Agassi In the Money After adidas Deal; Dent Hammered for Lack of Drive

Posted on July 26, 2005

Paradorn Shoots Down Ancic at ATP Los Angeles

Former Top 10er Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan took a giant step toward reclaiming his hardcourt game Monday at the ATP stop in L.A., posting a gritty 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-2 win over No. 6 seed Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic.

Srichaphan entered L.A. with a 15-20 win-loss record in 2005 that has ushered him out of the Top 50 on the ATP Rankings.

Also into the second round Monday were American "C"-squaders Paul Goldstein (d. Saulnier), who needed a wildcard to get into the main draw, and Kevin Kim (d. Carlsen in three).

"I just celebrated my one-year wedding anniversary, so I'm going to go ahead and tell you it's all because of my wife," said Goldstein, who is rolling this year after a semifinal at Newport and a quarterfinal effort at Indianapolis. "I've been on a wave here the past few months, so I just want to ride it."

Other unseeded winners were Brazil's Ricardo Mello (d. (7) Grosjean in three), Argentine saliva-monster Juan Ignacio Chela (d. Baghdatis from a set down), and Belgian waffler Xavier Malisse (d.H.-T. Lee).

Scheduled for Tuesday in the City of Angels are (9) Spadea vs. (Q) Fleishman in an all-American, Beck vs. (2) Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty, (WC) Blake vs. (3) Kiefer, (4) Haas vs. "Dr." Ivo Karlovic, (1) Agassi vs. (LL) Lisnard, Fish vs. (5) Taylor "Acci-" Dent in an all-American, (Q) Hadad vs. (WC) Mamiit, Muller vs. (Q) De Chaunac, (Q) Bjorkman vs. Hernych, and Indy champ Ginepri vs. Wayne "The Serving Machine" Arthurs.

Coria Escapes Monday at ATP Umag

Three seeds advanced into the second round Monday at the ATP dirt stop in Umag, the Croatia Open, in (3) Guillermo Coria (d. (Q) Krajan in three), (5) Jiri Novak (d. Montanes), and (8) Filippo Volandri (d. (WC) Tuskar).

Czech Lukas Dlouhy scored the only upset on the day, grinding down No. 9 seed Al Martin, who was elevated to an extra seeded position after Rafael Nadal pulled citing a "knee injury."

Other un-seeds into the second round were Belgian Kristof Vliegen (d. (WC) Cilic), Spanish qualifier Albert Portas (d. Vanek 1-and-0), and Serb qualifier Llia Bozoljac (d. Aldi).

On the dirt Tuesday in Umag features three former French Open champions in (WC) "Guga" Kuerten vs. (3) Robredo, (7) Ferrero vs. Nieminen, Ulihrach vs. (6) Moya, Vicente vs. (Q) Ionita, (4) Ferrer vs. "You Say" Potito Starace, Calatrava vs. Djokovic, (LL) Alan "Cold" MacKin vs. Mantilla, D.Norman vs. Tipsarevic, and O.Hernandez vs. Guillermo "G-Lo" Garcia-Lopez.

Marach Marvelous at ATP Kitzbuhel

Austrian wildcard Oliver Marach delivered about as much excitement as you can expect on a seedless-watermelon opening day at the ATP claycourt stop in Kitzbuhel, to the delight of the home crowd coming from a set down to defeat bad Czech Tomas Zib 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

"It's a great feeling to play in Austria and to be in the second round," said Marach after overcoming some early choking. "For me it's a problem that I haven't played very many big tournaments lately, and therefore I get very nervous in the first match."

Other un-seeds into the second round were Germans Florian Mayer (d. Monaco from a set down, saving a match point) and Tomas Behrend (d. Ventura), Italian Alessio Di Mauro (d. Sluiter), and Czech Robin Vik (d. (Q) Luczak).

Fans get another seedless-orange Tuesday in Kitzbuhel with match-ups Kohlschreiber vs. the former French Open champ "Brother" Al Costa, (Q) Vemic vs. (WC) Hipfl, (Q) Armando vs. Koubek, Tabara vs. (WC) Koellerer, last week's Amersfoort finalist Calleri vs. (WC) N.Lapentti, D.Sanchez vs. Rainer "Shine" Schuettler, Fernando "Hot Sauce" Verdasco vs. Seppi, Haehnel vs. Zabaleta, (Q) Ramirez Hidalgo vs. (Q) Irakli "Freak Show" Labadze, (Q) Schukin vs. Minar, and Sabau vs. Almagro.

Frazier, Raymond Lead Homegrown Winners at WTA Stanford

Amy "Joltin' Joe" Frazier led the unseeded American charge Monday at the WTA hardcourt stop in Stanford, pounding past Maria Vento-Kabchi 6-3, 6-0.

"She obviously didn't play her best and I played well," Frazier said. "She's tough on the ground and doesn't miss much. I like it here, and when you're in a place where you're happy and have good memories, hopefully that leads to good tennis."

Frazier was joined in the second round by countrywoman Lisa Raymond (d. fellow American Haynes) and (6) Nathalie Dechy (d. Sprem).

"It was a good match," Raymond said. "We both came up with big shots at tough times. You just have to focus on your service game and hope to see some second serves."

In other unseeded opening-round action, France's Marion Bartoli eased past American Mashona Washington dropping only four games, and Japan's Ai Sugiyama straight-setted Aussie Samantha Stosur.

On tap for Tuesday in Stanford are Shaughnessy vs. Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva, Schiavone vs. Jidkova, Daniilidou vs. Mirza, Peer vs. Groenefeld, Alexandra "Dr. A" Stevenson vs. Daniela "The Walking Stick" Hantuchova, Jankovic vs. Irvin, and Peng vs. Benesova.

Vinci Not Hungary Enough at WTA Budapest

The seeds went two-for-three at the claycourt WTA stop in Budapest Monday, with (4) Jelena Kostanic (d. Loit) and (6) Mariana Diaz-Oliva (d. Parra Santonja, bagel in the third) advancing, and (3) Roberta Vinci tripped up in three sets by Colombia's Catalina Castano.

Also into the second round in all-unseeded play were Germany's Julia Schruff (d. Cervanova 7-6 in the third) and No. 103-ranked Russian Ekaterina Bychkova (d. Chladkova).

The final round of qualifying was also completed with four more on the main draw dance floor in Olga Savchuk (UKR), Lourdes Dominiguez Lino (ESP), Stephanie Foretz (FRA), and Katarina Kachlikova (SVK).

On the dirt Tuesday in Budapest are Smashnova vs. Dominguez Lino, Foretz vs. Srebotnik, Kapros vs. Ondraskova, Pous Tio vs. Nooni, Klaschka vs. Fujiwara, Sucha vs. Kachlikova, Birnerova vs. An.Serra Zanetti, Sfar vs. Pastikova, Mamic vs. Martinez Granados, and Savchuk vs. Gagliardi.

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Rafael Nadal, at 19 years, 1 month and 22 days, is the third-youngest teenager in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973) to reach No. 2, joining Boris Becker (18 years, 9 mo., 17 days) and Bjorn Borg (18 years, 10 mo., 2 days)...Top seeds on the men's side are 17-0 in finals in 2005 (compared to 17-6 in finals for all of 2004)...Rafael Nadal's winning streaks this year: 24, 15, and the current 10. Compare to Roger Federer's 26, 25, 12 (current), and 11. Lleyton Hewitt (11) is the only other men's player with a streak over 10...Roger Federer and Andy Roddick are the only male players to win titles on clay, grass and hardcourts this year...American Alex Bogomolov, Jr. won the singles and doubles last weekend at the Tarzana (Calif.) Challenger...Spaniard Al Martin was given the No. 9 seed and put at the top of the draw while Brit Alan "Cold" Mackin was granted a lucky loser spot when Rafael Nadal pulled from Umag on Sunday with that "knee injury." Vacuuming up all those claycourt points in Stuttgart, Umag, and Sopot seemd like a good idea to Nadal before he realized he would win every event and then enter exhausted into the U.S. hardcourt swing, including the rankings-clutch Masters Series events in Canada and Cincinnati...While a heat-wave bakes the midwest in the U.S., temperatures for the ATP stop in L.A. this week are expected to reach only the high 70s and low 80s...Rafael Nadal explaining his pull from the ATP stop in Umag: "I have had problems with my knee for a few tournaments and it is hurting more now, so I have to cancel to not finish on the operating table. I played here two years ago and really love this tournament. I keep planning to come back but something happens. It is tendinitis and it could get serious if you do not take care of it." Where are the fines from the ATP for the fake injuries from Nadal and Andy Roddick, who just needed rest after over-scheduling? Bet the tournament directors from Umag and L.A. are also interested in that question after pouring promotional money into the two for their events...From X-Discussion board member "funches," on the mark on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption (PTI) and tennis: "I still like PTI when (Tony) Kornheiser and (Michael) Wilbon are on, except when they talk tennis. Then they make my blood boil with their sarcasm, dismissiveness and cluelessness. Their reaction to men's tennis is always the same -- that nobody cares anymore and the only interest is in women's tennis and that tennis is dead, etc. I'm a member of the media (unfortunately, just a little bit lower on the totem poll than the PTI guys), and it amazes how little research other reporters do before talking about tennis. It's their F***ing job and they don't bother to pay any attention to some of the sports they talk or write about. Wilbon's comment about tennis being all serve and volley was priceless. He might as well say that baseball is boring because it's all small ball with too much sacrificing and stolen base attempts, or that no one plays any defense in the NBA, or that (American) football would be better if they moved the goal posts off the goal line. Of course he'd be replaced if he was as ignorant about the big three American sports as he is about tennis."...Austria's Stefan Koubek is 1-7 this year, welcome back to the challenger tour...Andre Agassi has signed a three-year deal with adidas after dumping Nike, says Agassi's manager Perry Rogers: "This isn't just some pastime for Andre," Rogers said of the former No. 1's Andre Agassi Foundation which will reportedly benefit greatly from the adidas partnership. "It puts Andre and Steffi in the same gear. One family and one brand." Andre says he is excited: "I'm excited about my new partnership with Adidas. Our relationship not only means that I will be working with one of the best brands in the world but, more importantly, also provides support to my foundation. Together, we will be able to give more at-risk kids a chance to succeed." Lots of promotional opportunities now with both Andre and Steffi under the brand -- adidas needs to wise up and also contract-up on the kids, get the whole family, maybe brand three stripes on the kids' foreheads...American Amy "Joltin' Joe" Frazier says she will teach math and tennis when her playing days are over...WTA Tour sponsor Sony Ericsson has unveiled scores, match information and on-court schedules direct to mobile phones to increase fan interactivity with women's tennis -- though their press release doesn't say exactly how it is accessible. Stone. Sony Ericsson's new website, "Girls on Tour" at www.sonyericsson.com/tennis, is now also accessible through mobile phones...Daniel Nestor married fellow-Torontonian Natasha Gavrilovic...From Matt Cronin at TR.net: "Another huge BTW that all readers should realize when wondering why there aren't more investigative stories on betting in tennis: because journalists are afraid the East Euro Mafia will kill them if they dig too deep. No lie and it has happened in other sports."...From ESPN: "According to Forbes Magazine, (Andre) Agassi was due about $40 million in Nike stock at the conclusion of his contract, which expired in January. A Nike source indicated that Agassi was paid in full as specified by his contract, but there was no stock payment involved." Actually Andre was paid out of Nike's Beaverton, Ore. plant where they print their own money...Chanda Rubin withdrew from the WTA Stanford event with left ankle inflammation and was replaced by wildcard Marissa Irvin, who played at Stanford...Babolat has Andy Roddick wearing their shoes, and they will debut their line in the U.S. in September to coincide with the US Open: "We're very excited about entering the U.S. market with our shoes," Babolat president Eric Babolat told Tennis Week. "Ours are the first shoes in the world featuring the Michelin sole, which provides tennis players with the ideal sole adapted specifically to their playing and surface needs. This is truly a partnership -- this is not one company purchasing rubber from another company and putting it on the outer sole of a shoe. Each season, we want to innovate our line and work together to produce the best shoe we possibly can."...ESPN2 has added the ATP Washington event to its expanded US Open Series coverage: "The US Open Series had a great rookie season in 2004, and ESPN2 is increasing our commitment in year two in both hours of coverage and production," said Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vice president, programming strategy. "With great cooperation from the USTA, we now have a consistent schedule designed to make the USOS on ESPN2 an even better destination for tennis fans."...Nicole Kidman on putting her kids in a tennis camp in Vermont: "It's good for a boy. Five hours of tennis a day, putting him with a coach and exhausting him. He loves me to watch him. I have to sit there, watch and tell him how fantastic he is."...The P.T. Barnum-like Steve Bellamy, founder and president of The Tennis Channel, said he is pulling up stakes for the Scottsdale event and moving to -- a site TBA: "We're going to build one of the biggest and best events in the world," Bellamy said. "In terms of participation, I want this to be the biggest event in the world in 2007."..."Not Grinning Anymore" Greg Rusedski has pulled from L.A. citing neck and shoulder pain...Andre Agassi on his nerve/back injury: "It's been a difficult eight weeks because the process of getting better was slower than anticipated. It was pretty bad after Paris. I've been training hard for the past eight weeks on my terms, but the tennis just kicked in the past six days. The part of it that is difficult is that it being a nerve, you don't know when it's coming. I don't get my hopes up, I just take it week by week. I think I should be all right. I could get another injection before the Open if need be."...Paradorn Srichaphan separated from his coach/former journeyman T.J. Middleton after Wimbledon and is now travelling with his new coach and his brother, Thanakorn Srichaphan...From Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star after the ATP Indy final: "If Sunday's dreadful tank job in the final against (Robby) Ginepri wasn't a wake-up call, there's no hope for (Taylor) Dent to be any more than he is right now: A fair-to-middling serve-and-volley specialist who idolizes Pete Sampras but refuses to do the off-court work necessary to approach Sampras' excellence. For the record, this was his fourth retirement this season...For several months, both Ginepri and Dent were coached by former pro Francisco Montana. Today, Montana still works with Ginepri, and was instrumental in getting his player to commit to a recent conditioning regimen in Miami. In March, though, Montana and Dent parted ways. "I would rather not get into what happened or why," Montana said, standing in the back of the interview room. "I like Taylor too much to get into that kind of thing." The people who follow the game's politics, though, know what Montana isn't saying. The former coach wanted Dent to get into better shape. Dent, a bigger player and one of a vanishing breed of serve-and-volley guys, needed to get stronger physically and, by extension, mentally. The player didn't quite agree. End of professional relationship."