2013/06/19

Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Li Na Among Forbes’ Top 100 World’s Highest Paid Athletes

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(June 10, 2013) ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – Three WTA players – Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Li Na – were recently unveiled by Forbes magazine on its annual Top 100 World’s Highest Paid Athletes, list for 2013, the only three women included on the list.

 

Sharapova, No.22 on the list, remained the top-earning female athlete for the 9th consecutive year with earnings of $29 million, followed by Williams at No.68 with $20.5 million and Li Na at No.85 with $18.2 million.

 

“We are fortunate to have such globally popular stars like Maria, Serena and Li Na that brands around the world want to invest in and be associated with,” said WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster. “As the WTA celebrates our 40th anniversary, the incredible off-court success of our athletes is another indication of how far the sport has come.”

 

Sharapova’s earnings came in part due to endorsements with Nike, Head and Porsche, as well as the launch of her premium candy line ‘Sugapova’ in August 2012. On court, Sharapova completed her career Grand Slam by winning the 2012 Roland Garros title.

 

World No.1 Williams currently has endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, Wilson and OPI, as well as promoting her own clothing and accessories line on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). In the last 12 months, Williams has won 11 titles, including three Grand Slams (2012 Wimbledon, 2012 US Open, 2013 Roland Garros) and the 2012 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul, while becoming the oldest women to ever hold the world No.1 ranking.

 

Li became the first Asian-born player to win a singles Grand Slam title at 2011 Roland Garros and is featured in the top 100 for the second consecutive year based on lucrative sponsorship deals with Nike, Babolat, Samsung, Mercedes and Rolex. Li was also recently named as one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People.

 

The appearance of three of the sport’s leading female stars on the annual Forbes list mirrors the WTA’s continued business success off court with over $200 million in revenue generated for the organization since 2011. The WTA’s sponsorship portfolio continues to grow with six new sponsors in the past three years, including by the signing of Xerox as a global partner in February of this year. In addition, Singapore was recently awarded the year-end WTA Championships for 2014-2018 in a record-setting partnership.

 

“I look forward to the day when more than three women are on the list of 100, but I’m proud of the fact that all the women listed are WTA players,” Allaster added.

 

In compiling the list, Forbes took into account prize money, endorsements, exhibitions and appearance fees paid out between June 1, 2012 and June 1, 2013. For a complete breakdown of the Forbes listing visit Forbes.com.

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Serena Williams to Meet Maria Sharapova for French Open Title

Serena Williams

Serena Williams

By Ros Satar

(June 6, 2013) PARIS – Victoria Azarenka’s burgeoning love affair with the clay came to a halt today, at the hands of Maria Sharapova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

In a three-setter interrupted by a brief wringing-out of a cloud, Sharapova did not have the best of starts.

It looked like she had left her first serve in the locker room, but had brought its best friend the double-fault out instead.

In truth, Azarenka did not have to do much except turn up for that first game, as Sharapova was broken to love.

But the situation did not last for long – it was clear that Sharapova had her eye in, quickly taking advantage of Azarenka’s errors, taking the first set in a little short of half an hour.

Azarenka managed to make a better fist of things, made all the easier when Sharapova gifted her the set with two consecutive double faults.

But the players also had to contend with a fidget-en-masse in the last game of the set as spots of rain fell, and the gentry in the expensive seats promptly allez-ed to afternoon tea at 15-0.

The crowd reactions also caused amusement – there was no doubt that the warmer applause was for the defending champion, but they were quick to whistle and boo (admittedly in the rain) as she challenged a point, and as the umpire had them on and off the chairs before finally taking them off.

The third set saw the errors that had been plaguing Azarenka in the first set return, although Sharapova made life hard for herself letting four match points go at 5-2.

There was no doubt at the second time of asking, thumping down an ace to finish it off.

Azarenka denied that Sharapova had cut off her rhythm or rushed her.

“There’s not much rhythm when we play each other.  We just try to, you know, take opportunity, whoever takes it first.”

Having joked in her last conference about her and clay moving in together, she was positive about her progress here this year.

“My game on clay got much better, and it’s just a matter of [the] whole process.

“Process started for me.  It unfortunately ended today in this tournament.

“But, you know, coming back next year there is so much to look forward to for me, and, you know, trying to figure it out and find it every year will be something that is going to motivate me to come back here.”

Sharapova was no doubt relieved to get the job after failing to take advantage of four match points.

“Despite having those two match points and not taking advantage of them, I was happy with the way it came out at 5‑4 and served it out.”

She will meet Serena Williams who demolished last year’s finalist Sara Errani for the loss of just one game, 6-0, 6-1 in 46 minutes.

As Errani picked up the vocal effort, the only sounds from Williams were the odd squeak as sent a ball flying long or wide.

And as the Italian finally got a game on the board, she raised her hands in triumph, as a gladiatrix might after facing down a lion.

But meal-time was quick to follow, with Williams finishing (as Sharapova had) with an ace.

When asked if playing her was soul-destroying at the moment, Williams allowed herself a smile.

“I would never say that.  Ever.

“But I just go out there and do the best that I can and that’s it. “

That being said there was no question of her giving up on any game, out of any sympathy.

“She’s a great girl.  I love her fighting spirit.  I really like her as a person.

“But when you go out there, you just have to play and forget about who you’re playing.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s final, Sharapova had to face the inevitable question about her record against Williams, last beating her in 2004.

“Well, I’d be lying if it doesn’t bother me, obviously.  (Smiling.)

“But obviously she’s won so many matches already in a row on hard and clay, so I don’t think it really matters.

“You try to go out there and do something different, because whatever you have done just hasn’t performed well.

“I hope that I can.”

And Williams’ view of that record?

“It’s a different time, a different era, just a different match.

“But we have played a lot.  Just gotta do the best that I can.”

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Sharapova, Azarenka Advance to Roland Garros Fourth Round

Maria Sharapova

(June 1, 2013) After and easy first set defending champion Maria Sharapova had to fight to close out the match in two sets 6-1, 7-5 over Zheng Jie on Saturday at Roland Garros.

For the No. 2 seed it was the third straight day on the court due to her rain-delayed second round match was pushed into Friday.

After an easy 6-1 first set, Zheng jumped out to a two break lead 4-1. The Russian came back to even the set at 4-4 and then dropped serve for 4-5. Zheng lost serve while attempting to even the match at 1 set all and Sharapova moved thought the next two games to close the match.

Sharapova, who hit 8 double-faults during the match, disputed a double-fault call. “It hit the outside line,” she told the chair umpire. The umpire did not change the call which proved to be incorrect.

“Well, first of all, it’s not even about the fact of the call, whether it was in and out ‑‑ or out,” said Sharapova.  “I think for me it was the fact that the umpire did not recognize that the mark he pointed out was about a foot away from the actual mark.  So that’s a huge question mark, to begin with.

“Second of all, yes, all the other Grand Slams have Hawk‑Eye.  And I know these types of situations, although much more rarely on the clay, happen.  Why not?  Why don’t we have a system like this?  I mean, is it a money concern?  I don’t think so.

“This is just absolute proof that, you know, it’s a big point and it can happen in any situation.”

Sharapova is into the round of 16 where she’ll play American Sloane Stephens.

“I’m happy with the way I fought back and I found a way to win,” said Sharapova.

No. 3 Victoria Azarenka hit 10 double-faults and had her serve broken six times in her three set win over Alize Cornet 4-6, 6-3, 6-1..

“I think I left it home today,” Azarenka said of her serve. “If I can win with serving like this, that’s pretty remarkable.”

“It was a tough match,” Azarekna continued.  “I don’t think I played really the right way or, you know, I was playing my best way, taking my chances in the first set.  And she definitely took advantage of that and really took chances on the important moments, which I didn’t.

“You know, I felt like I had to close a lot of my opportunities in the first set, and it didn’t go my way.

“But it was important to turn things around and finally start playing the right way in the second set, because I felt that I was playing very comfortable for her, and she started to, you know, make a lot of winners, you know, fight and make a lot of balls.

“So I changed that a little bit in the second set and really took my chances moving forward and continued to stay aggressive, and that’s what was bringing me after the points and the victory in the end.”

Azarenka will get former French Open titlist Francesca Schiavone in the next round.

Francesca Schiavone dominated 13th seed Marion Bartoli 6-2, 6-1 to reach the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday.

It was a total obliteration by the 2010 Roland Garros winner. The Italian broke the top Frenchwoman’s serve five times, with 31 winners overall.

“On clay she’s always very dangerous and she won a clay court tournament again this year and this is a surface that suits her,” said Bartoli.

“When she starts winning matches and becomes more confident, then she can be very dangerous. So maybe she can sort out Azarenka and then if she arrives in the quarter-finals, who knows what can happen?”

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Sharapova Makes Quick Work of Hsieh in First Round of French Open

Sharapova 1

By Ros Satar

 

(May 27, 2013) PARIS – In a court change that saw the defending French Open champion sensibly moved over from Chatrier to Lenglen, Maria Sharapova made light work of Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2, 6-1.

 

As the temperature cooled for the evening, Sharapova quickly took the first three games and stayed a break ahead until she broke Hsieh again to take the first set in just 27 minutes.

 

After breaking Hsieh again to lead 3-1, and twice after that sealed the match in 53 minutes.

 

It had been a long day for the defending champion, and she had come to the park early to prepare, and seemed to be un-phased by the court move.

 

Given the choice between delaying her first round match, with disruptions due to bad weather likely over the next two days, and playing her match as scheduled this evening, it seemed like the right move.

 

She joked in her news conference instead about Skyping with her father whenever she wanted to talk to her dog, and how pleased she was to have her mother travelling with her.

 

She will face up and coming teenager Eugenie Bouchard from Canada in her second round.

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Djokovic and Nadal on the Same Side of Roland Garros Draw

Novak Djokovic

(May 24, 2013) No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic and No. 3 seed Rafael Nadal are on a collision course to meet in the semifinals of the French Open as both men are on the same side of the draw.  Last year Nadal defeated Djokovic in the final for his seventh Roland Garros crown. On Friday morning at the Museum of the French Tennis Federation in Paris, the draws for the second tennis major of the year were held.

Djokovic will face David Goffin in the opening round, second seed Roger Federer will play a qualifier while Nadal will face off against Daniel Brands.

As for the women, No. 1 Serena Williams  coming into Roland Garros on a 24-match winning streak, opens up against Anna Tatishvilli with two seed  and defending champion Maria Sharapova taking on Su-Wei Hsieh. No. 3 seed Victoria Azarenka, on Sharapova’s half of the draw begins her quest against Elena Vesninia.

Williams who won Roland Garros back in 2002, lost her first round match in Paris last year to No. 111 Virginie Razzano, the only time, the American has ever lost in the first round a of a “Grand Slam” event.

Possible Men’s quarterfinals:

No. 1 Djokovic vs No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic

No. 3 Rafael Nadal vs No. 7 Richard Gasquet,

No. 4 David Ferrer vs No. 5 Tomas Berdych,

No. 2 Roger Federer vs No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Men’s Draw

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) v David Goffin (Belgium)

Ivan Dodig (Croatia) v Guido Pella (Argentina)

Alex Kuznetsov (U.S.) v Lucas Pouille (France)

Alejandro Falla (Colombia) v 26-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)

22-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) v Dmitry Tursunov (Russia)

Bernard Tomic (Australia) v Victor Hanescu (Romania)

Simone Bolelli (Italy) v Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan)

Qualifier v 16-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany)

12-Tommy Haas (Germany) v Guillaume Ruffin (France)

Qualifier v Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain)

Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) v Ryan Harrison (U.S.)

Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) v 19-John Isner (U.S.)

29-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) v Pablo Andujar (Spain)

Federico Delbonis (Argentina) v Qualifier

Fernando Verdasco (Spain) v Marc Gicquel (France)

Nicolas Mahut (France) v 8-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia)

3-Rafael Nadal (Spain) v Daniel Brands (Germany)

Martin Klizan (Slovakia) v Michael Russell (U.S.)

Qualifier v Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic)

Qualifier v 27-Fabio Fognini (Italy)

24-Benoit Paire (France) v Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus)

Lukasz Kubot (Poland) v Qualifier

Grega Zemlja (Slovenia) v Santiago Giraldo (Colombia)

Jesse Levine (Canada) v 13-Kei Nishikori (Japan)

9-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) v Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands)

Qualifier v Horacio Zeballos (Argentina)

Kenny de Schepper (France) v Robin Haase (Netherlands)

Albert Ramos (Spain) v 21-Jerzy Janowicz (Poland)

28-Florian Mayer (Germany) v Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan)

Florent Serra (France) v Nikolay Davydenko (Russia)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) v 7-Richard Gasquet (France)

5-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) v Gael Monfils (France)

Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) v Rogerio Dutra Silva (Brazil)

Igor Sijsling (Netherlands) v Juergen Melzer (Austria)

Jurgen Zopp (Estonia) v 32-Tommy Robredo (Spain)

20-Andrea Seppi (Italy) v Leonardo Mayer (Argentina)

Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) v Qualifier

Martin Alund (Argentina) v Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France)

Qualifier v 11-Nicolas Almagro (Spain)

14-Milos Raonic (Canada) v Xavier Malisse (Belgium)

Qualifier v Michael Llodra (France)

Qualifier v Evgeny Donskoy (Russia)

Qualifier v 23-Kevin Anderson (South Africa)

31-Marcel Granollers (Spain) v Feliciano Lopez (Spain)

Joao Sousa (Portugal) v Go Soeda (Japan)

Qualifier v Albert Montanes (Spain)

Marinko Matosevic (Australia) v 4-David Ferrer (Spain)

6-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) v Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia)

Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) v Paul-Henri Mathieu (France)

Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) v Gilles Muller (Luxembourg)

Benjamin Becker (Germany) v 25-Jeremy Chardy (France)

17-Juan Monaco (Argentina) v Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain)

Viktor Troicki (Serbia) v James Blake (U.S.)

Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) v Nick Kyrgios (Australia)

Philipp Petzschner (Germany) v 10-Marin Cilic (Croatia)

15-Gilles Simon (France) v Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)

Adrian Mannarino (France) v Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay)

Jan Hacek (Czech Republic) v Qualifier

Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) v 18-Sam Querrey (U.S.)

30-Julien Benneteau (France) v Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania)

Tobias Kamke (Germany) v Paolo Lorenzi (Italy)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Qualifier v 2-Roger Federer (Switzerland)

 

Possible Women’s quarterfinals:

No. 1 Serena Williams vs No. 8 Angelique Kerber

No. 2 Maria Sharapova vs No. 7 Petra Kvitova

No. 3 Victoria Azarenka vs No. 6 Li Na

No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska vs Sara Errani

Women’s Draw

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) v Anna Tatishvili (Georgia)

Qualifier v Caroline Garcia (France)

Monica Niculescu (Romania) v Johanna Larsson (Sweden)

Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) v 26-Sorana Cirstea (Romania)

19-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) v Andrea Hlavackova (Czech

Republic)

Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) v Olga Pushkova (Russia)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Stephanie Foretz-Gacon (France) v 15-Roberta Vinci (Italy)

10-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) v Laura Robson (Britain)

Qualifier v Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia)

Pauline Parmentier (France) v Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia)

Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) v 22-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia)

29-Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) v Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia)

Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) v Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)

Jana Cepelova (Slovakia) v Christina McHale (U.S.)

Mona Barthel (Germany) v 8-Angelique Kerber (Germany)

4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) v Shahar Peer (Israel)

Mallory Burdette (U.S.) v Donna Vekic (Croatia)

Qualifier v Mandy Minella (Luxembourg)

Urszula Radwanska (Poland) v 30-Venus Williams (U.S.)

24-Julia Goerges (Germany) v Qualifier

Virginie Razzano (France) v Claire Feuerstein (France)

Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) v Mathilde Johansson (France)

Petra Martic (Croatia) v 14-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)

11-Nadia Petrova (Russia) v Monica Puig (Puerto Rico)

Madison Keys (U.S.) v Misaki Doi (Japan)

Irena Pavlovic (France) v Shelby Rogers (U.S.)

Simona Halep (Romania) v 20-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain)

32-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) v Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden)

Maria-Teresa Torro Flores (Spain) v Qualifier

Ayumi Morita (Japan) v Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan)

Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) v 5-Sara Errani (Italy)

16-Li Na (China) v Annabel Medina-Garrigues (Spain)

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) v Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain)

Tatjana Maria (Germany) v Qualifier

Coco Vandeweghe (U.S.) v 27-Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan)

23-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) v Kaia Kanepi (Estonia)

Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) v Heather Watson (Britain)

Ashleigh Barty (Australia) v Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic)

Nina Bratchikova (Portugal) v 12-Maria Kirilenko (Russia)

13-Marion Bartoli (France) v Olga Govortsova (Belarus)

Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) v Qualifier

Melinda Czink (Hungary) v Francesca Schiavone (Italy)

Flavia Pennetta (Italy) v 21-Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium)

31-Alize Cornet (France) v Maria Joao Koehler (Portugal)

Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) v Silvia Soler-Espinosa (Spain)

Qualifier v Annika Beck (Germany)

Elena Vesnina (Russia) v 3-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)

7-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) v Aravane Rezai (France)

Peng Shuai (China) v Camila Giorgi (Italy)

Qualifier v Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium)

Jamie Hampton (U.S) v 25-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)

18-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) v Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia)

Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) v Garbine Muguruza (Spain)

Kristina Mladenovic (France) v Lauren Davis (U.S.)

Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) v 9-Samantha Stosur (Australia)

16-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) v Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine)

Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) v Elena Baltacha (Britain)

Qualifier v Alexandra Cadantu (Romania)

Karin Knapp (Italy) v 17-Sloane Stephens (U.S.)

28-Tamira Paszek (Austria) v Melanie Oudin (U.S.)

Zheng Jie (China) v Vesna Dolonc (Serbia)

Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) v Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria)

Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) v 2-Maria Sharapova (Russia)

The tournament begins on Sunday.

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Djokovic Upset, Serena, Nadal and Federer into Rome Semifinals as Sharapova Withdraws

 

Novak Djokovic

(May 17, 2013) No. 1 Novak Djokovic blew a 6-2, 5-2 lead, only to fall to Tomas Berdych 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.

“It’s a very strange situation,” Djokovic said. “I played very well and was two points from winning. Then the entire match changed and I was a different player.”

“I know I can play well on clay and so I shouldn’t allow myself to have these drops and let’s hope it won’t happen for Roland Garros,” Djokovic said to media in regard to the upcoming French Open. “I’m fine. I just lost my rhythm.”

As for the women’s No. 1, she did not disappoint. Serena Williams extended her current win streak to 22 with a 6-2, 6-0 thrashing of Carla Suarez Navarro.

“I’ve been pretty consistent, and pretty healthy – knock on wood,” Williams said to press. “I feel great – never felt better.”

Martina Navratilova holds the record for the longest women’s win streak in the Open Era at 74 matches back in 1984.

“I guess this is the best period in my career, but I don’t really think about it,” Williams said of the winning streak on the WTA website. “For me it’s just about winning matches and winning tournaments and being consistent.”

No. 2 Maria Sharapova withdrew from the tournament prior to her quarterfinal match against Sara Errani due to an illness.

“I was already a bit off in Madrid and played though it and it came back last night and I got sick again and it’s not smart to compete again,” said Sharapova. “Obviously with the French Open coming up it is important to make smart decisions.”

Rafael Nadal was extended to three sets in his victory over countryman David Ferrer 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to move into a semifinal match against Tomas Berdych.

Roger Federer capped off the day’s play with a 6-4, 7-6(2) win over Jerzy Janowicz to move into a semifinal match-up against Benoit Paire who dismantled Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-0.

INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA
Rome, Italy
May 13-19, 2013
Red Clay/Outdoors

Results - Friday, May 17, 2013
WTA Singles – Quarterfinals
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) 62 60
(7) Sara Errani (ITA) d. (2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) w/o (viral illness)
(3) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. (9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) 64 16 63
(Q) Simona Halep (ROU) d. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 46 60 75 (saved 2mp)

WTA Doubles – Quarterfinals
(2) Petrova/Srebotnik (RUS/SLO) d. (WC) Jankovic/Lucic-Baroni (SRB/CRO) 62 61
Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) d. Cibulkova/Niculescu (SVK/ROU) 64 64

ATP Singles – Quarter-finals
[6] T Berdych (CZE) d [1] N Djokovic (SRB) 26 75 64
[2] R Federer (SUI) d J Janowicz (POL) 64 76(2)
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d [4] D Ferrer (ESP) 64 46 62
B Paire (FRA) d M Granollers (ESP) 61 60

ATP Doubles – Quarter-finals
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) 64 75
S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) d [2] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) 16 64 10-6
[5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) d [3] R Lindstedt (SWE) / D Nestor (CAN) 76(5) 64

Order Of Play – Saturday, May 18, 2013

CENTRALE start 12:00 noon
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [Q] S Halep (ROU) – WTA

Not Before 2:00 PM
[3] V Azarenka (BLR) vs [7] S Errani (ITA) – WTA

Not Before 4:00 PM
[6] T Berdych (CZE) vs [5] R Nadal (ESP) – ATP

Not Before 8:00 PM
B Paire (FRA) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) – ATP
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) – ATP

SUPERTENNIS ARENA start 1:30 pm
S Hsieh (TPE) / S Peng (CHN) vs [2] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) – WTA
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) – ATP
[1] S Errani (ITA) / R Vinci (ITA) vs A Kudryavtseva (RUS) / A Rodionova (AUS) – WTA – After suitable rest

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How Serena Williams Defeated Maria Sharapova in Madrid

SerenaWilliamsWilsonPhoto

 

By Tumaini Carayol

(May 12, 2013) MADRID – Since their fateful Australian Open final all those years ago, contests between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have come to closer resemble brutal murder than a simple tennis match. Over 6 of the most turbulent years the WTA has seen, one of the few constants to emerge over this period has been Williams’ domination over her rival. Irrespective of the surface, stadium or form Williams has often stumbled into these matches in; the 17-time Grand Slam Champion has developed the unshakable ability to play her best tennis.

But why? Some point to nine years ago when a 17 year-old Sharapova usurped Serena Williams in the final of Wimbledon 2004, implying that the victory and ensuing hype became forged a bitter resentment in Williams. Others look towards a few months later at the WTA Championships as the source of Williams’ malignity. Here, Sharapova recovered from a 0-4 third set deficit in the final, screaming borderline psychotic encouragement against a Williams who was forced to roll in 70mph first serves after straining her abdominal muscle. Many suggest the lopsided head-to-head is a simple matchup issue, while the rest simply say their matches are an accurate reflection of the gulf in ability between the pair.

 

Regardless, as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova lined up ahead of their seventh championship match, the expectation among many was that a different result perhaps loomed on the clay that has slowly molded into the Russian’s best surface. It was certainly understandable. After all, as Sharapova marched onto the court, she came armed with a red clay winning streak that spanned a quarter of a century of games – a feat that eluded even Justine Henin on the surface she dominated so majestically. A year ago, a similar occasion presented itself as the Russian arrived in Stuttgart after a series humiliating losses to Victoria Azarenka. On her favored red clay, Sharapova brushed aside the Belarusian with ease, the then-number one resorting to a crude shoulder out of sheer desperation.

 

As is so often drilled to death, the competitiveness of this match would hinge on whether Sharapova could bring her top level. So, when Sharapova’s first service game showcased a double fault and three groundstrokes into the middle-to-bottom of the net, all questions were answered succinctly as any belief she may have contained rapidly seeped from her pores.

 

The first break was followed by a serve-dominated hold and 2-0 lead for the number one, as her own confidence catapulted. Another break and another unrelenting hold followed. At 0-4 down, Sharapova had only 6 points to her name as the player who had barely escaped Anabel Medina Garrigues before struggling past Sara Errani, picked apart the French Open Champion at will. At times, Williams went for – and made – outlandish margins, other times she manipulated the angles to force her opponent on the run and sometimes she simply irreverently crushed the ball straight down the middle and awaited the inevitable forced error that would follow. Williams sweetly struck first serve return winner on set point proved an all-to apt shot to end the first set.

 

The second set provided Sharapova with a fresh start, and as the second seed finally settled into the exchanges, the opening stages offered a glimpse into the pair’s differing fortunes on the surface in recent times. Sharapova’s length made the difference in the early second set exchanges, pushing Williams off the baseline with deep, penetrative groundstrokes. On clay, balance is so vital, and with Williams typically static footwork robbing her of the ability to adjust to Sharapova’s heavy strokes, the pendulum quickly swung in the opposite direction.

 

Up 3-1 in set two, it appeared Sharapova had fallen into a groove as she worked Williams from left to right with deadly depth. Though the score stood at game point to Williams, as Sharapova sent the world number one scampering around the court, it appeared she was finally dominating the neutral rallies. It wasn’t until, out of nowhere, the Williams who appeared to be firmly on the back foot calmly stroked a forehand down-the-line winner, that the dramatic mid-match improvement in Williams’ movement was noticeable. Suddenly, the world number one was gliding around the court, sliding into – rather than after – her shots and changing directions with perfect balance. This would prove the death knell for Sharapova as Williams recovered the break to lead 4-3 in the set two. Though holds were exchanged in the following service games, not many were surprised when Sharapova found herself down 4-5 0-30 in the second set and responded by double faulting to hand Williams triple match point.

 

Needless to say, shortly after, the match was won.

Tumaini Carayol was Madrid covering the Madrid Open for Tennis Panorama News. He is a contributing writer at On The Baseline, and writes about professional tennis at his site Foot Fault.

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Serena Williams Thinks Her Way Into Madrid Final

 

Serena Day 2 Press Conference

By Tumaini Carayol

(May 11, 2013) When Serena Williams opened with an effortless forehand winner before a statement opening service hold, one could be forgiven for assuming this was an indication that she intended to put right what had gone so terribly wrong in the previous match. That all the factors that contributed to her being on the receiving end of a bagel and a 2-4 third set deficit to Anabel Medina Garrigues were to be eradicated from living memory with a performance worthy of the world No. 1.

One was wrong.

The following games would showcase the younger Williams’ game in a rapid descent back to the pits of hell as she impatiently expected the match to fall into place without an ounce of effort. Rather than working with the clay, the world No. 1 essentially attempted to play against the basic nature of the surface, taking large and unnecessary cuts at the ball and directing the majority of shots with no margin, width or imagination. For a seasoned claycourter like Sara Errani, it was all too easy. When Williams wasn’t committing a myriad of errors, missing laughable smashes and generally gifting the majority of points to her opponent, Errani had no problem with exploiting Williams’ painfully linear play, simply redirecting her shots crosscourt and exploiting her sketchy movement on the red dirt.

One of the more maddening aspects of Serena on clay is that she is more than capable of embracing the surface and using it to compliment some of her own strengths. When discussing her sole Roland Garros triumph in 2002, people often tell of a player who was so supremely greater than the other thousands of professional female players that surface was irrelevant. While this is true, it ignores the fact that her final in Berlin and triumphs in Rome and Roland Garros that year were not the product of her playing some ballistic and otherworldly attacking tennis on clay. She prospered by obeying the surface’s core rules. She moved better than her opposition on clay, constructed points with angles and width, and understood that, to be a consistent success, it was often necessary to outmaneuver opponents rather than outhit them. Sure, there was power – lots of it – but it was tempered and she attacked with discretion. The result was that her clay court duels with Jennifer Capriati were some of the most physical ever seen. Eleven years later, though aspects of her game have notably deteriorated – her movement on clay, for example – many of those qualities remain hidden under the surface of her game, waiting to be utilized once again.

As the bleeding began again and the world number one found herself down 1-3, similar thoughts appeared to well up in the mind of Serena. From the large and unnecessary swipes at the ball came a sense of calmness as Williams finally began to think and endeavored to collaborate with the conditions rather than play against them. Out of nowhere, she began to almost exclusively attack cross-court, alternating between hitting with great depth and using the width of the court. Though errors still littered her game and left the first set in the balance, the results were immediate. She was able to gradually drag the defending French Open finalist off the court and defeated her through combinations of shots rather than single booming blows. Fittingly, after three missed set points, the 7-5 set was closed out with a perfectly-measured acute angled forehand.

It wasn’t until that first set was safely tucked away that the shackles were unleashed and Williams was truly able to play. The riskier tennis returned, but the world number one was able to strike a comfortable balance between constructing points and attacking as Errani simply played into Williams’ hands. In contrast to the hour-long first set in which 36 of Errani’s points came courtesy of Williams’ 28 unforced errors, the second set was a far more routine affair as Williams cruised to victory.

Though far from Williams’ most impressive victory, it showcased Serena at her thoughtful best – a vital quality that will aid her in her pursuit of the improbable-yet-possible feat that is her replicating her grand clay triumph of 11 years ago.

But, for now, both of her eyes will be on Maria Sharapova as the world No. 1 and French Open champion battle for the Madrid title and top spot on Sunday.

Tumaini Carayol is in Madrid covering the Madrid Open for Tennis Panorama News. He is a contributing writer at On The Baseline, and writes about professional tennis at his site Foot Fault. Follow his tournament updates on @TennisNewsTPN and his personal twitter @TumCarayol.

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Quotable Quotes: Serena, Sharapova, Nadal and Berdych March On

Bank of the West semifinals (20 of 1)

By Tumaini Carayol

(May 10, 2013) Madrid – First to book her place in the final four was Serena Williams, but it wasn’t in the manner expected. The tournament and majority of onlookers had firmly resigned themselves to a routine straight-setter to the expense of their home favorite. Early on, it appeared Williams was well on her way to a routine victory as she secured the first set 6-3. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the American could be found struggling to serve over 90 mph and direct the ball between the white lines as all chances of a routine victory were killed spectacularly.

After the disastrous second set, Williams spent only a quarter of the allotted time in her chair, instead deciding to rise from her chair early in in order to do squats and stretches net to her chair. It’s not something Williams has ever done before, but it worked as, with a renewed intercity – and grunt – she eventually toughed out a tight victory.

“I felt just kind of ‑‑ I don’t know. I wasn’t really there. I wasn’t really in it. My feet weren’t moving. I don’t know what happened,” she said afterwards.

To turn it around I got up earlier on the changeover and started doing high knees and just stretching and doing anything to try to get my intensity back up where it needed to be.”

Sharapova 2

In stark contrast to the world No. 1, Maria Sharapova’s 6-2 6-4 victory over Kaia Kanepi was memorable for only two reasons. Firstly because the Russian extended her red clay winning streak to a monumental 24 wins. Secondly, thanks to the mischievous message the Russian left when signing the camera after her victory. In reference to paparazzi capturing her with her boyfriend, Grigor Dimitrov, early in the week, the 26 year-old wrote “how did you catch us???”

During her news conference afterwards, there was much laughter during the Russian’s exchanges with Tennis Panorama.

 

Tennis Panorama News: So, the writing on the camera, I wonder what that was about?

Maria Sharapova: (with head in hands) I don’t know. You tell me. (Laughter.)

[..]

TPN: Ok, serious question. (Laughter.) I’m sure you’re sick of answering questions about how you’re good on clay, but when you were younger…

MS: I never thought that day would come. (Laughter.) Where’s my trophy?

TPN: When you were younger you came on the tour and played well on grass and were really good on grass and not as good on clay. Now it’s kind of switched around: You’re great on clay and your grass results haven’t been as great recently, aside from reaching…silver medal.

MS: Aside from the final a couple years ago and the silver medal last year. No biggie. For some people that’s a pretty good achievement.

TPN: OK, OK! (laughter.)

MS: (laughing.) Obviously it’s funny when people talk to me it’s like, ah, that’s not really a great result. I’m like, I don’t know. Thinking about that on surgery table, I’ll take that any time of the day. You have to be pretty realistic and fortunate. And yes, I lost in the fourth round, and two weeks later I came back at Wimbledon and got to the finals. So that was a great, great week for me.

Yeah, I definitely have improved my game on clay and improved myself physically. I also think the grass has changed over the years tremendously. The clay has pretty much stayed the same. But it’s not like I woke up one day and said, Yeah, I’m just going to get better and tomorrow I’m going to be better on clay. Instead it took many years and many matches and many practices. And mentally as well just to get myself prepared for long matches and battles and get through them.”

More notably, Sharapova had much to say about the recent prize money issues and the five-hout meeting that took place during the Istanbul WTA Championshps last year. There is a misconception that only the male players contributed to the monumental prize money changes that have occurred in all Grand Slams this year, but the champion rebuffed the notion with some interesting information.

 

“I remember sitting ‑‑ we had like a five‑hour meeting the day before the first round of Istanbul last year, the Championships. I don’t think one player in that meeting was really happy about the timing.”

“I will say that every tournament director and a couple of their staff made their way. Craig Tiley flew all the way from Australia just for that meeting. We sat there and they presented kind of their future prize money ideas.”

DavidFerrerbyAbigailHintoShanghaiTennisPanorama

 

The men were next. After an embarrassing performance in the Acapulco final which saw the world No. 4 capture only two games against a returning Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer brushed off the embarrassment and played calm, aggressive tennis to establish a lead over the King of Clay. An early 4-1 lead in the first set fast became a set lead, and before long the set lead was complimented with a second set break.

Still, at a set and 4-2 many still expected the champion to triumph and as Nadal charged back to steal three games in a row and serve for the set, not many were surprised. The pendulum swung again, however, with Ferrer showing an abundance of typical resilience to capitalize on a few thoughtless unforced errors. By the time the pair next sat down, Ferrer was a game away from the big win.

Three points later, it happened. With the score at 6-4 6-5* 15-30 to the underdog, Ferrer contested seemingly the perfect point, dragging the champion from tramline to tramline and exposing his hampered movement. After having his way with Nadal for a series of shots, the elder Spaniard was finally presented with an open court forehand to catapult him to double match point. Instead, he opted to hit the ball straight to Nadal, who pulled out a spectacular defensive lob to win the point. From that tragically missed opportunity, Ferrer failed to win a single game for the remainder of the match.

After the defeat, Ferrer had some interesting things to say about his mentality and outlook, which perhaps explains why he so seldom emerges victorious over the four players above him.

Q. Rafa said that you deserved to be in the semis. Do you think that is a smaller gap with the top 4, or do you think they’re too good and when you reach the moment of truth they have got a little extra?

David Ferrer: Sincerely, I don’t care. I think they’re really good. I’ve always said that. They’re the four best players of the world. They make the difference compared to the other players.

I always talk about the same thing. Berdych, Tsonga, Del Potro, they all come like airplanes. Now Dimitrov and Wawrinka and Almagro too are pushing really hard.

With the amount of good players we’ve got down there, I’m not thinking about getting up there with the top 4. It’s really complicated.

 

TomasBerdych

Finally, after his impressive victory over Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych displayed some of his polarizing confidence as he amusingly tipped himself to win a Grand Slam

TPN: As you said before, your level doesn’t seem to change depending on the surface. You’re one of the few players. Even the big four have their favorite surfaces. What is your favorite surface?

Tomas Berdych: Well, it’s really tough to say. I can find good results on the grass, on the hard, and on clay as well.

So, you know, probably when I’m going to reach my first slam, then we going to see which surface is that going to be. (laughter) Then I can point this is the one that is the really on top, and then we don’t have to talk about the others.

So far, there is only the final and then the rest with some semifinals, so it’s not enough. Really, I want to do more. Then I can I tell you the one.

Tumaini Carayol is in Madrid covering the Madrid Open for Tennis Panorama News. He is a contributing writer at On The Baseline, and writes about professional tennis at his site Foot Fault. Follow his tournament updates on @TennisNewsTPN and his personal twitter @TumCarayol.

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Sharapova Extends Clay Court Winning Streak to 23

MariaSharapova2012Madrid

By Tumaini Carayol

(May 9, 2013) Up first on Central Court, Maria Sharapova continued her undisputed reign on the red dirt with a hard-fought straight  sets victory over Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 7-5.

Despite the one-sided first set scoreline, the reigning French Open, Stuttgart and Rome champion found herself deep in battle from the beginning as Lisicki showered her with numerous booming forehand winners. Countless lengthy deuce-riddled games followed as the pair went blow for blow, but the Russian’s far superior mental strength proved the difference as she triumphed on the vast majority of important points and strolled through.

After dropping the first set, a sense of calm fell over Lisicki as she settled into the match, complimenting her booming forehand winners with well-executed touch around the court. Early in set two, a variety of deft forehand angles, dropshots and impressive net forays were enough to throw Sharapova off-balance, allowing Lisicki to secure a 3-1 break lead, a thorn into Sharapova her pursuit for the one big clay title currently missing from her resume.

Predictably, Sharapova immediately broke back as the intensity of the battle increased rose dramatically. The pair traded service holds until, with Sharapova serving to stay in the set at 4-5, Lisicki sensed the opportunity. She pounced, and quickly found herself up a double set point. The 26 year-old’s focus immediately catapulted into overdrive as she knocked aside the possibility of a looming third set before breaking after a lengthy game at 5-5. Before long, the victory was the Russian’s and her red clay streak had stretched to 23.

Afterwards, Sharapova was satisfied with her victory.

“She’s the kind of opponent that plays extremely well against top players. I think you can see that from her results. She always takes the top players quite far, and she beat me last year at Wimbledon.

“So, yeah, I was quite happy to turn around that victory going into the Olympics. This was our first meeting on clay, so that was a little bit different.

“But overall I think it’s about keeping my intensity as much as I can. Obviously if you can be on the court for over three hours, maybe you’re not going to play with intensity every single point, but the more that you do the better chances you have of winning.

SerenaWilliamsMadridOpen51212-600x400

Sharapova was quickly joined in the quarterfinals by top-seeded Serena Williams who, after a sluggish start, produced her best display of the tournament as she steamrolled through 12-seeded Maria Kirilenko in an uneventful 6-3 6-1 demolition. Williams was typically understated in her review of her performance.

“I think it was okay. I haven’t had a chance to talk about it after with my team, but I will. Like you said, I am a perfectionist. I always try to look for things that I know I can do better. When we get together I will see what I can do better.”

Tumaini Carayol is in Madrid covering the Madrid Open for Tennis Panorama News. He is a contributing writer at On The Baseline, and writes about professional tennis at his site Foot Fault. Follow his tournament updates on @TennisNewsTPN and his personal twitter @TumCarayol.

 

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