Sampras Wins Title, Clijsters Retires

Posted on May 7, 2007

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

JandS Cup
Warsaw, Poland

Singles Final:
(1) Justine Henin (BEL) d. Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles Final:
Dushevina/Perebiynis (RUS/UKR) d. (2) Likhovtseva/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) 7-5, 3-6, 10-2

Henin captures the rain-delayed Monday final, but Belgian countrywoman Clijsters tops her in the news by announcing her immediate retirement.


Estoril Open
Estoril, Portugal

Singles Final:
(Q) Greta Arn (GER) d. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3)

Doubles Final:
(4) Ehritt-Vanc/Rodionova (ROU/RUS) d. Domínguez Lino/Parra Santonja (ESP/ESP) 6-3, 6-2

The 28-year-old Arn wins her first career singles title after previously never surpassing the quarters at any tour event during her career.

Estoril Open
Estoril, Portugal

Singles Final:
(3) Novak Djokovic (SRB) d. (5) Richard Gasquet (FRA) 7-6(7), 0-6, 6-1

Doubles Final:
Melo/Sa (BRA) d. M.Garcia/Prieto (ARG) 3-6, 6-2, 10-6

The 19-year-old Djokovic continues his tear with his third title of the year, beating the 20-year-old Gasquet who continues to look for that champion mentality. "I think I am not lucky because I had 5 or 6 set points maybe, I don't know," Gasquet said. "Every point was bad for me, because he touched the line or was not far from the line, so it was not easy for me."

BMW OPEN BY FWU AG
Munich, Germany

Singles Final:
Phillip Kohlschreiber (GER) d. (3) Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4

Doubles Final:
Kohlschreiber/Youzhny (GER/RUS) d. Hajek/Levinsky (CZE) 6-1, 6-4

The unseeded Kohlschreiber becomes the first German to win the BMW Open since 1994, beating his doubles partner in the final then teaming with Youzhny to also capture the doubles title. Michael Stich was the last German to capture the Munich title (d. Korda) 13 years ago.

Champions Cup Boston
Boston, MA, USA

Singles Final:
Pete Sampras d. Todd Martin 6-3, 5-7, 11-9

Sampras win in his senior debut, beating John McEnroe along the way and in the final saving three match points against Martin. In the third-place playoff, McEnroe beat Jim Courier 6-2, 6-3. "It would be have been nice if I'd have played as well against Pete (as Courier)," McEnroe said. "Of course, Pete had something to do with throwing me off. He's so difficult to get rhythm and deal with -- he doesn't give you a chance to get into a groove."

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Kim Clijsters announced her immediate retirement after losing in Warsaw: "I couldn't have asked for a better farewell than I did in Antwerp this year and trying to play after that was proving even more difficult, with the injuries that wouldn't go away and knowing life after tennis was drawing nearer, it became harder to push myself to compete...I hope people won't be too sad now that I've decided to stop playing tennis. A new chapter in my life is about to begin and I hope I'll see everyone somewhere down the line. Remember whatever you do, do it with a smile on your face."...John McEnroe on the Artois Tennis Podcast on ATP players competing without shirts: "I'd be up for that. It would show up the guys who aren't in shape."...John McEnroe plays a murder suspect on an episode of 'CSI: NY' that airs in May...Venus Williams and PGA Tour player Hank Kuehne say they are just "friends," even though they have been spending a lot of time together and showing up to support each other at tennis and golf events. "It's always nice to have support, friends and family out here, walking around with me," Kuehne told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It makes things nice. It's always good to have people you're closest to out here...I've been to one [tennis] event. So I definitely keep up with how she does. We just try to figure it out and support each other when we can."...From the Prague Post: "The current ATP tournament system is dominated by 13 top events that are essential for players' world rankings: the Grand Slams and the so-called Super 9 events." -- Super 9 events? Feel free to join the 21st century. At least they didn't call them Grand Prix events. Also from the Post, bemoaning their event's Challenger status after previously hosting a tour event: "The last time Prague hosted star players was in 1998, when Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, formerly the world's top-ranked player, appeared on the Stvanice clay, and Andre Agassi made an appearance in Ostrava, north Moravia. At the time, Agassi was paid $200,000 -- far more than organizers can afford to pay anyone these days." -- Hey, if you guys got Agassi to come to Ostrava for only $200K, you should consider that a bargain...Joel Drucker writing for ESPN: "Today's players keep their heads in the sand, only emerging when something they personally value is endangered. Bless their tennis skills, but Federer, Nadal and Williams are hardly likely to take the steps to truly lead their colleagues. As nuanced as players are at seeing the court, it's a shame that so many today aren't willing to take the time to grasp how this sport fits into a broader cultural and economic picture."...Rafael Nadal sent another message to rival Roger Federer at the "Battle of the Surfaces" exhibition in Mallorca, Spain, winning 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(10) on the half-clay, half-grass court constructed for the event. In official play Federer has won 48 consecutive matches on grass, while Nadal has won 72 straight matches on clay. Changeovers were extended to two minutes instead of the usual 90 seconds during the exhibition to give players a chance to change their footwear for each surface...At the WTA event in Warsaw it started snowing during one of Elena Dementieva's matches: "It was very difficult conditions. It was freezing out there and I've never played with snow in my life."...From the AP on Pete Sampras' senior tour win on Sunday in Boston: "For Pete Sampras, it was a day to live dangerously. First, the future Hall of Famer faced a triple match point against Todd Martin in the final of the Champion's Cup event at Boston University on Sunday. Then, between beating Martin and grabbing the first-prize check of $50,000, Sampras shared some bad news with the Red Sox fans in the crowd. "I don't know if you guys heard, but I believe the New York Yankees just signed Roger Clemens," Sampras said during the trophy ceremony as the crowd of 3,560 erupted in boos. "I'm serious."...Serena Williams withdrew from the German Open in Berlin citing a groin injury...Roger Federer has been named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World...American Angela Haynes speaking to Florida Today: "By 25, I want to be in the Top 50. If I'm not in the Top 100, then I think I'm done."