Serena Injured Again in Withdrawal from WTA Toronto; Sharapova Dating Rocker?

Posted on August 18, 2005

Belgians Win, Serena Re-joins Growing WTA Injury List at Toronto

Serena Williams joined the growing WTA Tour casualty list Wednesday at the WTA stop in Toronto, withdrawing from the event before her second match citing a left knee injury.

"Because of my ankle injury I had to take some time off so my leg isn't as strong as it needs to be," said Serena, competing in her first event since Wimbledon. "So the pain in my knee is a result of that."

Serena is the sixth Top 20 player to withdraw from the embattled Toronto event in the past week, joining such high-profile pull-outs as Maria Sharapova (chest muscle pull) and sister Venus (flu).

Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters both advanced easily in their opening-round matches Wednesday, with the No. 4-seeded Henin-Hardenne punishing Argentine qualifier Mariana Diaz-Oliva 6-1, 6-3, and the No. 7-seeded Clijsters one-upping her countrywoman with a bagel-baking 6-3, 6-0 effort against France's Virginie Razzano.

For Clijsters the biggest problem was just getting used to the new Rexall Centre.

"It just took me a while to get used to the new stadium," Clijsters said. "I didn't hit a ball the last two days until my warm-up today. I just wanted to have a couple days off without touching the racquet. Didn't want to have anything to do with tennis. I think you just have to get used to it a little bit again."

After a month of no tour competition, Henin-Hardenne was happy to be back in the "W" column.

"It's never easy to play a first match," Henin-Hardenne said. "For myself, it's my first round since Wimbledon. It's not especially easy. But it depends also from the opponent and how you deal with the situation."

Other seeded winners Wednesday were (6) Nadia Petrova (d. Karatantcheva from a set down), the struggling (9) Anastasia Myskina (d. (Q) Granville in three), (12) Ana Ivanovic (d. Bartoli from a set down), and (14) Flavia Pennetta (d. (LL) Ant. Serra Zanetti).

Seven other un-seeds advanced on the day in China's Li Na (d. Vento-Kabchi in three) and qualifier Zheng Jie (d. (17) Sugiyama from a set down) and Japan's Shinobu Asagoe (d. Jidkova) continuing the Asian onslaught, Spanish former No. 2 Conchita Martinez (d. (15) Safina), Czechs Nicole Vaidisova (d. (10) Dechy) and lucky loser Hana Sromova (d. (Q) Fujiwara, bagel in the third), and Argentine Gisela Dulko (d. (16) Golovin, bagel in the second and 6-1 in the third).

On Thursday's schedule are six former Slam finalists or winners in Kuznetsova vs. Dulko, Martinez vs. Mauresmo, Asagoe vs. Myskina, Ivanovic vs. Clijsters, Zheng vs. Henin-Hardenne, Petrova vs. Li, and Sromova vs. Vaidisova.

Federer, Roddick, Hewitt All Struggle at ATP Cincinnati

Tournament officials at the Masters Series-Cincinnati breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday after world No. 1 Roger Federer, marquee poster boy Andy Roddick and 2004 US Open Series winner Lleyton Hewitt all dropped the first set of their second-round matches before coming back for three-set wins.

Federer, in his second match back after a five-week layoff, fought off a crafty onslaught from German all-courter Nicolas Kiefer for an eventual 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.

"I was struggling in the beginning, obviously," Federer said, setting up a third-round meeting with Belgium scamperer Olivier Rochus. "I was a little disappointed about the start. I was looking for my rhythm and he keeps coming at you and he didn't really allow me to get the rhythm either. But to turn it around in the end, and not playing my best, is always a good feeling."

The No. 5 seed Roddick came back to defeat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-2 in their first meeting since the 2003 US Open final, with the American throwing down 15 aces and never dropping serve.

"He actually probably played better tonight than he did when we played in the US Open final, and that was after beating a series of guys like (Lleyton) Hewitt and (Andre) Agassi," Roddick said. "I thought he was very good out there tonight. I was lucky to get out of that one."

The No. 3-seeded Hewitt rebounded from a horrible start, finally getting his unforced errors under control for a 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over hot-handed Brit Greg Rusedski.

Rusedski faltered at 4-4 in the third, failing to convert two break points, then going to the choke card by double-faulting on match point in an otherwise well-fought match.

"I think I got the tactics and the mix particularly well," Rusedski said. "I just made maybe one or two opportunities I should have maybe chipped and charged on...I thought I played my breakpoints really well. I had an angle drop volley. He came up with a flicking forehand and then another passing shot. I did the right things. Had I done that maybe in the second set on a few of the breakpoints, then I would have been off in two."

Other seeded winners Wednesday were (4) Marat Safin (d. (WC) Murray 6-1 in the third) and (6) Nikolay Davydenko (d. Mathieu).

Orchestrating upsets were Peruvian qualifier Luis Horna ousting (9) Guillermo Coria in straights, Chile's Fernando Gonzalez pounding (11) David Nalbandian into submission from a set down, Juan Ignacio Chela continuing the downward spiral of (12) Tim Henman in straights, and Croat Mario Ancic edging (16) Richard Gasquet in a second-set tiebreak.

Tough day for the Brits, posting an 0-3 record in exiting the event.

Eight other un-seeds advanced into the third round in the form of French wildcard Gael Monfils (d. Beck) and American wildcard Robby Ginepri (d. Ferrer), Russian Mikhail Youzhny (d. Berdych from a set down), Spanish former No. 1 Carlos Moya (d. (Q) Simon), Belgian Olivier Rochus (d. Santoro), Slovak Dominik Hrbaty (d. Soderling), and Argentina's Jose Acasuso (d. Robredo).

Scheduled for Thursday on the Cincy hardcourts are (4) Safin vs. Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty, Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic vs. (3) Hewitt, (5) Roddick vs. Juan Ignacio "The Spitting Snake" Chela, (1) Federer vs. Olivier "The Roach" Rochus, (WC) Gael "Force" Monfils vs. Youzhny, (WC) Robby "Baby Courier" Ginepri vs. Moya, (6) Davydenko vs. Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez, (Q) Luis "Me So" Horna vs. Acasuso, and in doubles (1) Bryan/Bryan vs. Wimbledon champs Huss/Moodie.

X-CORRECT
Anastasia Myskina won three singles titles in 2004.

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