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Honors even after day one of Spains Davis Cup defense

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:48:46 +0000

Honors even after day one of Spain\’s Davis Cup defense

David Ferrer claimed a straight sets win 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-1 over Marco Chiudinelli to leave the Davis Cup first round tie between defending champions Spain and Switzerland finely pointed after the opening day\’s singles matches.
Apart from one moment when he went a mini-break down at the start of the second set tiebreak, Spanish number one, Ferrer was rarely troubled by the Swiss number two.
The same could not be said of his teammate Nicholas Almagro, who lost a thrilling opening match in 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to Stanislas Wawrinka as Spain got off to a terrible start in the tennis tournament for teams.
Almargo seemed to run out of steam after having his service broken in the 12th game of the fourth set and Swiss number one Wawrinka, leading his country in the absence of Roger Federer, was the stronger of the two in the final set.
Warrinka will partner Yves Allegro against Tommy Robredo and Marcel Granollers in Saturday\’s doubles match with the two remaining singles to be disputed on Sunday.

Spains Davis Cup defense gets off to losing start

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:47:46 +0000

Spain\’s Davis Cup defense gets off to losing start

Spain got its defense of the Davis Cup off to a losing start when Nicholas Almagro lost the opening singles match of its tie against Switzerland 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
With Spain missing Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco and the Swiss without World Number one Roger Federer, it was down to Almagro to start the defense of the tennis competition against Switzerland¡¯s Stanislas Wawrinka.
Playing on a beaten clay surface which had been laid on the covered bullring in Logro?o, Almagro got off to a perfect set winning the first set 6-3.
Wawrinka fought back and took the second set 6-4, before Almagro took what looked as if it would be a definitive lead when he won the third set 6-3 in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
However, Wawrinka kept his nerve to take a tense fourth set by breaking Almagro¡¯s serve in the twelfth game and then showed he was the stronger of the two players to win the fifth and final set comfortably 6-3.

Nicklaus believes Woods will return for Masters

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:46:46 +0000

Nicklaus believes Woods will return for Masters

Jack Nicklaus said he would not be surprised if Tiger Woods ended his seclusion and decided to play the US Masters at Augusta National next month.
\”I\’ve been very non-committal because it\’s none of my business,\” Nicklaus told reporters on Wednesday following his pro-am round at this week\’s Honda Classic at Palm Beach Garden, Florida. \”But playing golf, my guess as a golfer, he\’s going to probably try to (play the Masters).
\”It would surprise me if he didn\’t.\”
The first major of the season starts on April 8.
Woods is taking an indefinite break from the sport after admitting in December that he had cheated on his wife and has given no time-table for his return to the game.
However, the world No. 1 is reportedly practicing and working out at his home in Florida.
The 34-year-old American, who has won 14 majors, has already missed two tournaments he routinely plays early in the season, the San Diego Open at Torrey Pines and the WGC-Match Play Championship in Arizona.
18 majors
The world No. 1 is chasing Nicklaus\’ record of 18 majors. Woods has won the Masters at Augusta four times.
Earlier this year, Nicklaus said 2010 would be \”a big year\” for Woods if he wanted to get closer to Nicklaus\’ record. Three of this year\’s majors will be on courses where Woods has been dominant before, Augusta National, Pebble Beach and St Andrews.
Of Woods\’ 14 majors, half have come on those three courses. Woods has never missed a Masters or a US Open since 1995.
Woods was photographed hitting balls at Isleworth on February 18. One day later, he ended nearly three months of silence by speaking to a small group of associates, a statement that got worldwide attention.
\”I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don\’t know when that day will be,\” Woods said on February 19. \”I don\’t rule out that it will be this year.\”
Nicklaus was asked if Woods\’ presence would make the Champions Dinner, a pre-Masters tradition, different than normal.
The only man with more major championships than Woods didn\’t hesitate to answer.
\”No. It\’s the Champions Dinner,\” Nicklaus said. \”His personal life is his personal life. As a golfer, he\’s a sensational golfer. He\’s a great athlete. He\’ll figure out his own problems. But as a golfer, he\’ll come back and get his game in shape and play. That\’s what he does.\”

Swiss pass pressure to Spain ahead of Davis Cup

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:45:46 +0000

Swiss pass pressure to Spain ahead of Davis Cup

Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi Wednesday put his team in an underdog position when they play Spain in this weekend\’s tennis team event in the first round tie.
Spain, last year\’s champion, begins its defense of the Davis Cup against the Swiss in Logrono.
The Spanish are without key players Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez, while the Swiss are without World number one Roger Federer.
\”I agree that Spain is the favorite, they are missing players, but they still have a great team,\”Luthi was quoted by sports paper Marca.
\”Both teams are missing important players, but we still have a chance to win and we have come here to do the best we can,\” he said.
The Spanish have specially laid their favorite clay surface in the Logrono bullring, where the tie will be played, but the recent poor weather in the country has not helped its condition.
\”It has improved in recent days, because it was a bit soft at the start of the week. I was hoping it would be a bit warmer, but I think it is a good venue,\” commented Luthi.
Meanwhile Stanislas Wawrinka accepted the role as Swiss number one in the absence of Federer.
\”I am the number one and I have that responsibility now. I am looking forward to having a good weekend,\” he said.
The tie begins with the first two singles rubbers on Friday.

Liang and Strange to star at Luxehills Chengdu Open

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:44:46 +0000

Liang and Strange to star at Luxehills Chengdu Open

Chinese number one Liang Wenchong and Australian Scott Strange have both confirmed they will compete at the 1 million U.S. dollar Luxehills Chengdu Open from April 1-4, the opening event of the second OneAsia season.
Liang became OneAsia\’s first Chinese champion when he won the Midea China Classic in Guangdong last October and the 31-year-old is keen to add to that title against an international-quality field at the Luxehills International Country Club in Chengdu, capital of the southwest province of Sichuan.
\”Major new events like the Luxehills Chengdu Open are important for Chinese golf,\” Liang said. \”I\’m happy to play in such major events to support the development of Chinese golf.\”
Liang, who finished joint-25th at the PGA Tour\’s Sony Open in Hawaii in January, has been one of Asia\’s top-ranked players since winning the European Tour co-sanctioned Singapore Masters in 2007. As well as winning the 2008 Hero Honda Indian Open, he has competed in the last two British Opens, the 2007 PGA Championship and The Masters in 2008.
However, winning tournaments in his homeland still holds massive importance for the Zhongshan-born father of two.
\”I really want to win again in China,\” he said. \”Midea was my best result last year and I\’d really like to build on that against another quality international field at Luxehills. I\’m also excited as it will be my first time playing at Luxehills.\”
Strange will head to Chengdu as OneAsia\’s reigning Order of Merit winner after a great year in which he won the Volvo China Open, OneAsia\’s inaugural event, and finished joint runner-up at the season-ending Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca- Cola.
The Perth-born 32-year-old earned 505,783 U.S. dollars to top the OneAsia Order of Merit ahead of compatriots Adam Scott and Robert Allenby and the likes of South Korean Bae Sang-moon. Strange also recorded a total of five top-10 finishes on the European Tour.
\”OneAsia is a great concept for the region\’s best players competing on a tour that develops golf in those partnering countries,\” Strange said. \”As the winner of last year\’s inaugural Order of Merit, I look forward to opening my 2010 account at the Luxehills Chengdu Open where hopefully last year\’s form will continue.\”
C.B. Fong, General Manager of Luxehills International Country Club, said the early confirmation of such world-class players was great news for the tournament and Chengdu. Luxehills is sponsoring the one-million-dollar Luxehills Chengdu Open on OneAsia after two years of staging smaller events on the former China Tour.
\”We decided to title sponsor and host the Luxehills Chengdu Open on OneAsia due to the top-quality players that the circuit attracts and for its global television coverage. It will give us the same platform as the national Opens of China, Australia, South Korea and Thailand and provide us with international recognition,\” Fong said.
\”With players like Liang Wenchong and Scott Strange confirming early, the Luxehills Chengdu Open promises to be one of the finest tournaments in China and Asia this year,\” he added.
Ben Sellenger, Chief Executive of OneAsia, which recently announced a five-year contract with the ESPN STAR Sports television network, said the field was already building on those seen on last year\’s inaugural five-event circuit.
\”We are truly honored to have both Liang Wenchong and Scott Strange, both 2009 OneAsia champions, kick off the OneAsia season at the Luxehills Chengdu Open,\” Sellenger said.
\”Their presence at the Luxehills Chengdu Open underscores the OneAsia mission to provide Asia-Pacific\’s best golfers with the very best elite playing opportunities possible, bringing them together on one platform to play against a completely full field of the very best opponents from across the region.\”
The Luxehills International Country Club previously hosted two events on the former China Tour, with Chinese Taipei\’s Tsai Chi-huang and China\’s Chen Jian crowned as the respective champions in 2008 and 2009.

Kleybanova, Djokovic bask in title triumphs

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:43:46 +0000

Kleybanova, Djokovic bask in title triumphs

Alisa Kleybanova won her first WTA title at the Malaysian Open yesterday, beating top-seeded Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-2 in an all-Russian final in Kuala Lumpur.

The 21-year-old Kleybanova dominated the Olympic champion, using her raw power and booming first serve to earn most of her points. Once described as the new Monica Seles due to her aggressive play, Kleybanova served four aces in the first set.

\”It has been a tough week with many tough sets and matches. I\’m just so happy to finally claim my first title,\” fourth seed Kleybanova said.

\”I\’ve been waiting so long for this moment, training hard and playing in many tournaments. Everything came together in the final and I would like to thank Elena for the good match.\”

Dementieva, considered the best player without a grand slam title, had cruised into the final without dropping a set. She had lost her serve only twice in four previous matches, but Dementieva was broken twice in the first set yesterday.

Earlier, second-seeded Zheng Jie of China and Chan Yung-jan of Chinese Taipei defeated sisters Anastasia and Arina Rodionova 6-7 (4), 6-2, 10-7 to win the doubles title.

The duo won their first title in just their second event together, and earned US$22,000 for the victory.

Zheng had previously won 12 doubles titles and Chan nine with different partners.

Anastasia Rodionova, who is now an Australian citizen, and younger sister Arina, who is Russian, crumbled in the second set when Zheng and Chan improved their serve.

In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Novak Djokovic defended his Dubai Championships title yesterday, beating Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 in the rain-affected final.

Leading 7-5, 2-0 before rain suspended play on Saturday, the second-seeded Serb was to made to work hard to win his 17th career title in a match lasting 3 hours, 21 minutes.

Djokovic collected US$383,000.

Zheng sent packing in another upset

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:42:46 +0000

Zheng sent packing in another upset

Chang Kai-chen of Chinese Taipei crushed China\’s 20th-ranked and third-seeded Zheng Jie 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The 19-year-old played fearlessly against an opponent ranked 72 places above her and completed a disastrous week for Chinese players after second-seeded Li Na was knocked out by Germany\’s Tatjana Malek on Monday. Both Zheng and Li had reached the semifinals of the Australian Open last month.

Chang took only 75 minutes to set up a quarterfinal date with sixth seed Sybille Bammer of Austria, who earlier trounced Uzbekistan\’s Akgul Amanmuradova 6-3, 6-0.

Elsewhere, Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa reached her first WTA quarterfinal after defeating Malek 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The 26-year-old top-ranked South African was given a scare before eventually prevailing in two hours and 27 minutes.

The first set belonged to the 22-year-old German, who broke her elder opponent twice but Scheepers fought back in the second set. The third set was a battle as the heat and humidity started to take its toll on both players. Scheepers, who is based in Houston, Texas, held out to clinch a quarterfinal date with Ayumi Morita of Japan.

In other results, seventh-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia defeated wildcard entry Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand 6-4, 7-5 to reach the last eight. She will next face top-seeded Elena Dementieva.

In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Andy Murray\’s first tournament since reaching the Australian Open final was ended in the second round of the Dubai Championships by Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-7 (3), 6-4, 4-6 on Wednesday.

Tipsarevic evened his record at 3-3 against Murray, who\’s never had an easy time with the Serb. Tipsarevic rated this latest win highly.

\”One of the biggest wins, surely,\” he said. \”For me, Murray is a contestant to be No. 1 at the end of the season. He played unbelievable tennis at the Australian Open. He was one of the favorites to win the tournament here, for sure.\”

Murray, who converted only three of 12 break chances, begged to differ. \”It is always disappointing to lose, but I did not have much expectation from the tournament.\”

By the end of the round, only three seeds made the last eight after No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France succumbed to Croatia\’s Ivan Ljubicic 5-7, 3-6.

Straight-set wins

In Acapulco, Mexico, top-seeded Fernando Verdasco and Venus Williams both reached the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open with straight-set wins on Wednesday.

Spain\’s Verdasco beat Lukasz Kubot of Poland 6-4, 6-3 while Williams was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Estonia\’s Kaia Kanepi.

The second-seeded players in both the men\’s and women\’s draw also advanced. Fernando Gonzalez of Chile defeated Romanian Victor Hanescu 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-1, and Agnes Szavay of Hungary eased past Czech Renata Voracova 7-5, 6-1.

Defending champion Williams led 4-0 in the first set, but lost four straight games against the 96th-ranked Kanepi.

\”I expect every match to be challenging, especially on this surface,\” the American said. \”At the beginning I had a lead but let it go and from there it was very competitive.\”

Williams won a WTA tournament over the weekend in Dubai and is playing her first tournament this season on clay, her weakest surface.

Verdasco will face seventh-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina, who defeated compatriot Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 7-6 (4) while Gonzalez will next be up against Eduardo Schwank of Argentina, who beat Simon Greul of Germany 7-6 (4), 6-3.

No. 3 David Ferrer of Spain also advanced, beating Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 6-4, 6-1. And another Spaniard, the in-form No. 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero, also reached the quarters, beating Igor Andreev of Russia 6-4, 6-3.

Two-time defending champion Nicolas Almagro of Spain made it to the last eight by edging Richard Gasquet of France 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7).

Karlovic beats Petzschner at Delray Beach

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:41:46 +0000

Karlovic beats Petzschner at Delray Beach

Second-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia beat Philipp Petzschner 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to reach the second round of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
Third-seeded German Benjamin Becker also advanced by defeating Japan\’s Kei Nishikori 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.
Defending champion Mardy Fish advanced when Belgian Christophe Rochus retired at 3-3 in the third set with a back injury.
Fish served up 25 aces against Rochus as he rallied to take the score to 5-7, 6-3 after two sets.
Fourth-seeded Jeremy Chardy of France advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) victory over former two-time champion Xavier Malisse of Belgium.
Sixth-seeded German Florian Mayer beat Australian qualifier Nick Lindahl 6-4, 6-1.

Hass to miss Germanys Davis Cup tie with France

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:40:46 +0000

Hass to miss Germany\’s Davis Cup tie with France

German No. 1 tennis player Tommy Haas was not included in the German Davis Cup team because of his poor form, the team captain Patrick Kuhnen said Tuesday.
Instead, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Benjamin Becker will spearhead the German tie with France in their Davis Cup World Group first round clash to be held in Toulon from March 5-7.
The other two members of the German team will be the Simon Greul and Christopher Kas.
The winner of the clash will advance to the quarterfinals.

Djokovic, Murray advance in Dubai

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:39:46 +0000

Djokovic, Murray advance in Dubai

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and third-seeded Andy Murray advanced to the second round of the Dubai Championships on Monday.

The second-seeded Serb beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-4, 6-4 and Murray defeated Russia\’s Igor Kunitsyn 6-2, 6-3 in Monday\’s first round of the US$1.6 million tournament.

The fourth-ranked Murray had a nervous start, with the first two games lasting more than half an hour. Kunitsyn kept it tight in the third game, but Murray held on for 3-0. The Russian player came back strongly in the next two games, holding his serve and breaking Murray to make it 3-2. But the 22-year-old Briton won the next three games and took the set with a superb forehand.

\”I was actually really out of breath early in the match,\” Murray said, adding that he has hardly trained since the Australian Open, where he lost to Roger Federer in the final. \”I haven\’t practiced that much or trained that much … the second game was incredibly long.\”

Kunitsyn started the second set well, breaking Murray in the first game. But Murray broke back immediately and then held his serve comfortably to go 2-1 up. Murray then broke Kunitsyn a second time in the sixth game and thwarted the Russian\’s attempts to recover by holding his serve for a commanding 5-2 lead.

Murray had to save a break point in the final game, sending down a cracking serve to get back to deuce, but Kunitsyn finally lost on an unforced error.

Murray said overall he was satisfied with his game.

\”I wasn\’t expecting to play my best tennis,\” he said. \”I served well when I needed to. I moved pretty good throughout the match, and yes, it was a perfect start.\”

Murray will play the winner of the match between Serbia\’s Janko Tipsarevic and Andreas Seppi of Italy.

Djokovic broke his opponent twice in the first set and three times in the second. Djokovic started well breaking Garcia-Lopez on his first serve to go 2-0 up, but the Spaniard broke back immediately. Games then went with serve until Garcia-Lopez, serving to stay in the set, double faulted to give Djokovic set point.

The 22-year-old Serb dominated the second set and quickly took a 5-0 lead before Garcia-Lopez fought back, breaking Djokovic twice in the seventh and ninth games to make it 5-4. But Garcia-Lopez failed to hold on to his serve when it mattered most, allowing Djokovic to take the second set 6-4 and with it the match.

\”It was not pleasant coming from 5-Love to 5-4 and (Garcia-Lopez) serving to get back into the match,\” Djokovic said. \”But it was all my fault. I think I lost focus.

\”It\’s the first match outdoors since Australia, so (I am) still getting used to the conditions,\” Djokovic said, adding that he hopes to do better as he looks to defend a title for the first time.

\”It\’s a success that I am still trying to achieve, to defend my title,\” Djokovic said. \”I haven\’t done it in my career so I am really hoping that it\’s going to be this week.\”

Fellow Serb

Djokovic will play fellow Serb Victor Troicki next. Troicki on Monday won his opening match against German Rainer Schuettler 6-3,6-4.

Djokovic, Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Marin Cilic are the only top-10 ranked players in the field after top-ranked Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament on Sunday due to a lung infection.

Also on Monday, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus knocked out eighth-seeded Gilles Simon and advanced to the second round with a straight-sets victory over the French player 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia also advanced after defeating Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

Austrians Jurgen Melzer and Stefan Koubek advanced after both won in straight sets against Simone Bolelli of Italy and Feliciano Lopez of Spain. Melzer beat Bolelli 6-1, 7-5 and Koubek defeated Lopez 7-6, 6-4.

In Kuala Lumpur, Chinese Taipei\’s Chang Kai-Shen edged China\’s Zhang Shuai 7-6 (4), 7-5 at the Malaysian Open yesterday. Another Chinese and tournament\’s second seed Li Na also exited.

Russia\’s Alla Kudryavtseva progressed when Chinese Taipei\’s Chan Yung-jan retired while trailing 0-6, 0-3.