November 2008 Archives
Happy Thanksgiving! Needless to say it's a slow time of year on the tennis courts. I recently stumbled upon this video, and figured it would give a good laugh:
Sources are reporting that Andy Roddick has hired Larry Stefanki to be his coach in 2009, effective December 1, 2008. As many of you know, I write favorably on Andy Roddick, but he reminds me of an NFL Executive that fires coaches after one bad season. A-Rod has been through more coaches than tennis shoes in the last 8 years. I hope Stefanki works out, he did a great job with Marcelo Rios and is a level headed guy. Andy's brother, John, will always be there calling a lot of the shots in the background....good luck to Team Roddick-Stefanki in 2009.
Coach Larry Stefanki
courtesy: tennis.com
Spain pulled off an improbable Davis Cup victory without their star, Rafael Nadal. I originally predicted that Argentina would take the Cup with ease; but ONE player proved me wrong: Feliciano Lopez. When Lopez upset Juan Martin Del Potro, that was the straw that broke the camel's back, ultimately giving Spain the edge needed to capture their first Davis Cup title on the road. I give the Spanish tennis federation a lot of credit for influencing Rafa to sit out from the finals, in order to give him rest for the 2009 season. That shows a lot of class and integrity, making the win even sweeter for the Spaniards.
JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/Getty Images |
copyright NBC UNIVERSAL, Harry Cicma
Dear Tennis Talk Colleagues,
Due to the absence of Rafael Nadal, I am going with
Singles - Final
N Djokovic (SRB) d N Davydenko (RUS) 61 75
Doubles - Final
D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) 76(3) 62
FINAL REVIEW - DEVASTATING DJOKOVIC MASTERS DAVYDENKO TO WIN TITLE
- ATP World No. 3 Novak Djokovic was in devastating form as he capped a huge season by racing to his first Tennis Masters Cup title with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Nikolay Davydenko in Shanghai on Sunday.
- The final victory earns Djokovic 50 points in the ATP 2008 Race and takes him to within just two points of second-placed Roger Federer at the season end.
- Djokovic was the only player on the ATP circuit this season to win four singles titles on as many continents.
- The Belgrade native began Sunday afternoon’s final at the Qi Zhong Stadium in blistering form, breaking the Davydenko serve twice as he raced to a 5-0 lead. While Davydenko made a nervous start, hampered by poor serving, Djokovic played one of his finest sets of the tournament, dominating and dictating the points and hitting winners from every area of the court.
- Davydenko barely had time to find his feet in the second set, just settling in at 1-1, when he was powerless to stop an inspired Djokovic from breaking through with a big forehand passing shot to lead with a break.
- Djokovic looked to be on the verge of one of the biggest tournament victories of his career when he held two match points with Davydenko serving at 3-5. But the Russian chose that moment to produce some of his best tennis, winning seven of the next eight points to first hold serve and then command a 0-30 advantage as Djokovic attempted to close out victory. Tremendous hitting into both corners by Davydenko left Djokovic facing two break points and he surrendered on the second with a double fault to hand Davydenko a lifeline.
- However, Davydenko’s respite was short-lived as Djokovic played arguably his best game of the final to immediately recoup the break of serve and, at the second time of asking, made no mistake as he roared to victory with a powerful serve that Davydenko could not return.
- The 21-year-old Djokovic closed and opened his season with a title, having won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January with victory over Federer in the semifinals and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. The Serb also punctuated his season with ATP Masters Series shields at Indian Wells (d. Fish) and Rome (d. Wawrinka) and now takes his career total to 11 (11-6 record).
- The Monte-Carlo resident, who finished 2008 with a 64-17 match record, also made semifinal exits at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal) and the US Open (l. to Federer) and captured a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympic Games (d. Blake).
- The 27-year-old Davydenko enjoyed his best performance at the Tennis Masters Cup this week, improving on the semifinal finish he achieved on his debut in 2005 (l. to Nalbandian).
- The Volgograd resident, who upset the in-form Andy Murray in the semifinals, finished his fine season with a 56-21 record, marred only by his inability to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam for the first time since 2004. He collected three ATP titles at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (d. No. 2 Nadal), Poertschach (d. Monaco) and Warsaw (d. Robredo), helped Russia to the Davis Cup semifinals and represented his country in the circuit finale championship match for the first time.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Djokovic: “I would put it in the same league as a Grand Slam because the best eight players in the world are participating here. I feel very happy. End up the season the way I started it, with a win in a big event. So it's a great boost up for upcoming season."
“It was special because I've played in the second part of the season in a couple of finals, and I didn't manage to win the title for a long time, since Rome. That's probably the reason why I couldn't close it out at 5-4. I was a bit nervous. It's not easy, you know. There is a lot of pressure involved. I'm happy that I managed to hold my nerves in the end."
Davydenko: “For me I think was today a very difficult day. He played very good. We played both from baseline. I tried to control, but he played fast. He didn't play like one ball fast; he played like every point, very good concentration completely first set. Because he didn't make so many mistakes. Good serve, good return.
"Against Djokovic you need to be perfect, also play very fast and very good. That's what he did, and I didn't. Doesn't matter how he played one game; he still had good concentration for the next game. That's why I lost everything from the baseline. He played faster, and I really had no chance."
DOUBLES – NESTOR-ZIMONJIC CLINCH TITLE & YEAR-END NO. 1 TEAM RANKING
- Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor defeated Bob and Mike Bryan 7-6(3), 6-2 on Sunday to capture the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai title and clinch the year-end No. 1 team ranking after a dramatic winner-takes-all clash.
- The victory also marks the defense of Nestor’s title as the Canadian had triumphed on his ninth appearance at the circuit finale last season with former long-time partner Mark Knowles (d. Aspelin-Knowle). The duo had also finished runner-up in 1998 and 2006.
- It is Zimonjic’s first circuit finale title; the Serbian was playing at Tennis Masters Cup for the third time and was also a finalist in 2005 (w/Paes).
- The American Bryan brothers had been bidding to claim the Stanford ATP Doubles Race for an historic fourth consecutive year (and fifth overall). After both teams had progressed through the semifinals, the tantalizing prospect of a winner-takes-all battle in the final was realized with the Bryans leading Nestor and Zimonjic by just 31 points going into the clash.
- After letting slip an early break advantage in the first set the Bryans were on the back foot and surrendered the set on a tie-break. Two breaks from two opportunities separated Nestor and Zimonjic from the Bryans in the second set as they raced to the victory in 1 hr., 14 min. The Wimbledon champions’ serve was particularly effective as they fired nine aces and won 74 per cent of points behind their first serve. Nestor and Zimonjic’s victory saw them crowned the undefeated champions this week with a 5-0 record and earn 150 points in total to leapfrog the Bryans in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race.
- Nestor also finished as one half of the year-end No. 1 team in 2002 and 2004 with Knowles.
- The result is also significant in the Stanford ATP Doubles Rankings as the 32-year-old Zimonjic seals the year-end individual No. 1 spot for the first time in his career, with the 36-year-old Nestor finishing at No. 2 as he has played two tournaments more than his partner. The Bryans had been vying to tie for the top ranking.
- Nestor and Zimonjic came together as a permanent team at the beginning of the 2008 season and, after a failing to win a title in their first 10 events, the duo kicked into action taking four titles from six finals. In a six-tournament span they reached the Rome final, won Hamburg, finished runners-up at Roland Garros, won Queen's, won Wimbledon (d. Bjorkman-Ullyett), which completed a career golden Slam for Nestor, and won Montreal. They closed the season on a 47-17 match record.
- The Bryan twins were looking to close a hugely successful season with their third Tennis Masters Cup trophy to join those from Houston in 2003 and ’04. The California natives, who compiled a 64-18 match record on the season, won their sixth Grand Slam title at the US Open in early September and also triumphed at ATP Masters Series events in Miami, Rome and Cincinnati and in Barcelona.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Nestor: "It's a great feeling. We have had a great year. At times a little inconsistent. But when we've played well, we've been very tough to beat. We really get on a roll. I think when we're playing well, we're deserving of the No. 1 ranking."
Zimonjic: “This is the best season I've ever had. Winning Wimbledon, playing finals at the French, and coming here as second seed, fighting for the first spot. It was that much special to play for pretty much everything at this last match.”
"To win the Masters Cup for me for the first time, for Danny to defend the title, to play against the Bryans, who have been dominating the doubles last four, five years, and to fight for No. 1 spot. You couldn't ask for more as an athlete, you know, to manage to win this."
Bob Bryan: "It's pretty unusual that that No. 1 ranking comes down to one match, that's probably one in a million. With all the points out there, having it hinge on a few points at the end of the season is pretty amazing. But they had some good results. We all won big tournaments. I think they deserve it. They won the season-ending championships. I guess got to tip our hat to them. They played a great tournament and had a great year. We look forward to battling it out next year for the same thing."
Final ATP 2008 Race
Pos. Player Points
1. R. Nadal (ESP) 1335
2. R. Federer (SUI) 1061
3. N. Djokovic (SRB) 1059
4. A. Murray (GBR) 744
5. N. Davydenko (RUS) 543
6. J. Tsonga (FRA) 410
7. G. Simon (FRA) 396
8. A. Roddick (USA) 394
9. J. del Potro (ARG) 389
10. J. Blake (USA) 310
Final 2008 Stanford ATP Doubles Race
Pos. Team Points
1. Nestor/Zimonjic 1064
2. Bryan/Bryan 1045
3. Bhupathi/Knowles 655
4. Bjorkman/Ullyett 605
5. Erlich/Ram 551
6. Coetzee/Moodie 476
7. Fyrstenberg/Matkowski 450
8. Dlouhy/Paes 443
9. Melo/Sa 338
10. Aspelin/Knowle 313
So I went out on a major limb and chose Novak Djokovic as my favorite before the Masters Cup. Every day for the last week I've looked in the mirror to ask myself "What were you thinking!?!"....Well, for whatever reason Novak is still alive and in the finals. This will be the ULTIMATE baseline battle between Djokovic and Davydenko. As I mentioned earlier, Nikolay is the most dangerous player on tour; but the insane prediction has to stand; Novak to win the title.
RESULTS – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2008
Singles - Semifinals
N Djokovic (SRB) d G Simon (FRA) 46 63 75
N Davydenko (RUS) d A Murray (GBR) 75 62
Doubles - Semifinals
B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 64 64
D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d P Cuevas (URU) / L Horna (PER) 61 63
ROUND ROBIN GROUPS
SINGLES
Red Group
Seed/Player |
Federer |
Murray |
Roddick |
Simon |
Stepanek |
W-L |
Sets |
1. Roger Federer |
X |
64 67(3) 57 |
-- |
64 46 36 |
76(4) 64 |
1-2 |
4-4 |
3. Andy Murray |
46 76(3) 75 |
X |
64 16 61 |
64 62 |
-- |
3-0 |
6-2 |
5. Andy Roddick |
-- |
46 61 16 |
X |
-- |
-- |
0-1 |
1-2 |
8. Gilles Simon |
46 64 63 |
46 26 |
-- |
X |
61 64 |
2-1 |
4-3 |
9/Alt. Radek Stepanek |
67(4) 46 |
-- |
-- |
16 46 |
X |
0-2 |
0-4 |
[9/Alt] Radek Stepanek replaced [5] Andy Roddick (ankle) on Wednesday
Gold Group
Seed/Player |
Djokovic |
Davydenko |
Tsonga |
Del Potro |
W-L |
Sets |
2. Novak Djokovic |
X |
76(3) 06 75 |
61 57 16 |
75 63 |
2-1 |
5-3 |
4. Nikolay Davydenko |
67(3) 60 57 |
X |
67(6) 64 76(0) |
63 62 |
2-1 |
5-3 |
6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
16 75 61 |
76(6) 46 67(0) |
X |
67(4) 67(5) |
1-2 |
3-5 |
7. Juan Martin del Potro |
57 36 |
36 26 |
76(4) 76(5) |
X |
1-2 |
2-4 |
DOUBLES
Red Group
Seed/Player |
B/B |
B/K |
C/M |
C/H |
W-L |
Sets |
|
1. Bryan/Bryan |
X |
75 36 10-4 |
26 62 10-12 |
61 76(4) |
2-1 |
5-3 |
|
3. Bhupathi/Knowles |
57 63 4-10 |
X |
62 63 |
76(3) 67(4) 5-10 |
1-2 |
4-4 |
|
5. Coetzee/Moodie |
62 26 12-10 |
26 36 |
X |
26 76(2) 9-11 |
1-2 |
3-5 |
|
8. Cuevas/Horna |
16 67(4) |
67(3) 76(4) 10-5 |
62 67(2) 11-9 |
X |
2-1 |
4-4 |
Gold Group
Seed/Player |
N/Z |
B/U |
D/P |
F/M |
W-L |
Sets |
|
2. Nestor/Zimonjic |
X |
61 64 |
61 64 |
76(4) 57 10-4 |
3-0 |
6-1 |
|
4. Bjorkman/Ullyett |
16 46 |
X |
63 75 |
26 61 6-10 |
1-2 |
3-4 |
|
6. Dlouhy/Paes |
16 46 |
36 57 |
X |
67(2) 36 |
0-3 |
0-6 |
|
7. Fyrstenberg/Matkowski |
67(4) 75 4-10 |
62 16 10-6 |
76(2) 63 |
X |
2-1 |
5-3 |
ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2008
CENTER COURT start 1:30 pm
B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB)
Not Before 4:00 PM
N Djokovic (SRB) vs N Davydenko (RUS)
courtesy atp media
Singles – Round Robin
G Simon (FRA) d [9] R Stepanek (CZE) 61 64
A Murray (GBR) d R Federer (SUI) 46 76(3) 75
Doubles – Round Robin
D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (
M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d J Bjorkman (SWE) / K Ullyett (ZIM) 62 16 10-6
RESULTS – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2008
Singles – Round Robin
J Tsonga (FRA) d
Doubles – Round Robin
J Coetzee (RSA) / W Moodie (RSA) d B Bryan (
P Cuevas (URU) / L Horna (PER) d M Bhupathi (
I recently checked in on TennisLiveRadio.com to recap the NCAA National Indoor Championships. Here is the radio broadcast:
Wow....3-0 on predictions thus far; I'm nervous to ruin this perfect streak... all good things usually come to an end, however, 'Tennis Talk colleagues' would like to know: "Will Murray win the event?"....My answer is NO....Novak Djokovic is playing the best tennis of his year (aside from the Aussie Open); Roger Federer still has some magic left in his tank despite losing to Simon, and Roddick/Del Potro are both very dangerous. Andy Murray is flat out tired at this stage of the season; he doesn't favor indoor hard courts, and my gut is telling me that he won't win Shanghai in 2008.
– TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2008
Singles – Round Robin
N Djokovic (SRB) d
J del Potro (ARG) d J Tsonga (FRA) 76(4) 76(5)
Doubles – Round Robin
B Bryan (
P Cuevas (URU) / L Horna (PER) d J Coetzee (RSA) /
Even legends like Venus Williams can accomplish new feats on the tennis court, Congratulations to Venus on a "gutsy year"...She and Serena salvaged a solid season for American tennis.
Results – Sunday, November 9, 2008
Singles – Final
(7) Venus Williams (USA) d. (8) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 67(5) 60 62 (2:10)
Doubles – Final
(1) Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) d. (3) Peschke/Stubbs (CZE/AUS) 61 75 (1:18)
Singles Final Facts
· Venus Williams wins her first-ever Sony Ericsson Championships title in her first final; in her two previous appearances, Williams was a semifinalist (1999, 2002)
· Williams is the first American to win the title since her sister Serena took the title in 2001
· Williams went undefeated throughout the week, defeating the world's Top 3 en route to the title, No.1 Jankovic in SF and No.2 Safina and No.3 S.Williams in earlier round robin play (she also defeated No.5 Dementieva in the round robin portion)
· Williams is only the third woman in the Open Era to defeat the world's Top 3 at the same tournament after Graf at 1999 Roland Garros and sister Serena at 2002 Miami
· Williams improves her lifetime series with Zvonareva to 6-1 (3-0 in 2008); her only loss to Zvonareva came in their first meeting, at 2003 Roland Garros
· By winning $1,340,000 (having gone undefeated this week), Williams jumps from 5th to 2nd on the all-time money list with US$21,921,346, behind only Lindsay Davenport ($22,144,735)
· Williams becomes the first player since Sharapova (2004) to win Wimbledon and the season-ending Championships in the same season
· Williams wins her 39th career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title and third of 2008, having previously won Wimbledon and Zürich; Zvonareva won two titles in 2008 (Prague, Guangzhou), bringing her career tally to seven
· The last time the singles champion was seeded as low was S.Williams, who won the title as the No.7 seed in 2001
· Vera Zvonareva was appearing in her biggest-ever singles final, having gone undefeated coming into the final (as did Williams), defeating world No.4 Ivanovic, No.7 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No.1 Jelena Jankovic (second career win over a reigning No.1) in round robin play and No.5 Dementieva in SF, marking the first time in her career to defeat three Top 5 players in the same event
· Zvonareva wins US$715,000 for reaching the final undefeated
· Having beaten Williams in their first-ever meeting (2003 Roland Garros), Zvonareva had not won a set against the American in five subsequent losses
· Zvonareva was appearing in her second season-ending Championships, having gone 0-3 in her debut in 2004
· Zvonareva also reached the Tier I final in Doha (Qatar Total Open) in February, falling to Sharapova
Doubles Final Facts
· Contesting their 12th final of 2008, Cara Black and Liezel Huber successfully defend the doubles title they won in Madrid in 2007; it is their 10th doubles title of 2008 and 22nd overall as a team
· Black wins her 46th career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles title and Huber wins her 34th
· Black and Huber will finish 2008 co-ranked No.1; they achieved the same feat in 2007 when they became only the second team since the inception of computer doubles rankings in 1984 to end a season in that joint position (after Raymond/Stosur in 2006)
· Both teams appeared in the Tier I Qatar Total Open final in Doha in February, with Peschke/Stubbs defeating Black/Huber in three sets
· Black was making her ninth consecutive appearance, having qualified 2000-03 (w/Likhovtseva) and 2004-06 (w/Stubbs); champion in 2007 (w/Huber); runner-up five times (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006)
· Huber was making her third appearance, having won title in 2007 (w/Black); competed in 2002 (w/Arendt), falling in first round
· Peschke/Stubbs were appearing in the Sony Ericsson Championships for the second time as a team (l. in SF in 2007 to Black/Huber)
· Stubbs was appearing in her 13th season-ending Championships in doubles, the most of any active player, behind only Navratilova (16) Shriver (14)
· Peschke was making her third consecutive appearance since making her debut in 2006 (w/Schiavone)
· Black/Huber share US$375,000 while Peschke/Stubbs split US$187,500
Quotes
Venus Williams, singles winner of Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2008
"I played some bad shots and it went from bad to worse; before I knew it, the set was over. She just kept running everything down and hitting incredible shots. I realized the match wasn't over, though. I was just starting to get my rhythm, and after that I started playing better. I got a lot more consistent and was also controlling the points more. The tables started turning a little bit. I had to go out there and win the match, because she wasn't giving it away."
"It's a fantastic feeling to end the season this way; I haven't had the opportunity to play this tournament very often, so it's really awesome to have the opportunity to play here and play well, too. I haven't thought too much about next year yet, but I have high and wonderful hopes for it, and at the appropriate time I'll start working hard again."
Vera Zvonareva, singles runner-up
"It's the first time I've got the chance to play against Top 10 players five matches in a row. And I was able to come up with four wins. So, of course, it's a good week. I think I could have done a bit better today, played a little bit better tennis. But, overall, I'm going to try to analyze and try to be better next time."
"I think we had a great crowd tonight. It was great to play tennis like this. I think it's a great final, because to play when the stadium is empty it's not fun. Like this was lots of fun, even though I lost the match. But I was trying to do my best and show the best tennis."
Cara Black, doubles winner of Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2008
"It feels unbelievable. We were just saying earlier it's a really tough format here, just because there are four teams and the way the draw is. It's really hard to just come out and be ready to play like in the semifinals, pretty much. So we were just really happy with our performance. To come out with a new scoring format as well, it makes it very cut throat. We really put it all on the line, so we were really happy with our outcome."
Liezel Huber, doubles winner of Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2008
"We love it. We enjoy playing with each other. When you're good at something, I think you enjoy it even more. We just really enjoy playing with each other. It's just a challenge for us going out there. We want to do our best, and maybe that's why we fight so hard out there. We try and work as a team. So if I'm making all of the mistakes and she's making all the good shots, she'll encourage me and vice versa. So we really just try to be there for each other and for ourselves. We really enjoy it like you can see out there." courtesy wta media
RESULTS – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2008
Singles – Round Robin
N Djokovic (SRB) d J del Potro (ARG) 75 63
N Davydenko (RUS) d J Tsonga (FRA) 67(6) 64 76(0)
Doubles – Round Robin
B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d P Cuevas (URU) / L Horna (PER) 61 76(4)
M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) d J Coetzee (RSA) / W Moodie (RSA) 62 63
ROUND ROBIN GROUPS
SINGLES
Red Group
Seed/Player |
Federer |
Murray |
Roddick |
Simon |
W-L |
Sets |
1. Roger Federer |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
3. Andy Murray |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
5. Andy Roddick |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
8. Gilles Simon |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
Gold Group
Seed/Player |
Djokovic |
Davydenko |
Tsonga |
Del Potro |
W-L |
Sets |
2. Novak Djokovic |
X |
|
|
|
1-0 |
2-0 |
4. Nikolay Davydenko |
|
X |
|
|
1-0 |
2-1 |
6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
|
|
X |
|
0-1 |
1-2 |
7. Juan Martin del Potro |
|
|
|
X |
0-1 |
0-2 |
DOUBLES
Red Group
Seed/Player |
B/B |
B/K |
C/M |
C/H |
W-L |
Sets |
|
1. Bryan/Bryan |
X |
|
|
|
1-0 |
2-0 |
|
3. Bhupathi/Knowles |
|
X |
|
|
1-0 |
2-0 |
|
5. Coetzee/Moodie |
|
|
X |
|
0-1 |
0-2 |
|
8. Cuevas/Horna |
|
|
|
X |
0-1 |
0-2 |
Gold Group
Seed/Player |
N/Z |
B/U |
D/P |
F/M |
W-L |
Sets |
|
2. Nestor/Zimonjic |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
4. Bjorkman/Ullyett |
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
6. Dlouhy/Paes |
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
7. Fyrstenberg/Matkowski |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2008
CENTER COURT start 2:00 pm
D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) vs M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL)
J Bjorkman (SWE) / K Ullyett (ZIM) vs L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND)
Not Before 6:00 PM
R Federer (SUI) vs G Simon (FRA)
Not Before 8:00 PM
A Murray (GBR) vs A Roddick (USA)
copyright, NBC Universal, Harry Cicma
The Masters' Cup is set, and here are the current match-ups for day one in Shanghai:
$4,450,000
Shanghai, China
November 9-16, 2008
Surface: Indoor Hard
(+8 hours GMT)
ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2008
CENTER COURT start 14:00
[2] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [7] JM del Potro (ARG)
[4] N Davydenko (RUS) vs [6] JW Tsonga (FRA)
[1] Bryan (USA)/ Bryan (USA) vs [8] Cuevas (URU)/ Horna (PER)
[3] Bhupathi (IND)/Knowles (BAH) vs [5] Coetzee (RSA)/Moodie (RSA)
ROUND ROBIN GROUPS
SINGLES
Red Group
Roger Federer
Andy Murray
Andy Roddick
Gilles Simon
Gold Group
Novak Djokovic
Nikolay Davydenko
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Juan Martin del Potro
DOUBLES
Red Group
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan
Mahesh Bhupathi/Mark Knowles
Jeff Coetzee/Wesley Moodie
Pablo Cuevas/Luis Horna
Gold Group
Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic
Jonas Bjorkman/Kevin Ullyett
Lukas Dlouhy/Leander Paes
Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski
http://www.tennisliveradio.com/MediaPlayer.aspx?mediaID=249
Last night I joined TennisLiveRadio.com, to preview the NCAA National Indoors Championship. The tournament includes formed champions such as James Blake, Lisa Raymond, Mal Washington and Jon Isner, so needless to say, it's worth keeping an eye on if you're a die hard tennis fan. The Link above will allow you to hear the broadcast...always a great show on Tennis Live!
Serena is OUT....so we are officially predicting Venus Williams to win the Doha title, and so far she is holding true to this theory. The reason for the prediction is that Venus has answered the call throughout 2008, during the big events, and her sheer power/stamina/experience will be too tough for any player to match. If anyone can handle it, it would be Jankovic.
Results – Thursday, November 6, 2008
Singles Round Robin
White Group
(1) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (6) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 76(6) 64
Maroon Group
(7) Venus Williams (USA) d. (3) Serena Williams (USA) 57 61 60
(5) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. (2) Dinara Safina (RUS) 62 64
Round Robin Group Standings
(matches won/lost : sets won/lost)
White Group
1. Jankovic (2-0 : 4-0)
2. Zvonareva (2-0 : 4-1)
3. Ivanovic (0-2 : 1-4)
4. Kuznetsova (0-2 : 0-4)
Zvonareva and Jankovic advance to the semifinals, although their match on Friday will determine who finishes top of the White Group
Maroon Group
1. V.Williams (3-0 : 6-2)
2. Dementieva (1-1 : 3-2)
2. S.Williams (1-1 : 3-2)
4. Safina (0-3 : 0-6)
V.Williams advances to the semifinals and will finish top of the Maroon Group; S.Williams vs. Dementieva on Friday will determine who finishes secondOrder of Play – Friday, November 7, 2008
Khalifa Tennis Complex (from 17.00hrs)
1. Jankovic vs. Zvonareva
2. S.Williams vs. Dementieva
3. Ivanovic vs. Kuznetsova
Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2008
Doha, Qatar
$4,550,000
Hard / Outdoors
November 4-9, 2008
Results – Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Round Robin
White Group
(8) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. (6) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 62 63
(1) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (4) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 63 64
Maroon Group
(7) Venus Williams (USA) d. (2) Dinara Safina (RUS) 75 63
Round Robin Group Standings
(incl. matches won/lost : sets won lost)
White Group
1. Jankovic (1-0 : 2-0)
1. Zvonareva (1-0 : 2-0)
3. Ivanovic (0-1 : 0-2)
3. Kuznetsova (0-1 : 0-2)
Maroon Group
1. V.Williams (1-0 : 2-0)
2. Safina (0-1 : 0-2)
-. Dementieva (0-0 : 0-0)
-. S.Williams (0-0 : 0-0)
Order of Play – Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Khalifa Tennis Complex -courtey WTA media*
1. Ivanovic vs. Zvonareva
2. Dementieva vs. V.Williams
3. Safina vs. S.Williams
So the stage is set for the Masters Cup in Shanghai. Jo Wilfried Tsonga squeezed into the event after his impressive Paris win over David Nalbandian in the finals. After looking at the list below, my first thought is: "This is the changing of the guard on the ATP Tour, the young guys are finally breaking into the top." It's hard to believe names such as Blake, Nalbandian, and Ferrer will be watching from the sidelines, behind names such as Del Potro and Tsonga! The truth is, Federer and Nadal will be competing in this event at 60% healthwise; they are simply grinded down to the pulp after a mentally draining year.....so expect to see Del Potro, Djokovic or Tsonga run away with the trophy. I know it's a bold prediction, but they are peaking at the right time and have a lot of momentum going into the event. It will be a wild round robin tournament, can't wait to see who ends 2008 with a bang!
Final ATP 2008 Race Standings (after Sunday's Paris final)
1) Rafael Nadal # 1335
2) Roger Federer # 1041
3) Novak Djokovic # 929
4) Andy Murray # 684
5) Nikolay Davydenko # 463
6) Andy Roddick # 394
7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga #390
8) Juan Martin del Potro # 369
.....................................................
9) Gilles Simon 356
10) James Blake 355
11) David Nalbandian 345
12) David Ferrer 339
# Qualified for Tennis Masters Cup
FINAL REVIEW – CHAMPION TSONGA CLAIMS LAST TENNIS MASTERS CUP BERTH
- In a gripping final at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga delighted the home crowd as he grabbed the final Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai berth by defeating defending champion David Nalbandian 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday.
- Tsonga, who began the day at No. 8 in the ATP 2008 Race, received a further 30 points with the title to leap frog Juan Martin del Potro and claim seventh place.
- The victory not only grants Tsonga a place at the prestigious circuit finale to be held at the Qi Zhong Stadium in Shanghai from November 9-16, it also earns him his first ATP Masters Series title.
- The Le Mans native, who was seeded 13th this week, becomes the first French champion at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy since Sebastien Grosjean in 2001 (d. Kafelnikov), who also secured his place at Tennis Masters Cup with the victory. It is the third time since Grosjean’s triumph in ’01 that a French player has qualified at the BNP Paribas Masters, with Richard Gasquet also doing so last year courtesy of a semifinal run. Tsonga is also the first player since Grosjean to have qualified for the season-ending championships by having to win the Paris title.
- The French crowd made its voice heard from the moment the players walked onto Court Central and certainly inspired both players to produce, at times, marvelous tennis. Tsonga enjoyed a fast start to his debut ATP Masters Series final, breaking serve in the second game as an edgy Nalbandian double faulted. The 23-year-old saved a break point in the seventh game before going on to confidently close out the set after 32 minutes.
- Tsonga had the chance to gain an early break advantage in the second set as Nalbandian double faulted, however the Argentine quickly alleviated the danger with one of just four aces he served throughout the encounter.
- Tsonga’s serve was a huge weapon as he fired 25 aces in the two hour match and it got him out of trouble in the eighth game of the second set when he trailed 0-40 before digging out the game to level at 4-4. Nalbandian persisted to chip away at the resistance of Tsonga though and reaped his reward as the Frenchman slipped to a 0-40 deficit when serving at 4-5 and Nalbandian leveled the match as Tsonga netted a forehand on his first set point.
- Tsonga was quick to hit back, riding out to an early lead in the deciding set with a break of serve in the third game as Nalbandian netted a backhand. Nalbandian continued to fight hard and was denied the chance to break back by a Tsonga ace at 2-3. The Cordoba resident was presented with three final chances as nervous play from Tsonga saw him trail 0-40 when serving for the match at 5-4. But Tsonga’s nerve held strong and brave play from the right-hander, including his 25th ace, brought up his first match point, which he converted as Nalbandian’s shot found the net.
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga now will become the No. 1 French player and join countryman Gilles Simon in Monday’s Top 10 of the South African Airways ATP Rankings; he began the season ranked No. 43. This will mark the first time since October 3, 1988 (Yannick Noah No. 8; Henri Leconte No. 10) that two French players are in the Top 10.
- Tsonga now owns two ATP titles after winning his first at Bangkok (d. Djokovic) in September. The La Rippe, Switzerland native, who missed three months of the ATP circuit over the summer following right knee surgery, was a finalist at the Australian Open at the start of the season (l. to Djokovic).
- The 26-year-old Nalbandian, who defeated Rafael Nadal in last year’s final, was bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back titles in Bercy (since 1986).
- The right-hander, who also would have qualified for Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai had he won the title, was bidding for his third ATP Masters Series title and has a 2-4 record in finals.
- He will now focus his attentions on Argentina’s clash with Spain in the Davis Cup final, to be played at Mar del Plata in Argentina, November 21-23.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Tsonga: “I'm going to go there (Shanghai) really to represent France and all my family and my friends. That's it. I'm going to represent everyone and I'm going to give my best. I think the Masters will be a very important moment for me. Maybe another great victory could maybe replace this one."
“At the end of the match I felt a lot better. I played exactly like I had to. I didn't do extraordinary things. Like in Australia I played volleys that were coming from nowhere, whereas today I played just right. I believe this is the way you win. It's not when you do lucky shots that you win. It's when you think about your shots."
Nalbandian: “I think he served better than me and that was pretty much the key of the match. I think I didn't play bad, but I didn't play like the other days. I couldn't move like natural. I didn't have very good start, and he won the first set so easily, so fast. Then everything was hard for me."
courtesy ATP media
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.