2013 Tennis Thread

Murray overcomes tough challenge in Madrid

Third seed Andy Murray came through two tough tie-break sets to reach the third round of the Madrid Masters with a 7-6(11) 7-6(3) win over Germany’s Florian Mayer.
Murray, who had been pushed to three sets by Mayer the only other time they had met, found himself facing an opponent playing to the best of his ability and needed all his mental reserve to overcome the German and rack up his 400th career win.
"I felt like I hit the ball very well today, very few miss hits, I just didn't return so well. That was the only thing I would have liked to have done better," he said.
"I was struggling - I think both of us were - at the end of the first set. There were so many long points."
Looking comfortable on serve during the first set, Murray enjoyed a couple of early opportunities to break the Mayer serve.
But the 29-year-old, happiest on clay of all the surfaces, proved strong enough to withstand the Murray onslaught and instead ****** the epic first set tie-break.
Leading 4-2 at the change of ends in the breaker, Murray suddenly suffered a slight lapse in concentration as Mayer battled his way back into things only to squander five set points and his chance to really apply to pressure to the world number three.
Despite denying Murray on a first set point, the Scot was not about to waste his second chance and eventually wrapped up the first set (with an inside-out cross-court forehand winner), which at 71 minutes was just 10 minutes shy of Roger Federer’s entire match earlier in the day.
The second set was far from comfortable for Murray either as he quickly found himself a break down after failing to maintain the momentum gained from taking the first set.
Instead Mayer started to run away with proceedings, quickly racing out to a 4-1 lead before the Scot could haul himself back into the match; Mayer almost seemed lulled into a sense of lethargy as Murray also struggled under the Madrid sun to gather any kind of energy.
In the end though, the Scot has come through many a tight match, especially when not playing at his best, and it was this tenacious streak that saw Murray level up at 4-4 before holding to ***** the second tie-break four games later.
This time there were no mistakes from the world number three as he set up a third round clash with 19th seeded Gilles Simon at the first attempt with a backhand passing shot winner down the line.
"Every time you play against him there are a lot of long games and points, so you need to be prepared for that," Murray said. "I've played well against him in the past, so I hope I can do the same again on Thursday."

Second round results

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 7-6(6) 6-7(8) 6-3

3-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Florian Mayer (Germany) 7-6(11) 7-6(3)

2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-3

Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat 12-Milos Raonic (Canada) 6-4 2-6 7-6(7)

16-Gilles Simon (France) beat Jeremy Chardy (France) 6-4 7-6(5)

Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) beat 8-Richard Gasquet (France) 7-5 3-6 6-4

Pablo Andujar (Spain) beat John Isner (US) 6-4 6-4

First round results

Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-4 6-2

Viktor Troicki (Serbia) beat Marcel Granollers (Spain) 7-5 4-6 6-2

13-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-1 6-2

15-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Marius Copil (Romania) 6-4 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat Fabio Fognini (Italy) 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(5)

Juan Monaco (Argentina) beat 9-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 7-6(5) 6-3

Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) beat Martin Klizan (Slovakia) 6-2 6-4

Benoit Paire (France) beat Joao Souza (Brazil) 6-1 7-6(0)
 
Tomic's ****** suspended by ATP

John Tomic, the ****** and coach of Australian world number 53 Bernard Tomic, has been suspended from ATP events after he was involved in an altercation with his ***'s practice partner in a Madrid street at the weekend.
"Following last week's incident in Madrid concerning John Tomic, and the ensuing investigation, Mr. Tomic's credential privileges have been suspended at all ATP tournaments until further notice," the governing body said on Tuesday.
"The ATP's investigation into this incident remains on-going," they added.
Tomic told a Madrid court on Monday he had acted in self-defence when he butted practice coach Thomas Drouet and the pair were ordered to appear at another hearing on May 14.
"I don't feel guilty, I didn't do anything wrong," Tomic told reporters.
The incident took place on Madrid's central Paseo de la Castellana street on Saturday and Tomic was later taken into custody at his hotel, police said.
Tomic's Spanish lawyer, Carmen Dieguez, told reporters that while Tomic did not dispute that he had caused Drouet's injuries he had had no other choice to butt him as Drouet had grabbed him by the arms.
He could be handed a prison sentence of up to three years and a possible fine if found guilty on a charge of causing criminal injury.
Bernard Tomic lost 6-3 6-2 to Czech Radek Stepanek in the first round of the Madrid Open clay event on Sunday.
 
Dimitrov stuns Djokovic, Federer through in Madrid

Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov survived cramp and a squandered match point to oust world number one Novak Djokovic 7-6(6) 6-7(8) 6-3 in the second round of the Madrid Masters.
Dimitrov’s chance appeared to have ****** when he failed to take advantage of a first match point in the second set breaker and started to succumb to cramp.
But the Bulgarian somehow broke at the beginning of the final set before holding on to seal the biggest win of his career in three hours and four minutes.
The first set appeared to be going according to plan for Djokovic in the early stages as he held mostly without any drama and quickly slammed the door shut on the one occasion where Dimitrov did manage to earn himself some break points.
The world number one even held a set point in the 11th game of the set but Dimitrov saved it with a backhand volley winner that belied the confidence of a man currently enjoying his career high ranking of 28.
In fact it was Dimitrov who broke first, the Bulgarian seizing the advantage in the very next game only to be pegged back by Djokovic, the Serb ******* the breaker.
Time and again throughout the match Dimitrov pegged Djokovic back, levelling up from a 4-2 mini-break down early in the first tie-break and then saving more set points before going on to snatch the first set from underneath Djokovic.
It all appeared to be spinning rapidly out of control for Djokovic when he found himself a break down early in the second set, only for that to be compounded by two missed break back opportunities and a recurrence of a recent injury, when he rolled his right ankle on the baseline.
An immediate injury timeout followed before Djokovic got things back on level terms by breaking back, failing to secure the one remaining break point he held before the delay but fashioning himself another chance just moments later.
But again Dimitrov was not to be undone, the Bulgarian holding firm to ***** a second breaker before denying Djokovic on a number of set points.
The drama was set to increase exponentially as Dimitrov succumbed to cramp, stopping mid-rally on a Djokovic set point.
Djokovic somehow contrived to miss what should have been an easy forehand winner to level the match at one set apiece and Dimitrov took the opportunity to earn himself a match point with a second serve ace.
The 21-year-old was still battling with cramp, however, and could not take advantage as Djokovic finally levelled up at the fourth attempt.
It looked for all the world that Dimitrov would have nothing left for the third set, after conceding the second with a weary forehand into the net, but from nowhere he fashioned a break in the opening game of the decider.
From there he simply held on, denying Djokovic the chance to break back on two separate occasions with gutsy play from the baseline.
Whether the Bulgarian would have the mental fortitude to serve out the biggest win of his career became a moot point when Djokovic handed Dimitrov two more match points with a forehand long of the baseline.
Only the one was required, however, Djokovic pushing a change-of-direction forehand wide down the line to hand Dimitrov a place in the third round, where he will face either qualifier Santiago Giraldo or 15th seed Stanislas Wawrinka on Thursday.
Second seed Roger Federer enjoyed a much easier time of it as he began the defence of his Madrid Masters title with a comfortable 6-3 6-3 win over Radek Stepanek.
Having triumphed on the controversial blue clay last year, Federer looked no less at ease with the return to the traditional red dirt, the Swiss world number two racing out to a 6-3 5-3 lead before suffering his only blip in concentration.
Federer, who had not played a match in almost two months (since the Indian Wells quarter-finals in March), showed only the faintest glimpse of rustiness as he failed to serve out the match instead handing Stepanek a break back.
But the 17-times Grand Slam champion quickly made amends breaking again in the ninth game of the second set to book his place in the third round after just 82 minutes.
"I didn't think I played incredible, but that's not what I was expecting myself to do here, but I didn't play bad either," Federer, who was also sporting mint-green flashes on his tennis shoes.
"Overall, I'm very happy, because he (Stepanek) has caused me difficulties in the past," added the 31-year-old world number two, a three-times champion in Madrid.
"Today that wasn't the case and I thought I was pretty much in control."
Federer is yet to win a tournament this year but if he defends his Madrid crown he will equal John McEnroe's 77 career titles and join the American in third on the all-time ranking behind Jimmy Connors on 109 and Ivan Lendl with 94.
"Obviously I've had a very successful career, which has been amazing already. More than I ever thought I would achieve," Federer said.
"I would love to tie McEnroe at 77, no doubt about it. He was an amazing player and brought a lot to the game, like some other great champions and legends have done and paved the way for us."
Next up for Federer will be either 14th seed Kei Nishikori or Serbia’s Victor Troicki.

Second round results

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 7-6(6) 6-7(8) 6-3

3-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Florian Mayer (Germany) 7-6(11) 7-6(3)

2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-3

Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat 12-Milos Raonic (Canada) 6-4 2-6 7-6(7)

16-Gilles Simon (France) beat Jeremy Chardy (France) 6-4 7-6(5)

Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) beat 8-Richard Gasquet (France) 7-5 3-6 6-4

Pablo Andujar (Spain) beat John Isner (US) 6-4 6-4

First round results

Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-4 6-2

Viktor Troicki (Serbia) beat Marcel Granollers (Spain) 7-5 4-6 6-2

13-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-1 6-2

15-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Marius Copil (Romania) 6-4 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat Fabio Fognini (Italy) 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(5)

Juan Monaco (Argentina) beat 9-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia) 7-6(5) 6-3

Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) beat Martin Klizan (Slovakia) 6-2 6-4

Benoit Paire (France) beat Joao Souza (Brazil) 6-1 7-6(0)
 
Djokovic win could be the breakthrough for Dimitrov

Grigor Dimitrov has long been touted as the next Roger Federer but it may be the 21-year-old Bulgarian's stunning win against world number one Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open on Tuesday that finally catapaults him into the big time.
An inspired Dimitrov battled through cramp and milked the raucous support of the fans at the clay Masters event in the Spanish capital, producing some breathtaking shots to oust the top-seeded Serbian in the second round and claim by far the biggest win of his career.
The youngest of the six players aged 23 or under in the top 50, he appeared close to tears as he embraced his coaching team after the three-hour slug fest at the Magic Box arena before seeming oddly underwhelmed at his post-match news conference.
"I mean, of course it's always great to win a match like that," he told reporters.
"Of course he's the number one, of course it's a great feeling," he added.
"But it's just the beginning of the tournament. It was just second round if you think about it, so you just got to get ready for the next matches and make sure that you can do that again."
The offspring of a volleyball-playing ****** and a tennis coach ******, Dimitrov began playing aged five and his hero growing up was Pete Sampras.
He attracted the attention of Federer's former coach Peter Lundgren after winning junior titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2008 and it was Lundgren who famously made the comparison with the Swiss maestro.
His current coach is Mikael Tillstrom and his work with the Swede and his team seems to be paying off.
He reached the final in Brisbane in January, losing to world number three Andy Murray, and made his first Masters quarter-final in Monte Carlo last month, where he took a set off clay king Rafa Nadal.
Asked if beating Djokovic was confirmation that he had the talent to be a top player, he said:
"First of all, I think that talent doesn't really win matches. It helps you win matches, but doesn't win the match itself.
"Of course this has been what I've been working for, to play matches like that, and why not win them?
"Today was one of those days that I felt good on court. I felt I had enough hours of practice in the weeks before. I felt that I could actually hang with Novak the whole match."
 
Singapore to host WTA Finals from 2014-2018

Singapore will host the glittering annual finale of the women's tennis season from 2014 until 2018.
The Southeast Asian city-state beat Tianjin in China and Mexico's Monterrey for the right to stage the S$6 million WTA Championships after Turkey's Istanbul ends its three-year stint in October.
"Your sensational city, the amazing city of Singapore, has won the right to host the WTA Championships for the next five years from 2014," WTA chairman and chief executive Stacey Allaster said.
Allaster called the agreement a record breaker and "the largest and most significant WTA partnership in our history".
The season-ender is the most prestigious women's tennis event outside the four grand slam tournaments - the Australian, French and U.S. Opens plus Wimbledon.
The top eight singles and doubles pairs over the season qualify for the event which was won last year by American world number one Serena Williams. Russian pair Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova took the doubles title.
The event was first staged in 1972 in the United States but has moved around the world since 2001 with Munich, Madrid and Doha joining New York and Los Angeles in staging it.
The hosting rights are a major coup for Singapore, which has not held a top level tennis event since the 1999 Heineken Cup on the men's ATP Tour. Lower ranked challenger events and exhibition tournaments have struggled to attract crowds.
The event will take place at the Sports Hub complex, which is due to be finished by the first quarter of 2014 at a cost of S$1.3 billion.
The impressive complex will feature a 55,000-seater stadium with retractable roof, a 13,000 indoor stadium, aquatics centre and water sports centre.
The venue could be key for sports and entertainment businesses to tap into the lucrative southeast Asian market with Singapore's low crime rate and overall ease of doing business a rarity amongst nearby nations.
World Sports Group, the commercial partner of the Sports Hub, have talked previously about attracting a rugby 7s event and Indian Premier League Twenty20 matches. WSG Chief Executive Andrew Georgiou said the WTA Championships was just the start.
"It is also another feather in the cap for Singapore, which continues to prove itself as Asia's premier events destination. We are really excited about working towards the first event of 2014," the Australian told reporters.
"We are pretty proud, one of the first of many to be announced over the next couple of months to be hosted at the Singapore sports hub."
 
Robson splits with coach Krajan

British number one Laura Robson has split with coach Zeljko Krajan after nine months.
Robson initially worked well with the Croatian, rising to world number 38 in April, but she suffered six first-round defeats in 2013.
The Australian-born Briton made the decision before this week's Madrid Masters, where she defeated world number four Agnieszka Radwanska on Monday, her first victory against a top-five player.
The previous week she had suffered another first-round exit, to Ayumi Morita at the Portugal Open.
She will be coached by Dutchman Sven Groeneveld for now. He worked with Robson earlier in her career and is currently part of the Adidas team of coaches,
World number 41 Robson started working with Krajan after winning silver in the London 2012 Olympic doubles.
The Croat is known as a tough taskmaster who puts intense pressure on his charges, something which appeared to derail the 19-year-old Robson's natural, powerful game.
Robson's slump reached its nadir when she lost to world number 146 Paula Ormaechea in Britain's Fed Cup tie with Argentina, a match she had been expected to win.
 
Bulgarians hail "phenomenal" Dimitrov after Djokovic win

Grigor Dimitrov has been hailed as Bulgaria's new sports hero by local media after the 21-year-old pulled off a stunning upset over world tennis number one Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open on Tuesday.
Dimitrov, the youngest of the six players aged 23 or under in the top 50, battled through cramp to seal a shock 7-6 6-7 6-3 win in the second round and became the first Bulgarian to beat a player occupying the world's top spot.
"Bulgarian sport found its new hero after Hristo Stoichkov," newspaper Trud wrote on Wednesday.
Dimitrov, ranked 28th in the world, became hugely popular in the Balkan country after winning junior titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2008.
The three Maleeva sisters - Manuela, Katerina and Magdalena, who took turns to feature in the world's top six in the 1980s and 1990s - made the women's game successful in Bulgaria.
However, only a couple of years ago, Orlin Stanoytchev was still the highest-ranked Bulgarian male player after reaching world number 96 in 2000.
"(Dimitrov) made everyone understand that he has not only talent but also a character that will turn him into one of the biggest stars in tennis," said sports website Premium Link Upgrade , adding that the player had received raucous support from the fans during the game.
"The 21-year-old Bulgarian beat the best tennis player in the world over the last three years and achieved the biggest win of his career in an impressive tennis spectacle that lasted more than three hours," the Dnevnik report said, calling Dimitrov "phenomenal".
"Grigor made us proud to be Bulgarians," said Bulgarian tennis federation president Stefan Tsvetkov. "It's an incredible win and it can only be compared with the victories of our national (soccer) team in 1994."
The Bulgarian team reached the 1994 World Cup semi-finals in the United States after a famous win over Germany, with Stoichkov becoming the tournament's joint top scorer with six goals.
Dimitrov will play either 15th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka or Colombia's Santiago Giraldo for a place in the Madrid quarter-finals.
 
Azarenka loses cool on way to Madrid Open exit

Victoria Azarenka lost her temper and was docked a point for smashing her racquet on the way to a surprise 1-6 6-2 6-3 defeat by unseeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova in the Madrid Open second round.
The Belarusian world number three, runner-up in the last two editions of the premier clay event and coming back from an injury layoff, appeared firmly in control against her 24th-ranked opponent after cruising through the first set.
However, Makarova raised her game to take the second set and after Azarenka smashed her racket on the ground at 3-3 in the decider the Australian Open champion's game fell apart and she suffered her first defeat of the year.
The umpire had already warned Azarenka at the end of the first set and when she took out her frustration on her racquet she was given a point penalty.
"I just felt it was a weird call for me because I had no idea I had a code *********," she said.
"But, I mean, it happened. It didn't help, for sure, but it's okay. It's my own fault," added the 23-year-old.
Azarenka's vanquisher in the 2011 Madrid final, Czech Petra Kvitova, was another high-profile casualty on Wednesday.
Seeded eight in the latest edition, Kvitova surrendered a one-set lead to fall 2-6 6-2 6-3 to Slovakian wildcard Daniela Hantuchova.
Playing in her first event since her withdrawal at Indian Wells in March due to an ankle injury, Azarenka said the lack of competitive action had been a factor in Wednesday's reverse.
She vowed to get back on the practice court before heading to play in Rome as she continues her build-up to the French Open starting at the end of this month.
"I have been doing mistakes that I don't do but that's what comes after not playing for a long time.
"So I still have another tournament before the French Open to compete in and I'm going to go back on the practice court as I always do and work hard to improve.
"I have to give Ekaterina credit. She played well. I felt like I had a lot of chances, I just didn't take them."
Makarova, who will play 14th-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the third round, had beaten Azarenka once in four previous attempts, a 7-6 6-4 success in the final of the Eastbourne grass court tournament in England in 2010.
She now has seven career wins against top-10 opponents but Azarenka is her highest-ranked victim.
"It was really tough in the first set. I didn't play as good as I wanted and I was a little bit angry," Makarova said.
"I don't really like to play against her because it's always tough but I wanted to move her around the court as much as possible and in the second and third sets it worked."

Third round results

16-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Laura Robson (Britain) 5-7 6-2 7-6(5)

6-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 3-6 6-4 7-5

Second round results

Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat 8-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 2-6 6-2 6-3

13-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat Kristina Mladenovic (France) 6-7(5) 6-1

Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat 3-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 1-6 6-2 6-3

Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) beat Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 6-3 6-1

Varvara Lepchenko (US) beat Julia Goerges (Germany)WO
 
Nadal eases through Madrid Open opener

Rafael Nadal avoided a similar fate to beaten world number one Novak Djokovic when he dismissed French young *** Benoit Paire 6-3 6-4 to claim a place in the third round of the Madrid Open.
Serb Djokovic fell to another promising youngster, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, in the second round of the Masters event on Tuesday but Nadal showed why he has the best record on clay in the pro era with a clinical display.
The Spanish world number five, who has won four titles since his return from a seven-month injury layoff in February, delighted the home support at the Magic Box arena with some brilliant shotmaking.
He broke the 23-year-old Paire once in each set and will meet unseeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny for a place in the last eight. Youzhny survived a second set comeback from 11th seed Nicolas Almagro to beat the Spaniard 7-6(4) 4-6 6-2.
"I am taking things day by day and I don't know if I am in perfect shape or not," Nadal, who could meet great rival Roger Federer in the semi-finals, said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster La Sexta.
"The important thing is that I am here in Madrid competing again after seven months out injured," added the 26-year-old.
Fourth seeded David Ferrer had little trouble in following compatriot Nadal into the last 16 with a comfortable 7-5 6-2 victory Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin.
Sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych had to come back from a set down to get past Poland's Jerzy Janowicz 6-7 6-3 6-2, while Japanese 14th seed Kei Nishikori ousted Viktor Troiki of Serbia 7-5 6-2.
In a match dubbed "the battle of the veteran Tommies", 13th-seeded German Tommy Haas, 35, continued his winning run after his victory at the Munich event at the weekend with a 6-3 7-5 second-round success against 31-year-old Spaniard Tommy Robredo.

Second round results

15-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-3

4-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 7-5 6-2

Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) beat 11-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-2

7-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Robin Haase (Netherlands) 7-6(5) 7-6(2)

Kevin Anderson (South Africa) beat Juan Monaco (Argentina) 7-6(5) 3-6 6-4

5-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Benoit Paire (France) 6-3 6-4

13-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Tommy Robredo (Spain) 6-3 7-5

14-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 7-5 6-2

6-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Jerzy Janowicz (Poland) 6-7(3) 6-3 6-2
 
Robson squanders big chance against Ivanovic

British teenager Laura Robson failed to build on her fine win against fourth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round when she lost 5-7 6-2 7-6 to former world number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the night session.
Seeded 16th, Ivanovic was a break down to the 19-year-old in the deciding set but the former French Open champion fought back to take the tie break 7-5 as Robson double faulted on match point to miss out on a place in the last eight.
"I'll definitely take the positives out of the match," Robson said.
"It's been a good week of tennis for me and my level has picked up a lot since Estoril last week," added Robson, who is currently without a coach after splitting with Zeljko Krajan just before the Madrid event.
"It's not all bad and I've still got Rome to look forward to next week. It was a great match from her and hopefully we'll have some more great matches in the future."
The British number one defeated a top four player for the first time on Monday after beating Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 6-1.

Third round results

16-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat Laura Robson (GBR) 5-7 6-2 7-6(5)

6-Angelique Kerber (Germany) beat Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) 3-6 6-4 7-5

Second round results

Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat 8-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 2-6 6-2 6-3

13-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat Kristina Mladenovic (France) 6-7(5) 6-1

Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat 3-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 1-6 6-2 6-3

Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) beat Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 6-3 6-1

Varvara Lepchenko (US) beat Julia Goerges (Germany)WO
 
Vinci, Makarova among completed field for Aegon Classic

The player field has been announced for the Aegon Classic, staged on the grass courts of the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham from June 9-16.
Joining the previously-named British number one Laura Robson, British number two Heather Watson, and France’s world number 14 Marion Bartoli are Italians Roberta Vinci, who rose to a career high of world number 12 in the singles rankings only last month, and world number 34 Francesca Schiavone, who had her first victory in 12 months last month in Marrakech.
Grass court pedigree players also confirmed to play include the world number 30 and Austrian number one Tamira Paszek, whose season last year was highlighted by a nine-match grass court winning streak, including winning her third WTA title at Eastbourne; and world number 24 Ekaterina Makarova from Russia who achieved her career-high ranking of 19th in January.
The tournament also welcomes back defending champion Melanie Oudin of the USA who is currently ranked world number 98; and 2011’s Aegon Classic winner Sabine Lisicki from Germany, who last year reached the quarter finals of Wimbledon.
Lawrence Robertson, commercial director at the LTA, said, “We’re really pleased to announce another top quality player field for this year’s Aegon Classic.
“This first rate line-up offers visitors to Edgbaston the chance to see world class tennis from global greats, like Bartoli and Vinci, as well as home-grown talents in Heather Watson and Laura Robson.
“With five wild card places still yet to be appointed, we hope to be able to announce more top names participating in the event within the next few weeks.
“With a great mix of established and rising talent in the field, the tournament is certain to showcase a thrilling week of tennis.”
Former winners of the event include Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic and Li Na.
 
Serena through to last eight in Madrid

A laid-back Serena Williams breezed into the Madrid Open quarter-finals when she barely broke sweat in a 6-3 6-1 destruction of Maria Kirilenko.
The world number one and top seed, defending champion at the premier clay event in the Spanish capital, needed just over an hour to dismiss the 13th-seeded Russian and set up a last-eight meeting with Spanish wildcard Anabel Medina Garrigues.
"I just felt really relaxed today," Williams said. "I felt like I was just taking my time. So hopefully I can keep calm and relaxed."
Williams, 31, chasing a fourth title of the year and the 50th of her career, was joined in the quarter-finals by second seed Maria Sharapova who knocked out unseeded German Sabine Lisicki 6-2 7-5.
The Russian world number two and French Open champion will play Kaia Kanepi for a place in the last four after the unseeded Estonian beat Slovakian wildcard Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 6-4.
Medina Garrigues, a former world number 16 now ranked 63rd, went through on Wednesday after her opponent Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan withdrew with an arm injury.
"She's definitely going to be really tough for me," Williams said of the Spaniard. "She's a grinder on clay and she's Spanish. I know a lot of fans really like her here."
After her comfortable win over Lisicki, Sharapova reflected on how much she has improved on clay in recent years.
The 26-year-old's triumph at Roland Garros in 2012 made her only the sixth woman in the open era to win all four Grand Slam singles titles.
"It took me many years to get to the level of where I am today (on clay), it certainly didn't happen overnight," she said.
"I worked extremely hard on getting stronger and recovering better, moving better on the court, giving myself a better position on the court, especially after being on the defensive and trying to play aggressively as I always do on quicker surfaces.
"But just give myself that chance to recover. I think I've learned a lot and over the years and I've really improved."
The other two quarter-finals feature Italian seventh seed Sara Errani against unseeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova and sixth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany against Serbian 16th seed Ana Ivanovic.

WTA Madrid Open round three matches

1-Serena Williams (US) beat 13-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 6-3 6-1

2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-2 7-5

Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) beat Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan)WO

Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-3 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat 14-Marion Bartoli (France) 6-3 6-2

7-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Varvara Lepchenko (US) 7-5 6-3
 
Federer crashes out of Madrid, Nadal through

Defending champion Roger Federer crashed out of the Madrid Masters with a 6-4 1-6 6-2 defeat to 14th seed Kei Nishikori in the third round.
Federer’s loss means that Andy Murray will return to world number two when the new rankings are released on Monday, Federer dropping back to three.
"Actually, you know, to beat him, that was one of my goals for my tennis career," Nishikori said.
"And it happens on clay, it's amazing. You know it's not really my favourite surface."
After struggling with unforced errors in the first set, Federer appeared to have found his rhythm and range in the second when he lifted his level and completely dominated Nishikori in the second.
But a delay before the start of the third set, for the court to be watered, seemed to frustrated Federer and Nishikori took the opportunity to reverse the momentum.
Federer, playing in his first tournament since sustaining a back injury during the Indian Wells Masters seven weeks ago, looked unusually perplexed as to how to turn the match around.
Nishikori was in no doubt as to his game-plan, however, and remained consistently aggressive throughout, breaking in the fourth game of the final set before breaking again in the eighth game when Federer hit three consecutive forehand errors.
Nishikori will next play Spanish wildcard Pablo Andujar, who progressed to his maiden Masters quarter-finals when compatriot Daniel Gimeno-Traver withdrew at 5-5 in the first set.
"Credit to Kei he got it done and was more solid in the wind," Federer said.
"He played better than I did, so the better guy won today, that's for sure.
"I'll sit together tonight or tomorrow with the team and discuss what the plan is for the next few days and weeks.
"So I'm excited for that, because clearly I have no choice but to hit the practice courts."
Earlier, world number five Rafael Nadal eased into the last eight with a 6-2 6-3 win over an exhausted Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
The 31-year-old Youzhny had been pushed to three sets in each of his previous matches in the Spanish capital and was clearly struggling with the hangover from that.
Nadal, on the other hand, looked on a different level to the scrappy match that he produced in the second round; the Spaniard suffering just the one blip in concentration when he dropped serve mid-way through the second set.
But the two-times former Madrid champion quickly regained his composure and broke again immediately before cruising through the final two games and booking his place in the last eight.
"We are just doing what we can every day," Nadal said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster La Sexta when asked about his physical condition.
"We are in the quarter-finals and it makes me very happy to have another chance to play in Madrid in front of these magnificent fans," the 26-year-old Majorcan added.
"It's not the time to be talking more than necessary. I will try to enjoy every moment as much as possible."
Nadal will face compatriot David Ferrer for a place in the semi-finals after the fourth seed was pushed all the way by resurgent Tommy Haas before triumphing 7-5 4-6 6-4.
Unseeded Grigor Dimitrov failed to follow up on his fine win over Djokovic when he surrendered a one-set lead and was beaten 3-6 6-4 6-1 by Stanislas Wawrinka.
The Swiss 15th seed next faces Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who came back from a set down to eliminate Madrid native Fernando Verdasco 4-6 6-3 6-2.

Third round results

3-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Gilles Simon (France) 2-6 6-4 7-6(6)

4-David Ferrer (Spain) beat 13-Tommy Haas (Germany) 7-5 4-6 6-4

14-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat 2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) 6-4 1-6 6-2

7-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 4-6 6-3 6-2

5-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-2 6-3

6-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 7-6(5) 7-5

15-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 3-6 6-4 6-1

Pablo Andujar (Spain) beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain) 5-5 (Gimeno retired)
 
Practice court beckons for Federer after Madrid defeat

Roger Federer vowed to get straight back on the practice court after the world number two was dumped out in the third round of the Madrid Open by Japan's Kei Nishikori on Thursday.
Defending champion at the clay Masters event in the Spanish capital, Federer was playing his first tournament after a seven-week rest following defeat to Rafa Nadal in the quarter-finals at Indian Wells.
The 31-year-old Swiss is increasingly limiting his appearances as his glittering career draws to an end and is one of only two players in the top 10 along with Czech Tomas Berdych without a title this year.
Federer has won 76 tournaments since turning pro in 1998 and with one more he would equal John McEnroe's 77 career titles and join the American in third on the all-time ranking behind Jimmy Connors on 109 and Ivan Lendl with 94.
After his 6-4 1-6 6-2 loss to 23-year-old Nishikori, Federer joked it was perhaps time for another seven-week layoff but said he felt like returning to the practice court that afternoon to prepare for next week's Rome Masters.
"I've been very successful here, so clearly I'm disappointed and wish I could have done better this week," the former world number one told a news conference.
"I was pretty upbeat after my second-round match (against Radek Stepanek). I thought I was in the tournament, I was playing pretty well.
"In practice I was hitting the ball well so this comes as a bit of a disappointment for me.
"It doesn't change my mindset going forward. I'm going to go back to the practice court, train hard and make sure I don't have these kind of days anymore."
The highlight of the clay season is the French Open starting later this month and Federer said his setback in Madrid, where the conditions are much faster than in Paris, would not affect his preparations.
"We're not playing for the French Open. This is early. We're weeks away from the French Open.
"It's nice to have the French Open as a tournament on the calendar but not everything is sacrificed for that.
"For that particular player or for the media or the fans the French Open is the ultimate thing and the only thing they care about. Then clearly Madrid is the leadup tournament.
"That's not how I see it. For me, every tournament counts. So I'm as disappointed losing here as the French Open. There is no difference really."
 
Scrappy Murray battles past Simon in Madrid

Third seed Andy Murray was made to work incredibly hard before booking his place in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters with a 2-6 6-4 7-6(6) win over Gilles Simon.
The Scot, who will return to number two in the world next week after Roger Federer’s loss earlier in the day, looked lethargic and disinterested in the first set and a half before ******* his way back into the match.
Murray had won 10 consecutive previous matches against Simon but, complaining of a left hip problem early on, showed only flashes of his usual level of play in an otherwise lacklustre opening 60 minutes.
However, with the match looking beyond him at a set a 0-2 down, Murray suddenly managed to find fight and broke back at the sixth attempt with a flashy backhand return winner across court.
Another break in the 10th game and Murray had the match levelled before also breaking in the second game of the final set as Simon’s challenge apparently fell away.
But the Frenchman was not quite done and, with Murray a little guilty of relaxing too early, Simon found a way to break back in the fifth game.
Every time Murray looked to have done enough to win the match, Simon found a way to peg him back and so it proved again in the 12th game when the Frenchman saved two match points before going on to hold and ***** the tie-break.
The world number three eked out an early mini-break lead in the breaker only for back-to-back errors to allow Simon to level at 4-4 before the same process was again repeated when Murray held two more match points at 6-4.
But the Scot finally secured the win, after two hours and 59 minutes, when Simon put a tired-looking backhand volley into the top of the net.
Murray will face sixth seed Tomas Berdych in the last eight, the Czech player emerging a 7-6(5) 7-5 winner of South Africa’s Kevin Anderson earlier in the day.

Third round results

3-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Gilles Simon (France) 2-6 6-4 7-6(6)

4-David Ferrer (Spain) beat 13-Tommy Haas (Germany) 7-5 4-6 6-4

14-Kei Nishikori (Japan) beat 2-Roger Federer (Switzerland) 6-4 1-6 6-2

7-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 4-6 6-3 6-2

5-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 6-2 6-3

6-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 7-6(5) 7-5

15-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 3-6 6-4 6-1
 
Serena 'bagelled' for first time in five years in Madrid win

Top seed and world number one Serena Williams was pushed all the way by unseeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues before triumphing 6-3 0-6 7-5 to make the semi-finals at the Madrid Open.
The defending champion at the clay event fought back from 4-2 and a break down in the third set to see off the local favourite, who was cheered on by a partisan crowd at the Magic Box Arena, after she was 'bagelled' for the first time in five years in the second stanza.
Afterwards, second seed Maria Sharapova of Russia made it to the last four with a 6-2 6-4 win over Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.
"It was definitely a battle," Williams said.
"I obviously didn't do much in the second set, and I think I gave her a lot confidence to play better. I thought she played really well in the third."
Williams made it 26 wins and only one defeat since the start of last year's claycourt season, but was up against an experienced player on the surface.
The 30-year-old Spaniard has the highest number of clay-court title wins with 10 among players currently on the circuit and stunned the American taking the second set to love.
"I wasn't really there," Williams said. "I wasn't really in it. My feet weren't moving. I don't know what happened.
"To turn it around I got up earlier on the changeover and started doing high knees and just stretching and doing anything to try to get my intensity back up where it needed to be.
"I definitely want to cut back on my unforced errors. I had a lot today. Also, I went for a lot more today than I have been doing in my past few matches.
"So I think I'm going to go back to the way I have been playing, and being more calm, and not making as many errors as I did today."
Williams will now meet seventh-seeded Italian Sara Errani after she saw off Russian Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets.

Madrid Open results

Quarter-finals

2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Kaia Kanepi (Estonia) 6-2 6-4

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-3 0-6 7-5

16-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat 6-Angelique Kerber (Germany) 6-3 6-1

7-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-4 6-3
 
Nadal pushed before reaching Madrid semis

Rafael Nadal recovered from accidentally striking himself in the face with his racket to see off Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 4-6 7-6 6-0 in the Madrid Masters quarter-finals.
World number four Ferrer, ranked one place above Nadal following the Majorcan's seven-month layoff with a knee injury, showed why he is considered one of the most tenacious competitors on the circuit to take the first set of the last-eight clash at the clay Masters event.
Nadal clung on to edge the second-set tiebreak 7-3 and then switched up a gear in the decider to set up a semi-final meeting on Saturday against wildcard Pablo Andujar, the Spaniard beating Japanese 14th seed Kei Nishikori 6-3 7-5.
Nadal had a scare when leading 4-0 in the third set when his racket bounced up off the court as he was stretching down to play a shot and struck him above the eye.
After a brief interruption he was able to continue and closed out the victory on his first match point when he broke Ferrer for a seventh time.
"It was a very tight match," Nadal said in an interview with Spanish television broadcaster La Sexta.
"I think maybe David deserved more than me to be in the semi-finals but that's sport for you," the 26-year-old added.
"In the third set David dropped his intensity a bit and I didn't have to do all that much.
"I was playing aggressively on my forehand and I am very pleased with how that is going, it's working much better than in the events leading up to Madrid."
Nadal has managed to avoid the fate of world number one Novak Djokovic, who was upset by unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the second round on Tuesday.
Second seed and defending champion Roger Federer became another high profile casualty on Thursday when he lost his third-round match to Nishikori of Japan.
Former world number one Nadal has won four titles since his return from injury in February and will be chasing an eighth Roland Garros crown in Paris starting later this month.
 
Murray's clay season 'going in the right direction'

Andy Murray complained he has been failing to take his chances but said his clay season was "going in the right direction" following the failure of his latest bid for a maiden title on his least favoured surface.
Murray lost 7-6 6-4 to Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych in the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Friday but will at least have the consolation of climbing above Roger Federer to number two in the world when the rankings are updated on Monday.
Federer's third-round defeat by Kei Nishikori means the Swiss failed to defend the points he racked up by winning the Madrid title last year and Murray will regain the number two spot he held for three weeks last month.
The Scot next heads to this week's Masters event in Rome as he continues his build-up to the French Open starting in Paris later this month.
"I need to do a better job of taking my chances," he told a news conference after the Berdych defeat.
"I didn't convert too many opportunities the whole week really," added the 25-year-old.
"I managed to dig out the last couple of the matches and wasn't obviously able to do that tonight."
Murray said he was more satisfied with his performance at the Masters event in the Spanish capital than his efforts at the Monte Carlo Masters last month, when he lost to Federer's compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round.
"This week was better than Monte Carlo so it's going in the right direction," he said.
"Tomas is a very good claycourt player. And, yeah, it was a close match. I had my chances," he added.
"I think I'm playing okay. Some things I would like to do better but I did play very well in practice in the build-up to this tournament.
"I played a lot of sets with a lot of tough players and I played very well.
"So that's a good sign. In Rome, the next couple of days I'll get a better feel for how I'm playing."
 
'Boring' Serena to face Sharapova in Madrid final

Serena Williams' tactic of staying in her hotel room and being "boring" appears to be paying off after the world number one swept past Sara Errani on Saturday to set up a Madrid Open final against rival Maria Sharapova.
Chasing a 50th career title at the clay event in the Spanish capital, defending champion Williams was far too strong for Italian seventh seed Errani on the Manolo Santana show court, winning 7-5 6-2 before Sharapova made short work of 16th seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia to win their semi-final 6-4 6-3.
The Russian second seed and world number two, 26, will replace 31-year-old American Williams at the top of the rankings if she gets the better of her in Sunday's title match.
Williams, whose interests away from tennis include fashion and acting, said she had been avoiding "too many extra-curricular activities" to concentrate on match preparation.
"I usually just stay in my room really and be the most boring person you can ever imagine," she told a news conference. "That's kind of the way I get focused."
Sharapova will be a different proposition to Errani as the French Open champion, who beat the Italian in last year's Roland Garros final, is among the players on the Tour who can come close to matching Williams for power.
However, she has only beaten the American twice in 14 attempts, and never on clay, and both those victories came almost a decade ago.
"I look forward to it," Williams said.
"I feel like this whole tournament I've only played clay court players from my first round to now.
"Everyone was also smaller than me. So I think tomorrow will be a really good match. Different game. More power obviously, but still a lot of the consistency."
Sharapova said she needed to be more consistent if she was to have any hope of beating Williams.
They last played in Miami this year when Sharapova won the first set before going down 4-6 6-3 6-0.
"I thought I played really well, at a good level, in Miami for the first set and a half but that's not enough," she said.
"Obviously the goal is to keep that level for the whole match and to take my opportunities.
"I haven't had a win against her in a long time. But the great thing is that I'm setting myself up in a position where I can try to change that around."
 
Tomic pulls out of Rome Masters before ******'s hearing

Australian Bernard Tomic, whose ****** and coach John is due to appear in a Madrid court on Tuesday to answer a charge of causing criminal injury, has pulled out of this week's Rome Masters, the ATP said on Saturday.
John Tomic has been suspended from ATP events after he was involved in an altercation with his ***'s practice partner in a Madrid street last weekend.
Tomic told a Madrid court on Monday he had acted in self-defence when he butted practice coach Thomas Drouet in face, breaking his nose, and the pair were ordered to appear at another hearing on Tuesday.
The incident took place on Madrid's central Paseo de la Castellana street last Saturday and Tomic was later taken into custody at his hotel by Spanish police.
 
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