2013 Tennis Thread

[Smallville22]

Ferrer retains Buenos Aires title

World number four David Ferrer retained his Buenos Aires Open title with a 6-4 3-6 6-1 win over Stanislas Wawrinka on Sunday.
The Spaniard took his tally of career titles to 20 after winning his third final in four years on the clay centre court at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
"It's very hard to obtain two titles from one year to the next, tennis is smiling on me and I'm happy for that," the 30-year-old said in a courtside interviewer.
"I've always preferred even numbers to odd ones, but I never thought I'd reach a figure like this on the ATP (tour).
"It's been a great week for me and I must recognise that David is a great champion," Swiss Wawrinka, ranked 17th, said after receiving the runners-up trophy.
It was a fifth consecutive Spanish win in Buenos Aires after victories for Tommy Robredo in 2009, Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2010 and Nicolas Almagro in 2011. David Nalbandian was Argentina's last winner in 2008.

 

[Smallville22]

Federer plans extended break ahead of clay court season

Roger Federer will take a near two-month break from competitive tennis following the Indian Wells tournament in March as the 31-year-old opts to spend more time with his young ****** and prepare for the clay-court season.
The Swiss, speaking to reporters ahead of the start of the Dubai championships on Monday, stressed that his lighter schedule was to help prolong his playing career and not a sign of him winding down, with the ******-of-two determined to add to his record haul of 17 Grand Slam singles titles.
"The last few years have been really tricky in terms of my practice schedule, especially through an Olympic year (in 2012)," said the world number two. "This year is totally different. ****** is very important, so I also want to spend quality time with them."
After the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which runs from March 4-17, Federer will not play another tournament until the Madrid Open in early May, allowing him to take a holiday with his ******, then spend four to six weeks practising on clay courts in Switzerland.
"I can't play a year like I did last year every single season, because that isn't the point I'm at in my career - I'm not 22 where I have to play 25-30 tournaments a year," said Federer, who has twin three-year-old *********.
"Plus, I believe I'll be really ready for the tournaments I've entered."
Federer won Wimbledon in 2012, with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray also claiming one grand slam event each last year.
This quartet are likely to vie again for the sport's top prizes as Nadal returns from a seven-month injury layoff, and Federer is the oldest of the group by nearly five years.
"I'm trying to be smart with my scheduling because I'm in a totally different situation than they are - they are right in their prime," he said.
"For me, it's very challenging and why I need to make the right decisions with personal life and my ******. None of the guys have that, so I have many more things to worry about than they do."

 

[Smallville22]

Nishikori breezes past Lopez to win Memphis title

Japan's Kei Nishikori beat Feliciano Lopez in straight sets to win the Memphis International on Sunday, while Marina Erakovic took the women's title.
Nishikori breezed to a 6-2 6-3 victory over Lopez in a match that lasted just 67 minutes, not much longer than his outing on Saturday when he advanced to the final after Marinko Matosevic was ****** to retire with a foot injury following the first set.
A well-rested Nishikori broke Lopez's service twice in the opening set to move ahead 4-1 then took control in the second by opening with another break.
"I'm very happy with the way I played," Nishikori said. "To win this title is an amazing feeling. Hopefully I can win a couple more titles. It's been a good start to the year."
It was the third career title for Nishikori, who also won the Japan Open in Tokyo last October to become the first Japanese player to win on home soil.
Lopez never recovered from a rough start and missed a chance for his first win since 2010
"He was very aggressive from the beginning," Lopez said. "I have no regrets. I tried everything I could and he was just the better player today."
In the women's final, New Zealander Marina Erakovic has seen her WTA singles ranking improve nine places after German Sabine Lisicki retired through injury.
Lisicki boweed after losing the first set 6-1, and the result marks Erakovic's first WTA tour title.

 

[Smallville22]

Jankovic Strikes Thirteen In Bogotá

Jelena Jankovic saved her best for last at the Copa Claro Colsanitas, beating first-time finalist Paula Ormaechea in straight sets for her first WTA title in three years, and 13th WTA title overall.
Having survived some marathon matches to get there, Jelena Jankovic saved her very best for the final of the Copa Claro Colsanitas on Sunday afternoon, cruising past Paula Ormaechea in straight sets for the 13th WTA title of her career at the first clay court event of the year.
The No.1-seeded Jankovic was pushed to the extreme in two of her first four matches of the week, battling over three hours to get by Julia Cohen in the first round and needing a third set breaker to beat Karin Knapp in the semifinals. But there was no such drama against Ormaechea in the final, as Jankovic held all eight service games and needed just an hour and 14 minutes to win, 6-1 6-2.
"I'm very sorry I cannot speak in Spanish!" Jankovic apologized at the start of her acceptance speech. "But first of all, I want to congratulate Paula for such a great tournament this week, playing so well and beating such good players. I'm sorry I had to beat you today, Paula. But I think you're playing really good tennis and I wish you the best of luck for the rest of the upcoming season.
"I had a wonderful week here. It's been an amazing experience. I'm so happy I was able to come here to Bogotá for the first time and winning my 13th WTA title here makes the experience even better."
And after thanking all the officials, staff and ballkids, Jankovic had one more thank you.
"Wait, wait, I forgot - mi nuevos amigos, my drivers!" she added in half-Spanish.
Jankovic collected her 13th WTA title - but more importantly, this was her first WTA title in almost exactly three years, her last one coming at Indian Wells in 2010 - she had lost all five of her finals since then (Rome in 2010, Monterrey and Cincinnati in 2011, Birmingham and Dallas in 2012).
Ormaechea was playing in her first WTA final, though she was very nearly taken out in the second round - facing No.4 seed Francesca Schiavone, she battled back from a set down, 3-0 down in the second set and 5-3 down in the third set to beat the former French Open champion, 2-6 6-3 7-6(3).
The Argentine's best previous WTA result was a quarterfinal finish right here a year ago.

The doubles final took place on Saturday, with No.2 seeds Timea Babos and Mandy Minella beating No.1 seeds Eva Birnerova and Alexandra Panova, 6-4 6-3. It was Babos and Minella's first WTA doubles title together. Babos now has two WTA doubles titles; Minella won her first WTA title of any kind.

 

[Smallville22]

Beck Wins Opener In Brazil

The first day of main draw play at the inaugural WTA Brasil Tennis Cup featured victories by Annika Beck and Jana Cepelova.
Main draw action at the inaugural WTA Brasil Tennis Cup, the first WTA tournament in Brazil in over a decade, kicked off on Sunday with 19-year-olds Annika Beck and Jana Cepelova each recordings wins over Brazilian wildcards.
With a season already highlighted by her best WTA outing, a quarterfinal showing in Shenzhen, Beck reached her career-high of No.65 last week. Although she promptly lost her opener in Memphis to Marina Erakovic, she gave the eventual champion her biggest test of the week - which included a match point for the German.
In her opener in Florianopolis, where she is seeded at a WTA event for the first time, the eighth-seeded Beck overcame a second set letdown and was a 6-2 3-6 6-0 victor over María Fernanda Alves. At one point in the one-sided third set, Beck reeled off 13 straight points.
"I'm really happy that I won this match," Beck said. "The first two sets we had a great fight. It took a great effort for her to finish because she got cramps in the beginning of the third set. I hope that she's okay, and I'm looking forward to my next round.
"In my next match I need to be more aggressive, not allow myself to be pushed back out of the court, and come to the net and finish the points earlier."
As for Cepelova, she started off in a two-break, 4-1 hole against Paula Cristina Goncalves. But then she captured five straight games and went out to a 5-0 lead in the tie-break in seizing control of her 7-6(4) 6-2 triumph.
"I did not start well, going 4-1 down," Cepelova said. "But then I picked it up, and I feel good about how I finished the first set and the match."
Beck and Cepelova will play each other in the second round. Beck is 2-0 in the series, but both have been tight three-setters.
Securing main draw spots with wins in qualifying were Beatriz García Vidagany, Chieh-Yu Hsu, Tereza Mrdeza, María Irigoyen, Adriana Pérez and Kristina Barrois.
Doubles play also kicked off, with No.1 seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yaroslava Shvedova among the winners.
Highlighting Monday's action is top-seeded Venus Williams against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. It will be Williams' first match since the Australian Open, as a back injury has sidelined her. In her only previous encounter with Lucic-Baroni, Williams did not surrender a game in the first round of the 2002 US Open.

 

[Smallville22]

Mattek-Sands & Mirza Win Dubai Doubles

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sania Mirza rallied to defeat Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik for their second Premier-level doubles title of 2013 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sania Mirza continued to position themselves as one of the best doubles teams in the world on Saturday afternoon, beating Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik for their second Premier-level title of the year at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Mattek-Sands and Mirza, who didn't lose a set en route to the final, were in all kinds of trouble in that final, winning the first set but dropping the second set and falling behind 6-3 in the match tie-break; but they kept calm and carried on, winning seven of the last eight points of the match to outdo the No.2-seeded Petrova and Srebotnik, 6-4 2-6 10-7, finishing it off with a big Mirza ace up the middle.
"When you play a final it's not really just about tennis - it's a lot about nerves and trying to keep positive," Mirza said. "It's the ones who are gutsy, or gutsier than the others at that given point of time, who come through. When we went down 4-0 in the second set we were a little passive and defensive. When you play people like Nadia and Kata, you have to be offensive. They're both 6' tall, to start with. We knew we had to ****** more. And we knew that in a super tie-break anything can happen."
In a sport where so many players are so serious on the court, Mattek-Sands and Mirza are a breath of fresh air, always smiling, laughing, shaking off the bad times and embracing the good ones.
"We're generally pretty cheerful people, I think," Mirza said.
"Except in the early morning practices," Mattek-Sands added quietly, pointing to Mirza.
"I think that's what gets us through a lot of matches," Mirza continued. "We're great friends, of course, but I think more than that we really enjoy playing tennis. There's no point getting down on yourself. That kind of works for us. Maybe it doesn't work for everyone, but it works for us. Even when we're smiling in between points, we know when we play it's going to be intense again and we're going to be right back. I like to smile and enjoy tennis and competing, and live for moments like that.
"Fortunately I found somebody who can do that too."
Mirza has been competing exclusively in doubles since Wimbledon eight months ago, and was asked whether it's a different feeling to win a doubles tournament than to win a singles tournament.
"To me, winning a tournament is winning a tournament; winning a Slam is winning a Slam," she said. "I was fortunate enough in my career to play eight years of singles and doubles at the highest level. Sometimes you have to make some tough decisions for your career, and after having three surgeries in five years I had to decide whether I wanted to play for another year in singles and doubles, or another few more years of tennis. And I love playing tennis too much to just let it go in another year.
"There's not really a difference in the feeling if you win. You enjoy that feeling. You want to win every time you play singles, doubles or mixed doubles. It doesn't matter. You just want to win."
Mattek-Sands can't get enough of both disciplines, though. "I've always said my whole career that playing doubles is better than any practice session you can do," she said. "You're serving, you're returning, you're playing points, you're under pressure. But what Sania said is true - physically it can be an issue. You have to keep up and be able to play twice a day, and week in and week out."
The US-Indian duo has now won four WTA doubles titles together - Cincinnati in 2007, Brussels in 2012 and now Brisbane and Dubai in 2013. Mattek-Sands now has 12 WTA doubles titles, Mirza 16.

 

[Smallville22]

Watson achieves highest ranking

Britain’s Heather Watson has achieved the best ranking position of her career so far, 39th.
The latest rankings see the 20-year-old from Guernsey move up one place from 40th.
Watson recently reached the US Indoor Championships and the last-16 of WTA Pattaya City.
Compatriot Laura Robson is a non-mover at 43rd in the world rankings, while Serena Williams – who became the oldest top dog when she returned to #1 last week – remains at the head of the order.
The only change to the top 10 sees the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova overtaking Italian Sara Errani into seventh spot.

The ATP top 10 remains as is, with Novak Djokovic topping the pile ahead of Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
The biggest mover is Kei Nishikori of Japan, whose triumph at the Memphis Open last week saw him jump six places to world number 16.

 

[Smallville22]

Tipsarevic pulls out of Serbia Cup tie

Janko Tipsarevic has pulled out of Serbia's Davis Cup quarter-final with the United States in April.
The world number nine's fitness is a long-standing issue, and it is believed he is currently battling several injuries.
As such, the 28-year-old from Belgrade does not believe his body able to withstand the rigours of potential five-set matches.
World number one Novak Djokovic, Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki are still expected to compete at the tie in Idaho between April 5 and 7.
“Our team has a very strong team with the world number one at the helm. I am convinced that without me they can achieve fantastic results,” Tipsarevic said.

 

[Smallville22]

Federer drops set in Dubai opener

Roger Federer surprisingly dropped the first set against little-known Malek Jaziri before putting the Tunisian upstart in his place with a 5-7 6-0 6-2 win to reach the second round of the Dubai Championships.
Jaziri, ranked 128th in the world, had not played a match on the ATP Tour for six months but that did not stop him snatching the first set from the 17-times Grand Slam champion.
After watching Swiss Federer squander three break points in the opening set, Jaziri could barely believe his eyes when his more celebrated opponent slapped the ball into the net to go a break down at 5-6.
Jaziri, 29, made sure his bragging rights did not end there as he took the first set with a rip-roaring backhand down the line passing shot winner that left Federer flat-footed and the fans sensing a night-time upset.
However, if Jaziri started to wonder what it would feel like to beat a champion like Federer, those dreams were ******** ******* out as the second seed exacted revenge by racing through the next two sets.
On a relatively low-key opening day, seventh seed Andreas Seppi beat Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3 7-5 and Russian eighth seed Mikhail Youzhny overcame Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic 1-6 6-1 6-3.
Top seed Novak Djokovic was in action on day one with his ******* Marko but their doubles adventure ended in round one. They were beaten 4-6 6-3 10-4 by Nikolay Davydenko and Dick Norman.
Sam Querrey battered fellow American Michael Russell in the first round of the Delray Beach International, blasting seven aces to take the first set 6-2 before his opponent retired with a leg injury at 2-2 in the second.
"I thought that was the best attitude I've had all year," third seed Querrey said. "I was hitting second serve returns and taking cracks at them, and dominating with my forehand. It's the most aggressive I've been all year."
Querrey, who lost in the second round in Memphis last week and has never got beyond the semis at the Delray, took just 44 minutes to wrap up his match against Russell.
Xavier Malisse, a Delray winner in 2005 and 2007, cruised past Alejandro Falla 6-3 6-3 while the upset of the day belonged to Ivan Dodig, who beat fifth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-3.
"First few games I was struggling," Dodig said. "Coming from indoor to first tournament outdoor, every player is struggling a bit. It was a little strange."
In the day's other matches, Evgeny Donskoy beat Steve Darcis 7-6 6-3.

ATP Dubai results

Round 1

Somdev Devvarman (India) beat Igor Kunitsyn (Russia) 6-1 6-4

2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Malek Jaziri (Tunisia) 5-7 6-0 6-2

8-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) 1-6 6-1 6-3

Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) beat Matteo Viola (Italy) 6-3 7-5

Daniel Brands (Germany) beat Florent Serra (France) 7-6(7) 6-4

Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat David Goffin (Belgium) 6-2 7-5

7-Andreas Seppi (Italy) beat Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) 6-3 7-5

Delray Beach International results

Round 1

3-Sam Querrey (U.S.) beat Michael Russell (U.S.) 6-2 2-2 (Russell retired)

Ivan Dodig (Croatia) beat 5-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) 6-3 6-3

8-Xavier Malisse (Belgium) beat Alejandro Falla (Colombia) 6-3 6-3

Evgeny Donskoy (Russia) beat Steve Darcis (Belgium) 7-6(5) 6-3

Acapulco International results

Round 1

Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) beat Miguel Angel Reyes (Mexico) 6-0 7-6(6)

Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain) 4-6 6-4 6-4

Joao Sousa (Portugal) beat 5-Jurgen Melzer (Austria) 6-4 6-3

Pablo Andujar (Spain) beat Dusan Lajovic (Serbia) 3-6 7-5 6-2

Martin Alund (Argentina) beat Daniel Garza (Mexico) 7-6(7) 7-5

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal still in pain, not 100 per cent

Rafael Nadal has admitted he is still in pain as he continues to recover from his troublesome knee injury in Acapulco.
The world number five is in the Mexican city for his third clay-court event in four weeks following his return to action for the first time since a seven-month lay-off.
The Spaniard reached the final in Vina del Mar in the first leg of his Latin American tour before winning the title in Sao Paulo.
Yet the 26-year-old says his knee is still not fully recovered and he still feels intermittent pain.
“It’s better and I’ve been able to compete, but it’s still bothering me,” he said.
“It’s better on some days and worse on others, which isn’t ideal for someone like me, because my idea of competing is based on giving it all at all times.
“The pain continues, but I can’t specify what the level of pain is,” he added. “It’s clear I am not 100 percent. But after all that time [off] I’m happy to return to compete.”
Nadal, seeded second behind new Spanish number one David Ferrer, faces Argentine qualifier Diego Schwartzman in the first round in Mexico.

 

[rivasky]

the twins' breakthrough year takes a stop in Malaysia

Casey Dellacqua lost her opening-round match at the Malaysian Open, going down in straight sets to Karolina Pliskova in Kuala Lumpur
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Krystina will play Kazakh qualifier Diyas tomorrow (and crush her!:crash: )

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[Smallville22]

Venus coasts through in Brazil

Top seed Venus Williams strolled through her first-round match at WTA Brazil with a 6-3 6-3 win over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia.
Williams, who at number 20 in the world is 87 places higher than her 30-year-old opponent, needed just 79 minutes to wrap up a comfortable win in Florianopolis.
The American fired three aces and boasted a first serve points won percentage of 75, compared to Lucic-Baroni’s 59 as she dominated the match throughout.
Williams will next take on Garbine Muguruza, the world number 96 from Spain, in the second round of the event.
Britain's Anne Keothavong was unable to challenge seventh seed Kristina Mlandenovic of France as she suffered a straight sets, 6-3 6-4 defeat.
Keothavong, currently ranked 183 in the world, struggled with the ball in her hand with a first-serve percentage of just 44 leading to her being broken five times.
Defeat for Keothavong further extends a lengthy rough patch and the 29-year-old has now won just one match since last year's Wimbledon.
In Acapulco, top seed Sara Errani began the defence of her title with a regulation 6-3 6-2 win over Alexandra Cadantu of Romania.
Clay-court specialist Errani, who won four titles on the red dirt last year, will meet Eugenie Bouchard in the second round after the Canadian posted a 7-6(5) 6-3 win over Czech Eva Birnerova.

Brasil Cup results

Round 2

Jana Cepelova (Slovakia) beat 8-Annika Beck (Germany) 7-6(6) 6-4

Round 1

Olga Puchkova (Russia) beat 3-Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) 2-6 6-4 6-4

5-Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) 6-3 6-0

Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) beat Connie Hsu (U.S.) 6-1 6-2

Timea Babos (Hungary) beat Valeria Savinykh (Russia) 7-6(5) 6-7(3) 6-2

1-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia) 6-3 6-3

Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) beat Kristina Barrois (Germany) 6-2 6-2

7-Kristina Mladenovic (France) beat Anne Keothavong (Britain) 6-3 6-4

Tatjana Malek (Germany) beat Teliana Pereira (Brazil) 6-4 6-2

Acapulco International results

Round 1

2-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Mathilde Johansson (France) 6-1 6-0

Stephanie Foretz Gacon (France) beat Julia Cohen (U.S.) 5-7 7-6(5) 6-0

Karin Knapp (Italy) beat Johanna Larsson (Sweden) 6-3 6-1

3-Alize Cornet (France) beat Catalina Castano (Colombia) 6-1 2-6 6-3

Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) beat Eva Birnerova (Czech Republic) 7-6(5) 6-3

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) beat Alexandra Panova (Russia) 6-3 6-1

Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) beat Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) 6-1 7-6(3)

6-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Grace Min (U.S.) 6-4 4-6 6-2

1-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Alexandra Cadantu (Romania) 6-3 6-2

8-Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) beat Alexa Glatch (U.S.) 6-4 2-6 7-5

Maria Teresa Torro (Spain) beat Pauline Parmentier (France) 6-1 6-4

Malaysian Open results

Round 1

7-Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) beat Yuliya Beygelzimer (Ukraine) 2-6 6-4 6-3

Luksika Kumkhum (Thailand) beat Olivia Rogowska (Australia) 3-6 6-1 6-2

4-Ayumi Morita (Japan) beat Cagla Bueyuekakcay (Turkey) 6-1 6-1

Ashleigh Barty (Australia) beat Chanel Simmonds (South Africa) 6-4 6-2

Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 6-1 6-3

Duan Yingying (China) beat Marta Sirotkina (Russia) 6-3 4-6 7-6(12)

3-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Vera Dushevina (Russia) 2-6 6-3 7-6(6)

Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) beat 8-Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-7(5) 6-1 7-5

Nudnida Luangnam (Thailand) beat Zheng Saisai (China) 6-3 6-7(1) 6-2

Zhang Shuai (China) beat Aslina Chua (Malaysia) 6-0 6-1

 

[Smallville22]

Djokovic thrashes Troicki in Dubai

Novak Djokovic trounced fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-1 6-4 in the Dubai Championships first round as the world number one extended his unbeaten run to 14 matches.
Djokovic, whose winning streak stretches back to October and includes claiming a third straight Australian Open title, was broken once in the second set but was otherwise untroubled in his first match since Davis Cup duty in early February.
"I had three or four weeks of no tennis, so I was extremely focused to start well and I did really well in the first set," Djokovic, 25, said in a courtside interview.
"I was right behind his serve and I'm very satisfied with my performance and hopefully I can continue."
Few would bet against the top seed meeting Roger Federer in Saturday's final, with the pair having won eight of the past 10 Dubai titles, although the Swiss did need three sets to get past wild card Malek Jaziri on Monday.
Also into the second round is former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who saved three match points on his way to beating Marcos Baghdatis 4-6 6-4 7-6.
Fourth seed Del Potro recovered from 4-1 down in the deciding set, the Argentine's superior ground strokes ultimately wearing down his Cypriot opponent as dusk fell.
"Marcos also deserved to win but the luck was behind me and I played better in the big moments," Del Potro said in a courtside interview. "In the tie-break I was solid."
The opening two sets were decided by a service break as both players opted for a serve and volley approach, Del Potro losing the first with a double-fault.
In the deciding set, Del Potro misjudged a Baghdatis lob that drifted in after the 24-year-old pulled his racket away at the last moment to allow the Cypriot to break.
The 2006 Australian Open finalist then held for a 4-1 lead, but Del Potro was not finished, storming back to level at 4-4 with Baghdatis unable to live with the precision and venom of the world number seven's ground strokes.
Del Potro had been guilty of making too many unforced errors but was nerveless in saving successive match points, then a third, to hold for 5-5 as some ****** serving helped him survive.
In the tie-break, Baghdatis wilted by clubbing shots wide and long.
Michael Llodra beat a tiring Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 6-2, his first victory in seven meetings against his fellow Frenchman.
Tsonga, who won a 10th career singles title on Sunday after defeating Tomas Berdych in the final of the Marseille Open, was 4-2 up in the first set.
But the fifth seed faltered as left-hander Llodra rushed the net at every opportunity, in the final game brilliantly blocking off two attempted passes with angled volley winners.
Earlier, Russia's Nikolay Davydenko routed world number nine Janko Tipsarevic 6-0 7-5 in sweltering conditions.
The first two games took 31 minutes to complete, with Tipsarevic going through three rackets in the opening three games.
The Serb, wearing his trademark dark glasses, came out fighting in the second set and broke twice for a 4-1 lead only for 31-year-old Davydenko to win six of the last seven games.
"Maybe he lost concentration," said Davydenko, the world number 46. "I was also waiting for him to make some mistakes because it's really difficult to do winners here."
Third seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic strolled past wild card Rajeev Ram 6-1 6-3.
Top seed John Isner narrowly avoided a second straight first round exit as the big serving American edged past Canadian Jessie Levine 7-6 5-7 6-4 at the Delray Beach International.
American Isner was tripped up in the opening round of last week's Memphis International by Uzbek Denis Istomin and the world number 15 again found himself in trouble on the hard courts.
This time, however, the 6-foot-9 inch Isner was able to blast 28 aces en route to victory in an opening match that lasted over two hours.
All seemed to be going to plan as Isner seized the critical first set in a tie-breaker 7-3 but he had his service broken en route to dropping the second set, ******* a decider.
But the American, who has been plagued by knee trouble, held firm in the third to advance, much to his relief.
"Jesse's good. I've always had trouble with him. Honestly, it was a good one to get through," Isner told the ATP website.
"A win is a win and I haven't had many lately. I'm just trying to get this train going. I'll rest up and I anticipate I'll be better."
Another big server, Croatia's Ivo Karlovic, also advanced at the hands of Memphis winner Kei Nishikori. The Japanese ****** to retire at 5-4 down in the first set with a stomach muscle problem.
Second seed Tommy Haas was another winner but the German was in no celebratory mood.
Haas and Igor Sijsling were locked at one set all when the Dutch player quit with an ankle injury after the second set.
In the final game that Sijsling lost he blasted three balls into the stands, one hitting a spectator and drawing a code ********* warning.
"What a strange match. You never want to win a match like that," Haas said. "It's not a proud win for me."

Dubai Championships results

Round 1

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 6-1 6-4

3-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Rajeev Ram (US) 6-1 6-3

Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat Jan Hajek (Czech Republic) 4-6 6-1 6-2

Michael Llodra (France) beat 5-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 7-6(3) 6-2

4-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 4-6 6-4 7-6(4)

Marcel Granollers (Spain) beat Albert Montanes (Spain) 6-3 6-1

Tobias Kamke (Germany) beat Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 4-6 6-4 6-4

Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat 6-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 6-0 7-5

Victor Hanescu (Romania) beat Bernard Tomic (Australia) 3-2 (Tomic retired)

Dubai Championships results

Round 1

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 6-1 6-4

3-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Rajeev Ram (US) 6-1 6-3

Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat Jan Hajek (Czech Republic) 4-6 6-1 6-2

Michael Llodra (France) beat 5-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) 7-6(3) 6-2

4-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 4-6 6-4 7-6(4)

Marcel Granollers (Spain) beat Albert Montanes (Spain) 6-3 6-1

Tobias Kamke (Germany) beat Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 4-6 6-4 6-4

Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat 6-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 6-0 7-5

Victor Hanescu (Romania) beat Bernard Tomic (Australia) 3-2 (Tomic retired)

Delray Beach International results

Round 1

1-John Isner (U.S.) beat Jesse Levine (Canada) 7-6(3) 5-7 6-4

Ivo Karlovic (Croatia) beat 4-Kei Nishikori (Japan) 5-4 (Nishikori retired)

Go Soeda (Japan) beat Marinko Matosevic (Australia) 2-6 6-4 7-6(6)

6-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) beat Tim Smyczek (U.S.) 6-3 6-4

2-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Igor Sijsling (Netherlands) 5-7 6-4 0-0 (Sijsling retired)

Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania) beat Bjoern Phau (Germany) 6-1 7-6(4)

Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) beat Benjamin Becker (Germany) 6-7(3) 6-4 7-5

Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) beat Bobby Reynolds (U.S.) 6-3 7-5

Jack Sock (U.S.) beat Matthew Ebden (Australia) 6-3 6-3

Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) beat James Blake (U.S.) 6-1 6-4

Daniel Munoz (Spain) beat Ryan Harrison (U.S.) 6-2 1-6 6-3

Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France) beat Flavio Cipolla (Italy) 6-1 6-4

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal, Ferrer ease through in Acapulco

Rafael Nadal continued his encouraging form since returning to action with a regulation 6-2 6-2 win over Diego Schwartzman in his opening match at the Acapulco International.
Second seed Nadal completed the 6-2 6-2 victory in his first appearance at the tournament in Mexico since he claimed the title in 2005.
That year he went on to become the first man since Mats Wilander to win the French Open at the first attempt.
Fast forward eight years - and an era of utter domination on clay courts - and Nadal is seeking to rediscover his world -beating form after a seven-month lay-off with a knee injury which has seen him slip to fifth in the world.
The Spaniard said before the match against Schwartzman that he is still not 100 per cent happy with the condition of his knee, but he nevertheless eased past the Argentine qualifier with a minimum of fuss.
The 26-year-old is gunning for a second title from the three clay-court events he has played over the past four weeks. He reached the final in Vina del Mar in the first leg of his Latin American tour before winning the Brazil Open title in Sao Paulo.
Earlier, top seed David Ferrer - the man who has supplanted Nadal as Spain's number one men's player - ****** no time in seeing off the challenge of Antonio Veic, the world number four completing a straightforward 6-0 6-3 win.
Ferrer, fresh from retaining his Buenos Aires Open title at the weekend, is defending his crown on the red dirt in Mexico.
Meanwhile, another Spaniard Nicolas Almagro chalked up his 300th career win with a 6-0 6-1 dismissal of Mexican wild card Cesar Ramirez.
"I'm happy for the number and I hope there will be many more [wins] to come," third seed Almagro said. "I want to enjoy the moment a little but I need to keep working hard."
The world number 12 is the 20th active player to reach the milestone. Roger Federer has 886 wins to his name.

Acapulco International results

Round 1

Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia) beat David Nalbandian (Argentina) 4-6 6-0 6-4

2-Rafa Nadal (Spain) beat Diego Schwartzman (Argentina) 6-2 6-2

Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) beat 6-Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) 4-6 6-4 6-4

8-Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) beat Simone Bolelli (Italy) 7-5 6-1

Fabio Fognini (Italy) beat 4-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-2 7-6(3)

1-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Antonio Veic (Croatia) 6-0 6-3

Paolo Lorenzi (Italy) beat 7-Benoit Paire (France) 4-6 6-3 6-4

Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Filippo Volandri (Italy) 6-2 2-6 6-4

Wayne Odesnik (U.S.) beat Lukasz Kubot (Poland) 6-3 6-4

Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) beat Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 6-3 6-3

3-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) beat Cesar Ramirez (Mexico) 6-0 6-1

 

[Smallville22]

Robson bids for more consistency

Laura Robson might have made a mark in the last two Grand Slam tournaments but the British number two admits consistency is the name of the game from here on out.
After winning silver at London 2012 alongside Andy Murray, Robson has gone from strength to strength – rising to 43rd in the world rankings.
This form has seen her record career-best finishes at the US Open last year, where she beat Kim Clijsters and Li Na before losing to Sam Stosur in the fourth round, and in January at the Australia Open where she reached the third round.
But after helping Great Britain secure a World Group II play-off against Argentina in the Fed Cup, Robson lost two successive matches to Daniela Hantuchova in Doha and to wildcard Yulia Putintseva in Dubai
And it is a desire to earn a seeding for Wimbledon that has Robson insisting that she needs to add some consistency to her game.
"It's very easy to play in Grand Slams when you have nothing to lose," Robson said.
"I played on some of the biggest courts in the world, which is always exciting for me. But some more consistency would be great.
"I want to be seeded at a Grand Slam this year, hopefully Wimbledon. That would make my life a lot easier and I'll keep working hard to make it happen.
"Things didn't go so well in the Middle East, but generally I'm feeling pretty good about the way things are going at the moment.
"I seem to play well in the US hard courts, so hopefully the next few tournaments will go well."
Robson revealed that a chest infection played its part in her first-round exits in Doha and Dubai.
But having consulted a specialist Robson insists she is well on the road to recovery.
"The chest infection is in the process of clearing up. I'll be fine for Indian Wells next month," she added.
"I've had another course of antibiotics – stronger stuff – and I'm as good as new.
"It's always tough playing when you're a bit ill, but it was my decision to play in Doha and Dubai.
"I'm still happy that I played, but it's been good to get back on the training court in the last few days."

 

[Smallville22]

China put Liu Guoliang, Kong Linghui in charge of table tennis

China has put the grand slam winning duo of Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui in charge of maintaining the country's formidable dominance in world table tennis, local media said on Wednesday.
Liu, who won both the singles and doubles gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, had been appointed China's general head coach while retaining the same position with the men's team, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Kong, who partnered Liu in Atlanta and won the singles gold in Sydney four years later, would be in charge of the women's team, it added.
"My predecessor Shi Zhihao did an extraordinary job," Kong was quoted as saying by the report.
"Under Shi's reign, the Chinese women's team pocketed all gold medals on offer in two Olympic Games, which set the bar high for me.
"... we are not just eyeing to win more gold medals, but going to make table tennis a more popular sport in China and elsewhere of the world." said Kong.
Liu had no illusions about the challenges ahead but was confident of taking Chinese table tennis to a new high.
"It will be very challenging, for sure," Liu said.
"I'm both confident and determined to create a new era of table tennis alongside with my buddy Kong Linghui in the coming years," said the 37-year-old.
China completed a sweep of all the Olympic table tennis golds at last year's London Games, having swept all four titles in the previous Games at Beijing.

 

[Smallville22]

Wozniacki loses to qualifier in Malaysia

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki suffered one of her worst career defeats when she bowed out of the Malaysia Open to 186th-ranked Chinese qualifier Qiang Wang on Wednesday.
The Dane, top seed at the event in Kuala Lumpur, cruised through the opening set of her first round clash and had a match point in the second before going down 2-6 7-6 6-1.
Qualifier Wang, 21, allowed Wozniacki only one point in the second set tie-break as she levelled the match and rolled through the decider to claim her biggest career win.
Wozniacki, a semi-finalist last week in Dubai, has slipped to 10th in the world rankings.
Wang will face Austrian Patricia Mayr-Achleitner next.
The Malaysian Open is a hard-court tournament with a £154,330 prize fund.

Malaysian Open results

Round 1

Wang Qiang (China) beat 1-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 2-6 7-6(1) 6-1

7-Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) beat Yuliya Beygelzimer (Ukraine) 2-6 6-4 6-3

Luksika Kumkhum (Thailand) beat Olivia Rogowska (Australia) 3-6 6-1 6-2

4-Ayumi Morita (Japan) beat Cagla Bueyuekakcay (Turkey) 6-1 6-1

Ashleigh Barty (Australia) beat Chanel Simmonds (South Africa) 6-4 6-2

Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 6-1 6-3

Duan Yingying (China) beat Marta Sirotkina (Russia) 6-3 4-6 7-6(12)

3-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Vera Dushevina (Russia) 2-6 6-3 7-6(6)

Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) beat 8-Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-7(5) 6-1 7-5

Nudnida Luangnam (Thailand) beat Zheng Saisai (China) 6-3 6-7(1) 6-2

Zhang Shuai (China) beat Aslina Chua (Malaysia) 6-0 6-1

WTA Brazil results

Round 2

5-Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Beatriz Garcia Vidagany (Spain) 6-4 3-6 6-4

Monica Niculescu (Romania) beat Tereza Mrdeza (Croatia) 6-1 6-1

Melinda Czink (Hungary) beat Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) 1-6 6-2 7-6(3)

Timea Babos (Hungary) beat 4-Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 6-1 6-2

Olga Puchkova (Russia) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 3-6 6-3 6-3

7-Kristina Mladenovic (France) beat Tatjana Malek (Germany) 6-2 6-1

 

[Smallville22]

Federer, Djokovic advance through to Dubai quarters

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic strolled to easy victories in the Dubai Championships second round on Wednesday, keeping the world's top two players on course for a showdown in Saturday's final.
Other dangers await after Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin Del Potro also claimed straight set wins, but few in Wednesday's 5,000 capacity crowd would bet against another meeting between the big two, winners of 23 Grand Slam titles between them.
Federer dismissed Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-3 6-4, while Djokovic overcame a late stumble to beat another Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1 7-6.
Djokovic was seeking a 15th straight win, his unbeaten streak dating back to October, while Agut has one tour final appearance to his name and the Spaniard was overawed by the Serb's power and movement.
The first set was over in 23 minutes and Djokovic broke for a fourth game in five to go 2-0 up in the second.
The match looked all over, but Agut fought back, breaking Djokovic and saving four match points to take the set to a tiebreak, only for the Spaniard to bow out with a double fault.
"It was not easy to finish the match - he fought very hard and is great competitor," Djokovic said in a courtside interview.
"It was my fault - I made some unforced errors that gave him the chance to come back."
The Serb, 25, now faces Italian Andreas Seppi in Thursday's quarter-finals, while Federer will play Nikolay Davydenko.
The 17-times grand slam champion was adamant he would not take the Russian lightly, despite boasting an 18-2 winning record against the veteran, who has slid down the rankings in recent years.
"I'll never disrespect a guy like Nikolay," said the Swiss. "He's done too much in the game."
After the first five games went with serve, Granollers stumbled, a double fault gifting Federer three break points.
The 31-year-old needed only one, passing Granollers at the net with an arrowed forehand down the line for a 4-2 lead.
Federer, seeking a first title of 2013 and a sixth Dubai crown, was relentless, regularly opting for serve-and-volley tactics, and wrapped up the set with a love game.
"I thought I was sharp, I knew what I wanted to do and I was able to do it," the world number two said in a courtside interview.
"He was going to come in, so I thought I would rather hit a volley than a passing shot - when the courts are so fast, you want to play offensive."
Federer broke again for a decisive 3-2 lead in the second set courtesy of a deep forehand that the Spaniard thought had landed long but his appeal fell flat.
Earlier, world number seven Del Potro pounded Somdev Devvarman 6-4 6-4.
The Argentine saved three break points in his opening two service games but was otherwise largely untroubled in dispatching India's number one.
"It's good, but I need to improve... if I want to have a chance of winning this tournament," Del Potro, 24, said.
Third seed Berdych, 27, is also through to the last eight, beating Germany's Tobias Kamke 7-5 6-1.
The Czech toiled more than the score line would suggest, squandering five set points in the first set against the world number 90 and saving 12 of 14 break points himself.

Dubai Championships

Round 2

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Roberto Bautista (Spain) 6-1 7-6(4)

2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Marcel Granollers (Spain) 6-3 6-4

Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Victor Hanescu (Romania) 6-4 7-6(2)

3-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Tobias Kamke (Germany) 7-5 6-1

Daniel Brands (Germany) beat 8-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-4 6-4

4-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Somdev Devvarman (India) 6-4 6-4

7-Andreas Seppi (Italy) beat Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) 6-4 7-6(4)

Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) beat Michael Llodra (France) 7-6(5) 2-6 6-3

 

[rivasky]

The Pliskova are twins on a roll this week. Karolina beat Misaki Doi to reach the quarterfinals of a WTA tour event for the first time in almost five years (when she was 16). Next up is Patricia Mayr. She'd better book her ticket to Vienna already!

In doubles, the sisters have reached the semis. :nanner:

Little gallery of Karolina and Krystina on a catwalk at the players party alongside Croatian teenager Donna Vekic
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[Smallville22]

Wozniacki loses to qualifier in Malaysia

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki suffered one of her worst career defeats when she bowed out of the Malaysia Open to 186th-ranked Chinese qualifier Qiang Wang.
The Dane, top seed at the event in Kuala Lumpur, cruised through the opening set of her first round clash and had a match point in the second before going down 2-6 7-6 6-1.
Qualifier Wang, 21, allowed Wozniacki only one point in the second set tie-break as she levelled the match and rolled through the decider to claim her biggest career win.
Wozniacki, a semi-finalist last week in Dubai, has slipped to 10th in the world rankings.
Wang will face Austrian Patricia Mayr-Achleitner next.
The Malaysian Open is a hard-court tournament with a £154,330 prize fund.
Venus Williams was taken to three sets by Garbine Muguruza Blanco but eventually claimed a 6-4 2-6 7-5 victory to put the American into the quarter-finals of the Brasil Cup.
Williams, ranked 20 in the world - 76 places higher than her Spanish opponent - squandered three match points before finally sealing the win at the fourth time of asking in the Brazilian city of Florianopolis
The top seed will now meet Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia for a place in the semis, after she beat Beatriz Garcia Vidagany of Spain -4 3-6 6-4.
Italy's Sara Errani continued her good form at the Acapulco International by progressing to the last eight with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win over Canada's Eugenie Bouchard.
Errani, the top seed and favourite at the tournament in Mexico, is defending her title - one of four she won last season, all of which were on clay.
She next plays Kiki Bertens, the Dutch fifth seed who booked her place in the quarters with a 6-1 6-2 win over Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Malaysian Open results

Round 2

2-Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) beat Zhang Shuai (China) 6-2 6-2

Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (Austria) beat Wang Qiang (China) 6-3 6-2

3-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) 6-3 6-3

Ashleigh Barty (Australia) beat Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) 7-6(3) 6-4

Luksika Kumkhum (Thailand) beat 7-Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) 6-2 6-4

Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) beat 5-Misaki Doi (Japan) 6-4 7-6(7)

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) beat Duan Yingying (China) 6-1 6-4

4-Ayumi Morita (Japan) beat Nudnida Luangnam (Thailand) 6-3 6-1

Round 1

2-Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) beat Kurumi Nara (Japan) 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4

Wang Qiang (China) beat 1-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 2-6 7-6(1) 6-1

7-Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) beat Yuliya Beygelzimer (Ukraine) 2-6 6-4 6-3

Luksika Kumkhum (Thailand) beat Olivia Rogowska (Australia) 3-6 6-1 6-2

4-Ayumi Morita (Japan) beat Cagla Bueyuekakcay (Turkey) 6-1 6-1

Ashleigh Barty (Australia) beat Chanel Simmonds (South Africa) 6-4 6-2

Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 6-1 6-3

Duan Yingying (China) beat Marta Sirotkina (Russia) 6-3 4-6 7-6(12)

3-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Vera Dushevina (Russia) 2-6 6-3 7-6(6)

Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) beat 8-Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-7(5) 6-1 7-5

Nudnida Luangnam (Thailand) beat Zheng Saisai (China) 6-3 6-7(1) 6-2

Zhang Shuai (China) beat Aslina Chua (Malaysia) 6-0 6-1

Brasil Cup results

Round 2

1-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) 6-4 2-6 7-5

5-Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Beatriz Garcia Vidagany (Spain) 6-4 3-6 6-4

Monica Niculescu (Romania) beat Tereza Mrdeza (Croatia) 6-1 6-1

Melinda Czink (Hungary) beat Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) 1-6 6-2 7-6(3)

Olga Puchkova (Russia) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 3-6 6-3 6-3

7-Kristina Mladenovic (France) beat Tatjana Malek (Germany) 6-2 6-1

Timea Babos (Hungary) beat 4-Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 6-1 6-2

Acapulco International results

Round 2

3-Alize Cornet (France) beat Estrella Cabeza Candela (Spain) 6-4 6-4

Karin Knapp (Italy) beat 8-Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) 6-4 7-6(2)

2-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Stephanie Foretz Gacon (France) 6-1 6-2

7-Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) beat Maria Teresa Torro (Spain) 6-4 3-0 (Torro retired)

5-Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) 6-1 6-2

1-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 7-6(4) 6-2

6-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Sesil Karatantcheva (Kazakhstan) 6-3 6-4

Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) beat 4-Irina Begu (Romania) 6-1 2-1 (Begu retired)