2013/05/23

Sony Ericsson Open Completes List of Wildcard Entires Which Include Venus Williams

The 2012 Sony Ericsson Open announced the complete wildcard entries into the main draw for this year’s tournament. Three-time Sony Ericsson Open winner Venus Williams joins 12 other entrants, for a chance to claim the Sony Ericsson Open title.

 

The women’s main draw begins on Tuesday, March 20, while the men’s main draw kicks off the following day on Wednesday, March 21. The qualifying rounds will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 19 and 20.

 

Tickets to the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open are still available and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyericssonopen.com. An electrifying two weeks of tennis concludes with the women’s final on Saturday, March 31 and the men’s final on Sunday, April 1.

 

Fans typically have to wait until the end of opening week to catch Williams in action, but this year’s tournament will see Williams play on either Tuesday, March 20 or Wednesday, March 21. Other big names will play earlier in the week, including Fernando Gonzalez, who will retire after is Sony Ericsson Open run.

 

Williams plans to make her 2012 debut in Miami, hoping to regain the form that saw her claim three Sony Ericsson Open titles (2001, 1999, 1998). The seven-time Grand Slam champion last appeared on the purple courts in 2010 where she played her way into the final. She has battled through injuries and illnesses this past year, and has not played since the US Open in August.

 

“I am looking forward to my return to competitive tennis at the Sony Ericsson Open,” said Williams. “I have spent most of my life in Southern Florida and view the Sony Ericsson Open as a hometown event.  I have had many great experiences playing there and look forward to returning in the coming weeks.”

 

Gonzalez, a winner of 11 career ATP World Tour Titles, made his professional debut in 1999. In 2007, Gonzalez attained a career high No. 5 ranking after reaching the Australian Open final, in which he posted wins over Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal. He has also had success on the Olympic stage, receiving a bronze medal in singles and gold in doubles with Nicolas Massu at the 2004 Athens games, and a silver medal during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Gonzalez has announced his plans to retire at the conclusion of this year’s Sony Ericsson Open.

 

Additional wildcard entries into the Sony Ericsson Open Main Draw were extended to Ryan Harrison (USA), Jesse Levine (USA), Denis Kudla (USA), Marinko Matosevic (AUS), Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN), Olivia Rogowska (AUS), Alisa Kleybanova (RUS), Bojana Jovanovski (SRB), Heather Watson (GBR), Garbine Muguruza Blanco (ESP) and Zhang Shuai (CHN).

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Venus Williams, Fernando Gonzalez and David Nalbandian Receive Sony Ericsson Open Wildcards

 

The 2012 Sony Ericsson Open announced on Thursday it has extended main draw wildcards to seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, former world No. 5 Chilean Fernando Gonzalez and former world No. 3 David Nalbandian from Argentina.

 

The women’s main draw begins on Tuesday, March 20, while the men’s main draw kicks off the following day on Wednesday, March 21. The qualifying rounds will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 19 and 20.

 

Tickets to the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyrricssonopen.com. An electrifying two weeks of tennis conclude with the women’s final on Saturday, March 31 and the men’s final on Sunday, April 1.

 

Williams plans to make her 2012 debut in Miami, hoping to regain the form that saw her claim three Sony Ericsson Open titles (2001, 1999, 1998). She last appeared on the purple courts in 2010 where she played her way into the final. The seven-time Grand Slam champ has battled through injuries and illnesses this past year, and has not played since the US Open in August.

 

“I am looking forward to my return to competitive tennis at the Sony Ericsson Open,” said Williams.  “I have spent most of my life in Southern Florida and view the Sony Ericsson Open as a hometown event.  I have had many great experiences playing there and look forward to returning in the coming weeks.”

 

Gonzalez, a winner of 11 career ATP World Tour Titles, made his professional debut in 1999. In 2007, Gonzalez attained a career high No. 5 ranking after reaching the Australian Open final, in which he posted wins over Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal. He has also had success on the Olympic stage, receiving a bronze medal in singles and gold in doubles with Nicolas Massu at the 2004 Athens games, and a silver medal during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Gonzalez has announced his plans to retire at the conclusion of this year’s Sony Ericsson Open.

 

“I am very excited to play the Sony Ericsson Open this year,” said Gonzalez. “Miami has a lot of special meaning to me, it is one of my favorite tournaments.  As a child I was a huge fan and I used to love to come and watch the players compete. I chose Miami as my last tournament to play before I retire because I love the atmosphere the Chilean and Latin American fans create when I play. It is something truly special that I will always hold dear to me.”

 

Nalbandian, who made his professional debut in 2000, has a career record of 360-172 and has won 11 career ATP World Tour titles.  In 2010, Nalbandian recorded a career best 11 match-winning streak and during that span he defeated six Top 25 opponents including former No. 5 Robin Soderling and No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko.  In 2011 Nalbandian helped lead Argentina into the Davis Cup final with a singles win over Viktor Troicki in the semi-finals. Nalbandian went on a six-year title winning streak from 2004-2010.

 

“I’m very happy to play the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open,” said Nalbandian. ”Miami has always been one of my favorite tournaments in the tour, so I cannot wait to be in Key Biscayne in March.”

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Nalbandian Stuns Simon; Almagro, Verdasco Move on to Brazil Open Quarterfinals

By Lucia Hoffman

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Defending Brazil Open champion Nicolas Almagro needed three sets to advance to the quarterfinals of the Brazil Open by taking out Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 on Thursday in the Ibirapuera sporting complex.

Almagro feels the difference between the indoor courts  in Sao Paulo and the outdoor courts in Costa do Sauipe where the tournament was held until last year, is the heat, light, and level of humidity. He finds the Brazil Open a “very charming and beautiful event” and he hopes to get to the finals.

Regarding his opponent Hanescu, he laughed when asked about the Romanian’s poker face when playing matches. He said it’s very difficult to read Hanescu’s emotions during the match as he is always very focused.

Almagro was very happy with the way he served against Hanuescu and said that one of the techniques he uses when serving is to choose a point and hit as hard as he can. His serve is a big weapon which sets up a dangerous forehand always ready to attack. And Nicolas is also a patient man out there, making his opponent try a different game plan to break down his solid groundstrokes. Hanuescu did try at times, drop shots, slices and it paid off for him, winning the second set.

Almagro blamed his lack of concentration for losing the second set in the tiebreak 7-4, but was able to focus again in the third set and beat a very focused Hanescu.

With the carnival celebrations and parties happening over the weekend, Almagro said that unfortunately the busy ATP schedule will not allow him to participate, “even if samba is good for foot working skills.” He is going to Buenos Aires next, then to Indian wells and Miami.

Almagro came into the tournament as a wild card to try and defend his title as he was not certain he’s play due his Davis Cup commitment.

Fernando Verdasco, playing in his first match since losing his first round match at the Australian Open to Bernard Tomic  struggled  in a 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-6 win over fellow Spaniard and wild card Javier Marti.

Verdasco seemed unfocused at the end of second set, and made many unforced errors, helping Marti to hold easily and then dominate tie breaker.

Verdasco used his experience to beat young Marti who out played Verdasco for most of the match. Fernando did start focusing better at end of third set, down 2-5. Verdasco found his forehand again, became patient and forced Marti to try to rise to the occasion, which he did not. Verdasco took the next five games and the match.

Verdasco mentioned to media that he will be playing Davis Cup  in the future and that he never said that he would no longer play. He feels that if he is healthy he will play and the Olympics will have no impact on his decision.

David Nalbandian made quick work of  second seed Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-2 in sixty-eight minutes. Simon’s poor serving gave Nalbandian many opportunities to break, which he did four times.

Eighth seed Albert Ramos of Spain knocked out Igor Andreev of Russia 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4). Ramos played a very smart, intense baseline game, with powerful groundstrokes, with killing forehand drives that proved too much for Andreev.

Fifth seed Carlos Berlocq of Argentina defeated Potito Starace of Italy 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Starace seemed little slower in the third set, and Berloq kept balls deep, trying to move his Italian opponent around.

Brazilian No. 1 Thomaz Bellucci will face Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer in the night match on Friday for a spot in the semifinals.

“Bellucci is an aggressive player like me, then the tendency is to take advantage of one who is able to impose its rhythm before,” said Mayer.”It will be nice to play with the crowd excited. I hope we can give a good show.”

Lucia Hoffman is in Sao Paulo covering the Brasil Open for Tennis Panorama News.

ATP World Tour 250
Sao Paulo, Brazil  (-2 hours GMT)
13-19 February, 2012     Surface: Indoor Clay

RESULTS – THURSDAY, 16 FEBRUARY, 2012

Singles – Second Round
[1] [WC] N Almagro (ESP) d V Hanescu (ROU) 63 67(4) 63
D Nalbandian (ARG) d [2] G Simon (FRA) 63 62
[3] F Verdasco (ESP) d [WC] J Marti (ESP) 64 67(2) 75
[5] C Berlocq (ARG) d P Starace (ITA) 36 62 63
[8] A Ramos (ESP) d [Q] I Andreev (RUS) 76(4) 76(4)
L Mayer (ARG) d [Q] J Chardy (FRA) 46 75 62
F Volandri (ITA) d [Q] R Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) 64 16 63

Doubles – Quarter-finals
[1] E Butorac (USA) / B Soares (BRA) d T Bellucci (BRA) / M Melo (BRA) 75 63
[4] M Mertinak (SVK) / A Sa (BRA) d D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) / F Volandri (ITA) 62 61

Doubles – First Round
[3] J Cabal (COL) / R Farah (COL) d S Giraldo (COL) / B Paire (FRA) 76(4) 61
R Mello (BRA) / J Souza (BRA) d D Marrero (ESP) / P Riba (ESP) 67(3) 75 11-9

SCHEDULE – FRIDAY, 17 FEBRUARY, 2012

CENTRE COURT start 12:00 noon
[1] [WC] N Almagro (ESP) vs [5] C Berlocq (ARG)
[3] F Verdasco (ESP) vs [8] A Ramos (ESP)
Not Before 4:30 PM
R Mello (BRA) / J Souza (BRA) vs [2] D Bracciali (ITA) / P Starace (ITA)
Not Before 7:00 PM
F Volandri (ITA) vs D Nalbandian (ARG)
L Mayer (ARG) vs [4] T Bellucci (BRA)

COURT 1 not before 4:00 PM
[3] J Cabal (COL) / R Farah (COL) vs J Chardy (FRA) / G Simon (FRA) – Possible Suitable Rest

 

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Isner in Five, Nalbandian Angry over Controversial Call

David Nalbandian of Argentina returns the ball to Rafael Nadal of Spain, second seed, during third-round action at the U.S. Open held at the National Tennis Center on September 4, 2011 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff

 

MELBOURNE PARK, Australia  – American John Isner rallied form two sets to one down on Wednesday to defeat Argentina’s David Nalbandian 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 10-8 in four hours and forty-one minutes to move on to the third round of the Australian Open.

 

An angry Nalbandian was upset that his request for a line call was denied by umpire Kader Nouni.

“I asked for Hawk‑Eye and he make an overrule,” said Nalbandian. “Because the lineman call out.  He overrule it.  Was a lot of noises, so I asked what happened, because the lineman called out.

“He told me he overruled it.  And I say, Okay, I see the mark.  I say challenge.  Not a big deal.  He don’t want to do it.

“Too late.  How many times everybody check the mark and ask for the Hawk‑Eye?

“So somebody from the umpires or ATP, somebody can explain to me this situation.  I mean, what is this?  This is a Grand Slam.

“Yeah, it was a great match.  But I think I think I lose another one like that, as well:  semifinals US Open with Andy Roddick was another one, more important this second round today.”

“I don’t really know what was going on,”  said Isner, “but, you know, obviously the ump didn’t think he challenged in time.  But maybe because of the crowd noise the ump, you know, couldn’t hear it or whatnot.

“So I don’t know.  I mean, the only thing ‑‑ I just wanted to get to the changeovers and have a sip of water, so…

“No, that break went in my favor, for sure don’t know.  I mean, I think I played the big points better.  I think I was going for my shots more.

“I mean, for two, three hours of that match I felt like he was just so solid, and he was just too solid for me.  Only thing that was keeping me in was my serve, obviously.  He from the back of the court was, you know, just not missing much and, you know, playing aggressively and playing really well.

“I knew he was capable of that.  I mean, I was hoping he wasn’t going to pull it out today.  I felt like he played well, but I just hung in there.  I mean, I was hanging by a thread, but, you know, I kept pulling even, you know, with my serve and I was going for my shots.

“Eventually it paid off.”

 

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“Our Hope is Intact,” Argentina Takes Doubles Rubber on Day 2 of Davis Cup Final

Argentina’s David Nalbandian reacts after winning his Davis Cup tennis match in Buenos Aires March 4, 2011. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci (ARGENTINA – Tags: SPORT TENNIS IMAGES OF THE DAY)

 

David Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank kept hope alive for Argentina in the Davis Cup final when they defeated Feliciano López and Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in the doubles rubber on Saturday in Seville, Spain.

“We played a great game. We’re in very good shape, and the series is still alive,” said Nalbandian. “Our hope is intact.” The win gave Nalbandian his 12th career Davis Cup doubles victory equaling Guillermo Vilas’ record for Argentina.

“We feel alive,” Argentine Davis Cup Captain Tito Vázquez said.

López, who made numerous errors on easy volleys during the match said,“It was not our best day, especially not mine. It was my worst ever Davis Cup match.”

Spain leads Argentina 2-1 going the final day of play on Sunday when the team play reverse singles. Rafael Nadal who has a 16-0 record playing clay will face Juan Martin Del Potro in Sunday’s opening rubber.

Spain’s captain, Albert Costa, said: “Tomorrow we have Nadal and Ferrer to win one point.” Spain is looking to capture it’s fifth Davis Cup title.

“We first have to beat Nadal, which obviously will not be easy,” said Vazquez. “It’s normal (Del Potro) feels tired but I think he’s ready for the challenge tomorrow. To take it to a fifth match we have to win the fourth and that means we have to beat Rafa Nadal. It’s not so simple.”

Argentina has never won Davis Cup but has been a finalist three times before 2011.

Ferrer will play either Juan Monaco or Nalbandian in the final match.

“I’m not pessimistic. Tomorrow we have Nadal and Ferrer to win one point” said Costa.

 

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Davis Cup Final – Day 2 Results

WORLD GROUP FINAL

SPAIN leads ARGENTINA 2-1

Venue: Olympic Stadium, Seville (clay – indoors)

Friday

Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Juan Monaco (ARG) 61 61 62

David Ferrer (ESP) d. Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 62 67(2) 36 64 63

Saturday

David Nalbandian / Eduardo Schwank (ARG) d. Feliciano Lopez / Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 64 62 63

Sunday

Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)

David Ferrer (ESP) v Juan Monaco (ARG)

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Tennis Channel to Air Davis Cup Final This Weekend

Tennis Channel will provide coverage of the Davis Cup final Spain versus Argentina in Seville, Spain, this weekend with live and same-day “Instant Encore” replays Friday through Sunday in a rematch of the 2008 final. World No. 2 Rafael Nadal will lead Spain as it plays for its fifth title overall and first crown since 2009.

The Davis Cup final will consist of two singles matches on Friday, Dec. 2, at 8 a.m. ET, followed by the doubles match Saturday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. ET. Tennis Channel’s coverage concludes with the remaining singles play Sunday, Dec. 4, at 7 a.m. ET. Each of the five matches is worth one point, with the team that wins at least three points winning the Davis Cup title.

 

Coverage from Olympic Stadium, Seville, Spain (all times ET):

Friday, Dec. 2:

8 a.m. – Live Singles #1

11 a.m. – Live Singles #2

{2 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #1}

{5 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #2}

 

Saturday, Dec. 3:

{7 a.m. – Instant Encore Singles #2}

10 a.m. – Live Doubles

{1 p.m. – Instant Encore Doubles}

{4 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #1}

 

Sunday, Dec. 4:

7 a.m. – Live Singles #1

10 a.m. – Live Singles #2

{2 p.m. – Instant Encore Singles #2}

 

Spain is unbeaten in Davis Cup (3-0) against Argentina. The most recent meeting was the 2008 Davis Cup final, when Spain won 3-1 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Spain defeated France 4-1 to advance to the final while Argentina stopped 2010 champion Serbia 3-2 to reach the final.

 

The Spanish team, captained by former player Albert Costa consists of Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez. Argentina’s is lead by captain by Tito Vazquez. Argentina’s team includes Juan Martin del Potro, David Nalbandian, Juan Monaco and Eduardo Schwank.

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Tennis News Net Notes for October 3, 2011

 

In The News

 

Andy Roddick was upset by Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the China Open. During his news conference, Roddick walked out after being questioned by a reporter about whether Roddick should consider retiring. The exchange is shown in the above video.

Upsets of the day

Beijing

K Anderson (RSA) d [6] A Roddick (USA) 64 75
[Q] F Cipolla (ITA) d [8] A Dolgopolov (UKR) 61 16 60
Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. (5) Petra Kvitova (CZE) 76(6) 46 63
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. (7) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 62 62
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. (16) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 62 63

Beijing – Monday Results, Tuesday Schedule

ATP World Tour Tokyo – Monday Results, Tuesday Schedule

 

The Australian Open 2012 was officially launched on Monday. Tournament prize money  will be $26 million, with the men’s and women’s champions each taking home a record $2.3 million

Three-time Australian Open champion Martina Hingis will be back to Melbourne in January for the Australian Open to compete in the inaugural women’s Legends event for women.

Tennis Channel and the French Tennis Federation have agreed to a multiyear extension of the French Open rights. The extension  also includes streaming, digital, mobile, video on demand and “TV Everywhere” rights. The agreement runs through 2015.

 

The ATP ACES For Charity program awarded grants to the Rafa Nadal Foundation, the David Nalbandian Foundation, and the East Japan Earthquake Charity Fund.

 

Business and finance magazine Forbes has valued Roger Federer’s personal brand at $26 million. Forbes has just released a list of the world’s most valuable sports brands and placed the Federer brand second among world athletes.

 

Renée Richards Documentary Makes Broadcast Premiere October 4 on ESPN

Over the weekend Serbian tennis player David Savic ranked 659th, received a lifetime ban, effective immediately by the Tennis Integrity Unit for match fixing. On top of the ban he was fined $100,000.

 

Gael Monfils has withdrawn from next week’s Shanghai Masters with a knee injury.

 

Aleksandra Wozniak is returning to the tour after suffering hemorrhaging in the back of her eye near the retina after she was hit by a ball match at the Albuquerque Challenger.

 WTA Rankings for October 3, 2011

1.  (1)  Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark)        8755 points

2.  (2)  Maria Sharapova (Russia)            6450

3.  (4)  Vera Zvonareva (Russia)             6315

4.  (3)  Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)         6055

5.  (6)  Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic)      5895

6.  (5)  Li Na (China)                       5870

7.  (7)  Samantha Stosur (Australia)         5380

8.  (9)  Kim Clijsters (Belgium)             4501

9.  (8)  Francesca Schiavone (Italy)         4380

10. (10)  Marion Bartoli (France)             4325

11. (11)  Andrea Petkovic (Germany)           4020

12. (13)  Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland)        3945

13. (12)  Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)            3270

14. (14)  Serena Williams (United States)     3180

15. (15)  Peng Shuai (China)                  2825

16. (16)  Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia)   2665

17. (17)  Sabine Lisicki (Germany)            2650

18. (21)  Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)               2470

19. (20)  Julia Goerges (Germany)             2435

20. (18)  Roberta Vinci (Italy)               2420

ATP World Tour Rankings

1.  (1)  Novak Djokovic (Serbia)           14720 points

2.  (2)  Rafa Nadal (Spain)                10575

3.  (3)  Roger Federer (Switzerland)        8380

4.  (4)  Andy Murray (Britain)              7415

5.  (5)  David Ferrer (Spain)               4200

6.  (6)  Robin Soderling (Sweden)           3770

7.  (7)  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France)        2870

8.  (8)  Mardy Fish (U.S.)                  2820

9.  (9)  Gael Monfils (France)              2780

10. (10)  Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic)     2775

11. (11)  Nicolas Almagro (Spain)            2300

12. (12)  Gilles Simon (France)              2255

13. (17)  Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia)          2075

14. (13)  Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina)  2030

15. (14)  Andy Roddick (United States)       1995

16. (15)  Viktor Troicki (Serbia)            1980

17. (16)  Richard Gasquet (France)           1900

18. (18)  John Isner (United States)         1815

19. (19)  Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine)      1745

20. (20)  Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland)   1720

Last week’s rankings in parentheses

 



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Nadal, Zvonareva advance, Young Upsets Chela on Day Seven of the U.S. Open
 
		
		
		

			
Rafael Nadal of Spain, second seed, returns the ball to David Nalbandian of Argentina during third-round action at the U.S. Open held at the National Tennis Center on September 4, 2011 in New York.     UPI/Monika Graff


  


 


FLUSHING MEADOWS, New York – Nadal, Zvonareva advance, Stosur and Kirilenko play longest tiebreak, Young upsets Chela on day seven of the U.S. Open.


Nadal moves on but gives media a scare in the post-match news conference


No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal rallied in the opening set against David Nalbandian and stayed in control the rest of the way in a 7-6 (5), 6-1, 7-5 win.


“Very happy the first set and second set I think I played a very high level, said Nadal.  “Even if he was beating me 4-2 and 5-4 on serve, I was very pleased about how I played the first set, no?  He was playing fantastic in my opinion at the beginning. I didn’t have unforced errors.  I played well.  I just tried to wait my moment.


“I happy about almost everything today.  I think my movements worked pretty well, and the forehand worked really well, and the backhand, too. Just when I had to win the match with the 5-3 I played a really bad game there.  For the rest of the match, I happy about everything.”




During Nadal’s Spanish language news conference, the Spainiard called for his trainer and slid out of his chair, later treated for leg cramps.


Nadal’s assessment of his first week at the U.S. Open: “I think I played every day better.  Today for moments I played, my opinion, very, very positive level, very high level.  I am happy about two weeks here.  I arrived Monday after Cincinnati.  I practiced Monday.  Since I arrived here I think everything was really positive.  Even if I lose next round, for me was a positive week.  After Wimbledon I had the injury; I didn’t practice a lot.  I practiced seven days but really with motivation three days.  And the allusion for the competition, the allusion to come back, you know, was tough at the beginning, because I was a little bit too tired mentally, a little bit too tired physically. But after two weeks of practice in Montreal, Cincinnati, I arrived here and I have the right motivation.  That’s the most important thing for me, be happy playing tennis, have the motivation to go on court every day, and to try the best in every moment.  That’s what I did here.  That’s the way to do it, and that’s why I’m still playing tennis.  That’s why I want to keep working hard the rest of the year and next year, no?  Accept all the difficulties, the problems, and try to play another time at my best.  The next opponent will be tough one.  I already lost with him in Wimbledon 2005.  This year was tough, especially tough, two sets against him in Wimbledon   fourth round, too, I think.  Fourth or    I think it was fourth round, no?  (Through translation.)  Was tough, really tough third round.  He’s a very aggressive player.  Fantastic serve.  I have to move him.  Probably his movements are the worst thing, but the rest of the game can be really dangerous.”


 


 


The longest WTA tiebreak


Samantha Stosur advanced with a 6-2, 6-7 (15), 6-3 in 2 hours 37 minutes over Maria Kirilenko, in the middle of which produced a record- making tiebreak.


“I just had to come out and keep doing what I was doing,” Stosur told a reporter courtside about how she kept focus after losing the second set tiebreak 17-15.


The tiebreak was said to be the longest in women’s Grand Slam history.


Meanwhile, in the night session, Vera Zvonareva took out Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 6-3.


 


Young knocks off second consecutive seed


 


Twenty-two year-old American Donald Young fresh off of his upset of Stanislas Wawrinka, upset the 24th seed Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina



“Pretty much every time I play here (US Open) they’re a hundred percent for me, said Young.  “It feels great.  At times it can be really good, and at times they can want you to win so bad they say a lot of things that at the time I know they mean well, but you’re kind of upset about it.  Other than that, the crowd was great.  Without them, I wouldn’t have won at all today.  I don’t think I would have had a chance because, like I said, I was kind of getting a little fatigued.  The energy was kind of going away.  They definitely pushed me through.


“I’m not to where I want to be physically wise.  I just want to just keep working on my game and get better.  There’s a lot of things I can improve.  I feel like you can always improve and never feel like you know everything, which was probably a big thing of mine.  I felt I didn’t need to work as hard as other people.  You know, talent beats hard work when talent doesn’t work hard.”


Young will face Andy Murray in the round of 16 whom he defeated earlier this year at the BNP Paribas Open.

Cry for me Argentina


On the men’s side Argentina had a rough day – all three men who played singles on Sunday lost. Juan Martin Del Potro fell to Gilles Simon, David Nalbandian lost to Rafael Nadal and Juan Ignacio Chela was bested by Donald Young.


 


Advancing Seeds


Women


(2) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. (22) Sabine Lisicki (GER) 62 63

(9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. (25) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 62 67(15) 63

(26) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. (13) Peng Shuai (CHN) 64 76(6)







Men


[2] R Nadal (ESP) d D Nalbandian (ARG) 76(5) 61 75

[4] A Murray (GBR) d [25] F Lopez (ESP) 61 64 62

[5] D Ferrer (ESP) d [26] F Mayer (GER) 61 62 76(2)

[12] G Simon (FRA) d [18] J del Potro (ARG) 46 76(5) 62 76(3)

[21] A Roddick (USA) d J Benneteau (FRA) 61 64 76(5)

[28] J Isner (USA) d A Bogomolov Jr. (USA) 76(9) 64 64


 


Seeds Upset


D Young (USA) d [24] J Chela (ARG) 75 64 63


 


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Filed Under: Features, Front Page News, news conference, tennis news, tournaments  Tagged With: , , , ,  

	

		


				
Juan Ignacio Ceballos of ESPN Deportes on Approach Shots
 
		
		
		

			


Juan Ignacio Ceballos of ESPN Deportes at US Open




Meet Juan Ignacio Ceballos, the Coordinating Producer for all editions of SportsCenter for ESPN Deportes, ESPN Dos and ESPN Latin America North.


TPN: How did you become a producer, what was the path that led you to ESPN Deportes? Did you always want to work in sports?


JC: I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1973. Lucky me: I was part of the tennis boom in Argentina in late 70s, brought to us by Guillermo Vilas. So I started to play tennis at 6, and fell in love with it since then. Actually, I was a natural born sports fan, and that led to my journalism career.


From 1992 thru 2000 I worked for newspapers Clarin and Página 12 in Argentina. I also wrote for El Gráfico, the most renowned sports magazine in Latin America. I covered Grand Slam tournaments and Davis Cup. And then in late 2000 I jumped to TV, when ESPN launched its first SportsCenter version in Latin America. I kept traveling to Grand Slams as a news producer.


In 2004 I moved to México City, to help launch SportsCenter for ESPN Deportes, the new Spanish speaking ESPN network for the US and never went back to my country. Now I’m Coordinating Producer of all editions of SportsCenter for three networks: ESPN Deportes (US), Latin America North (México, Central America and the Caribbean) and ESPN Dos (same territory). I oversee our daily radio show ESPN Radio Fórmula. I’m also involved in the Spanish speaking version of E:60 (which debuted on July 19th ).  I supervise content for our ESPN The Magazine Mexico monthly publication.


Tennis? I saw Franco Squillari, Mariano Zabaleta, Mariano Puerta, Guillermo Cañas, Gaston Gaudio, Juan Ignacio Chela, David Nalbandian, Guillermo Coria grow up. I wrote their stories back then, and witnessed their success.


Now I write an Insider column in The Mag México and ESPN Deportes La Revista in the US, and I have a blog on ESPNDeportes.com.


Sadly, I can’t travel that much.  But I have a blast each season when I leave my Coordinating Producer duties and become a field producer during the ATP/WTA tournament in Acapulco. Best week of the year, by far.


 


TPN: How different is it being a producer for tennis versus other sports?


JC: From my perspective, tennis is a very good sport to work as a journalist/producer. You can have nice access to players for one-on-one interviews or special features. Very different to, let’s say, soccer. This year in Acapulco, for example, we got the chance to shoot a piece of Milos Raonic doing jet-ski with his girlfriend. We did exclusive photo sessions with WTA players for our magazine. And so on. But the challenge is the same for any coverage in every sport: to find good content. Original, entertaining, compelling.


TPN: Does ESPN Deportes have a “philosophy” when it comes to covering tennis? Does it differ from ESPN’s philosophy?


JC: Our main focus is on Latin American players along with the stars of the game. Tennis is huge in South America, especially in Argentina. ESPN Latam telecasts down there rate better than all other sports except soccer. We have on-site coverage in all four Grand Slams and some other tournaments during the year. But in United States tennis is not that popular into the US Hispanic population. It is behind soccer, boxing, baseball, football, basketball. So we focus our content on the best ones: (Roger) Federer, (Rafael) Nadal, (Novak) Djokovic, Williams sisters. And we look for good stories to tell.


TPN: You are on Twitter. How important do you think Twitter is to Spanish speaking tennis fans and to tennis fans in general?


JC: Twitter exploded a bit later in Latin America than in the US. But now it is huge. For tennis fans, it is a new way to be in touch with the game: latest scores, news, and lot of opinion and analysis. I think it’s the same for Spanish speaking fans as for the rest of the world. Twitter also allows you the get access to the players. Read what they say. Watch what they do. It is fun. It is great. Let’s see: (Juan Martin) Del Potro has 343 thousand followers. More than (Novak) Djokovic. (David) Nalbandian and (Juan) Monaco are near two hundred thousand each. More than Caro(line) Wozniacki. And Delpo (Juan Martin Del Potro), Nalbi (Nalbandian) and Pico (Juan Monaco) tweet in Spanish! That is big. Who follows them? Spanish speaking tennis fans, for sure. So Twitter is especially engaging for our stars and our fans. It also shows you how massive this sport is in our region.


TPN: What do you see for the future in terms of tennis coverage?


JC: New technologies brought the concept of new media in journalism. Instant access to news and information. Easier ways to shoot and deliver. New platforms other than TV and newspapers. Our readers/viewers/users are hungrier than ever to get more and more, as fast as you can. Even the athlete now delivers without any filter. It’s great for tennis: you can choose online which court do you want to watch in Grand Slams; you can have journos, players, coaches analyzing matches on Twitter; you can know what players are thinking or doing, if they decide to share. But the foundation remains the same: only if you put a great performance, people will watch. And if you tell it like it is, write it like it is… if you explain, report, analyze, in an entertaining and engaging way, your work will be valuable. But now you have more than a mic or a piece of paper to express yourself. Tennis fans know it, and demand you to be good not only in front of a camera or typing with your keyboard, but also telling them what’s going on in 140 characters.


Read Ceballos’ columns on ESPN Deportes: http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/blogs/index?name=juan_ignacio_ceballos&cc=3888 and follow him on twitter at @juaniceballos http://twitter.com/juaniceballos


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