Roddick rocks Nadal to set up Berdych final

Roddick rocks Nadal to set up Berdych final

Rafa Nadal\’s 11-month title drought continued after American Andy Roddick beat the Spaniard 4-6 6-3 6-3 to reach the Sony Ericsson Open final on Friday.

Andy Roddick of the U.S. salutes the crowd after he defeated Spain\’s Rafael Nadal in this Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament match in Key Biscayne, Florida, April 2, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]
Sixth seed Roddick will face Tomas Berdych in the final after the Czech swept past Swede Robin Soderling 6-2 6-2.
Berdych is looking for his second Masters 1000 title after his win in Paris in 2005, and while he beat Roger Federer in the fourth round Roddick will be in confident mood after producing a fine comeback in front of a packed stadium at Key Biscayne.
\”I took a lot of risk there in the last two sets. That\’s what I had to do,\” said Roddick, who has reached his second consecutive Masters series final after losing to Croat Ivan Ljubicic at Indian Wells last month.
\”My comfort zone of moving the ball around and maybe chipping it around a little bit doesn\’t work against Rafa. I had to try to come up with something that at least took him out of his comfort zone a little bit and it paid off,\” he added.
Nadal has not won since the Rome Masters in May but the fourth seed looked poised to take a step towards the final after dominating the opening set in gorgeous sunshine.
DIFFERENT STORY
Nadal had won five of their previous seven meetings in the last six years and that looked a good guide to the outcome of this encounter after he broke Roddick\’s serve in the third game — a magnificent crosscourt forehand securing the break.
The Spaniard went on to win the set but it was a different story in the second where Roddick broke in the eighth game with a pair of outstanding forehands taking him to another level.
Brimming with confidence, the 27-year-old from Nebraska took the game to Nadal in the third and that positive approach was rewarded when he broke to go 2-1 up after the under-pressure Spaniard dropped a straightforward forehand return into the net.
Roddick kept his serve strong and then wrapped up the victory by breaking the struggling Nadal again.
The Spaniard, beaten by Ljubicic in the semis at Indian Wells, was pleased with his displays despite going out.
\”I just have to keep working like this, keep improving. You know, two semi-finals in a row, first two Masters 1000\’s of the season for me, is positive and it has been a positive American hardcourt season for me.
\”I am playing well. I had very good matches in these two tournaments — those are the positive things. The worst thing is I lost two semi-finals in three sets. That\’s it.
\”But if you are there, you are going to have your day. You\’re going to win one day,\” he added.

Tigers kindergarten teacher demands apology

Tiger\’s kindergarten teacher demands apology

U.S. team member Tiger Woods watches play as he stands on the sixth hole during his foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Harding Park golf course in San Francisco, California, in this October 8, 2009 file photo. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)
Tiger Woods\’ kindergarten teacher demanded an apology on Friday from the embattled golfer for \”false accusations of physical and racial abuse\”.
Woods contended in a 2005 book that he was harassed and racially taunted on his first day of school, \”and the teacher really didn\’t do much of anything.\”
\”The accusations against me were brought up again when Tiger\’s infidelities came to light,\” Maureen Decker told reporters here.
Decker said she was \”shocked, saddened and disappointed\” by what she called Woods\’ \”false accusations of physical and racial abuse on his first day of school in my kindergarten class.\”
\”My friends and relatives started reminding me of how he slandered me and the school. I am still feeling the stress of the allegations. I have tried numerous times to get through to Tiger or his representatives to ask for an explanation and an apology, but no one ever returned my calls,\” Decker said at a news conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred.
Decker, 69, said she wants a private and public apology from Woods.
Decker was Woods\’ kindergarten teacher at Cerritos Elementary School in Anaheim of Los Angeles in 1981-82.
In the Charles Barkley book \”Who\’s Afraid of a Large Black Man?,\” Woods is quoted as saying: \”I became aware of my racial identity on my first day of school, on my first day of kindergarten. A group of sixth graders tied me to a tree, spray-painted the word (racial epithet) on me, and threw rocks at me. That was my first day of school. And the teacher really didn\’t do much of anything.
\”I used to live across the street from the school and kind of down the way a little bit. The teacher said, `Okay, just go home.\’ So I had to outrun all these kids going home, which I was able to do. It was certainly an eye-opening experience, you know, being five years old. We were the only minority family in all of Cypress, California.\”
Allred, who also represented two of Woods\’ alleged mistresses, said there was no record of any such occurrence, noting that neither Woods nor his parents ever reported the alleged attack.
\”Under the circumstances where a dedicated kindergarten teacher has been unfairly slandered and maligned for motives that can only be speculated about, we think it is time for Tiger Woods to do the right thing, which would be to retract his statement and apologize to Ms. Decker,\” Allred said.
Woods took a hiatus from golf when news broke about his various extra-marital affairs. He could not be reached for comment.

Venus beats Bartoli in Key Biscayne semifinal

Venus beats Bartoli in Key Biscayne semifinal

Venus Williams moved into the Sony Ericsson Open final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Marion Bartoli on Thursday, her 15th consecutive match victory and longest winning streak in six years.
Williams will likely face more formidable opposition Saturday when she plays the winner of yesterday night\’s semifinal between Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, both back from retirement.
\”I\’m very pleased to be in the final, but it\’s not enough,\” third-seeded Williams said. \”I want to take the title.\”
So do Tomas Berdych and Robin Soderling. Both won quarterfinal matches, and they\’ll meet Friday night in the men\’s semifinals.
Berdych built on the momentum of his upset win Tuesday over top-ranked Roger Federer, beating Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Soderling broke serve six times and eliminated Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-4.
Andy Roddick faces Rafael Nadal in the other semifinal.
Williams is riding her longest winning streak since 2004, and she\’s a finalist for the first time in nine years at the tournament she considers her hometown event. She won the title in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
With five-time champion Serena Williams watching from the photo pit, Venus took charge at the start against Bartoli, needing only 11 strokes to win the first eight points. A shaky Bartoli double-faulted four times to lose the sixth game, and said her legs felt tight because Williams\’ power put so much pressure on her.
\”I was feeling like I had glue on my sneakers,\” Bartoli said. \”I couldn\’t jump, honestly. That\’s why my serve was going into the net.\”
To loosen up, she resorted to the between-point exercises. Williams said she didn\’t find the high-stepping a distraction, and coyly denied impersonating the moves in her post-match celebration.
Bartoli took no offense at Williams\’ dancing.
\”She\’s always doing that when she\’s happy,\” Bartoli said, \”so I guess she was happy.\”
For the No. 13-seeded Bartoli, hopping helped. Her play steadied as the match progressed, and she began finding the corners with her two-handed forehand.
Williams fell behind 3-1 in the second set, then started to move forward more aggressively. She won all eight points when she went to the net in the second set.
Her finish was forceful. Williams hit eight winners to sweep the final three games and served out the match at love, helped by a pair of aces.
\”I like to think of myself as big-point player,\” she said. \”When the stakes get a little higher, it feels good to be able to pull a little extra something out.\”
Now with 19 wins and one loss this year, Venus is bidding for her third consecutive title after winning at Dubai and Acapulco in February. She\’s dominating while Serena has been sidelined with a left knee injury since winning the Australian Open two months ago.

Williams beats Bartoli in Miami masters semis

Williams beats Bartoli in Miami masters semis

Venus Williams recorded her longest winning streak, 15th consecutive victory, since 2004, beating Marion Bartoli of France in semifinals 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the final at the Miami masters on Thursday.
Her opponent will be the winner of a late Thursday match between Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, both back from retirement.
No. 3 Williams took charge from the start against the No. 13 seed Bartoli, needing only 11 strokes to win the first eight points. A shaky Bartoli double-faulted four times to lose the sixth game.
Bartoli\’s play steadied as the match progressed, and her two- handed forehand did some damage. Williams fell behind 3-1 in the second set, then began to move forward more aggressively. She went 8 for 8 on points at the net in the second set.
Williams hit eight winners to sweep the final three games and served out the match at love, helped by a pair of aces.
Sister Serena missed the tournament with a knee injury that has sidelined her since she won the Australian Open.
With a record of 19-1 this year, Venus is bidding for her third consecutive title after winning at Dubai and Acapulco in February.

Nadal advances to quarter-final

Nadal advances to quarter-final


Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after winning his match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France at the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida, March 31, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Tiger Woods again grilled for sex scandal

Tiger Woods again grilled for sex scandal


U.S. team member Tiger Woods watches play as he stands on the sixth hole during his foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Harding Park golf course in San Francisco, California, in this October 8, 2009 file photo. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)
The golfer Tiger Woods must be grilled at present as he was decribed as a voracious sex addict who is also both a high-stakes gambler and a notorious cheapskate, as New York Post reported on Thursday.
Tiger Woods became a self-indulgent, sex-crazed narcissist because he hung out with the wrong crowd — namely, hard-partying, high-stakes hoopsters Jordan and Charles Barkley, the shamed golfer\’s longtime former adviser claimed in an explosive new interview by Vanity Fair.
\”I told him, \’Stay away from that son of a bitch [Jordan], because he doesn\’t have anything to offer to the world in which he lives except playing basketball, which he did yesterday,\’ \” lawyer John Merchant told the latest edition of the magazine.
It is so bad for Tiger Woods who announced on March 16 he will come back to golf competition in April at the U.S. golf Masters.
Then Woods said: \”I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment.\”
\”Although I\’m returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life,\” he added.

Henin beats Wozniacki through Miami semis

Henin beats Wozniacki through Miami semis

Belgian Justine Henin defeated world No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals on Wednesday at the Miami ATP and WTA tournament, her fourth event since returning from retirement.
Henin, a former world No. 1, could face compatriot Kim Clijsters or Australian Samantha Stosur, who play later on Wednesday in the semifinals.
Henin, currently ranked 33rd in the world and playing on wild card invitation, has already beaten four seeded players in a row.
She\’s 16-3 since ending a 20-month retirement in January, and she\’ll move back into the top 30 in next week\’s rankings.
Three-time champion Venus Williams will play 13th seed Marion Bartoli in the other women\’s semi-final on Thursday.
Henin, winner of seven Grand Slam titles, has never won in Miami. Her best finish here was in 2007, when she lost to Serena Williams in the final.
She was playing for the first time against the 19-year-old Wozniacki, who said she wasn\’t surprised Henin\’s comeback had gotten off to such a quick start.

Clijsters to play Henin in Sony Ericsson Open semifinals

Clijsters to play Henin in Sony Ericsson Open semifinals

Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin of Belgium will meet in the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, the United States.
Henin, who is playing her fourth tournament since her return from a 20-month retirement, earned a berth in the semifinals by overtaking No. 2-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark on Wednesday, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4.
Clijsters advanced to the final four by beating No. 9 Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-3, 7-5. Three-time champion Venus Williams will play No. 13-seeded Marion Bartoli of France in the other semifinal.
Henin leads her rivalry with Clijsters 12-11. They\’ve met only once since 2006 – at Brisbane in January, which marked Henin\’s return to the tour. Clijsters saved two match points and won.
On the men\’s side, American Andy Roddick advanced to the semifinals by beating Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-3. The 2004 champion will play Friday against the winner of Wednesday night\’s match between No. 4-seeded Rafael Nadal and No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
The quarterfinals did without No. 1-ranked Roger Federer, who lost to No. 16-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-7 (7-3), 7-6 (7-6) in a fourth-round match.

Woods: A little nervous about return at Masters

Woods: \’A little nervous\’ about return at Masters

Tiger Woods acknowledged \”living a lie,\” saying he alone was responsible for the sex scandal that caused his downfall and that no one in his inner circle was aware of his misdeeds.

\”It was all me. I\’m the one who did it. I\’m the one who acted the way I acted. No one knew what was going on when it was going on,\” Woods told The Golf Channel in one of two interviews Sunday night. A second one was aired on ESPN.
\”I\’m sure if more people would have known in my inner circle, they would have stopped it or tried to put a stop to it. But I kept it all to myself,\” he said.
Answering questions on camera for the first time since his early morning car crash last November, Woods again provided few details about the crash, his marriage, his stint in a rehabilitation clinic or much of his private life.
\”A lot has transpired in my life. A lot of ugly things have happened. … I\’ve done some pretty bad things in my life,\” he told ESPN.
Woods also acknowledged more fully than in any of his previous statements that the public ridicule had caused him shame.
\”It was hurtful, but then again, you know what? I did it,\” he told The Golf Channel. \”And I\’m the one who did those things. And looking back on it now, with a more clear head, I get it. I can understand why people would say those things. Because you know what? It was disgusting behavior. It\’s hard to believe that was me, looking back on it now.\”
Woods was more comfortable and composed than during his only previous public outing, dressed in golf clothes. He said he couldn\’t wait to get back to playing golf, though he had reservations about how he\’ll be received when he returns to golf next month at the Masters.
\”I\’m a little nervous about that to be honest with you,\” he told ESPN. \”It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there.\”
Woods plans to end more than four months of seclusion and play at Augusta National, one of the most tightly controlled environments in golf.

Serena, Del Potro pull out of Miami masters

Serena, Del Potro pull out of Miami masters

Serena Williams and Juan Martin Del Potro have pulled out of the upcoming Miami ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament with injuries, organizers said Friday.
Argentina\’s Del Potro had hoped to be back but is still nursing a wrist injury that wrecked his Australian Open campaign.
Last year\’s U.S. Open champion first felt the injury in Shanghai last October and it failed to clear up going into the new season.
Williams, a five-time Miami titlist, pulled out with a knee injury which she continues to rehabilitate following her victory at the Australian Open.
The tournament announced that Venus Williams will compete for a fourth title on Thursday night. She won in Miami in 1998, 1999 and 2001.