Sharapova, Nadal Win Titles; Federer Punishes Agassi
Posted on February 27, 2005
Federer Versus Ljubicic for Third Final in 2005 at ATP DubaiWorld No. 1 Roger Federer won two matches Saturday, including a rout of former No. 1 Andre Agassi, to advance to the final at the ATP stop in Dubai.
Due to rain on Friday the Swiss was forced to play his quarterfinal and semifinal on Saturday, defeating No. 7 seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 7-5, then rolling over Agassi 6-3, 6-1.
It was the sixth consecutive win for Federer over Agassi.
"I have shown I can raise my game when it is important," Federer said. "I didn't expect anything like this because the way I was playing. I was really struggling with my rhythm and I thought it would be really hard against Agassi. But I pulled off a magnificent match."
Agassi said there was little he could do to turn the tide against the Swiss steamroller.
"He was just too good in the second set," said Agassi, who defeated Russian Nikolay Davydenko Saturday morning before meeting Federer in the afternoon. "I could have made a few less errors. But it was much more him out there tonight."
Federer spent a good deal of the match in The Zone, at one point running back for a ball and hitting a lob winner that left the Swiss shaking his head in wonder.
"That was unbelievable," Federer said. "It was one of the best shots in my life. You try to scramble everything back if possible, but I thought it was lost and just tried to get the right angle on the ball, and it finished for a winner. I don't know what happened. I've got to see a replay. I stretched to the limit and lucked to the limit. I know I'm very good at maybe bringing back some impossible balls."
Agassi dropped his final service game at love, finishing with an anti-climactic double fault.
"I've seen him play that way before. I'm not surprised," Agassi said. "He picked up his level, and he was just too good in the second set. To lose my serve a second time in the second set, it was an incredible game that he played."
In the final Federer will face Croat No. 8 seed Ivan Ljubicic in their third final of the year after wins for the Swiss at Doha and Rotterdam.
"Hopefully, I will have a few spectators on my side tomorrow," Ljubicic said after defeating No. 5 seed Tommy Robredo 6-4, 6-3 in his semifinal.
Ljubicic takes an 0-3 record in finals into the Dubai championship, while Federer has won an Open Era-record 15 straight finals.
Federer leads Ljubicic 5-3 in their career meetings.
The doubles final will be unseeded Czechs Martin Damm/Radek Stepanek (d. (3) Bhupathi/Woodbridge in the semis, coming from a set down) versus (4) Jonas Bjorkman/Fabrice "The Original Magician" Santoro (d. Berdych/Kiefer in two tiebreaks).
The Czechs are shooting for their second title of the year, and the Swedish/French combo for their first.
Ancic Ousts Defending Champion Spadea at ATP Scottsdale Tennis Channel Open
No. 3 seed Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic ended the run of defending champion and No. 2 seed Vince Spadea at the ATP stop in Scottsdale, ousting the American 6-1, 6-4.
Spadea led 3-0 in the second before crumbling/
"I lost momentum at that point," Spadea said. "I don't know. I wasn't striking the ball well. I rushed too many points and tried to play to aggressive instead of feeling my way into the match. I played a bad match, and he played well."
In the final Baby Goran will face Australia's Wayne Arthurs, who out-served Belgium's Christophe Rochus 7-5, 7-6(2).
Arthurs' win delaying his departure for Sydney, where he is due to play singles for Australia in the Davis Cup tie versus Austria next weekend.
It will be the first meeting between Ancic and Arthurs. The 33-year-old Arthurs has never won an ATP singles title.
The Scottsdale doubles final will be (1) Bryan/Bryan (d. Ancic/Coetzee in the semifinals) versus (2) Arthurs/Hanley (d. Oliver/Parrott in three).
Nadal Blitzes Montanes for 2nd 2005 Title at ATP Acapulco
No. 8 seed Rafael Nadal rocked fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes, 6-1, 6-0, to win the Mexican Open in Acapulco, his second consecutive title after the Brazil Open in Costa do Sauipe.
Nadal did not drop a set during the event.
In the doubles final, unseeded Spaniards Dave Ferrer and Santiago Ventura defeated Jan Vanek and Tomas Zib 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 for their second title of the year.
Sharapova Wins WTA Doha for Tour-Leading Second 2005 Title
Maria Sharapova became the first player to win two WTA titles in 2005 after coming from a set down to defeat the hard-charging Aussie Alicia Molik 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Saturday at the Qatar Total Open in Doha.
"Alicia was dictating terms to me in the first set but in my mind I was always positive," said Sharapova, who ran to a 5-0 lead in the second set, and broke in the fifth game of the third. "In the first set I was not playing my own game, but in the second I decided to put some pace on the ball and put pressure on her serve and that worked."
Sharapova will now travel to Los Angeles to visit her mother before returning to the tour.
"I need some rest now and I am eager to see my mum and catch up with friends after all the travelling I've been doing," Sharapova said.
Molik was also seeking her second title of the year after her homecountry win at Sydney.
"I can safely say that the best player in the tournament won the title here," Molik said.
Molik teamed with Francesca Schiavone to win the doubles title, defeating No. 2 seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
Pennetta Runs Streak to 14 on Clay at WTA Acapulco
Italy's Flavia Pennetta won her ninth straight match and 14th straight on clay Friday at the WTA stop in Acapulco, defeating countrywoman Antonella Serra Zanetti 6-2, 6-1 to gain the final.
Pennetta is seeking her second consecutive claycourt title after last week winning at Bogota.
In the final the top-ranked Italian will face unseeded Slovak Ludmila Cervanova, who upset No. 5 seed Dally Randriantefy 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Pennetta and Cervanova have split their two career meetings.
The doubles final will be Jidkova/Perebiynis vs. Andres Rodriguez/Martinez Granados.
DAILY TENNIS-X E-NEWSLETTER
Read what tennis industry insiders read to get the latest news, insight and opinion on pro tennis. Get the Tennis-X Daily Dish in your e-mail in-box, even before it's posted on the web, by signing up for the net's most complete daily e-newsletter at http://www.tennis-x.com/subscribe.php
TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Andre Agassi leaves the ATP stop in Dubai this week with great reverence for the region: "Here in Dubai they have that vision and that passion to execute something that others might not ever even dare to dream. To see it first-hand is remarkable. And that's not to mention the cultures that live peacefully together. It's the way the world is meant to be. The one message I'll take from here is, come to the Middle East before you form any opinions."...The USTA announced Saturday that Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams will head the U.S. Fed Cup effort against a Belgium team that could contain former No. 1s Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne: "Having the commitments of both Lindsay and Serena, two of the top three players in the world, gives us a great opportunity for success against a potentially dangerous Belgian team," Fed Cup Captain Zina Garrison said. "They're both playing top-level tennis, with Lindsay holding the No. 1 spot since October and Serena coming off of a huge win at the Australian Open. We have a great foundation for our team and anticipate assembling the rest of the U.S. squad shortly." Belgium has until April 13 to name their team...Agustin Calleri has replaced the injured French Open champion Gaston Gaudio on Argentina's Davis Cup team for their tie against the Czech Republic in Buenos Aires. "I made my decision, spoke to those who were not picked and then called Agustin to tell him and he was very happy and keen to join the group," said Argentine team captain Alberto Mancini, who picked Calleri over the hot-handed Mariano Puerta and the higher-ranked Juan Ignacio Chela. "My choice of Agustin was based a bit on his career and experience in the Davis Cup. He is in good form." Czech top player Jiri Novak was not high on his team's chances, telling reporters "our chances are one in 100."...John McEnroe will meet Cedric Pioline in the final of the Delta Tour of Champions final at Frankfurt. McEnroe defeated Pat Cash 7-5, 7-6(5) in his final round robin match, while Pioline advanced when Anders Jarryd was about to clinch the first set when he pulled a muscle in his back leaping for a smash on set point. "I feel really well, I think I'm playing some good tennis and I want to win the final," said McEnroe, who on three occasions roasted the chair umpire with verbal assaults. "Pioline is a great player and shot-maker but I don't think I'm totally without a shot of winning." In other final round robin play matches, Goran Ivanisevic defeated Jim Courier 6-4, 6-2, and Mikael Pernfors beat Henri Leconte 7-6(2), 6-3.