2013/05/20

Serena Williams, Roddick, Raonic and Radwanska Participate in Toronto Face-Off (Photo Gallery)

(November 16, 2012) TORONTO – A crowd of 6,558 came out to watch Milos Raonic, Andy Roddick, Serena Williams and Agniezska Radwanska in the Sport Chek Face-Off exhibition match on Friday night at Air Canada Centre.

The recently retired American Roddick topped Canadian Raonic 6-4, 4-6, 10-7. Roddick entertained the crown with his impressions of Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

When asked about if Roddick should consider a comeback, Raonic said “I hope not.”

“What kind of shape am I in now? Well round is a shape,” Roddick joked. “I had a very detailed retirement plan, and I feel like I’ve met every aspect of it – a lot of golf, a lot of carbs, a lot of fried food, and some booze, occasionally – I’ve been completely.

No. 3 and 15-time major champion Serena Williams lost to No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 6-4 in a rematch of the most recent Wimbledon final.

The evening began with a “hit and giggle” mixed doubles match between Team Canada represented by Raonic and Radwanska versus Team USA’s Roddick and Williams.

The players were joined by various Canadian celebrities including CBC personality George Stroumboulopoulos, Adrian Grenier of the HBO show “Entourage,” “Bachelor” star Brad Smith and CFL commissioner Mark Cohon.

All photos by Marc-André Gauthier

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Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanksa, Raonic and Roddick to Participate in “Face-Off”

Toronto, September 10, 2012 – Tennis Canada and Lagardere Unlimited announced Monday that “The Face-Off” will return to Canada in November with a new roster of superstar tennis players. Joining Canada’s No. 1 singles player Milos Raonic, will be former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, who recently retired from tournament play at the US Open, 15-time Grand Slam champion and recent US Open titlist Serena Williams and current world No. 3 and 2012 Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanksa. The “Face-Off” will be held in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre on November 16 at 7 p.m.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to play this unique event again this year,” said Raonic. “Other than at Rogers Cup once a year and the occasional Davis Cup tie in Canada, I don’t get to play in front of the home crowd very often. This event gives me the chance to play in front of my Toronto fans, friends and family while showcasing some of the all-time great players like Pete Sampras last year and now Andy and Serena. It’s going to be great to give Toronto fans another chance to see world-class tennis again this year.”

“Milos, in a very short period of time, is already one of the big names in tennis,” said Roddick. “This event is a great showcase for him and for tennis and I’m really looking forward to being part of it. I always loved coming to Toronto throughout my career and I missed the chance this summer due to injury before I retired. It will be great to get back there in November for the chance to thank all the fans who supported me over the years.”

In addition to the marquee match-up between two of tennis’ biggest hitters, Raonic and Roddick, the evening will feature a re-match of this year’s Wimbledon final between Williams and Radwanska. The foursome will also pair up for a mixed doubles match, as well as with some special celebrity guests who will join in on the action.

“Milos reminds me so much of Andy and what he did for American tennis when he burst onto the tennis scene with such a huge serve and powerful game,” said Williams. “I am really excited to play in this event with him, Andy and Aga and help support the huge growth of tennis in Canada.”

“It is really an honor for me to play with Andy, Milos and Serena in this event,” said Radwanska.  “It was a dream come true playing in the Wimbledon finals against Serena and I am so glad I get a chance to play her again in Toronto.”

Tickets will go on-sale to the public on Monday, September 17 at Noon ET. For all events and games at Air Canada Centre, tickets can be purchased at the Ticket Office located in the west end of the Galleria near Gate 1. Fans may also purchase tickets for an event coming to Air Canada Centre by calling Ticketmaster at 1-855-985-5000, visiting any Ticketmaster outlet or online at the Ticketmaster Canada (www.ticketmaster.ca) website.  Ticket prices (incl. HST) range from $35-$150 (plus FMF and service charges) with a family 4-pack available for as low as $25 per ticket. For more event information please visit www.faceofftennis.com.

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Djokovic Makes it Through the Rain and into the Rogers Cup Final

By Brodie McPhee

TORONTO – They tried to start. It rained. They stopped. The rain stopped, the players came out. They squeezed in five games, and it rained again. It stopped again, and the driers came out… it rained again. Even after the driers came out for the final time, it spitted slightly before ending, and the players would resume for the final time around,  It even started to spit for a short period, but it would eventually stop, and play would get under way around 10:25pm on a cold, blustery night in Toronto.

Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic aren’t just both Serbian, they’re good friends and good colleagues. They practice together often and know each other and each other’s games very well. “Weather is something you can’t effect, obviously. We were very close to cancelling the match tonight and playing tomorrow,” said Djokovic. Unsurprisingly, the delay did little to damage the level of play in the first set, and both players came out crushing the ball.

It would be important for Tipsarevic to use good depth to neutralize Djokovic’s able to create angles from the baseline and push him around. He did an excellent job in the first set, which saw nine straight holds. Unfortunately, the best game of the set would go against him, after several long rallies were created off his second serve, and Djokovic would break to take the opening set 6-4.

The momentum was clearly on Djokovic’s side, as he began to use the backhand down the line and dictate play, going up a quick break to earn 3-1. After another grinding game, Djokovic broke once again to go 5-1, and the match was all but over, finishing up 6-4, 6-1.

Despite winning, Djokovic was clearly frustrated with the stopping and strating due to the unpredictable rain. “I don’t see why hard court tournaments can’t have covers. I think this year’s tournament should strongly consider covers for next year.”

Djokovic will take on Richard Gasquet, who beat John Isner in straight sets earlier in the day on Saturday. Djokovic owns a 6-1 record against Gasquet, winning their most recent meeting in Miami earlier in the year in straight sets. Gasquet’s only victory over the Serb came on the hard courts of Shanghai in 2007.

Brodie McPhee is the writer of mindtheracket.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @MindTheRacket. He is covering the Rogers Cup in Toronto for Tennis Panorama News, follow @TennisNewsTPN for updates.

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Gasquet Tops Isner to gain Toronto Final

By Brodie McPhee

TORONTO – For the third straight day, the Toronto Rogers Cup was effected by rain. Luckily, the first semifinal of the day was able to get under way only 20 minutes later than scheduled, around 3:20 local time.

The conditions were cold and grey, and at times windy as rain threatened but never came. Conditions were slower, a big boost to Richard Gasquet, and John Isner played into his hand. “It was weird” said the 6’9″ American. “Get here and it’s pouring down rain when I arrived to the courts, and next thing you know it stops raining and you get 100 people out there and the courts are ready to go. Didn’t get to warmup for the match. “The first set saw 12 straight holds to force a tiebreak. In reality, the momentum of play had already been set. Gasquet was incredibly effective on serve, getting in 88% of his first serves and only dropping 4 points on serve all set. Isner was forced to play 43 points on serve and save two break points to force a tiebreaker.

Momentum in hand, Gasquet rose to the occasion, taking advantage of longer points and dictating with the backhand. “It’s world class,” Isner said of the Gasquet backhand. “It’s just a gift of his, really. It’s tough for me because I like to take the majority of my shots if I’m playing a righty to his backhand, and he was able to handle that pretty well.”

While Gasquet’s first serve percentage dropped in the second set, he continued to dominate. With the pressure still squarely on Isner, Gasquet finally broke and would cruise to victory, taking the second set and the match 7-6(3), 6-3, without facing a single break point all match. “The key of the match was to return well, and I did it. I tried to return all the time to make him play,” said the Frenchman.

“Then I like to defend. But of course I had to do a big tiebreak, and I did it. I played incredible in the tiebreak and then I felt [good].”

As for the final, Gasquet is not too worried about who his potential opponent will be. “That’s not a big problem for me to play against Novak or Janko. They are very , very good players both. Both are playing very, very [well].”

Brodie McPhee is the writer of mindtheracket.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @MindTheRacket. He is covering the Rogers Cup in Toronto for Tennis Panorama News, follow @TennisNewsTPN for updates.

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Djokovic, Isner, Gasquet, Tipsarevic move into Toronto Semifinals

TORONTO – After a rain filled day that failed to see a single minute of tennis played, Friday was bound to be an eventful day at the Toronto Rogers Cup. After several matches were delayed, another considerable rain delay pushed play back and created an eventful evening for Canadian fans.

All of the day’s winners were required to play twice, including Richard Gasquet. The Frenchman defeated Tomas Berdych on the stadium court before the rain struck, along with his opponent Mardy Fish who defeated Monaco earlier in the day. It made for a long day that included a difficult night match on the main stadium. “For sure, it’s tough, but I think he (Fish) played one more hour than me in morning with Monaco so it made a little bit difference, I think.” “I’m in semifinal. I’m feeling confident, so I’m sure I can win.”

Likewise, Janko Tipsarevic defeated Marin Cilic in convincing fashion, 6-2, 6-4, and was called upon to defeat Spaniard Marcel Granollers to start the night session at the grandstand, 6-4, 6-4. Despite the long day, Tipsarevic was incredibly efficient only having to spend two hours and 51 minutes of time on court between two matches. The Serbian has made the Rogers Cup semifinals for the second year in a row, falling to Mardy Fish in the semifinals of last year’s Montreal edition.

Perhaps the most difficult task of the day belonged to Novak Djokovic. Due to the quick match on centre court, he was able to get to 6-4, 3-2 30-30 before play was called. Play once again resumed after the rain delay and he was able to defeat Querrey 6-4, 6-4. His day was not done there as he needed to defeat Tommy Haas on the second match on the Grandstand starting at 9pm local time; a total of three different starts after long breaks. He followed through and will play compatriot Tipsarevic.

Lastly, hometown favorite Milos Raonic was upset by John Isner, who like all other semifinalists, needed to win two matches in the day to advance. His day started with a two hour defeat of Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. “I felt all right out there, and I thought I would feel fine. The way I looked at it is I was at a bit of an advantage, in my opinion, because he hadn’t played in a few days.”

The second set saw Raonic go up a break, but immediately gift it back to Isner, and the set went to a tiebreak. Despite the crowds best efforts to cheer on the hometown favorite, Isner took the set and was the better player in the second set. “Fortunately for me, he sort of let me back in that first set. The tiebreak was a coin flip and I won it really, so lady luck was on my side.”

For Raonic, it was a difficult loss in front of the home crowd, but not a devastating one. “It’s disappointing in a lot of ways. But I don’t think it’s disappointing that I lost at home. It’s more so disappointing for me that I lost in general and playing the way I lost.”

Raonic noted his struggles serving were largely his undoing. “Everything was floating long. I wasn’t snapping hard enough… when he was able to get his racquet on it, he was able to put it in comfortably and also maybe create a little bit more.”

Saturday’s action will feature Richard Gasquet versus John Isner during the day and Novak Djokovic versus Tommy Haas at night.

 

Brodie McPhee is the writer of mindtheracket.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @MindTheRacket. He is covering the Rogers Cup in Toronto for Tennis Panorama News, follow @TennisNewsTPN for updates.

TORONTO RESULTS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2012

Main Draw Singles – Third Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d S Querrey (USA) 64 64
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) d [4] T Berdych (CZE) 64 62
[5] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d [10] M Cilic (CRO) 62 64
[11] M Fish (USA) d [7] J Monaco (ARG) 26 61 64
[8] J Isner (USA) d [12] P Kohlschreiber (GER) 67(3) 64 64
T Haas (GER) d R Stepanek (CZE) 26 64 61
M Granollers (ESP) d J Chardy (FRA) 61 64

Main Draw Singles – Quarterfinals
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d T Haas (GER) 63 36 63
[5] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d M Granollers (ESP) 64 64
[8] J Isner (USA) d [16] M Raonic (CAN) 76(9) 64
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) d [11] M Fish (USA) 57 61 62

Main Draw Doubles – Second Round
[2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d I Dodig (CRO) / M Melo (BRA) 75 62
P Hanley (AUS) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d [6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) 64 76(6)

Main Draw Doubles – Quarterfinals
[2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d P Hanley (AUS) / N Zimonjic (SRB) 75 61
[5] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) d [3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 76(5) 46 10-6
[4] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) d [7] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) 64 36 10-7

TORONTO ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012
STADIUM start 12:00 noon
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) vs [8] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP)

Not Before 3:00 PM
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) vs [8] J Isner (USA)

Not Before 6:30 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [5] J Tipsarevic (SRB)
[5] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) vs [2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA)

GRANDSTAND start
Not Before 4:00 PM
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) or [8] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) vs [4] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU)

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Rogers Cup – Thursday Results, Friday Schedule

TORONTO RESULTS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012


Main Draw Doubles – Second Round
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) d F Fognini (ITA) / J Monaco (ARG) 64 63
[3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) 75 75
[4] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) d D Bracciali (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) 61 64
[5] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) d M Raonic (CAN) / V Troicki (SRB) walkover
[7] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) d J Chardy (FRA) / G Simon (FRA) 67(5) 64 10-5
[8] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) d T Berdych (CZE) / F Mayer (GER) 62 62

MONTREAL RESULTS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012
Main Draw Singles – Second Round
[2] A Radwanska (POL) d M Barthel (GER) 46 63 76(5)
[9] M Bartoli (FRA) d S Peng (CHN) 61 63
[10] N Li (CHN) d [WC] E Bouchard (CAN) 64 64
R Vinci (ITA) d [11] A Ivanovic (SRB) 60 60
V Lepchenko (USA) d [12] D Cibulkova (SVK) 64 64
[WC] A Wozniak (CAN) d [13] J Jankovic (SRB) 62 63
C Suarez Navarro (ESP) d [15] S Lisicki (GER) 36 63 64
C Mchale (USA) d [LL] G Voskoboeva (KAZ) 75 36 62

Main Draw Doubles – Second Round
[1] L Huber (USA) / L Raymond (USA) d V Dushevina (RUS) / T Tanasugarn (THA) 61 63
H Chan (TPE) / Y Chan (TPE) d [Alt] J Craybas (USA) / C Suarez Navarro (ESP) 61 60

TORONTO ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2012
STADIUM start 11:00 am
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) vs [4] T Berdych (CZE)

Not Before 1:00 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs S Querrey (USA)

Not Before 3:00 PM
[7] J Monaco (ARG) or [11] M Fish (USA) vs [14] R Gasquet (FRA) or [4] T Berdych (CZE)

Not Before 7:00 PM
[8] J Isner (USA) or [12] P Kohlschreiber (GER) vs [16] M Raonic (CAN)
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) or S Querrey (USA) vs T Haas (GER) or R Stepanek (CZE)
GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
[7] J Monaco (ARG) vs [11] M Fish (USA)

Not Before 1:00 PM
[8] J Isner (USA) vs [12] P Kohlschreiber (GER)
[5] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) vs [3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL)
J Chardy (FRA) or M Granollers (ESP) vs [10] M Cilic (CRO) or [5] J Tipsarevic (SRB)
COURT 1 start 11:00 am
[10] M Cilic (CRO) vs [5] J Tipsarevic (SRB)

Not Before 1:00 PM
T Haas (GER) vs R Stepanek (CZE)
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) or P Hanley (AUS) / N Zimonjic (SRB) vs I Dodig (CRO) / M Melo (BRA) or [2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA)
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) vs [8] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) – TBA – After Necessary Rest
COURT 4 start 11:00 am
I Dodig (CRO) / M Melo (BRA) vs [2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA)

Not Before 1:00 PM
J Chardy (FRA) vs M Granollers (ESP)
[4] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) vs [7] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED)
COURT 3 start 11:00 am
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs P Hanley (AUS) / N Zimonjic (SRB)
MONTREAL ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2012
CENTRAL start 12:00 noon
[9] M Bartoli (FRA) vs [5] P Kvitova (CZE)

Not Before 2:00 PM
C Mchale (USA) vs [WC] A Wozniak (CAN)

Not Before 6:00 PM
V Lepchenko (USA) vs [Q] K Bertens (NED) or [7] C Wozniacki (DEN)

Not Before 8:00 PM
[1] V Azarenka (BLR) or T Paszek (AUT) vs C Suarez Navarro (ESP)
BANQUE NATIONALE start 12:00 noon
[16] L Safarova (CZE) vs [4] S Stosur (AUS)

Not Before 1:30 PM
[1] V Azarenka (BLR) vs T Paszek (AUT) 33

Not Before 4:00 PM
C Scheepers (RSA) vs [2] A Radwanska (POL)

Not Before 7:30 PM
[8] S Errani (ITA) vs [10] N Li (CHN)
COURT 9 start 12:00 noon
N Grandin (RSA) / V Uhlirova (CZE) vs S Lisicki (GER) / S Peng (CHN)

Not Before 1:30 PM
[Q] K Bertens (NED) vs [7] C Wozniacki (DEN) 57 04 – WTA
[6] R Kops-Jones (USA) / A Spears (USA) vs A Rodionova (AUS) / G Voskoboeva (KAZ)

Not Before 4:30 PM
[6] A Kerber (GER) or E Makarova (RUS) vs R Vinci (ITA)
[6] R Kops-Jones (USA) / A Spears (USA) or A Rodionova (AUS) / G Voskoboeva (KAZ) vs H Chan (TPE) / Y Chan (TPE)
COURT 5 start 1:30 pm
[6] A Kerber (GER) vs E Makarova (RUS) 63 13 – WTA
[1] L Huber (USA) / L Raymond (USA) vs N Grandin (RSA) / V Uhlirova (CZE) or S Lisicki (GER) / S Peng (CHN) – After Suitable Rest
[3] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) or C Chuang (TPE) / S Zhang (CHN) vs D Cibulkova (SVK) / D Hantuchova (SVK) or B Mattek-Sands (USA) / S Mirza (IND)
COURT 2 start 1:30 pm

Not Before 1:30 PM
D Cibulkova (SVK) / D Hantuchova (SVK) vs B Mattek-Sands (USA) / S Mirza (IND)

Not Before 3:00 PM
K Jans-Ignacik (POL) / K Mladenovic (FRA) vs A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / L Safarova (CZE) 75 67(8) 0-0
K Jans-Ignacik (POL) / K Mladenovic (FRA) or A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / L Safarova (CZE) vs E Makarova (RUS) / O Savchuk (UKR) – After Suitable Rest

COURT 6 start 1:30 pm
[3] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) vs C Chuang (TPE) / S Zhang (CHN)

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Murray Pulls Out of Toronto

By Brodie McPhee

TORONTO – After winning gold and silver medals as a hometown favorite, doing over eight hours of press across multiple days and catching a plane ride across five zones, it would be easy to understand why Andy Murray would be tired. Regardless, he traveled to Toronto, practiced twice in hope to adjust to the surface change, and managed to take out Flavio Cipolla in straight sets.

After his match, Murray was clearly exhausted, and noted that hard courts were notoriously difficult on his joints. On Thursday, the gold medalist was forced to withdraw from the tournament before his scheduled night match against Milos Raonic, citing a left knee injury.

“I decided this morning. Obviously it was a bit sore yesterday, then had some treatment and stuff after the match. It felt a bit better, and then came in today, I saw the physios, they did some work on it, and it’s still a bit sore.”

Raonic was forced to give a walkover to Murray earlier in the year, and Murray had a chance to speak to the Canadian before officially announcing his decision. “I spoke to the tournament directo and apologized to him, and then came upstairs and Milos just came up and had a little joke about it. In Miami earlier in the year he pulled out against me, and then obviously repaid him the favour today”, Murray joked.

“In terms of kind of where I go from here, I don’t know. We’ll talk about it with the team this evening and decide what the best thing to do is, if it’s to hang here for a couple days or go onto Cincinnati or go to Miami or whatever.”

For Raonic, it’s a chance to play in his first ever quarterfinal of a Masters 1000 tournament in from of a home crowd. “Obviously it was something I was really looking forward to… It’s my first quarterfinal in a Masters and to be at home is pretty special.”

Raonic will play the winner of John Isner and Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfinals.

Brodie McPhee is the writer of mindtheracket.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @MindTheRacket. He is covering the Rogers Cup in Toronto for Tennis Panorama News, follow @TennisNewsTPN for updates.

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Video – Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray August 8, 2012 Rogers Cup News Conferences

TORONTO – Excerpt from Novak Djokovic Rogers Cup  news conference.Video by Jennifer Knapp.

Excerpt from Andy Murray Rogers Cup  news conference.Video by Jennifer Knapp.

 

 

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Rogers Cup – Wednesday Results, Thursday Schedule

TORONTO RESULTS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012

Main Draw Singles – Second Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d B Tomic (AUS) 62 63
[2] A Murray (GBR) d [Q] F Cipolla (ITA) 61 63
J Chardy (FRA) d [3] J Tsonga (FRA) 64 76(4)
[4] T Berdych (CZE) d J Benneteau (FRA) 67(10) 64 64
[5] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d M Youzhny (RUS) 76(2) 64
R Stepanek (CZE) d [6] J Del Potro (ARG) 64 76(5)
T Haas (GER) d [9] G Simon (FRA) 62 63
[10] M Cilic (CRO) d M Baghdatis (CYP) 75 63
[12] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d [Q] F Fognini (ITA) 62 62
S Querrey (USA) d [13] K Nishikori (JPN) 62 63
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) d M Kukushkin (KAZ) 63 75
M Granollers (ESP) d [15] F Mayer (GER) 63 64

Main Draw Doubles – First Round
T Berdych (CZE) / F Mayer (GER) d J Benneteau (FRA) / R Gasquet (FRA) 76(2) 46 10-7
D Bracciali (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) d K Anderson (RSA) / E Butorac (USA) 63 64
M Raonic (CAN) / V Troicki (SRB) d [Alt] M Fish (USA) / M Knowles (BAH) 75 26 10-8
I Dodig (CRO) / M Melo (BRA) d [WC] F Dancevic (CAN) / V Pospisil (CAN) 62 76(2)

MONTREAL RESULTS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012

Main Draw Singles – First Round
S Peng (CHN) d [Q] A Rezai (FRA) 76(5) 63
C Mchale (USA) d [Q] A Rus (NED) 36 61 63
V Lepchenko (USA) d A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 62 63
[Q] K Bertens (NED) d N Petrova (RUS) 36 76(4) 64
[WC] E Bouchard (CAN) d S Peer (ISR) 36 62 75
M Barthel (GER) d [Q] T Babos (HUN) 64 57 76(5)

Main Draw Singles – Second Round
[4] S Stosur (AUS) d S Halep (ROU) 75 44 Retired
[5] P Kvitova (CZE) d K Pervak (KAZ) 46 76(0) 60
[8] S Errani (ITA) d [Q] J Cepelova (SVK) 63 62
C Scheepers (RSA) d [14] F Pennetta (ITA) 14 Retired
[16] L Safarova (CZE) d [Q] S Karatantcheva (KAZ) 64 64

Main Draw Doubles – First Round
[6] R Kops-Jones (USA) / A Spears (USA) d [WC] E Bouchard (CAN) / A Wozniak (CAN) 62 62
B Mattek-Sands (USA) / S Mirza (IND) d [7] J Goerges (GER) / K Peschke (CZE) 76(1) 63
S Lisicki (GER) / S Peng (CHN) d [8] I Benesova (CZE) / B Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 62 61
C Chuang (TPE) / S Zhang (CHN) d A Klepac (SLO) / A Tatishvili (GEO) 36 75 11-9
D Cibulkova (SVK) / D Hantuchova (SVK) d [WC] S Fichman (CAN) / M Pelletier (CAN) 57 63 12-10
H Chan (TPE) / Y Chan (TPE) d L Lee-Waters (USA) / M Moulton-Levy (USA) 26 63 10-4

Main Draw Doubles – Second Round
E Makarova (RUS) / O Savchuk (UKR) d [2] S Errani (ITA) / R Vinci (ITA) 63 26 10-5

TORONTO ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012

STADIUM start 11:00 am
[10] M Cilic (CRO) vs [5] J Tipsarevic (SRB)

Not Before 1:00 PM
[7] J Monaco (ARG) vs [11] M Fish (USA)

Not Before 3:00 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs S Querrey (USA)

Not Before 7:00 PM
[16] M Raonic (CAN) vs [2] A Murray (GBR)
I Dodig (CRO) / M Melo (BRA) vs [2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA)

GRANDSTAND start 1:00 pm
J Chardy (FRA) vs M Granollers (ESP)
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) vs [4] T Berdych (CZE)
T Haas (GER) vs R Stepanek (CZE)
[8] J Isner (USA) vs [12] P Kohlschreiber (GER)

Not Before 8:00 PM
[5] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) vs M Raonic (CAN) / V Troicki (SRB) – After Suitable Rest

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) vs [3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL)
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs P Hanley (AUS) / N Zimonjic (SRB)

Not Before 4:00 PM
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) vs F Fognini (ITA) / J Monaco (ARG)
T Berdych (CZE) / F Mayer (GER) vs [8] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP)

COURT 4 start 11:00 am
[4] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) vs D Bracciali (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA)

Not Before 4:00 PM
J Chardy (FRA) / G Simon (FRA) vs [7] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED)
MONTREAL ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012

CENTRAL start 12:00 noon
R Vinci (ITA) vs [11] A Ivanovic (SRB)

Not Before 2:00 PM
[WC] A Wozniak (CAN) vs [13] J Jankovic (SRB)

Not Before 6:00 PM
[WC] E Bouchard (CAN) vs [10] N Li (CHN)

Not Before 8:00 PM
[1] V Azarenka (BLR) vs T Paszek (AUT)

BANQUE NATIONALE start 12:00 noon
[9] M Bartoli (FRA) vs S Peng (CHN)

Not Before 2:00 PM
M Barthel (GER) vs [2] A Radwanska (POL)

Not Before 4:00 PM
[6] A Kerber (GER) vs E Makarova (RUS)

Not Before 7:30 PM
[Q] K Bertens (NED) vs [7] C Wozniacki (DEN)

COURT 9 start 12:00 noon
C Suarez Navarro (ESP) vs [15] S Lisicki (GER)
[12] D Cibulkova (SVK) vs V Lepchenko (USA)
N Grandin (RSA) / V Uhlirova (CZE) vs S Lisicki (GER) / S Peng (CHN)
D Cibulkova (SVK) / D Hantuchova (SVK) vs B Mattek-Sands (USA) / S Mirza (IND)

COURT 5 start 12:00 noon
[1] L Huber (USA) / L Raymond (USA) vs V Dushevina (RUS) / T Tanasugarn (THA)

Not Before 1:30 PM
[LL] G Voskoboeva (KAZ) vs C Mchale (USA)
[3] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) vs C Chuang (TPE) / S Zhang (CHN)
[6] R Kops-Jones (USA) / A Spears (USA) vs A Rodionova (AUS) / G Voskoboeva (KAZ)

COURT 2 start 2:00 pm
K Jans-Ignacik (POL) / K Mladenovic (FRA) vs A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / L Safarova (CZE)

Not Before 3:00 PM
H Chan (TPE) / Y Chan (TPE) vs Alternate / Unknown

 

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

Djokovic glides past Tomic in Toronto

By Brodie McPhee

TORONTO – In a day that saw four of the biggest names in men’s tennis battle it out in Toronto, only the fourth would produce a truly convincing win.

Defending Rogers Cup champion Novak Djokovic took out Australian youngster Bernard Tomic in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Tomic played well in the first set, but was broken and struggled to dictate against Djokovic’s excellent defense. “He played well in the opening five, six games, but then he dropped the level a little bit. I used my opportunity.”

With del Potro and Tsonga losing, and Murray looking incredibly tired, Djokovic seemed relatively refreshed and relaxed. “I had the shortest flight,” Djokovic joked. “I’ve tried my best after ending Olympic Games in those two, three days as much as I could to get ready for hard courts.” During the match he tracked down a lob with a between the legs shot and went on to win the point, followed by a massive cheer that had the crowd roaring.

With hard courts being his favorite surface, the adjustment from grass to hard seemed effortless for the Serb, and the unorthodox style of Tomic played into his hand. He was able to sit back and play patiently in points, and then take the opportunities when they arose. “I love playing on hard court. It’s my favorite surface. Obviously when I needed to play well and be patient, I’ve done that really well today… naturally it takes a couple days at least for you to really get into the right form.”

Being familiar with Tomic also helped, as the two know each other quite well, and have practiced many times. “We know each other’s game. He’s very talented and has a lot of variety in his game and a lot of shots that are unorthodox… he has a lot of potential.”

Djokovic will take on Sam Querrey in the next round. Querrey beat Kei Nishikori in straight sets on the Grandstand.

Brodie McPhee is the writer of mindtheracket.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @MindTheRacket. He is covering the Rogers Cup in Toronto for Tennis Panorama News, follow @TennisNewsTPN for updates.

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