2013/05/24

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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Nadal Crushes Federer for Seventh Rome Title

 

RafaelNadalTasteofTennis

(May 19, 2013) Rafael Nadal cruised past Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3 for his seventh Italian Open title on Sunday, which will move his ranking up to No. 4. Nadal is now 20-10 head-to-head against the No. 3 Federer. This weeks’ results move Nadal to atop the ATP race based on 2013 results only.

For Nadal, the win gives him his fifth tournament title of the 2013 season, the most on the ATP tour.

Nadal played almost errorless tennis, committing only 8, while Federer hit 32. From start to finish Nadal dominated the 17-time major champion in 69 minutes.

“If you told me four or five months ago that after eight tournaments I would have won six titles from eight finals, I would say ‘you are crazy’, Nadal said. “To win three (ATP World Tour) Master 1000 and two (ATP World Tour) 500 tournaments is more than I ever dreamed.

“All I can say is ‘thank you for the support and to my team’. Thanks to them I have the chance to be here again and compete. I don’t want to think about Roland Garros yet. Let me enjoy this victory.”

“It didn’t go how I hoped and I was missing too many easy forehands and crucial point,” Federer said. “He does an incredible job returning form the back of the court and it is hard because he covers the court so well. You need to serve accurately. When Rafa is at his best he creates opportunities in rallies and dictates. It was difficult to change.

“I am playing well and I am healthy, so I have everything to play for next week. This week was good to get an idea about what is working.”

The seven-time Roland Garros champion goes into Paris next week on a 15 match winning streak, having taken consecutive titles at Barcelona, Madrid and Rome. The French Open begins on May 26.

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Nadal – Federer XXX for Rome Title

Federer and Nadal

(May 18, 2013) It will be Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer part 30 on Sunday in the Foro Italico for the Italian Open title. Nadal had little trouble with Novak Djokovic conqueror Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4 while Federer had to struggle to hold off Benoit Paire 7-6 (5), 6-4.

“We are here in 2013 and he is No. (3) in the world and I am No. 5 after not playing months and we are still playing good, and I hope that this is not going to be the last time,” Nadal said.

“It’s nice to have these revival moments for both of us,” Federer said. “I’m sure we’re both looking forward to it. I clearly am.”

Sunday’s final will be Nadal’s eighth straight final since his comeback from a knee injury in February.  Nadal owns a 19-10 record versus Federer, a dominating 12-2 on clay. Their last four meetings they are 2-2.

“Eight finals in a row is wonderful,” said Nadal to media. “Four to five months ago it was impossible to think about this. I hope to play very well. Any result will be fantastic.”

This will be the Swiss’ first final in 2013.

For a closer look at their head-to-head records.

 

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

Results - Saturday, May 18, 2013
WTA Singles – Semifinals
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (Q) Simona Halep (ROU) 63 60
(3) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d (7) Sara Errani (ITA) 60 75

WTA Doubles – Semifinals
(1) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. Kudryavtseva/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) 62 61
Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) d. (2) Petrova/Srebotnik (RUS/SLO) 62 61

ATP Singles – Semifinals
[2] R Federer (SUI) d B Paire (FRA) 76(5) 64
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d [6] T Berdych (CZE) 62 64

ATP Doubles – Semifinals
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d [5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) 64 67(2) 10-3
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) d S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) 63 76(3)

Order of Play – Sunday, May 19, 2013

CENTRALE start 11:00 am
[1] S Errani (ITA) / R Vinci (ITA) vs S Hsieh (TPE) / S Peng (CHN) – WTA

Not Before 1:30 PM
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [3] V Azarenka (BLR) – WTA

Not Before 4:00 PM
[5] R Nadal (ESP) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) – ATP

PIETRANGELI start 3:00 pm
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) – ATP

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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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Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome – Thursday Results, Friday Schedule

Roma

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

Results - Thursday, May 16, 2013
WTA Singles – Third Round
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (14) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 60 61
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. (16) Sloane Stephens (USA) 62 61
(3) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 61 20 ret. (left thigh injury)
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (5) Li Na (CHN) 76(2) 75
(7) Sara Errani (ITA) d. (12) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 63 20 ret. (left knee injury)
(9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. (8) Petra Kvitova (CZE) 75 26 61
(Q) Simona Halep (ROU) d. (13) Roberta Vinci (ITA) 64 62
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. (LL) Lourdes Domínguez Lino (ESP) 62 63

WTA Doubles – Quarterfinals
(1) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. (6) Mattek-Sands/Mirza (USA/IND) 64 63
Kudryavtseva/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) d. Hlavackova/Martic (CZE/CRO) 63 61

WTA Doubles – Second Round
(2) Petrova/Srebotnik (RUS/SLO) d. Marosi/Tatishvili (HUN/GEO) 62 75
Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) d. (4) Huber/Martínez Sánchez (USA/ESP) 76(6) 61
(WC) Jankovic/Lucic-Baroni (SRB/CRO) d. (7) Groenefeld/Peschke (GER/CZE) 16 63 1210 (Match TB)
Cibulkova/Niculescu (SVK/ROU) d. Raymond/Robson (USA/GBR) 64 64

ATP Singles – Third Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d A Dolgopolov (UKR) 61 64
[2] R Federer (SUI) d G Simon (FRA) 61 62
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) w/o (vertigo)
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d [Q] E Gulbis (LAT) 16 75 64
[6] T Berdych (CZE) d K Anderson (RSA) 75 62
B Paire (FRA) d [7] J del Potro (ARG) 64 76(3)
J Janowicz (POL) d [9] R Gasquet (FRA) 36 76(2) 64
M Granollers (ESP) d J Chardy (FRA) 64 16 75

ATP Doubles – Second Round
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d [WC] P Lorenzi (ITA) / P Starace (ITA) 61 64
T Berdych (CZE) / R Stepanek (CZE) d [4] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) 75 64
[5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) d [Alt] L Rosol (CZE) / V Troicki (SRB) 75 61
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) d D Inglot (GBR) / J Marray (GBR) 62 63
D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) d [7] A Peya (AUT) / B Soares (BRA) 63 76(4)

Order Of Play – Friday, May 17, 2013

CENTRALE start 12:00 noon
[1] S Williams (USA) vs C Suarez Navarro (ESP) – WTA
Not Before 2:00 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [6] T Berdych (CZE) – ATP
Not Before 4:00 PM
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) vs [5] R Nadal (ESP) – ATP
Not Before 7:30 PM
[7] S Errani (ITA) vs [2] M Sharapova (RUS) – WTA
Not Before 9:00 PM
J Janowicz (POL) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) – ATP

SUPERTENNIS ARENA start 12:00 noon
B Paire (FRA) vs M Granollers (ESP) – ATP
Not Before 2:00 PM
[Q] S Halep (ROU) vs J Jankovic (SRB) – WTA
Not Before 4:00 PM
[9] S Stosur (AUS) vs [3] V Azarenka (BLR) – WTA
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs T Berdych (CZE) / R Stepanek (CZE) – ATP – After suitable rest

PIETRANGELI start 12:00 noon
[3] R Lindstedt (SWE) / D Nestor (CAN) vs [5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) – ATP
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) – ATP
Not Before 3:00 PM
D Cibulkova (SVK) / M Niculescu (ROU) vs S Hsieh (TPE) / S Peng (CHN) – WTA
[WC] J Jankovic (SRB) / M Lucic-Baroni (CRO) vs [2] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) – WTA – After suitable rest

COURT 2 not before 3:00 PM
S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) vs [2] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) – ATP – After suitable rest

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Nishikori Upsets Federer; Nadal, Murray Move on in Madrid

nishikori

(May 9, 2013) The new red clay of Madrid claimed another seeded casualty on Thursday when No. 2 Roger Federer was upset by Kei Nishikori  6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in the third round of the Madrid Open. Top seed Novak Djokovic was ousted on Tuesday.

No. 3 seed Andy Murray escaped Gilles Simon 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6),  while No. 5 seed Rafael Nadal had an easy time with Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 6-3.

A poor serving game by Federer gave Nishikori the first set.  In the second set Federer grabbed the momentum but lost it in third.

As for Nishikori, it was a fourth win over a top 5 player for the man from Japan. “He was my idol and to beat him was one of the goals for my tennis career,” said the world No. 16. “Beating Roger is, yeah … I need a couple of days to celebrate.”

“He was the better player today for sure, Federer said. “I was lacking control from the baseline, and that pretty much carried through from start to finish, Overall I’m disappointed with my play,” Federer said of the match.

“I’m not sure how well Kei thought he played. I didn’t think he had to play his very best either, which is even more disappointing”

“Clearly the favorite for this tournament is Nadal,” Federer said.

Nishikori will next play Pablo Andujar for a place in the semifinals.

MUTUA MADRID OPEN
Madrid, Spain
May 4-12, 2013
Red Clay/Outdoors

Results – Thursday, May 9, 2013
Women’sSingles – Third Round
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (13) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 63 61
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) 62 75
(7) Sara Errani (ITA) d. Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 75 63
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) d. (14) Marion Bartoli (FRA) 63 62
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (WC) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 63 64

Women’s Doubles – Quarterfinals
Mladenovic/Voskoboeva (FRA/KAZ) d. (3) Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) 64 62
(WC) Soler-Espinosa/Suárez Navarro (ESP/ESP) d. (4) Kops-Jones/Spears (USA/USA) 46 62 104 (Match TB)
Black/Erakovic (ZIM/NZL) d. Kuznetsova/Pennetta (RUS/ITA) 46 61 105 (Match TB)
Pavlyuchenkova/Safarova (RUS/CZE) d. Husarova/Lisicki (SVK/GER) 62 36 107 (Match TB)

Men’s Singles – Third Round
[14] K Nishikori (JPN) d [2] R Federer (SUI) 64 16 62
[3] A Murray (GBR) d [16] G Simon (FRA) 26 64 76(6)
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) d [13] T Haas (GER) 75 46 64
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d M Youzhny (RUS) 62 63
[6] T Berdych (CZE) d K Anderson (RSA) 76(5) 75
[7] J Tsonga (FRA) d F Verdasco (ESP) 46 63 62
[15] S Wawrinka (SUI) d G Dimitrov (BUL) 36 64 61
[WC] P Andujar (ESP) d D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 55 ret. (right leg)

Men’s Doubles – Second Round
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d J Isner (USA) / S Querrey (USA) 76(6) 75
D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) d [2] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) 76(4) 63
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) d [Alt] J Monaco (ARG) / H Zeballos (ARG) 63 36 10-5
[7] A Peya (AUT) / B Soares (BRA) d M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 64 60
T Haas (GER) / R Stepanek (CZE) d [8] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) 75 61

Order Of Play – Friday, May 10, 2013

MANOLO SANTANA start 10:50 am
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [WC] A Medina Garrigues (ESP) – WTA
K Kanepi (EST) vs [2] M Sharapova (RUS) – WTA
Not Before 3:15 PM
[5] R Nadal (ESP) vs [4] D Ferrer (ESP) – ATP
[WC] P Andujar (ESP) vs [14] K Nishikori (JPN) – ATP
Not Before 8:00 PM
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs [6] T Berdych (CZE) – ATP
[15] S Wawrinka (SUI) vs [7] J Tsonga (FRA) – ATP

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO start 11:00 am
C Black (ZIM) / M Erakovic (NZL) vs [WC] S Soler-Espinosa (ESP) / C Suarez Navarro (ESP) – WTA
Not Before 3:00 PM
E Makarova (RUS) vs [7] S Errani (ITA) – WTA
[6] A Kerber (GER) vs [16] A Ivanovic (SRB) – WTA
[5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) vs D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) – ATP

STADIUM 3 start 2:00 pm
J Chardy (FRA) / L Kubot (POL) vs [6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) – ATP
[7] A Peya (AUT) / B Soares (BRA) vs [3] R Lindstedt (SWE) / D Nestor (CAN) – ATP
Not Before 4:00 PM
K Mladenovic (FRA) / G Voskoboeva (KAZ) vs A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / L Safarova (CZE) – WTA
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs T Haas (GER) / R Stepanek (CZE) – ATP

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Djokovic, Federer and Nadal Meet the Press in Madrid

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal

By Tumaini Carayol

(May 5, 2013) MADRID – As the Madrid Open sprang rapidly into action, the press room experienced a rush as the three greatest male players of the generation descended one-by-one into the spotlight as the revolving door of matches punctuated the first Sunday’s play.

 

Arriving first was the home and tournament favorite, Rafael Nadal. A year ago, the Spanish champion met his clay-court nadir as the slippery blue experiment left the No. 1 in a red fury. Against countryman Fernando Verdasco in the last 16, the champion’s game deserted him as, from 5-2 up in the third set, the Spaniard inexplicably found himself unable to guide even the tamest of strokes between the white lines. A landslide of 5 lost games in succession followed, as one of the most shocking capitulations in recent times was completed and Nadal was booted out of his home tournament..

 

A year, a French Open title, a long layoff, a triumphant return, and – vitally – a surface change later, such demons appeared long gone as the champion fielded questions exclusively in Spanish. During his first practice on the new surface, the French Open champion could be seen positively discussing the change of surface with fellow player Kevin Anderson, and it was reflected in his comments today.

 

“The courts this year fortunately are really good. I think they are great. The only thing I can say is thank you to the tournament, you know, for the money that they have invested to have the highest quality courts in here.

 

“I think that obviously the court last year was not up to the level that we needed. It was not prepared to be a competitive court.

 

“But the courts are impressive this year. Obviously the courts of the year before were better than the courts of last year, but they were not really great.

Federer 3

Roger Federer

Roger Federer followed. After a stuttering start to 2013, his lengthy and much-discussed short hiatus from tennis was a notable discussion point and has been subject to much apprehension However, the 17-time Grand Slam champion was quick to play down any ill-effects his break may have caused, instead stressing the positive effects of his break.

 

“Just been home and practicing hard as I was hoping to. I feel good now, you know. Took me a little time to get over my back issue from Indian Wells. But at the same time, that collided with my vacation anyway, which was okay.

 

“So I didn’t lose much time there. Now I feel good. Obviously extremely excited being back on tour. Sort of entering all the tournaments from here through to the US Open really, so it’s going to be a long stretch. You want to be ready for it. I’m very excited, which is a good thing

 

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic

Next came Novak Djokovic, who himself felt a victim to last year’s blue debacle. During his ten-minute conference, the Serb tackled a multitude of subjects, but it was his impromptu grand speech after being asked about Wimbledon’s dramatic increase in prize money that stole the day of interviews.

 

“Let me remind you there is not only ten players in the world,” he announced, scanning the room confidently. “There are thousands and thousands of players that are trying to participate in Grand Slams.

 

“Also let me remind you for a player who’s ranked over 100 in a world who plays qualifications and has to travel to Australia, he’s not able to cover his expenses of the travel, hotel, play the tournament, stay there for a few weeks, and to have a coach.

 

“So he has to choose between something. I think the people are taking that for granted a little bit. I am aware of the fact that the top players are earning big money; there is no question about that. This is not about top players. It’s about all the players, especially the ones who are lower ranked and struggling to have a decent life and also play all the biggest tournaments in the world.

“Grand Slams are the biggest, most prestigious, respectful events we have in tennis with the longest tradition. We definitely are thankful and we salute the decision of the increase of prize money from all four Grand Slams.”

 

“It’s a positive step, because players are also the ones who are bringing a lot of benefits to the Grand Slam. This kind of correlation and collaboration should be mutual, both ways.

 

“So we’re moving in the right direction. I believe that now many players are happy with the decisions that were made this year.”

 

And with that, the World No. 1 left the room. The time for talking was finally over – it was time to play.

 

Tumaini Carayol is in Madrid covering the Madrid tournament 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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Nadal to Play in Federer’s Hometown Tournament in Basel

Rafael Nadal

(April 29, 2013) Roger Federer may not have officially signed a contract to play his hometown tournament, the Swiss Indoors in Basel but stated he would play. The tournament announced on Monday that Rafael Nadal will play in Basel for the first time in nine years, when he lost to Rainer Schuettler in the first round in 2004.

Joining Nadal in the field will be last year’s champion Juan Martin Del Potro, Stanislas Wawrinka, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori.

The tournament will be held the week of October 19th.

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Federer to Play Hometown Tourney

Federer 3

(April 10, 2013)  Roger Federer will play his hometown tournament in Basel Switzerland – the Swiss Indoors. There had been reports in the media to the contrary

Federer told the Swiss daily newspaper Tages Anzeiger that “everyone knows how much this tournament means to me and that is still true.”

Federer’s contract ended with the tournament last year. Federer told the paper that he could play Basel without any type of agreement.

 

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Nadal Tops Federer to Move into Semis of Indian Wells

_MG_0293

(March 14, 2013)  In the 29th edition of the rivalry which dates back to when they first met in Miami in 2004, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer 6-4, 6-2 to move into the semifinals of the BNP Paris Open on Thursday.

In the first set both men stayed even until the seventh game when Nadal broke Federer on a backhand crosscourt passing shot winner to go up a break 4-3. Federer had been struggling to hold his serve until Nadal broke him in the second game.

Nadal threatened to break Federer again in the ninth game, but Federer held off two set points to hold for 4-5. Nadal served out the first set 6-4.

In the first set Nadal  had an 82% first serve percentage versus Federer with 70%. Nadal had 8 errors to Federer’s 16 in the 47 minute first set.

A telling statistic from the first set – Nadal lead Federer in groundstroke winners 11-1.

Nadal opened the second set with a break at love and broke a sluggish Federer again in the third game for a 3-0, two break lead.  Federer had been suffering with back issues during the tournament. Federer showed some signs of life by breaking the Spaniard for the first time in the match to get to 1-3 in the second set.

A Federer hold made it 3-2 Nadal. Nadal kept in front by a break holding at 30 for 4-2 and broke Federer again for a 5-2 lead.

Nadal served out the match at love to win 6-4, 6-2 to move into the semifinals where he’ll play Tomas Berdych next.

In the end Nadal was just too powerful from the baseline winning 57 points from there to Federer’s 25. Nadal committed a mere 13 unforced errors to Federer’s 30.

“I played great the first set,” Nadal said.  “I played a fantastic first set, in my opinion.  The second set was strange.  The second set I think Roger didn’t fight as usual.  Probably he had some problems and he didn’t feel enough comfortable to keep fighting.”

Federer was asked about his back injury: “Same as against Stan.  I mean, I could play.  I’m happy to be out there and able to compete, you know.

“But it’s obviously a small issue.  That doesn’t work against guys like Rafa, obviously.”

Federer continued: “Hanging in there in the first set, so you always believe that with a good return game, and, you know, I dug myself out of a couple of tough service games, that I could do it, you know.

“The longer the match went on, I realized I had to change up my game.  I played differently than I was hoping to be able to.  Obviously he got more comfortable as the match went on, as well.  Things became difficult.

“Obviously once I was down a set I knew it was going to be difficult.”

“After seven months away, I am very happy to be in the semi-finals here,” Nadal said on court after the win.

“For me, just to be back in the competition is fantastic. I had matches in the Latin American clay court season, now I’m here for first time in seven months on a hard court tournament, so very happy to be in semifinal, no?”

“I don’t think Roger felt 100 percent tonight. Always it is a very, very special match against Roger, the best player in history. I feel like it is a classic match whenever we play.”

This is Nadal’s  first hard court event since his returning to the tennis tour last month after a seven month hiatus due to a left knee injury.  His first hard court tournament in 11 months. Nadal is now 15-1 in 2013, and is currently on a 12 match win streak.

Nadal spoke about his performance during the match: “What pleased me most was my movement tonight was much better than yesterday.  I played longer than yesterday.  I had good feeling on my forehand, even if I had few mistakes with my backhand in the second set.  The match became a little bit strange in the second.

“But in the first set I played very well with my backhand.  That give a lot of points for me in the final of Acapulco.

“Sometimes today I am not able to play all the shots with my forehand that I used to be because I am not that fast yet to do it.  That’s why the backhand today is very important for my game.

“So if I am able to hit well, like I did in the first set, you know, a lot of opportunities open for me in my game because I can hit cross.  If my cross backhand goes close to the line then I have the rest of the court for my forehand, and that’s a big advantage.

“Today that makes a big difference in my game.”

Nadal was asked about his next opponent Berdych.

He’s playing better and better every year, ” said Nadal.  He played final in Marseilles, final in Dubai, and now he’s semifinals here without losing a set.

“He’s doing great.  We’ll see.  I gonna try my best.  I gonna try to keep playing well and try to fight as I did today, as I did yesterday, and we’ll see if I am able to compete well and enjoy another match.

“Every match is fantastic for me to have the chance to keep playing, and I gonna enjoy the match against another top, top player.  Will be another important test for me, and I gonna enjoy.”

Nadal has now improved his record against Federer to 19-10. Should Andy Murray advance to the final, he would leapfrong Federer into the No. 2 spot.

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