Autumnal Champions

Getty

French Gilles Simon holds his trophy after defeating German Mischa Zverev 6-3, 6-2 in the Metz Open final match on September 26, 2010, northeastern France.


AP

Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina holds the trophy after defeating Spain's Pablo Andujar in the final of the BCR Open Romania tennis tournament in Bucharest, Romania, Sept. 26, 2010.


Getty

Alisa Kleybanova of Russia holds up her trophy after defeating Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic in their final match of the Hansol Korea Open tennis tournament at Olympic Park in Seoul on september 26, 2010. Kleybanova won the match 6-1, 6-3.


AP

Wearing traditional Uzbek costume Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva holds up the plate after winning the Tashkent Open Final tennis match against Russia's Elena Vesnina in Tashkent, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010.

Crying Wolf

 

getty

Kleybanova d. Jankovic 7-5 6-2

 

“I had some fear moving because I was afraid I would twist it again,” Jankovic said. “I’m not confident where I have to move side to side and play an intense match. I had a chances in the first set but then I got a little tired. I need to get in shape again.”

 

And this is what Kleybs had to say:

 

“She’s always a great runner and a winner against someone else isn’t always a winner against her,” said Kleybanova, who is now 3-2 against Jankovic but dropped two contests to her earlier this year. “But if I’m playing my best, my ball is fast enough to make winners against her. She was actually moving pretty well today.”

 

Yeah, Kleybs’ ball is fast enough to make winners against anyone, even when not playing her best.

 

As for JJ, I dunno.

 

Losing a 4-1 lead in the first set?

 

She did roll her ankle and hadn’t played on it in two weeks.

 

I’m actually inclined to cut her some slack this time round.

 

JJ wouldn’t be JJ if she didn’t cry wolf now and then. And now. And then.

 

And we all know how that story ends.

Indian Wells Semifinals Open Thread

AP

The men come down to two today. Andy Roddick takes on Robin Söderling, and big surprise Ivan Ljubicic takes on defending champ Rafael Nadal.

Last night, Caroline Wozniacki out counterpunched her good friend Agnieszka Radwanska, while Samantha Stosur couldn't subdue Jelena Jankovic in the day session.

::

Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
[6] R Soderling (SWE) d [4] A Murray (GBR) 61 76(4)
[7] A Roddick (USA) d [18] T Robredo (ESP) 63 75

Women's Singles - Semifinals
[2] C Wozniacki (DEN) d [5] A Radwanska (POL) 62 63
[6] J Jankovic (SRB) d [8] S Stosur (AUS) 62 64

Men's Doubles - Semifinals
[1] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d J Isner (USA) / S Querrey (USA) 64 62
[WC] M Lopez (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) d [6] S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) 64 64

Women's Doubles - Semifinals
[3] N Petrova (RUS) / S Stosur (AUS) d [6] B Mattek-Sands (USA) / Z Yan (CHN) 63 62

Weekend Round Up.

Dubai: Djokovic d. Youzhny 7-5, 5-7, 6-3

That trophy’s a ship, but viewed side on it’s very Burj-ul Arab no?

Yes that distant wail that could be heard over the horizon for the best part of today was the sound of the moaners and haters crooning in unison. Myself at their helm.

"It's a very mental game," said the Serb. "People don't realize how much tension you have to go through throughout the match. It took a lot of energy for me. Stopping and playing, and coming back and then again stopping the match last night because of the rain."

…

"Today was another good example of how much I believe in myself and how much I fight till the end," added Djokovic, who gained swift revenge for Youzhny's straight sets victory in the semi-finals of the Rotterdam Open earlier this month.

(Fox News)

I’ve said all I want to say about Djoko coming out on top against a field of also rans on Twitter – the fact remains he still had to go out there and win it.

The fact also remains however, that I’d like to see him kick butt at the Masters 1000’s and Slams -- something I don’t deem him unqualified for -- and a front on which, outside of clay, I remain fundamentally dissatisfied.

Acapulco: Williams d. Hercog 2-6 6-2 6-3

Mexico seems to agree with V. Only at Wimbledon itself is she more radiant.

After that unceremonious outage in Oz, she’s gone from strength to strength, winning her second successive title in two weeks

As Mr Wertheim pointed out in the TwitterSphere earlier, Dubai, Acapulco and the Billie Jean Cup in Madison Square Garden on March 1st makes a total of three events in 8 days.

Meditate on that thought for a while the next time you want to accuse her of only caring about the Slams.

Acapulco: Ferrer d. Ferrero 6-3 3-6 6-1

After beating his compadre in Buenos Aires last week, Ferrero fails to make it three in a row.

No matter. I treat Ferrero's return and the news of Ferrer winning titles in South America, as a sign that our stock of functioning clay courters not named Nadal is in nothing less than full working order.

I’m sizing the next few months up as Armageddon on clay.

Kuala Lumpur: Kleybanova d. Dementieva 6-3, 6-2

I’m almost relieved to see Dementieva lose at a tier two/three event.

Maybe it’ll prompt her to attend to that less ennobling Grand Slam record of hers.

Probably not.

Kleybanova gets all sorts of wierd grief about her size – but she’s too good a player not to have won a title.

Venus Defends, Ferrer Topples Ferrero

Reuters


Reuters

The men's final just began on Tennis Channel as I type this and there was no live feed for the women's final at all. But Venus Williams rallied from a set down against Polona Hercog to retain her Albierto Mexicano crown 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, and David Ferrer found a way past the red-hot but weary Juan Carlos Ferrero in a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to exact revenge from last week's final to win his first title since 2008.

::

Men's Doubles Final
[1] L Kubot (POL) / O Marach (AUT) d F Fognini (ITA) / P Starace 60 60

Women's Doubles Final
(4) Hercog/Zahlavova Strycova (SLO/CZE) d. Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) 26 61 10-2

::


Reuters

Malaysian Open

Singles - Final
(4) Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) d. (1) Elena Dementieva (RUS) 63 62

Doubles - Final
(2) Chan/Zheng (TPE/CHN) d. Rodionova/Rodionova (AUS/RUS) 67(4) 62 107

::


Reuters

Dubai Tennis Championships

Singles - Final
[2] N Djokovic (SRB) d [7] M Youzhny (RUS) 75 57 63

Stop the presses: the Serb finally defended a title.

Doubles - Final
S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) d [2] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) 62 63

::

Delray Beach International Tennis Championships

Singles - Semifinals
[2] I Karlovic (CRO) d M Fish (USA) 62 63
E Gulbis (LAT) d J Nieminen (FIN) 64 64

Doubles - Semifinals
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d [WC] T Dent (USA) / R Harrison (USA) 67(6) 75 10-4
P Marx (GER) / I Zelenay (SVK) d B Becker (GER) / L Mayer (ARG) walkover

Toronto Semis: Underwhelmed

Elena Dementieva d. Serena Williams 7-6(2), 6-1

Semis of Wimbledon this was not. First set contested evenly enough, with Serena fading into painful insignificance in the second.

“I can’t say I was especially feeling the fire,” Williams said. “Obviously you want to do well, and I always really want to do well. Honestly, I think I could have and should have won, but I didn’t, so … it is what it is.”

I wasn't feeling the fire either. Come to think of it I wasn't feeling much of anything.

“I was really waiting for this match after Wimbledon,” said Dementieva, who has two tournament wins this year but none since January. “It’s always very interesting to play against Serena, and I was looking for revenge after Wimbledon.

“I was very positive on the court, and very satisfied with the way I was playing.”

It's actually great to hear Elena got her teeth into this and was motivated by the loss at Wimbledon. It's not the best tennis I've seen her play in recent months, but barring a mishap or a major serving flunkout, she should edge past Shaza to claim her third title this year.

Sharapova d. Kleybanova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

This sounds like an equally untidy topsy-turvy affair. Sharapova fought through in the way you might expect her to, but the length of this match and the fact that it should have been Jankovic and not Kleybanova in the semis leave me a little underwhelmed.

Something tells me the final will be a little different though.