Nadal, Puerta Set Record Marks; Gambling Haunting ATP

Posted on July 22, 2005

Roddick, Dent Advance, Fish Re-Injures Wrist at ATP Indy

The homecountry Americans experienced their ups and downs Thursday at the ATP stop in Indianapolis, with (1) Andy Roddick (d. Okun) and (4) Taylor Dent (d. Phau) advancing, but (16) Mardy Fish re-injuring his wrist in a first-set retirement loss to Swiss George Bastl.

"I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball amazing," Roddick said. "A lot of times I was making errors that I wasn't happy with. I started playing better at the end of the second set."

Fish said he was told the injury was a natural result of his earlier wrist surgery.

"Even if I knew that, I couldn't have gone on because it hurt too much," Fish said. "(My doctor) said take two days off and then go ahead and resume again with the normal pain threshold."

Other seeds into the quarterfinals were (2) Nicolas Kiefer (d. K.Kim), (7) Greg Rusedski (d. (12) Carlsen), and (10) Karol Beck (d. (WC) Ram).

Other American winners Thursday were Robby Ginepri (d. (9) Srichaphan, bagel in the first) and Paul Goldstein (d. G.Lapentti).

On court Friday in quarterfinal play are Bastl vs. (10) Beck, Goldstein vs. (4) Taylor "Acci-" Dent in an all-American, (1) Roddick vs. Ginepri in an all-American, and (7) "Grinning" Greg Rusedski vs. (2) Kiefer.

Top 3 Nadal, Davydenko, Gaudio Win at ATP Stuttgart

The top three seeds again advanced Thursday at the ATP stop in Stuttgart, three of the hottest claycourters this year in top seed and French Open champ Rafael Nadal (d. Spanish countryman Verdasco), No. 2-seeded Russian and French semifinalist Nikolay Davydenko (d. (WC) Waske), and No. 3 seed and former French winner Gason Gaudio (d. (16) Mathieu 6-0 in the third).

"This was my best match in several weeks," said Nadal, whose 31 consecutive wins on clay ties him with Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Guillermo Coria for the sixth-longest streak on dirt. "I even played better than in Bastad where I won the tournament. I'm happy with my serving today and that I'm improving every match. After reaching the quarterfinals here last here I hope to go further this time."

No. 11 seed Tomas Berdych (d. Schuettler) also moved safely into the quarters, unlike seeds No. 4 Tommy Robredo (l. to Seppi in three) and No. 6 Jiri Novak (l. to Nieminen 7-6 in the third).

Winners in all-unseeded contests were Argentine Mariano Zabaleta (d. Simon) and Czech Tomas Zib (d. Monaco).

On tap for the Friday quarters in Stuttgart are (11) Berdych vs. (2) Davydenko, Seppi vs. Nieminen, (1) Nadal vs. Zib, and an all-Argentine in Zabaleta vs. (3) Gaudio.

Puerta, Gonzo Into Quarters at ATP Amersfoort

Top seed Mariano Puerta (d. Marin) and No. 2 Fernando Gonzalez (d. Vik) led the winners into the quarterfinals Thursday at the ATP claycourt stop in Amersfoort.

Also into the quarters in all-unseeded play were Italy's Daniele Bracciali (d. Sluiter from a set down) and Czech Ivo Minar (d. Ventura).

Friday's quarterfinal match-ups at the 'foort are D.Sanchez vs. (3) Massu, Daniele "Choppin'" Bracciali vs. (2) Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez, (WC) Van Gemerden vs. Calleri, and (1) Puerta vs. Minar.

Zvonareva Upset, Mirza Advances at WTA Cincinnati

No. 72-ranked Akiko Morigami scored the upset of the event Thursday at the WTA stop in Cincinnati, ousting No. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2.

"I just tried to concentrate on my game and not think about who was on the other side of the net," Morigami said. "I played aggressive, because you have to play aggressive against Vera. If I would have played defensive against her, she would have killed me."

Also surviving into the quarterfinals were (3) Jelena Jankovic (d. (Q) Bammer), India's darling Sania Mirza (d. Brandi), and American qualifier Bethanie Mattek who benefited from Frenchwoman Camille Pin retiring from their match trailing 3-6, 0-2 with a sore throat.

"Kristina is a different player to play against," the 18-year-old Mirza said after the win over Brandi. "She gets a lot of balls in the court and likes to keep the ball low. She was breaking my rhythm a lot today."

In Friday quarterfinal action are (1) Schnyder vs. Peer, (3) Jankovic vs. (Q) Mattek, (4) Hantuchova vs. Cho, and Morigami vs. Mirza.

Pennetta Survives Three-Setter at WTA Palermo

Italian No. 2 seed Flavia Pennetta overcame stiff opposition from Emmanuelle Gagliardi Thursday at the WTA claycourt stop in Palermo, coming from a set down to defeat the Swiss 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Other players into the quarterfinals were German lucky loser Martina Muller (d. (4) Llagostera Vives from a set down), (5) Klara Koukalova (d. (Q) Ani in three), and Argentine Mariana Diaz-Oliva (d. Castano).

On tap for the Friday quarterfinals are (2) Pennetta vs. (7) Vinci, (3) Anabel "Funky Cold" Medina Garrigues vs. Diaz-Oliva, (5) Koukalova vs. (LL) Muller, and Pironkova vs. (WC) Vierin.

DAILY TENNIS-X E-NEWSLETTER
Read what tennis industry insiders read each morning 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
The Tennis Channel's coverage of the ATP stop in Indy kicks in today at 1:30 p.m. EST, with additional 8 p.m.-midnight coverage. Saturday and Sunday Indy coverage in the States will be on NBC from 2:30-4:30 p.m. EST...Mariano Puerta's win Thursday in Amersfoort means he will crack the Top 10 for the first time on the ATP Rankings come Monday...From Roger Federer: "Regrettably, I have to inform you that I will not participate in the Rogers Cup, the ATP Masters Series in Montreal. As you know I have been suffering from pain in my feet for the past six months. An MRI was performed after Wimbledon and the doctors advised me to rest for four full weeks. As this period collides with the preparation for Montreal and the tournament itself, I had to take this decision in order to ensure full recovery. Not being able to compete and trying to defend my title from Toronto does hurt. After all, it is my birthday the first day of the tournament and I also like the province of Quebec a lot. But I am certainly looking forward to playing in Toronto next year."...Peter Bodo writing in TennisWorld: "I don't really want to get up on a high horse here...okay, I do. Allowing a bookmaker to be the sponsor of an ATP event is such a stupendously stupid move that somebody ought to lose his job over it. What were they thinking? It isn't like gambling has only become an issue in recent months or weeks, either. Allowing a bookmaker to be an ATP tournament sponsor is like baseball's New York Yankees giving the naming rights to their stadium to BALCO. Perhaps I'm making too much of this, but I also have some very solid inside information suggesting that the gambling culture is pretty strongly rooted in tennis, and a colleague here at Tennis has collected some damaging data for an upcoming story."...This year's ATP Masters Series-Madrid will again use models as ballgirls...USA Today's Douglas Robson is cementing his reputation as tennis' premier puff piece writer, this week with the story "Hardcourts Just Right for Players": Like Goldilocks in the children's fable, some players find clay too soft and slow. For others, grass is too slick and unpredictable. But hardcourts, like the baby bear's bed, are just right. As the summer hardcourt season kicks into full gear, the egalitarian nature of cement again will come into focus. The true bounce and sure footing of hardcourts in tournaments from New Haven, Conn., to San Diego and culminating in the US Open allow different styles to thrive. Players who smack big serves and make a habit of hugging the net as well as those who stand 6 feet behind the baseline and rip topspin-laden balls all feel at home in the neutral grounding of cement." Groundbreaking. Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan after getting fed a bagel by Robby Ginepri in Indy: "I felt good before but my energy just drained away. My battery just emptied. It was the fact that you don't want to lose in the first round. I spent all of my energy in that match. But I'll recover and be ready for Los Angeles next week."