy Roddick did just about all you can to benefit a charity this past weekend.

The recently engaged Roddick was part of Sir Elton John's 16th Annual Advanta World Team Tennis Smash, benefiting those with AIDS in and around the Atlanta area, and decided that the one-hour private tennis lesson with him being auctioned off wasn't enough. Roddick decided to up the ante with an offer of a shirtless lesson, only to one-up himself again by offering to coach in the nude. That noise you just heard was six million females lamenting the fact that they don't live on Peachtree Street.

He originally was going to auction a private, hour-long tennis lesson to the highest bidder. Then, to sweeten the deal, he offered to take off his shirt for the "one-on-one instruction."

Finally, the recently engaged Roddick offered to give the lesson -- fully nude! Winning bid: $15,000 from a female fan.

Only Andy Roddick would be chill enough to do something like this. The tennis star infamous for his "tell it like it is" interviews and demeanor did what most people joke about with their friends, only he made a charity 15-large in doing it.

My only concern with this is picturing a naked person playing tennis. Sure, I'd pay a fairly large sum (assuming I actually had money) to watch Maria Sharapova hitting net volleys in her birthday suit, but could you imagine a naked dude serving? That just seems like too much is going on.

I'm guessing the "between the legs" shot that Roddick and others enjoy hitting for the fans is out in this situation. No point in cutting the lesson short because the teacher injured himself. (courtesy AOL.com)

Federer Needs ONE over Nadal in 2008

Posted: Thursday, October 16, 2008 6:11 PM

Celtics Look for Team Unity

Posted: Thursday, October 16, 2008 5:51 PM

copyright, NBC Universal, Harry Cicma

Federer Sets All Time ATP Prize Money Mark

Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 10:30 PM

MUTUA MADRILENA MASTERS MADRID

Roger Federer is ending his 2008 season with a bang. The Swiss star earned a spot in the Madrid third round with a straight set win over Stepanek. The win also makes Roger the all-time money earner in ATP history, surpassing Pete Sampras (Roger now has $43,300,847 in prize money..not too shabby?). Note that Rafael Nadal pulled out of the event with a lower back injury...hence PLEASE shorten the pro tennis season, give these grinders some rest so we can watch the best tennis every time they take the court. Wednesday's Results:

€2,270,000 ATP Masters Series Tournament

Madrid, Spain

October 12-19, 2008

Surface: Hard (Indoors)

Singles - Second Round

[2] R Federer (SUI) d R Stepanek (CZE) 63 76(6)

[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [Q] V Hanescu (ROU) 67(8) 76(6) 31 ret. (leg)

[Q] R Ginepri (USA) d [5] N Davydenko (RUS) 46 64 64

F Lopez (ESP) d [6] D Ferrer (ESP) 64 76(4)

[7] D Nalbandian (ARG) d T Berdych (CZE) 62 67(5) 61

[8] A Roddick (USA) d T Robredo (ESP) 63 64

[9] J Del Potro (ARG) d J Nieminen (FIN) 62 42 ret. (leg)

[10] S Wawrinka (SUI) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) 36 75 76(5)

G Monfils (FRA) d [12] F Gonzalez (CHI) 63 64

[14] I Karlovic (CRO) d R Soderling (SWE) 76(7) 76(8)

[16] J Tsonga (FRA) d [Q] M Granollers (ESP) 36 63 76(5)

Doubles - Second Round

[2] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d F Lopez (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) 76(3) 64

[4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) d C Moya (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) W/O (Nadal – lower back)

[5] J Bjorkman (SWE) / K Ullyett (ZIM) d T Berdych (CZE) / N Kiefer (GER) 63 36 10-7

[7] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d A Clement (FRA) / M Llodra (FRA) 75 76(14)

Doubles - First Round

[WC] P Andujar (ESP) / M Granollers (ESP) d A Ram (ISR) / M Youzhny (RUS) 62 62

LSU's Michael Venus Wins All-American Championship

Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:40 AM

LSU's Michael Venus entered the fall season as the 20th ranked player on the NCAA men's singles rankings. This week he recorded a number of upsets to capture the All-American National Championship...for my complete post game radio report, here's the Tennis Live Radio College Corner:

http://www.tennisliveradio.com/MediaPlayer.aspx?mediaID=236

God Bless College Tennis, looking forward to an exciting spring schedule.

Tennis Live Part Two

Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 3:18 PM

Back on the TennisLiveRadio.com airwaves tonight, to recap the Men's All America Championships, which LSU's Michael Venus won in dramatic fashion. Venus becomes the first LSU Tiger to ever win the national event, watch out for him to gain a few ATP Tour points this summer on the Futures Circuit. The radio cameo is tonight at 7:15 PM Eastern Time.

Berdych Gaining Momentum

Posted: Friday, October 10, 2008 6:15 PM

Jelena Jankovic Report

Posted: Friday, October 10, 2008 6:13 PM

Jankovic is "not" #1 yet

Posted: Thursday, October 9, 2008 10:37 AM

Jelena Jankovic does not deserve to be the number one player in the world at this time. This was proven in September when she lost to Serena Williams in straight sets at the US Open, and to Ana Ivanovic at the French Open....how can she be ahead of either of those players on the WTA rankings?!

Jelena has never won a Grand Slam singles title, yet is "the best player in the world?" above the likes of Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova! I remember when Thomas Muster became the #1 player on the men's tour after his fantastic clay court run in the 1990's, but give him credit, he won the French Open! The same goes for Carlos Moya, another French Open Champion.

With ALL the depth on the ladies tour, and all the Grand Slam champions in the top 10, it is nothing short of unjust that Jankovic is #1 in the world. She is a fantastic player, and I wish her the best, but Serena and Ivanovic are MUCH more deserving of that ranking...and Jankovic needs to win a major title before she's in the same sentence as those legends. Futhermore, is there a reason nearly every tennis pro on the WTA Tour has to begin a fashion modeling career once they reach the top 10? [ie, Sharapova, Serena, Venus, Ivanovic and now Jankovic..even Roddick on the ATP Tour]...this is All part of the Kournikova era. As Chris Evert once told Serena: "just winning in tennis is more special than the other Hollywood fame...that fame will come with winning, so focus on the ball." (paraphrasing).

source: womenstennis blog phonesreview.com

Tennis Live Radio NCAA Coverage

Posted: Wednesday, October 8, 2008 4:10 PM

Last night proved to be another exciting time with my long time Tennis Live Radio colleague, Todd Skovron, on TennisLiveRadio.com. Here is my College Corner NCAA Tennis segment:

http://www.tennisliveradio.com/MediaPlayer.aspx?mediaID=235

Tennis Live Radio Cameo

Posted: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 12:06 PM

I will be making a cameo on TennisLiveRadio.com tonight at 6:45 PM Eastern time, to discuss the 2008 NCAA College tennis season....it's that time of year again!

Kremlin Cup Results

Posted: Monday, October 6, 2008 3:36 PM

ATP KREMLIN CUP

$1,049,000 ATP International Series

Moscow, Russia

October 6-12, 2008

Surface: Indoor Hard

TENNIS TALK ANALYSIS: Igor Andreev is becoming the new "journeyman" on the ATP tour. This guy has so much game, as proven by his 5 set battle with Roger Federer at the 2008 US Open. Igor had an easy first round match in Moscow, and will most likely go deep in the draw. How about Fabrice Santoro? the magician defended his Newport grass court title this year [with ease], and is sill making moves on tour. The French legend scored a hard earned victory over the wildcard, Schukin. The one thing about Santoro is: NONE of the top players like to face him, just ask Federer or James Blake. His slicing/scrambling game and extreme endurance can give anyone a headache on a hot day in Melbourne or Flushing Meadows. What I remember the most about Fabrice in Newport, was his "fun loving" mentality on and off the court. He joked with fans during matches, and even allowed a few fans on his practice court during a training session. The Hall of Fame spectators love him, and our sport needs more players like Fabrice!

RESULTS – MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008

Singles - First Round

[2] I Andreev (RUS) d Y Lu (TPE) 62 ret. (right ankle)

G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d N Devilder (FRA) 62 64

F Santoro (FRA) d [WC] Y Schukin (KAZ) 46 76(2) 64

J Chardy (FRA) d P Starace (ITA) 36 61 64

Doubles - First Round

D Skoch (CZE) / I Zelenay (SVK) d F Moser (GER) / D Sela (ISR) 63 64

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008

CENTRE COURT start 11:00 am

[7] V Zvonareva (RUS) vs M Kirilenko (RUS) - WTA

Not Before 1:00 PM

[WC] A Kudryavtsev (RUS) vs [8] J Tipsarevic (SRB) - ATP

Not Before 3:00 PM

[5] S Kuznetsova (RUS) vs N Li (CHN) - WTA

Not Before 4:30 PM

[1] N Davydenko (RUS) vs F Serra (FRA) - ATP

Not Before 6:00 PM

F Pennetta (ITA) vs [6] V Williams (USA) - WTA

[Q] N Okun (ISR) vs [7] M Safin (RUS) - ATP

COURT 1 start 11:00 am

V Troicki (SRB) vs [WC] E Donskoy (RUS) - ATP

[WC] E Makarova (RUS) vs [WC] E Vesnina (RUS) - WTA

[6] M Llodra (FRA) vs [Q] D Istomin (UZB) - ATP

[Q] F Schiavone (ITA) vs D Hantuchova (SVK) - WTA

[1] J Kerr (AUS) / J Murray (GBR) vs M Youzhny (RUS) / M Zverev (GER) - ATP

R Ginepri (USA) vs [Q] J Vanek (CZE) - ATP

COURT 2 start 11:00 am

A Bondarenko (UKR) vs [Q] K Srebotnik (SLO) - WTA

D Sela (ISR) vs V Hanescu (ROU) - ATP

[Q] S Errani (ITA) vs V Azarenka (BLR) - WTA

E Dzehalevich (BLR) / O Savchuk (UKR) vs [4] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) - WTA

[3] M Llodra (FRA) / F Santoro (FRA) vs J Chardy (FRA) / F Serra (FRA) - ATP - After Suitable Rest

COURT 3 start 11:00 am

[WC] S Demekhine (RUS) / K Kravchuk (RUS) vs S Stakhovsky (UKR) / P Starace (ITA) - ATP

[Q] H Levy (ISR) vs J Benneteau (FRA) - ATP

Not Before 2:00 PM

D Gremelmayr (GER) / Y Lu (TPE) vs [2] F Cermak (CZE) / R Wassen (NED) - ATP

M Niculescu (ROU) / Y Shvedova (KAZ) vs [WC] A Chakvetadze (RUS) / D Cibulkova (SVK) - WTA

E Hrdinova (CZE) / V Uhlirova (CZE) vs V Dushevina (RUS) / A Kudryavtseva (RUS) - WTA

Boston Celtics Title Defense

Posted: Sunday, October 5, 2008 8:44 PM

copyright, NBC Universal, Harry Cicma

German Title Puts Jankovic back at #1

Posted: Sunday, October 5, 2008 1:18 PM

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Stuttgart-GER
$650,000 (Tier II)
Hard / Indoors
September 29 - October 5, 2008

Results - Sunday, October 5, 2008
Singles - Final
(2) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Nadia Petrova (RUS) 64 63

Doubles - Final
(WC) Groenefeld/Schnyder (GER/SUI) d. (1) Peschke/Stubbs (CZE/AUS) 62 64

Final Facts
- Jankovic wins her second straight Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title, having won another Tier II event - the China Open in Beijing - last week; it is her third Tour singles title of the year and the eighth of her career; she is now 8-10 lifetime in Tour singles finals.
- Jankovic returns to No.1 in the world this week, rising from No.2 and switching spots with Serena Williams; it will be the Serb's second non-consecutive week at No.1, having gotten a first taste of the top ranking between August 11 and 17 earlier this year.
- Petrova is now 8-10 lifetime in Tour singles finals and 1-2 this year, having finished runner-up at Eastbourne (to Agnieszka Radwanska) and winning in Cincinnati.
- Groenefeld and Schnyder win their first title together; Groenefeld wins her seventh career Tour doubles title (first since January 2007) while Schnyder wins her fifth (first since February 2004).

Final Quotes
Jelena Jankovic, 2008 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix singles champion:
"I'm very proud of winning my second tournament in a row. It wasn't easy coming here from China and I had very tough matches against Zvonareva and Venus, but I'm thrilled to win the Porsche today. This is a great event - one of my favorite tournaments - and having both my parents and my godfather and his wife here made it extra special. Today's match was not the highest level from either of us but I'm happy I was able to hang in there in the end and be the champion."

Nadia Petrova, 2008 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix singles runner-up:
"There are some days you wake up and you know it's not going to be your day. No matter what I tried today it didn't work, and my legs felt really heavy. Putting today aside I'm really happy with my week, though. I'm having a lot of fun practicing again and I want to keep this up. I'm very excited to finish the season and look ahead to what might be possible next year." courtesy ATP Media

Paul Annacone Interview

Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008 10:48 PM

Here is a brief chat that I had with Paul Annacone in NYC.

Roddick Returns

Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008 2:24 PM

Many critics have questioned Andy Roddick's work ethic, and support the notion that he may put too much emphasis on "off court" fun opposed to "on court" training. On the contrary, Andy clearly has a strong passion for the sport, and it's exciting to watch him when his focus is in tact. The Beijing title proves that something may be "brewing" for A-Rod as the Masters Cup approaches.

Ivanovic Searching for Answers

Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008 11:25 AM

After a magical beginning to 2008, and a French Open title, Ana Ivanovic seems to have hit a speed bump in her career. Most of it is due to physical injuries, but you can sense that mentally something isn't clicking for her as of late:

In Memory of AIG

Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008 11:13 AM

AIG was known for being one of the most supportive sponsors in the world of tennis. It's disappointing to see the company have such financial difficulties due to the recent recession in American. So in memory of AIG, here are it's tourney results:

AIG JAPAN OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008

$869,000 ATP International Series Gold

Tokyo, Japan

September 29 – October 5, 2008

Surface: Hard

(+9 hours GMT

RESULTS - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008

Singles - Third Round
[1] D Ferrer (ESP) d [WC] T Suzuki (JPN) 46 63 62
[2] A Roddick (USA) d [14] J Melzer (AUT) 76(2) 62
[3] F Gonzalez (CHI) d A Delic (USA) 64 76(4)
[4] R Gasquet (FRA) d K Nishikori (JPN) 61 62
[5] J Del Potro (ARG) d [11] J Nieminen (FIN) 61 63
[9] T Berdych (CZE) d [6] T Robredo (ESP) 76(6) 62
V Troicki (SRB) d [7] J Tsonga (FRA) 57 21 Ret (abdominal strain)
[12] R Schuettler (GER) d [8] M Youzhny (RUS) 63 67(12) 64

Doubles - First Round
[1] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) d G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) / I Navarro (ESP) 64 75
[2] S Aspelin (SWE) / J Knowle (AUT) d R Bopanna (IND) / E Butorac (USA) 67(4) 76(4) 10-4 - Saved 3 M.P.
[3] J Kerr (AUS) / R Lindstedt (SWE) d M Kohlmann (GER) / R Schuettler (GER) 64 76(3)
J Cerretani (USA) / A Fisher (AUS) d [4] F Cermak (CZE) / R Wassen (NED) 63 62
P Petzschner (GER) / A Peya (AUT) d T Iwami (JPN) / T Matsui (JPN) 64 62
R Kendrick (USA) / J Nieminen (FIN) d [WC] H Kondo (JPN) / G Soeda (JPN) 63 63
T Parrott (USA) / F Polasek (SVK) d S Lipsky (USA) / D Martin (USA) 76(1) 61
M Youzhny (RUS) / M Zverev (GER) d [WC] S Iwabuchi (JPN) / T Suzuki (JPN) 64 76(4)

ORDER OF PLAY - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2008

CENTER start 10:00 am
[1] C Wozniacki (DEN) vs [7] T Tanasugarn (THA) - WTA
Not Before 11:30 AM
[1] D Ferrer (ESP) vs [5] J Del Potro (ARG) - ATP
[4] R Gasquet (FRA) vs [12] R Schuettler (GER) - ATP
V Troicki (SRB) vs [2] A Roddick (USA) - ATP
[9] T Berdych (CZE) vs [3] F Gonzalez (CHI) - ATP

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
K Zakopalova (CZE) vs [LL] J Gajdosova (SVK) - WTA
Not Before 1:00 PM
J Cerretani (USA) / A Fisher (AUS) vs R Kendrick (USA) / J Nieminen (FIN) - ATP
[1] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) vs P Petzschner (GER) / A Peya (AUT) - ATP
T Parrott (USA) / F Polasek (SVK) vs [3] J Kerr (AUS) / R Lindstedt (SWE) - ATP
Not Before 4:30 PM
M Youzhny (RUS) / M Zverev (GER) vs [2] S Aspelin (SWE) / J Knowle (AUT) - ATP

« September 2008 | Main Index | November 2008 »

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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