Friday, January 30, 2009

Nadal wins five-hour Aussie Open classic; Federer awaits in championship match

Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
January 19-February 1, 2009
$10,142,240 (AUS) / 128 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles – Semifinal

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. No. 14 Fernando Verdasco, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-7(1), 6-4

MATCH FACTS
Aces
—Nadal: 12; Verdasco: 20
Doubles Faults—Nadal: 3; Verdasco: 4
Winners—Nadal: 52; Verdasco: 95
Unforced Errors—Nadal: 25; Verdasco: 76
First Serve Percentage—Nadal: 74%; Verdasco: 69%
Percentage of First Serve Points Won—Nadal: 72%; Verdasco: 71%
Percentage of Second Serve Points Won—Nadal: 62%; Verdasco: 55%
Receiving Points Won—Nadal: 34%; Verdasco: 31%
Net Points Won—Nadal: 70%; Verdasco: 65%
Break Point Conversions—Nadal: 4 of 20; Verdasco: 2 of 4
Total Points Won—Nadal: 193; Verdasco: 192

Total Time of Match—5 hours and 14 minutes

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Federer thumps Roddick to reach Aussie Open final; seeks 14th Grand Slam title

On Thursday night at the Australian Open in Melbourne, second-seeded Roger Federer (pictured) put together another dominating performance by ousting seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5, in two hours and seven minutes. By reaching his fourth career Australian Open final, Federer is within one victory of equaling Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam singles titles.

Having won their previous meeting at the Masters Series Miami last year in three sets, Roddick was determined to give it all he had. However, in the third game of the opening set things already started going Federer’s way as the Swiss struck first by breaking the American’s serve with a forehand passing shot. Roddick had a break point opportunity in the next game but the 27-year-old Swiss saved break point with a brilliant forehand passing
shot and would eventually win the game. The 13-time Grand Slam singles champion would never look back. The former World No. 1 clinched the opening set in 32-minutes when the American missed a backhand service return.

“I served well in the first set and that gave me a lot of confidence,” Federer said.

Things looked like they were slipping away from Roddick after falling behind two break points on his opening service game of the second set, but he quickly recovered to hold serve. At 5-5, Federer broke Roddick at love and would hold his serve at love to take the 43-minute second set in convincing fashion. In the second set, Federer only hit one unforced error.

In a close third set that highlighted Federer’s brilliant tennis game and mind, Roddick showed his frustration at 2-2 when he was called for a audible obscenity by chair umpire Eric Molina when he needed to fight off two break point opportunities. Despite holding serve at love on five occasions throughout the match and saving three break points in the 11th game of the third set, Roddick couldn’t save another when Federer ripped a forehand cross court. Federer smoothly held serve at 6-5 to capture his ninth win of the season and reach his 18th career Grand Slam singles final.

“I do feel better mentally (than last year). I'm obviously healthy so I can focus on playing well. I'm really pleased about my performance so far in the tournament. The draw was difficult and dangerous if you look back on who I had to play,” said Federer. “I'd like to play Fernando because he's never played a Grand Slam final before. “I have an edge there. Playing Rafa is obviously more exciting because of the history we have playing in so many Grand Slam finals.”

En route to his 16th victory in 18 meetings against Roddick, Federer smashed 16 aces and no double faults compared to eight aces and two double faults by the American. The World No. 2 smashed 51 winners, won 83 percent of first serve points, won 63 percent of net approaches and broke serve on four occasions throughout the match. Attempting to win his fourth Australian Open, Federer is hoping to join Andre Agassi, Ken Rosewall and Jack Crawford as the only men to win four titles at the year’s first Grand Slam. Having spent 12 hours and 35 minutes on court through six matches, Federer would move into a second place tie with Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi with 48 victories in Melbourne since 1968 if he wins the championship on Sunday.

Federer now awaits the winner of No. 1 Rafael Nadal or No. 14 Fernando Verdasco, who will clash in an all-Spanish semifinal tonight on Rod Laver Arena. Nadal owns a 6-0 series edge against Verdasco, with the top-ranked Spaniard losing only two sets total in all six encounters.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Australian Open semifinal matchups set; Nadal vs. Verdasco; Federer vs. Roddick

Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
January 19-February 1, 2009
$10,142,240 (AUS) / 128 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles – Quarterfinals


No. 2 Roger Federer def. No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0
MATCH FACTS
Aces
—Federer: 12; Del Potro 5
Double Faults—Federer: 0; Del Potro: 2
Unforced Errors—Federer: 9; Del Potro: 24
First Serve Percentage—Federer: 70%; Del Potro: 59%
Percentage of First Serve Points Won—Federer: 86%; Del Potro: 46%
Net Points Won—Federer: 84%; Del Potro: 45%
Receiving Points Won—Federer: 59%; Del Potro: 17%
Break Point Conversions—Federer: 7 of 11; Del Potro: 0 of 0
Total Points Won—Federer: 83; Del Potro: 36

No. 7 Andy Roddick def. No. 3 Novak Djokovic, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2, 2-1, ret. injury
MATCH FACTS

Aces—Roddick: 16; Djokovic: 8
Double Faults—Roddick: 5; Djokovic: 5
Unforced Errors—Roddick: 14; Djokovic: 39
First Serve Percentage—Roddick: 71%; Djokovic: 62%
Percentage of First Serve Points Won—Roddick: 87%; Djokovic: 63%
Net Points Won—Roddick: 54%; Djokovic: 50%
Receiving Points Won—Roddick: 43%; Djokovic: 25%
Break Point Conversions—Roddick: 5 of 12; Djokovic: 1 of 1
Total Points Won—Roddick: 114; Djokovic: 88

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. No. 6 Gilles Simon, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5
MATCH FACTS
Aces
—Nadal: 5; Simon: 4
Double Faults—Nadal: 2; Simon: 4
Unforced Errors—Nadal: 24; Simon: 41
First Serve Percentage—Nadal: 67%; Simon: 55%
Percentage of First Serve Points Won—Nadal: 73%; Simon: 71%
Net Points Won—Nadal: 87%; Simon: 66%
Receiving Points Won—Nadal: 44%; Simon: 32%
Break Point Conversions—Nadal: 7 of 12; Simon 3 of 7
Total Points Won—Nadal: 105; Simon: 83

No. 14 Fernando Verdasco def. No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
MATCH FACTS
Aces
—Verdasco: 7; Tsonga: 9
Double Faults—Verdasco: 3; Tsonga: 3
Unforced Errors—Verdasco: 29; Tsonga: 40
First Serve Percentage—Verdasco: 78%; Tsonga: 65%
Percentage of First Serve Points Won—Verdasco: 69%; Tsonga: 72%
Net Points Won—Verdasco: 70%; Tsonga: 61%
Receiving Points Won—Verdasco: 36%; Tsonga: 33%
Break Point Conversions—Verdasco: 4 of 4; Tsonga: 2 of 13
Total Points Won—Verdasco: 129; Tsonga: 114

Monday, January 26, 2009

No. 21 Verdasco stuns No. 4 Murray at Australian Open; No. 1 Nadal advances

Spaniard No. 21 seed Fernando Verdasco (pictured) rallied to upset pre-tournament favorite and No. 4 seed Andy Murray, 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, on Monday to advance to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in Melbourne. World No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam singles champion Rafael Nadal also advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating 2007 runner-up No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez.

Attempting to become the first British player to win a Grand Slam title since 1936, Murray got off to a quick start winning the opening set in 35-minutes backed by breaking serve in the third and seventh games of the set. In the second set Verdasco converted on three of 11 break point opportunities to win the set in 41-minutes. In the third set, Murray raced ahead to a 3-0 lead and broke serve again in the sixth game. En route to winning the 31-minute set, the 21-year-old Scot smashed 10 winners and hit three unforced errors, while Verdasco
hit only three winners and committed 11 unforced errors. After the 25-year-old Spaniard Davis Cup hero got ahead 3-0 in the fourth set, the British fans got increasingly loud, hoping to spark Murray for a comeback. Verdasco remained very poised by ripping many inside out forehand winners and making a high percentage of first serves, winning the set in 35-minutes and sending the match to a deciding set. In a pivotal sixth game of the final set, Verdasco saved two break points and leveled the match at 3-all after a six deuce game. In the very next game the Madrid native, who had never advanced past the second round in Melbourne until this year, broke serve and went ahead 4-3. Holding serve during his final two service games, Verdasco won the match on his third match point after the visibly worn out Murray netted a service return.

“I was feeling confident and fit,” Verdasco said. “I just tried to play my game.”

A finalist at the Brisbane International during the first week of this season, Verdasco smashed 51 winners and 10 aces and won 69 of 100 first serve points throughout the three hour and 12 minute match. Both players were able to break serve on five occasions, but it came down to who was the fittest in the final set and Verdasco clearly showed that he had lots of energy left in him. Verdasco has recently spent countless hours training in Las Vegas with Gil Reyes, former physical trainer for Andre Agassi. The win by Verdasco marks the first time he has reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal and now improves to 8-31 lifetime against Top 10 players on the ATP World Tour. An owner of nine career ATP singles titles, Murray falls to 8-1 on the season and drops his first loss to a left-hander that is not Rafael Nadal. Verdasco next faces 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the semifinals.

In another routine performance by defending Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion in the grueling Melbourne heat, Nadal easily defeated Gonzalez, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, in one hour and 55-minutes. Wasting no time in the opening set, the 22-year-old Spaniard won 12 of 13 points to start the set and broke the hard-hitting Chilean’s serve twice. In the third set, Nadal got down 0-3, but quickly rallied to go ahead 5-3, before closing out the match in convincing fashion on his own serve. Backed by 33 winners and four aces, Nadal advances to the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. The left-hander from Mallorca is looking to win his first career hard court Grand Slam singles title. Nadal will next clash with No. 6 seed Gilles Simon for a place in the final four.

Other Fourth Round Results from Monday
No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. No. 9 James Blake, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(3)
No. 6 Gilles Simon def. No. 12 Gael Monfils, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, ret. injury

Sunday, January 25, 2009

No. 2 Federer rallies from two sets down to win five-set thriller at Australian Open

Three-time champion Roger Federer (pictured) came from two-sets-to-love down to defeat No. 20 Tomas Berdych, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in Melbourne for the sixth consecutive year. A 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, Federer has now reached an impressive 19 straight quarterfinals in majors.

Second-seeded Federer struggled to find his form right from the start as Berdych broke in the first and fifth games of the opening set. Federer tried to close the gap as he broke serve at 1-4, but the 23-year-old Czech would eventually close out the first set with a huge ace.

In the second set, the former World No. 1 jumped out to a 2-0 lead before getting broken
due to many unforced errors. The second set was decided in a tiebreak and after the score was leveled at 4-4, Berdych separated himself from Federer by winning three straight points to win the set in 48-minutes.

After surrendering an early lead in the beginning of the third set and exchanging service breaks in the middle of the set, it was a sloppy seventh game by Berdych that gave Federer the momentum for good. After blowing five game points and missing three easy wide-open volleys, Federer would break and eventually win the set, 6-4, in 45-minutes.

In an exciting 49-minute fourth set, Federer broke Berdych to start the set and never looked back. The Czech, who earlier in the match was ripping flat forehand and backhand winners one after another, began to play more conservative and started hitting many unforced errors. Berdych also received a medical timeout due to an upper thigh injury that has hampered him recently. Up 5-4 and serving to level the match at two sets all, Federer played several loose points to give Berdych a break point opportunity, but the Czech was unable to capitalize as Federer fired numerous big serves to send the match into a deciding set.

Wasting no time in the final set, Federer quickly got in front 4-0 and then 5-2. The match came down to Federer’s serve and despite squandering two match points on errors and then giving Berdych a break point chance after a double fault, Federer ripped a huge serve out wide on his third match point to seal the deal.

“It was difficult, because the opponent was dangerous and tough and playing well, I thought,” said Federer. “He put me under a lot of pressure, but thank God I was able to react, you know. He doesn't give you that many chances, so I was happy. I hung in there. I know the danger of playing Tomas. I wish he was higher up in the rankings so you don't have to play him that early. I think today he showed why he could be a wonderful player. It’s good to have five-setters to see where you’re at. In the end it becomes very mental, and I know that this is where my biggest strengths always come into play.”

The 27-year-old Federer, who is looking to become just the fifth man to win four or more Australian Open titles, improves to 8-1 lifetime against the 6’5” Czech player. Throughout the five-set thriller, Federer smashed 20 aces and 61 winners compared to only eight aces and 58 winners by Berdych. An owner of 57 career ATP singles titles, Federer was able to break serve eight times compared to only five by Berdych. The win marked the fourth time in Federer’s career that he rallied from a two-sets-to-love deficit to win, the most recent during the 2005 Masters Series Miami championship match against Rafael Nadal. On his quest to tie Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam title record of 14, Federer will next face No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina for a place in the semifinals.

Other Fourth Round Results from Sunday
No. 3 Novak Djokovic def. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-7(5), 6-2
No. 7 Andy Roddick def. No. 21 Tommy Robredo, 7-5, 6-1, 6-3
No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro def. No. 19 Marin Cilic, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Gonzalez saves match point at Aussie Open; No. 1 Nadal, No. 4 Murray advance

In the most exciting match of the Australian Open so far, No. 13 seed Fernando Gonzalez (pictured) saved a match point in the third set tiebreak en route to a 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(10), 6-2, 12-10, victory over No. 24 seed Richard Gasquet on Saturday, in four hours and 10 minutes. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and World No. 4 Andy Murray had little trouble in reaching the fourth round, as both players won in straight sets.

Looking to become the fourth Frenchman to reach the fourth round, Gasquet dominated the early portions of the match and held a match point in the third set tiebreak before letting opportunities pass him by on several occasions. After Gonzalez won the third set, the 2007 runner-up quickly won the fourth set in 32-minutes, sending the match to a final set. At 10-10 in the fifth set, Gasquet held a break point but the Chilean ripped an outstanding
forehand that clipped the line. Gonzalez would hold serve to go up 11-10 and would win the match in the next game by breaking the 22-year-old Frenchman’s serve. Both players put together impressive stats, as Gonzalez smashed 85 winners to only 51 unforced errors compared to 80 winners and 58 unforced errors by Gasquet. Both players won 191 points throughout the match and were 6 of 14 on break point opportunities, but it was Gonzalez who won the crucial points during the latter stages of the final set. After starting the season reaching the semifinals in Brisbane and Sydney, the Frenchman falls to 4-9 in five set matches in his young career. Currently ranked No. 14 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, Gonzalez has now come from two sets to love down to win for the fifth time in his career. A winner of 10 career ATP singles titles since turning pro in 1999, Gonzalez next faces Nadal for a place in the final eight.

Nadal continued his domination down under by cruising past unseeded German Tommy Haas, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Nadal smashed 51 winners, won 81 percent of first serve points, won 20 of 23 net approaches and broke serve on six occasions. A five-time Grand Slam champion, Nadal improves to 4-0 lifetime against Haas. Haas, a former Top 10 player and three-time Australian Open semifinalist falls to 23-9 in Melbourne. A winner of 31 career singles titles including seven hard court titles, Nadal owns a 4-3 series edge against his next round opponent, Gonzalez.

A heavy favorite to capture his first career Grand Slam singles title, Murray put together another impressive performance, this time defeating No. 31 seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3, in one hour and 40 minutes. Murray, who advances to the fourth round in Melbourne for the second time in his career, smashed eight aces, hit 32 winners and only 10 unforced errors. The 21-year-old Scot was able to break the Austrian’s serve on seven occasions throughout the routine match. Capturing his ninth career ATP singles title earlier this year in Doha, Qatar after winning five titles in 2008, Murray improved to 8-0 on the season. Murray, who spent a month training for the 2009 season at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., next faces Spain Davis Cup hero and No. 14 seed Fernando Verdasco for a place in the quarterfinals.

Other Third Round Results from Saturday
No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Dudi Sela, 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1
No. 6 Gilles Simon def. Mario Ancic, 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-2
No. 9 James Blake def. No. 18 Igor Andreev, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
No. 12 Gael Monfils def. No. 17 Nicolas Almagro, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
No. 14 Fernando Verdasco def. No. 22 Radek Stepanek, 6-4, 6-0, 6-0

Friday, January 23, 2009

Federer ousts Safin at Australian Open; Cilic, Berdych, Baghdatis pull off upsets

In the lower-portion of the men’s draw on Friday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, No. 19 Marin Cilic, No. 20 Tomas Berdych (pictured) and Marcos Baghdatis pulled off impressive upsets to advance to the fourth round. In a highly anticipated match between former champions, World No. 2 Roger Federer outplayed Russian Marat Safin to advance to the fourth round, while defending champion and World No. 3 Novak Djokovic defeated American lucky loser Amer Delic in a thrilling four-set match.

Cilic, who put his name on the ATP radar after reaching the fourth round in Melbourne last year, ousted No. 11 seed David Ferrer, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-4. The 20-year-old Croatian fired seven aces, hit 33 winners, won 68 percent of first serve points, won 20 of 27 net approaches and was able to break serve 4 times throughout the match. Cilic, currently ranked at a career-best No. 20, will next
face No. 8 seed Juan Martin Del Potro for a place in the quarterfinals. Del Potro came from behind to defeat Gilles Muller, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3, 7-5. Both players won a singles title in their season opener, Cilic winning the Chennai title over Somdev Devvarman, while Del Potro defeated American Sam Querrey in the championship match in Auckland.

Berdych came from behind to defeat No. 15 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the fourth round for the third consecutive year. Both players hit a large amount of unforced errors, Wawrinka hit 49 and Berdych hit 46, but it was the Czech star that smashed 49 winners compared to only 39 by Wawrinka. The 23-year-old was also able to break serve five times compared to only once by Wawrinka. In a repeat of his fourth round match in 2008, Berdych will next take on Federer for a place in the quarterfinals.

In a match that finished just after 1:00 a.m. local time, Baghdatis easily defeated No. 23 Mardy Fish, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. The popular Cypriot who reached the 2006 finals in Melbourne, smashed 34 winners, won 80 percent of first serve points and was able to break serve on six occasions. Baghdatis will clash in the fourth round against Djokovic.

In a night session blockbuster that featured three-time champion Federer and 2005 champion Safin, the Swiss former World No. 1 prevailed without much trouble, winning 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(5). Despite Safin hitting 14 aces and 33 winners compared to only nine aces and 26 winners by Federer, the 13-time Grand Slam champion took control by breaking serve three times, while Safin had no break point opportunities throughout the match. Federer now leads the series 10-2 against Safin. Federer, who lost in the semifinals last year to Djokovic, improves to 44-6 at the Australian Open.

In an exciting afternoon match on Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic prevailed against Delic, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), in three hours and six minutes. After dropping the second set, which was the first set he has lost in his last ten matches in Melbourne, Djokovic regrouped to win the third set at ease after Delic dropped serve at the beginning of the set. The 26-year-old Delic held two set points late in the fourth set but Djokovic was able to get back in the game by consecutive big serves. After falling behind 1-3 in the tiebreak, Djokovic recovered quickly and would win the match as Delic netted a return of serve on match point. The 21-year-old Serbian smashed 11 aces, won 79 percent of first serve points and was able to break serve three times.

Other Third Round Results from Friday
No. 7 Andy Roddick def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
No. 21 Tommy Robredo def. Yen-Hsun Lu, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Roddick, Safin, Baghdatis advance at Australian Open; Nalbandian eliminated

Russian Marat Safin, the 2005 champion, cruised to victory on Wednesday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, while seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick (pictured) was pushed to the limit en route to a four-set win over Belgian Xavier Malisse. Also victorious was 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis, who pulled off an upset victory over No. 16 Robin Soderling on Show Court 2, while No. 10 David Nalbandian lost his bid for a chance to win his first Grand Slam title, losing to Yen-Hsun Lu.

Determined to turn around his career with the addition of Larry Stefanki as coach, Roddick came from behind to defeat Malisse, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(1), 6-2, in two hours and 43 minutes to improve to 8-0 lifetime against the Belgian. The 26-year-old smashed 19 aces
, while only hitting 27 unforced errors compared to 11 aces and 50 unforced errors by Malisse. A three-time semifinalist in Melbourne, Roddick hit 45 winners, won 60 of 72 first serve points and broke serve on five occasions. Roddick will next face French veteran Fabrice Santoro, who at the age of 36, became the oldest male player to win two straight matches at the Australian Open since 1978, winning 5-7, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, in three hours and 56 minutes.

Struggling with several injuries over the last couple years, Baghdatis was able to overcome a slow start in the first set and a half to beat Soderling, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3, in two hours and 58 minutes. The Cypriot smashed 13 aces, hit 38 winners and broke serve eight times. Soderling, who was looking to reach the third round in Melbourne for the first time in his career, only managed to make 51 percent on first serves and sluggishly hit 69 unforced errors in the loss. Baghdatis will clash in the third round against No. 23 Mardy Fish, a 6-4, 6-1, 7-5, winner over Italian Simone Bolelli. The match will be the first meeting between the pair.

Announcing earlier this year that 2009 will be his last season as a professional tennis player, Safin powered his way past Spaniard Garcia-Lopez, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. The Russian smashed 18 aces past his opponent, while winning 85 percent of first serve points. The former World No. 1 hit 31 winners compared to 23 unforced errors. Safin was also able to break serve on 5 of 12 chances, while Garcia-Lopez was unsuccessful during his two break point opportunities. Safin will next face No. 2 Federer, an easy 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, winner over Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev. Federer owns a 9-2 edge against Safin, but Safin won their last meeting, 9-7 in the fifth-set in the semifinals at the Australian Open in 2005.

Currently ranked No. 61 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, Lu shocked World No. 11 Nalbandian, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, in three hours and 55 minutes. Lu, who advances to the third round for the first time in any Grand Slam tournament, smashed nine aces and 51 winners past the Argentine. Winner of last week’s Medibank International in Sydney, Nalbandian committed 61 unforced errors in his eighth appearance in Melbourne.

Other Second Round Results from Wednesday
No. 3 Novak Djokovic def. Jeremy Chardy, 7-5, 6-1, 6-3
No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro def. Florian Mayer, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2
No. 11 David Ferrer def. Dominik Hrbaty, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
No. 15 Stanislas Wawrinka def. Brydan Klein, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
No. 19 Marin Cilic def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
No. 20 Tomas Berdych def. Brian Dabul, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
No. 21 Tommy Robredo def. Viktor Troicki, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0
Amer Delic def. No. 28 Paul-Henri Mathieu, 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 9-7
Gilles Muller def. Bernard Tomic, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Australian Open results (January 20)

Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
January 19-February 1, 2009
$10,142,240 (AUS) / 128 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles – First Round
No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Christophe Rochus, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2
No. 4 Andy Murray def. Andrei Pavel, 6-2, 3-1, ret. injury
No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Juan Monaco, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0
No. 6 Gilles Simon def. Pablo Andujar, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1
No. 9 James Blake def. Frank Dancevic, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
No. 12 Gael Monfils def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 6-1, 6-3, 7-5
No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez def. Lleyton Hewitt, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
No. 14 Fernando Verdasco def. Adrian Mannarino, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2
No. 17 Nicolas Almagro def. Nicolas Massu, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3
No. 18 Igor Andreev def. Peter Polansky, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
No. 22 Radek Stepanek def. Nicolas Lapentti, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
No. 24 Richard Gasquet def. Diego Junqueira, 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4
No. 25 Ivo Karlovic def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
No. 31 Jurgen Melzer def. Kei Nishikori, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1
Flavio Cipolla def. No. 29 Dmitry Tursunov, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(7), 7-5
Dudi Sela def. No. 30 Rainer Schuettler, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
Tommy Haas def. Eduardo Schwank, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
Mario Ancic def. Wayne Odesnik, 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
Ivan Ljubicic def. Igor Kunitsyn, 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-3
Chris Guccione def. Nicolas Devilder, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Arnaud Clement def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-3, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
Guillermo Canas def. Dieter Kindlmann, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 6-0, 7-5
Stefan Koubek def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Ernests Gulbis def. Albert Montanes, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Denis Istomin def. Vince Spadea, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4
Michael Berrer def. Carsten Ball, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Andreas Beck def. Colin Ebelthite, 7-5, 6-1, 6-0
Marcel Granollers def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-4, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-0
Sebastien De Chaunac def. Steve Darcis, 2-6, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2, 6-2
Victor Hanescu def. Jan Hernych, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(4), 8-6
Fabio Fognini def. Andrey Golubev, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-2
Roko Karanusic def. Florent Serra, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3

Monday, January 19, 2009

Federer, Djokovic, Roddick, Nalbandian cruise to victory at Australian Open

Second-seed Roger Federer (pictured) made a strong start on Monday at the Australian Open in his bid to win his fourth title in Melbourne, as well as a record equaling 14th Grand Slam singles title, as he defeated World No. 35 Andreas Seppi, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-5. Defending Champion and third-seed Novak Djokovic, seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick and tenth-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian were also winners on opening day.

Federer, Australian Open champion in 2004, 2006 and 2007, easily won the opening set in 24-minutes, before being forced to save a set point on his serve late in the second set. The former World No. 1 would go on to win the second set in a tiebreak and on his fifth match point in the third set, seal the victory when Seppi’s forehand sailed wide. The Swiss won 52 of 68 first serve points, smashed 45 winners, hit nine aces and broke serve three times
. In the second round, Federer will do battle against 20-year-old Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev, who sent Spaniard Carlos Moya packing in the first round for the fifth straight year, winning 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(7), in one hour and 51 minutes.

Djokovic, currently ranked No. 3 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, survived a close third set en route to victory over Italian Andrea Stoppini, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. After falling behind 0-4 in the third set, Djokovic was able to capitalize on three straight break point chances to prevent the match from being extended to a fourth set. Djokovic smashed eight aces, won 68 percent of first serve points, hammered 34 winners and broke serve seven times throughout the match. Djokovic, who lost only one set last year en route to winning the title, next faces Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, a 6-4, 6-4, 6-1, winner over Brazilian Marcos Daniel.

Currently ranked No. 9, Roddick wasted no time letting the rest of the playing field know that he is a contender at this year’s tournament, cruising past Swedish qualifier Bjorn Rehnquist, 6-0, 6-2, 6-2, in the first match of the event played on Rod Laver Arena. In the opening set that lasted only 28-minutes, the former World No. 1 dropped only nine points, while breaking serve twice. The Texas resident, who is currently coached by Larry Stefanki, hit five less winners than Rehnquist’s 22, but committed only 10 unforced errors compared to 37 by the Swede. Roddick, a three-time semifinalist in Melbourne, next faces former Top 20 player Xavier Malisse, a 7-6(8), 6-1, 6-1, winner over Frenchman Michael Llodra.

Nalbandian, winner of last week’s Medibank International in Sydney, opened up his tournament with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, victory over Frenchman Marc Gicquel. The Argentine, who reached the semifinals in Melbourne in 2006 and the quarterfinals three times, smashed 36 winners, won 71 percent of first serve points and was able to break serve seven times. Nalbandian will next face Yen-Hsun Lu, a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, winner over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.

Other First Round Scores from Day One
No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro def. Mischa Zverev, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
No. 11 David Ferrer def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-4
No. 15 Stanislas Wawrinka def. Ivo Minar, 6-1, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(9)
No. 16 Robin Soderling def. Robert Kendrick, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5
No. 19 Marin Cilic def. Kevin Anderson, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3
No. 20 Tomas Berdych def. Robby Ginepri, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
No. 21 Tommy Robredo def. Bobby Reynolds, 6-2, 7-5, 6-1
No. 23 Mardy Fish def. Samuel Groth, 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5, 6-0
No. 26 Marat Safin def. Ivan Navarro, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
Gilles Muller def. No. 27 Feliciano Lopez, 6-3, 7-6(5), 4-6, 4-6, 16-14
No. 28 Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-2, 4-1, ret. injury
No. 32 Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Sam Querrey, 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-2
Marcos Baghdatis def. Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2
Fabrice Santoro def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-2
Dominik Hrbaty def. John Isner, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2, 7-5
Amer Delic def. Taylor Dent, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Janko Tipsarevic def. Oscar Hernandez, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
Viktor Troicki def. Alberto Martin, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Florian Mayer def. Lamine Ouahab, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Agustin Calleri, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-0
Brydan Klein def. Bjorn Phau, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Brian Dabul def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Simone Bolelli def. Kristof Vliegen, 7-6(5), 7-6(3), 7-5
Bernard Tomic def. Potito Starace, 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-5(8)

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Sixteen-year veteran Spadea chats with DOWN THE TEE about life on ATP Tour

No matter how you want to perceive the longevity of the 16-year career of pro tennis player Vince Spadea, it’s been successful based on hardwork, dedication and lots of determination. While many suggest it’s time for Spadea to hang up the racquets and pursue another career, the former Top 20 player feels there is plenty more to accomplish on the ATP Tour.

Born in Chicago to Hilda and Vincent Sr., the Spadea family eventually relocated to their current hometown of Boca Raton, Fla., so Vince and his two sisters could pursue tennis more vigorously. In the competitive world of junior tennis, Spadea quickly joined the upper echelon of players, showing signs he could take his tennis game to the next level. After winning the
prestigious Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships in 1992 and finishing the year ranked No. 4 in the ITF World Rankings, Spadea turned professional in 1993.

Spadea showed promise early on in his professional career, finishing the 1994 and 1995 seasons as the youngest American in the Top 100. In 1999, Spadea beat Andre Agassi in the 4th round of the Australian Open en route to a quarterfinal performance. Other noteworthy performances that year included a victory over Roger Federer at the Masters Series
Monte Carlo, winning the second set, 6-0. To this day, Federer has only lost three sets at love in his illustrious career.

Despite a very stable career throughout the 1990s, most athletes eventually suffer a bad moment in their career, Spadea was soon to experience that act. In 2000, Spadea hit rock bottom, setting an ATP-record by losing his 21st-straight match before defeating Greg Rusedski in five sets at Wimbledon. Deciding to rededicate himself to all aspects of tennis, on and off the court, Spadea played challenger tournament after challenger tournament, aiming to raise his ranking. All the hard work eventually paid off in 2004 when he defeated Nicolas Kiefer to capture his first career ATP singles title at the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic.

The 34-year-old is still grinding on the ATP Tour and recently finished in the Top 100 for the 13th time in 15 seasons. In his 2008 campaign, Spadea reached the semifinals in Newport, quarterfinals in Adelaide and Nottingham, and advanced to the 3rd round at the Australian Open after two five-set thrillers in his first two matches. He also won two challenger tournaments at the end of the season.

Throughout his lengthy career, Spadea has appeared in 52 grand slam tournaments as a singles player, has represented the USA in Davis Cup and in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and has earned about $4.9 million in prize money. In addition to the aforementioned victories over Agassi and Federer, he has also defeated Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Jim Courier, Gustavo Kuerten, Michael Chang, Patrick Rafter, and Andy Roddick. To date, Spadea has won 309 career matches, one ATP-level singles title, three doubles titles and eight challenger tournaments. Spadea, currently ranked No. 81 in the World, spends time training in Los Angeles, as well as in Boca Raton. Next week in Melbourne, Spadea will start his 2009 season by playing in his 12th Australian Open.

Q & A with Vince Spadea

DOWN THE TEE:
You have spent much of your career ranked inside the Top 50, what does it take for a pro to consistently be ranked in the Top 50, let alone the Top 100?

VS: Having been ranked in the top hundred consistently has not been easy at all, and being in the Top 50 is another level that needs to be done carefully, strategically, and physically. I think the basic factors are that improving shots, being passionate about the game, and mentally rising to every match—regardless of who you're beating or losing to—allows you to reach your optimal level all the time. I think the most difficult step in tennis is to go from (the Top) 200 to 100. From 100 to 50 is also very difficult. I enjoy going to the gym, I stay in shape and I try to be fitter, faster and get my game ready and sharp to play every opponent no matter the circumstances, the surface, or the score. I play every match as if I'm trying to carry out the dream that got me there in the first place. It inspires me to continue on and rise above all the young, talented, up and coming players. Fitness is a huge part of this element, especially when you go from 100 to 50, and I love doing it. That's what makes it consistent.

DOWN THE TEE:
Having the perfect diet is a must for players to compete at the highest level. What is your diet like?

VS: I've worked with two nutritionists over the course of my career and they have helped me a huge amount, knowing what to eat and when to eat it. My diet plan consists of five smaller meals per day. It includes proteins, dairy, fruit, and carbohydrates. I take an over-the-counter multivitamin and drink lots of water per day. I personally enjoy pasta, chicken, cereals, and orange juice, and I can't get away from having my occasional Starbucks latte. Eating every two to three hours keeps my energy at an even flow. I'm never too hungry or too full. But I enjoy eating throughout the day, the right energy foods, and once a week I have “garbage day.” Garbage day I can obviously eat whatever I want in moderation.

DOWN THE TEE: I noticed in your book and on You Tube that you are a big fan of Starbucks, how often are you able to go there?

VS: I love Starbucks! Not only do I like the variety and creativity of the drinks, but the atmosphere, the ambience and friendly environment allows me to have a relaxing, yet pick me up moment, throughout my day. I travel so much that it's difficult to see the same places every day besides McDonald's. Starbucks creates a warm environment; the couches, music and Internet availability seduce me every day that I can get there.

DOWN THE TEE:
It seems that life on the ATP Tour might get pretty lonely at times, since you are always traveling and rarely spend time at home with family and friends. What is your perspective on the life as a professional tennis player?

VS: Life on the pro circuit can be lonely. This is true. Sometimes you feel like you've been put in isolation because of the travel and distances from your normal and homely environments. At the same time, it's an opportunity to experience new cultures, new ambitions, and irreplaceable memories that I can speak and write about for the rest of my life. I've grown to learn to enjoy the times of struggle and solitude, even if it's just sitting in my hotel room trying to accomplish something else on my laptop, reading a book, or watching a movie.

DOWN THE TEE: Your book "Break Point: The Secret Diary of a Pro Tennis Player," sheds light on what's going on "behind the scenes" in tennis. What led you to writing that book and now your soon-to-be-released second book, "The Greatest Comeback"?

VS: It was a very interesting experience to write my first book Break Point. I did shed some light on the behind-the-scenes life of the pro tennis circuit. I put a lot of effort into the writing, and describing what I feel like, and what I see in the game and my life. I like trying to give the fan a different concept and angle on what you would normally read in another book on the stand about tennis. It was honest, and it was unique. Sometimes honesty is unique and that's what I was trying to point out. As far as the other projects I have in the works, I don't have a lot to talk about right now until it gets closer to doing so.

DOWN THE TEE: What have you enjoyed most about your professional career? What, if you could, would you change about your career?

VS: The biggest thing I enjoy about my professional career is knowing that people appreciate the love and dedication that you put into your job. Tennis players sacrifice many countless hours to become that precise and skilled athlete, fighting to be the best in a certain trade, and sometimes we forget why we do it. Even though the money is there, we still forget. Even though the fame and the rankings are there, we still forget. But when you're walking on the Center Court or shaking the hand of the top-ranked opponent that you've just beaten or played even closely, the fans let you know why and remind you that all the repetitions were worth it. There's nothing better than to impact someone's life for even a second, a smile, or lifetime.

DOWN THE TEE: In your mind, what has been your biggest win during your career and why?

VS: In my mind, my biggest win has been against Andre Agassi at the 1999 Australian Open. Andre was an idol of mine as I grew up playing tennis. He was the rebel, living a rock star life, and a top ranked tennis player since the age of 18. To beat him in a Grand Slam during his prime, and doing it on Center Court at Rod Laver Arena, it didn't get much better than that in my career.

DOWN THE TEE: If you weren't playing on the ATP Tour, what would you be doing today?

VS: If I wasn't playing on the ATP tour today, I probably would like to be in the stock market, figuring out how to invest and when to invest. I like trying to solve puzzles and problems and using numbers and creative ways of doing it my own way. I think that world would allow me that freedom and the opportunity for pressure like tennis does.

DOWN THE TEE: As a 34-year-old pro tennis player with wins over the likes of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal what continues to drive you to travel the world and still compete at the highest-level?

VS: Even though I've beaten all those players at different times of my long career, I still feel the urge to compete and succeed. I believe I can win, that's why I'm out here. I still want to rekindle some of that magic that got me in the circles of beating the best and being one of the Top 20 best.

DOWN THE TEE: How much longer do you see yourself competing on the ATP Tour? What are your ambitions or aspirations for whenever you do decide to retire? Would you consider TV commentary?

VS: It's difficult to put a time frame on it. I would say (a) two to three year range; might be more, maybe less. Even though I am 34, I still feel young, act young, and explore ways to rejuvenate my mind and body. There are success stories in different sports that are more straining than tennis at older ages than (mine). But not looking at anyone as competition, I feel this is my own journey to seek out and enjoy. I will let the chips fall where they may and work my butt off while I do it until I can't do it or until I don't feel like doing it.

DOWN THE TEE: Many of your fans love hearing your freestyle rap, so should we be looking for a Spadea rap CD in the near future? Can you drop a rap about the DOWN THE TEE tennis blog?

VS: I enjoy rapping and rhyming, and I'm glad people out there have seen the fun and diversity of it. It's about being yourself and that's just a part of me, a part of my enjoyment when I'm not hitting tennis shots.

Vince Spadea raps about DOWN THE TEE!

Spadea does want to say thanks to DOWN THE TEE,
hopefully people will see that I'm just not a wannabe.
I just wanna be free and playing tennis is me,
that's the key to playing past 33.
Hopefully the readers from DOWN THE TEE and me,
can sit at Starbucks and grab a tea and coffee.
Because we got nobody to please, just one day at a time is my Creedand when I look in the mirror...I believe.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Australian Open preview

Australian Open
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Dates: January 19-February 1, 2009
Draw Size: 128
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $10,142,240 (AUS); men’s singles champion: $2,000,000 (AUS)
2008 Singles Final: Novak Djokovic, SRB, def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2)
Official Web site: http://www.ausopen.org/

Top story lines:
1. In 2008, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic accounted for all four Grand Slam titles, who has the best shot at winning this year in Melbourne?
2. Can red-hot Andy Murray continue his remarkable tennis and win his first career Grand Slam title?
3. Handed a tough draw, does Australian Lleyton Hewitt have any shot at getting out of the first round?

Justin’s notable first round match-ups:
1. No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez vs. Lleyton Hewitt (Gonzalez leads 3-2; Gonzalez won most recently at the 2007 Australian Open; Last season, Gonzalez won singles titles in Munich and Vina del Mar, a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics and was a quarterfinalist in Beijing, Tokyo, Vienna and at Roland Garros; Gonzalez is currently ranked No. 14; Last season, Hewitt reached the quarterfinals in Adelaide and Queen’s Club in London and reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and Wimbledon; Hewitt is currently ranked No. 74)
2. No. 28 Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. Jarkko Nieminen (Nieminen leads 1-0; winning in Adelaide in 2006; Last season, Nieminen was a finalist in Adelaide, semifinalist in Stockholm and a quarterfinalist at the Australian Open and in Bastad; Nieminen is currently ranked No. 40; In 2009, Mathieu has already reached the semifinals in Brisbane; Last season, Mathieu was a finalist in Metz and a semifinalist in Marseille and Munich; Mathieu is currently ranked No. 29)
3. No. 32 Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Sam Querrey (Querrey leads 1-0; winning at the 2006 US Open; Querrey won first career title in 2008 in Las Vegas and reached the semifinals in Delray Beach and Indianapolis; Querrey is currently ranked at a career-best No. 36; Kohlschreiber reached the quarterfinals in Doha during the first week of the 2009 season; Last season, Kohlschreiber won the Auckland title, reached the finals in Halle and the quarterfinals in Doha, Stuttgart and at the Masters Series Cincinnati; Kohlschreiber is currently ranked No. 33)
4. Guillermo Canas vs. Nicolas Kiefer (Series tied 1-1; Last season, Canas reached the semifinals in Las Vegas and s-Hertogenbosch; Canas is currently ranked No. 77; Last season, Kiefer was a finalist at the Masters Series Canada, semifinalist in Halle and quarterfinalist at the Masters Series Hamburg; Kiefer is currently ranked No. 37)

Potential notable late round match:
No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 6 Gilles Simon, Quarterfinals

· Nadal leads 2-1; Simon won most recently at the Masters Series Madrid in three sets in 2008
· Nadal finished the year ranked No. 1 in 2008, won 82 matches and eight titles, including the French Open, Wimbledon and a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics
· Simon won three singles titles in 2008

No. 2 Roger Federer vs. No. 8 Juan Martin Del Potro, Quarterfinals
· Federer leads 3-0; with a 2-0 edge on hard courts
· Federer won four titles in 2008 including his fifth-straight US Open
· Del Potro won four singles titles during a 23-match win streak in 2008

No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 7 Andy Roddick, Quarterfinals
· Djokovic leads 2-1; with a 2-1 edge on hard courts
· Djokovic won four titles in 2008 including the Australian Open and Tennis Masters Cup
· Roddick won three titles in 2008

No. 4 Andy Murray vs. No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga,
Quarterfinals
· Series tied 1-1; both matches played on hard courts
· Murray won five titles in 2008 and reached the US Open finals
· Tsonga won two titles in 2008 and reached a career-best ranking of No. 6

Watch out for…
1. No. 9 James Blake
2.
No. 10 David Nalbandian
3. No. 12 Gael Monfils
4. No. 14 Fernando Verdasco
5. No. 19 Marin Cilic
6. No. 22 Radek Stepanek
7.
Kei Nishikori

Champion prediction:
Justin: No. 4 Andy Murray

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Medibank International results (January 14)

Medibank International
Sydney, Australia
January 12-17, 2009
$484,750 / 28 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles - Second Round
(1)(WC) Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA), 6-1, 6-2
Richard Gasquet (FRA) def. (2) Gilles Simon (FRA), 6-4, 6-4
(3) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) def. Simone Bolelli (ITA), 6-4, 6-1
(4) David Nalbandian (ARG) def. Michael Llodra (FRA), 6-1, 6-3
(Q) Jeremy Chardy (FRA) def. (5) Igor Andreev (RUS), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Mario Ancic (CRO) def. (7) Tommy Robredo (ESP), 6-2, 6-1
(WC) Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) def. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB), 7-5, 6-4
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) def. (WC) Chris Guccione (AUS), 7-6(8), 6-3

Heineken Open results (January 14)

Heineken Open
Auckland, New Zealand
January 12-17, 2009
$480,750 / 28 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles - Second Round
(1) Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) def. Ernests Gulbis (LAT), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
(2) David Ferrer (ESP) def. Marc Gicquel (FRA), 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4
(3) Robin Soderling (SWE) def. (Q) Bobby Reynolds, (USA), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
(4) Nicolas Almagro (ESP) def. Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2
(5) Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) def. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5)
(6) Sam Querrey (USA) def. (Q) Gilles Muller (LUX), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Viktor Troicki (SRB) def. (8) Juan Monaco (ARG), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
(Q) John Isner (USA) def. Robby Ginepri (USA), 6-4, 6-7(1), 7-6(5)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Medibank International results (January 13)

Medibank International
Sydney, Australia
January 12-17, 2009
$484,750 / 28 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles - First Round
(WC) Chris Guccione (AUS) def. (6) Tomas Berdych (CZE), 6-3, 6-4
Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) def. (8) Mardy Fish (USA), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) def. Andreas Seppi (ITA), 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
(WC) Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) def. J Benneteau (FRA), 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
(Q) Jeremy Chardy (FRA) def. Radek Stepanek (CZE), 6-4, 3-0 ret. (illness)
Richard Gasquet (FRA) d Dmitry Tursunov (RUS), 7-6(4), 6-4

Heineken Open results (January 13)

Heineken Open
Auckland, New Zealand
January 12-17, 2009
$480,750 / 28 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles - First Round
(5) Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) def. (WC) Dominik Hrbaty (SVK), 6-1, 6-2
(Q) John Isner (USA) def. (7) Albert Montanes (ESP), 7-6(4), 7-5(8)
Juan Monaco (ARG) def. Victor Hanescu (ROU), 6-3, 6-4
(Q) Gilles Muller (LUX) def. Florent Serra (FRA), 6-3, 6-4
Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) def. Steve Darcis (BEL), 7-6(5), 6-2
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) def. Marcel Granollers (ESP), 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1
(Q) Bobby Reynolds (USA) def. (Q) Oscar Hernandez (ESP), 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-2
Marc Gicquel (FRA) def. Agustin Calleri (ARG), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

Monday, January 12, 2009

Robredo, Andreev, Nieminen victorious in Medibank International openers in Sydney

Seventh-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo (pictured) defeated Austrian Jurgen Melzer, 6-3, 6-4, on Monday in the first round at the Medibank International in Sydney. Robredo earned his first win of the year in his 2009 season debut.

Currently ranked No. 22 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, Robredo saved all seven break point chances he faced, while breaking Melzer’s serve twice in six opportunities throughout the 90-minute match. The steady right-hander who has won 332 career ATP singles matches, won 67 percent of first serve points, 63 percent of second serve points and smashed three aces compared to only one double fault. In six appearances in Sydney, this victory marks just the second time Robredo has made it past the first round. His best performance to date was in 2004 when he lost to countryman
Carlos Moya in the quarterfinals in three sets. Robredo next faces Croatian Mario Ancic, who defeated Belgian qualifier Xavier Malisse, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.

Fifth-seeded Russian Igor Andreev, who was eliminated in the first round last week in Doha, started things off on the right note this week by defeating Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic, 7-6(2), 6-3, in 77-minutes to advance. Currently ranked No. 19, Andreev smashed 11 aces compared to only two aces by Dancevic. The Russian, winner of a career-best 43 matches last season, won 34 of 38 first serve points, while breaking serve three times. Andreev will next face either last week’s Brisbane champion Radek Stepanek or French qualifier Jeremy Chardy.

Finland native Jarkko Nieminen, currently ranked No. 40, edged past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, 6-2, 7-6(9), in 84 minutes. Nieminen, who won 81 percent of first serve points and broke serve on three occasions, now owns a 5-0 lifetime record against the left-hander from Madrid. Nieminen awaits the winner between sixth-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych and 2008 finalist Chris Guccione. Nieminen has never faced Guccione but is 0-3 lifetime against Berdych, having never won a set against the big-serving Czech star.

Other First Round results from Monday
Michael Llodra def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-0, 6-2
Simone Bolelli def. Potito Starace, 7-6(1), 6-4

Querrey defeats local wild card entrant in Auckland; Ferrero, Ginepri also advance

Sixth-seeded American Sam Querrey advanced to the second round on Monday at the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand, with a routine, 6-4, 7-5, victory over local wild card entrant Daniel King-Turner. The 22-year-old Californian earned his first career victory in Auckland, having lost in his debut last year to Florian Mayer.

Currently ranked at a career-best No. 36 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, Querrey was able to put together an all-around strong performance to earn his first win of the 2009 season despite tossing in six double faults. The 6’6” American smashed eight aces, won 28 of 37 first serve points and was able to break serve on three of four opportunities in the 74-minute match. King-Turner, who is currently ranked No. 463, now falls to 7-8 lifetime in ATP-level main draw matches. In the second round, Querrey will face either Frenchman Florent Serra or qualifier
Gilles Muller.

Former World No. 1 and Roland Garros champion Juan Carlos Ferrero (pictured) advanced to the second round when Japanese rising star Kei Nishikori retired with a right forearm injury. Ferrero was leading 5-3 at the time of the injury, backed by three aces and two service breaks. A finalist in Auckland last year, Ferrero improves to 7-4 at the event. The Spaniard will next face either defending champion and fifth-seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber or wild card entrant Dominik Hrbaty.

American Robby Ginepri and Serbian Viktor Troicki were also victorious on opening day in Auckland by winning their matches with simplicity. Ginepri cruised past local wild card entrant Jose Statham, 6-2, 6-3, while Troicki smashed eleven aces and broke serve four times against Russian Igor Kunitsyn en route to an easy, 6-1, 6-2, victory. In the second round, Ginepri faces either seventh-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes or American qualifier John Isner. Troicki will clash with either eighth-seed Juan Monaco or Romanian Victor Hanescu for a place in the quarterfinals.

ATP Challenger Series Results* (Jan. 5-11)

Noumea, New Caledonia (Hard)
Brendan Evans (USA) def. (WC) Florian Mayer (GER), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Sao Paulo, Brazil (Hard)
Ricardo Mello (BRA) def. No. 3 Paul Capdeville (CHI), 6-2, 6-4

Key Terms
WC = Wild Card

*The ATP Challenger Series is a series of international men’s professional tennis tournaments throughout the world that allow players to win enough ranking points to earn an entry into an ATP-level main draw or qualifying draw. The ATP Challenger Series is fully administered by the ATP Tour.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Medibank International preview

Medibank International
Location: Sydney, Australia
Dates: January 12-17, 2009
Draw Size: 28
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $484,750; men’s singles champion: $78,500
2008 Singles Final: Dmitry Tursunov, RUS, def. Chris Guccione, AUS, 7-6(3), 7-6(4)
Official Web site
: http://www.medibankinternational.com

Top story lines:
1. Can Australian Open defending champion Novak Djokovic rebound in Sydney after a first round exit last week in Brisbane?
2. Does defending champion Dmitry Tursunov have any shot at winning again in
Sydney despite an extremely tough draw?
3. Will wild card entrant Lleyton Hewitt win a fifth singles title in Sydney?

Justin’s notable first round match-ups:
1. No. 6 Tomas Berdych vs. Chris Guccione
2. No. 7 Tommy Robredo vs. Jurgen Melzer
3. No. 8 Mardy Fish vs. Janko Tipsarevic
4. Dmitry Tursunov vs. Richard Gasquet
5. Jarkko Nieminen vs. Feliciano Lopez


Potential notable late round match:
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 7 Tommy Robredo, Quarterfinals
No. 3 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. No. 6 Tomas Berdych, Quarterfinals
No. 4 David Nalbandian vs. No. 8 Mardy Fish, Quarterfinals


Watch out for…
1. No. 2 Gilles Simon
2. Radek Stepanek


Champion prediction:
Justin: No. 3 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Heineken Open preview

Heineken Open
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Dates: January 12-17, 2009
Draw Size: 28
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $480,750; men’s singles champion: $78,000
2008 Singles Final: Philipp Kohlschreiber, GER, def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, ESP, 7-6(4), 7-5
Official Web site:
http://www.heinekenopen.co.nz/

Top story lines:
1. Can defending champion Philipp Kohlschreiber survive a brutal lower half of the draw to win a second straight title in Auckland?
2. Can No. 2 seed and 2007 champion David Ferrer make
a run at another title in Auckland?
3. Will No. 1 seed Juan Martin Del Potro have a winning streak by the time next week’s Australian Open begins?

Justin’s notable first round match-ups:
1.
No. 5 Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Dominik Hrbaty
2. Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Kei Nishikori

Potential notable late round match:
No. 1 Juan Martin Del Potro vs. No. 8 Juan Monaco, Quarterfinals
No. 2 David Ferrer vs. No. 5 Philipp Kohlschreiber, Quarterfinals
No. 4 Nicolas Almagro vs. No. 6 Sam Querrey, Quarterfinals

Watch out for…
1. No. 3 Robin Soderling
2.
Ernests Gulbis

Champion prediction:
Justin: No. 3 Robin Soderling

No. 8 Stepanek rallies past No. 3 Verdasco to win Brisbane International title

For the third straight match, eighth-seeded Radek Stepanek (pictured) rallied from behind to win, this time upsetting third-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, to claim the Brisbane International title in Australia on Sunday. Stepanek now owns three career ATP singles titles, having already raised the champion’s trophy in Rotterdam in 2006 and Los Angeles in 2007.

The 30-year-old Czech veteran, who is currently ranked No. 26 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, got off to a slow start in the serving department, making just 29 percent of first serves in the opening set. However, he quickly gained momentum in the second set by breaking Verdasco’s serve in the fourth game of the set, which ultimately led him to win the second set and take a commanding 4-1 lead in the final
set. Verdasco, the Davis Cup hero for Spain in last year’s championship win against Argentina, broke serve then held his own to cut the lead to 4-3. Having a chance to break serve and even the match at 4-4, Verdasco lost that chance and eventually the game when Stepanek used a tricky drop shot to deny the Spaniard another break of serve. Stepanek, currently coached by former Australian Open champion Petr Korda, closed out the match on his own serve. Despite making 86 percent of first serves and winning 64 percent of those points, Verdasco only managed to break serve twice compared to three times by Stepanek.

“It’s my third title and my first tournament of the new season,” explained Stepanek. “I have the trophy, so I can’t find the words right now. I’m very happy with the way I played this week; I fought from the first point to the last point in every match. Three times I came back from a set down. I played very good tennis and here is the reward for it.”

Stepanek, currently the boyfriend of WTA Tour star Nicole Vaidisova, improves to 3-0 lifetime against the 25-year-old Spaniard after his victory in front of a jam-packed crowd of 5,500 at the Patrick Rafter Arena at the new $82 million Queensland Tennis Center. Stepanek earned a champion’s paycheck of $77,200 by winning the Brisbane title. Verdasco, who now holds a 2-5 record in ATP singles finals, earned a finalist paycheck of $40,500.

No. 3 Cilic defeats two-time NCAA singles champ Devvarman to win Chennai Open

Third-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic (pictured) claimed his second career ATP singles title on Sunday by defeating wild card entrant and World No. 202 Somdev Devvarman, 6-4, 7-6(3), to win the Chennai Open title in India. Both singles titles Cilic has won to date have been on hard courts, winning his maiden title in New Haven in August 2008.

In an exciting 52-minute opening set, Devvarman had plenty of opportunities to take the lead, holding three break points in both the fifth and seventh games of the set, only to see the 6’6” Croatian eventually hold serve both times and win the set, 6-4. Things looked to be headed south for Devvarman when he got broken at love in the second game of the second set, but the former University of Virginia two-time NCAA singles champion responded by breaking back and sending the match to a tiebreak.
The 20-year-old Cilic was able to use his big match tournament experience and jump out to an early 4-1 lead in the tiebreak and clinch the title in exactly two hours. Cilic smashed nine aces compared to only one by Devvarman and allowed the 23-year-old rising star from India only one service break in 10 opportunities.

“I've been working very hard during this off-season and I'm glad that the work has paid off so fast,” said Cilic. “I'm feeling well even if today wasn't my best performance during the week. But I played well at crucial moments, which is the most important thing.”

Currently ranked No. 27 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, Cilic lost only one set this week, losing 6-0 in the second set of his quarterfinal match against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic. For winning the title, Cilic earned a champion’s paycheck worth $73,000. Devvarman, who turned professional last year, was appearing in just his sixth ATP-level main draw and was vying to become the first Indian player to win an ATP singles title since Leander Paes won the Newport title in the summer of 1998. He was also looking to become the first former collegiate player to win an ATP singles title since Sargis Sargsian in 1997.

“This was a great week for me and I hope to play more tour events in the upcoming months,” said Devvarman. “It is my goal to move up further in the rankings and to become a better player.”

After an astonishing week of tennis that led to a runner-up performance, Devvarman walks away with a $37,000 paycheck, the biggest singles check of his career. Devvarman will move to approximately No. 153 in the new rankings that will be released on Monday morning. This upcoming week Devvarman is entered in the Australian Open qualifying tournament, looking to become one of the 16 players to earn main draw spots for the first grand slam event of the 2009 season.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

World No. 4 Murray cruises past Roddick to win second straight Qatar Open title

Red-hot World No. 4 and third-seeded Andy Murray (pictured) successfully defended his Qatar ExxonMobil Open title by defeating fourth-seeded American Andy Roddick, 6-4, 6-2, on Saturday in Doha. Murray now owns two titles in three appearances in Doha, having lost in the finals to Ivan Ljubicic in his tournament debut in 2007.

In the opening set, Murray jumped out to an early lead by breaking Roddick’s serve to go ahead 3-2, eventually claiming the first set, 6-4. The second set went very smoothly for the 21-year-old Scotland native, as he broke serve in the third and fifth games of the set, to claim the match and second set, 6-2, in a match that lasted 70 minutes. Both players hit 70 percent on first serves, as Murray won 80 percent of those points
compared to only 66 percent by Roddick. Murray saved the only break point he faced by hitting an ace. In the 50 service games he played this week, Murray was only broken three times.

By claiming his second straight Doha title, Murray has now successfully defended three tournament titles, having accomplished it in San Jose in 2005-2006 and in St. Petersburg in 2007-2008. Murray is now the owner of nine ATP singles titles, having won five titles in 2008 including two Masters Series events.

“The semi-final and final matches were very good against two top players so I am very pleased,” said Murray. “It is great to start the season with a title. I have defended my title in three different tournaments now so I like to go back to the same places. I've always felt very comfortable in Doha.”

To go with the champion’s trophy, Murray earned $183,000 in prize money, while Roddick collected a runner-up check for $96,250. Both players will next compete at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Friday, January 09, 2009

Murray rallies past Federer in Doha; Roddick defeats Monfils to reach finals

World No. 4 Andy Murray (pictured) came from behind in his semifinal match against Roger Federer on Friday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha to defeat the Swiss, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2. Fourth-seeded American Andy Roddick also advanced by defeating fifth-seeded Gael Monfils, 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-3, to earn his first win against the Frenchman in his last four outing, but more importantly a place in the championship match.

In defeating Federer for the third straight time, Murray rebounded nicely after losing the first set, as he was able to break serve twice in the second and third sets. Both players fired seven aces, but the Scot won an impressive 89 percent of first serve points compared to 69 percent by the former top-ranked star.


“It was a very tough match, I relaxed a bit after I got the break in the second set,” said Murray. “It is great to have such a great record against Federer. He's arguably the best player in the history of tennis.”

Having lost last year to Murray at the Masters Series Madrid and Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, Federer now falls to 2-5 lifetime against the in-form Scot. The 13-time grand slam champion, who won the Doha title in 2005 and 2006, now falls to 15-2 at this event.

Despite three solid performances to reach the final four, Federer was clearly disappointed in his semifinal performance, saying: “It is disappointing to lose after winning the first set and also because I had played well in the first three rounds.”

Monfils, currently ranked No. 13 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, looked to have things under control against Roddick as he led 5-4 and held a set point, but quickly had his serve broken. Roddick, a former World No. 1 and US Open champion in 2003, then took the first set tiebreak in convincing fashion, losing only one point. The Frenchman, who is now coached by Lleyton Hewitt’s old coach Roger Rasheed, showed signs of life in the second set after receiving back treatment, winning the set, 6-3.

“I enjoyed the match even if I lost,” said Monfils. “I had the biggest chance when I served for the first set but did not play a good game.”

Despite having his serve broken early in the final set, Roddick managed to produce more consistent tennis than Monfils and earned a crucial break of serve at 4-3 in the final set. Roddick closed things out on his own serve, winning the final set, 6-3, in a three-set match that lasted just over two hours.

The 26-year-old, who won three ATP singles titles last year, will be making his first appearance in the Doha finals. Roddick is the first American to reach the Doha finals since Jan-Michael Gambill finished as runner-up in 2003. Despite having a 2-5 record against Murray, Roddick looks to become just the second American to win the Doha title. American legend Jim Courier won the Doha title in 1997 by defeating British star Tim Henman.

Brisbane International results (January 9)

Brisbane International
Brisbane, Australia
January 4-11, 2009
$484,750 / 32 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles – Quarterfinals
No. 7 Richard Gasquet (FRA) def. No. 2 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA), 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 8 Radek Stepanek (CZE) def. No. 4 Robin Soderling (SWE), 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

Chennai Open results (January 9)

Chennai Open
Chennai, India
January 5-11, 2009
$450,000 / 32 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles – Quarterfinals
No. 3 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. No. 7 Janko Tipsarevic (SRB), 6-4, 0-6, 6-4
Somdev Devvarman (IND) def. No. 4 Ivo Karlovic (CRO), 7-6(4), 6-4
No. 5 Rainer Schuettler (GER) def. Bjorn Phau (GER), 6-2, 7-5
No. 8 Marcel Granollers (ESP) def. Lukas Dlouhy (CZE), 7-5, 2-6, 6-4

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Monfils upsets World No. 1 Nadal in Doha; Federer, Murray, Roddick also advance

Backed by 35 winners, No. 5 seed Gael Monfils (pictured) defeated World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-4, in 89 minutes to advance to the semifinals at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha on Thursday. 13-time grand slam singles champion Roger Federer and 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick also advanced to the final four in Doha.

In their three previous meetings, Monfils had not won more than three games in a set against Nadal, which was not the case this afternoon. The Paris native smashed eight aces past the Spaniard, while dropping only seven first serve points. Monfils won 33 of 40 first serve points throughout the match and was able to break serve three times on seven opportunities. Nadal was somewhat sluggish in the serving department, hitting two double faults while not serving an ace the entire match. The defending
Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion won only 29 of 46 first serve points, but did manage to break serve once. Monfils next faces Roddick, who easily defeated Romanian Victor Hanescu, 6-3, 6-2. Monfils owns a 3-1 edge against the American, winning their last three meetings.

Federer, Doha champion in 2005 and 2006, survived a close encounter with German Philipp Kohlschreiber, winning, 6-2, 7-6(6), in one hour and 26 minutes. The Swiss star quickly got ahead 6-3, 3-0, before the German picked up his style of playing becoming more aggressive. After Federer had a chance to break serve and go up 5-3, Kohlschreiber eventually held to even the match at 4-4. The second set went to a tiebreak, with Kohlschreiber jumping ahead 5-1. The young German then found himself up 6-3, holding three set points against the former top-ranked player. On the first set point, Kohlschreiber netted a forehand, followed by a lob winner by Federer on the second set point. Federer then smashed a service winner and an ace out wide to take the lead 7-6. On match point, Federer smashed a shot down the line to win the match and end the lengthy 56-minute second set. The Swiss legend smashed four aces throughout the match compared to only one by Kohlschreiber. Federer was also able to break serve four times, two more than his opponent. Federer next faces World No. 4 Andy Murray, who cruised past Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-4, 6-2. Last week, Murray upset Federer in three sets in the semifinals of the Capitala World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Although the match did not officially count for ranking purposes, Murray does currently own a 4-2 series edge against Federer, winning three of four meetings in 2008.

Chennai Open results (January 8)

Chennai Open results
Chennai, India
January 5-11, 2009
$450,000 / 32 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles – Second Round
No. 3 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Denis Istomin (UZB), 6-0, 6-4
No. 4 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def. Ivo Minar (CZE), 6-1, 6-4
No. 5 Rainer Schuettler (GER) def. Simon Greul (GER), 6-4, 6-2
Somdev Devvarman (IND) def. No. 6 Carlos Moya (ESP), 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
No. 7 Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) def. Dudi Sela (ISR), 7-6(3), 6-4
No. 8 Marcel Granollers (ESP) def. Andreas Beck (GER), 6-4, 6-1
Bjorn Phau (GER) def. Flavio Cipolla (ITA), 6-1, 6-2

Brisbane International results (January 8)

Brisbane International
Brisbane, Australia
January 4-11, 2009
$484,750 / 32 Draw
Hard Courts

Singles – Quarterfinals
No. 3 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) def. Florent Serra (FRA), 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) def. Kei Nishikori (JPN), 6-3, 6-4

Doubles – Quarterfinals
Carsten Ball/Chris Guccione def. No. 1 Max Mirnyi/Andy Ram, 6-4, 6-4
Fernando Verdasco/Mischa Zverev def. No. 4 Martin Damm/Robert Lindstedt, 6-3, 6-3

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Nadal, Federer, Roddick advance to quarterfinals at Qatar ExxonMobil Open

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal advanced on Wednesday to the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha after a second straight lopsided victory, this time defeating Slovakian qualifier Karol Beck, 6-1, 6-2. Second-seeded Swiss Roger Federer (pictured) also had little trouble reaching the quarterfinals, as he defeated Italian Andreas Seppi, 6-3, 6-3.

After falling behind 0-2 in the second set, the lefty from Mallorca won six straight games to win the match in 61 minutes. Nadal, a quarterfinalist in 2005, won 18 of 20 first serve points, while breaking serve six times throughout the match.

“It’s been two very good matches to start the year and I am happy with how I am playing. 6-0, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-2, I did not expect that,” said Nadal.


After two fairly easy matches, Nadal will have to play strong tennis in the quarterfinals, as he next faces fifth-seed Gael Monfils, who is currently ranked at a career-best No.13. The Spaniard owns a 3-0 record against the young Frenchman, winning most recently last season in the Round of 16 at the Masters Series Paris. Monfils, a Doha finalist in 2006, earned his quarterfinal spot by battling past compatriot Nicolas Devilder, 7-5, 7-6(4).

Despite a few hiccups throughout the one hour and 19 minute match, Federer remained composed enough to cruise to victory by breaking serve four times and winning 71 percent of first serve points. Federer, a two-time former Doha champion now owns a 14-1 record at this event. The 27-year-old former World No. 1 next faces German Philipp Kohlschreiber, who defeated Belgian Kristof Vliegen, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4. Federer owns a 2-0 career record against the German, winning both meetings on grass.

In the night session match, fourth-seeded American Andy Roddick rolled past French wild card Arnaud Clement, 6-3, 7-5, in one hour and 43 minutes. Currently ranked No. 8 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, Roddick pounded 11 aces past Clement without tossing in a double fault. Despite getting broken twice on serve, Roddick was able to quickly regroup and break Clement’s serve on four occasions. The 26-year-old Texas resident, a winner of three ATP singles titles in 2008, will next face Romanian Victor Hanescu for a place in the semifinals. Hanescu easily defeated former Doha semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny, 6-2, 6-4, in one hour and 39 minutes.

Others Second Round Results from Wednesday
No. 3 Andy Murray def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-2, 6-4
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Alexander Peya, 7-5, 6-3

Tsonga survives three-set thriller in Brisbane; Nishikori stuns No. 5 Berdych

Second-seeded French star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (pictured) came from behind on Wednesday at the Brisbane International in Australia to defeat Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5). With the victory, Tsonga sets up a clash with compatriot Richard Gasquet for a spot in the semifinals.

A finalist at last year’s Australian Open, Tsonga started off extremely slow, winning only six points on serve and not capitalizing on four break point chances, ultimately losing the first set 6-0. The Frenchman recuperated in the final two sets, which was enough to send him through
to his second straight quarterfinal appearance at this event. Tsonga smashed nine aces past Nieminen, while winning 73 percent of first serve points. Both players won 98 points throughout the match, but it was the final two points that Tsonga won in the third set tiebreak that was the difference. With the victory, Tsonga ties the series record against Nieminen to 1-1.

Third-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, recently known as WTA Tour star Ana Ivanovic’s boyfriend, steam-rolled former World No. 7 Mario Ancic, 6-2, 6-3, in one hour and 18 minutes. A Davis Cup hero in the championship match against Argentina in 2008, Verdasco won 33 of 39 first serve points, fired six aces and broke serve on three of five opportunities. Ancic was unable
to break serve despite five chances.

The upset of the day happened on the final match of the day as Japanese sensation Kei Nishikori defeated fifth-seed and current World No. 20 Tomas Berdych, 7-6(7), 6-3, in one hour and 39 minutes. Berdych hammered six aces compared to Nishikori’s five, but the youngster from Japan was able to break serve twice compared to only once by the Czech veteran. Nishikori will next face Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the quarterfinals. Mathieu defeated Latvian Ernests Gulbis, 6-3, 6-4, just one day after Gulbis shocked World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the opening round.

Other Second Round Results on Wednesday
No. 8 Radek Stepanek def. Michael Llodra, 7-6(2), 6-3
Florent Serra def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-4, 6-3