Agassi Announces Retirement; Henin, Krajicek, Gasquet, Ancic Win Titles
Posted on June 25, 2006
Agassi Sets Retirement Date for US OpenOne of only a few men to win all four Grand Slams, and fighting against a chronic back ailment at 36 years old, Andre Agassi broached the inevitable the weekend before Wimbledon, announcing that this will be his final appearance at the All England Club, and that he will retire after this year's US Open.
"I promised you I would tell you when I knew it," said the eight-time Slam winner Agassi, who fought back tears during the announcement, as did his coach Darren Cahill. "This has been an ongoing discussion (with wife Steffi Graf) for probably the last four years."
Struggling with a back injury during 2006, Agassi skipped the entire claycourt season to concentrate on a run at the grasscourts and Wimbledon, where he won his first Slam title.
"It's been a lot of sacrifices the last few months trying to get myself right to get back here and enjoy this tournament for the last time," Agassi said. "It's been a long road this year for me and this Wimbledon will be my last, and the US Open will be my last tournament."
Like his rival Pete Sampras, Agassi will get a grand send-off at Flushing Meadows, where he debuted in 1986 with a first-round loss to Brit Jeremy Bates, and last year lost in the four-set final to world No. 1 Roger Federer. In between he lost in the final in 1990 (l. to Sampras), won in 1994 (d. Michael Stich), lost the final the next year in 1995 (l. to Sampras), won in 1999 (d. Todd Martin), and was runner-up in 2002 (l. to Sampras).
"I look forward to it ending on my home turf back in New York," Agassi said. "Then I embrace the future."
Gasquet Successfully Defends Nottingham Title
Frenchman Richard Gasquet successfully defended his title in Nottingham as the 20-year-old dismissed Swede veteran Jonas Bjorkman 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Red Letter Days Open on Saturday.
Gasquet, who turned 20 last Sunday, was playing in his first final since winning the title in his Nottingham debut last year (d. Mirnyi). With the win, Gasquet became the first player to capture the Nottingham title two years in a row.
Gasquet won't have much time to celebrate his victory as he faces a tough challenge against three-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in the opening round of the grass court Grand Slam.
The Frenchman, who was having a disappointing season prior to this week, improved to 12-13 in 2006. Last season the French sensation, who started the year ranked outside of the Top 100, reached a career-high No.12 in September. He would then play one more tournament in Metz before having to sit out for the rest of the season due to an elbow injury. Gasquet is one of only three players to have defeated World No.1 Roger Federer in the past two years (Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian are the other two).
En route to the title, Gasquet defeated qualifier Ivan Navarro Pastor of Spain, Italian Daniele Bracciali, countryman Gilles Simon, Swedes Robin Soderling and Jonas Bjorkman.
The 34-year-old Bjorkman was playing in his first final since capturing the Ho Chi Minh City crown in October last year (d. Stepanek). The 1998 and 2002 champion has a record of 6-11 in ATP finals.
"It wasn't easy, he played well and he has a lot of experience in finals," Gasquet said. "He served and came to the net very well, I had to save a break point in the first set, but I was able to hold and break him again to win the first set and that was the key to the match. I entered the second set with a lot of confidence and kept playing really well until the end. It's an amazing week for me, I'm really happy I was able to defend my title. it's great to arrive at Wimbledon in such conditions and with such confidence. I have a really tough draw over there, I know I have no pressure at all and I really hope to play a great match against Roger Federer."
Bjorkman said, "He played very well, he served really solid. Unfortunately I didn't return so well and my footwork wasn't really sharp today. Against a player like Gasquet, you really need to play your best tennis in order to have a chance. If I would have been able to break him in the first set maybe it would have been a different match, but today I felt that he was a step ahead all the time. It was a great week for me, I won four matches here, which is more matches than I had won this year and being in a final again here in Nottingham means a lot."
-- ATP
Ancic Wins Second Consecutive Ordina Open Title
Third-seeded Mario Ancic claimed his second consecutive Ordina Open title in 's-Hertogenbosch by defeating Jan Hernych 6-0, 5-7, 7-5 on Saturday. Ancic, who captured his career-second ATP title, became the first player to win back-to-back crowns since Sjeng Schalken in 2002-03.
The Croat holds a strong 36-12 record this year. He reached a career-best INDESIT ATP Ranking of No. 9 last week and will once again be ranked inside the Top 10 in the INDESIT ATP Rankings next week.
The Croat had reached two finals this season in Auckland in January (l. to Nieminen) and Marseille in February (l. to Clement). But it was in the ATP Masters Series Rome that Ancic started an amazing run, winning 18 of his last 21 matches, reaching the semis at the ATP Masters Series Hamburg and quarterfinals in Rome and Roland Garros.
Ancic defeated qualifier Aisam?Ul-Haq Qureshi, Raemon Sluiter, Fabrice Santoro, Marcos Baghdatis and Jan Hernych en route to the title.
The 26-year-old Hernych was playing in his career-first ATP final. He has an 11-14 mark this year.
-- ATP
Justine Pulls Off Rare Paris-Eastbourne Sweep
EASTBOURNE, UK -- Moving from slow clay to slick grass has often been tough for even the game's greatest players, but an extremely focused Justine Henin-Hardenne made the transition successfully this year, capturing The Hastings Direct International Championships title with a 46 61 76(5) victory over Anastasia Myskina in the final.
The finalists thrilled the capacity Devonshire Park crowd for exactly two hours on a sunny, Saturday afternoon. The early stages of the match were fairly streaky, with Henin-Hardenne racing ahead 4-2 before Myskina reeled off four consecutive games to tuck away the opening set. The Belgian bounced back in the second set, stepping up her aggressive game and losing only 11 points to draw even, one set apiece.
Down an early break in the third, Henin-Hardenne began mixing in serve-and-volley play to claw her way back, and eventually found herself at triple match point in the 10th game with Myskina serving. But the Russian held in a 10-minute game, and the two players were neck-and-neck throughout the exciting climax until Henin-Hardenne broke away for a 6-4 lead in the tie-break, winning 7-5.
"I was expecting a very tough match today from Anastasia," Henin-Hardenne declared. "She played very well and I wasn't aggressive enough at 4-2 in the first set. In the second set, I stepped it up because I knew if I didn't I would lose and in the third set, it came down to who was mentally stronger."
"I'm very happy with the way I played today and the whole week," Myskina said. "I finally believe in myself again and the hard work is paying off. I really want to get back to where I was, as I was tired of losing. I want to win again and that?s a good challenge for me."
Henin-Hardenne becomes only the third player in Sony Ericsson WTA Tour history to win Roland Garros and Eastbourne in the same year, a feat that has proven difficult to many of the game's greats given the drastic change in surface. Only Chris Evert (1974, 1979) and Martina Navratilova (1982, 1984) had done it.
"I'm very proud to join Evert and Navratilova as the only ones to win Roland Garros and here. It's a special achievement and a great honor, but I think what they did, no one will achieve again in their careers."
With her second career grass court title (having won 's-Hertogenbosch in 2001), the Belgian also becomes the fifth active player to have won at least two titles on all four surfaces (after Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters and the Williams sisters), as well as the fastest woman ever to earn $2 million in a season. All of this in her tournament debut, where she opened with easy victories over Kveta Peschke and Elena Likhovtseva and capped it with wins over Kim Clijsters and Myskina.
"I'm very happy with my week here. The courts were excellent; a little windy at the start, but great preparation for Wimbledon. I'll be back next year for sure."
Despite heading to the All-England Club with the most prestigious tune-up event's title in hand, the five-time Grand Slam winner is still taking it match by match.
"I'm not looking too far ahead. Everybody knows how difficult first rounds are for me; I hope the preparation will help me when I play my first round Monday."
Myskina's week was also a good sign for Wimbledon. The Russian cruised through her first three rounds easily, then had her first win over a Top 10 player this year in the semis, over Svetlana Kuznetsova. She heads into Wimbledon with a 32-14 career grass court record (Tour main draws only), and looks to repeat her good form from last year at the All-England Club, which took her to the quarterfinals.
In the doubles final, Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo ousted No.4 seeds Liezel Huber and Martina Navratilova, 62 64, for their first career title as a team. It was the Russian's 13th career Tour doubles title and Mauresmo's second. Huber and Navratilova had pulled off arguably one of the biggest upsets of the entire tournament, singles and doubles included, with a straight set semifinal victory over top seeds and reigning US Open and Roland Garros champions Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur, 76(3) 76(3).
-- WTA
Krajicek Comes Full Circle at Ordina Open
'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, The Netherlands -- A day after pulling off an inspired semifinal comeback over top seed Elena Dementieva, Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek gave her home crowd even more to cheer about, downing No.2-seeded Dinara Safina in straight sets, 63 64, to win the Tier III Ordina Open, the third and biggest Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of her career.
The two finalists, both younger sisters of ATP standouts, showcased their powerful serves and baseline aggression throughout the final, but it was Krajicek who was the more consistent of the two during the rallies. After a relatively routine first set, the Dutch teen broke in the seventh game of the second set to take a decisive lead. She served it out in the 10th game, blasting a service winner on her second match point.
"I'm happy the way I served; my brother said the same thing," said Krajicek, sister of former Wimbledon champion and two-time 's-Hertogenbosch winner Richard Krajicek. "When the match started, I felt very confident. I was not nervous like I was yesterday. I didn't have anything to lose so I went for it. I felt very free to make my shots."
"She played very well," Safina said. "But I'm very disappointed. I made it too easy for her. She noticed that I was struggling with my shots and she took advantage of that. She's a great player, and she did what you should do to win."
Krajicek was in superb form throughout the Ordina Open week, notching several impressive wins. Unseeded, she opened with an upset of No.3 seed Flavia Pennetta, which at the time served as her second career Top 20 win. After victories over unseeded defending champion Klara Koukalova and No.8 seed Jelena Jankovic, the 17-year-old pulled off her first ever Top 10 win in the semis, stunning Dementieva, 16 76(5) 64, saving a match point while trailing 5-4 in the second set. On Saturday she downed Safina for another Top 20 victory.
"This is my nicest title so far. I really enjoyed playing in front of the home crowd who was cheering for me. Center court was full and it felt like home. I think I'm the type of player who likes to play for the crowd and I play better that way."
The victory also avenges a disappointing turn of events at this tournament a year ago, where Krajicek reached what at the time was her first quarterfinal, then suffered a right knee injury, retiring from the match and undergoing surgery the day after to repair a lateral meniscus tear. She was out for three months, but resumed her rapid rise almost immediately after coming back.
"My physical state is so important, that is what I've realized in the last year. I was focusing only on tennis before this tournament last year, and not enough on my physical condition. These titles show why it is so important I went through this."
Krajicek is now 3-0 lifetime in finals, having also won her first two championship matches at Tier IV events in Tashkent last year and at Hobart earlier this year. She is now just the fifth multiple Tour singles titlist this season, and the fourth player this season to win a title having saved match point en route.
Safina fell to 4-3 lifetime in Tour singles finals, but still remained optimistic as to the positive preparation for Wimbledon her Ordina Open week provided.
"This has been very good preparation for me," said the Russian, younger sister of two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin. "I'm happy I was able to switch my mind to grass and be able to make adjustments to a very different surface."
Other players who left lasting impressions on the lawns of the Autotron Rosmalen included the two losing semifinalists, two veteran quarterfinalists on the injury comeback trail, and a pair of Chinese record-setters.
Dementieva, who dropped the aforementioned nail-biter to Krajicek, ran her grass record to 21-12 with a run to the semis; then there was Eleni Daniilidou, a former Top 15 player now ranked No.67, who reached her first semifinal of the year, extending her grass court mark to 26-12 before falling to Safina in three.
Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, like Krajicek buoyed by her home crowd, won the first two matches of her 2006 comeback (after six years out due to a back injury) en route to a quarterfinal showing; likewise, Argentina's Paola Suarez, whose 2006 has been hindered by a right calf strain, won consecutive matches for the first time this season en route to the quarters, where she unfortunately had to retire due to an injury to her left calf.
Finally, there was Chinese tandem Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, who won the women's doubles title. The top seeds, they defeated unseeded pair Ana Ivanovic and Maria Kirilenko in three sets in the final. It was their fourth title of 2006 together and sixth overall, their biggest win coming at the 2006 Australian Open, becoming the first Chinese Grand Slam titlists. They also won in Berlin, a Tier I event.
-- WTA
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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARB
More bad news for American Mardy Fish, who had to pull out of the final of the Boodles Challenge exhibition after a strain to his twice-surgically-repaired wrist. Fish hopes to be recovered in time for Wimbledon. In the third-place playoff for the exhibition, Andre Agassi lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic...Richard Gasquet successfully defending his Nottingham title Saturday, but will the French kid, not exactly known for his fitness regimen, have enough in the tank to challenge Roger Federer on opening day Monday at Wimbledon?...More from Andre Agassi speaking to the media on his impending retirement after the US Open: "There's still a lot of fight left in me from here through the Open. You know, there's been a lot of factors, you know, but I've done this for 20-plus years, and I want to be out there feeling like I'm right, physically and mentally and all of the above. I don't know if I can think of words to sort of apply, but I'm sure you do; that's how I feel about it."...The Israeli team of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram are undefeated in two years playing at 's-Hertogenbosch...Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic climbs back into the Top 10 after successfully defending his title at 's-Hertogenbosch: "Last year I won here on a Sunday and then played my first (Wimbledon) match Monday. So throughout Wimbledon I was exhausted. Now physically I feel fine. I'll try to continue it."...Can Justine Henin-Hardenne win Wimbledon and become the 10th women to win a career Grand Slam?...This year is the 70th anniversary of the last time a British man won Wimbledon -- Fred Perry in 1936...From ESPN.com's Mark Kreidler: "You gotta love that Wimbledon. Or, as it's known around our grass court, the Keith Hernandez Invitational. The good denizens of the All England Club made it official Tuesday: It isn't 2006 in at least one corner of the tennis world. While every other Grand Slam event cuts its women's champion the same check as it does the men's winner, Wimbledon will carry on its merry-prankster tradition of short-sheeting the ladies. And in a delicious, only-at-Wimby kind of turn, they're doing it for no discernible reason whatsoever."...Rafael Nadal speaking to The Daily Telegraph on his groupies: "I'm not interested in that sort of girl. I would like to have a normal girlfriend, preferably from my home town, who doesn't look upon me as anything other than a boy who lives down the street. I would like to meet a girl with her own career, who doesn't want to change her life for mine."
Also see:
Nadal Injures Wimbledon Chances at Exo
http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2006-06-24/c.php
Tennis-X Wimbledon Preview: Federer v Baby Fed
http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2006-06-25/c.php