Roddick On Tuesday in Lyon; Nadal, Mauresmo Pull
Posted on October 25, 2005
Ancic Beats Blake in Opener at ATP LyonNo. 7 seed Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic navigated a tough opener Monday at the ATP stop in Lyon, defeating hot-handed American James Blake 6-2, 7-6(5) to safely move into the second round.
Only two other main draw matches were played on the day with winners (3) Gaston Gaudio (d. Clement in three) and Serb rising star Novak Djokovic (d. Mello).
The final round of qualifying was also completed with four more onto the main dance floor in Frenchmen Marc Gicquel, Nicolas Mahut and Gregory Carraz, and Swedish veteran Thomas Enqvist.
On tap for Tuesday are O.Rochus vs. (2) Puerta, Grosjean vs. Hanescu, Gael "Force" Monfils vs. Hernych, (1) Roddick vs. (WC) Ascione, Xavier "X-Man" Malisse vs. (WC) Llodra, (5) Robredo vs. N.Lapentti, (Q) Carraz vs. (Q) Enqvist, (6) Ferrer vs. (Q) Gicquel, and Sanguinetti vs. Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez.
Seeds Mirnyi, Nieminen Bounced at ATP St. Petersburg
Both seeds in action fell Monday on the opening day at the St. Petersburg Open in Russia, with Denmark's Kenneth Carlsen ousting (3) Max "The Beast" Mirnyi in three sets, and Czech Robin Vik straight-setting (6) Jarkko Nieminen.
Carlsen had lost in the first round in 15 of his last 20 tournaments entering St. Pete.
"It's always very tough to play against Max Mirnyi," Carlsen said. "I'd already played him twice this year, winning in Memphis and losing in Nottingham. I'm glad I won today."
Both Russian wildcards were dismissed at the hands of Austria's Jurgen Melzer (d. (WC) Davletshin), and France's Cyril Saulnier (d. (WC) Kunitsyn).
Other unseeded winners into the second round were Frenchman Florent Serra (d. (Q) Bjorkman from a set down) and Romanian Andrei Pavel (d. (Q) Vanek).
On tap for Tuesday in St. Pete are Guillermo "G-Lo" Garcia-Lopez vs. (5) Kiefer, Kohlschreiber vs. (2) T.Johansson, (4) Youzhny vs. Beck (repeat of last year's final), (8) Fernando "Hot Sauce" Verdasco vs. (WC) Philippoussis, Minar vs. K.Kim, (Q) Gabashvili vs. Juan "The Principality" Monaco, and Popp vs. (Q) Stakhovsky.
Nadal Pulls as ATP Basel Begins Tuesday
Another poor year for Basel officials, losing homecountry hero and world No. 1 Roger Federer to an ankle turn, and now Rafael Nadal to knee tendonitis.
Argentine Guillermo Coria is left to head the field when play kicks off Tuesday at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors, joined by fellow seeds David Nalbandian, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez, Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty, Tim Henman, Jiri Novak and Tommy Haas.
Opening-round matches of interest are (5) Hrbaty vs. Juan Ignacio Chela, (6) Henman vs. (WC) Andy Murray in a match that will have all Britain standing at attention, (8) Haas vs. (Q) Waske in an all-German meeting, and (2) Nalbandian vs. the monster-serving Croat "Dr." Ivo Karlovic.
On court Tuesday in Basel are (4) Gonzalez vs. Seppi, Srichaphan vs. C.Rochus, (8) Haas vs. Waske, Vliegen vs. Wawrinka, Volandri vs. (3) Ferrero, Zib vs. Berrer, Baghdatis vs. MacKin, and Moodie vs. Mayer.
Jankovic Janked from Draw at WTA Linz
Russian Vera Dushevina orchestrated the lone upset Monday at the WTA stop in Linz, ousting No. 7-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-0 to advance into the second round.
"I haven't been feeling very well since the semis in Korea," Jankovic said. "It's frustrating to play like this when you're not close to how well you can play."
Winners in the only other main draw matches on the day were former Wimbledon winner Conchita Martinez (d. Bartoli 1-and-1) and Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva (d. (LL) Meusburger).
Four more players moved into the main draw Monday after the final round of qualifying in Elena Vesnina (RUS), Sofia Arvidsson (SWE), Barbora Strycova (CZE), and Marta Domachowska (POL).
Scheduled for Tuesday in Linz are Dulko vs. Raymond, Benesova vs. Domachowska, Razzano vs. Bammer, Asagoe vs. Ivanovic, and Peschke vs. Zvonareva.
Belgian Wildcards Romp at WTA Hasselt
Two wildcard Belgians thrilled the home crowd Monday at the WTA stop in Hasselt, with Kirsten Flipkens ousting No. 6 seed Silvia Farina Elia, and Els Callens beating Greek veteran Eleni Daniilidou, both in straight sets.
German Julia Schruff was also an upset-maker with a resounding 2-and-1 win over No. 5 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues, while Italy's Maria Elena Camerin was a same-score winner over Russian Lioudmila Skavronskaia.
Winners into the main draw with the completion of the final round of qualifying Monday were Kaia Kanepi (EST), Mandy Minella (LUX), Olga Savchuk (UKR), and Meilen Tu (USA).
Tuesday in Hasselt features Yakimova vs. Dechy, Kanepi vs. Schiavone, Safarova vs. Salerni, Chakvetadze vs. Krajicek, Safina vs. Foretz, Stosur vs. Llagostera Vives, and Sucha vs. Craybas.
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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Will the U.S. choose Houston and grass for their first-round Davis Cup tie hosting Romania in 2006?...From the ATP: "Blue shoestrings are today being worn by ATP players at tournaments in Basel, Switzerland; Lyon, France; and St. Petersburg, Russia in support of UNICEF's global launch of its Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign. The shoestrings symbolize that the ATP is 'tied-in' to UNICEF's goal to support millions of children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS. World No. 3 Andy Roddick, along with a host of other ATP players wore the cyan-blue shoestrings to help raise awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS and put children at the forefront of the global AIDS/HIV agenda. Roddick also filmed a short message to be used during UNICEF's global launch [Monday], at the United Nations in New York."...No word yet on whether Amelie Mauresmo will be fined for her Monday withdrawal from the WTA stop in Linz, leaving tournament directors none too happy: "I chose to take a break in order to recover my energy for the Masters (WTA Championships) in Los Angeles," said Mauresmo, who has lost her last three matches. The Frenchwoman says she is suffering from a left adductor strain...Marc Rosset is a wildcard into the doubles this week at Basel with Swiss countryman Stan Wawrinka...Former Top 5-ranked Jelena Dokic, now mired at No. 348, is apparently now banned from ITF events until she pays a $700 fine, with the 22-year-old entering Challenger events then not showing up...From The Desert Sun: "The United States Tennis Association's board approved making an investment in the Pacific Life Open on Sunday, thus helping to secure the international tennis event's long-term future in Indian Wells. "The USTA's support will include a financial investment as well as resources to enhance the tournament's marketing, sponsorship and television activities," according to a release by the USTA. "In addition, the USTA will have the option to expand its preexisting investment over the next six years."...The first annual "Stanford Financial Champions Cup -- Houston" will take place Nov. 10-13, 2005 at the Westside Tennis Club. The four-day, eight-man event features John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Mats Wilander, Goran Ivanisevic, Thomas Muster, Todd Martin, Aaron Krickstein and Mikael Pernfors, but is not part of the official ATP senior tour...33-year-old Silvia Farina Elia retired after her loss Monday at Hasselt: "I have so many good memories. I really didn't expect to be ranked this high when I started out. I have to give all the credit to my husband for his love and support, especially for the last five or six years. I'm proud of coming back from the injuries and proving to myself that I could do it again. I'm proud of playing the final this year in Amelia Island against Lindsay [Davenport]. I never thought I would reach that level again. I'm delighted with my wins over Venus and Serena [Williams] this year. Also I'm proud of my win over [Monica] Seles when we played Fed Cup in my country, that meant a lot to me. The highlight has to be reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon two years ago and playing three sets against Kim [Clijsters]."...The big news from Hasselt from Moldova.org: "Shoemakers from the Belgian city of Hasselt have made four pairs of size-23 boots for the world's tallest man, Ukrainian Leonid Stadnik, whose height is 255 cm (8'4"), local media said Monday. Each boot weighs more than a kilogram (2.2 lb.) and required about 10 sq. ft of genuine leather. It cost Flemish shoemakers, who celebrated their professional holiday in March, 1,000 euros to make each pair of boots for the Ukrainian Gulliver. Stadnik's extraordinary height is caused by an endocrine disease."...From the Las Vegas Sun: "Upon further review, perhaps it's a good thing Andre Agassi will be playing in front of Arab sheiks instead of his hometown fans when pro tennis will (bulldozers willing) return to Southern Nevada in February with the debut of Las Vegas' version of The Tennis Channel Open. At least that way he won't sprain his ankle on the courts at the new Darling Memorial Tennis Center that already are falling apart. Agassi and other top players such as Roger Federer have committed to playing in the more lucrative Duty Free Open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. While I believe The Tennis Channel Open will probably succeed here, it might be in spite of itself. Once again, promoters are talking about re-inventing the wheel, proving that once again they didn't talk to the last guys who were here trying to re-invent the wheel. Tennis organizers are planning to surround the tournament with clinics and concerts and other extracurricular activities. They're calling it "tennispalooza." Well, it was just a few months ago that Arena Football tried "Footballpalooza" in conjunction with its title game at the Thomas Mack Center. It didn't work. Fans complained there were too many activities and distractions pulling them away from Las Vegas' traditional attractions."...Jan-Michael Gambill was 6-7 on the Challenger circuit this year entering this week...From the AP: "The president of International Management Group, which represents Tiger Woods and Venus Williams, is resigning his post at the sports and entertainment marketing firm. Robert Kain, who joined the company in 1976, will leave day-to-day operations Nov. 1 but will remain a board member as vice chairman and still manage some clients. Theodore Forstmann, IMG's chairman, will take on many of Kain's responsibilities, including managing senior employees. The 56-year-old Kain told employees in a memo sent Sunday that he had planned to retire at the end of 2004, but when IMG founder Mark McCormack died in 2003 the plan was deferred."...From The Age on Lleyton Hewitt possibly sitting out the Masters Cup: "Lleyton Hewitt's participation in next month's prestigious Tennis Masters Cup is reliant on his first child not arriving too early, but his recovery from a groin injury and toe surgery not occurring too late. Hewitt, the world No. 4, is assured of a place in the eight-man Masters field for which Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin have qualified. A two-time Masters Cup winner, Hewitt was runner-up to Federer in 2004. But Hewitt, who remains at home in Sydney with his heavily pregnant wife, Bec Cartwright, is unlikely to contest next week's Paris Masters, just as he missed last week's event in Madrid. A decision on Hewitt's participation in the Masters Cup, starting in Shanghai on November 7, will probably be left as late as possible. Hewitt's manager, Rob Aivatoglou, said neither the groin, nor the toe, had healed completely. "He's still not right, unfortunately," Aivatoglou said yesterday."