2013/05/22

Thirteen American Men Accepted Into Australian Open Qualies

James Blake

James Blake

(December 18, 2012) Thirteen American men have been accepted into the Qualifying draw of the 2013 Australian Open. They include James Blake, Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, Denis Kudla, Alex Kuznetsov, Wayne, Rajeev Ram, Tennys Sandgren, Tim Smyczek, Ryan Sweeting, Michael Yani and Donald Young.

 

Rhyne Williams also was accepted into qualifying, but Williams claimed a wild card entry into the main draw by winning the USTA Australian Open Wild Card Playoff last weekend. Bradley Klahn and Daniel Kosakowski are the second and third listed alternates, respectively.

 

The 2013 Australian Open qualifying tournament begins on January 7 in Melbourne.

 

The USTA reports that Jesse Levine is listed as an American on the Australian Open qualifying acceptance list, but will be representing Canada in Melbourne.

 

The Australian Open women’s qualifying acceptance list will be announced at a later date.

 

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James Blake Joins Players In Raising Money To Benefit Those Affected By Hurricane Sandy

( November 12, 2012) James Blake, who currently resides (and grew up) in Connecticut, is helping raise money to benefit those affected by Hurricane Sandy. He’s auctioning off three of his match jerseys featuring his autograph along with those of top American tennis stars Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross.

“Seeing the devastation in areas I grew up around is difficult,” said Blake. “The people of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are surely resilient, but there’s still room for us all to help. I’ve selected the Red Cross because it does an amazing job on multiple levels; it provides everything from food and blankets to mental health support for those affected.”

The eBay Giving Works auctions last 7 days. Those who want to make a bid can go to:

EBay Jerseys

For more details visit www.JamesBlakeTennis.com

Blake wed long-time girlfriend Emily Snider on Friday, according to People Magazine. The couple have a five-month old daughter named Riley Elizabeth.

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Raonic Rockets Past Blake at US Open

FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Fifteenth seed Milos Raonic of Canada blasted 29 aces past American James Blake for a 6-3, 6-0, 7-6(3) win to advance to the fourth round to meet Andy Murray.
The win makes Raonic the first Canadian since Martin Laurendeau back in 1988 to reach the fourth round at the US Open.
On top of serving well Raonic broke Blake’s serve five times and hit 54 winners.
“It was a good day on serve for me,” said the Canadian. “But I can get better.
“I served well but I got a bit tight in the third set. I was able to clear that up in the tiebreaker though.”
Raonic does not think that Murray’s long match will make any difference when they play.”Two days is a long time, we will have to wait and see,” he said. “I only have to worry about taking care of myself and my game. I do what I need to do to get ready. I need to go out there and take the match from him.
“You give the top four guys a lot of respect, but I think my win over him was good experience. It humanizes the guy. I need to do the right things in our next match.
“The opportunities will be there, I just need to take them.”

“In the end of it, my job is to go out there and make my opponents adjust to me. I feel like I have the ability to be more dangerous than most players when I have the ball on my racquet, especially out of my hand on a serve. That just puts a lot of pressure on my opponents if I’m serving well. So it’s one thing I try to take advantage of as much as I can, is that a lot of matches can depend on me. I’m the one to blame. I just try to make the most of those moments. And when I don’t make the most of the moments I missed a few against Roger earlier this year try to learn as much as I can from them and try to avoid making the same mistakes.”

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Notes and Quotes from Day 1 of the 2012 US Open

FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – Some of the more off-beat questions and answers from Day 1 of the 2012 US Open.
Q.  Not too many WTA players are named Sam.  Can you take a moment and say like what the upside of having a name like that is, is there any downside, or give us on a rainy day a good story about your name.
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  No, there is no downside.  I’m happy ‑‑ I guess over the course of my life, my career, Samantha got shortened to Sam.  The one person that always called me Samantha was my grandfather.  It’s good.  You certainly don’t get confused in the locker room.  You hear your name and you know it’s about you.
It’s fine.
 
Q.  So is your grandfather a traditionalist and not happy for it to be shortened?
SAMANTHA STOSUR:  Yeah, I guess he was.  My mom and dad only called me Samantha when I was little and did something naughty, so I didn’t hear it too often, I don’t think.
I guess it’s one of those names that is not as common.
Q.  You very obviously are one of the best tennis players in the world, but you talk about sort of putting match after match together.  Could you talk about the art of sort of putting seven big matches together on the biggest stage?  Part of that of course is getting past the big three or four that we now have in men’s tennis.
JOHN ISNER:  Yeah, I don’t really know much about that art.  Actually, I have never done it.  (Laughter.)  The closest I have come was last year at this tournament.  I had a little bit of a taste of what it’s like.
You know, I know it’s so tough.  You know, I think for me, my goal is, my first goal is to get through the first week.  That’s so, so hard.
You know, I want to win my first few matches and take it from there.  I was able to get to do that last year.  My round of 16 match I won.  It was a really close match, and I had to turn around and play the very next day because of all the rain.  That was a bit of a tough turnaround.  Ran into a guy who was just better than me.
You know, like I said, I don’t know much about it, but I know it’s very hard.  I got to the quarterfinals last year, and I’d love to get back to that spot this year and have another crack at it.
Q.  Do you feel anything different in your game since you started working with Carlos?
NA LI:  Maybe a little bit change; maybe not.
 
Q.  What changed?
NA LI:  I say maybe change; maybe not.  (Laughter.)
Q.     Families sometimes can be very, very tricky.  What was the hardest part day in, day out of having your husband as your coach?
NA LI:  Yeah.  I mean, after I got new coach I think for both me and my husband I think much, much easier.  Love is love; coach is coach.  You have to separate.
You know, I mean, after I change the coach, didn’t say my husband didn’t do a good job.  I think he’s still doing good job.  But for both sometimes it’s too much, you know.  Like it’s really tough to find a balance between coaching and husband.

Q.  After all the development, the planning, the trips to Spain, it’s finally going to come out, if I understand correctly, but there’s a little bit of a problem.  There’s a guy named Roger Federer who has Lindor truffles.  As a marketing person now, how would you tell America to try Sugarpova and not Roger’s?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:  Well that’s chocolate.  Mine are gummies and gumballs.  It’s like, What’s your preference?  That’s made in Switzerland; this is made in Spain.  No, a lot of differences.

I mean, those are quite different.  I’m just happy that it’s finally over with.  I worked on it for a long time.  There’s not much to be done from my end in a way except promote it and letting the world know about it.

Q.  Ultimately can a gumball stand up to a truffle?

MARIA SHARAPOVA:  It depends what your preference is.  I mean, mid‑afternoon I’m not a big truffle person; I’m more of a gum girl.  But it depends what everybody likes.

Q.  Are you to the point in your career where you’re starting to get old jokes from your peers?
JAMES BLAKE:  I have been that way for a while.  The thing is I knew I was going to get them, because when I was a kid starting out around here I dished them out.  So I knew they would come back to haunt me.
I remember I used to make fun of Todd Martin.  Todd Martin was one of my key guys I would get.  I made fun of him for taking so long to warm up, for his gray hair, for all that kind of stuff, for just in general being old.
He said, Just wait, just wait.  You will be, too.  Now I’m getting it from everyone.  I deserve it, because if I dish it out, I’ve got to be able to take it.  I’m getting the old jokes, the grandpa jokes, and I’m okay with that.
Q.  There was stunning news about Lance.  In our sport, there has been incidents.  Do you think the situation of performance enhancements are under control in tennis?  Is there any problem?  What are your thoughts on that topic?
JAMES BLAKE:  In tennis I think they do a great job of testing.  Of course at times it’s inconvenient to me when I get woken up at 6:00 a.m. to pee in a cup.  It’s their job.  I know they’re doing it.  I know if they’re doing it to me, they’re doing it to everyone else.  I’m happy too do that.
I may not be cheery at 6:00 in the morning when they’re coming, but I’m happy to do that and I’m happy to take part of in the USADA and WADA regulations.
I don’t know what to think about Lance.  Cycling has seen what seems to be like the steroid era in baseball where it seems like everyone is clouded.  You don’t know.  Like he said, he’s passed like 500,600 tests.
But have no idea.  I don’t know Lance at all.  Never met him.  I don’t know what he’s like.  I know his story is inspirational.  I know how many people he’s helped.  That’s incredible.  However he did it, it’s still inspirational, no matter what he did.
He’s definitely someone that makes a difference in this world in a positive way.  I don’t know if erasing seven titles will matter in terms of his true meaning to this world, because it’s going to be a positive one no matter if he has seven titles or not.
In tennis I think I’m sure there are guys who are doing it, getting away with it, and getting ahead of the testers.  But, you know, I do my best to go out there and win and give myself whatever advantage I can legally in terms of just protein shakes and Gatorade and that kind of stuff.
I’ve gotta believe it’s out there at a level playing field, but I also am realistic with this much money involved, $1.9 million for the winner of the US Open, people will try to find a way to get ahead.
It’s unfortunate, but I hope tennis is doing the best job of trying to catch those guys trying to beat the system.
Q.  Along those lines, do you have any theories on Federer as a parent, fountain of youth thing going on here?
JAMES BLAKE:  The guy’s a freak.  He’s so good.  It’s really incredible.  I could spend another hour talking about the things I’m impressed with by him.  His streak of quarterfinals, most people would have that an incredible streak just to play that many slams in a row, and he has to make it make quarterfinals or better.
To do it at that level and not injure yourself is amazing.  It’s so easy to go out and roll your ankle or tear up your knee or for your back to be sore.  For him not to do that is amazing.  I think it shows how much work he probably puts in stretching, getting his body strong enough and physically ready to play all these slams.
You know, he has the luxury of being able to pick and choose his tournaments.  He obviously is pretty comfortable with his ranking and where he’s sitting not needing to worry about that, but it’s still really, really impressive.  He focuses on the big picture and is always ready for these slams.
I need to worry about one match at a time.  I can’t worry about quarters or semis or finals right now.
I’m still kind of scratching to get through these matches and get my confidence back and feel like I’m ready to compete.  I don’t think that will change if I’m playing someone that’s 1, 2, or 3 in the world.
I have been fortunate enough.  I am an elder statesman.  I have been around and have won a lot of matches.  I have beaten guys 1 in the world, I’ve beaten guys that are top 3, top 4, top 5 plenty of times.  There is no reason for me to go out there and play one of those guys and be scared.
I think it will take an unbelievable effort.  I will have to play my best tennis.
Q.  First round do you worry too much about your performance or is it just a case of trying to get through?
ANDY MURRAY:  I won in three sets.  You know, I didn’t serve very well.  Only lost seven games in three sets, so I must have done something well today.
Bogomolov, you know, I think he was seeded here last year.  He made the third round.  He plays his best tennis on the hard courts.  He’s a tough player.
So, I mean, I played fairly well from the back of the court.  I just would have liked to have served a bit better because, you know, I wasn’t getting many free points on my serve.
Because of that, there were a lot more rallies.  When he’s in a rhythm, he’s tough to break down.
 
Q.  I meant more in general in first‑round matches do you worry too much about your performance?
ANDY MURRAY:  No.  I mean, sometimes I play great at the start of tournaments and not done well; sometimes I’ve played badly and got better.
I mean, in Australia this year I struggled in my first‑round match with my game a bit.  Physically didn’t feel great.  Then went on to have a good tournament.
You know, the first‑round matches are tricky.  Like I say, the conditions were hard today for both of us.  That’s probably why it was quite an up‑and‑down match.
Q.  Do the other players see Andy Murray differently now that he’s won the Olympics or does it not compare to a Grand Slam?
IVAN DODIG:  No, I think is for me like these four players, everybody can beat everybody.  Of course with these Olympics he showed that he’s ready for big things, so we will see.
Everybody exciting about him.

Q.  Are you working with Mark Knowles here?  You guys in a lot of ways are peers.

MARDY FISH:  He’s like 20 years older than me (laughter).  Just kidding.

No, he’s helped me a ton.  Maybe none more evident than tonight when I lost my serve in both of those sets to serve it out and still was able to mentally focus back and realize that, you know, I haven’t just lost the set, he’s just gotten even in the set so there’s still opportunities to win the set.

In times past maybe I would have struggled with that scenario, especially twice in a row.  And that’s hard.  Any time you lose one of those two sets, you’re in a dogfight.  I knew that if I did win that second set, that was going to be a big, big factor in the match.

I mean, that’s a long way back for him after two hours of pretty physical tennis.  It’s pretty humid out there.  Not necessarily the heat, but the humidity.  You could feel it.  It’s pretty humid.  That was pretty physical.

So that was a long way back for him, so obviously felt good to win that.

 

Q.  On a scale of 1 to 10, how good was your serve today, knowing what you can do on a good day?

JACK SOCK:  I think my second serve was a 9.63.  I think my first serve was pretty good.  I mean, when I missed the first serve, I think my second serve really helped me.  I was able to start off the point ahead even with the second serve.

When I think I was down a game, my serve was a 10 coming up big on some points where I was down or some games where I was down.

Q.  A lot of Europeans want to win Roland Garros or Wimbledon; for many Americans it’s winning the US Open or becoming No. 1.  If I recall correctly, you said your goal for your career is to make friends.  Could you to talk about that.

KIM CLIJSTERS:  I don’t think I said it that way.  Obviously my goal in my career was obviously to be the best tennis player that I can be, but at the same time not be, you know, antisocial and not spend 15 years on tour, and when you step away from the sport not having any friends at the end of the day.

I think, you know, it’s not like I started on tour when I was 25 and I built up kind of a normal friendship base when I was home.  My friends were girls from tour.  You know, I have a few friends at home, but I think a lot of the girls I was close with, a lot of the girls, we went through puberty together, boyfriends on tour, and I think it’s something that we shared and talked about.

I don’t like to be on tour and not talking to players or not knowing kind of what’s behind the tennis player.  It’s not like it was the most important thing because I was here to play tennis, and still am.  But at the same time, there’s a place for work and focus and at the other times there is the social part.

Karen Pestaina is covering the US Open as media for Tennis Panorama News. Follow her updates on twitter at @TennisNewsTPN.

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Americans Blake and Sock Gain Second Round at US Open

 

James Blake

FLUSHING MEADOWS –  American “elder statesman” James Blake and the “new kid on the block” Jack Sock advanced to the second  round of the US Open on Monday.

In a rain interrupted match on Louis Armstrong, 32-year-old Blake defeated Lukas Lacko Slovakia 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

“It’s a good feeling,” said Blake of the win.  “You know, every time I come back here it’s still sort of the goosebumps walking out on Louis Armstrong or Arthur Ashe.  I’m excited, and I get a lot of ticket requests.  I get to see my fans and friends having a good time.  That definitely keeps my spirits up, keeps my head up throughout the whole match.

“I can’t believe that it’s been I think 12 years I have been playing here just about every year.  You know, it still doesn’t feel normal.  It’s still an incredible feeling to be here and to be doing what I dreamed of as a kid.”

Blake  who is playing the tournament as a wildcard was asked about what it will take for an American like himself or John Isner to break through and make a run against the top three players.

“ I need to worry about one match at a time,” the 32-year-old Blake said.  “I can’t worry about quarters or semis or finals right now.

“I’m still kind of scratching to get through these matches and get my confidence back and feel like I’m ready to compete.  I don’t think that will change if I’m playing someone that’s 1, 2, or 3 in the world.

“I have been fortunate enough.  I am an elder statesman.  I have been around and have won a lot of matches.  I have beaten guys 1 in the world, I’ve beaten guys that are top 3, top 4, top 5 plenty of times.  There is no reason for me to go out there and play one of players those guys and be scared.

“I think it will take an unbelievable effort.  I will have to play my best tennis.”

Jack Sock led 27th seed Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-2, 3-2 when the German retired with an illness. “I think today is definitely good for the confidence and good for the overall game and everything going into the next round,” said the young American in his second-ever win at the US Open.

“I think my serve was definitely pretty reliable when I was down.  I was down Love‑30 once or twice, down Love‑40 once.  Came up with some good serves, first‑ball combos.  I think that was definitely some turning points, not letting him get a break and not letting him get some momentum back.

The 19-year-old loves playing on the Grandstand court. “ You can’t ask for a better tournament, a better atmosphere, a better environment,” sock said.  “That grandstand court was awesome.  The fans were pretty close and really into it.  It was a great environment.  I’d love to play on there again sometime.”

Jack Sock paired with Melanie Oudin last year to win the US Open Mixed Doubles title.

Karen Pestaina is covering the US Open as media for Tennis Panorama News. Follow her updates on twitter at @TennisNewsTPN.

 

http://youtu.be/mHdIs5yHOSM

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Blake, Hewitt and others Receive US Open Wild Cards

The USTA announced on Tuesday that 2001 US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, along with two-time US Open quarterfinalist James Blake and reigning NCAA singles champion Steve Johnson have been awarded men’s singles main draw wild card entries into the 2012 US Open Tennis Championships. Other Americans receiving a wild card include 2010 US Open boys’ singles champion Jack Sock, 2010 US Open boys’ singles finalist Denis Kudla, 2012 USTA Boys’ 18s singles champion Dennis Novikov, and current world No. 100 Rajeev Ram. France’s Guillaume Rufin will also receive a wild card.

 

The 2012 US Open will be played August 27 – September 9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn a record $1.9 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.9 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Emirates Airline US Open Series.  The US Open Men’s Singles Championship is presented by Mercedes-Benz USA.

 

Hewitt, 31, of Adelaide, Australia, received his wild card through a reciprocal arrangement with Tennis Australia, which grants a men’s singles main draw wild card into the 2013 Australian Open to a player designated by the USTA.  He is a former world No. 1 and the winner of 28 career singles titles, including the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon.

 

Blake, 32, of Tampa, Fla., reached the  quarterfinals of the 2005 US Open as a wild card, upsetting Rafael Nadal before losing to Andre Agassi in a five-set thriller. Blake peaked at No. 4 in the world in 2006 and again reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 US Open and the final of the year-end Tennis Masters Cup. He has captured 10 ATP World Tour singles titles and holds a 21-12 career record (18-11 in singles) for the U.S. in Davis Cup, and was a member of the 2007 championship team.

Johnson, 22, of Orange, Calif., earned a wild card based on USTA Pro Circuit results; this year, the USTA awarded one US Open men’s singles wild card to the American who earned the most ATP ranking points at two of four USTA Pro Circuit hard-court events. In his final season at USC this year, Johnson went undefeated in singles to claim his second straight NCAA singles title and also led USC to its fourth team title in his four years at the school. Last year, Johnson pushed Top 50 player Alex Bogomolov to five sets in the first round of the US Open as a wild card. Johnson is currently ranked a career-high No. 237 in the world.

 

Sock, 19, of Lincoln, Neb., won the 2010 US Open boys’ singles title, becoming the first American to win the title since Andy Roddick in 2000. Sock earned US Open main draw wild cards in 2010 and 2011 by winning the USTA Boys’ 18 National Championships. Last year, he became the first reigning USTA Boys’ 18s winner in 15 years to win a round at the US Open; he fell to Roddick in the second round. Also last year, Sock captured the US Open mixed doubles title with Melanie Oudin.

 

Kudla, 20, of Arlington, Va., started 2012 by qualifying for the Australian Open—his Grand Slam main draw debut—and reached the second rounds of the ATP events in San Jose and Indian Wells. He reached the 2010 US Open boys’ singles final (losing to Sock) and rose to No. 3 in the world junior rankings. The Ukrainian-born Kudla is a two-time practice partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team and peaked at No. 160 in the world this month.

 

Novikov, 18, of San Jose, Calif., earned his US Open wild card by winning the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships, and he also won the USTA Boys’ 18s doubles title (with Michael Redlicki) to secure a wild card into the US Open doubles main draw. The Russian-born Novikov reached the boys’ singles quarterfinals at the 2010 US Open and has been playing primarily on the USTA Pro Circuit, reaching the quarterfinals of the Futures in Rochester, N.Y., in July. He will play for UCLA this fall.

 

Ram, 28, of Carmel, Ind., is ranked No. 100 and reached two ATP semifinals this summer at the Emirates Airline US Open Series event in Los Angeles and the grass-court event in Newport, R.I. Ram owns six ATP doubles crown and is one of the most accomplished players in USTA Pro Circuit history, with seven singles finals appearances (two titles) and 22 doubles titles, which is second all-time. Ram also helped the University of Illinois to an undefeated season and NCAA team title in 2003.

 

Rufin, 22, of Charnay, France, received his wild card through a reciprocal arrangement with the French Tennis Federation, which granted a wild card into the 2012 French Open to a player designated by the USTA (Brian Baker earned the 2012 USTA French Open wild card through the USTA Pro Circuit tournament-based system this year).  Rufin is currently ranked a career-high No. 127. He qualified for and reached the second round of Wimbledon this year.

 

In addition to the eight US Open men’s singles main draw wild cards, the USTA also announced eight men who have been awarded wild card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, which will be held August 21-24 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.  One additional US Open qualifying wild card will be awarded to the winner of the 2012 US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship, taking place August 17-20 in New Haven, Conn.

 

Players receiving 2012 US Open qualifying wild cards are: 2009 US Open boys’ singles finalist Chase Buchanan (21, Columbus, Ohio), the 2012 NCAA doubles champion, who completed his senior year at Ohio State; 2012 USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships runner-up Alexios Halebian (18, Hollywood, Calif.); Christian Harrison (18, of Shreveport, La.), who reached the quarterfinals or better of five USTA Pro Circuit events this year, including the $50,000 Challenger in Lexington, Ky., and is the younger brother of U.S. Davis Cupper and Olympian Ryan Harrison; Bradley Klahn (21, Poway, Calif.), the 2010 NCAA men’s singles champion who just completed his senior year at Stanford; Daniel Kosakowski (20, Huntington Park, Calif.), who turned professional last year after his freshman year at UCLA; Mitchell Krueger (18, Fort Worth, Texas), who advanced to the boys’ singles semifinals at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year; and two former University of Tennessee All-Americans who both turned pro last summer – Tennys Sandgren (21, Gallatin, Tenn.), who has won three USTA Pro Circuit titles this year; and 2011 NCAA men’s singles runner-up Rhyne Williams (21, Knoxville, Tenn.), who went 12-3 in singles in a string of ITF Circuit events in Europe this spring.

 

 

The 2012 US Open will be held Monday, August 27, through Sunday, September 9.  Tickets for the 2012 US Open can be purchased four ways: 1) at USOpen.org; 2) by calling Ticketmaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX; 3) at all Ticketmaster outlets; or 4) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office.  American Express is the Official Card of the US Open.

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Blake, Stephens, Giorgi receive Cincinnati Wild Cards

CINCINNATI (August 1, 2012) - The Western & Southern Open has awarded three more wild cards to James Blake for the men’s tournament and to Sloane Stephens and Camila Giorgi for the women’s tournament. The event will be held August 11-19 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.
The American Blake joins countrymen Brian Baker, Ryan Harrison and Sam Querrey as wild cards for the ATP Masters 1000 event, while Stephens and Giorgi join Venus Williams as wild card entrants into the WTA Premier 5 event.

Blake reached the Cincinnati final in 2007, where he lost to Roger Federer. He has a 14-10 career record at the tournament, and also owns a doubles crown, having won it in 2002 with Todd Martin. In 2006, the former Harvard standout reached a career high ranking of No. 4 on the ATP World Tour.

The 19-year-old Floridian Stephens broke into the Top 50 in the rankings earlier this month after she advanced to the fourth round at the French Open and then the third round at Wimbledon. She will be making her second career appearance in the Cincinnati main draw.

Giorgi is a 20-year-old Italian who qualified for her second-ever Grand Slam at Wimbledon and reached the fourth round where she was defeated by eventual finalist Agnieszka Radwanska. That result propelled her into the Top 100 for the first time in her career.

An additional seven men and 12 women will earn a spot in the main draw through the qualifying tournament that will be held August 11-12. There will be a total of 56 players in the men’s singles field and 54 in the women’s field for the 2012 event. The current field includes 64 Olympians from 25 different countries

 

The complete player lists as well as ticket information for the Western & Southern Open can be found online at www.cincytennis.com.

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Brian Baker, Steve Johnson, Jack Sock Issued Wild Cards for Farmers Classic

LOS ANGELES – Budding American stars Brian Baker, Steve Johnson and Jack Sock have been issued wild cards for the 86th-annual Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, July 23-29, at the Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA. Baker and Sock will be making their Farmers Classic debuts.

 

Baker, Johnson and Sock will join two-time Farmers Classic champion and Southern California native Sam Querrey, James Blake, France’s Nicolas Mahut, Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, the tournament’s reigning doubles champion, and 2012 Wimbledon doubles champion Jonathan Marray among the leading players in the iconic event.

 

The Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles competition. Los Angeles County’s only top-tier pro tennis event, and an ATP World Tour stop on the Emirates Airline US Open Series, awards total prize money of $600,000.

 

Daily tickets for the Farmers Classic – the longest-running annual pro sporting event in Los Angeles – are available at www.FarmersClassic.com, Ticketmaster, or by calling (310) 825-2101. Proceeds from the Farmers Classic, held in conjunction with UCLA, benefit the grassroots programs of the non-profit Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) and UCLA. In 2011, the tournament and associated special events raised more than $200,000 for the SCTA, the Grammy Foundation and other charities.

 

Orange, Calif. native Johnson, 22, began his pro career this summer after graduating from USC and ending his college career as the most decorated player in NCAA men’s tennis history. He won his last 72 competitive matches, the NCAA Division I Individual Championship as a junior and senior, and became the first NCAA individual champion to win four consecutive NCAA team titles. Johnson is making his third consecutive appearance in the Farmers Classic’s main draw.

 

Baker, 27, has been a late-bloomer who has sky-rocketed up the rankings while enjoying a career year on the ATP World Tour. He reached his first ATP final in Nice as a qualifier and achieved the round of 16 at Wimbledon as a qualifier.

 

Sock, a 19-year-old Nebraskan, turned professional in 2011 after winning 18 USTA National titles as a junior and teamed with Melanie Oudin to win last year’s U.S. Open mixed doubles title at 18. He advanced to his first ATP World Tour quarterfinal this week in Atlanta.

 

Farmers Classic season tickets, mini-plans, group tickets and VIP experiences are also available at www.FarmersClassic.com or by calling (310) 824-1010, ext. 251. The Farmers Classic’s group entertainment program includes ticket discounts for groups of 10 or more, fundraising opportunities for organizations and reserved loge seating for select sessions in the intimate LA Tennis Center. Groups of 40 are eligible to participate in VIP experiences, which include the pre-match coin toss, High Five Kids Tunnel and Penn VIP On-Court Experience.

 

In addition to visiting the tournament’s official website, www.FarmersClassic.com, fans can tap into social media channels to stay updated with the latest news and information surrounding the Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, by becoming a fan on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FarmersClassic), a follower on Twitter (@FarmersClassic), and in joining the LA Text Club by texting “LA” to 25973 (message and data rates may apply).

 

LOS ANGELES – With successful players like Stan Smith and Vic Seixas on its list of champions, the Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes Benz, has built a tradition of celebrating the American military and its veterans. The 86th edition of the popular event continues the tradition with Military Appreciation Celebration Sunday on July 29 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA.

 

On July 29, active-duty military and military veterans will be honored in a special ceremony between the singles and doubles finals, and all military children 10-and-under can receive a free one-year junior SCTA membership at the Southern California Tennis Association booth. The first 50 children of military/veterans bringing the special military-appreciation flyer (available by visiting the ‘Special Events’ heading at www.FarmersClassic.com) to the SCTA booth on July 29 will receive a free T-shirt. Gates open at 11:30 a.m., with the singles final scheduled for 1 p.m.

 

The Farmers Classic takes pride in recognizing its veterans and their families by providing free tickets for all day and evening sessions throughout tournament week – July 23-29 - to active and reserve military, veterans and their families with proper military ID (limit six tickets per family per session). Additionally, the SCTA will be sending care packages to service members who are deployed in Afghanistan as part of the Adopt-a-Unit effort.

 

“This is an event that we take a great deal of pride in conducting,” Farmers Classic Tournament Director Bob Kramer said. “All of us in the tennis community owe a great deal to our military and our veterans and we see Military Appreciation Celebration Sunday as a way to give back some of what we owe these fine people.”

 

The Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles competition. Los Angeles County’s only top-tier pro tennis event, and an ATP World Tour stop on the Emirates Airline US Open Series, awards total prize money of $700,000.

 

Proceeds from the Farmers Classic, held in conjunction with UCLA, benefit the grassroots programs of the non-profit Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) and UCLA. In 2011, the tournament and associated special events raised more than $200,000 for the SCTA, the Grammy Foundation and other charities.

 

Veterans like Smith and Seixas, who served their country a generation apart, filled the precursor to the Farmers Classic, the Pacific Southwest Championships, memories and victories.

 

Drafted into the Army at the height of the Vietnam War in 1970, Smith brought his rocket serve-and-volley game into a different military venue. He spent his two-year duty (1970-72) visiting Army hospitals and bases and going on recruitment tours. Smith won the Pacific Southwest event for the first time in 1972, part of a memorable year in which he beat Ilie Nastase in a memorable, five-set match to capture Wimbledon. Smith would go on to win a doubles crown with Bob Lutz in 1976 and another LA singles title in 1977.

 

The likes of Shirley Temple, Doris Day, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn saw Seixas win singles titles in 1952, 1954 and 1957, the year in which Seixas won the U.S. Nationals – what is now known as the U.S. Open.

 

“My memories of that tournament were that I used to say it was the only tournament where the players watched the spectators, because all the movie people came out to watch,” said Seixas, who spent three-and-a-half years in the Pacific Theater during World War II, serving as an Army test pilot over New Guinea and Japan.

 

Two-time Farmers Classic champion and Southern California native Sam Querrey, fellow American James Blake, France’s Nicolas Mahut and Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, the tournament’s reigning doubles champion, are among the highlighted players entered in this month’s draw.

 

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Blake Outlasts Harrison in BB&T Atlanta Open

By Audraine Jackson

 

Atlanta, GA  USA – In a contest pairing a seasoned veteran with a rising power player, experience prevailed as James Blake outlasted 6 seed Ryan Harrison 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 at the BB&T Atlanta Open Tuesday.  Blake, still adjusting to knee surgery last year to correct a problem with tendentious, found a way to pull it out after only winning one game in the first set. “The first set was closer than it seemed. There were a lot of break points in the first game. I think I had a lot of break points later and a lot of game points I couldn’t close out,” said Blake.

 

“I think I was doing a great job defending. I wasn’t as accurate with my shots. I wasn’t putting balls away. I wasn’t closing points. He can run away with it then. His serve is big enough to get free points. Luckily I’ve been in matches like that before. I’ve been down before. I didn’t let it get to me. Once its one set whether its 6-0 or -7-6 it’s over. I tried to fight back and got a lead in the second set and tried to hang on to that.”

 

Harrison, who is heading to the Olympic games after this event used a power serve to dominate the first set but was not able to capitalize on breaks in the 3rd. “He played a pretty good game. I missed a couple of returns and he made some first serves,” said Harrison. “The 4 all game, I held a good game and then he played a good game at 4-5.  It’s a tough spot.  When you put yourself in that type of position the game can go either way. It’s been going my way some this year. Tonight it didn’t. It’s not devastating. I still have confidence in myself. I still had a pretty good season. It’s one match. I’m going to learn from it and try not to make the same mistakes again. I guess there are some times in there I lost concentration but ultimately in the match I kept it together and I was trying to do my best and it didn’t go my way.”

 

Blake acknowledges he is young in the real world but aging in the tennis world. “32 is old in tennis years. I definitely try to keep that in perspective. I’m one of the lucky ones who get to retire when I can still enjoy playing golf and throwing a ball with my kids so I’m definitely lucky in that regard.”

 

He was clearly the crowd favorite but recognizes the potential in the talent of a younger player. “As they get to know players like Ryan, he’s on been on tour for a couple of years, they might not know as much about him. He’s a good kid so I’m sure they will start cheering for him a lot more. He’s improved a lot. He’s matured a lot. He’s doing a lot of the right things. And that’s what I’ve said before about him. I’m terrible at judging talent. I hate making predictions about someone going to be top ten, top 100.  But one thing I will predict about him is he will get the most out of his talent. He is a hard worker.  Wants to learn. Is curious. He’s doing things the right way. Tonight he lost a close match and I’m sure he will learn from them. I’m sure he will figure out what maybe he could have done better. He’ll get the most out of his talent and his career and that’s all you can hope for.”

 

 

He may be correct in that assessment. As Blake left the lockeroom a few fans waited outside for autographs and photos. One lady who lagged behind held a photo of Harrison in her lap. She was waiting for him to come out so he could autograph it. Play continues today with 4th seeded Andy Roddick and men’s doubles.

 

#

 

Audraine Jackson is covering the BB&T Atlanta Open for Tennis Panorama News July 14-22, 2012. Audraine is a sports blogger, digital journalist and tennis addict. Follow her live updates on @tennisnewsTPN and personal twitter account @atlstoryteller.

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Blake finds new motivation to win

By Sam Crenshaw, Special to Tennis Panorama News

ATLANTA, Georgia – James Blake will be the first to admit that his first round victory at the BB&T Atlanta Open was match that he was supposed to lose. The 32 year-old tour veteran out lasted 20 year old Ryan Harrison for a 3 set win that delighted the crowd at the Atlantic Station venue.

On paper it didn’t seem close..Harrison is 20 years old, ranked 43rd and bound for London for the 2012 Olympics. Blake, at 32, has seen his ranking slip out of the top 100 to 110. “I starting to play guys who grew up watching me”, said a smiling Blake after the match.

Blake is not considered a threat to win ATP titles, but he remains a crowd favorite and on this night he showed that his wisdom, remaining skills and even couple of friendly bounces off the top of the net can result in victory..

Health has been an issue for James, who talked about his knee surgery back in November. He looked to be moving well. His serve was not as crisp as his fans would remember. That is due to a shoulder injury that he continues to play through..

But after the match he told me about his new inspiration to play good tennis, the recent birth of his daughter. Blake said” This is the first match that I have won since she was born. Tonight her daddy is a winner.”

Great playing “Pops”.. You did your baby girl proud…

Sam Crenshaw is a 25-year veteran of sports broadcasting. He started his career in Augusta, Ga., working as a sports reporter for WRDW-TV and later worked at WFMY-TV in Greensboro, N.C. He moved to Atlanta in 1997 to become a sports broadcaster at WXIA-TV and is now the weekend sports anchor for WXIA covering amateur and professional sports statewide.

Read his sports blog Sam’s Passing Shots and follow him on twitter @samcrenshawwxia.

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