2013/05/23

Oz and Ends – Day One at the 2013 Australian Open

Melbourne park grounds

Oz and ends  and bits of news from the Australian Open for January 14, 2013

 

Bagels and breadsticks

Maria Sharapova won her first match of the Australian Open 6-0, 6-0 in 55 minutes over fellow Russian Olga Puchkova. It was her third career “double bagel” in a major tournament. She only needs a double bagel at Wimbledon to complete a “double bagel slam.”

Three women have completed the “double bagel slam” – they are Hall of Famers Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

Venus Williams added to the bagel set count with a 6-1, 6-0 demolishing of Kazakhstan’s Galina Voskoboeva.

 

Win streak continues

Agnieszka Radwanska has extended her 2013 win streak to 10 by defeating Australian wild card entry Bojana Bobusic of 7-5, 6-0 on Monday.
Twitter News

Maria Sharapova has officially joined twitterverse. Follow her at @MariaSharapova

[tweet https://twitter.com/MariaSharapova/status/290778598774829058]

 

Tweets of the day

 

 

Lucky Loser is a winner
Tim Smyczek is lucky loser was a winner on Monday with a 6-4, 7-6, 7-5 victory over Ivo Karlovic. The American it into the draw thanks to housemate John Isner who pulled out of the tournament with a right knee injury.

 

Tough day for Aussies

Matthew Ebden, Ashleigh Barty, Olivia Rogowska, Sasha Jones,  John Millman, Lleyton, Hewitt and Casey Dellacqua all exited on day one of Australian Open. Sam Stosur was the only victorious Australian on Monday.

 

Two seeds falls

The 11th seed Juan Monaco was the only seeded played not to win on Monday. The Argentine who withdrew from last week’s Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament with a hand injury was clearly stuggling clearly struggling on the court in his straight set loss to Alex Kuznentsov, was applauded by spectators for not retiring from the match.

Monaco told Reuters: “My leg tightened up at the start of the second set and it was very tough for me,” pointing to his right leg.

On the women’s side Ksenia Pervak  stopped 32nd seed Mona Barthel 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

Federer out of Davis Cup

Roger Federer will not participate in Switzerland’s first round Davis Cup tie versus the reigning champions, the Czech Republic

 

Five set marathons

[22] Fernando Verdasco def. David Goffin 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
[10] Nicolas Almagro def Steve Johnson 7-5, 6-7, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2
Edouard Rogers-Vasselin def. Ruben Bemelmans 6-3, 6-7, 2-6, 7-5, 11-9
Daniel Gimeno-Traver def. Lukasz Kubot 6-7, 6-4, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4
[23] Mikhail Youzhny def. Matt Ebden 4-6, 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3
[28] Marcos Baghdatis def. Albert Ramos 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Roberto Bautista Agut def. Fabio Fognini 6-0, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
[31] Radek Stepanek def. Viktor Troicki 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5;
Brian Baker def. Alex Bogomolov 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-2.

 

Karen Pestaina for Tennis Panorama News

Share
Filed Under: Front Page News, tennis news, tournament coverage, tournaments Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tipsarevic Tops Murray, Ferrer Over Berdych in Abu Dhabi

 Janko Tipsarevic

(December 27, 2012) ABU DHABI – No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic and No. 5 David Ferrer began the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Thursday  with straight set victories on opening night at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi.

In the first match of the three-day tournament, Tipsarevic, making his debut at the exhibition event, stopped the reigning US Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray 6-3 6-4.

Tipsarevic secured a break in the fourth game of the opening set clinging to the baseline with long rallies.

Tipsarevic kept the momentum going in the second set taking a 3-1 lead and never looking back

“It’s not every day that you get to play a grand slam champion and an Olympic gold medalist, “the Serbian said. “ I know it’s an early season tournament but I can tell you that the six of us take this very seriously. I knew I could beat Andy as I have beaten him before. He’s a totally different animal now as he won a grand slam and Olympic gold so beating him here has given me confidence. Both of us have very similar games so it’s great to come out on top and I’m looking forward to playing Nicolas tomorrow. We’ve only played once so it should be interesting.”

The second match of the evening saw a rematch of the 4th rubber of the Davis Cup Final with the same result – No. 5 David Ferrer of Spain topped No. 6 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-4.

Ferrer zoomed to a 5-0 opening set lead and never looked back.

“I played well today and I was surprised as it has been a long time without playing a competition,“ said Ferrer. “It’s a fast court and this was the first time I played at night but I played a good game. I will enjoy a victory for now but tomorrow I will have to play my best against Novak (Djokovic).”

Friday’s play will feature two semi-finals both featuring a Serbian versus Spaniard match-up – No. 1 Novak Djokovic will face Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro will take on Tipsarevic.

“I managed to have the best year of my career in 2011 and I knew that it was going to be difficult in 2012 to maintain No. 1 of the world and play consistently, “ Djokovic said to media. “ I did and so this year was an even more successful year from a psychological aspect. Right now I can approach the new season with a lot of confidence because I won the last big tournament of the year in London and I hope that I can continue playing well. Ambitions are always high and I want to win every Grand Slam and major tournament I play and this year is no different.”

All photos by Abigail Hinto.

Karen Pestaina for Tennis Panorama News

Share
Filed Under: Events, Features, Front Page News, interviews, news conference, tennis news, tournament coverage, tournaments Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Season, New Goals

Andy Murray 12 26 Abu Dhabi

By Abigail Hinto

(December 26, 2012) ABU DHABI – Six of the top eleven players in the world,  are gathered in Abu Dhabi to start their season at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships (MWTC). Three of the players, namely Janko Tipsarevic, Tomas Berdych and Andy Murray showed up on Tuesday for their pre-tournament news conferences.  No. 11 Nicolas Almagro replaced Rafael Nadal, who withdrew from the event with a stomach virus.

Despite all three belonging in the top 10, and despite the small gap in their rankings, these three players are in vastly different stages in their careers with varying expectations, pressures and goals. And the goals they’ve set for themselves for the new season give an interesting insight to how they see their careers, where they’re at now and what they feel they should be able to accomplish.
Tipsarevic, the relative newcomer in the top 10 has set his sights on qualifying for the World Tour Finals in London. And with his best showing at a grand slam only consisting of two quarterfinal appearances, both at the US Open this year and last, he aims to have deeper runs at the slams this year. His tight quarterfinal loss against David Ferrer at this year’s US Open has shown him that though he’s not quite there yet in the level he needs to challenge the top players, he’s getting close.
Tomas Berdych meanwhile has already made finals and a couple of semifinals at the majors. His goal now, is to hold that trophy. Saying that he was happy for Andy Murray finally winning his slam, noting that it’s good that someone had once again broken the stranglehold Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic had on winning the majors, could acknowledging Murray’s breakthrough give Berdych the inspiration to try to win one for himself as well? Davis Cup this year, a grand slam next year?
As for Andy Murray, after finally winning that major he’s been working so hard for and been pressured on winning since he was first considered a contender in 2008, how does he re-set his goals? Murray is a short-term goal-setter which he says he’s always been with his career. So, it’s one major at a time for him, now focusing solely on the Australian Open trophy. Asked if reaching no.1 is a top priority, Murray answers that it’s not, as that ranking only comes with the results from every tournament he plays.
And as the Mubadala World Tennis Championships starts on Wednesday, we’ll get to see these three players finally begin their first step towards their goals.
Abigail Hinto is covering the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi, UAE as media for Tennis Panorama News. Follow her updates on twitter at @TennisNewsTPN.
All photos by Abigail Hinto for Tennis Panorama
Share
Filed Under: Contributors, Events, Features, Front Page News, interviews, news conference, tennis news Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Almagro Stops Roddick to Win Miami Tennis Cup Exhibition Tournament

(December 2, 2012) No. 11 Nicolas Almagro stopped the recently retired Andy Roddick 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday at the Miami Tennis Cup exhibition event held at Crandon Park, the home of the Sony Open.

The win marked the first time Almagro had never take a set off of Roddick. While Roddick was on the pro tour he was 2-0 versus the Spaniard going 4-0 in sets.

“I think it was a really good match, and he’s a very good player,” Almagro said. “I’m really happy with my game, although I think I can do better, but it’s the end of the season, and I’m a little bit tired. I’m happy to be the first champion of the Miami Tennis Cup and I think it’s a fun and enjoyable tournament. I hope to be back next year”

In between the hard-hitting rallies, the players mixed in some “hit and giggle” tennis which entertained the fans.

“I enjoy playing tennis still, and it was never about me not enjoying tennis,” Roddick said after the match. “It was about me not being able to commit to being a professional tennis player.”

“I enjoyed myself and it’s nice for me to come back in a competitive atmosphere. I’ve been happy with how I played and I’m glad they had me here. I think the crowd have enjoyed the tennis they’ve seen.”

So what’s next for the 30-year-old American? No training certainly for Roddick  but more golf. He’s back to full husband duties following his wife model-actress Brooklyn Decker around.

“The tables have turned.”

 

© MiamiTennisNews.com

 

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

Roddick Stuns Murray, Almagro Tops Isner in Miami Tennis Cup Semis

Andy Roddick

(December 1, 2012) Andy Roddick will face No 11 Nicolas Almagro in the final of the Miami Tennis Cup exhibition event on Sunday.

The recently retired Roddick dismantled No. 3 Andy Murray 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals of the event while Almagro topped the hard-serving John Isner 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, FL, home of the Sony Open.

“I think I felt a little bit more comfortable than him on the court,” Almagro said regarding Isner after the match.

Roddick dominated Murray from the start of the first set, as Murray seemed sluggish around the court, compared to a grunting and aggressive Roddick. Roddick won the majority of his first service points, which gave him a home-court advantage and Murray couldn’t seem to gain any type of lead with breaking Roddick’s serve. Roddick broke two of Murray’s service games in the first set to take a 6-2 lead. Despite Murray’s attempts to out-rally Roddick, the retired American gave fans a taste of his old baseline perseverance as he dug even deeper in to the second set to take it 6-3.

“If we had gone three sets I would’ve had a full body cramp and it would’ve been awkward for all of you,” said Roddick to the crowd during the match against Murray.

“There’s no comeback.

“Andy (Murray) was nice to me tonight.”

 

Roddick said that he’s happy in retirement but he still enjoys hitting tennis balls. He’s said that he’s put on four pounds, is playing a lot of golf and doesn’t miss the travel.

“I haven’t lost any of the innocent parts of tennis,” Roddick said. “I just do it in front of less people.”

Nicolas Almagro

Roddick leads Almagro 2-0 in career meetings as a pro, with both wins coming on hard courts – one on them on the courts of Crandon Park in the 2010.

 

(MiamiTennisNews.com contributed to this report)

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

Isner and Almagro Win on Day One of Miami Tennis Cup

John Isner

(November 30, 2012) Miami, FL – Attendance grew on stadium court at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, FL. on Friday evening, as tennis enthusiasts flocked to see some of the world’s best players perform during the night session on day one of the Miami Tennis Cup.

Alejadro Falla, Colombia’s top-ranked player, took to the court against Spain’s Nicolás Almagro, ranked No. 11 in the world. The first set was closer than expected, as Falla put up a hard fought battle from the baseline, after conceding the first set 6-4, lasting well over an hour. His first set spirit diminished during the second set that lasted only 35 minutes, as Almagro demonstrated why he was eleventh in the world, winning 6-1.

“It was tough because every match against Alejandro is complicated,” said Almagro about the left-handed Falla. “I’m quite happy with how I’m playing at the moment and I’m glad to be in the warmth of Miami for the first year of the Miami Tennis Cup. Hopefully the crowds were treated to an enjoyable game.”

Shortly after the tournament’s opening match, the top-ranked American, John Isner, squared away against the former number one player from Spain, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Fans were treated to a thrilling first set that reached a tie-break, that was easily won by Isner 7-2. The second set was a close fought battle, but Isner stepped-up his game to take the second set 6-3.

“I’ve a pleasing 2012, and this is a nice way to round off the year,” said Isner during his post-match press conference. “I’m happy to be competing in the Miami Tennis Cup. It’s a good crowd with some top players competing. I’m looking forward to seeing Andy Roddick play Andy Murray and hope to meet one of them in Sunday’s final.”

Day two of the Miami Tennis Cup will feature the tournament’s headline match between the retired Andy Roddick and the reigning U.S Open and Olympic Champion, Andy Murray, currently ranked number three in the world. The match on Stadium Court starts at 5:00pm and is expected to draw a capacity crowd.

Photos courtesy of Miami Tennis Cup and Getty Images.

Share
Filed Under: Events, Features, Front Page News, tennis news Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Isner and Almagro Commit to US Men’s Clay Court Championship

(November 30, 2012) HOUSTON – Two players in the Top 15 of the ATP World Tour rankings highlight the initial entries into the 2013 US Men’s Clay Court Championship that will be held April 8-14, 2013, at River Oaks Country Club.

John Isner, who at No. 14 is the top ranked American, and No. 11 Nicolas Almagro, a Spaniard who is one of the most accomplished clay-court players in the world, have both committed to participate in the 2013 event.

The news comes just before individual session tickets and the very popular “Champ Pass” go on sale on tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 1). The Champ Pass for the 2013 US Men’s Clay Court Championship includes a ticket to the Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions. “The Champ Pass” usually sells out before the tournament begins. A limited number of season ticket packages are still remaining. Information on tickets can be found at www.mensclaycourt.com or by calling 713-874-6294.

Isner was runner-up at the 2012 US Men’s Clay Court Championship, falling to Juan Monaco in the final. This season he became the No. 1 American and reached the Top 10 for the first time while winning a career-high 45 matches. He won two titles in 2012, bringing his career total to five in 12 finals. Twice in the past three seasons Isner has hit more than 1,000 aces to lead the ATP.

Almagro has led the ATP in clay-court match wins three times in the past five seasons. With a career record of 206-97 on clay courts, he joins Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo as the only active players with more than 200 wins on the surface. All 18 of his career ATP finals appearances have been on clay, and his 12 clay titles are second among active players behind Nadal’s 36.

“We pride ourselves on being a United States championship as well as the nation’s only clay-court ATP tournament,” said tournament director Van Barry. “To get early commitments from the top American as well as one of the most accomplished clay-court players on Tour really helps us achieve both of those goals. We look forward to John coming back to River Oaks and welcoming Nicolas for the first time.”

Additional player commitments as well as a full schedule of special events will be announced in the weeks leading up to the 2013 US Men’s Clay Court Championship.

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

ESPN3 To Broadcast Miami Tennis Cup Featuring Murray and Roddick

(November 27, 2012) ESPN3 will broadcast live coverage of the inaugural Miami Tennis Cup with 12 hours of action Friday, November 30 through Sunday, December 2. Six players will participate in the exhibition tournament featuring recently retired Andy Roddick and reigning US Open champion Andy Murray, winner of the Olympic Gold Medal this summer.

 

The first day of action  will see John Inser, the top-ranked American, versus the recently retired Juan Carlos Ferrero and Nicolas Almagro against Alejandro Falla. The winners will meet Roddick and Murray on the second night with that night’s winners meeting for the championship on Sunday.  The event will take place at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, home of  the Sony Open.

 

ESPN3.com Schedule

 

Date Time (ET) Event Network
Fri, Nov 30 7 – 11 p.m. Miami Tennis Cup ESPN3
Sat, Dec 1 5 – 9 p.m. Miami Tennis Cup ESPN3
Sun, Dec 2 5 – 9 p.m. Miami Tennis Cup ESPN3

 

Share
Filed Under: Events, Features, Front Page News, tennis news Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Doubles Win Gives Czech Republic a 2-1 Lead In Davis Cup Final

(November 17, 2012) Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek paired on Saturday to give the Czech Republic a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup final in Prague. The pair rallied to stop Spain’s team of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3 to capture the doubles rubber.

The victory moves the Czech Republic to one win away from capturing its first Davis Cup title as an independent country since 1980 when they were part of Czechoslovakia which split in 1993.

The Spanish pair are fresh off of a title win at the ATP World Tour Finals.

Sunday’s matches will feature Spain’s David Ferrer against Berdych, followed by Nicolas Almagro versus Stepanek, if necessary. Ferrer holds a 5-3 career record against Berdych while Stepanek hold a 2-1 advantage over Almagro head-to-head.

Spain is hoping for its fourth Davis Cup crown in five years.

WORLD GROUP FINAL

CZECH REPUBLIC leads SPAIN 2-1

Venue: O2 Arena, Prague (hard – indoors)

David Ferrer (ESP) defeated Radek Stepanek (CZE) 63 64 64

Tomas Berdych (CZE) defeated Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 63 36 63 67(5) 63

Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) defeated Marcel Granollers/Marc Lopez (ESP) 36 75 75 63

Tomas Berdych (CZE) versus David Ferrer (ESP)

Radek Stepanek (CZE) versus Nicolas Almagro (ESP)

Share
Filed Under: Davis Cup/Fed Cup, Features, Front Page News, tennis news, tournament coverage, tournaments Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Ferrer Victory Sends Spain into Davis Cup Final

World No. 5 David Ferrer sent Spain back into the Davis Cup final for a chance to win a fourth time in five years by defeating John Isner  6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday in Gijon to clinch the tie 3-1 against the United States.

Spain will play the Czech Republic on the road in the Davis Cup final in November. The Czechs defeated Argentina 3-1 in Argentina.

“I am very happy, this is a dream for me,“ said Ferrer.  “Another Davis Cup final, I won the last match and I’m really happy.  Isner is a good top 10 player.”

Isner’s 70 errors helped to keep Ferrer perfect on clay in Davis Cup play at 16-0.

With or without Rafael Nadal, Spain fields a strong team.

“It was disappointing. The Spanish team was just too good,” said Isner.“They won the important points, and it’s a bit discouraging for me because I wanted to contribute like I did in the first two ties, and that’s a credit to (Nicolas) Almagro and Ferrer, who got two of their points from me.”

 

“I think it was a great battle between two of the best teams in the world. Spain is the high watermark in Davis Cup in the last 15 years and we knew it was going to be a very tricky tie for us and we were close,” said US Davis cup Captain Jim Courier. “All of us who live in tennis know that there are always a few points that make big differences and the Spaniards found a way to win some key points in the three matches that they won.”

 

“There is a lot for this team to be proud of and what we have achieved this year—the way we have approached it, attacked it and the draw, the obstacles we have had. We are proud of our effort and we salute the Spanish team for their efforts and their victory. Two great teams went out there and competed and it was very close. The team that played better when they needed to won the matches.

 

“It has been a very positive year for us on the U.S. Davis Cup Team. We have been given the most difficult draw that you can have in this era to play the teams we have on the road. We had some great wins and we had some competitive losses.”

 

Following the Ferrer – Isner match, US Davis Cup Captain Courier and Spanish Davis Cup Captain Alex Corretja decided not to play the final rubber, which was scheduled to be Sam Querrey against Nicolas Almagro.

Share
Filed Under: Davis Cup/Fed Cup, Features, Front Page News Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
«Older Posts
Newer Posts»