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Del Potro, Djokovic coast through at Kooyong
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsDel Potro, Djokovic coast through at Kooyong
World number three Novak Djokovic and U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro kicked off their Australian Open preparations with easy first-round wins at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot against Tommy Haas of Germany at the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament in Melbourne January 13, 2010. [Agencies]
Del Potro cruised to a 6-3 6-3 victory over Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, before Serbian Djokovic made light work of experienced German Tommy Haas 6-2 6-3 at the eight-man invitational event.
Despite blustery conditions at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Del Potro was in fine touch for his first hit-out of the season, although he may hope for tougher encounters this week after Ljubicic repeatedly gifted him key points with unforced errors.
“The weather conditions were tough, a lot of wind,” Del Potro told reporters. “I returned very good, I served very good so that’s important for this kind of match, this kind of surface. It’s a good victory in the beginning of the season, of course.”
Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina waves to the crowd after defeating Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia at the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament in Melbourne January 13, 2010.[Agencies]
After breaking the 24th-ranked Croatian in the opening game, Del Potro cracked two forehand winners to set up two set points at 5-3, and was duly handed the set when his opponent double-faulted.
Ljubicic raised his game after conceding an early break in the second, clubbing three aces in a row to save two match points at 5-2, then prising a break-back point in the following game.
The towering Argentine, however, held serve with an ace and sealed the win on his fourth match point after the Croatian netted a forehand.
The 30-year-old Ljubicic, who took Roger Federer’s place after the world number one elected to skip his usual Australian Open warm-up, was philosophical about the loss despite spending most of the time between points frowning with his head bowed.
“It wasn’t all that bad actually. Probably the most disappointing thing is that I didn’t feel bad at all and I still lost 6-3 6-3,” he said. “Definitely, I will have to still improve with each match here.
The 2008 Australian Open champion Djokovic raced to a one-set lead after breaking 18th-ranked Haas early and carried the momentum into the second in a controlled display.
Fernando Verdasco of Spain and Fernando Gonzalez of Chile were scheduled to play later on Wednesday, before Swedish world number eight Robin Soderling’s match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France. -
Djokovic hopes to retire demons at Melbourne Park
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsDjokovic hopes to retire demons at Melbourne Park
Of the contenders striving for the year’s first grand slam at Melbourne Park, Novak Djokovic may have the keenest sense of the razor-thin line between hero and villain that haunts the world’s top athletes.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic listens to a question during a news conference, ahead of the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament, in Melbourne, January 12, 2010. [Agencies]
Two years ago, the Serbian number one was unstoppable Down Under, marching to his maiden grand slam title with a four-set win over French bolter Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The world hailed the then 20-year-old as a hero — and a man to break the grand slam hegemony of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Confetti rained down on him in his home town Belgrade.
Fast forward a year and the party ended abruptly, and more with a whimper than a bang.
Djokovic pulled the pin on his title defence in controversial fashion, retiring midway through a sweltering quarter-final bout against American Andy Roddick, citing heat exhaustion.
Critics seethed and the tag of “quitter” dogged Djokovic, who the previous year had blamed a blister for a retirement against Nadal during the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
A year on, and still chasing an elusive second grand slam title, his painful quarter-final exit at Melbourne remains seared in the Serbian’s memory.
In the lead-up to the two weeks of mental and physical stress that mark the season’s hottest grand slam, Djokovic conceded the incident was not purely down to fitness, as he had previously been at pains to emphasise.
“Definitely,” Djokovic told reporters, when asked whether the retirement would serve as motivation ahead of next week’s Open.
“I was facing the role of defending champion of a grand slam for the first time in my life.
“I was going through a lot of tough periods at the start of 2009. I didn’t feel 100 percent ready — physically ready, first of all — for the tournament.
“And then I changed the racket which has been a huge decision for my side. I think it all reflected on my game and on court … But this year is quite different and I just hope it won’t finish that way.”
PACKED SCHEDULE
As if in penance for last year’s breakdown, Djokovic promptly ploughed himself into a packed schedule.
When he came up for air after the season-ending ATP Tour Finals in London, he had played a tour-high 97 matches for the season, won five titles and made the final at another five tournaments.
After early exits at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows, however, Djokovic still remains esconced at number three in the world and the support act to the rolling Federer-Nadal revue.
While few could question the Serbian’s fitness and technique, question marks remain over his mental fortitude.
Emphatic wins over Federer and Nadal in November at the Swiss Indoors and Paris Masters respectively have proved he can mix it with the big boys on tour, but tennis is all about the majors.
To this end, American Todd Martin has been brought in alongside regular coach Marian Vajda to channel the driven Serbian’s mental game into a winning formula.
“I felt that after three years of cooperation with Marian Vajda I needed some freshness in the team, and I brought Todd Martin to our team which I think is a good decision because he is first of all a great person, very calm,” Djokovic said.
“And he brings his calmness to the team, it’s totally opposite from me … He knows what’s the deal on the court. he can help me a lot, he has a lot of experience.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic’s meticulous physical regime rolls on, with his first hit-out at Melbourne’s invitational Kooyong Classic this week following a fitness camp in the Middle East and 10 days of high-altitude training in the Italian Alps.
Apart from a second grand slam victory, the reward for all the hard work could be as much as the world number one ranking — if Swiss maestro Federer makes an unusually early departure.
And with that would come glory again for Djokovic, and a small measure of redemption. -
Zheng beats Peng in all-Chinese 2nd-rounder
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsZheng beats Peng in all-Chinese 2nd-rounder
Seventh-seeded Zheng Jie beat Chinese compatriot Peng Shuai 6-2, 6-1 Tuesday in a second-round match at the wind-blown Hobart International tennis tournament.
Fourth-seeded Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine defeated Alize Cornet of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 and will meet Zheng in the quarterfinals.
Eighth-seeded Gisela Dulko of Argentina also advanced to the Hobart quarterfinals for the second year in a row after beating Tamira Paszek of Austria 6-1, 0-6, 7-6 (5) in extremely windy conditions at the Domain Tennis Centre.
In the quarterfinals, Dulko will play top-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues, who beat Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a night match.
Dulko was upset enough with the gusty conditions that she said tournament officials should have a policy to call play off in strong winds.
“It was a point today, it was impossible to play tennis,” she said. “At the end of the second set, and almost all of the third set it was so tough _ you can’t play like this. I don’t think I’ve played tennis in worse conditions than this today.”
Points were interrupted several times as objects blew across the court and scoreboards were weighed down.
“It was really windy and everything was flying around on the court, I couldn’t serve, toss the ball,” Dulko added. -
Safina reaches quarters in Sydney WTA event
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsSafina reaches quarters in Sydney WTA event
Dinara Safina of Russia hits a return against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during the Sydney International tennis tournament January 12, 2010. Safina beats Radwanska 2-0. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Russian Dinara Safina has returned from a back injury with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland to reach the quarterfinals of the Sydney International WTA event.
Second-seeded Safina, runner-up at Sydney before her run to last year’s Australian Open final, lost the opening five games before winning nine straight to take the first set and go up a break in the second.
She was broken while serving for the match, but broke the No. 10-ranked Radwanska to finish the match.
Safina was playing for the first time since a back injury forced her out of the first round of the season-ending championship in October and cost her the year-end No. 1 ranking.
Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland hits a return to Dinara Safina of Russia during the Sydney International tennis tournament January 12, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) -
Lubjicic enters for Kooyong Classic invitational event
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsLubjicic enters for Kooyong Classic invitational event
Croat Ivan Ljubicic has signed in for this week’s Kooyong Classic after defending champion Roger Federer chose to skip his traditional warm-up event prior to the Australian Open.
The 30-year-old Ljubicic took the final spot at the eight-man field of the Melbourne invitational event, boasting world number three Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Argentina’s U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.
“I’m full of hopes, full of expectations, feeling good and I’m really looking forward to the new season,” said Ljubicic, who captured nine titles in career.
Swede Robin Soderling, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez and experienced German Tommy Haas will also lineup in the event. -
Serena, Safina reach quarters in Sydney
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsSerena, Safina reach quarters in Sydney
Top seed Serena Williams started her Australian Open title defence with a comfortable victory over Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-2, 6-2 in a warm-up event in Sydney on Tuesday.
The American needed only 72 minutes in her first competitive match this season for a place in the quarterfinals of the Sydney International, a traditional warm-up event for the season’s first Grand Slam.
“It was a good workout,” Williams said. “It was definitely getting hotter the longer I stayed out. I need to play in the heat as much as I can, so it was OK.”
Earlier, Russian Dinara Safina also reached the quarterfinals after a 7-5, 6-4 win over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
Second-seeded Safina, runner-up at Sydney before her run to last year’s Australian Open final, lost the opening five games before winning nine straight to take the first set and go up a break in the second.
She was broken while serving for the match, but broke the No. 10-ranked Radwanska to finish the match.
“It was a little bit of slow start, but it was a start,” Safina said. “It was a winning start. I was like mistiming until 5-love (down), but then I found my rhythm and my game.”
Safina was playing for the first time since a back injury forced her out of the first round of the season-ending championship in October and cost her the year-end No. 1 ranking.
Elsewhere, third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was upset 7-5, 6-2 by Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia while Vera Dushevina beat Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-4 in an all-Russian match-up. -
Federer skips traditional Australian Open warm-up event
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsFederer skips traditional Australian Open warm-up event
Swiss Roger Federer will not warm up for the Australian Open at this week’s Kooyong Classic, the organisers said on Monday.
World number one Federer, who thrashed compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka to win the title last year, had decided to rest before next week’s grand slam at Melbourne Park, tournament director Colin Stubs told reporters.
Aside from missing the 2008 event with glandular fever, Federerhas participated in the event over the last six years, using it as a springboard to three Australian Open titles. -
Clijsters beats Henin in classic Brisbane final
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsClijsters beats Henin in classic Brisbane final
Kim Clijsters survived two match points before winning her eagerly awaited rematch with fellow Belgian Justine Henin 6-3 4-6 7-6 in the final of the Brisbane International on Saturday.
Winner Kim Clijsters and runner up Justine Henin, both of Belgium, hold their trophies after the women’s singles final at the Brisbane International tennis tournament January 9, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]
The pair, who have been rivals since they were 12 years old and are both in the early stages of comebacks, slugged it out for almost 2-1/2 half hours in a wildy flunctuating match at the Pat Rafter Arena.
At different times, both players looked to have the match at their mercy but it took a final set tiebreak to split them after a tantalising warmup to this month’s Australian Open.
“What a match!” said Clijsters. “I think we set the bar pretty high for ourselves for the rest of the year.
“Justine played at a really high level for the whole tournament, so congratulations.”
Clijsters, who capped a fairytale comeback last year by winning the U.S. Open for a second time, seemed to be cruising when she won the opening set and grabbed an early break in the second as Henin struggled with her serve, committing 11 double faults in the contest.
But Henin, playing her first tournament since retiring in early 2008, provided a stark reminder of the fighting qualities which has given her seven grand slam titles as she took the second set to square then raced to a 3-0 lead in the third.
But just when the 27-year-old Henin seemed to have seized the initiative and was heading towards victory, her delivery again let her down and she failed to serve out the match.
She then squandered two match points before the 26-year-old Clijsters eventually forced a tiebreak, which she won 8-6 to wrap up her 36th career title and her 11th victory in 23 clashes with Henin.
“It’s just great to be back,” said Henin. “I want to congratulate Kim, she’s a great player and it was an amazing final.” -
Argentine, Belgian win intl Coffee Cup in Costa Rica
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsArgentine, Belgian win int’l Coffee Cup in Costa Rica
Argentine tennis player Renzo Olivo and Belgian tennis player An-Sophie Mestach won the international youth Coffee Cup hosted in Costa Rica, the organizers of the tournament said on Sunday.
The final was played on Saturday night, Mestach, 16, won over Puerto Rican Monica Puig at women’s category with partials of 7-6 and 6-3.
Meanwhile, Olivo won the final over Venezuelan Ricardo Rodriguez with partials of 7-5 and 7-6.
This is the first time that an Argentine player wins the Coffee Cup. In 2005 Argentine Juan Martin del Potro and in 1996 Mariano Puert failed winning the tournament.
The winners at men’s doubles were Canadians Nikolai Haessig and Edward Nguyen who defeated the team made by Olivo and Austrian Sebastian Stiefelmeyer.
At women’s doubles the winners were Mestach and Dutch Demi Schuurs, who won over Swedish Ellen Allgurin and Serbian Tamara Curovic.
The Coffee Cup is one of the most important youth tournaments of the world and it is sponsored by the International Federation of Tennis.
The Coffee Cup gives the winner 150 points at each men’s and women’s categories and it is the first event of the season. -
Top seed Monfils withdraws from Sydney tennis event due to injury
Posted on 二月 4th, 2010 No commentsTop seed Monfils withdraws from Sydney tennis event due to injury
French top seed Gael Monfils withdrew from the Sydney international tennis tournament on Monday due to a shoulder problem.
The world number 12 said he had an inflamed right shoulder, hoping he would have some time off for next week’s Australian Open in Melbourne.
Monfils, 23, said he has had the shoulder inflammation for over a week and had experienced a similar injury two years ago.
He said he intended to return to practice later this week to test the serving shoulder before the year’s opening grand slam tournament, starting next Monday.
