Hopman Cup Day 5: Serbia d. France

Session 8 - Chinese Taipei 3 d Argentina 0
Hsieh Su-Wei d Gisela Dulko 3-6, 7-6(7/2), 7-5
Lu Yen-Hsun d Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-4
Hsieh/Lu d Dulko/Chela 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(10/4)

CHINESE Taipei pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Hyundai Hopman Cup tennis tournament at Perth’s Burswood Dome when they defeated Argentina and put them out of contention for this year’s major prize.

After winning the Asian Hopman Cup qualifying event in Bangkok in November, the Chinese Taipei came to Perth as the $200 outsiders and now retain a faint hope of making Friday night’s Final, needing to beat France and hope other results go their way.

The upset started with Su-Wei Hsieh downing Gisela Dulko in three sets and her partner Yen-Hsuin Lu backed up with a straight-sets victory over Juan Ignacio Chela, with a rankings difference of 90 places on the ATP list.

Lu’s 6-3, 6-4 scorecard came about with a strong service game and he did not offer Chela one break point in either set.

Hsieh overcame a nervous start before claiming the second-set tie-breaker seven points to two and then breaking service at the end of the third to finish with a 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 scorecard.

Hseih, ranked 120 points below the No. 37 of Gisela Dulko, had 13 break points on her rival’s service, converting five of them, while the Argentine had six breaks from nine chances. At one stage Dulko led 3-1 in the second set and served for the match at 5-3.

Thursday’s session will see two double-headers involving six teams still alive in the battle to top the two Groups and claim places in Friday night’s Final. The morning session will decide Group B, with Australia tackling the USA and India meeting the Czech Republic. The evening session sees the Group A teams battle it out, with Serbia and Argentina clashing and France and Chinese Taipei in the other match.

Session 7 - Serbia 2 d France 1
Jelena Jankovic lost to Tatiana Golovin 1-6, 0-6 retired
Novak Djokovic d Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3
Jankovic/Djokovic d Golovin/Clement 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(10/4)

Despite Jelena Jankovic retiring injured in her singles match with Tatiana Golovin, Serbia has pulled off a remarkable victory over France to remain undefeated with one tie to go at Hyundai Hopman Cup XX.

Jankovic suffered a strained muscle in her buttock after just one game in the singles to hand Golovin the win, but Novak Djokovic rebounded with a solid 6-3, 6-3 win over Arnaud Clement.

After scans cleared Jankovic of any serious damage, she came out for the doubles and after losing the first set, Serbia claimed the second and the third in a match tie-break.

Serbia now only needs to defeat Argentina on Thursday night to be assured a place in the final, but will still remain alive even with a loss.

It is far from time for the French team to pack up and go home, though.

After a strong win over Argentina on Sunday night, victory for Golovin and Clement over Chinese Taipei on Thursday night will keep them alive if Serbia loses.

The women’s match between the world No. 3 and 13, loomed as the best of the Hyundai Hopman Cup, but disappointingly Jankovic suffered an injury at the top of her hamstring during the long first game.

Jankovic broke Golovin’s serve in an eight-minute game to start proceedings, but it also ended them as the Serbian suffered the injury overstretching on her backhand side.

She went off for treatment and tried to come back, won the opening two points on serve before surrendering.

Unfazed by Jankovic suffering her injury, Djokovic quickly raced to a 4-1 lead in the opening set against Clement. He wrapped up the set 6-3 in 33 minutes.

The world No. 3 then continued his dominance in the second set. He advanced to a 5-2 lead and wrapped up the match 6-3.

The scans revealed Jankovic didn’t suffer a tear, so she gave the mixed doubles a try. The Serbians then got the first break, on Clement’s serve, to go up 3-2. However, the French broke straight back on Djokovic’s serve.

A break on Jankovic’s serve in the last game of the set was enough for France take it 7-5.

Jankovic went to get re-strapped just before the end of the first set, but her and Djokovic rebounded strongly with the tie on the line in the second.

The Serbians went to a 5-3 lead and Djokovic served it out to take it to a match tie-break.

Djokovic and Jankovic dominated, winning 10 points to four to record a remarkable win after Jankovic’s earlier withdrawal.

Serbia plays Argentina, with France taking on Chinese Taipei in Thursday night’s session, the last before Friday’s final.

Source

Hopman Cup Day 2: France and Serbia Win

Session 4 - France 2 d Argentina 1
* Tatiana Golovin d Gisela Dulko 6-4, 6-3
* Arnaud Clement lost to Juan Ignacio Chela 3-6, 1-6
* Golovin/Clement d Dulko/Chela 6-3, 6-2

Fourth seeds France capitalised on the doubles skill of Arnaud Clement to win the mixed and claim victory over Argentina.

France won 6-3, 6-2 after Tatiana Golovin had downed Gisela Dulko and Juan Ignacio Chela levelled the match with victory over Clement.

The deciding doubles saw Clement at his classic best, covering enormous territory and smashing consistent winners.

The women’s singles resulted in Golovin beating Dulko 6-4, 6-3 in a match that lasted 78 minutes. It was a contest of service break opportunities, with Golovin making the most of the situation to convert four of her six chances, compared to Dulko, who had 10 break points, but only produced winning shots twice.

Each set saw two early breaks of service by each player and it was left to the end of each set for Golovin to gain the winning break.

“It’s the first match and really hard to get a rhythm,” said Golovin after her victory. “But we have two days to recover now so hopefully we’ll be ready for Jelena (Jankovic) and Novak (Djokovic) and then we’ll have another great match.”

The men’s singles was of a similar time-frame, with Chela needing 74 minutes to down Clement 6-3, 6-1, with the Frenchman coming in as a late replacement for the injured Gael Monofils.

Clement, who is better known as a doubles player, sharing the 2007 Wimbledon title with compatriot Michael Llodra, had difficulty breaking Chela’s service, gaining five break points, but was unable to clinch any. Conversely, Chela converted four of six break opportunities.

Unforced errors also hurt Clement, with a total of 35, compared to just 16.

“I’m really happy, I played a big match and I’m very happy with my first time here,” said Chela.

His partner will now have two days rest to overcome a leg ailment that slowed her movement. But she is confident of being in better shape for their Wednesday clash with Chinese Taipei.

Session 3 - Serbia 3 d Chinese Taipei 0
* Jelena Jankovic d Su-Wei Hsieh 6-4, 6-4
* Novak Djokovic d Yen-Hsun Lu 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
* Jankovic/Djokovic d Hsieh/Lu 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(10/8)

Despite Jelena Jankovic battling through two tight sets and Novak Djokovic three and a back injury, Serbia has made a winning start to its Hyundai Hopman Cup campaign against Chinese Taipei. Jankovic got the better of Su-Wei 6-4, 6-4 in two tight sets, while Djokovic struggled after hurting his back. The world No. 3 eventually got over the top of Lu in three sets, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. The Serbian pair were then victorious in the doubles, but it was again not easy and the win only came through a third set match tie-break. Jankovic made a slow start to her match with Su-Wei, dropping her opening service game and going down 2-0. The world No. 3 then broke straight back and won four straight games, which was enough to clinch the set 6-4. It was 2-2 in the second before Jankovic won three straight games to lead 5-2. Su-Wei then won two straight games, but Jankovic also clinched that set 6-4 to win on her Hyundai Hopman Cup debut. The men’s battle was far from what Djokovic would have hoped on his return to the Hyundai Hopman Cup. In the opening set, Djokovic broke Lu’s serve for a 4-2 advantage, but Lu just as quickly broke back. In the end, Djokovic claimed the first set 7-5 after a gruelling 75 minutes. Djokovic’s second set was one he will soon like to forget. Hampered by a back injury that he received treatment on, Djokovic was far from his buoyant self. In likely the best set victory of his career for the 110th ranked player, Lu raced to a 4-0 lead and won the set 6-2. Djokovic looked to be moving a little better to begin the third set as he raced to 3-0 lead. He maintained that advantage the rest of the set to win it 6-3 and take the match in three tough sets. In the doubles, the Chinese Taipei pair continued their impressive form from the Asian Hopman Cup in Bangkok by racing to a 4-1 lead in the opening set. They went on to win the set 6-3, but lost the second 2-6. The Serbian pair then won the match tie-break 10-8. The top seeds and world’s best ranked team found it a lot harder against the Asian Hopman Cup winners than they would have hoped, but a win is a win and the Serbians next face France on Wednesday. Chinese Taipei’s next opponents are Argentina on Wednesday night.

Source

First match of the year for Djoke, first injury timeout, first tank of a set, first miraculous recovery to sideswipe his opponent and get the early lead in the third set.

The Serpent is back to slither all over the tour in 2008. He makes a mockery out of sport.

The men better open their eyes and watch their backs. This one continues to lack any integrity whatsoever.

Madrid Day 3: Eight Seeds A Falling

After a long day of tennis, thanks in large part to the Novak Djokovic - Fernando Verdasco match, which didn't seem like it would ever end, no less than eight seeds were upset in Madrid today. James Blake, David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo, Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Ivan Ljubicic, Carlos Moya, and Mikhail Youzhny were all unceremoniously dumped by lower ranked opponents in today's action.

All the losers are chasing Shanghai and their hopes took a big hit. No. 5 seed Fernando González, currently No. 7 in the race, fought off an inspired Nicolás Almagro 7-6(11), 6-4 to advance to the third round and bolster his chances of makiing the Masters Cup.

The energy at this event is about as lugubrious as a funeral dirge. Call it late-season fatigue, but most of the matches featured disinterested, lethargic and listless play from both sides of the net. This is the price the players and the fans pay for such a long season.



No. 13 seed Guillermo Cañas also survived the day of upsets. The Argentine overcame compatriot and qualifier Agustin Calleri 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 to book a date with Roger Federer in the next round. Something tells me Raja gets revenge for one of the two losses he took at Willy's hands earlier this spring. No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal and No. 3 seed Djokovic also advanced.

Performance of the day goes to wildcard Juan Martin del Potro who took out homeboy Robredo in three sets. I'm not a big fan of all del Potro's retirements when losing, but today he gutted out a great win with attacking play, soft hands, and a great midcourt between-the-legs lob winner on the deadrun that stunned the crowd. One of the commentators called it the shot of the year.

In Zürich, the upset theme continued. Nicole Vaidisova ousted No. 3 seed Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-3; No. 8 seed Amélie Mauresmo fell to Alona Bondarenko 2-6, 6-4, 6-1; and Tatiana Golovin continued her great indoor play, seeing of No. 4 seed Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-1.

I definitely considered myself a favorite to reach the semifinals, the final and even to win," Ivanovic said after the match. "I was looking ahead instead of focusing on each game, each point. It was a tough lesson for me today."



You'd think by now Ana would've learned that lesson. Having already won a couple of Tier 1 titles, she's not exactly a tour ingenue. Had another player said such things, I've little doubt cries of ungracious and classless would reverberate across the globe. One of my Internet buddies actually thought Ana's statement signified future greatness. I find her remarks neither ungracious (though, surely Tati's play had something to do with the result, no?) nor prophetic. I find them insipid. But I digress.

No. 9 seed Marion Bartoli survived the upsets with a 6-4, 6-1 win over wildcard Michaella Krajicek and will face Golovin in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, TTC won't air the Zurich Open till the semifinals. I'd pay to seed Maid Marion and Tati go at it, especially after their catty remarks about each other regarding Fed Cup participation post-Wimbledon. For those of you who can watch, pop the popcorn and publish the tell-all.

Upset In Tokyo

by Mad Professah



Virgine Razzano, a 24-year-old player from France ranked No. 33 who won the Guangzhou International Women's Open last week, defeated 6-time grand slam champion and world No. 8 Venus Williams 4-6 7-6(7) 6-4 to win the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships today.

Venus held 3 match points at 6-3 in the second set tiebreak, after coming back from being down 2-5 in the second set. However, Razzano saved all three match points and at 4-4 in the third set was able to break Venus and hold serve to win her second consecutive title. Venus had won her third title of the year in Korea last week. She was troubled by a leg injury during the match, taking an injury timeout early in the third set and returning with her leg heavily wrapped. However, she gave credit to her French opponent: "She played good at all the right moments."

Meanwhile, at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, world No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Tatiana Golovin 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals and world No. 1 Justine Henin defeated Jelena Jankovic (again!) 7-6(2) 7-5 to set up a Henin-Golovin final. Henin has now won 15 consecutive matches since her shocking loss to Marlon Bartoli in the Wimbledon semifinals.

Down And Out

Perhaps that's why you appeared to have played so poorly, Serena Williams. You chose tennis, not track and field. But even still, you didn't get out of the starting blocks with any authority, donating your first service game after holding a game point with a mere 38% first serves in, a double fault, and no aces.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, who refused to blink throughout the entire match, apparently showed no signs of her trademark nerves, the nerves that kept her from barely winning a game in the US Open final. No. Today, she had great stats, and even though I wasn't able to view the action live, the stats indicated she played a great match. Wonder what she'll do tomorrow. Or Sunday, if she should make it that far.

Quarterfinal loss. How many more times do you want to hear those two words this year, Serena? Are you about to get sick of hearing them, sick of losing, and turn yourself around?

Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, and Tatiana Golovin join Sveta in the final four of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Go, Tatiana. Kill the people.

Sister Secrets?

STUTTGART, Germany (AFP) — Australian Open champion Serena Williams plans to ask sister Venus for advice how to beat second-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova ahead of their quarter-final clash at Stuttgart's WTA tournament.

Sixth seed Williams reached the last eight with a 7-5, 6-2 second-round win over Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko on Wednesday evening at Stuttgart's Porsche Arena and now faces the second-seeded Russian on Friday.

Williams last played Kuznetsova in 2004 while sister Venus beat the Russian in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon this year and Serena says she will ring her sister, who is currently playing at Tokyo's Japan Open, for advice.

"I'll have to ask Venus for advice on how to beat Svetlana, I haven't played her for a few years," said Williams.

"She is a tough player to beat, very strong and fast around the court."

Williams was not pleased with her performance against Vakulenko and says she will have to step up her game against Kuznetsova.

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More photos of the day from Stuttgart and Tokyo:

Tatiana Golovin in L'Equipe

She caused quite a stir at Wimbledon with her red panties. Now, she's playing with red balls and the French magazine L'Equipe can't get enough of it. Thanks, Savannah.