Thai Coup Ahead of ATP Event, Coria Spiral Continues
Posted on September 21, 2006
Davenport Struggles; Vaidisova, Kirilenko Lose at BeijingBEIJING, China -- On a dramatic Day 3 at the $600,000 China Open two Russian teenagers made the headlines, but their efforts weren't enough to ensure their passage into the next round.
Anna Chakvetadze pushed former world No.1 Lindsay Davenport to the very limit while Maria Kirilenko surrendered her title to Chinese wildcard Peng Shuai. Joining them in a teenagers' exodus Wednesday was Czech phenom Nicole Vaidisova, who bowed out against Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama.
In a see-sawing battle, Chakvetadze broke Davenport's serve seven times, although she dropped her own delivery on six occasions. With the duo's match stats virtually identical across the board, the Moscow native's 13 double faults proved costly. In the end, Davenport, making her Beijing debut and a semifinalist in Bali last week, won a single point more than Chakvetadze over the entire match - 120 to 119 - scraping into the second round with a 76(4) 36 75 win.
"I'm happy to have gotten through," said Davenport, who takes on China's Zheng Jie for a spot in the quarterfinals. "It was a difficult match and a close one as well. My opponent played really well; I'm happy to play again tomorrow."
On playing Zheng on Thursday: "Zheng is a good player, and a top player in China. Hopefully, I can play better tomorrow, and I hope it will be a great match."
Earlier, local wildcard Peng Shuai thrilled her home crowd with a 57 64 62 win over No.8-seeded defending champion Maria Kirilenko. Peng, a quarterfinalist here last year, assured herself of at least the same result in 2006, coming from behind to score her third Top 30 victory of the season.
"I was able to fight thanks to the home crowd," said Peng, who meets Sugiyama in the quarterfinals. "Even after I lost the first set, I still had the support. I never gave up."
Kirilenko, who notched her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title here last year, was naturally disappointed to fall so early in her title defense.
"My first two sets were not bad, and I did take some chances," said Kirilenko. "It became hard for me in the third set; my opponent played really well, and I made some mistakes as well."
Seventeen-year-old Vaidisova, the No.4 seed and recipient of a first-round bye, stumbled in her China Open debut, falling to 31-year-old Sugiyama, 64 16 63. Vaidisova, a semifinalist at Roland Garros and winner of the Strasbourg title in May, has failed to reach the quarterfinals in three events since debuting in the Top 10 on August 7.
No.2 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, fresh from a third victory at the Wismilak International in Bali on Sunday, extended her win streak to five matches with an easier-than-expected victory over Jelena Kostanic.
World No.5 Kuznetsova, the 2004 China Open runner-up, completed just three games and 22 minutes of her match when the Croatian left-hander retired with a right thigh strain. Kostanic injured her leg in the first game of the match, and while she battled on for a couple of games it quickly became apparent she wouldn't be able to finish the match.
In the quarterfinals, Kuznetsova could face Chinese No.7 seed Li Na, who burst to prominence at this event two years ago with a stirring performance against none other than Kuznetsova.
In the second round here in 2004, Li, then-ranked No.193, saved three match points in the second set against the Russian, who had just won the US Open. In the third set, Li held two match points of her own before falling 63 67(6) 76(3). The following week, Li became China's first-ever Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles champion, claiming the Guangzhou title. Li meets Russian rising star Elena Vesnina in second-round action on Thursday.
In the only other singles match contested on Wednesday, Bali runner-up Marion Bartoli continued her good form with a routine 63 63 win over Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues.
The doubles event was not immune to the upsets that plagued the singles draw on Day 3, with top seeds and local stars Yan Zi and Zheng Jie tumbling out in the first round.
While it was a bad day for Yan and Zheng, Peng's good day became even better when she teamed with Russian Vera Zvonareva to oust the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champions, 46 63 63.
-- WTA
Courier, Martin Win Openers at Seniors Charlotte
Americans Jim Courier and Todd Martin took an early lead on Day One at the Outback Champions Tour stop in Charlotte, NC, improving to 1-0 in round robin play Wednesday.
Courier had an easy time defeating fellow American Aaron Krickstein 6-2, 6-2, while Martin overcame a tough first set to beat Aussie Pat Cash 7-6(5), 6-3.
Scheduled for Thursday in Charlotte are John McEnroe vs. Jimmy Arias, and Sergi Brugera vs. Wayne Ferreira.
WORLD SENIOR RANKINGS presented by Tennis-X.com
(Top 10 through Sept. 17, 2006)
1. Marcelo Rios (2000 pts.)
2. John McEnroe (965)
3. Thomas Muster (875)
4. Cedric Pioline (850)
5. Sergi Bruguera (790)
6. Pat Cash (670)
7. Jim Courier (600)
8. Goran Ivanisevic (575)
9. Richard Krajicek (480)
10T. Renzo Furlan (400)
10T. Todd Martin (400)
10T. Car-Uwe Steeb (400)
The World Senior Rankings presented by Tennis-X.com is a cumulative ranking for senior tour players combining results from the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions in Europe, and the Outback Champions Series in the U.S.
Inconsistent Hingis Into Kolkata Quarters
KOLKATA, India -- Martina Hingis made another good impression in her first tournament on Indian soil. The No.1 seed defeated Israel's Tzipora Obziler, 62 75, to enter the quarterfinals of the Sunfeast Open 2006.
Hingis controlled the first set but struggled with her consistency in the second. Obziler managed a break in the seventh game to even the set at 4. Hingis gave up five break points in the ensuing game and fell behind 5-4. But the former world No.1 regained control after that. She held serve, notched a break at 5-5 and served out the match to love.
"I was having problems with consistency in the second set," Hingis said. "In the first set I was on top of things, but I let her back in, was hitting the ball a little short and she stopped making errors."
"I think sometimes it's just in the head," Hingis added. "There was no reason that I wasn't playing as well in the second set. I had so many chances in the 4-4 game, but couldn't get the break. The last game on my serve was almost perfect with four first serves and backhand winners. I almost couldn't play a better game than that. So why I couldn't play that well a few games earlier, I don't know."
Hingis next faces Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn, who defeated American Abigail Spears, 26 64 62, on Wednesday.
"I've played her a couple of times," Hingis said. "Actually, she's played two almost three-hour matches here plus doubles, so hopefully she'll be tired (laughs)."
The two faced each other three times over the past eight years and Hingis always prevailed in straight sets. Tanasugarn, who was born in Los Angeles but resides in Bangkok, won her lone Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title three years ago at another Indian tournament, Hyderabad.
No.4 seed Aravane Rezai eliminated Tatiana Poutchek, 61 62, and will next play either Sandra Kloesel or Sania Mirza. Rezai seems to be in excellent hardcourt form, as she defeated Top 20 stars Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Elena Dementieva two weeks ago en route to the US Open quarterfinals.
-- WTA
German Muller Regroups for QF Effort at Portoroz
PORTOROZ, Slovenia -- It was a wicked Wednesday for seeded players at the $145,000 Banka Koper Slovenia Open, with all three seeds in action winning through to the quarterfinal round. The top half of the singles draw contested the second round on a sunny day at the SRC Marina.
Martina Muller, the No.4 seed at the Tier IV event, regrouped from a second set loss in her match to grab her 37th win of the year, 64 36 63, over lucky loser Renata Voracova.
Muller has been one of the fastest climbers on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour this season, beginning outside the Top 100 but recently making her career Top 50 and Top 40 debuts; she comes into this event ranked No.38 in the world. The rise can be largely attributed to four ITF Women's Circuit singles title runs, including two at the $75,000 level, but the German has also made quite a bit of noise on the Tour, reaching the semifinals of Budapest and notching her career-first Top 10 victory in the spring, defeating Patty Schnyder in Strasbourg.
With the early departures of top seed Katarina Srebotnik and No.3 seed Sybille Bammer, and with the pre-tournament withdrawal of Mara Santangelo, who was to be the No.2 seed, Muller is now, on paper, the tournament favorite.
Maria Elena Camerin and Tathiana Garbin made it 3-0 for seeds, the former taking down Bulgarian teen Tsvetana Pironkova, 63 63, and the latter dispatching of Switzerland's Emmanuelle Gagliardi in three sets, 63 26 62. The No.6-seeded Camerin is through to her fourth quarterfinal of the year, having gone 1-2 in her first three, reaching the semis at Forest Hills; the No.8-seeded Garbin will play her second quarterfinal of the year, having made it all the way to the Palermo final but losing to Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Martina Sucha was the only unseeded player to reach the quarters Wednesday, defeating fellow non-seed Maret Ani, 63 64. Sucha is a one-time runner-up (Rabat) and two-time quarterfinalist in 2006; she was responsible for Srebotnik's departure this week.
One first round match that was postponed from Tuesday due to darkness was also played. Georgian wild card Margalita Chakhnashvili beat Czech lucky loser Lucie Hradecka, 63 64.
The remaining four second round matches will take the court on Thursday, as No.5 seed Romina Oprandi faces Slovenian wild card Andreja Klepac; No.7 seed Emilie Loit takes on Zuzana Ondraskova; No.9 seed Jarmila Gajdosova faces Chakhnashvili; and Iveta Benesova plays Austrian wild card Tamira Paszek.
-- WTA
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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Reportedly no players have pulled yet from the ATP stop in Bangkok even though there was a government coup toppling the president on Tuesday: "The Thailand Open organizing committee assures players, officials and visitors that Thailand remains a safe and peaceful country, and we warmly welcome you," said Brian L. Marcar, vice chairman of the organizing committee. Organizers said so far no tennis players had announced their withdrawal." -- Now how many American voters are thinking "If only..."...From Pravda in Russia: "Russian tennis star Anastacia Myskina acknowledged that she wanted to have a baby. The statement released by one of the most talented tennis players in the world means that Russia can lose Myskina in sport for several years. In her interview with the Tvoy Den (Your Day) newspaper, Anastasia Myskina said that she wanted to have a baby, but had not found the right man to help her fulfill her maternal wish. Myskina shared another secret of her private life and said that she had feelings towards a US athlete, James Blake. No one has been able to ask Blake's opinion on the matter yet. Anastasia Myskina rejected the rumours about her love affair with Russian hockey player Alexander Stepanov. "I know that many were talking about my relationship with Alexander Stepanov. However, we are only friends. I love hockey, I'm a fan of Ak Bars hockey team. There were also rumours about my affair with Australian tennis player Jurgen Melzer. He is also a good friend of mine, nothing more," Myskina said. Anastasia Myskina will not be able to play tennis for at least two more weeks. "I have had terrible pains in the right foot for a month already. Before the US Open started doctors recommended to change tennis shoes to relieve the pain. I took the advice seriously and I lost."...Shikha Uberoi tells PTI that the Indian media should focus on the crappy players too and not just Sania Mirza: "I think the media should treat every player equally. They should highlight the achievements and talents of every deserving player," says Shikha, India's number two women's tennis star. The 23-year-old has no reservation in acknowledging Sania's greatness and her contribution to Indian tennis. "She has done well. So, it is natural that she will get more attention. But it's definitely very difficult when the young talents see that you (the media) are only focussing on Sania, and their talents are not being recognished," Shikha said. The world number 193, however, felt that it was for the media to put things in perspective. "I, or the other players, can't do anything about it," said the US-based player...Roger Federer's buddy Tiger Woods is all hot and bothered about an Irish magazine and a tabloid that linked photos of his wife to various pornography sites...From Reuters: "Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are to play an exhibition match in Seoul in November, officials at a South Korean sports marketing company said on Wednesday. Swiss world number one Federer has won three of the year's four grand slams and is already assured of ending the year at the top of the rankings, the ATP announced earlier this month. His only grand slam defeat of 2006 was to Spanish world number two Nadal in the French Open final. "We have prepared for the match since last year and two months ago we reached an agreement with them to hold the match in Seoul on November 23," Sema Sports Marketing president Lee Seung-hwan told Yonhap news agency."...From Frank DeFord writing for SI.com: "And suppose, just suppose, that Roger Federer had come from Maryland instead of Switzerland. Why, our kid from Bethesda would already have a new Cadillac model named after him, and Paris Hilton and Joe Lieberman would be leading the new American tennis boom. Instead, when Federer, the defending champion, four-time Wimbledon winner, played a key match at the U.S. Open a couple of weeks ago, the U.S. Tennis Association put him on the lounge court, while scheduling an American, James Blake, in the stadium. Blake, to use that wonderful British word, is a "useful" player; Federer may be the greatest artist in the history of his sport."...From the blogging Jelena Jankovic: "One thing I'm really enjoying here is all of the free gifts the tournament gives to players. In my hotel room there was a little silk dress that you're supposed to put on your cell phone. Of course, I put it on my Sony Ericsson phone. It looks quite nice. But I have to get the phone out of the dress every time it rings, which can be a problem. But, I like dressing it up. I should get some more outfits, so my phone and I can match!"...Lleyton Hewitt speaking to The Australian on defending his need for security guards for the Davis Cup tie in Argentina: "In terms of security, there's only two guys with us for the whole team. They're two guys I've known since I was 16. Obviously, I trust them a lot and they travel with me to a lot of events and a lot of tournaments. In terms of that, it doesn't have a great deal to do with probably Argentina. I think Tennis Australia probably looked at it as a whole before coming over and made the decision to take two security guards just for our team and I think that was the right thing to do. It's not like they've made a big scene or anything. It's basically just looking after the team and I don't think it's a whole heap different to a situation where we've gone to Spain or Brazil or these countries that we've played big matches in the past."...Mahesh Bhupathi on pairing with "best bud" Leander Paes to make a run at the 2008 Olympics doubles title: "We did that before the Athens Olympics and might do so before the Beijing Games too. For now, [Mario] Ancic and I will be playing the Mumbai ATP next week. But he is a top player and wants to concentrate on his singles career. I am looking at a long-term partner. There are a few names in my mind, but I would not like to discuss those before it is finalized."...From The Sun: "Greg Rusedski insists he wants to end his 15-year tennis career on a high. But Great Britain's Davis Cup clash against Ukraine, which starts here tomorrow, could be his last-ever competitive match-up. He is unlikely to play in another ATP tour event. So if Rusedski, 33, continues to struggle with the hip injury that has wrecked his year, then the Euro-Africa Zone clash will definitely be the end. Rusedski, who last played in the US Open first-round defeat by Tim Henman, said: "I have already pulled out of my next few singles tournaments and I will now see how I feel after this weekend. I know I am getting close to hanging up my racket. Maybe I will have one more time in the Davis Cup. I would love to say goodbye in Britain. If we win here, it?s possible that I might not play again until the Davis Cup next year. But I will see how this tie goes and then decide."...Guillermo Coria and coach Horacio de la Pena have parted after six weeks: "He is not ready to start a full-time project. There are some days in which he is very focused, very concentrated, but some others he is not," De la Pena told Ole newspaper. "I have two academies in Santiago (Chile), a project with the Chilean government and 25 tennis clinics. I was also ready to risk and set-up a full project, but he is not ready. It's time to re-order things in his head. Perhaps the reason is a personal problem, so I would not ask too much. He will have to take the decision, so I can risk everything to start a strong plan with him. He has lots of hours of tennis and physical preparation missing and he has to have the will to do it." -- That shoulder is screwed, congrats Guillermo for going for the cash-grab a couple years ago and coming back from shoulder surgery way too early (ignoring your coach and doctor) at the Masters Cup...From Charleston.com: "Welcome back to the Davis Cup television debate. The Davis Cup era of ESPN coverage was really nice. Everyone with cable, whether Comcast or Knology, or whatever, could watch our American stars take on the world. But those days went away earlier this year when the USTA made the announcement that ESPN no longer would telecast the Davis Cup, but instead The Tennis Channel and the OLN are taking over Davis Cup telecasts. If you missed it, the U.S. team of Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan brothers are in Moscow for a Friday-Sunday match against the Russians. Live coverage will only be seen on OLN (2 p.m. each day), with The Tennis Channel showing taped versions later in the day (8 p.m.). Anyone with basic Comcast can hook up with OLN on Channel 56, since Comcast owns OLN. But OLN isn't available on Knology, whether basic or digital, according to its service department. The Tennis Channel is available on Knology for about $20 extra per month. But I'm not very big on taped tennis or on paying extra fees for service that should be on basic cable."
Also see:
There is No "I" in "Team" for U.S. Davis Cup Squad
http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2006-09-20/c.php