Agassi, Safin, Henman Win in Masters Cup Pursuit; Serena Loses to Illness; Roddick Davis Cup Preparation
Posted on October 28, 2004
Agassi Wins Opener at ATP StockholmAndre Agassi, hoping to put some points on the board this week and next at the Masters Series-Paris to qualify for the year-end Masters Cup, began his Stockholm campaign with a win Wednesday, defeating Fin Kristof Vliegen in straight sets.
"To get the feeling of support is an incredible feeling," Agassi said of receiving multiple standing ovations at Stockholm. "It's one of the things that make me keep on going...This was a nice way to get started. The conditions were very different than last week so I knew there were some adjustments that needed to be made."
Other seeded winners on the day were (3) Andrei Pavel (d. Tabara in three) and (6) Robin Soderling (d. Swedish countryman T.Johansson in three).
Unseeded winners were Olivier "The Roach" Rochus (d. Tipsarevic), Swede Jonas Bjorkman (d. Arthurs in three), "Everybody Loves" Raemon Sluiter (d. Anderson), and wildcard Michael Ryderstedt (d. O.Hernandez).
Scheduled for Thursday in Stockholm are Sluiter vs. (8) Fernando "Hot Sauce" Verdasco, (5) Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez vs. (WC) Ryderstedt, (4) Tommy "The H." Haas vs. Carlsen, (1) Agassi vs. Bjorkman, and Jan-Mike Gambill vs. (2) Joachim "Pim-Pim" Johansson.
Safin Wins, Fish Filleted at ATP St. Petersburg
No. 3 seed Mardy Fish was the highest-seeded casualty Wednesday in St. Petersburg, losing a three-set thriller to Frenchman Cyril Saulnier.
Also upset was No. 5 seed Nikolay Davydenko, beaten in three sets by Karol Beck.
In the winner's circle were (1) Marat Safin (d. Peya who retired in the second set with an ankle sprain), Julien "United Colors of" Benneteau (d. Muller), "Grinning" Greg Rusedski (d. Stepanek in three), and Sargis "Sarge" Sargsian (d. Irakli "Freak Show" Labadze in three ugly sets).
"I come a little tired from last week but It is an important week for me here because I am fighting for the No. 4 position in the world," Safin said.
On court Thursday in St. Pete are Corretja vs. "Dr." Ivo Karlovic, Max "The Beast" Mirnyi vs. (4) Youzhny, (1) Safin vs. Sarge, and Kohlmann vs. (7) Llodra.
Henman, Nalbandian Through at ATP Basel
Tim Henman and David Nalbandian, two players fighting for the four remaining spots at the year-end Masters Cup, won their opening-round matches Wednesday at the ATP stop in Basel.
The No. 2-seeded Henman, the top seed remaining after the injury withdrawal of world No. 1 Roger Federer, dispatched of Frenchman Anthony Dupuis in straight sets, while the No. 4-seeded Nalbandian straight-setted Croat Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic.
"There is everything to play for," Henman said. "I've got this week and the Masters Series in Paris, and if I can play well in those I'm going to qualify for the Masters Cup in Houston and that would be a great way to round off the year."
Also into the second round was No. 6 Rainer "Shine" Schuettler (d. Nadal) and No. 7 Nicolas "The Golden Child" Massu (d. (Q) Kratochvil), while Massu's No. 8-seeded Chilean countryman Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez was upset by qualifier Jerome "I've Beaten Agassi" Haehnel in straights, and Jiri Novak received a walkover against No. 5 Tommy "The R." Robredo (shoulder).
Other un-seeds into the second round were Croat Ivan Ljubicic (d. Chela), South African (Q) Weslie Moodie (d. "You Say" Potito Starace), Swiss wildcard Marco Chiudinelli (d. Montanes), and rappin' American "My Cousin" Vinnie Spadea (d. Volandri, who retired in the second set with injury).
On court Thursday in Basel are (LL) Ulihrach vs. (WC) Heuberger, Koubek vs. (3) Gaudio, (Q) Moodie vs. (2) Henman, (4) Nalbandian vs. Spadea, (WC) Chiudinelli vs. (6) Schuettler, Zabaleta vs. (7) Massu, and (Q) Haehnel vs. Ljubicic.
Losing a Headache for Serena in WTA Linz Loss
An ailing Serena Williams was beaten in straight sets Wednesday by Russian qualifier Alina Jidkova at the WTA stop in Linz, putting in question her hopes of qualifying for the year-end WTA Championships.
Complaining of a headache, Serena called for the trainer down a break in the second set before taking some tablets and finishing the match. It was the first time Serena lost in the opening round of a tournament in almost five years.
"I'm really disappointed but I felt dizzy and had absolutely no energy," Williams said. "I already had the symptoms yesterday during training -- I feel so tired."
Serena will likely need to put in a solid effort next week at Philadelphia, the last week of regular-season play on the WTA Tour, to qualify for the year-ending WTA Championships.
No. 7 seed Patty "Handshake" Schnyder was also an upset victim, beaten easily by Jelena Jankovic.
Seeds into the quarterfinals Wednesday were Russians No. 5 Nadia Petrova (d. countrywoman Likhovtseva in three) and No. 9 Elena "Lena" Bovina (d. Bartoli), with wildcard Barbara "I Give a" Schett (d. (Q) Sucha) also making the cut.
Thursday's line-up in Linz is Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva vs. Dechy, Mauresmo vs. Domachowska, Schett vs. Jankovic, Hantuchova vs. Sugiyama, and Shaughnessy vs. Schruff.
Teen Golovin Into WTA Luxembourg Quarters
French teenager Tatiana Golovin was the only seed through to the quarterfinals Wednesday at the WTA stop in Luxembourg, with the No. 6 seed defeating Germany's Marlene Weingartner in straight sets.
"This is my last tournament of the year, so I'd like to end it with a title," Golovin said. "I have a lot of confidence that I can do it, so I'm just going to play my game and go for it."
Not so lucky were seeds No. 5 Mary Pierce (l. to Randriantefy in three) and No. 8 Shinobu Asagoe (l. to Ivanovic 6-1 in the third). Also a winner was unseeded Italian Silvia Farina Elia (d. Pisnik, bagel in the second).
On tap for Thursday are Daniilidou vs. Peschke, Suarez vs. Anabel "Funky Cold" Medina Garrigues, Sanchez Lorenzo vs. Molik, and Laine vs. Safina.
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