Andy “The Closer” Roddick clinches for the U.S. in the first match on Sunday, beating Paul Capdeville in four sets. Chile got its only live point on Day One when Capdeville turned his match against John Isner into a fitness contest, beating Big John from two sets down. Roddick opened with a win over Nicolas Massu on Day One, and the Bryan brothers won the Saturday doubles point for the U.S., which will next host Spain.

Notes: Troubled former No. 1 Dinara Safina floats seedlessly in the draw, starting against China’s Xinyun Han, then a possible meeting with (5) Safarova; (8) Jovanovski a tough start against Tanasugarn, and (1) Schiavone vs. Dokic; last year Kleybanova beat the now-retired Elena Dementieva to win her first WTA title in Kuala Lumpur.

The list of floaters almost as impressive as the seed list; tough openers include Kirilenko vs. Cibulkova (winner to face (1) Wozniacki), (5) Schiavone vs. Kleybanova (winner to likely face Hantuchova), possible (3) Clijsters vs. Petrova 2nd rd., former world No. 2 Kuznetova vs. (WC) Dokic, winner to face (4) Stosur vs. Wickmayer winner, (6) Jankovic vs. Rezai, and (2) Zvonareva vs. winner of Pennetta vs. qualifier; 7 of the Top 10 players present in Sydney; Elena Dementieva (now retired) beat Serena Williams (now injured) in the 2010 final…Clijsters (2007, ’03) is the lone returning champ in the field, in addition to the 2008-05 runner-ups Kuznetsova (2008), Jankovic (2007), Schiavone (2006), and Stosur (2005); 11 former No. 1 players have won the Sydney title.

Wozniacki stands at No. 1 in the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships Singles Standings, meaning if the season ended today, she would be crowned the year-end No. 1 player.

“It’s overwhelming,” Paszek said. “I’m extremely happy. Anytime you win a tournament for the first time it’s very special. This is something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”

“I don’t see how I got a blister after sitting on my [expletive deleted] for two days,” Azarenka said.

Wozniacki will open against the winner of Oudin and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova; (7) Pennetta a tough start against Kleybanova; the French Open champ (3) Schiavone starts against former No. 1 (WC) Safina; (2) Stosur will likely start against the tough Zheng; tournament started in 1948 as the U.S. Women’s Hardcourt Championships; Wozniacki is the two-time defending champion.

Sharapova under stress in the third set lost her trademark “Byouooooooooo! Byouooooooooo!” shrieks when hitting the ball, looking for Clijsters to put her out of her misery, and graciously shaking hands and offering congratulations at the net.

Loaded non-seeded field with former No. 1s Ivanovic and Safina, and former No. 2 Kuznetsova unseeded; first-round match-ups of interest are (6) Bartoli vs. Hantuchova, (7) Peer vs. (WC) Ivanovic, (8) Wickmayer vs. Kuznetsova, and potential second-round match-ups after seeded byes (1) Jankovic vs. Rezai and Stosur vs. Azarenka or Oudin

Open De Nice Cote D’Azur Nice, France Surface: clay Seeds: Robin Soderling, Fernando Verdasco, Gael Monfils, Thomaz Bellucci, Marcos Baghdatis, Al Montanes, Michael Berrer, Lucasz Kubot ADHEREL Floaters: (WC) Mario Ancic, Richard Gasquet Notes: (5) Baghdatis opens against (WC) Ancic; possible (6) Montanes vs. Gasquet 2nd rd.; Nice replaces Kitzbuhel this year during this calendar […]

Usually the punisher, Venus was the punished on Sunday on the receiving end of Rezai’s baseline fury, rarely leaving a short ball anything short of a winner. Rezai has now beaten the elder Williams sister in two of their last three meetings. The unseeded Frenchwoman topped two former No. 1s in Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic en route to the final.

The Top 8 players in the world make up the top eight seeds in Madrid: Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Dinara Safina, Venus Williams, Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic and Sam Stosur.

The unseeded Henin defeated No. 8 seed Yanina Wickmayer and No. 4 Jelena Jankovic en route to the final.

Stosur improved to 2-5 in career finals, and became the first Aussie to win the Family Circle Cup title. Cracking 36 winners in the final, Stosur kept it to under an hour, and recorded her fifth win in a row over the Russian. Zvonareva was also the 2008 runner-up to Serena Williams, and falls to 10-12 in career finals.

HANNAH FANTASY: ‘ARE YOU TRYING TO SEDUCE ME MRS. STORM?’ — The wardrobe must be working. ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser was suspended for essentially saying workmate Hannah Storm dresses like a skank on The Mothership. Apparently American Sam Querrey doesn’t mind, as Sam tweeted, “ESPN’s Hannah Storm is a such a babe.” Kornheiser was suspended for the radio comment: “Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She’s got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt…way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now. She’s got on her typically very, very tight shirt. She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body…” Got to like those f-me boots, eh Sam?