Safina reaches US Open semi-finals for the first time
Posted on September 5, 2008
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Russian sixth seed Dinara Safina, the sister of 2000 U.S. Open men’s champion Marat Safin, reached her first semifinal at Flushing Meadows, overpowering Italian Flavia Pennetta 6-2 6-3.
The 22-year-old, runner-up at the French Open and the Beijing Olympics, continued her domination over Pennetta, raising her career record over the Italian to 5-0. Safina raced through the first set and then came from a break down in the second to clinch her place in the last four.
“It’s great,” Safina said. “I’m getting closer to reaching the same thing as my brother (Marat Safin, the 2000 champion), so I hope that one day we can have the same titles.”
Pennetta, seeded 16th, had beaten former world number one Amelie Mauresmo to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final but she looked nervous early on. The Italian won two singles titles this year in Vina del Mar and Acapulco, Mexico.
Dinara Safina, who won 37 of her past 41 matches and made it to the finals at six of her previous seven events, next meets fourth seeded American Serena Williams, who beat Wimbledon champion and seventh seeded sister Venus Williams 7-6 7-6.
“I’m getting closer to reaching the same thing as my brother,” Safina said.
Safina is 1-3 against Serena.
Having reached the last eight for the first time, though, Pennetta said she was developing a taste for the latter stages of Grand Slam events.
“I think it’s a good result, but I would like to make more,” she said.
“It’s just one. I make already three or four fourth rounds. A quarter-final, it’s unbelievable. But I hope next year to make more.”
Serena Williams meets her sister, Venus, in quarterfinal clash
Posted on September 3, 2008
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Fourth seed Serena Williams wiped out wildcard Severine Bremond of France, 6-2 6-2 in the fourth round of the US Open and faces her sister, Venus, in the quarterfinals.
Seventh seed Venus defeated Polish ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1 6-3. Venus hammered four aces, won 77 percent of her first serve points and converted five of 14 break-point chances in the 84-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Serena and Venus Williams dominated the US Open for four years. Serena won the title in 1999 and 2002 and her older sister in 2000 and 2001. They are now the only Grand Slam champions left in the draw and they haven’t lost a set yet in the tournament.
The sisters’ last Grand Slam meeting came in the Wimbledon final, which elder sister Venus claimed for her fifth singles crown at the All England Club.
Venus won back-to-back US Open titles in 2000 and 2001. She won her seventh career Grand Slam title earlier this year, successfully defending her Wimbledon title without dropping a set and beating her sister Serena in the final. She is trying to reclaim her past glory as she once held the No. 1 ranking for 11 weeks in 2002.
Last season at the US Open, she knocked off Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic - currently number one and two in the world - before losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Justine Henin, who is now retired.
Venus won the Olympic gold medal with Serena in the Beijing doubles event.
Austrian Sybille Bammer reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time with a 7-6 0-6 6-4 victory over No.12 seed Marion Bartoli of France. The match lasted three hours three minutes, which equaled the longest women’s match at the U.S. Open on record.
The 28-year-old Bammer will face second seed Jelena Jankovic for a place in the semis. Jankovic is one of four players who can overtake compatriot Ana Ivanovic as world No. 1 at the end of the tournament.
Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva, who has never won a major championship battle, is another woman in the chase for number 1. Dementieva beat Li Na 6-4, 6-1 and now faces No. 15 Patty Schnyder.
Dinara Safina is also one of four players who could topple Ana Ivanovic from the top spot next week and could get a maiden Grand Slam title after she defeated German qualifier Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-5 6-0 in 75 minutes.
The Russian sixth seed has reached six finals in her last seven tournaments and will next face Flavia Pennetta, who hammered former world number one Amelie Mauresmo 6-3 6-0.
Murray targets his first grand slam career title
Posted on September 1, 2008
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Scot Andy Murray needed nearly four hours to get past Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-7(5) 4-6 7-6(5) 6-1 6-3 in a marathon third round match at the US$20.6 million US Open.
Murray posted 18 aces during his comeback from two sets down against Melzer at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in front of a crowd of about 1,200. The sixth seeded Murray advanced to the fourth round where he will play Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland and equalled his best performance at the US Open, when he reached the last 16 in 2006 before losing to Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in four sets. Now, however, Murray believes he has a genuine chance of going much further in the championship.
“I think when you’re at a tournament like this, there is a chance that I could win the tournament,” Murray said following his 6-7 (5-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 6-3 victory over the 48th-ranked Melzer.
“So I say to myself, ‘you know, I’m going to give it my best shot to try and win’. That’s my goal for the tournament, to try to win it.”
“I don’t think that if you set yourself a target of the third round and you reach it, you can feel like you’ve achieved what you came here to do.”
“I think it’s better to set the bar high and maybe you don’t reach it.”
“I might not necessarily win this tournament, but if I go with the intention of doing it, it might not come as such a surprise if I do go deep.”
Murray claimed he felt comfortable with most aspects of his game as he approached his next match with Wawrinka.
“I think I’m hitting the ball well,” he said. “I just feel like my return game needs to get better, try to create a few more opportunities on the return.”
“I don’t think I’m hitting a lot of unforced errors. I feel like I’m moving well and I feel fit.”
“I think if I just improve the returning, my chances in the next match will be good.”
Head to head, Murray and Wawrinka are tied at three victories apiece yet all the Scot’s wins have come in their four hardcourt meetings, with two of the Swiss player’s coming on clay.
Murray also has current form on his side, having won three of their four most recent encounters, the latest in Toronto at the end of July.
Despite his marathon duel with Melzer, Murray will have one more advantage over Wawrinka other than his seeding - the Swiss Olympic doubles-winning partner of Roger Federer spent even longer on court on Saturday than the Scot. Wawrinka also had to come back from two sets down against Italian Flavio Cipolla, the world number 142, needing four hours and 14 minutes to seal victory.
Murray insisted he felt “fine” and had no problems following his victory and paid tribute to fitness trainers Matt Little and Jez Green for getting him into peak condition.
The 21-year-old Murray burst on to the scene this year by winning three of his six career singles titles. He is in the midst of one of the most productive runs of his career having won 15 of his last 17 ATP matches, losing only to world No.1 Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the semifinals in Montreal. During that stretch two of his victories were over Serbian star Novak Djokovic whom he beat in the final in Cincinnati and a week earlier at the quarterfinals in Montreal.
Szavay ousted by Dushevina at Nordic Light Open, Radwanska advances
Posted on July 31, 2008
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Agnes Szavay, seeded second at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Stockholm, was defeated 6-4 7-6 (8-6) by last-year’s finalist Vera Dushevina in the second round of the Tier IV tournament. In the opener, the Hungarian had a chance to serve out the set when leading 5-4, but she hit two double-faults and made two bad misses with her forehand.
Top-seeded and defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska as well as third-seeded Katarina Srebotnik also won in straight sets on Wednesday at the $145,000 Nordic Light Open tennis tournament.
The Polish Radwanska, seeing her first action since reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals earlier this month, won her seventh straight match at this event by pasting Ukrainian Mariya Koryttseva 6-1, 6-1. The 10th-ranked Radwanska beat Russian Vera Dushevina in last year’s finale here.
“I’m very pleased with the way I’m playing right now,” Radwanska said. “I haven’t played a tournament since Wimbledon. I hope to reach the final here because this event is good preparation for the Olympics.”
Third-seeded Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik handled Russian qualifier Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-4. Srebotnik, ranked 29th, relied on her strong first serve. Pavlyuchenkova only managed to take five of 31 points when Srebotnik put her first serve in.
Pavlyuchenkova, a former top-ranked junior from Russia, trailed 4-1 in the second set before getting to 4-4. But Srebotnik, a Slovenian who won one of her four WTA titles in Stockholm three years ago, broke back to lead 5-4 and served out the match.
“She played well for a while and I started missing a few shots,” Srebotnik said. “She’s a very good player but there’s a long way to go from junior tennis.”
The first round concluded on Wednesday when sixth-seeded Indian Sania Mirza ousted Emilie Loit of France 6-3, 6-2 in the first round on the hardcourts at Stockholm Olympic Stadium. Mirza will face Czech Iveta Benesova in a second-rounder here on Thursday.
“I felt very tired and jet-lagged and expected a tough match,” Mirza said. “It was nice to win in straight sets.”
This week’s winner will take home $22,925.
Medibank International Sydney awarded for Tournament of the Year
Posted on July 31, 2008
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The 2008 Medibank International Sydney has been voted by the men’s tennis governing body as the “ATP Tour Tournament of the Year”.
The Medibank International is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world, a professional tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia, played annually at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre in Homebush on hard / outdoors surface. The history of this classical tournament dates back to 1885, when colonial officials decided there was a need to discover the best tennis player in each of the colonies and to use the tournament to assist with selection to the Australasia Davis Cup team.
The award reinforces the tournament’s status as the most prestigious event in the Australian Open Series. It is the second time in eight years the event has been awarded this honor. In 2001, the event has been awarded the ATP International Group award for Tournament of the Year and in 2004 it was the 3rd strongest tournament in the world, excluding Grand Slams.
“This is a coveted award within the Asian region and reflects the Medibank International’s continued high level of performance in all aspects of the event,” ATP International Group CEO Brad Drewett said. “Congratulations to the hardworking Medibank International team and also in particular to Craig Watson the Tournament Director.”
The tournament has developed a reputation for being one of the most relaxed and enjoyable events on the tennis circuit. In 2008 the Medibank International Sydney continued its reputation for attracting the world’s best players. Seven of the top 25 men in the world battled it out for the title and were joined by seven of the top 10 women.
Players from 25 countries converged on Sydney in January. Coverage of the event spanned almost every continent and reached more than 92.7 million homes.
“Receiving this award is testimony to the hard work and dedication of the events team up to date,” Medibank International Sydney Tournament Director Craig Watson said.
“It also highlights the integrity and importance of the event on the world stage, beating other events such as Dubai, Moscow, St Petersburg, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.”
“The players love the relaxed feel of the tournament and also the atmosphere of Sydney in summer. I am looking forward to even greater things in 2009,” Watson said.
Safina picks up her 7th career title
Posted on July 28, 2008
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After having ended Jelena Jankovic’s run at number 1 on Saturday, Dinara Safina of Russia managed to win her second title of the year on Sunday, when she downed Flavia Pennetta Italy in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 to win the $600,000 East West Bank Classic.
The 22-year-old Russian player picked up her second WTA title of the year, and the seventh career win. Safina closed out the 70-minute match with a crosscourt backhand return for her sixth straight service break.
“I was a little bit nervous but I think I played a pretty good match for the final,” said Safina. “Even my coach said he didn’t know what was going on with me, that I was so quiet on the court. Now I have to continue playing like that and not go back to the old Dinara!”
Safina was the third player this year to win a tournament after facing a match point, though 10th-seeded Pennetta didn’t come close to pressing her that hard. But qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva nearly eliminated fourth-seeded Safina in the third round before she won in a third-set tiebreaker.
“It happens like that sometimes,” Safina said after her seventh career victory on the WTA Tour. “One match, you pull it out somehow and you start the next day to play better. That’s what happened. I was just playing better and better.”
Safina was appearing in her fourth final in her last five tournaments, starting with her biggest win in Berlin, then finals at the French Open and Hertogenbosch. She lost early at Wimbledon.
Pennetta, also a six-time winner on tour, was trying to win her third title this year.
Pennetta, who was playing in her first top-level final is also a six-time winner on tour. The 10th seeded Italian player was trying to win her third title this year, but failed in her attempt to pick up a third title this year, and a seventh career win.
“The first set was pretty close; in the second set I had chances but on the important points she was playing well. She did not give me a lot of chances today,” Pennetta said. “When players like her - good serve, good backhand - are playing well, it is tough to beat them. But anyway, it was a good week for me and I hope next week is going to be even better.”
Safina, world ranked No. 9, will swap places with countrywoman Anna Chakvetadze to a career-high No. 8 in the new list on Monday.
Rafa Nadal, a natural-born winner
Posted on July 26, 2008
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Rafael Nadal definitely has what it takes to become the new world champion of tennis. Born and raised in a family of champions, the potential new number 1 grew up on the Balearic Island of Majorca, with the winner mentality of his role model, uncle Miguel Angel, who was a three-time member of the Spanish national World Cup soccer team (1994, 1998 and 2002) and was nicknamed the Beast of Barcelona when he played elite-league competition.
Uncle Rafael also played second-division soccer and some tennis, while uncle Toni, who is Nadal’s tennis coach, played soccer and was a good tennis player, ranked top 30 in Spain at one point. Uncle Toni also was the teaching pro at the local club in Manacor.
It was there that future four-time French Open champion Nadal first hit tennis balls at the age of 3.
“I could tell right away he had a good talent for tennis,” Toni said this week in French, a language he prefers to English. “At 5 and 6, he played well for his age.”
“I knew he had a chance to be really good when he won the championships [at two years younger than his age category] of our islands from 8 until he was 12. That was incredible because nobody had done that.”
Uncle Toni, 48, was the first in his family to play tennis and one day asked the aspiring soccer star Nadal to try tennis.
According to uncle Toni’s sayings, at first, Nadal hit with two hands on both sides. But his uncle coach decided that his young disciple should play left-handed.
“He was left-footed for soccer, so I thought he would also be left-handed for tennis,” Toni said. “Also, he hit a little harder with his left hand than his right. I thought he should play tennis with his left hand. But it is true, the only thing Rafael does with his left hand is play tennis.”
Three years ago Nadal was asked on what his dream was. His straight answer: “It is to win Wimbledon, no?” No one would have taken him seriously at that point of time. But his winner mentality and his constant commitment to learning helped his game to improve a lot in the last couple of years. His serve became more and more solid and his backhand, which was not a weapon, is one of the most important tools in his arsenal.
A front-runner at the Rogers Cup in Toronto after top-ranked Roger Federer’s unexpected elimination in the first round, Rafa Nadal claimed the last two Grand Slams and has the chance to become the holder of three major titles and put an end to Federer’s supremacy in case be wins the US Open in August 2008.
Federer suffers unexpected defeat, Nadal advances
Posted on July 24, 2008
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Tennis heavyweight Roger Federer, still ranked number 1, suffered an unexpected defeat on Wednesday night, when he was ousted from Rogers Cup by Giles Simon of France, ranked 22nd in the world. The unseeded French player defeated the world number 1 in three sets 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, thus putting an end to the Swiss star’s hopes of a rematch against his second-ranked rival, Rafael Nadal, after having lost the epic Wimbledon final to the Spanish player, two weeks ago.
“The problem was my game today,” said Federer into the post-match interview room. “I had enough to put him away.”
The unforgiving hard court of the Rogers Cup tournament proved to be a little bumpier for the Swiss champ, who ended the second set with four unforced errors on his usually deadly forehand. In the end of the match, Federer repeated the same errors as he served to tie the third set, but he unravelled, sending forehands, wide, into the net, long and long.
“I don’t know what to say right now,” the 23-year-old French player said. “I am so confident, actually (after winning last week) and I just wanted to fight, to play a nice game, a nice match. And that’s what I did tonight, so I am so proud of it.”
“For sure this is my best victory, even if he’s not the No. 1 next week.”
Federer was asked if Wimbledon had drained him. He just smiled wryly and said: “You wouldn’t have asked me that if I would have won, right? So I guess.”
Wednesday, after nearly six hours of rain delay, Nadal won 6-4, 6-2 to Ottawa-born American qualifier Jesse Levine.
“Today wasn’t my best match,” said Nadal, 22. “I have to be better, that’s for sure.”
“I think I was in that zone where I wasn’t sure really where I was,” said Levine, ranked 123rd. “And then I came to my senses and realized I’m playing Nadal on stadium court.”
No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, No. 5 David Ferrer of Spain, No. 7 James Blake of the United States, and No. 10 Richard Gasquet of France, all advanced, but seeds that fell in the second round included No. 12 Tommy Robredo of Spain (6-3, 6-4 by Marin Cilic of Croatia, ranked 44th), No. 13 Fernando Verdasco, also of Spain (6-4, 6-7, 6-4 to Robin Soderling of Sweden), No. 14 Fernando Gonzalez, of Chile (6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Jose Acasuso of Chile) and talented but erratic No. 16 seed Tomas Berdych, of the Czech Republic (6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to Igor Andreev of Russia.)
Serena Williams keen on playing through left knee injury
Posted on July 23, 2008
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Once again, Serena Williams proves to be a determined player who never gives up. She is not a quitter as she plans to keep playing through a left knee injury despite advice from a doctor and her father that she rest with less than three weeks before the Beijing Olympics.
Actually, she believes her injured knee “will be old news” by the time the Olympic tennis tournament in Beijing begins on Aug. 10.
Williams withdrew from Saturdays’ semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford after injuring her knee. According to her statements, a MRI exam afterward revealed an inflamed joint.
“I’ve been playing a lot of tennis, that’s basically what it is, a lot of use,” she said yesterday. “I haven’t had enough time to train the way I normally do off-court because I’m playing a lot.”
Serena’s older sister, Venus, and Lindsay Davenport also withdrew from Carson because of right knee injuries. Thus, the US Olympic team is hit by a rash of knee injuries before the Beijing Olympics.
Despite her knee injury, Venus has said she plans to play next week’s WTA tournament in Canada before going to Beijing, while Davenport has not revealed her immediate plans.
A doctor and her father, Richard, recommended Serena that she skip this week’s tournament near her hometown of Compton.
“He’s always passive and I’m more aggressive,” she said about her father. “I’ve been doing really well all year and I’ve been playing a lot. What I want to do is play tennis and play tournaments for this year and several years. I just feel like that’s all I want to do.”
Williams has played nine tournaments this year and won three consecutive titles. She has a 33-5 match record, including a loss to Venus in the Wimbledon final.
Serena could not attend the 2004 Athens Games due to her ailing left knee, but she and her sister, Venus, won the gold medal in doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and Serena called it “my favorite trophy.”
“When I first had an opportunity to compete, I was excited and I really wanted to do it, but I didn’t understand it until I was there and until I actually won,” she said. “Then it kind of all set in, what a great feat it was.”
Williams said she is not concerned about playing outdoors in Beijing’s polluted air, where she has competed twice before in a WTA tournament.
“I also play in New York and L.A. and let’s face it, we’re no saints here,” she added.
Beijing 2008: Federer seeks Olympic gold
Posted on July 22, 2008
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World number one Roger Federer targets Beijing gold as his main goal for the remainder of the year, launching his Olympic preparations this week at the Toronto Masters.
While playing in Beijing Federer will celebrate his 27th birthday. The gold around his neck might be the perfect present that he could get.
Federer, who lost in the French Open and Wimbledon finals to Rafael Nadal, will travel immediately after the Beijing Games to defend his US Open title in New York.
“If maybe I am a player who doesn’t have any Grand Slams, maybe a Grand Slam would still do more for my own career,” Federer said.
“But because I have 12 already, for me an Olympic gold ranks as high.”
“I was very proud to represent the Swiss in the 2000 Olympics and really just missed a medal.”
“Last time was quite disappointing losing the second round but nevertheless, going there was one of the biggest experiences in life.”
“So as long as I can walk and play, I will always come and play the Olympics.”
“Who knows maybe I will carry the flag.”
“That would be a great honour as well; my birthday is on the opening day (Aug. 
as well so that’s going to be nice, too.”
“It ranks very, very high in my scale, absolutely.”
Federer has long hoped to win an Olympic gold medal. At the 2000 Sydney Games, Federer lost the bronze medal match to Arnaud Di Pasquale then four years later crashed out in the second round to Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic at Athens.
Most of the world’s top 20 players will be in Beijing, including Spain’s Nadal, though the world number two does not seem to put the same value on Olympic gold as Federer.
“A little bit less,” said Nadal, comparing a Grand Slam title with an Olympic medal. “For us grand slam is different. Grand slam is special.”
“Olympics are important but after a Grand Slam.”