Verdasco back in tennis Top 10
LONDON, April 19 -- Fernando Verdasco's strong showing at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters returned him to the Top 10 while Rafael Nadal moved closer to the world's No. 2 ranking.
Nadal was dominant at Monaco, winning the event for a sixth consecutive year. He had three matches, one of which was Sunday's title match against Verdasco, in which he only lost one game.
As a result Nadal, No. 3 in the world, narrowed the difference between himself and No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who lost to Verdasco in Saturday's semifinals.
Verdasco went from No. 12 to ninth with his runner-up finish. That move also resulted in Marin Cilic dropping from ninth to 11th with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga holding into the No. 10 spot.
The only other change in the Top 10 was Juan Martin del Potro, who slipped past Andy Murray and to the No. 4 ranking, with Murray now fifth.
Roger Federer is still No. 1 with Djokovic second and Nadal third 410 points back of Djokovic.
Nikolay Davydenko is sixth followed by No. 7 Andy Roddick and eighth-ranked Robin Soderling.
(c)2010 United Press International, Inc
Samir upsets 7th seed Karastev
LAHORE -- Pakistan's future hope and sensational junior Davis Cupper Samir Iftikhar kept his country's flag flying high at the ITF Junior World Ranking Circuit by upsetting 7th seeded Karasstev Aslan of Russia in a hard fought three-set match on Thursday.
Samir now reached the quarter-finals at the prestigious 30th ITF Grade-III Tashkent Open being held from April 5 to 10 at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The British born 365th ranked youngster in his only the third appearance in the elite grade faced 250th World Ranked Russian in the round of 16. The match moved to indoors due to bad weather conditions. Playing against Aslan and the unsupportive crowd, Samir broke his seventh game to lead 5-3 and held his serve with timely aces to clinch the first set.
The Russian fought back gallantly and broke Samir Twice with powerful ground strokes and return of serves and won the second set 6/2. The third set witnessed some world class tennis with both players engaging themselves in long base line rallies and held serves till three-all when Samir broke the Russian with magnificent down the line passing shot at beak point to lead 4/3 and held his serve with aces for 5/3 lead and Karastev held his serve to trail 4/5. Samir, exhibiting best game of the match, served out with powerful serves and net rushing to clinch the final set at 6/4 . He will now face Zubko Yaroslav of Belarus today.
nation.com.pk
Don't call Roddick one dimensional
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- For a set and seven games, Andy Roddick played his tennis in safety-first, default mode. Big serves and an efficient approach usually are enough to beat the Igor Andreevs and Sergiy Stakhovskys of the world, but Rafael Nadal is a different kind of cat.
And so, trailing Rafa by a set in their Sony Ericsson Open semifinal Friday, Roddick drastically altered his game plan.
"He forced me into something that probably isn't the most comfortable thing for me," Roddick said afterward. "I took a lot of risk there in the last two sets. The best thing I can think of is I rolled the dice a lot and came up Yahtzee a couple times.
"I mean, I literally took really, really ridiculous cuts at a lot of forehands. They found the purple part [of the court]."
Roddick, who incredibly didn't hit his first forehand winner until the 72nd minute of the match, was a revelation. He flattened out his forehand, went to the net more often -- "Kind of like driving into head-on traffic," Roddick said of running toward Nadal's forehand -- and even served and volleyed on his second serve.
Roddick won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a spirited match that bodes well for his campaigns at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
"He played a very aggressive game," Nadal said. "It was a change, and it was a surprise for me. He attacked. I wasn't ready to play better in that moment."
Roddick thus reached his second consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final. He lost to Ivan Ljubicic in the championship match at Indian Wells, but it is worth noting that none of the world's top four players -- Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Nadal -- reached even one final during this grueling American hard-court swing.
Roddick meets Tomas Berdych in a Sunday final that feels vaguely anticlimactic.
Berdych, the man who sent Federer home after the fourth round, wrecked 2009 French Open finalist Robin Soderling 6-2, 6-2. He's lost five of seven career matches against Roddick, but the 6-foot-5 Czech is playing with a confidence reminiscent of 2007, when he briefly cracked the top 10.
"The game against Andy is always really close," Berdych said. "Big-serving guy playing really solid from the baseline. The matches that we played in the past few months I would say were really close ones, especially the one in San Jose. I just lost two points in each set and I lost two tiebreaks.
"So it's going to be, I think, a really similar scenario on Sunday."
Roddick was asked about the final well before his opponent was determined, but he said it didn't really matter.
"A lot of similarities," Roddick said. "I don't know that I have much of a preference. With both guys, you're going to get guys who hit very hard and very flat, you know, aren't interested in rallying too much."
When Roddick finished with Nadal -- who loves a long, grinding point perhaps more than anyone else in the game -- the Spaniard looked eager to head home and prepare for the clay-court season, his favorite time of the year.
The pivot point was the eighth game of the second set.
Nadal was serving at 4-3 when Roddick entered the realm of ridiculous. That first forehand winner made it love-30, and his second broke Nadal's serve -- at love. Roddick served out the set with an emphatic 143 mph serve into Nadal's body.
Roddick ran off the last 11 consecutive points of the set, a remarkable feat against such an accomplished player. The third set featured more off-the-menu items.
Winning 12 of 16 points at the net, Roddick finished with firm, stable volleys. He served and volleyed five times on second serve -- and won four of the points.
"Basically I was sitting here thinking, 'All right, well, is my second serve my best approach shot against him?'" Roddick said. "I thought it was, so that made the decision kind of a little bit easier in my mind. Doesn't always work, but I thought that was my best shot."
Movement. Volleying. Creativity. These are areas that have been criticized in the past, but working with coach Larry Stefanki, Roddick has addressed those concerns. One point featured a defensive lob and, later, an offensive lob that forced Nadal to try a low-percentage, between-the-legs shot. Does that sound like the one-dimensional Roddick who won the 2003 U.S. Open?
His serve, though, is still smoking. Roddick had 15 aces and has held in 60 of his past 62 service games in his past six matches.
To his credit, Roddick said he will honor his commitment to Saturday's Champions for Chile exhibition, which will raise money for the earthquake-stricken country. While Berdych is stretching out for a nice massage after the women's final or contemplating a South Beach supper, Roddick will be partnering with Jim Courier and banging balls with Chilean Fernando Gonzalez and Gustavo Kuerten.
Will Roddick have a tough time getting motivated for Berdych after that slugfest with Rafa?
"Well," Roddick said, smiling, "intensity hasn't been my problem. Execution has been my problem sometimes, but intensity, I'll be OK."
(c) 2010 ESPN Internet Ventures
What a difference a year makes for Roger Federer
A year ago at Crandon Park, Roger Federer was in the middle of his meltdown period. He slammed his racket during a three-set loss to Novak Djokovic, an uncharacteristic display of frustration from the serene Swiss.
Two weeks earlier, he had lost for the fourth consecutive time to Andy Murray. He was fighting a back injury and a nemesis named Rafael Nadal. His progress toward breaking Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles had stalled.
The racket smashing was interpreted as another sign of Federer's unraveling. At the Australian Open, Federer had wept while accepting the runner-up trophy after losing to Nadal.
As we know now, the reports of Federer's demise were greatly exaggerated. The king is not dead but back on his throne, regal as ever.
Federer pronounced himself fulfilled and hungry Thursday at the Sony Ericsson Open. As he talked, he gave off his familiar air of confidence. Although other athletes manage to make themselves sound clumsily arrogant, Federer explains his supremacy in a matter-of-fact manner. He dispenses with the false modesty and cuts to the simple truth of his status. Why pretend that he is anything other than the best player in tennis and, many would argue, the best in history?
"Well, of course, I'm very proud,'' he said of his return to No. 1. "I've spent a lot of weeks at No. 1, so it's a feeling I know.''
DIFFERENT PICTURE
So much has changed since Federer last competed in Miami. Nadal fell out of the picture with knee tendinitis, and Federer reversed his decline with victories at the French Open and Wimbledon, surpassing Sampras, then won his 16th Slam in Australia. He got married and had twin daughters. He declared his intent to keep winning.
"Of course, I'm very happy,'' he said. "It's an amazing time for me right now. The girls are a bit over eight months old, and I like to spend as much time as possible with them.
"I also love tennis, of course, so it's a great balance and a great life for me at the moment.''
Any opponents who thought maybe contentment and complacency would prove the undoing of Federer were wrong. Of course.
He's only 28. He hasn't lost a step and his game begins and ends with footwork that even Fred Astaire would admire. He would rather retire than lower his standards. At Wimbledon, he wore a T-shirt under his jacket that read: "There is no finish line. Far from done.''
But don't assume that the sublime reign of Federer will roll merrily along. Nadal is back and healthy. Nadal is 13-7 against Federer and the one guy who can say, "How can you anoint Federer best ever when he can't beat me?'' -- although he would never say that.
The question is, can any other players consistently challenge Federer and beat him when it counts?
Andy Roddick has come close. He came agonizingly close at Wimbledon last summer, the kind of close that can either break you or build you. In a match of Tolstoy-like proportions, Roddick lost 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14 in the longest Grand Slam final and longest fifth set in history.
Federer broke Roddick for the first time in the final game after 37 service holds by Roddick. An errant forehand by Roddick ended it. So close.
And yet, that match showed just how far Federer is from his competition, far enough to be up there with Sampras, Rod Laver and Bill Tilden.
Federer and Roddick climbed through the ranks together, but look how they have diverged in the past seven years. Roddick, 27, won his first and only Grand Slam at the 2003 U.S. Open, when he was 21. He has made four Grand Slam finals since -- and lost all four to Federer. Federer took over Roddick's No. 1 ranking in 2004. When Roddick finally succumbed to Federer on Centre Court last year, it was his 19th loss in 21 tries to Federer.
"Andy played unbelievable,'' Federer said at the time. "Sports is cruel sometimes.''
Federer wasn't twisting the knife. He was stating the truth.
ON TO RODDICK
Roddick made his first official appearance at Crandon Park on Thursday, just before Federer.
Roddick, "tired'' of the talk about when he will win another Slam, talked about the Wimbledon epic and how it could inspire him as he recharges his goals.
"I was heartbroken afterwards,'' he said. "I was almost a point away. I had break points there in the fifth. But at the same time it was rejuvenating.
"It's a matter of perspective. My worst day, my most heartbreaking loss, is a lot of people's best day.''
It was striking to consider the two careers of Roddick and Federer, both exceptional, separated by an errant forehand here, an ace there. And yet, the gulf between them is huge. Sixteen Slams to one.
Roddick and his fellow contenders face that body of work every time they face Federer.
Federer is a tennis genius, a once-in-an-era talent. But when it's 15-14 in a 95-minute fifth set, he also knows that he knows how to win. Of course.
Copyright 2010 Miami Herald Media Co
Rivalry burns on for Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras
It was embarrassing to witness two former stars indulging in a childish spat at a charity event, says Simon Mundie. Fortunately, genuine warmth exists between today's fiercest rivals.
It made for pretty uncomfortable viewing when Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras faced each other on a tennis court last week, for the first time since their US Open final of 2002. It was at the 'Hit for Haiti' event in Indian Wells; the aim being to raise cash for victims of the earthquake which devastated the country earlier this year.
The cast list was incredible, including the likes of Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and those two great rivals of the 90s, Sampras and Agassi. They were all mic'd up, and the good natured banter was flowing.
That is, until the animosity that Agassi and Sampras feel for each other spilled over. It all started when Sampras decided to mimic Agassi's famous pigeon-toed walk. The crowd lapped it up, and it looked like Agassi was tickled too, until he retorted by accusing Pete of being a stingy tipper, something he famously touched on in his fantastic autobiography Open. Then Pete nearly decapitated Agassi with a wild first serve. He also accused him of 'getting personal', to which Agassi replied, "No, everyone knows it already Pete."
The crowd went eerily silent, as if they didn't know where to look. And then there were the other two players on court, Federer and Nadal, the duo who inherited the mantle of the games greatest rivalry. They both sensed the uneasy atmosphere, Federer joking, "This rivalry is intense, man" during a pause, "I mean, Rafa, start. Do something!"
Nadal later pleaded ignorance of the whole incident, conveniently blaming the language barrier. The whole spat has been widely criticised in the media, with many people accusing the American pair of casting a shadow over a charity event by letting their egos get in the way.
Agassi and Sampras were always very different characters. Agassi burst on to the tennis scene in dramatic fashion in the late 80s as a brash showman, while Sampras seemed uneasy with all the attention that accompanied his US Open win of 1990.
That set the pattern for the remainder of their careers, with Agassi creating as many column inches in the press for his off court antics, while Pete was more than happy for his racket to do the talking, without ever truly shaking off accusations that he was boring. Their contrasting personalities added flavour to their rivalry in much the same way as their on-court styles. Agassi summed it all up perfectly when he said, "I think both of our worst nightmares would be to wake up the next morning and be the other."
There have been other tennis rivalries over the years which have featured players who couldn't stand each other as people, none more so than Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, who nearly came to blows on a couple of occasions. But it is extremely rare for players to reveal the full extent of their mutual antipathy once their careers have finished.
The Agassi-Sampras episode contrasts unfavourably with Roger and Rafa, two champions who exude class and mutual respect. It is inconceivable that they would engage in such a spat; indeed their relationship has been punctuated with moments of genuine warmth. When Federer broke down in tears after losing the 2009 Australian Open final, Nadal took time out from his own celebrations to console him.
Nadal and Federer seem to cherish each other and the part they have played in their respective careers. Admittedly it wasn't always like that, with Federer initially regarding Nadal as an upstart, but he ultimately recognised the Spaniard's brilliance, particularly after their epic Wimbledon final of 2008.
If anything, the Indian Wells incident will enhance the Federer-Nadal rivalry. To have two players in the same era that are so competitive with each other, yet have seemed to remain friends throughout speaks volumes. It is a shame that Sampras and Agassi had to sully their own rivalry with the unsavoury exchanges of last week that no one could have predicted.
There was one thing that was unsurprising about this soon to be infamous match though. Sampras found a way to win, just as he did during so many of their epic tussles while their personal animosities weren't being so publicly aired.
Copyright (c) 2010 The Sport Review
BNP Paribas featured matches for Monday
BNP PARIBAS FEATURED MATCHES FOR MONDAY PAPER
Stadium 1 (beginning at noon), Novak Djokovic vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber; Mario Ancic vs. Rafael Nadal; Sara Errani vs. Jelena Jankovic.
Stadium 1 (beginning 7:30 p.m.) Alisa Kleybanova vs. Kim Clijsters; John Isner vs. Sam Querrey.
Stadium 2 (beginning 11 a.m.) Juan Monaco vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero; Vera Zvonareva vs. Anastasija Sevastova; Thomaz Bellucci vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez; Tomas Berdych vs. Fernando Verdasco; Victoria Azarenka vs. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Los Angeles Times
Can Djokovic fight off top three deserted form
All three top ATP players are not in their best forms going into the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells 2010 tournament. The favorites could easily go in favor to Serbian Novak Djokovic after winning the Dubai Open 2010 last month. Roger Federer could go on and win this tournament for the fourth time or Nadal regaining his title.
The BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells is one of the nine ATP 1000 tournaments that occur in the Men ATP world calendar. The Indian Wells will see 12 days of top tennis and many fans will be looking for their favorites as there will be a certainty of the top 96 men players involved in California. The tournament will be held from 11th March to 22nd March and the grand prize of USD$4,500,000 to be won. The games will be played on the outdoor hard courts under the sun with the tournament host hoping to smash the audience records once again. Rafael Nadal is set to return to California to defend his 2009 Indian Wells title.
All squared
An outcry for a favorite for the tournament is hard to find this time around. The simple reason is that all of the top players in the ATP ranking have been suffering either some bad results or form, or all in all absent from the tennis itself. Reigning champion, Rafael Nadal, will play his first game after suffering a knee injury. He will return to tennis at Indian Wells and his match fitness is questionable. World number 1, Roger Federer, pulled out of the Dubai Open last month due to illness. He also returns to action at Indian Wells. His fitness is doubtful but being one of the best tennis players in history, he will surely give the American crowd something to watch out for. The British number one and World Number Four, Andy Murray, who managed to get to the Australian Open Final, suffered some disappointing result after his defeat to Federer at the Grand Slam. He went out of the Dubai Open in the early stages and will have to prove himself.
This leaves Novak Djokovic, world number three, who is currently one of the most in form players in the ATP circuit. He beat Mikhail Youzhny in the Dubai Open final 2010 and won his first tournament of the year. He successfully won a title that he went in as reigning champion for the first time. The Serbian player will be the one to watch at Indian Wells. Djokovic is playing for his country in the Davis Cup so no break for him before California.
Other Challengers
The rest of the pack will consist the Russian world number six, Nikolay Davydenko, American Andy Roddick, Swedish Robin Soderling and Spanish Fernando Verdasco to complete the top players to challenge for the Indian Wells title. None of these players have gone far in this tournament so it will be an extra incentive for them to show the top favorites what they can do. Especially all eyes will be on Andy Roddick as the crowd will be looking forward to support him all the way to the final since Andre Agassi won back in 2001.
There are other interesting players that might get a sniff in the latter stages of the Indian Wells. Marin Cilic has impressed so far. Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga are there and about but not enough to win anything big yet. Russian young upcoming player, Mikhail Youzhny, is gaining a lot of valuable time on court with the top players and Juan Carlos Ferrero is steadily pacing himself back to the top ten.
Wild Cards
Two Americans, Robby Ginepri and Ryan Harrison, will take the wild card entry in representing their country. Harrison is a 17 year old star that will hopefully shine at home soil. Joining them will be former grand slam champion, Carlos Moya, and former world no. 3, David Nalbandian, with the wild cards. These two players will hope to get as far as they can in this tournament.
The Final Verdict
It is hard to see how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will fair at Indian Wells since they have not either being playing in recent tournament or a dip in form. All three players will always pose a threat to any opponent they meet even though they might not be at their top form. Speaking of top form, Djokovic seems to be gain pace in his play and could surprise a few. At the end of the day, the desert weather condition might not suit everyone but Federer will find a way to smash record of winning the Indians Well for the fourth time.
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