Schalken Wins at Brazil, Sanchez Wins at Bucharest, Davis Cup This Weekend

ATP REVIEW/PREVIEW
No. 2-seeded Sjeng Schalken rebounded from his piss-poor showing at the US Open against Andy Roddick to defeat top-seeded Rainer Schuettler 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday to win the Brasil Open for his third title this season. The Dutchman is 3-0 vs. Schuettler in 2003, and has now won titles on clay, grass, and hardcourt this year. "This was a great event with important players in the draw such as Guga, Schuettler, Gonzalez and others," Schalken said. "It is very important for me and I am very proud to be part of that stat of the only player together with Agassi (and Corretja) to have won on all continents." Way to talk up the weak field. During the trophy presentation, Schalken announced to the Brazilian crowd that he is getting married to his fiancé Ricky Pfennings, who watched the match from the stands. The doubles final was Perry/Shimada d. Humphries/Merklein 6-2, 6-4.

In the Monday morning Bucharest final, pushed back due to rain, No. 4-seeded Spaniard David Sanchez drubbed No. 2-seeded Chilean Nicolas Massu 6-2, 6-2 for his second title on the year in his second final. "This title is very good for my confidence," Sanchez said. "Today I was much more calm on the court. I didn't give him any chance to make a comeback. I think I deserve the victory. It's a little bit strange to win this title. I played two tough matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Yesterday I played my friend Acasuso and I was a little bit lucky to save four match points. But it shows when you fight you always have a chance." In the doubles final, the unseeded team of Karsten Braasch and Sargis Sargsian won their first title together, defeating No. 3 seeded Simon Aspelin and Jeff Coetzee 7-6(7), 6-2.

This is a Davis Cup week, and Tennis-X.com will be previewing matches each day until the start of the World Group semifinals and the World Group qualifying rounds on Friday.

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
In the Sunday Bali final, top-seeded Chanda Rubin looked dazed and confused as she received a merciless beating 6-1, 6-2 at the hands of No. 2 seed Elena Dementieva. "This is my best match of the year," said Dementieva, who broke the American right off the bat in both sets, and closed the deal in just over an hour. "I am usually a slow starter but today I did it from the beginning." Rubin had beaten Dementieva in two of their three previous meetings, but this time never gave herself a chance with a bevy of unforced errors. It was the second title in two finals this year for Dementieva. In the doubles final, top seeds Vento-Kabchi/Widjaja beat Loit/Pratt 7-5, 6-2.

In action Monday at Shanghai (see tournament preview) are Molik vs. Pennetta, Black vs. Harkleroad, and Safina vs. Gagliardi.

2003 SINGLES TITLE LEADERS (through Sept. 14)
7--Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL)
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6--Kim Clijsters (BEL)
6--Andy Roddick (USA)
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5--Roger Federer (SUI)
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4--Andre Agassi (USA)
4--Guillermo Coria (ARG)
4--Serena Williams (USA)

2003 DOUBLES TEAM TITLE LEADERS (through Sept. 14)
6--K.Clijsters/A.Sugiyama (BEL/JPN)
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5--M.Knowles/D.Nestor (BAH/CAN)
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4--B.Bryan/M.Bryan (USA)
4--S.Kuznetsova/M.Navratilova (RUS/USA)

NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
Yetunde Price, 31, older sister of Venus and Serena Williams, was shot and killed shortly after midnight Sunday in the Los Angeles suburb of Compton. Price worked as a personal assistant to the sisters, Tennis-X send best wishes to the Williams family...Here's a great-horrible line from this week's WTA press release: "Two of the world's Top 21 and four of the Top 20 are in Shanghai this week for the Polo Open Shanghai." Wha? Nice math, how do these people get jobs?...Paper No. 1 Kim Clijsters spends her sixth weak in the top spot this weak...Bob Brett, the former Australian player who has coached a veritable all-star team of men's stars from Boris Becker to Goran Ivanisevic, is coaching 16-year-old Russian Sergei Bubka, son of the great Russian pole vaulter...The Florida Sun-Sentinel's Charlie Bricker: "Every coach you talk to about Alexandra Stevenson will tell you the same thing: that despite her 9-20 record for the year and her 4-17 record in Grand Slams since making the 1999 Wimbledon semis, she's extremely talented and that the only way she fully exploits her potential is to tell Mom to stay home and get completely out of the coaching picture."...David Nalbandian says he will rest his injured wrist for nearly a month...Jennifer Capriati pulled from Shanghai next week with a shoulder injury, didn't hear about any shoulder problems at the US Open, guess that plane trip didn't look too attractive...Chanda Rubin is now a career 7-10 in finals, and Elena Dementieva is 2-4...Apparently Kim Clijsters is shutting out the media, posting on her website: "In agreement with Kim Clijsters, those in her entourage have decided to observe a silence with respect to the press, for an undetermined duration. It seems obvious that several newspapers and magazines will be from now on 'persona non grata,' because of their disparaging columns and other 'sensational' articles, whose goal is to gain a reaction from Kim and her entourage. People who wish to increase their circulation by this manner can go on their way, they are no longer welcome." That will be a welcome silence, except for nutty father Leo, who we always like to hear from -- give us a call Leo...Next year the ATP Brazil Open will moves dates and surfaces, becoming part of the early South American claycourt swing in February.