Blake Wins, Fish Flops, Petrova and Rusedski Pull from New Haven
Posted on August 24, 2005
Davenport, Dementieva Advance at WTA New HavenWhile temperatures barely climbed into the 80s, one could make the stretch and say it was hot Russian-on-Russian action Tuesday at the WTA stop in New Haven, where No. 4 seed and 2004 US Open runner-up Elena Dementieva dispatched of countrywoman Vera Douchevina in a first-time meeting 6-2, 6-4, honing her preparation for next week's US Open.
"For me, it's a great challenge to play against young Russians," Dementieva said. "With Vera, we never played each other before, but we know each other very well. It was very interesting to play and to see who's coming up and what kind of game she has."
The featured night match saw the return of now-former No. 1 and top seed Lindsay Davenport, defeating Czech qualifier Kveta Peschke 6-4, 6-1 after an extended layoff due to a back injury.
"I was a little, actually, scared going out," Davenport said. "The last time I tried to play, it didn't go so well."
Unseeded winners advancing were Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld (d. (Q) Kostanic), Slovak Daniela Hantuchova (d. Llagostera Vives), and Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues (d. Dulko in three).
The former Top 10-ranked Hantuchova says her game has matured since she peaked in 2002 at No. 5 on the WTA Rankings.
"I must say I am much more aware of what I am doing on the court now," Hantuchova said. "When I was in (the) Top 10, everything was easy for me. I had nothing to lose. I was just swinging at the ball and had fun -- there was no pressure. Definitely now I am more mature and making much smarter decisions on the court."
On tap Wednesday are Hantuchova vs. Schnyder, Shaughnessy vs. Groenefeld, Likhovtseva vs. Mauresmo, Kirilenko vs. Chakvetadze in an all-Russian, and Zheng vs. Jackson.
Blake Wins, Jenkins, Fish Flop at ATP New Haven
Unseeded American wildcard Scoville Jenkins came within a set of the biggest upset this week at the ATP stop in New Haven, almost putting a dent in the movie-watching schedule of No. 4 seed Tommy Robredo in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 loss.
"After playing good in the first set, you never expect to have a tough match like that," Robredo said. "It's tough to get in a rhythm after that. He did good to come back, but it's my mistakes that allowed him to come back. I prefer to win 6-0, 6-0 in my matches and make it quick so I can go watch a movie. I'm going back to my room now to watch a tape I have of Million Dollar Baby."
Jenkins nerves showed in the third, with a double fault setting up match point for Robredo.
"After the second set, I felt like I had good momentum going into the third set," Jenkins said. "But he made adjustments in the third set. He made me play every point."
Other seeds advancing on the day were No. 5 Feliciano Lopez (d. Sanguinetti) and No. 15 Paradorn Srichaphan, who edged France's Cyril Saulnier in two tiebreaks.
American wildcard James Blake continued his torrid play, allowing only five games to France's Michael Llodra, while Mardy Fish's struggle to return from wrist surgery was compounded by a straight-set loss to German Philip Kohlschreiber.
"My wrist hurt more than I thought it would," Fish said. "If he hit the first serve hard, I would have to block it back quickly. That didn't bother me at all. What bothered me was a slower-paced ball when I had to generate my own pace. The doctor said I can't hurt it any worse, as I said, but it still hurts."
Blake enjoyed the vocal support of family and friends during his win from the "J-Block" in the stands.
"Being around so many friends, people who are supporting me, people I have known since I was a kid, is a great feeling," Blake said of New Haven. "You travel the world, and it is very seldom that we are in our hometown."
Other unseeded winners were France's Fabrice Santoro (d. Carlsen, bagel in the second), Belgian Christophe Rochus (d. A.Martin), Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela (d. Baghdatis), Israeli qualifier Andy Ram (d. Mello), Romanian Victor Hanescu (d. (LL) Minar), and Spain's Fernando Verdasco (d. (14) Soderling in two tiebreaks).
Scheduled for Wednesday are (10) Volandri vs. (WC) Blake, (1) Davydenko vs. Juan Ignacio "The Spitting Snake" Chela, Christophe "Coch" Rochus vs. (6) Haas, Seppi vs. (12) Spadea, (WC) Justin "Time" Gimelstob vs. (2) Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez, Ram vs. (7) Massu, Fabrice "The Original Magician" Santoro vs. (13) Mathieu in an all-French, Koubek vs. (16) Gael "Force" Monfils, Zib vs. (3) Ferrer, Kohlschreiber vs. (11) Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer, and (8) Olivier "The Other Roach" Rochus vs. Andreev.
Italians and Czechs Winners Tuesday at WTA Forest Hills
Pairs of Italians and Czechs were the winning hands Tuesday on the opening day of play at the WTA stop in Forest Hills, where Czechs Zuzana Ondraskova (d. (4) Randriantefy) and Iveta Benesova (d. Brandi in three), and Italians Roberta Vinci (d. Pastikova) and Antonella Serra Zanetti (d. Mamic from a set down) advanced into the second round.
Scheduled for Wednesday in Forest Hills are Safarova vs. Smashnova, Diaz-Oliva vs. Sucha, Morigami vs. Glatch, and Mirza vs. Peer.
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