Youzhny, Schiavone win in Moscow

Youzhny, Schiavone win in Moscow

Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny rallied to beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-4 on Sunday to win the Kremlin Cup, while Italian Francesca Schiavone won her second career title, beating Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-3, 6-0 for the women’s crown.

Youzhny did not drop a set on his way to a fifth career title and extended Russia’s title streak in the home event to six consecutive years since American Taylor Dent won here in 2003.

“The first set was a tough one for both of us,” Youzhny said. “But in the second set he appeared to be really tired after a tough doubles match he had played late on Saturday.”

Tipsarevic, who had not lost a set on the way to his first ATP Tour final, said: “I’m obviously disappointed because I’ve lost. But I think, I didn’t lose today – Misha (Mikhail) beat me. He was a better player. Though the third set was 6-4, I was really struggling to win my service games, while he was winning his very easy.”

The sixth-seeded Serb prevailed on the first-set tiebreaker, but the 30th-ranked Youzhny charged back, winning eight consecutive games to level at one set apiece and lead 2-0 in the decisive set. Tipsarevic saved four match points in the ninth game before Youzhny served for the match and sealed the win with a forehand crosscourt shot.

It was Youzhny’s first final in 11 appearances at the event. He is now 5-11 in ATP finals.

Schiavone is 2-10 in WTA Tour finals. She also won the 2007 Gastein Ladies.

The eighth-seeded Italian, the 2005 runner-up, broke decisively in the eighth game of the first set after Govortsova had saved five break points in the sixth game.

Schiavone said that a break on the ninth deuce in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead was the key moment of the match.

“The game was very long but I did very good,” Schiavone said. “Everything changed at that moment. When I found the way, it was much easier, and she (Govortsova) didn’t know how to finish points, I think.”

Govortsova broke back immediately, but Schiavone then won eight games in the row.

“It’s difficult to play with Francesca on this (hard-court) surface,” Govortsova said. “She practically made no mistakes. She made me run a lot in the first set and it had an impact on me later in the match.”

The 24th-ranked Schiavone was playing in her second final in as many weeks, having lost to Samantha Stosur of Australia at Osaka, Japan.

The 67th-ranked Govortsova was playing in her second career final.

In Sweden, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus beat Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-1, 7-5 Sunday to win the Stockholm Open.

Baghdatis’ victory over his friend and training partner at Royal Tennis Hall gave him his third career singles title.

In Luxembourg, unseeded Timea Bacsinszky won her first WTA title, beating sixth-seeded Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 7-5 in the final of the Luxembourg Open. Victory earned Bacsinszky US$37,000.

Sampras rallies past Agassi in Macau

Sampras rallies past Agassi in Macau

Pete Sampras edged Andre Agassi in three sets yesterday as the two retired American tennis greats revisited one of the sport’s greatest rivalries.

The 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 win in China’s Macau Special Administrative Region was the first time the two had played since Sampras won the 2002 US Open title for his then-record 14th grand slam.

The fast indoor surface at The Venetian Macau arena favored Sampras’ attacking style, but it was Agassi who came out packing more heat in his serve, showing no signs of the bad back that required four injections during his final tournament, the 2006 US Open. But Sampras, who beat Roger Federer at the same venue in an exhibition two years ago, recovered, serving an ace and using a delicate pickup volley to secure the second set.

He continued his strong form into the super tiebreaker, overwhelming Agassi with his powerful serve. Trailing 6-9, Agassi saved two match points – the second with a down-the-line backhand winner – but Sampras served out the match with another ace.

“Somehow when you see Pete, it all comes back to you pretty quickly. I just go, ‘Well, I don’t really have much of a choice here (but to play well).’ It’s just nice to be so familiar with somebody’s game,” Agassi said.

“Andre just hits the ball so cleanly, even after being retired for three years. The pace of his shots was very heavy,” Sampras said, noting Agassi served more aces than he did. “How many times does that happen?” Agassi interjected.

Peng wins mixed doubles gold, eyeing more glory

Peng wins mixed doubles gold, eyeing more glory

Tennis ace Peng Shuai partnered Li Zhe to claim the mixed doubles title Sunday for the second tennis gold for her hometown Tianjin.
Peng/Li, the top seeds in the event, dropped the first set against Beijing’s Yu Xinyuan and Liu Wanting 7-5, but stayed cool to win the next two sets at 6-4 and 6-2.
It is the second title for the 23-year-old Peng and her team of Tianjin at the national meet after she inspired the team to the women’s team gold medal prior to the official opening of the Games.
“I have to highly concentrate on the match,” Peng said. “When we lagged behind, I was very desperate.”
“Peng Shuai encouraged me all the time during the match,” said Li.
“We encourage each other,” Peng added.
“For me, the competition is a kind of torture, and also a good memory,” Peng said.
“These days we always say ‘come on’ and ‘hold on!’ “Peng told the press.
“I face huge pressure to participate in the National Games. On the night before the team competition, I even vomited after the dinner.
“I won’t deny I’m tired but I will hold on,” said Peng, who played two matches everyday,” she added.
Peng’s gold haul is expected to continue as she teamed up Xu Yifan to edge past Lu Jingjing and Sun Shengnan of the People’s Liberation Army 2-0 for the women’s doubles final. Peng also stayed in contention for the women’s singles.
Peng/Xu will be facing Grand Slam winners Zheng Jie and Yan Zi from Sichuan, who beat Liu Wanting and Zhao Yijing from Beijing 2-0,in the women’s doubles final on Monday.
In the mixed doubles bronze medal match, Lu Hao/Lu Jingjing from PLA downed Shanghai’s Bai Yan/Zhou Yimiao.

Peng/Xu advance to womens tennis doubles final

Peng/Xu advance to women’s tennis doubles final

Women’s doubles tennis players Peng Shuai and Xu Yifan from Tianjin beat Lu Jingjing and Sun Shengnan of the People’s Liberation Army 2-0 Sunday for the finals at the 11th Chinese National Games on Sunday.
Peng/Xu took a hard 7-6 lead by downing Lu and Sun in the first set. Then Peng/Xu overwhelmed their rivals 6-3 to seal the victory.
“The match went tight, especially in the first set,” said Peng. “It’s mainly because we were nervous at the beginning and made several mistakes.”
The 23-year-old Peng takes part in all the three events — singles, doubles and mixed doubles — in the tournament. She fought two games everyday these days.
“I won’t deny I’m tired,” said Peng. “but I will hold on.”
Peng led the Tianjin team to win a gold medal in the team’s event, which was held earlier in July.
Peng/Xu will meet Zheng Jie/Yanzi from Sichuan for the women’s doubles gold on Monday.

Zheng, Peng advance at Chinese National Games

Zheng, Peng advance at Chinese National Games

Chinese tennis stars Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie advanced into women’s singles quarterfinals of the tennis tournament at the 11th Chinese National Games on Friday.
Peng beat Sun Shengnan from the People’s Liberation Army 6-3, 6-4.
“It is a good chance to learn how to face pressure,” the 22-year-old Peng, who represents Tianjin, said after the match.
She then teamed up with Xu Yifan to beat Ji Chunmei and Liang Chen from Jiangsu 6-2, 6-0 in the women’s doubles for the semifinals.
China’s No. 2 female tennis player Zheng Jie, representing Sichuan, whitewashed Lu Jiajing of Liaoning province in the first set, and won the second 6-1.
The 26-year-old Zheng was the gold medal winner in both women’s singles and doubles at the tenth National Games four years ago.
She was also the first Chinese to enter the singles semifinals at Grand Slam events.
Later in the afternoon, she partnered Yan Zi to defeat their rivals Zhang Shuai and Xie Yanze of Tianjin 7-6(2), 6-0.
Yan also booked a berth at the singles quarterfinals by beating Jiangsu’s Liang Chen.
The other seeded players in the women’s singles, including Lu Jingjing of PLA, Han Xinyun of Zhejiang, Zhang Shuai of Tianjin and Zhou Yimiao of Shanghai, all snatched victories over their rivals.

Ishikawa to play against Tiger Woods

Ishikawa to play against Tiger Woods

Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa has been sponsored to travel to China for the golf HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai in November, where world No. 1 Tiger Woods leads the field.
The 18-year-old confirmed his participation in the prestigious event on Thursday and thus skips a much smaller event on the Japan Golf Tour on the same Nov. 5-8 weekend.
Champions tournament, a seven million U.S. dollars event, has been included on the World Golf Championship calendar for the first time this year.

Zheng Jie makes successful debut at NG

Zheng Jie makes successful debut at NG

China’s No. 2 female tennis player Zheng Jie made successful debut at the 11th Chinese National Games by taking an easy victory over her rival Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Zheng beat Sun Xuliu of Jiangxi Province 6-1 in the first set, and blanked her in the second.
“I felt nervous before the competition as it was my first game (in the tournament), and I knew nothing about my opponent. But Sun is still too young and inexperienced,” Zheng told reporters after the match.
Zheng, who sustained wrist injury, took an anesthesia injection before the tournament. “I hope I can hold on until the end of the competition,” she said.
In an earlier match on Wednesday morning, the nation’s top female singles player, Li Na, pulled out of the tournament due to knee injury after losing the first set 6-0.
“I have been through injuries, and I can understand how she (Li) feels. I hope she will recover soon,” she said.
Zheng was the gold medal winner in both women’s singles and doubles at the tenth National Games four years ago. She was also the first Chinese to win the Grand Slam trophy in the women’s doubles and the first to enter the semifinal of the tournament in Wimbledon last year.

Henin confirms tour return in Brisbane

Henin confirms tour return in Brisbane

Former No. 1-ranked Justine Henin has confirmed she’ll make her return to the WTA Tour at the Brisbane International two weeks ahead of her comeback to grand slam tennis at the Australian Open.

“After a 15-month absence I am pleased to begin my second tennis career at the Brisbane International,” Henin, a seven-time major winner, said in a statement yesterday. “It will be great to get back to playing competitive tennis again and with the strong field, the same court surface and a similar climate to Melbourne, it will be the perfect preparation for the Australian Open.”

Fellow Belgian comeback player Kim Clijsters is also in the women’s draw, along with former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.

Despite having a No. 1 ranking when she retired in May last year, the 27-year-old Henin does not have a protected ranking. She has been granted wildcard entries at Brisbane and the Australian Open.

Henin announced shortly after Clijsters won the US Open in September. Clijsters herself was coming back from two years in retirement and became the first mother since Australia’s Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980 to win a grand slam singles championship.

Davydenko topples Nadal for crown

Davydenko topples Nadal for crown

 

Nikolay Davydenko of Russia holds his trophy after the final of men’s singles against Rafael Nadal of Spain in 2009 Shanghai ATP 1000 Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai, east China, Oct. 18, 2009. Davydenko won the match 2-0. (Xinhua/Ren Long)

Ljubicic quits to let Nadal through in Shanghai

Ljubicic quits to let Nadal through in Shanghai

Top seed Rafa Nadal moved into the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Friday when Ivan Ljubicic became the eighth player to retire from the $3.24 million tournament.

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia gets medical treatment during the second set of his quarter final match with Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai October 16, 2009. Ljubicic quit the match after the second set. [Agencies] 
The Spanish world number two had just evened the match up at 3-6 6-3 when 30-year-old Ljubicic, who had already had treatment on his left thigh, decided he could no longer continue.
Nadal, who lost to another big-serving Croatian in Marin Cilic at the China Open last week, will face compatriot Feliciano Lopez on Saturday hoping to reach his first final since knee and abdominal injuries disrupted his season.
Second seed Novak Djokovic earlier came through a tough test of his nerve at the hands of Gilles Simon to set up a semi-final against sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko with a 6-3 2-6 6-2 victory.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia smashes his racquet after losing a point against Gilles Simon of France during their quarter-final match at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai October 16, 2009. [Agencies] 
The 22-year-old, chasing a third successive title in China after last year’s Masters Cup triumph and last week’s victory in Beijing, needed to show real mental strength in a frenetic third set against the French hustler.
The pair traded two breaks each in a dramatic first four games, Djokovic at one stage going from chest-pounding delight to racket-smashing fury in a matter of three points.
“Most of the time when I smash the racket the things go better from then on,” said Djokovic. “The positive thing is that I managed to find a good solution after so many ups and downs from both sides. A very emotional, very intense match.”
The Serbian, who will be world number three again next week, broke Simon again for 3-2, and was the first to hold serve before rattling through the remainder of the set.
Sixth seed Davydenko earlier survived a tactical switch which won Czech Radek Stepanek the second set to claim a 6-1 4-6 6-1 victory.
Davydenko stood firm through pressure on his serve early in the deciding set before re-establishing control and racing to a comfortable victory.
Djokovic crushed Davydenko in the 2008 Masters Cup final at the Qizhong arena.
“I had no chance,” Davydenko said. “He played very good baseline. Really, I could not do anything. If I still have good control, maybe I have a chance.”
Spain’s Feliciano Lopez upset ninth seed Robin Soderling 7-6 6-3 to reach his first semi-final of the season.
The world number 41 needed a tiebreak to win the first set against the big-serving Swede but broke early in the second and never looked back, clinching victory in 94 minutes.
Lopez dropped his racket and raised his eyes to the evening sky in celebration after his biggest win of the year.
“I just tried to play my best tennis and to play my best weapons as best as I can,” he said. “It’s my first semis, and I’m so happy.”