USA Wins Sixth Hopman Cup

by Craig Hickman



I couldn't stay awake after Sister Beth gave Justine the first set.

THE United States remains well and truly the most successful Hyundai Hopman Cup nation with the team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and John Isner claiming their sixth victory inside Perth's Burswood Dome in front of a crowd of 8564 people.

The USA team came into Hyundai Hopman Cup XXIII unseeded but played outstanding tennis all week dominating Group B beating France's Kristina Mladenovic and Nicolas Mahut 3-0, Italy's Francesca Schiavone and Potito Starace 2-1 and Great Britain's Laura Robson and Andy Murray 3-0 [sic].

Mattek-Sands and Isner took on the Belgium team of Justine Henin and Ruben Bemelmans in the Final after they replaced the Serbian team of Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic when Ivanovic suffered a slight stomach tear.

Belgium had put together a strong week in their own right, though, bouncing back from losing to Australia's Alicia Molik and Lleyton Hewitt to beat Kazakhstan's Sesil Karatantcheva and Andrey Golubev 3-0 and then Serbia 2-1.

Henin, a winner of seven Grand Slam titles, gave Belgium a winning start by beating Mattek-Sands 7-6 (6), 6-3. Isner bounced back to even the Final at one rubber apiece after he downed Bemelmans 6-3, 6-4.

It was then the deciding mixed doubles to determine the Hyundai Hopman Cup XXIII winner and the USA dominated winning 6-3, 6-4. Mattek-Sands and Isner now join five other representatives for the United States to have won at the Hopman Cup.

The first victory came in 1997 with Chanda Rubin and Justin Gimelstob opening America's account. It took until 2003 for the next win when Serena Williams and James Blake were successful with Blake back the following year to win with Lindsay Davenport.

Lisa Raymond and Taylor Dent then teamed to win in 2006 and the fifth title came in 2008 when Williams returned to be victorious alongside Mardy Fish.

Mattek-Sands and Isner now join them after an outstanding week that has seen a total attendance figure of 78,242 attend. It is the biggest figure since the Cup has been an 11 Session event. Mattek-Sands was delighted in how the week in Perth unfolded.

''It’s been an amazing week. It’s my first time in Perth and I've really enjoyed myself. It’s funny, I saw this (diamond tennis ball trophy) actually when I first got here and I thought it was the best trophy in sports,'' Mattek-Sands said.

''This is one of the best run events of the WTA Tour of the year. It’s fantastic. There was a really strong field this year, there was great players; Ana, Justine, Djokovic, Hewitt. I hope everyone enjoyed watching some great tennis this week.''

Isner made his debut at last year's Hopman Cup and was delighted to return, and to partner Mattek-Sands to form a winning team. He was also happy to bounce back from a tough loss to Murray.

''I’ve got to thank Bethanie; her back’s got to be hurting from carrying me all week. She was rock solid all week long,'' Isner said.

''I kind of got a whooping yesterday (against Murray), but I regrouped and played very well today which is really, really encouraging. Also I want to say congrats to the Belgium team. It’s a great team we beat today.''

Read the rest....

Face Of The Day

AP

James Blake wins a difficult point against Andy Roddick during their match at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championship tennis tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. Roddick squeaked by.

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Singles - Second Round
E Gulbis (LAT) d [3] R Stepanek (CZE) 76(5) 75
[6] J Isner (USA) d J Nieminen (FIN) 67(3) 64 64
P Petzschner (GER) d E Korolev (KAZ) 76(5) 76(5)

Singles - First Round
[1] A Roddick (USA) d J Blake (USA) 63 46 76(3)
X Malisse (BEL) d [4] T Haas (GER) 64 36 64
[8] S Querrey (USA) d R Ram (USA) 62 63
L Mayer (ARG) d M Fish (USA) 64 60

Doubles - First Round
[WC] S Lipsky (USA) / D Martin (USA) d B Becker (GER) / J Chardy (FRA) 75 62

Women's Singles - Second Round
(1) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. (WC) Bethanie Mattek-Sands 61 61
(2) Melanie Oudin (USA) d. Lilia Osterloh (USA) 62 61
(3) Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (WC) Nicole Vaidisova (CZE) 46 61 63
(5) Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Michaella Krajicek (NED) 64 75
(Q) Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. (7) Vania King (USA) 36 64 62
(8) Elena Baltacha (GBR) d. (Q) Valérie Tétreault (CAN) 64 64
Karolina Sprem (CRO) d. (WC) Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) 36 62 60
Anne Keothavong (GBR) d. Michelle Larcher de Brito (POR) 63 61

I see Miss 100% is building her confidence in the minor leagues. This could be a good thing for her game.

Doubles - Quarterfinals
(3) King/Krajicek (USA/NED) d. Daniilidou/Woehr (GRE/GER) 64 76(3)

Women's Doubles - First Round
(2) Niculescu/Zalameda (ROU/USA) d. Glatch/Haynes (USA/USA) 16 64 10-6
Oudin/Perry (USA/USA) d. Domachowska/Keothavong (POL/GBR) 63 64

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Sopa Telmex

Singles - Second Round
[2] J Ferrero (ESP) d M Daniel (BRA) 62 64
[5] A Montanes (ESP) d [Q] P Andujar (ESP) 63 62
[Q] S Ventura (ESP) d [7] V Hanescu (ROU) 64 76(10)
D Nalbandian (ARG) d D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 67(5) 64 76(7)

Will Ferrero go two in a row?

Doubles - First Round
[1] P Cuevas (URU) / M Granollers (ESP) d R Gasquet (FRA) / M Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 57 64 10-4
D Koellerer (AUT) / O Marach (AUT) d [2] A Sa (BRA) / H Tecau (ROU) 61 64
D Ferrer (ESP) / R Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) d [3] L Friedl (CZE) / D Skoch (CZE) 57 62 10-6
S Greul (GER) / P Luczak (AUS) d F Gil (POR) / E Schwank (ARG) 64 61
N Almagro (ESP) / S Ventura (ESP) d F Fognini (ITA) / P Starace (ITA) 57 62 10-3

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XVIII COPA BBVA Colsanitas

Singles - Second Round
(1) Gisela Dulko (ARG) d. Edina Gallovits (ROU) 62 75
(3) Sara Errani (ITA) d. Sílvia Soler Espinosa (ESP) 63 61
(5) Angelique Kerber (GER) d. Rossana de los Ríos (PAR) 76(2) 64
(6) Sandra Zahlavova (CZE) d. Petra Cetkovska (CZE) 62 62
(8) Arantxa Parra Santonja (ESP) d. Patricia Mayr (AUT) 57 76(5) 64

Doubles - Quarterfinals
(3) Domínguez Lino/Parra Santonja (ESP/ESP) d. Bratchikova/Thorpe (RUS/FRA) 63 63

Doubles - First Round
(2) Dulko/Gallovits (ARG/ROU) d. Castaño/Jidkova (COL/RUS) 62 64
(WC) Botto/Duque Marino (PER/COL) d. Cetkovska/Zakopalova (CZE/CZE) 63 76(4)
Savchuk/Yakimova (UKR/BLR) d. Cabeza Candela/Dentoni (ESP/ITA) 64 63
Hercog/Parmentier (SLO/FRA) d. Mayr/Zec Peskiric (AUT/SLO) w/o (Mayr: right elbow injury)

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Open 13

Singles - Second Round
[2] J Tsonga (FRA) d [LL] J Ouanna (FRA) 76(9) 64
M Zverev (GER) d [4] T Robredo (ESP) 62 36 61
M Llodra (FRA) d [7] M Baghdatis (CYP) 76(6) 64
[8] J Benneteau (FRA) d F Serra (FRA) 64 64

I was wondering where Ouanna has been since last year's Roland Garros. Must have been some first set.

First Round
[Q] Y Mertens (BEL) d J Hajek (CZE) 76(8) 61
[WC] G Rufin (FRA) d [LL] L Recouderc (FRA) 75 46 76(2)

*[LL] L Recouderc (FRA) replaced M. Youzhny (RUS) - right hip

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[2] J Benneteau (FRA) / M Llodra (FRA) d S Stakhovsky (UKR) / R Wassen (NED) 62 62
A Clement (FRA) / N Mahut (FRA) d R de Voest (RSA) / A Qureshi (PAK) 63 75

First Round
R Bopanna (IND) / J Coetzee (RSA) d C Rochus (BEL) / O Rochus (BEL) 62 61

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Australian Open 2010 Awards

by Craig Hickman

The Uluru/Ayers Rock Award
For the player who emerged almost out of nowhere and glowed red at sunset



Nicolas Almagro for his late-match, red-hot surge against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round.

The Red Kangaroo Award
For the player who made the biggest leap



Marin Cilic finally jumped over Juan Martín del Potro at a Slam and landed in his first major semifinal. Too bad all his five-setters caught up with him after winning the first set against Andy Murray.

The Twelve Apostles Award
For the player who rose up to produce the most rock solid game amidst the imminent threat of being washed away



Serena Williams for yet another ledge-end-ary comeback Down Under against Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals.

The Koala Award
For the player you just wanted to pick up and hug



Zheng Jie after being stampeded by her idol in the semifinals.

The Great Barrier Reef Award
For the player who created the largest tectonic uplift in the draw



Nadia Petrova for severely eroding Kim Clijsters in the third round.

The Aboriginal Award
For the veteran player who achieved the most success with his native talents



Roger Federer's movement throughout this fortnight was surprisingly efficient. Wasn't that long ago I thought he'd lost a step. If his training regimen doesn't include some combination of ballet, tango/mambo, waltz, tap or Tai Chi, I'd be shocked.

The Tasmanian Devil Award
For the player who delivered the best nocturnal performance



Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Tommy Haas in the third round.

The Outback Award
For the wildest match of the fortnight



Li Na def. Venus Williams 2-6, 7-6(4), 7-5, Quarterfinals

Venus opened as though she'd run through the match like a river. But the last set and a half was one exhausting expanse of barren terrain. How many times did you think it might never end? Arguably the ugliest televised match of the fortnight, it becomes an early frontrunner for worst match of the year.

The Three Dingoes Award
For the players who fell prey to their own hunting



Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko for their gigantic chokes against Roger Federer in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively, and Alisa Kleybanova for her total collapse against Justine Henin.

And for a few of our more traditional awards:

Best Dressed
Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, Australia

Reuters

Getty

Best WTA Match
Serena Williams def. Justine Henin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, Final

Reuters

I didn't realize how riveting was this tug of war between two of the tour's most decorated champions till watching it a second time.

Best ATP Match (Tie)
Juan Martín del Potro def. James Blake 6-4, 6-7(3), 5-7 6-3 10-8, Second Round

Reuters

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Nicolas Almagro, 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-7(6) 9-7, Round of 16


Reuters

Both featured one tiebreak and went into overtime in the fifth set. Both featured surprisingly exquisite performances from the losing warriors. Both could have continued for another hour. The electrifying tennis sticks in my memory like good preaching.

Speaking of preaching.
I need a day of rest.
At least.

See you when I see you.

Day 3: Late-Night Thriller

Getty

All the hype was about the women's "blockbuster" that ESPN had the audacity to call the "Greatest 2nd Round Grand Slam match ever?!" before it even began, but we'll get to that later.

The thriller of the night belonged to none other than James Blake and Juan Martín del Potro. Question marks loomed over the match. How would the reigning US Open champion's tennis elbow hold up? How would the 30-year-old man's knee hold up? How much desire to win would he display?

I'd like to write a match report, but I'm too tired, so I urge you all to see it on replay if you can. It was all-court power tennis punctuated with masterful net play, especially from Blake. The tiebreak he played to level the match in the second set was enthralling.

They saved the best for the last. Del Potro, who displays little emotion during the peaks and valleys of a match, hurt his rib late in the fifth set, Blake needed his left arm attended right before del Potro served for the match a second time, fans shouted at Blake in the middle of several big points, but both players displayed some serious gonads to give the fans at Hisense Arena a 6-4, 6-7(3), 5-7, 6-3, 10-8 adventure they'll be talking about for days.

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Reuters

I wrote a version of the following shortly after Justine Henin outlasted Elena Dementieva 7-5, 7-6(6).

The hype for the women's night match on Rod Laver was too much before, too much during, and now too much after.

It was intriguing, dramatic, intense, and competitive. It was also erratic, nervy, painful, and ugly.

During the match, the tweets were outrageous. "Best match I've ever seen!" from someone who called the Brisbane final the same thing. "I can't remember the last time I saw such great tennis from both sides of the net" from someone who hailed the Brisbane final as the best thing since sliced bread. Pam Shriver even said early in the match that this was going to be a match she would never forget and then called it the greatest straight set match ever. Too few comments from the commentators about how terrible the serving was on both sides of the net.

As a critic, I know I can be too critical, even harsh, as some of you like to say, but when people ignore much of what's in front of their eyes simply to hype the best parts to the hilt, for the sake of the sport, I suppose, it leaves viewers wondering what the hell folks are talking about and makes you question the credibility of those doing all the hyping.

Another writer who bemoaned all the double faults on the WTA last year said nary a word about all the double faults in this match. I guess because she liked both players and was so very excited that Henin is back, she overlooked the woeful service games from both players. And I mean woeful. Neither player could hold serve. For me, great matches feature players who can close out matches on their own serve. You serve for a match once and get tight, fine. You serve for it twice and get tight, it's ugly. (It was interesting that both del Potro and Henin served for their matches twice. The second time simultaneously. They both faced 15-30 simultaneously. He held. She didn't) I'm not going to overlook the ugly just because some of the exchanges off the ground and at the net were beautiful.

They're both fighters. But ElenaD isn't as focused in Slam matches as she is in non-Slam matches it makes the whole affair less palatable because we know what she can produce when she is. One of my readers, a new fan to tennis, doesn't know much about ElenaD's history and all he can talk about is how sorry for her he feels because she's in such visible pain on the court.

And despite what the propagandists claimed, she did not play as well as she did in Sydney. There, her serve was better, her groundstrokes were flatter, deeper, more precise, and she wasn't talking to herself or her mother when she missed a shot.

Henin means business. So much so that she's still looking up at her coach between every point and he's still giving her signals. Pathetic. And though she'd never admit it in public, she also wants to upstage the comeback of her compatriot. She may just do it. But if, and only if, the rest of the tour allows her to get away with that crappy serve as it did for much of her first go around.

If she wants to fulfill her dreams in London, she's going to have to buy a serve.

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Faces Of The Day


Reuters

Bernard Tomic of Australia keeps warm with a towel during his match against Croatia's Marin Cilic at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 20, 2010.


Reuters

France's Marc Gicquel turns to the crowd after losing a point to Andy Murray of Britain at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 20, 2010

Reuters

Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil reacts during his match against Andy Roddick of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 20, 2010.


Getty

Donald Young of the United States of America talks to the media during day three of the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 20, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.

Practice Shots

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Roddick, Blake Pass On Davis Cup

Getty

Andy Roddick of the USA plays a backhand as his partner James Blake of the USA watches on during their first round doubles match against Travis Parrott of the USA and Jaroslav Levinsky of the Czech Republic during day one of the Brisbane International 2010 at the Queensland Tennis Centre on January 3, 2010 in Brisbane, Australia.

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Breaking news from tennis.com:

For the first time in nearly a decade, the U.S. Davis Cup team will be without stalwarts Andy Roddick and James Blake when it travels to face powerful Serbia in a first-round tie in Belgrade in March. “It certainly appears to be the end of era,” U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe told TENNIS Thursday. “But the door will always remain open to both of those guys in the event they decide they want to play again.”

Roddick and Blake have both decided to leave Davis Cup off their 2010 schedules. McEnroe has yet to name the squad he plans to take to Serbia for the tie against a powerful Serbian team led by world No. 3 Novak Djokovic. The U.S. singles players most likely to be selected are Sam Querrey and John Isner, although that could change in the next few weeks, depending on the performance of the U.S. players in Australia. Mardy Fish is also high on McEnroe's list of Davis Cup candidates. Serbia will be heavily favored given that it will be contested on slow red clay.

It was only a matter of time, even for Mr. Davis Cup himself. Here's hoping both have a successful 2010.

Now let's see who's ready to step up. Isner has presented as a big-match player who loves the big stage. Won't help him in Serbia, but still. And is Querrey ready to lead?

Face Of The Day

Reuters

James Blake of the U.S. hits a forehand against France's Marc Gicquel during their match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament January 6, 2010. Blake saved three match points in the breaker to advance.

Singles - Second Round
[1] A Roddick (USA) d [WC] C Ball (AUS) 76(0) 63
[2] R Stepanek (CZE) d [Q] O Dolgopolov Jr. (UKR) 57 76(4) 62
[3] G Monfils (FRA) d F Serra (FRA) 67(5) 76(5) 61
[4] T Berdych (CZE) d M Baghdatis (CYP) 60 61
J Blake (USA) d M Gicquel (FRA) 63 36 76(8) - Saved 3 M.P.
R Gasquet (FRA) d [Q] M Ebden (AUS) 63 64
W Odesnik (USA) d A Falla (COL) 67(8) 62 61
[8] T Bellucci (BRA) d H Levy (ISR) 64 46 64

Doubles - Quarterfinals
J Blake (USA) / A Roddick (USA) d [4] M Melo (BRA) / B Soares (BRA) 76(3) 64

Doubles - First Round
[3] M Llodra (FRA) / A Ram (ISR) d [WC] P Luczak (AUS) / J Sirianni (AUS) 36 64 10-7

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Ladies' Singles - Second Round
(4) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Agnes Szavay (HUN) 63 61
Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. (6) Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 63 61
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 16 64 61
(WC) Justine Henin (BEL) d. (Q) Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) 64 63

Ladies' Doubles - Quarterfinals
Hlavackova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) d. Govortsova/Poutchek (BLR/BLR) 76(2) 62
Czink/Parra Santonja (HUN/ESP) d. Koryttseva/Kustova (UKR/BLR) 75 46 12-10
Rodionova/Rodionova (AUS/RUS) d. Bacsinszky/Garbin (SUI/ITA) 75 60

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ASB Classic Auckland

Singles - Second Round
(1) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) 62 62
(3/WC) Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Ioana Raluca Olaru (ROU) 62 62
(4) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Sania Mirza (IND) 60 63
(WC) Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) d. (5) Virginie Razzano (FRA) 36 63 62
Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. (6) Elena Vesnina (RUS) 61 61
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. (7) Aravane Rezai (FRA) 63 64
Shahar Peer (ISR) d. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 61 60
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) d. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 62 63

Doubles - Quarterfinals
(3) Pennetta/Schiavone (ITA/ITA) d. Borwell/Kops-Jones (GBR/USA) 76(5) 64
Uhlirova/Voracova (CZE/CZE) d. (4) Vesnina/Zalameda (RUS/USA) 76(13) 36 16-14
Grandin/Granville (RSA/USA) d. (WC) Cibulkova/Wickmayer (SVK/BEL) 63 61

Doubles - First Round
Niculescu/Olaru (ROU/ROU) d. Medina Garrigues/Suárez Navarro (ESP/ESP) 75 75

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Chennai Open

Singles - Second Round
[2] M Cilic (CRO) d M Granollers (ESP) 67(3) 63 64
[4] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d [WC] S Devvarman (IND) 62 61
T de Bakker (NED) d R Haase (NED) 63 64
S Giraldo (COL) d J Hajek (CZE) 64 62

Doubles - First Round
Y Allegro (SUI) / S Wawrinka (SUI) d [1] E Butorac (USA) / R Ram (USA) 36 64 10-5
C Fleming (GBR) / K Skupski (GBR) d J Hajek (CZE) / L Lacko (SVK) 64 64
[WC] Y Bhambri (IND) / C Moya (ESP) d R Ginepri (USA) / D Sela (ISR) 62 46 10-5

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Qatar Open

Singles - Second Round
[1] R Federer (SUI) d E Korolev (RUS) 62 64
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d P Starace (ITA) 62 62
[3] N Davydenko (RUS) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 63 64
[5] V Troicki (SRB) d O Rochus (BEL) 62 62
[7] I Karlovic (CRO) d [Q] B Becker (GER) 46 63 62
E Gulbis (LAT) d A Seppi (ITA) 64 75
L Kubot (POL) d S Stakhovsky (UKR) 62 76(5)
[Q] S Darcis (BEL) d [WC] Y El Aynaoui (MAR) 63 61

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[2] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d S Darcis (BEL) / L Kubot (POL) 46 76(6) 11-9
E Korolev (RUS) / S Stakhovsky (UKR) d [3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 67(6) 62 10-8
[4] C Kas (GER) / D Norman (BEL) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) / V Troicki (SRB) 61 57 10-5
G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) / A Montanes (ESP) d W Moodie (RSA) / M Youzhny (RUS) 62 26 10-6

Paging Freud

"You know what they say about a man with big feet, don't you?"

"Big shoes?"

"He'll never fall down." Pause. "What are you, about seven-and-a-half max?"

Silence.

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No, that wasn't an exchange between two men in a bar. That was tennis commentary from Jason Goodall (who posed the first question) and Robbie Koenig during the Andy Murray - James Blake bore.

Seriously.

It came right on the heels of discussing Max Mirnyi's new baby.

Shanghai Open Thread

Reuters

Nikolay Davydenko of Russia waits for the final result of his men's singles final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain after Nadal challenged the line man at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament October 18, 2009.

Sunday, October 17

Singles - Final
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d [1] R Nadal (ESP) 76(3) 63

Doubles - Final
J Benneteau (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) d [6] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 62 64

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Reuters

Feliciano Lopez of Spain reacts as he removes his sock to receive medical treatment before retiring from his semifinal match against compatriot Rafael Nadal at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament October 17, 2009.

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Never seen anything like this. A retirement a day keeps the trainers in play.

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Singles - Semifinals
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d F Lopez (ESP) 61 30 ret. (right ankle)
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d [2] N Djokovic (SRB) 46 64 76(1)

Doubles - Semifinals
[6] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d J Knowle (AUT) / J Melzer (AUT) 61 64

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Reuters

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia gets medical treatment during the second set of his quarterfinal match with Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai October 16, 2009. Ljubicic quit the match after the second set. Another day, another retirement.

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Singles - Quarterfinals
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d I Ljubicic (CRO) 36 63 ret. (left hip)
[2] N Djokovic (SRB) d [8] G Simon (FRA) 63 26 62
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d [13] R Stepanek (CZE) 61 46 61
F Lopez (ESP) d [9] R Soderling (SWE) 76(4) 63

Doubles - Semifinals
J Benneteau (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) d [3] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) 76(2) 62

Doubles - Quarterfinals
J Knowle (AUT) / J Melzer (AUT) d [5] W Moodie (RSA) / D Norman (BEL) 46 76(6) 10-6

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AP

Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland receives medical treatment during his singles third round match against Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic at the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament at Qizhong Stadium Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, in Shanghai, China.

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Singles - Third Round
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d [14] T Robredo (ESP) 61 64
[2] N Djokovic (SRB) d [Q] R Schuettler (GER) 64 62
[9] R Soderling (SWE) d [5] J Tsonga (FRA) 63 63
[8] G Simon (FRA) d T Berdych (CZE) 63 64
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d [10] F Gonzalez (CHI) 63 75
I Ljubicic (CRO) d [11] G Monfils (FRA) 62 30 ret. (back)
[13] R Stepanek (CZE) d S Wawrinka (SUI) 36 76(5) 42 ret. (abdominal strain)
F Lopez (ESP) d J Melzer (AUT) 57 76(3) 61

Singles - Quarterfinals
[6] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d [2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) 61 57 10-8
[3] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) d [8] L Kubot (POL) / O Marach (AUT) 46 63 10-5
J Benneteau (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) d F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) 36 64 10-7

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Getty

James Blake of the United States returns a shot to Rafael Nadal of Spain during the 2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 at Qi Zhong Tennis Centre on October 14, 2009 in Shanghai, China.

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Wednesday, October 14

Singles - Second Round
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d J Blake (USA) 62 67(4) 64
[2] N Djokovic (SRB) d [Q] F Fognini (ITA) 63 61
J Melzer (AUT) d [3] J Del Potro (ARG) 75 21 ret. (right wrist)
[5] J Tsonga (FRA) d [WC] S Zeng (CHN) 63 63
I Ljubicic (CRO) d [7] F Verdasco (ESP) 64 76(6)
[8] G Simon (FRA) d V Troicki (SRB) 63 64
[9] R Soderling (SWE) d N Almagro (ESP) 64 75
[11] G Monfils (FRA) d L Hewitt (AUS) 46 64 62
[14] T Robredo (ESP) d [Q] F Mayer (GER) 46 76(10) 64 - Saved 3 M.P.
[Q] R Schuettler (GER) d [15] T Haas (GER) 64 ret. (right shoulder)
F Lopez (ESP) d [16] D Ferrer (ESP) 46 75 61
T Berdych (CZE) d [WC] M Safin (RUS) 36 64 64

Doubles - Second Round
J Benneteau (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) d [1] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) 64 64
[2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) 63 62
[3] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) d T Parrott (USA) / F Polasek (SVK) 75 36 10-4
J Knowle (AUT) / J Melzer (AUT) d [4] M Mirnyi (BLR) / A Ram (ISR) 57 63 10-7
[5] W Moodie (RSA) / D Norman (BEL) d F Lopez (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) walkover (Verdasco knee)
[6] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d L Dlouhy (CZE) / P Petzschner (GER) 62 76(3)
F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d [7] B Soares (BRA) / K Ullyett (ZIM) 57 63 10-5
[8] L Kubot (POL) / O Marach (AUT) d B Becker (GER) / T Haas (GER) walkover (Haas - right shoulder)


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Paul-Henri Mathieu of France returns a shot to his compatriot Gael Monfils on day three of 2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 at the Qi Zhong Tennis Centre in Shanghai.


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Tuesday, October 13

Singles - Second Round
S Wawrinka (SUI) d [4] A Roddick (USA) 34 Retired (left knee)
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d I Kunitsyn (RUS) 64 62
[10] F Gonzalez (CHI) d [Q] T Bellucci (BRA) 63 64
[13] R Stepanek (CZE) d A Beck (GER) 75 64

Singles - First Round
[9] R Soderling (SWE) d V Hanescu (ROU) 63 64
[11] G Monfils (FRA) d P Mathieu (FRA) 62 62
T Berdych (CZE) d [12] M Cilic (CRO) 76(8) 36 64
[15] T Haas (GER) d B Becker (GER) 76(5) 64
L Hewitt (AUS) d J Isner (USA) 62 64
I Ljubicic (CRO) d J Benneteau (FRA) 63 36 61
J Melzer (AUT) d J Chardy (FRA) 64 64
N Almagro (ESP) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) 67(2) 61 76(6)
V Troicki (SRB) d J Monaco (ARG) 61 62

Doubles - First Round
J Benneteau (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) d M Llodra (FRA) / R Stepanek (CZE) 75 75
T Parrott (USA) / F Polasek (SVK) d J Blake (USA) / J Isner (USA) 75 62
J Knowle (AUT) / J Melzer (AUT) d [WC] W Gao (CHN) / X Yu (CHN) 63 63
L Dlouhy (CZE) / P Petzschner (GER) d T Berdych (CZE) / P Kohlschreiber (GER) walkover (Kohlschreiber - right shoulder)

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Marat Safin of Russia picks up his racket during his match against Mao-Xin Gong of China during day two of 2009 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 at the Qi Zhong Tennis Centre in Shanghai.

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Monday, October 12

Singles - First Round
[10] F Gonzalez (CHI) d M Zverev (GER) 75 67(0) 22 ret. (right wrist)
[13] R Stepanek (CZE) d J Ferrero (ESP) 63 60
[14] T Robredo (ESP) d [Q] M Llodra (FRA) 61 64
[16] D Ferrer (ESP) d R Gasquet (FRA) 64 63
J Blake (USA) d I Karlovic (CRO) 36 76(4) 63
[WC] M Safin (RUS) d [WC] M Gong (CHN) 64 64
S Wawrinka (SUI) [Q] L Kubot (POL) 26 76(5) 76(3)
[Q] F Mayer (GER) d P Petzschner (GER) 63 62
[Q] R Schuettler (GER) d M Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 64 36 76(2)
[Q] F Fognini (ITA) d [WC] E Gulbis (LAT) 76(3) 63
[Q] T Bellucci (BRA) d [Q] M Chiudinelli (SUI) 76(3) 64

Doubles - First Round
S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) d J Coetzee (RSA) / S Huss (AUS) 46 63 11-9
F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d M Damm (CZE) / R Lindstedt (SWE) 46 76(4) 11-9
F Lopez (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) d J Monaco (ARG) / T Robredo (ESP) 75 76(5)
B Becker (GER) / T Haas (GER) d [WC] Z Li (CHN) / Y Wang (CHN) 76(5) 60

Guts

Getty

Another day, another young American pulls off an upset out of nowhere. Savannah says it all:

The American tennis establishment has caught Oudin fever. Melanie Oudin, the seventeen year old from Marietta, Georgia has shown potential for awhile now but whenever you talked juniors you heard other names that didn't begin with the letter "O". No more. Sure she beat Jelena Jankovic a few short weeks ago but until recently Jelena was looking as if she were headed in the wrong ranking direction.

Elena Dementieva is a different story.

Elena came into the US Open as the hottest woman on the summer hard court swing. She had played one of if not the best Women's match of the year against Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final. There was no reason anyone would suspect her momentum would come to a screeching halt when she took the court today.

I know Elena is a loose cannon, that when she opens her mouth there is absolutely no telling what will come out, but with all of her crazy statements she is one of the old guard. Along with Venus Williams and Serena Williams she is in her late twenties now and is arguably playing her best tennis after having worked hard to fix her serve which was her major liability. In my opinion she is the best player never to have won a major.

I thought that Oudin would take a set but that in the end Elena would win going away. Instead Elena, like many of us, looked befuddled as she contemplated the young woman across the net from her. Elena was never allowed to establish her presence, was not allowed to settle into her preferred style of play. Not that she didn't try. It was just that Oudin had the answer for every thing she tried.

And she didn't falter closing out the match, showing more guts than most of the women in the Top 10. Who knows where she goes from here, what with that sharp pain in her knee. Miss 100% will make mincemeat out of her poor serve, but Melanie's return can also cause The Shoulder some pain if her serve percentage is as as low as it was last night against Christina McHale.

We'll see...

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Reuters

James Blake remembered how to play tennis. It took the better part of three sets, but better late than never. Let's see what he's got for Tommy Robredo, a pest for James if ever there was one.

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Getty

Jelena Jankovic, mourning the recent death of her grandmother, had nothing to give in her match and fell to an erratic Yaroslava Shvedova in a third set tiebreak after holding a few match points.

As pompelmo said, the way is being cleared ... but for whom?

The world No. 1 survives to miserate another day.

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Reuters

Lost in the celebration of the young American women is perhaps a more compelling story. 27-year-old Jesse Witten has advanced to the third round of a Slam for the first time in his minor-league career.

The former University of Kentucky player and 2002 NCAA Championships runner up needed a wild card just to get into qualifying. He destroyed Igor Andreev in the first round of the main draw and overcame a loose tiebreak against Máximo González of Argentina to take the final three sets.

Newsflash to Brad Gilbert and other commenators: hailing from Argentina doesn't make one an automatic claycourt specialist. Just ask David Nalbandian and Juan Martín del Potro. González is a big man with a big game who likes the forecourt.

But Jesse is bigger (I never knew a man with so much junk in his trunk could move so well), better, and bolder, and, as he said after the match, playing on house money with nothing to lose.

Novak Djokovic better not take him lightly...

US Open 2009 Day 1 Open Thread

Reuters

Viktor Troicki (R) of Serbia works with his trainer ahead of the U.S. Open tennis championship in New York August 30, 2009.

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Let the games begin.

Arthur Ashe Stadium will features Kim Clijsters, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Andy Roddick in their first-round matches, while Louis Armstrong showcases Victoria Azarenka, John Isner, Amélie Mauresmo, James Blake, and Meghann Shaughnessy. Donald Young (remember him?) returns to action on Court 7 against Tommy Robredo.

I don't see any upsets on the schedule for today. Do you?

Quote For The Day

"I got a ton of respect for Andy [Roddick]. I really can't see myself having any more respect for him than today. Being in the No. 1 spot, it shows me how hard his job has been for this many years and how outstanding he's really been as a teammate and a leader of this team because he's counted on as the No. 1 to put up two points, and he does it time after time. Davis Cup is always pressure-packed, but being in the No. 2 spot is less pressure-packed than being in that one spot."

--James Blake, after losing both of his live rubbers in Croatia

Davis Cup Quarterfinals Open Thread

The United States is in the land of the giants this weekend.











No matter which team you're rooting for, talk about it here all weekend.

I see after Mardy lost his two-set-to-one lead, the comments stopped. I guess there's only so much frustration fans of American tennis can take in one week.

Salmon had this to say: After 10 Sets, Croatia 2-US 0.

The heartbreaking losses for the US both featured decidedly crappy play on both sides of the net, with no player able to sustain any sort of form. While the clay surface was picked by Croatia to disadvantage the Americans, it proved to be a much smaller factor than expected, as neither Croatian looked particularly sharp on the shifty red stuff, either. Cilic and and Karlovic both broke for the wins at the end of long fifth sets, benefitting from mental exhaustion on the parts of the Americans as much as anything.

(...)

For both Blake and Fish, this was their second back to back five set loss, counting the loss the pair suffered in the Wimbledon semifinals of men's doubles. It would be near impossible for these crushing defeats not to take a toll on them that will have an effect into Sunday's matches.

That just about sums it up, though I thought Karlovic's form improved as the match wore on. Salmon has complete Davis Cup coverage at his new site, so check it out.