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Can Andy Win Another Slam?
Tipsarevic
Stuns Roddick, Whose Slam Year Has Been Less Than Satisfactory MORE
WTA
CHAOS
Azarenka's Concussion, Dementieva's Lack of Confidence (sort of), Ivanovic
Rises MORE

Fish Survives in 5, Blake Gets Through MORE
Kim's
Last Stand
Clijsters Needs to Win Open to Soldify Year MORE

KING WANTS HIS CROWN BACK
Federer Says He Should Have Never Lost to Del Potro
Swiss Says US Open Fastest Slam, Nadal Says
Wimbledon; Falconi, Kendrick, Lucic, Nishikori Qualify MORE

US Open Draw Breakdown
Wozniacki, Sharapova Headed Toward Clash,
as are Roddick & Djokovic, Venus & Azarenka, Murray & Querrey
MORE

US Open women's preview
Clijsters, Sharapova Lead Top 10 Favorites
Azarenka, Woznaicki, Kuznetsova not far behind
MORE

Federer Foils Fish, Shows
He's a Major USO Contender Again MORE
 Serena
Out of US Open,
Clijsters Hurt in Zvonareva Loss
Bagdhatis Upsets Nadal, Roddick, Fish to Meet
MORE

THE TENNISREPORTERS.NET NEWSLETTER
Murray Takes Out Nadal & Federer to Win Toronto
Andy Coach-less, but Expressing Himself MORE
 TORONTO,
the final four
Federer Gets over on Berdych, to Face Djokovic
Nadal to Confront Murray
Nadal to Confront Murray
MORE 
SVETA Doesn't choke up
Kuznetsova Avoids Total Implosion & Bests Radwanska to Win San Diego
MORE

San Diego SEMIs
Kuznetsova No Longer “Messed Up”
Pounds Pennetta, to Face Radwanksa in Final
MORE
San Diego QuaRters
Pennetta Re-Peaks, to Face Kuznetsova,
who Ends CoCo's Run
Stosur Injured, Says Right Arm Aching MORE
Kuznetsova, Hantuchova Press On
Getting Fit and Playing Smart
Jankovic's Injury Complaints Not Appreciated MORE
Learning to Crawl
Kuznetsova, Safina, Ivanovic Search for Past Glory MORE
Azarenka Slams Sharapova to Win
Bank of the West Title
Vika: 'I'm one year older and wiser' MORE
Ear
Plugs, Anyone?
Azarenka to Meet Sharapova in Stanford Final
MORE
Stanford
Semis: Sharapova vs. Radwanska, Stosur vs. Azarenka
Gruntus Interuptus
A boisterous & loud Azarenka Upsets
Holder Bartoli
Marion: “I think it’s fine to grunt
sometimes when you make an effort, but sometimes it’s just so loud.
MORE
Annoyed Oudin Denies Sophomore Slump,
Tries to Beat Back Alleged Expectations
Melanie to Fans: “Say ‘C’mon’ Melanie,’
but you don’t have to say
‘Pull it together.” MORE
THE
TR NEWSLETTER: TUESDAY, JULY 27
Safina in Search of Renewed Respect
Dinara:
“I’m the one who is breaking
down the wall now” MORE

ANa KONGS KLEYBANOVA at STANFORD
Ivanovic Not Feeling Sorry for Herself
MORE

WireImage NADAL
CRUSHES BERDYCH
Rafa 3.O:
Healthy Again, Nadal Wins 2nd Wimbledon MORE


Lum photo No
Luck In No. 13 Slam Title
Serena Passes BJK in Winning 4th Wimby
MORE


ARCHIVED STORIES
Murray Matters: Andy Needs to Improve Two Key
Areas to Win a Slam MORE
Excuses, Excuses: Federer Claims Injuries
Were at Fault in Loss to Berdych MORE
Stunned? Venus, Clijsters Go Down MORE
Nadal v Soderling, Federer v Berdych, Murray
v Tsonga MORE
Not Just Another Manic Monday: 16 Thoughts on
Every Round of 16 Match MORE
C'mon! Hewitt Pumped to face Djokovic,
Hanescu Spits And Quits MORE
Not the Queen of the Day: Elizabeth Upstages
Serena, Who's Sent to Court 2 MORE
Roddick, Venus Manage Matches, Others Flail
MORE
Hurt Blake Nearing the End of the Road MORE
Red Alert: Federer Nearly Foiled by Falla
MORE
Roger Waiting on Rafa MORE
Ten Women to Watch at Wimbledon MORE
Nadal's 5th French Symphony Rafa Soars Past
Soderling & Retakes No. 1 MORE
Now, Nothing is Impossible Schiavone’s
Stunning Run to RG TitleMORE
Upside Down French Open Features Nadal vs. Melzer,
Berdych vs. Soderling MORE
Soderling Stuns Federer, No Longer Second Best
MORE
Djokovic Tries To Keep Relevant MORE
Daniela Dares to Dream MORE
Almagro in Search of a Milagro vs. Rafa
MORE
Serena Pummels Peer MORE
Djokovic Gags Ginepri MORE
Davenport to Return to Play Doubles With Huber;
Blames Blackfor Breakup MORE
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ARE YOU MY FRIEND ON FACEBOOK?
LISTEN
TO MATT NIGHTLY ON US OPEN RADIO, FIRST MATCH ON
Teenager Ryan Harrison Comes Alive, Lashes Luby MORE
CRoNIN's DAY 4 us open picks MORE
Nadal Takes Baby Steps MORE
CRoNIN's DAY 3 us open picks MORE
Federer & Venus' Magic, Mirza Still Believes
MORE
Is Mardy Fish a Real Contender? MORE
US OPEN PREVIEW
Measuring Melanie: Oudin Struggling to Cope With
Self-Created Pressure MORE
US OPEN MEN'S PREVIEW
5 BIG QUESTIONS: Federer, Nadal, Murray, US Men,
Breakout Players MORE
Wozniacki Downs Russians Back to Back to Win Title
MONDAY, AUG. 23 - Caroline Wozniacki
showed off her strong legs and improved competitiveness by winning to
matches on Monday to win her first WTA Super Premier title at Montreal.
Wozniacki smoked Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-3 in their rain delayed semifinal
and the blitzed Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-2 to win the crown. Zvonareva advanced
when Victoria Azarenka retired with blisters while trailing 7-6 1-0.
Wozniacki, who fell to Kim Clijsters in last year's U.S. Open final, will
be the top seed in New York and looks like she has finally recovered from
the ankle injury that plagued her in the spring.
"After waiting around two days and unable to play I actually felt
a little bit tired going out for my first match because mentally you have
to be prepared all the time," Wozniacki said. “Of course I
would like to be No. 1 in the world but Serena is a great champion, she's
won so many grand slams," said Wozniacki. "My goal for now is
just to try to win a grand slam and the number one spot is secondary to
that."
CINCY & MONTREAL
Fish Upsets Roddick; to Meet Federer in
Final; Del Potro Out of US Open
SAT. AUG 21 - Mardy Fish has
been involved in a number of tough losses to his good friend Andy Roddick,
but on Saturday at the Cincinnati Masters, he finally turned the table
over on his fellow American.
Fish came from a set and 5-3 down to take down the same man who has embarrassed
him on court at times 4-6 7-6 6-1 to advance to his third Masters series
final.
He’ll meet a resurgent Roger Federer, who took
care of his second excellent foe in a row by dispatching Marcos Baghdatis
6-4 6-3, which came on the heels of his straight set win over Nikolay
Davydenko.
Rain interrupted the Fish-Roddick match twice, with Roddick breaking to
Fish to win the first set after a 40 minute rain delay and then with Roddick
up 5-2, play stopped for another 10 minutes. That’s when Fish caught
fire, breaking Roddick back then cleaning up in the tiebreak. He then
went for broke in the third set and Roddick was unable to reestablish
a foothold in the match.
“I've never felt better on the court and I've never been more confident
and I've never played better… I've won a lot of matches this summer,”
Fish said. “[The weight loss] has a ton to do with it. And being
able to put in the hours, put in the work that I can on my forehand and
improve some of the things I need to improve. I've done some things that
I have never done in my career and won more matches this year up to this
point than I ever have. I have a great opportunity to improve my ranking
to where I've never been before.”
Roddick, who returned in Cincy after discovering that he had a bout of
mono, was generally pleased with his week. He’ll re-enter the top
10 on Monday and at least has some measure of confidence going into the
US Open.
“I came here and I had no expectations,” he said. “For
me to get in five really tough matches is more than I could've asked for
going into the Open. Honestly, when I came here I was thinking maybe two
matches we'll see. I hadn't really put too much time in. So beyond the
disappointment that's gonna linger for the next couple of hours, I think
this week has been a complete positive considering how I felt and kind
of where I was at 11 or 12 days ago.”
Juan Martin Del Porto’s surgically repaired wrist
hasn’t healed quickly enough and he’ll be forced to skip the
USO, where he came to fame last year when he upset Roger Federer for the
title…Montreal was deluged with rain and both semis
and the final will be contested on Sunday.
CINCY & MONTREAL
Clijsters and Vika's Tears Continue, Nadal,
Murray Survive; Isner Questionable for USO?
THURSDAY, AUG. 19 - It’s appropriate that Kim Clijsters
married an American, as throughout her career she’s been
absolutely ruthless on North American hardcourts. MORE
CINCY & MONTREAL
Rafa Complains About Court Speed, Isner
Injured, Querrey Falls, Safina Wins MORE
CINCY & MONTREAL
Blake and Oudin's Struggles Continue MORE
Sharapova a USO Contender, But Lets Go of 3 MPS
vs. Inspired Clijsters, Who Wins Cincy MORE
CINCY & TORONTO
Murray Upsets Nadal, Ivanovic
Injures Foot & Retires vs Clijsters
According to Rafa Nadal, Cincinnati is
playing too fast, or too much faster than Toronto was and when the Spaniard
speak, people tend to listen. After taking a 6-2 7-5 win over Taylor Dent,
Nadal asked organizers to make the courts at the two North American Masters
Series events at similar speeds, but Cincy has always played at a velocity
closer to the US Open’s Ashe Stadium, so perhaps Nadal will be more
pleased when he steps on court at the US Open in less than two weeks time.
Or not.
"It is something (that) in the future the tournaments can work to
make the courts more similar," Nadal said. "For us it's difficult
to adapt, especially if you only have one or two days. When you get to
semifinals or final it's not easy to adapt, especially in the beginning
of the tournament. So it's big change. This first match always is very
dangerous,"
Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray joined Nadal in third round.
Federer got through when Denis Istomin had to retire with an ankle injury
when 5-2 down, Djokovic bested Viktor Troicki 6-3 7-5, and Murray overcame
the streaky Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2. Toronto champ Murray then
agreed with Nadal on the court speed.
"It can be difficult. You don't have a whole lot of time to get used
to the conditions here. They're very different. The court's much faster
than Toronto and the balls are moving a lot quicker. When you are feeling
like that, it's kind of difficult to really go for your shots a lot. But
I knew I had to in the third set, and played a lot better." Murray
will have a tough test when he faces Ernests Gulbis.
The US had an up and down day, John Isner sprained his ankle and was forced
to retire against David Nalbandian and the Sam Querrey’s bad run
at the Masters Series continued when he lost to David Ferrer. Nalbandian
has to go up against Djokovic. But Andy Roddick bested Thiemo De Bakker
and Mardy Fish took down Fernando Verdasco 7-6 7-6. Robin Soderling overcame
Lleyton Hewitt in a hard fought 4-6 6-3 7-5 victory
In Montreal, two women who badly needed wins, Dinara Safin and Francesca
Schiavone came through. Safina registered her most impressive win of the
summer by besting Nadia Petrova 7-5 4-6 6-4, while Schiavone beat Ekaterina
Makarova 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2. The two will clash in the third round. "It's
the first time in a long time for me to win a three set match,”
said Safina. “Before, I could play a three set match against a top
player and physically be fine. This was a nice test for me. I played two
hours and 14 minutes in a high intensity match."
The Russian veterans had a fine day with wins forom Svetlana Kuznetsova
and Elena Dementieva. So did Belarussian Victoria Azarenka, who thrashed
Maria Kirilenko 6-4 6-1. Caroline Wozniacki scored an important 7-5, 7-5
win over Patty Schnyder, while Flavia Pennetta took down the slumping
Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-3 and Agnes Szavay overcame the equally slumping
Yanina Wickmayer 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4, Aga Radwanska tore into Vania King 6-0
6-3, while Kim Clijsters edged Bethanie Mattek Sands 6-3 in the third
SATURDAY, AUG 14 - Andy Murray
showed back up in a big way in Toronto while a tearful Ana Ivanovic’s
career took a turn for the worse when the in form Serbian suffered a foot
injury and was forced to retire against Kim Clijsters in the semis.
Murray played his best match in a long stretch in upsetting Rafa Nadal
6-3, 6-4, brilliantly mix up angles and pace against the wolrd No. 1 and
slightly avenging his defeat to him at Wimbledon. While Nadal won’t
be too upset by the defeat to a quality opponent in his first hard court
tournament of the summer, he won’t be pleased at his overall errors
as the Scot nailed 12 more than he did. With the victory, holder Murray
will retain the No. 4 ranking. He'll meet Roger Federer
in the final, who took a stirring three set win over Novak Djokovic in
the semis.
But Nadal won’t be close to upset as Ivanovic is, as she finally
rediscovered her winning ways this week and then was forced to retire
down 2-1 when she landed wrong on her left foot.
"I'm obviously disappointed the way it finished because I felt like
I had really good run," said Ivanovic And just on that one forehand
when I went to step around it, I just felt like pain all of a sudden,
so much pain in my foot and I couldn't step on it anymore. Just all of
a sudden on that one shot I felt like something, you know, crack a little
bit. I was very, yeah, scared and painful."
Ivanovic then headed to the doctor and said that she has strained ligaments,
rather than bone damage.
Sharapova vs. Teen A-Pavs,
Ivanovic vs. Clijsters in Step Up Match
FRIDAY, AUG 13 - Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
has struggled with her consistency and conditioning for much of the season,
but it appears as if the youngest player in the top 25 is hitting her
stride in CIncy. On Friday, the 19 year old knocked out the struggling
Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 7-5 3-6 6-1 to move into the semis of Cincinnati.
Pavlyuchenkova, who just won Istanbul after a lousy April/May/June stretch,
will play Maria Sharapova, who despite late serving porblems
blew past Marion Bartoli 6-1 6-4.
Ana Ivanovic’s surge continued when she crushed
Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-1 6-3. The Serbian now has a chance to enter the
US Open seeded and will face Kim Clijsters, who tooka
tight 7-6 6-4 over Flavia Pennetta.
Amanmuradova had taken out Jelena Jankovic, who really should take a two
week rest prior to the USO but she won’t as she says that her sore
ankle has healed. Caroline Wozniacki fell 6-4 6-1 to Marion Bartoli, while
Pennetta beat Vera Zvonareva 6-4 6-3. Wozniacki has to be given a free
pass because she won Copenhagen on Sunday, but she’ll need an excellent
Montreal if she’s to come into NY with the look of a real contender.
Sharapova battered a tired Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 6-3.
The USTA announced that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have committed
to play the Fed Cup final against Italy at the San Diego
Sports Arena in San Diego, November 6-7. They may be saying yes now, but
what happens if they get nicked up at the WTA Championships? I’m
taking a wait and see approach.
Querrey Falls, US Men Out
THURSDAY, AUG 12 - Once again, Sam Querrey has failed
to step up at a Masters Series and now the Southern Californian will need
a super positive run in Cincy in order to give him substantial confidence
going into the US Open.
Regardless of what Querrey said after his loss to Kevin Anderson in Toronto,
there is a bit of reason for concern about how the US men will perform
at the US Open. As I wrote last week, having Andy Roddick drop out of
the top 10 isn’t that big of deal for US tennis when overall, the
men are showing greater depth with the rise of Querrey and John Isner
into the top 20, and Mardy Fish playing substantially better since he
lost weight. But what is particularly concerning is how the group will
perform at the US Open given that none of them have played consistently
outstanding ball since the grass court season began, and the fact that
both Roddick and Isner – the nation’s two
biggest threats – are hurt or sick. The results of all the US men
next week in Cincy will be huge. BTW: given that No. 8 Juan martin Del
Potro and No. 10 Jo Tsonga are going to free fall down the rankings as
they are injured, Roddick still has a decent chance at top 8 seed at the
USO if he manages to come back and play well in Cincy.
As expected, Rafa Nadal put down Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6
(12) 6-3 in his opener, but it was a long grueling match and the Spaniard
clearly needs to hit a few thousand more balls prior to the USO. Novak
Djokovic was nearly undone by the heat and took a 7-5 7-5 win
over Julien Benneteau. "If your body gives you signs that something
bad is going on you have to do something ... no one can turn off the sun
and do me a favor even though I would like it,” said Djokovic, who
will have a heel l of a time defeating Victor Hanescu in a 5 PM match
on Thursday.
Andy Murray overcame Xavier Malisse 7-5 6-2 and is in
danger of losing his No. 4 ranking to Robin Soderling if he doesn’t
go deep. Murray faces Gael Monfils, a more than winnable match on hard
courts. Soderling fell to the red hot David Nalbandian early on Thursday.
Michael Llodra will try and serve and volley his way past Roger Federer
and will have to placing his first volleys very deep in order to have
a real shot at an upset.
In Cincy, Elena Dementieva also became overcooked by
the heat and went down 6-1 6-3 to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova,
a huge win for the teen and a difficult defeat for Dementieva, who should
have played San Diego and now faces an uphill battle to USO success.
Kim Clijsters showed Dinara Safina that she knows better than
perhaps anyone how to come back after a long layoff in a 7-5 6-2 win.
Maria Sharapova crushed super tweeter Andrea Petkovic
6-3 6-1, but now must face the zoning Aga Radwanska in a contest she is
going to have to serve very well in to win. Vera Zvonareva,
who lashed herself after falling CoCo Vandeweghe in SD, scored a critical
mental win over Maria Kirilenko 7-5 2-6 7-6(2).
Ana Ivanovic scored her second significant win of the
week when she swarmed Yaroslava Shvedova 6-1 7-5. She’ll then scorched
Elena Vesnina 6-0, 6-3 to advance to the quarters. Vesnina had upended
Francesca Schiavone 6-4 6-4. It’s hard to see the RG champ doing
much the rest of the year.The Ivanovic Montreal wild card saga continues,
as the former No. 1 declined a spot in the Canadian Open on Wednesday
after a couple weeks of back and forth. Clearly, tournament director Eugene
Lapierre made a huge mistake in not offering her a WC, even if he felt
loyal to a so-so group of Canadian players, as Ivanovic is a huge draw
and a committed player who despite her slump, has been showing flashes
of excellent play since Rome. It would have been one thing for Lapierre
to tell her that he would keep an open mind about the WC and possibly
offer it to her later depending on withdrawals (which he did on Tuesday),
but to tell the Montreal Gazette’s Stephanie Myles that if he was
her coach he’d make her play qualies and then say that she had the
audacity (my word) to book five hotel rooms (which is disputed) is going
over the line. She took his statement as personal attack and then when
she was offered a WC, she definitively said no, but the writing was on
the wall when she took a WC into New haven last week anyway.
“It's very tough,” she said. “When you're not playing
well and when you're low, you need friends who can help you, not remind
you of your poor form in the press. It's been a little bit disappointing
the way it's been. I understand they declined it at first, and I made
a different schedule and I entered New Haven. They were really kind to
give me wildcard there, so obviously my schedule has changed a little
bit.
But it is a little bit disappointing. It's pity, because it was my first
big win and I love and fans are great there. I'm gonna miss them this
year. Some people made me feel a little bit unwelcomed. And especially
with what happened in 2008, because it was year of Olympics. Tournament
director approached me and asked me if I could come and play because they
are struggling to get players.
I was little bit injured, and I flew from Europe to play the event, because
I felt as defending champion in Montreal. I flew back to Europe and then
flew to China. And after all that and winning there it's been a little
bit hurtful.
But then again, it's a decision, and I have to take it.:
Now the question is, will she ever play there again?...Samantha Stosur
has been granted a wildcard into Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven.
TORONTO & CINCY
US Open Favorities Begin to Firm Up
WEDNESDAY, AUG 11 - We have now entered
that part of the Olympus US Open Series where it’s easier to pick
out player trends heading into New York and by the time that play is concluded
in Toronto and Cincinnati, we should have a decent idea of who is capable
of doing what come game time in New York.
MORE
Nadal Returns to North America in Search
of Dominant Hard Court Form MORE
CoCo Arrives: Teenager Vandeweghe Stuns Tearful
Zvonareva; Roddick falls,
No US Men in Top 10 MORE
Kleybanova Jolts 'Hobbled Jankovic; Stosur Stops
Oudin MORE
Zvonareva, Kuznetsova Win, Peer Downs Ivanovic
MORE
Re-Set: San Diego Looks to Hardcore Fans for
Support MORE
Safina Ends Slump in San Diego MORE
Zvonareva in Search of Perfection MORE
VIDEO: CROSSCOURT WITH MATT CRONIN ON TENNIS
ONE
GUEST
YANINA WICKMAYER
GUEST SAM STOSUR
GUEST
ALISA KLEYBANOVA
BOW Quarters: Sharapova vs. Dementieva, Bartoli vs. Azarenka MORE
Directed Sharapova Looks to Take Next Big
Step ; Azarenka On Rebound,
Cibulkova Tries Out Krajan MORE
With Serena Out, Can the Real Contenders Please
Stand Up? MORE
Sharapova Zaps Zheng, Wickmayer,
Azarenka Also Through MORE
Fish Takes Two in a Row by Downing Isner; Chakvetadze's
First Win in 2 1/2 Years MORE
Lacko Bests Error-Prone Hewitt to Advance In Atlanta;
Johnny Mac: Roddick Needs to be "Lucky" MORE
Long Match For Isner ...
But Not That Long MORE
Atlanta Draws Decidedly American
Field; Serena Out for Long Stretch MORE
Davis Cup Semis Set: France vs. Argentina,
Serbia vs. Czech Republic
MORE
Can Nadal Win US Open? What's Ahead for Federer,
Murray, Roddick?
MORE |