Davenport Looks to Take Home Title from Schnyder; Federer-Nadal Chat
Posted on October 23, 2005
Nadal, Ljubicic Square Off in ATP Madrid FinalTwo of the hottest players on the ATP tour will square off Sunday in the final at the Masters Series-Madrid in Rafael Nadal, now in reach of challenging Roger Federer for the No. 1 ranking in early 2006, and Croat Ivan Ljubicic who is looking to win a third consecutive title.
The big-serving Ljubicic dropped 19 aces in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over No. 5 seed David Nalbandian, putting him not only in a position to follow up titles at Metz and Vienna in the last couple weeks, but to sneak in one of the final remaining positions at the year-ending Masters Cup.
"I know everyone will be against me tomorrow but I'm going to make sure I enjoy the match and hopefully I'll win," Ljubicic said.
With the victory the Croat extended his win streak to 16 matches.
Nadal defeated hot-handed American Robby Ginepri 7-5, 7-6(1) in their first career meeting.
"My attitude was good, but I just didn't win the big points," Ginepri said. "I didn't feel as though I played my best tennis and it was a real shame about the tiebreak...He's unbelievably quick 'round the court and fights for every point. He won't ever give up, he's just a fighter."
Nadal is attempting a fourth Masters Series title on the year, which would tie the currently-injured Roger Federer in 2005.
Nadal beat Ljubicic in three sets in their most recent meeting earlier this year at the Masters Series-Miami, while the Croat won their career-first meeting before that, this year at Doha in January in three sets.
The doubles final will be the unseeded team of Paes/Zimonjic (d. (4) Llodra/Santoro in the semis) against (3) Knowles/Nestor (d. (2) Black/Ullyett).
Davenport, Testy Schnyder Ease Into WTA Zurich Final
Lindsay Davenport, who will take over the No. 1 ranking from Maria Sharapova on Monday, took another step toward securing the year-end No. 1 ranking Saturday at the WTA stop in Zurich with an easy 6-0, 6-4 win over inconsistent Russian Anastasia Myskina.
"It was nice to hit the ball better and be in control of points," said Davenport, who has struggled most of the week. "That's the kind of tennis I prefer to play."
In the final the American will face homecountry Swiss favorite Patty Schnyder, who also had an easy time in the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Serb teen Ana Ivanovic.
"I didn't know what to expect from the fans and was very happy," said Schnyder, who on Friday stomped out of her post-match conference in a snit over, in her opinion, not receiving enough crowd support. "I stayed focused from the first point on and was able to overcome her great start, her hard-hitting and great groundstrokes. So it was a perfect day."
The final will be a repeat of the 2002 championship match when Schnyder edged Davenport 6-7(5), 7-6(8), 6-3.
Davenport has won seven of her nine career meetings with the Swiss.
The doubles final will be (2) Black/Stubbs (d. Asagoe/Srebotnik from a set down in the semis) versus the unseeded team of Hantuchova/Sugiyama (d. (1) Raymond/Stosur).
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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Ivan Ljubicic is the first Croat to appear in ATP finals in three consecutive weeks since 1996 when Goran Ivanisevic reached four consecutive (and five straight overall). Ljubicic's 16-match winning streak also is the best by a Croat, surpassing Ivanisevic's 14 in 1996...From The Desert Sun: "Some prominent tennis figures in Southern California believe the USTA needs to invest in the Pacific Life Open because the event is vital to promoting the sport on the West Coast. This weekend, the 15-member USTA board will vote whether to invest in the [Indian Wells] tournament and help buy out IMG, which currently owns 50 percent of the tournament. IMG expressed interest in selling the event to China before agreeing to a $24 million buyout -- Palm Desert resident Rosie Casals, also a tennis Hall of Famer, thinks the USTA investing is a good idea. However, she has her reservations, too. Casals, who helped form the WTA Tour, feels the professional tours should have been given an opportunity to purchase the tournament to give them some ownership. When Casals helped form the WTA, the tours had ownership, which they don't now. I don't know if they could afford it, or want to do it. I don't know why they were not approached to raise the money," Casals said. "We shared in the events, and that was way back when. Unfortunately, the way the associations are formed, they don't own tournaments, but that doesn't mean they can't have an arm that can own tournaments. There are a couple of events they should own. It takes money, but if someone could come up with money for prize money, then certainly they can come up with money to own the rights of owning tournament. The tours say they are not in the business of owning tournaments. I would reconsider that." -- Being a desert resident, [Mark Woodforde] doesn't want to see the Pacific Life Open leave. "Gosh, I think it would be really tragic (if the Pacific Life Open moved)," Woodforde said. "There's been so much history with that event and to lose that to another area outside Southern California, it's very unnecessary, and I don't think it will happen. I think they will work on a solution and the tournament won't move. To build a $77-million stadium and move would not make sense."...Nick Bollettieri on Nicole Vaidisova, who garnered attention for firing a ball into the crowd this year after her loss at the US Open, and is currently on a three-tournament winning streak: "Now that she is seeing what the tour is like, she's not content being the young plebe. She wants to be the seasoned veteran who establishes records. Nicole has an abundance of natural talent and is surrounded by a tremendous support team, starting with her father (and coach, Ales Kodat) and the people at IMG Academies. But most important, she has that fire. She is a perfect example of the kind of person I like to be involved with."...Alicia Molik manager Lisa Chaffey on her charge taking a break to recover from a potentially career-ending ear infection, speaking to The Advertiser: "It's nowhere near any kind of retirement. She is more than likely just going to take a significant period of time off. If that has to be a 12-month sabbatical from the game then so be it. There's not set time period in mind, she's just dedicated to having as long off as needed because when she does comeback she wants to be at the standard she was at. She doesn't want to say she wants to be ready for Wimbledon or the US Open or anything like that which puts pressure on her. She just wants to get it right."...Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida residents Todd Martin and MaliVai Washington are fronting a benefit celebrity tennis tournament in San Francisco for Thunder Road, a drug rehabilitation program with profits going towards the center's culinary arts program...Rafael Nadal, speaking with Reuters on buddying-up with Roger Federer: "I spoke to him the other day and he said he'd love to be able to play in [the Masters Cup in] Shanghai and for the good of tennis I hope he's there. Although we are rivals I've got a good relationship with him because he's a great person and very easy going and that's important."...While we're unable to yet get a grip on Guillermo Coria and Fernando Gonzalez ripping on each other after their meeting at the MS-Madrid, here is the entertaining Google English translation of the Spanish story: "Guillermo Coria responded to the declarations that the Chilean formulated Fernando Gonzalez, soon of the party disputed yesterday in the Masters hard Series of Madrid, where the trasandino overcame the Argentinean. Once finalized the encounter, Gonzalez he admitted the journalists, that he was "pleasant to overcome the less dear player of the circuit." By such accusations, the tennis player of Rufino lamented itself in the wheel of which the Chilean has not said the things to him that think of him, in the face. "He can think of me what wants, but strange it it is that it has crossed me thousands of times and me it has never said it in the face. If he comes and son of puta says to me, not you bank or sos the worse one of all, but he does front, me the bank, but that speaks with the press bothers much to me," he admitted Coria in declarations reproduced by Terra. In addition he added that he does not understand the declarations of Gonzalez, since to its criterion did not make any gesture of more during the encounter. "He is more, until I applauded some balls affluent placed by him." Well said.