2013 Tennis Thread

[Smallville22]

Tipsarevic crashes out

Daniel Brands dumped top seed Janko Tipsarevic out of the Munich Open quarter-finals in a 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory.
Germany’s Brands put on a serving masterclass, landing 67% of his first serves and going on to win a massive 88% of those points.
The world number 67 only broke the Serb twice but made them count, with too-10 star Tipsarevic not helping himself with two crucial double faults as he went out in one hour and 37 minutes.
Brands will face compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber in the semi-finals after he beat another Serb, Viktor Troicki, 6-3 7-6(3).
Resurgent veteran Tommy Haas beat compatriot Florian Mayer 6-4 6-1 and next faces Croatia’s Ivan Dodig as an all-German final looks a distinct possibility.
Dodig ousted fifth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4 6-4.
In Estoril, Portugal, top seed and comfortable favourite David Ferrer moved into the semis with a hard-fought 6-3 4-6 6-4 win over Victor Hanescu.
Stanislas Wawrinka is his main threat, the Swiss also progressing with a 6-4 6-4 win over local player Gastao Elias.
In the women’s event, Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro will face Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final after respective wins over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia and Romina Oprandi of Switzerland.

Munich Open men's quarter-final results:

Daniel Brands (Germany) beat 1-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 6-3 4-6 6-4

4-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) beat Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 6-3 7-6(3)

3-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat 6-Florian Mayer (Germany) 6-4 6-1

Ivan Dodig (Croatia) beat 5-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) 6-4 6-4

Oeiras Open men's quarterfinal results:

3-Andreas Seppi (Italy) beat 8-Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-4 6-3

1-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Victor Hanescu (Romania) 6-4 7-6(2)

Pablo Carreno (Spain) beat 4-Fabio Fognini (Italy) 3-6 6-4 6-4

2-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Gastao Elias (Portugal) 6-4 6-4

Oeiras Open women's semi-final results:

4-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) 6-4 6-1

3-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) 0-6 6-3 6-1

 

[Smallville22]

ATP chief Drewett dies aged 54

Brad Drewett, executive chairman and president of the men's ATP Tour since 2012, died aged 54 on Friday from Motor Neurone Disease.
Drewett's WTA counterpart Stacey Allaster added: "Brad was an incredibly warm human being and a dedicated ****** man. He also was always an inspiring leader. Today the entire tennis community mourns the loss of a great friend and colleague.
"Brad's contributions as a player and visionary leader make him one of the greatest in making tennis the popular, worldwide sport it is today. The recent prize money increases with the grand slams are perfect examples of Brad's brilliant strategic management, and another example of how much he cared about our athletes and the sport's long-term growth.
"His legacy as a leader, as a person, and as a ****** who always put his ****** first, will have an everlasting impact on tennis."
The Australian former professional, who reached a career-high ranking of 34, was appointed in January 2012 and helped oversee a rise in prize money at grand slam tournaments and a streamlining of the men's calendar.
Drewett announced in January that he intended to step down due to his battle with the neurological disease.
He died at his home in Sydney.
Tributes poured in from players, past and present, at the news that Drewett had succumbed to his illness.
"Today is a very sad day for sport and tennis in particular. Our president Brad has ****** away," 11-times grand slam champion Rafael Nadal posted on his website.
Fellow Spaniard and former world number one Carlos Moya added: "Probably the best ATP president, the closest to the players and the one who has achieved the most for the players in the past 30 years."

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal 'will not get higher seeding' at Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal will not be protected with a higher seeding at the French Open, tournament director Gilbert Ysern said.
Roland Garros committee member Guy Forget suggested last month that the Spaniard, who has slipped to fifth in the world rankings, should be protected to avoid a potential quarter-final clash with world number one Novak Djokovic.
"Considering what Nadal represents in Paris, i.e. the best player in the tournament's history, it seemed incongruous that he arrives in Paris with the number 4 or 5 bib," Ysern told French sports daily L'Equipe, adding that he backed off because the move would not have been welcomed.
"But it was said to be fiddling," he said.
"What was supposed to be a strong symbol, a tribute, was seen as messy business."
Nadal, who missed seven months of tennis because of a knee injury, trails world number four David Ferrer in the ATP rankings and has little chance of closing the points gap before the French Open begins on May 26.

 

[Smallville22]

Pavlyuchenkova wins second title of season in Portugal

Third seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova clinched her second trophy of the season as she beat Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5 6-2 in the final of WTA Oeiras in Portugal.
The 19th-ranked Russian, who triumphed at WTA Monterrey earlier in the campaign, overcame the fourth seed from Spain in straight sets to lift another piece of silverware.
Playing in the seventh WTA final of her career and having gone 4-2 in her first six, Pavlyuchenkova took her first clay-court title in 95 minutes.
The two players could not be separated in the first set until the Russian broke serve from 5-5, with an early break following early in the second as Suarez Navarro mustered just two games in response.
The Russian won seven games in a row midway through the match and kept up the momentum to condemn Suarez Navarro to a fifth final defeat in as many attempts.
Pavlyuchenkova's decision to hire five-times grand slam champion Martina Hingis as a coach paid dividends as she completely outplayed her opponent in the second set.
The French Open begins on May 26.

 

[Smallville22]

Evert hurt by Connors' revelations of 'private matter'

Tennis great Chris Evert has hit out at her former fiance Jimmy Connors for hinting that their relationship ended in the 1970s after she had an abortion against his wishes.
"In his book, Jimmy Connors has written about a time in our relationship that was very personal and emotionally painful," Evert said in a statement released to Reuters on Saturday through her agent Lawrence Frankopan at StarWing Sports.
"I am extremely disappointed that he used the book to misrepresent a private matter that took place 40 years ago and made it public, without my knowledge. I hope everyone can understand that I have no further comment."
Evert, who won 18 grand slam titles, and eight-times major champion Connors were the golden couple of tennis when they dated during the 1970s. Both won the Wimbledon singles titles in 1974 and were due to get married later that year.
When they called off their wedding, little was known about the reasons behind it.
However, Connors shed light on the issues that led to the breakdown of their relationship in his memoir "The Outsider", extracts of which were quoted in the American media this week.
"An issue had arisen as a result of youthful passion, and a decision had to be made as a couple. Chrissie called to say she was coming out to LA to take care of the 'issue'," Connors wrote in his book.
"I was perfectly happy to let nature take its course and accept responsibility for what was to come."
Evert, raised a Catholic, was 19 at the time.
Connors added in his book: "Chrissie, however, had already made up her mind that the timing was bad and too much was riding on her future. She asked me to handle the details.
He wrote that his response was: "'Well, thanks for letting me know. Since I don't have any say in the matter, then I guess I am just here to help.'
"It was a horrible feeling, but I knew it was over. Getting married wasn't going to be good for either of us."
With Connors deciding they were too young to get married, he wrote that her reply was: "OK if that's what you think. I've got a match tomorrow. Not a problem."

 

[Smallville22]

Ferrer books Wawrinka showdown in Estoril final

The top two seeds will meet in Sunday's Oeiras Open final after David Ferrer and Stanislas Wawrinka won through.
Ferrer sealed a routine victory over Andrea Seppi, romping through the match 6-1 6-4.
Wawrinka met a sterner adversary in Paolo Carreno, but having shared the first two sets came through to win 6-3 3-6 6-1.
Fans in Munich will be treated to an all-German final, as veteran Tommy Haas joined Philipp Kohlschreiber in winning his last-four match.

Munich Open men's quarter-final results:

4-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) beat Daniel Brands (Germany) 6-7(4) 6-3 7-6(5)

3-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Ivan Dodig (Croatia) 6-4 6-3

Oeiras Open men's quarterfinal results:

1-David Ferrer (Spain) beat 3-Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-1 6-4

2-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Pablo Carreno (Spain) 6-3 3-6 6-1

 

[Smallville22]

Hingis effect helps Pavlyuchenkova to first title on clay

Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova warmed up for the French Open by winning her first claycourt title with a 7-5 6-2 win over Spanish fourth seed Carla Suarez Navarro in the Portugal Open final on Saturday.
Pavlyuchenkova's decision to hire five-times grand slam champion Martina Hingis as a coach paid dividends as she completely outplayed her opponent in the second set to win her fifth career title. Her previous four successes were all achieved on hard courts.
The Russian third seed won seven games in a row midway through the match and kept up the momentum to condemn Suarez Navarro to a fifth final defeat in as many attempts.
The French Open begins on May 26.

 

[Smallville22]

Veteran Haas wins Munich title

Tommy Haas became the first 35-year-old in five years to win an ATP title with a 6-3 7-6(3) win over fellow German Phillip Kohlschreiber.
Third seed Haas, who has been in good form over the past year, held off a late fight-back from his fourth-seeded compatriot to win in 83 minutes.
The last time a man of his age won a title was Fabrice Santoro in 2008. But France's diminutive Santoro was a renowned technical player, while Haas relies as much on his physical attributes, making the achievement all the more remarkable in the modern era.
"It's a sensational feeling to be quite honest," Haas said after winning his first title in 11 months.
"It was another one of those milestones that I hoped for, to maybe win this title one year. To have done that, this late in my career, is a big highlight for me.
"Every time you win a title, it's a reflection of putting everything together the whole week. It doesn't happen that often. You're really proud of those moments."
In the first all-German final since 1965, Haas had been serving for the match at 5-4 in the second, but – facing down match point – two-times champion Kohlschreiber broke back to ***** a tie-breaker, which Haas took with relative comfort.
After winning his 14th career title, Haas now has a 2013 record of 18-7, including a famous win over Novak Djokovic in Miami. He will move up to world number 13 on Monday.

 

[Smallville22]

Wawrinka crushes Ferrer for Estoril title

Stanislas Wawrinka beat clay-court specialist David Ferrer in straight sets to claim the Oeiras Open title in Estoril, Portugal.
Second seed Wawrinka avenged February’s Buenos Aires final defeat to the top seeded Spaniard in some style, running out 6-1 6-4 winner with a dominant display from the baseline.
Ferrer, 31, had been hoping to pull away from world number five Rafael Nadal in the race to be a top four seed at the French Open later in May, but he was blown away by the Swiss, who claimed the first five games and won in just over an hour.
The 28-year-old Wawrinka was putting in some fantastic forehand winners, with Ferrer unable to reply to his topspin as the Swiss lost only 42 service points without facing a break point.
It is Wawrinka’s fourth career title and his first since 2011.

 

[Smallville22]

Federer: No need to seed Nadal higher for French

Rafa Nadal's seeding at the French Open is irrelevant as the Spaniard's prowess on clay means he will always be dangerous, his great rival Roger Federer said on Sunday.
Roland Garros committee member Guy Forget had suggested Nadal, who has slipped to fifth in the rankings after a lengthy injury layoff, should be seeded higher to avoid a potential quarter-final meeting with world number one Novak Djokovic.
That was rejected by tournament director Gilbert Ysern, who said the move would not have been welcomed.
Federer, the only other player to win the Roland Garros title since Nadal's first triumph in 2005, told a news conference at the Madrid Open on Sunday that while Nadal definitely deserved a higher seeding it would not make much difference in the end.
"He's been so successful there in the last eight, nine years that everybody knows that he deserves it," Federer said.
"But it's not like he's ranked 80 in the world and he's going to bump into the seeds or bump into the top four or something like that.
"Is it really going to make a huge difference if he's five or one? Not a whole lot.
"Rafa obviously has a great chance because of the great player he is on clay.
"I'm happy that they took a decision regardless of which one was the right one, just to go with something. Now there is peace and quiet around it again."
At an earlier news conference, Nadal, who returned in February after seven months out with a knee injury, said he didn't think he should be a awarded higher seeding because of his phenomenal clay record.
"The players that are in front of me are there because they have been playing better than me," he said.
"Well, in fact they have played. I haven't played and I haven't trained either.
"Good for them for not being injured. The problem is mine."
Federer, 31, is making his return in Madrid after taking time out following his defeat to Nadal in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells Masters in March.
He said it hard been hard to watch his rivals racking up titles in his absence and that he was "extremely excited" to be back on the Tour.
"Obviously you're working hard but there is no glory really in working on a practice court with nobody watching you play.
"What we play for at the end of the day is playing in front of fans and being part of the show and achieving things in your career you always dreamed about.
"For that, I need to work hard as well. I need to get away from it all, so that when I do come back I'm excited and motivated. That's what I feel right now, and that then can carry you a long way.
"For me, it was important to take a bit of a rest. Not too long, just enough so I'm really sort of tough to beat in the next few months."

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal praises red court return as Madrid banishes blues

The Madrid Masters appears to have put last year's controversy over the blue clay courts firmly behind it with some of the world's top-ranked men including fierce critic Rafa Nadal all praising the newly-built red dust replacements on Sunday.
Nadal, regarded as one of the greatest clay players of all time and a seven-times French Open champion, threatened to boycott the tournament if the experiment was not abandoned after he was beaten in the third round by Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco last year.
Nadal, world number one Novak Djokovic and others said the blue courts, which organisers argued made it easier for TV viewers to follow the balls, were too slippery, although it was unclear whether that had anything to do with the colour.
All the courts, including the Manolo Santana show court in the futuristic Magic Box arena, have been completely rebuilt and Nadal and Djokovic, as well as Roger Federer and Andy Murray, all praised the decision on Saturday.
"The courts this year fortunately are really good," Nadal told a news conference.
"The only thing I can say is thank you to the tournament, you know, for the money that they have invested to have the highest quality courts in here," he added.
"I think that obviously the court last year was not up to the level that we needed.
"In Madrid, we have the problem of the dry climate, so it's very difficult to have the clay that settles down properly, a clay that's the same as in other places.
"The courts cannot be better. So I think from the side of the players we can only say thank you. I think that the audience will also say thank you for that."
Djokovic told a separate news conference he had yet to try out the centre court but the practice court he had used was "great".
"But also from the opinions of the other players I can hear only positive comments, so it's great to see that," Djokovic said.
"You know, of course from players' perspective it's always positive to see a tournament is doing everything they can to make a player feel comfortable playing on the court, and of course feeling good off the court as well."
Murray, who missed last year's Madrid Open through injury, added: "The courts are fantastic. They're excellent."
Federer, who did not appear too bothered by the blue clay last year as he cruised to a third Madrid title, said he had yet to try out the new courts but had heard good things from the other players.
"There was a lot of criticism about the colour, about the quality of the court as well, being extremely slippery," he said.
"I don't know if that was due to the colour, but this tournament has, in the past, had issues with the quality of the court.
"I think this year, from what I'm hearing from the players, it's a good quality court and the players are happy. In the process, hopefully we'll see better tennis this year."

 

[Smallville22]

Top players pay tribute to ATP chief Drewett

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal joined a minute's silence at the Madrid Open on Sunday in memory of men's ATP Tour executive chairman and president Brad Drewett, who died on Friday.
The four tennis heavyweights were joined on the Manolo Santana show court at the Magic Box arena by women's world number one Serena Williams to pay tribute to Australian former player Drewett, who ****** away aged 54 after suffering from Motor Neurone Disease.
"It's devastating news for not just us tennis players, but the tennis world," Djokovic said.
"He was a very brave man with the courage to stand up and try to change some things in our sport for the better," added the Serbian world number one.
"We remember him as a very calm, composed and intelligent man, who loved this sport with all his heart, while he was playing, coaching and then as the president of ATP."
Drewett, who reached a career-high ranking of 34, was appointed in January 2012 and helped oversee an increase in prize money at grand slam tournaments and a streamlining of the men's calendar.
He announced in January that he intended to step down due to his battle with the neurological disease and died at his home in Sydney.
"He was always very nice to work with. Very honest and gentle," Federer said.
"For me, it was hard seeing him not be the same anymore towards the end physically.
"But we can only appreciate what he's done for us and what he did until the last moment he really possibly could. That will never go away."

 

[Smallville22]

Serena starts Madrid defence, Li and Wozniacki out

World number one Serena Williams recovered from a lethargic start to her Madrid Open title defence to seal an ultimately comfortable 7-6 6-1 victory against teenage qualifier Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in the first round on Sunday.
On the opening day of action for several top players at the premier clay event, Chinese fifth seed Li Na also started slowly at the futuristic Magic Box arena but the former French Open champion was unable to turn around her match against promising American Madison Keys.
Keys, ranked 63 in the world and like Putintseva just 18 years of age, recorded her first victory against a top-10 opponent when she broke an erratic Li five times to win 6-3 6-2 and set up a second-round meeting with Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Keys had lost in the final round of qualifying on Saturday but made it into the main draw as a lucky loser following the late withdrawal of Tamara Paszek and only found out she was playing Li about 10 minutes before she had to be on court.
"I just kind of started playing and felt really good and I was able to win," said Keys, who was doing her algebra homework in the players' lounge when she got the message she had a place in the main draw.
"Not overthinking it all day and sitting around and kind of worrying about it I think really helped," she added.
Chasing her fourth title of the year, Williams was tested by the 88th-ranked Putintseva early in the match but her superior power told in the end against a woman 13 years her junior.
Williams is making a fourth appearance in Madrid after beating Belarussian Victoria Azarenka in last year's final.
The American 15-times grand slam singles champion will meet Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the second round after the Spaniard beat fellow wildcard Simona Halep of Romania on Saturday.
"I felt a little sluggish out there, but I'm happy I was able to win the match," Williams told a news conference.
"I obviously have to and want to play better as each match goes on," added the 31-year-old.
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, the 10th seed, was upset 6-2 6-4 by unseeded Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova.
Wozniacki, Li and Serena's ****** Venus Williams, who withdrew from the tournament with a back injury on Sunday, were all in the top half of the draw and their exit potentially eases Serena's passage.
Sixth-seeded German Angelique Kerber had to come from a set down to get past unseeded Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan, coming through 3-6 6-3 6-2 to set up a second-round clash against Alize Cornet of France.
Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland eased past Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2 6-4 and next plays Britain's Laura Robson.
In the men's action on Sunday, 10th seed Marin Cilic was the biggest casualty as he lost 6-7(6) 6-4 6-1 to Spain's Pablo Andujar, an accomplished clay-court player.
The Croat was the highest seed in action, with Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco, Radek Stepanek and Jeremy Chardy all going through.

Men's first-round results:

Pablo Andujar (Spain) beat 10-Marin Cilic (Croatia) 6-7(6) 6-4 6-1

Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat Bernard Tomic (Australia) 6-3 6-2

Jeremy Chardy (France) beat Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) 6-4 7-6(3)

16-Gilles Simon (France) beat Julien Benneteau (France) 2-6 7-5 6-3

Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat David Goffin (Belgium) 7-6(2) 6-2

Women's first-round results:

Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) beat 12-Roberta Vinci (Italy) 6-1 1-6 6-2

11-Nadia Petrova (Russia) beat Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-3 4-6 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Zheng Jie (China) 6-2 6-3

13-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) 6-3 2-1 (Zakopalova retired)

Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 6-2 7-5

Madison Keys (U.S.) beat 5-Li Na (China) 6-3 6-2

Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) beat Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 6-7(1) 6-3 6-3

16-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) 6-7(10) 6-3 6-2

8-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 4-6 7-5 6-4

Maria Teresa Torro (Spain) beat Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 6-2 7-5

Sorana Cirstea (Romania) beat Ayumi Morita (Japan) 3-0 (Morita retired)

Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) beat Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 6-3 6-7(6) 6-2

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) 7-6(5) 6-1

4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria) 6-2 6-4

6-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) 3-6 6-3 6-2

Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) beat Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 6-3 6-3

Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) beat 10-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 6-2 6-4

15-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) beat Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) 6-3 6-2

14-Marion Bartoli (France) beat Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-3 3-0 (Vesnina retired)

 

[Smallville22]

Tomic's ****** to appear in court after ******

Bernard Tomic's ****** and coach John is due to appear in a Madrid court later on Monday after he attacked one of his ***'s coaching team on a street in the Spanish capital at the weekend, local police sources said.
Media reports said the man Tomic assaulted was Bernard's practice partner Thomas Drouet, although police could only confirm the victim as "the ***'s coach".
The incident, which the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Tennis Australia (TA) are investigating, took place on the central Paseo de la Castellana street on Saturday and Tomic's ****** was later taken into custody at his hotel, police said.
He had been released and was due to appear in court at 2 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) on Monday to face a charge of causing bodily harm with reports claiming the victim suffered a broken nose.
John Tomic called Australian sportswriter Linda Pearce early on Monday but would not elaborate on the incident, saying: "I just want to say that I'm not in the jail, how they are writing.
"Hard to explain to you... I'm not in the jail, just say like that. Tomorrow I will say."
A spokesman for the ATP on site in Madrid said on Monday: "We can only confirm there was an incident and we are gathering information."
TA official Todd Woodbridge, a former Australian Davis Cup player, said there was little he could add but confirmed that, to his knowledge, an incident had taken place.
"What's important for us at Tennis Australia is that this allegation is thrown toward John, his ***, and not to Bernard," Woodbridge, TA's head of men's tennis, told 3AW radio.
"I just want to make sure that everyone understands that this is nothing to do with Bernard and his behaviour."
TA later released a statement.
"Obviously media reports regarding an incident in Madrid are very concerning," it read.
"We are working closely with ATP officials who are investigating the incident and are unable to comment further until the full facts are known."
Tomic, who lost 6-3 6-2 in the first round of the Madrid clay court tournament to Czech Radek Stepanek on Sunday, has long been the great young hope of Australian men's tennis but a lack of consistency over the season has kept his world ranking relatively low despite strong showings in grand slam events.
He has also enjoyed his fair share of controversy in his short career, frequently clashing with Australian tennis officialdom.
One of the earliest clashes came when his ******, who also acts as his coach, ordered the then 16-year-old to walk off court at a development event in protest at inaction against what he alleged was repeated foot-faulting by his opponent.
During a late-season slump last year, a string of Australian tennis coaches suggested Tomic dump his ****** as coach and work with someone new.

 

[Smallville22]

Nishikori on course for Federer clash

Kei Nishikori is closing in on a third-round clash against Roger Federer after beating Jergen Melzer 6-3 6-2 at the Madrid Open on Monday.
Nishikori is the event’s 14th seed and has met Federer only once previously, losing 6-1 6-3 in Basel in 2011. The Japanese now faces Either Viktor Troicki or Marcel Granollers for a place in the third-round whilst Federer faces a potential banana skin in the form of Radek Stepanek, who beat Bernard Tomic 6-3 6-2.
At the top of the draw, Novak Djokovic faces a likely mouth watering second round clash against young Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov whilst Andy Murray faces Germany’s Florian Mayer in his opening match after he beat Marinko Matosevic.

ATP Madrid results

Round 1

John Isner (U.S.) beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 7-5 7-6(8)

Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) beat Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 2-6 6-4 6-2

Florian Mayer (Germany) beat Marinko Matosevic (Australia) 6-2 6-7(3) 6-4

12-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 7-5 7-6(5)

14-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat Jurgen Melzer (Austria) 6-3 6-2

 

[Smallville22]

Sharapova wins Madrid opener

Second seed Maria Sharapova began her title bid in Madrid with a straight-sets win over Alexandra Dulgheru.
The Russian eased to a 7-5 6-2 victory against her Romanian opponent, ranked 334th in the world, to reach the second round where she will play American world number 55 Christina McHale, who beat Shuai Peng of China, on the clay.
One-time world number 26 Dulgheru, 23, has suffered from injuries in recent years. She managed to break Sharapova once in the first set, but the world number two broke twice herself then raced into a 4-1 lead in the second set and closed it out from there.
Sharapova, 24, had won their only previous meeting in the Miami quarter-finals in 2011.

WTA Madrid results

Round 2

6-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Alize Cornet (France) 6-4 6-2

Round 1

2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania) 7-5 6-2

Christina Mchale (U.S.) beat Peng Shuai (China) 7-5 5-7 6-1

Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) beat 9-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 7-6(7) 6-2

Kristina Mladenovic (France) beat Silvia Soler Espinosa (Spain) 6-1 6-1

 

[Smallville22]

Robson shocks Radwanska in Madrid

Laura Robson claimed arguably the biggest scalp of her career with a 6-3 6-1 hammering of Agnieszka Radwanska in Madrid.
British number one Robson destroyed Poland’s world number four, the highest-ranked player the world number 41 has beaten in her career so far.
Robson, 19, has beaten some big names in the past, most notably former world number one Kim Clijsters, 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Chinese star Li Na, but none of those three were in the top five at the time.
It is a huge boost for Robson, who has struggled so far this season after a breakthrough 2012. Only last week she suffered her sixth first-round defeat of the year at the Portugal Open.
Last year's Wimbledon finalist Radwanska has a reputation for being one of the more intelligent and consistent players on the women's tour, but she is relatively slight and has been known to struggle against big hitters like Robson.
Two such powerful returns helped the Briton claim the first break of the match as she moved to 5-3 in the first set, before going on to dominate the second following an exchange of early breaks, completing the win in one hour and 14 minutes.
Radwanska was the biggest casualty as second seed Maria Sharapova of Russia eased past Romanian qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru 7-5 6-2 and third-seeded Belarussian Victoria Azarenka had to fight past Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 7-6.
Suarez Navarro, who has never won a WTA tour title, was playing her first match since losing to Pavlyuchenkova in the final in Oeiras on Sunday.
"We only had a small window to prepare for today's match, but I was really focused," she said on the WTA website.
"Once I got here to Madrid, I didn't think of what happened in Oeiras for a single moment," the 24-year-old added.
"I just wanted to play the best I could here today. We only have one tournament here in Spain so for us it's a really important week."
World number one and top seed Serena Williams continues her Madrid title defence with a second-round match against Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino on Tuesday.
Next up for Robson is the winner of the second-round match between 16th seed Ana Ivanovic and qualifier Chanelle Scheepers.

 

[Smallville22]

The controversies of Bernard Tomic's *** John

Control-freak and parasite or loving ****** determined to help his *** make the most of a rare tennis talent - John Tomic does not so much divide opinion in Australia as split it into 'Bernard against the rest'.
On Monday, the ****** and coach of Australia's top male tennis player faced a Madrid court after head-butting his practice partner Thomas Drouet, saying he acted in self-defence.
By far the most serious of the incidents that have pock-marked his ***'s career, John's many critics in Australian tennis will be hoping the latest unfortunate episode might elicit a ban that would finally ***** him to step down as coach.
He is unlikely to walk away quietly, however.
"****** is the best thing for ****, that's my rule," he told Reuters at Wimbledon in 2011 after his then 18-year-old *** had reached the quarter-finals. "You'll find many parents who have given their **** to coaches, but where are they now?
"Who else can you trust but your ******?"
Having escaped the war that tore apart his homeland, Croatian-born John and his Bosnian wife were working in Germany when Bernard was born 20 years ago in Stuttgart.
Three years later, the whole ****** upped sticks and moved to Australia's Gold Coast, a sun-drenched metropolis of seaside holiday resorts popular with athletes in training.
Bernard's skill with a tennis racquet was not a secret for long and at 13 he was signed by renowned sports agency IMG.
The only boy ever to win the under-12, -14 and -16 trophies at the prestigious Orange Bowl tournament in Miami, Tomic became the youngest male to win the Australian Open junior title in 2008 at the age of 15.
In 2011 he made his senior breakthrough, reaching the last eight of the main draw at Wimbledon.
His rise had been accompanied by frequent controversies surrounding his ******, however, starting in 2006 when John made a written apology for ******* a car carrying two tennis coaches and a young female player off the road.
As a 16-year-old, Bernard was ****** for a month from ITF tournaments after following his ******'s instructions to walk off court at a development event in protest at inaction against what John alleged was repeated foot-faulting by his opponent.
At the 2010 Australian Open, ****** and *** raged after his second round tie against Marin Cilic was moved to the night session, John threatening that his *** would quit Australia and play for Croatia.
That threat was a flashing warning light for Australian tennis lovers, who feared Bernard may end up squandering his undoubted talent, echoing as it did the abandonment of Australia by Jelena Dokic.
Tomic's critics see a possible precedent in the story of Dokic, another ***** of immigrants from former Yugoslavia who was coached by a controlling parent.
US Open junior champion in 1998, Dokic reached number four in the world and the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2002 before her career unravelled as her eccentric ****** Damir raged against the tennis world.
John's fear is that by handing his *** over to another coach, the unpredictable playing style that makes him a threat to the best players in the world will be drilled out of him.
"I know what I am doing and I will continue to improve Bernard as a player," the physically imposing former taxi driver said in that Wimbledon interview two years ago.
"We have to do something different than the rest of the world. If we are the same, where will we be?"
Criticism of his coaching reached a frenzy at the end of last year when Bernard, having peaked at number 27, slumped to 49th in the world on the back of a string of first- and second-round defeats.
To add to his discomfort, he was dubbed "Tomic the Tank Engine" after fading in the latter stages of defeats at the US Open and Shanghai Masters.
Bernard's first coach said he could barely watch him play any more and described his relationship with his ****** as "dysfunctional".
"One of his problems is Bernard knows a lot more about it than his ****** now," Neil Guiney, who helped nurture Bernard's talent from the age of seven, told the Australian newspaper.
"His ****** is there calling the tune and screaming and yelling and Bernard just shuts his ears.
"So you have got a terrible situation there. He is out of his depth and I think John is out of his depth."
Bernard bounced back with his maiden ATP title at the Sydney International in January, however, and his comments about his ****** after the victory were instructive.
"He is for me the best coach," he said. "That's why I've always had him by my side and always will continue to have him there to support me."

 

[Smallville22]

Robson confirmed for Eastbourne

British No.1 Laura Robson will play in the Aegon International in Eastbourne as well as the Aegon Classic in Edgbaston ahead of Wimbledon.
The tournament at Devonshire Park takes place from June 15-22, immediately before SW19 and after the Birmingham event, with entry free for fans on the opening day.
“I’m really excited to be returning to the Aegon International in Eastbourne. It’s fantastic preparation ahead of Wimbledon,” said the teenager.
The 19-year-old climbed into the top 40 after a brilliant 2012 - in which she reached the last 16 of the US Open - and start to 2013.
She beat former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in January's Australian Open.
Robson won through to the second round of Eastbourne last year before falling to Ekaterina Makarova. The tournament was won by Tamira Paszek while Andy Roddick won the men’s tournament.
There will be fun matchups on day two - ******'s Day - with former British No.1 Greg Rusedski facing Mark Philippoussis then those two taking part in a mixed doubles match with former world No.1 Lindsay Davenport and twice Wimbledon doubles champion Rennae Stubbs.

 

[Smallville22]

Serena reaches third round in Madrid

Serena Williams made it through to the third round of the Madrid Open with a straight-sets win over Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
The American top seed beat her Spanish opponent 6-2 7-5 to set up a potential meeting with Maria Kirilenko.
Chasing a fourth title of the year and the 50th of her career, Williams had too much power for the slightly-built Dominguez Lino, who nonetheless managed to unsettle her illustrious opponent with some clever drop shots and lobs.
Williams, 31, said she had enjoyed the test and the experience would stand her in good stead the next time she came up against a player like the 47th-ranked Spaniard, who likes to mix up her shots.
"I made a lot of errors, but her game kind of ****** you to make errors," the American said. "It was a really good clay-court tennis match for me.
"Seeing as I have a few more tournaments on clay, it was perfect to play a match like this, so I know if I face another opponent like that I'll have that experience and I'll know how to play."
A 15-times grand slam singles champion, Williams will play unseeded Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic or 13th-seeded Russian Kirilenko for a place in the quarter-finals.
Russian second seed Maria Sharapova comfortably beat American qualifier Christina McHale 6-1 6-2 to also progress to the next round.

WTA Madrid Open round two results

2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Christina Mchale (U.S.) 6-1 6-2

16-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) 6-2 6-2

Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat 11-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 7-6(2) 4-6 6-4

Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) beat Madison Keys (U.S.) 7-6(3) 6-3

Sabine Lisicki (Germany) beat 15-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 7-6(4) 7-6(3)

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain) 6-2 7-5

Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) beat Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) 6-2 4-6 6-4

14-Marion Bartoli (France) beat Maria Teresa Torro (Spain) 6-4 2-6 6-4