Nadal, Ivanovic, Morigami Win Titles; Federer Dumps Coach

Posted on May 14, 2007

WEEKEND ROUND-UP:

Internazionali BNL d'Italia
Rome, Italy

Singles Final:
(2) Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. (6) Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles Final:
(6) Santoro/Zimonjic (FRA/SRB) d. (1) Bryan/Bryan (USA) 6-4, 6-7(4), 10-7

Nadal stretches the all-time surface streak to 77 on clay, becoming the first player to win three Rome titles in a row, and claiming his fourth title of the year. "My special goal today was playing a little bit more aggressive than yesterday," Nadal said. "I think I am in the best moment in my career, playing better than ever, so very happy for that. Very, very happy. I work very hard the last year and, well, when you work hard it's important someday feeling like this." In the doubles final The Magician/Zimonjic snap the 17-match win streak of the Bryans in the doubles final.

Qatar Telecom German Open
Berlin, Germany

Singles Final:
(12) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4)

Doubles Final:
(1) Raymond/Stosur (USA/AUS) d. Garbin/Vinci (ITA) 6-3, 6-4

Ivanovic cracks the Top 10 after the title, with Kuznetsova ousting world No. 1 Justine Henin in the semifinals. Kuzy is 8-10 in career finals, and 0-3 this year, nice clutch play.

ECM Prague Open
Prague, Czech Republic

Singles Final:
(6) Akiko Morigami (JPN) d. (1) Marion Bartoli (FRA) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles Final:
Cetkovska/Hlavackova (CZE) d. Ji/S.Sun (CHN) 7-6(7), 6-2

Morigami wins her first tour title, beating Bartoli for the first time in three meetings. It was the second time in tour history where two players who hitting with two hands on both sides faced off. "I wasn't moving well because of my injury but sometimes this is how it goes," Bartoli said. "But Akiko played well, and definitely deserved to win. And although I lost the final, I'm happy with my week and reaching my first final of the year."

THIS WEEK:

Masters Series Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany

Top 8 Seeds:
1. Roger Federer
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Nikolay Davydenko
4. Novak Djokovic
5. Fernando Gonzalez
6. Tommy Robredo
7. Ivan Ljubicic
8. James Blake

Early-Round Matches to Watch:
(15) Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Marat Safin (2nd rd.), Carlos Moya vs. Mardy Fish (1st), (6) Robredo vs. Nicolas Almagro (2nd), (9) Andy Murray vs. Filippo Volandri (1st), (16) Lleyton Hewitt vs. Agustin Calleri (1st), Guillermo Canas vs. Juan Ignacio Chela, (11) Richard Gasquet vs. Gaston Gaudio.

Internazionali BNL d'Italia
Rome, Italy

Top 8 Seeds:
1. Amelie Mauresmo
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova
3. Jelena Jankovic
4. Nicole Vaidisova
5. Nadia Petrova
6. Dinara Safina
7. Anna Chakvetadze
8. Serena Williams

Early-Round Matches to Watch:
None

Grand Prix de Sar La Princesse Lalla Meryem
Fes, Morocco

Top Seeds:
1. Sania Mirza
2. Virginie Razzano
3. Anastasia Rodionova
4. Jill Craybas
5. Vania King
6. Camille Pin
7. Anne Kremer
8. Jamila Gajdosova

Early-Round Matches to Watch:
None

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
All those TV shots of Roger Federer playing tentatively on clay and cuts of Tony Roche shaking his head in the stands obviously built to a head when Saturday the Swiss announced he is splitting with his part-time coach, once again traveling coach-less. Federer first started working with Roche right before the 2005 Aussie Open. From Barry Flatman of The Australian: "Roche tried to instill a greater need to attack the net into [Ivan] Lendl's game and augment a forceful and accurate serve with a sharp volley. Other aspects of the solid baseline approach became compromised, resulting in failure and confusion. The same has seemed apparent with Federer on clay and lengthy twice-daily sessions of repetitive drilling on specific clay technique have had a strange and surprising effect. Whereas Federer's aura had intimidated opponents, his unease with the way he is trying to play is obvious. He is clearly trying to hit the ball with more spin on the forehand and also trying to employ the drop shot, which has never previously been his tactic. But it his movement that is causing most concern. Federer's normally outstanding timing is undeniably awry and he appears to be getting to the ball fractionally late."...Rafael Nadal is 21-3 in career finals...From News.com.au: "GIRLS, lock up your mums -- looks like the Scud is on the prowl again and he may have his sights set on an older demographic. Newly single tennis champ Mark Philippoussis is reportedly preparing to appear on a new US dating show, Age of Love. While producers are remaining silent on a twist to the show, People magazine describes it as "a summer Bachelor-esque series...a mating game (where) half the women are in their 20s and half are in their 40s." The show is being produced by those behind the original American version of The Biggest Loser." -- Appropriate...Maria Sharapova is reportedly very doubtful for the French Open with her shoulder problem...CBS is continuing its 40-year history as a broadcaster of the US Open, signing a deal with the USTA for coverage through 2011, a deal that including US Open Series event coverage will mean 50 hours of program coverage annually...From the AP: "Temple University was placed on two years' probation by the NCAA on Thursday for violations that involved fired men's tennis coach Bill Hoehne. Hoehne went to great lengths to hide the fact that he was using an ineligible athlete, telling a student to compete under someone else's name, the NCAA said."...Holden Seguso, son of four-time Grand Slam doubles champion Robert Seguso and former Canadian tennis star Carling Bassett-Seguso, has signed a letter of intent to UCLA...Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor, doubles partners for 13 years, are reported to be splitting after Wimbledon, with Nestor teaming with Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia...Martina Hingis has pulled from Rome citing a back injury, and also struggling with her hip, not good approaching the only Slam she has never won...A testy Roger Federer when asked to analyze his loss after getting dumped in straight sets in Rome by Filippo Volandri: "Not going to do it here. Why should I discuss it here with you five minutes after the match? I have to analyze it myself. I'm just here to answer a couple questions and go back to the practice courts. Not much you can say right now."...From the Blackrock Tour of Champions this week in Rome: "John McEnroe sat courtside and watched in awe as Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic for his 75th successive clay court match on Friday, tying the American's record for the most consecutive match-victories on a given surface. McEnroe had a 75-match winning streak on indoor carpet between September 1983 and April 1985. Afterwards McEnroe, who is in Rome to compete on the BlackRock Tour of Champions which culminates in the BlackRock Masters Tennis at London's Royal Albert Hall in December, said that Nadal looked invincible on clay. "The guy seems like he's unbeatable right now," said McEnroe. "Doesn't he ever have a bad day or a headache once in a while or something? His intensity and quality level is just amazing."...An SI.com reader on who is more dominant, Roger Federer or Tiger Woods: "The answer is pretty simple. Just look at Rafael Nadal, Federer's archrival, and his high level of fitness and sculpted arms, and compare him to Phil Mickelson, Woods's archrival, with his puffy face and man-breasts." and "Stop calling golf a sport. Will you? Golf is a game like monopoly, whereas tennis is a sport like soccer. Once again, for the benefit of those who do not understand the difference: run/jump/swim/get tired -- is SPORT; whereas roll/dice/shuffle a deck of cards/count money in Monopoly/swing a club and walk leisurely smoking a cigar while someone else carries your clubs -- is GAME. So now let's talk about who was/is more dominant Roger or Michael Jordan? Now that's a comparison "SPORT vs. SPORT." Enough said."...The Tennis Channel will be offered to 50 million homes during the French Open on various cable and satellite platforms during a free preview of the channel -- smart...Maria Sharpaova pulled from Rome with a shoulder injury...Nikolay Davydenko when asked if Filippo Volandri can beat Tomas Berdych after outing Roger Federer in Rome: "Everyone can beat Berdych. I can beat also Berdych. I think I beat always Berdych. No, I say, you know, like everybody can beat me. Why not? You tell me the questions can Volandri can beat Berdych? Why not? If he beat Federer he can beat Berdych also."

Also see:

Bellamy Launches The Ski Channel, But Still Hitting Forehands
http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2007-05-11/q.php

The Federer Slide Continues on the Slippery Clay
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2007-05-11/163.php