Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Dokic Wins First Title In Nine Years
AP
Unseeded Jelena Dokic of Australia poses with her trophy after defeating No. 5 seed Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 2-6, 7-6(9) 6-4 in the championship match at the WTA Malaysian Open tennis tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, March 6, 2011. Dokic saved two match points
"Lucie beat so many good players to reach the final this week. I don't know how I came back against her today," Dokic said after the match. "This is my second time in Malaysia - I was here 10 years ago for the first time so it has been a while. But I've been here nearly two weeks this time and it has been fantastic.
"I don't know where I pulled it out from today but I did. I even surprised myself... and when you start winning matches and titles, your appetite only gets bigger."
Friday, March 4, 2011
Davis Cup Open Thread
Reuters
Jim Courier, John Isner, Andy Roddick, Bob and Mike Bryan of the U.S Davis Cup team pose after beating Chile's team during their Davis Cup tennis match in Santiago March 6, 2011.
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World Group First Round
SERBIA defeats INDIA 4-1
Venue: Spens Sports Center, Novi Sad, SRB (hard – indoors)
Getty
Viktor Troicki of Serbia reacts after beating Somdev Devvarman of India during their Davis Cup World Group first round tennis match on March 6, 2011, in Novi Sad.
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Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. Rohan Bopanna (IND) 63 63 57 36 63
Somdev Devvarman (IND) d. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 75 75 76(3)
Ilija Bozoljac/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) d. Rohan Bopanna/Somdev Devvarman (IND) 46 63 64 76(10)
Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. Somdev Devvarman (IND) 64 62 75
Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) d. Leander Paes (IND) 60 61
SWEDEN defeats RUSSIA 3-2
Venue: Borashallen, Boras, SWE (hard – indoors)
Getty
Sweden's Robert Lindstedt reacts during his Davis Cup first round doubles match with Simon Aspelin (R) against Russia's Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov at the Borashallen stadium in Boras, east of Gothenburg on March 5, 2011.
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Robin Soderling (SWE) d. Igor Andreev (RUS) 63 63 61
Joachim Johansson (SWE) d. Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 63 76(4) 64 *
Simon Aspelin/Robert Lindstedt (SWE) d. Igor Kunitsyn/Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 64 67(6) 76(6) 62
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) d Simon Aspelin (SWE) 75 62
Igor Andreev (RUS) d. Joachim Johansson (SWE) 76(8) 64
*This is Johansson's first high-level match in a year, coming out of retirement for a third (?) time.
KAZAKHSTAN defeats CZECH REPUBLIC 3-2 *
Venue: CZE Arena, Ostrava, CZE (hard – indoors)
AP
Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. Jan Hajek (CZE) 76(4) 67(3) 16 76(4) 63
Tomas Berdych (CZE) d Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 76(5) 62 63
Tomas Berdych/Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) d. Yuriy Schukin/Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) 64 64 76(4)
Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 75 57 64 62
Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) d. Jan Hajek (CZE) 64 67(4) 76(8) 60
*This is Kazakhstan's World Group debut.
ARGENTINA defeats ROMANIA 4-1
Venue: Parque Roca, Buenos Aires, ARG (clay – outdoors)
Reuters
Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela (L) and Eduardo Schwank celebrate after winning their Davis Cup doubles tennis match against Romania's Victor Hanescu and Horia Tecau in Buenos Aires March 5, 2011.
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David Nalbandian (ARG) d. Adrian Ungur (ROU) 63 62 57 64
Juan Monaco (ARG) d. Victor Hanescu (ROU) 76(5) 16 61 61
Juan Ignacio Chela/Eduardo Schwank (ARG) d. Victor Hanescu/Horia Tecau (ROU) 62 76(8) 61
Eduardo Schwank (ARG) d. Victor Hanescu (ROU) 76(3) 62
Juan Monaco (ARG) v Adrian Ungur (ROU)
USA defeats CHILE 4-1
Venue: Estadio Nacional, Santiago, CHI (clay – outdoors)
Reuters
Andy Roddick of the U.S shakes hand after beating Chile's Paul Capdeville in their Davis Cup tennis match in Santiago March 6, 2011.
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Andy Roddick (USA) d. Nicolas Massu (CHI) 62 46 63 64 *
Paul Capdeville (CHI) d. John Isner (USA) 67(5) 67(2) 76(3) 76(5) 64
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) d. Jorge Aguilar/Nicolas Massu (CHI) 63 63 76(4)
Andy Roddick (USA) d. Paul Capdeville (CHI) 36 76(2) 63 64**
John Isner (USA) d. Guillermo Rivera-Aranguiz (CHI) 63 67(4) 75
*Coming into this tie, Roddick held a 1-3 career head-to-head against Massu, though they haven't played since 2006. This is his first victory over Massu on clay in three tries. Roddick's only victory over Massu? A Davis Cup rubber on grass in the United States back in 2006, the last year they played.
**Roddick's ninth consecutive Davis Cup victory when playing a rubber to close out a tie.
SPAIN defeats BELGIUM 4-1
Venue: Spiroudome, Charleroi, BEL (hard – indoors)
AP
Feliciano Lopez celebrate with Spain's Davis Cup team members after he and Fernando Verdasco won their Davis Cup World Group, first round tennis match against Belgium's Olivier Rochus and Steve Darcis in Charleroi, Belgium, Saturday, March 5, 2011. Spain leads after 2 days with 3-0 and qualifies for the next round.
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Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. Xavier Malisse (BEL) 64 63 61
Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 62 64 62
Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. Xavier Malisse/Olivier Rochus (BEL) 76(0) 64 63
Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Olivier Rochus 64 62
Steve Darcis (BEL) d. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 67(4) 76(6) 76(3)
GERMANY defeats CROATIA 3-2
Venue: Dom Sportova, Zagreb, CRO (hard – indoors)
Reuters
Germany's Davis Cup team celebrate after defeating Croatia at the Davis Cup World Group first round match in Zagreb March 6, 2011.
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Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Florian Mayer (GER) 46 60 46 63 61
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Ivan Dodig (CRO) 64 36 36 76(6) 64
Christopher Kas/Philipp Petzschner (GER) d. Ivan Dodig/Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 63 36 75 36 64
Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 62 63 76(6)
Philipp Petzchner (GER) d. Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 64 76(3) 76(5)
FRANCE defeats AUSTRIA 3-2
Venue: Vienna Airport Hangar 3, Vienna, AUT (clay – indoors)
Getty
Jeremy Chardy of France returns a shot to Austrian Martin Fischer during their Davis Cup first round match at the Schvechat airport hangar, 3,20 km east from Vienna, on March 6, 2011.
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Jeremy Chardy (FRA) d. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 75 64 75
Gilles Simon (FRA) d. Stefan Koubek (AUT) 60 62 63
Oliver Marach/Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Julien Benneteau/Michael Llodra (FRA) 64 36 63 64
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Gilles Simon (FRA) 76(7) 36 16 64 60
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) d. Martin Fischer (AUT) 26 76(4) 63 63
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This will be your open thread throughout the weekend.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wiggling Bepa and the “Man to Beat”
I didn’t follow any of Dubai this year only finding time to tune into the final.
As such, I don’t have too many opinions. But I do think it bears mentioning that although this is now 3 consecutive titles for Nole in DooBye, this is the first and only of those three in which he’s either displayed the form or met with the opposition consistent with that success.
What’s perhaps more surprising is that it was Fed who’d been the better player all week – Nole termed his win over Berd “his worst performance of the year” – yet it was Nole who was able (in the first set at least) to bring the type of tennis that’s won him Slams (plural).
Does this form, this incredible streak he’s on, make him the best player in the world right now?
Probably. I really don’t see the controversy in stating that.
The fact that he’s the ‘man to beat’ right now must surely be incontrovertible and isn’t (despite troublemakers’ best efforts to stir things up) a slight on anyone. On the other hand, it also says next to nothing about his chances at any of the upcoming Slams or, for that matter, at IW/Miami. Nothing, that is, other than that he must be held up as one of the four or five players with the best shot at winning it.
Yes the wind was a factor (though I think it’s very telling how Caro-supporters gloss over how Bepa was successfully contending with exactly the same conditions) and I’d be lying if I said Caro was at her best (main difference centres on whether she was done physically after two contiguous weeks or simply due a dud) – yet I still think all of that pales in comparison to how very far Bepa has come.
Can you honestly see her playing some of the matches she played this week even twelve months ago (let alone prior to that)?
If you want my honest opinion it was Hantuchova that delivered the performance of the week – I’m still not completely certain why she lost that match.
But doesn’t that also precisely and exactly capture why it’s Bepa and not Dani holding up the trophy at the end of the week?
Some of Bepa’s surprisingly low-key, economic play (often under the type of pressure would have resulted in her inexorable collapse not 16 months ago) was so un-Bepa like, I almost mistook it for someone else.
Just as un-Bepa-like, is the fact that she was able to continue in that vein for the entire week.
Who are you and how did I get here?
Yes Delpo won his first title since his comeback and yes that is a flux capacitor from late 2009.
Also, incidentally, his third consecutive semi final and a rise of 77 places to #89 in the rankings.
Spare a thought, if you can tear yourself away from the Delpo welcome-home party, for Tipsy, who is now 0-3 in ATP finals and the only “titleless” member of the top 100 Serbian stable.
Serena Williams Hospitalized Due to Pulmonary Embolism
Fox Sports reports that Serena Williams under went emergency treatment for a blood clot on her lungs that resulted in a hematoma.
LOS ANGELES
Tennis ace Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment at a hospital after suffering a blood clot in her lungs, People magazine reported Wednesday.
Williams, 29, turned out for Elton John's AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party on Sunday, however her health took a turn for the worse Monday.
"Monday Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment at Cedars [Medical Center] for a hematoma she suffered as a result of treatment for a more critical situation," a representative for Williams, Nicole Chabot, told the magazine.
"Last week, Serena suffered from a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lungs) which was discovered upon her return to L.A. She had been in New York for doctor appointments for the ongoing issues with her foot," she added.
The former world No. 1 was aiming to return to the court after an extended break from the game due to injury in time for the French Open in May.
Williams recently had a cast removed from her right foot and was due to begin training soon. She had surgery after cutting her foot on broken glass after her win at Wimbledon last July.
Williams, currently ranked 12th in the world, has won 37 WTA titles.
Doctors were continuing to monitor her condition closely Wednesday.
Serena we love you. Get yourself completely healthy before even thinking about returning to tennis.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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