Sania-Mania on the March, Yeltsin Injures Himself Watching Tennis

"I feel so good. I played really, really good today and I'm so happy," said Ramirez Hidalgo after upsetting the defending champion Acasuso. "I went onto the court being very relaxed and I had nothing to lose and I played unbelievable."

Lining up for the Friday quarterfinals are (1) Puerta vs. Andreev, (4) Hanescu vs. (Q) Ramirez Hidalgo, Mayer vs. (3) Pavel, and (7) Mathieu vs. Serra in an all-French.

Rain Washes Out Play at ATP Beijing

Rain washed out all matches Thursday at the China Open, the ATP stop in Beijing, causing some players to double-up on Friday.

Scheduled during the day on Friday are (LL) Matsui vs. (2) Coria, (1) Nadal vs. Gimelstob, (8) Moya vs. (4) T.Johansson, (3) Nalbandian vs. (6) Ferrero, (7) Youzhny vs. Udomchoke, and Wessels vs. (WC) Y.Wang Jr.

Following will be the night session with (7) Youzhny or Udomchoke vs. (LL) Matsui or (2) Coria, and (1) Nadal or Gimelstob vs. Wessels or (WC) Y.Wang Jr.

Molik Dumped, Davenport On Today at WTA Bali

Two seeds were ousted in second-round play Thursday at the WTA stop in Bali when the Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko defeated No. 3 seed Alicia Molik in straight sets, and Japan's Aiko Nakamura outlasted No. 5 Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-1 in the third.

Molik was down 1-5 in the first set before bringing it back on serve but failed to hold on.

"I didn't get any free points on my serve tonight, which I usually do," Molik said. "I could've been more aggressive and taken a few steps into the court, but I let her get into a rhythm too much and she was playing at the pace she likes. I'm glad that I was able to fight back a bit after 5-1 in the first, but I shouldn't have got into that position in the first place."

Other winners were (2) Patty Schnyder (d. (WC) Ruano Pascual), and Italians (6) Flavia Pennetta (d. Zheng from a set down) and unseeded Maria Elena Camerin (d. Bychkova).

"I was playing really well at the beginning, but then I started to get a bit tired," Pennetta said. "Luckily, I improved again and was able to win."

Scheduled for the Friday quarterfinals are Pennetta vs. Schiavone, Davenport vs. Camerin, Nakamura vs. Schnyder, and A.Bondarenko vs. N.Li.

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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Deferring to pressure from Muslim clerics, India's Sania Mirza has decided not to join Anastasia Myskina in strutting the ramp in a fashion show next week at the WTA stop in Kolkata...The official player hotel for the WTA stop in Kolkata is rolling out the red carpet for Sania Mirza, according to the teenage diary-like reporting of ExpressIndia: "And greeting Sania at the hotel will be a huge chocolate carving of a girl playing tennis. This will be placed in front of the Eden pavilion which is hosting a tennis food festival from Sunday. Winners of the daily lucky draw will get to watch Sania play, said the hotel spokesperson. There's more pampering in store for the teen champ whose skirts and danglers are as stylish as her forehands. While Sania will practise her game at a special tennis court in the hotel, her room will be stocked with "theme chocolates" in the shape of tennis racquets and balls. Also, there will be "special effects" to help her sleep after a hard day's game. "The spa has designed a welcome slumber which comprises hot chocolate, zero light, earplugs and eye shades which are sleep-inducing. We want Sania to play the ball hard and to rest well," said a senior staff of the hotel. Sania and the other players will be treated to the best of Dum Pukht cuisine, with chef Akshraj Joda dishing out the most succulent kakori kebabs and her favourite biryani. All the seven restaurants of the hotels are gearing up to welcome the bevy of tennis beauties, who, they hope, will give their diets a break and give in to the proverbial Kolkata hospitality for once." As Homer says, "Mmmmm...theme chocolates."...Lleyton Hewitt has taken a wildcard to join Roger Federer and Marat Safin in Bangkok later this month...From Reuters: "Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza will receive extra security after an Islamic group opposed to her on-court dress threatened to stop her from playing in next week's WTA event, police said on Friday. Muslim clergymen have denounced the 18-year-old player for wearing skimpy skirts and colourful sleeveless tops on court, which they say are un-Islamic...The group, Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, has warned that its members would try to prevent Mirza from playing if she did not wear "proper clothes." "What she wears offends Islam. She will be stopped from playing if she doesn't adhere to it," Siddiqullah Chowdhry, the group's chief, told Reuters."...Tennis fan and former Russian president Boris Yeltsin is recovering from hip surgery after taking a fall while watching the US Open. Yeltsin and wife Naina were staying up late to watch the Maria Sharapova-Nadia Petrova match, then afterwards slipped and fell in the dark en route to bed. Hospital officials say Yeltsin must stay for two weeks after the surgery, but per his inquiry, say the 74-year-old could be back to playing tennis in six months...Jarkko Nieminen says the courts aren't exactly swelling with junior players in Finland with his success, but things are improving: "I hope I am not an exception for my country, but I couldn't find any other coming behind me. Kids just start to touch the sport and it certainly needs some years to see them rise on the tour."...Boris Becker is replacing Phil Tufnell as team captain on the BBC's TV sports quiz 'They Think It's All Over.'...From SMH: "Mobile phone retailer John Ilhan of Crazy John's still heads Australia's wealthiest young entrepreneurs, entertainers and sports people, with a fortune of $300 million. The youngest entrant on this year's list, in 35th place, is tennis star Lleyton Hewitt, who, at 24, has amassed $30 million." Bump Hewitt up a couple spots after he received some under-the-table cash to appear in Bangkok later this month. C'mon!...WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott says creating another executive layer and hiring Stacey Allaster as WTA president will give him some Mark Miles-like leeway to float around and make people unsure of what he actually does at the tour: "It gives me the chance to pick my spots in terms of future strategy and growth of the business while being confident I have seasoned executives to run day-to-day operations." Time for that three-hour lunch! Allaster says the move will help Scott with his mission of changing the WTA into the ATP: "As part of what he calls Roadmap 2010, he wants to have the right format to create premier events like he did with the ATP."...Kim Clijsters has parted company with her coach, Marc de Hous, by mutual consent: "Kim and myself began working together during the US Open in 2002 and it has ended with her winning that title," De Hous said on Clijsters' website. "You couldn't dream of anything better."...Paradorn Srichaphan pulled from the doubles in Beijing with a heel injury...The ATP event in Milan is reportedly on the move for 2006...31-year-old Vince Spadea, who is now working with a shrink, tells Tennis Week he will now break the Top 10 -- guaranteed: "Comebacks are never easy, but they are a part of sports, and I'm quite ready and excited about this new challenge. I will return to my highest ranking ever. I guarantee it! Rather than get discouraged or depressed, it's a gift that I'm as high as (ranked No.) 50 compared to where I was when I began the previous comeback. My rise will again be accomplished with help from my sport performance psychologist, John F. Murray, who formerly helped me back from my longest losing streak. Joe Namath guaranteed a Super Bowl victory when no-one believed in him; the 1980 USA Hockey Team truly believed; nobody thought David would slay Goliath. Even my performance psychologist stuck his neck on the line and lost 64 pounds after he made a public guarantee."