Stosur wins, returns to Top 10
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., April 19 -- Samantha Stosur re-entered the world women's tennis Top 10 Monday following her victory at the WTA's Family Circle Cup in South Carolina.
Stosur rolled to a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Vera Zvonareva in Sunday's title final in earning her second WTA championship and a return to the No. 10 spot in the world rankings.
She had been knocked to No. 11 two weeks ago by the rapid ascendancy of Kim Clijsters but regained the No. 10 ranking by 85 points after the win in Charleston, S.C.
The rest of the world women's Top 10 remained the same as last week with Serena Williams, who announced a return to play in next month's Italian Masters, holding the top spot. Williams had been idled by a knee injury.
Caroline Wozniacki is No. 2 followed by, in order, Dinara Safina, Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Elena Dementieva is sixth with Jelena Jankovic in seventh, Agnieszka eighth and Victoria Azarenka in the No. 9 slot.
(c)2010 United Press International, Inc
Augustana Women's Tennis Ranked Second in NCAA Central Region RankingsThe Augustana women's tennis team is ranked second in the initial NCAA Division II Central Regional Rankings of the season, the NCAA announced today. The Vikings are 14-0 overall and 8-0 in regional play.
The Vikings are the top-ranked team from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and have posted victories over #5 Upper Iowa, #6 Minnesota State, #7 Winona State and #10 Minnesota Duluth. Augustana will host No. 3-ranked St. Cloud State on Friday. The first matches are slated to begin at 6 p.m.
The top eight teams in region advance to the Central Regional Championships, which are scheduled for May 6-8.
(c)2010 Augustana College
UA women's tennis drops match to LSU
The Alabama women's tennis team fell to LSU on Friday at the W.T. "Dub" Robinson Stadium by a score of 5-2. The loss puts the Crimson Tide at 8-9 on the season and 1-6 against Southeastern Conference opponents, while the Tigers up their standing to 7-12 overall and 2-5 versus league foes.
Alabama made it four doubles points in a row when it took the early edge against LSU with wins at No. 1 and No. 3, however, the Tigers would make a run to get back in the match in singles. With victories on all courts but two, LSU would take the overall dual match. Sophomore Courtney McLane, however, extended her singles win streak to four matches with a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 2 over Tiger freshman Kaitlin Burns.
The Tide continues its road trip Sunday when it takes on No. 22 Arkansas in Fayetteville at noon.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 20 Guarachi/McLane (UA) def. Wolf/Frankenberger (LSU) 8-3
2. Burns/Robinson (LSU) def. Tunaru/Foehse (UA) 8-4
3. Bigos/Emery (UA) def. Adamek/Kantor (LSU) 8-5
Singles
1. Whitney Wolf (LSU) def. No. 47 Alexa Guarachi (UA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. Courtney McLane (UA) def. Kaitlin Burns (LSU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Nicole Kantor (LSU) def. Meritt Emery (UA) 6-3, 6-2
4. Keri Frankenberger (LSU) def. Antonia Foehse (UA) 6-4, 3-1, ret.
5. Ebie Wilson (LSU) def. Paulina Bigos (UA) 6-3, 6-3
6. Hannah Robinson (LSU) def. Alice Tunaru (UA) 7-6(4), 6-1
Copyright (c) 2010 TideSports.com
Murray upset by Fish in 2nd round at Key Biscayne
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- The stadium erupted when Mardy Fish walloped the final shot of the match for a winner, and he let loose a jubilant roar of his own.
The American earned one of the biggest victories in his 10-year career Saturday at the Sony Ericsson Open, where he upset 2009 champion Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4.
Fish repeatedly came through with big serves at key moments, while Murray went into a funk after he frittered away an early lead. The Scotsman was the Australian Open runner-up in January and was seeded No. 3 at Key Biscayne but failed to survive his opening match.
"He probably didn't play the way he did in Australia," Fish said. "But I don't care."
Murray confirmed he has been struggling the past two months and described the problem as mostly mental.
"It's purely down to me, what goes on inside my head," he said. "It doesn't matter how well you practice. You need to be tough in the matches."
Top-ranked Roger Federer held every service game and won his opening match by beating lucky loser Nicolas Lapentti 6-3, 6-3. Federer, the Key Biscayne champion in 2005-06, has an inviting path to the final with Murray out. No. 2 Novak Djokovic was eliminated Friday.
"I hadn't even started playing yet, and there are two big names out of the tournament already," Federer said. "It worries me as well, being the top seed. I'm relieved I'm through the first match."
Rafael Nadal will overtake Murray for the No. 3 spot in the next rankings, while Fish advances to the third round at Key Biscayne for the first time since 2003.
"I desperately wanted to play well here," said Fish, who is from Vero Beach.
Once a top-20 player, Fish joked that declining fortunes have made him a doubles specialist. It's true he's playing doubles at Key Biscayne, but he's also mounting a comeback from left knee surgery last September.
Fish's ranking of 101st will rise thanks to his second career win over a player ranked in the top three. He beat Federer at Indian Wells two years ago.
While U.S. tennis fans could boast about the upset, their lone remaining hope on the women's side also advanced. Three-time champion Venus Williams reached the fourth round by beating Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-4.
Williams is the only American who reached the final 32 in the women's draw. She and sister Serena are the lone U.S. women in the top 40.
"It's just definitely strange because of the unbelievable tradition we've had with tennis for Americans since the beginning," Williams said. "That's what makes it so odd. With Serena and me, the standard has been set pretty high. Hopefully there will be someone coming along soon with the tools and the traits, and who will build that in their game to get there."
Serena has been sidelined with a knee injury since winning the Australian Open in January. She's working out this month with fitness guru Mackie Shilstone but withdrew from the tournament before the start.
While Serena is ranked No. 1, Venus is the hottest player on the women's tour - not necessarily because of the red corset she unveiled this week, but because she has won 12 consecutive matches. The winning streak includes three victories after losing the first set.
"I've come from down, up, around and over," she said. "Being on a winning streak helps my confidence every time."
Top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova beat No. 27 Agnes Szavay 6-2, 6-3. Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic's recent struggles continued with a loss to No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-5, 7-5.
Joining Fish in the third round were No. 5-seeded Robin Soderling and No. 10 Fernando Verdasco. Soderling beat Peter Luczak 7-6 (5), 6-0, and Verdasco eliminated Dudi Sela 6-1, 6-2.
Murray trains in nearby Miami, and he became the first British player to win Key Biscayne when he beat Novak Djokovic in last year's final. But the Scotsman said he sensed trouble against Fish, even serving with a 3-1, 40-love lead.
The tide turned when Murray lost that game.
"I just wasn't very good today, and I'm going to need to get a lot better," he said. "If you leave the ball short in the middle of the court, it's very easy for guys to attack and be aggressive."
Fish lost just six points on his first serve. He hit 28 winners to Murray's nine and frequently charged the net behind returns.
"Playing a guy like Andy, I needed to stay aggressive," Fish said. "I'm just not going to win the points very often if they go 10 shots in a row."
Murray went only 1 for 5 converting break-point chances, but he wasn't at fault. Fish hit several unreturnable serves in those situations.
"You've got to go in thinking you can actually win," Fish said. "That helps."
Copyright (c) 2010 The Associated Press
Sharapova suffers fresh setback after elbow injury
Maria Sharapova has been hit by a new injury setback and will be sidelined for up to six weeks, according to the Russian's tennis star's personal Web site.
Sharapova aggravated an elbow injury as she lost to China's Zheng Jie in a marathon three-set match at the WTA event in Indian Wells.
A later MRI scan revealed bone bruising to the elbow and she immediately pulled out of the prestigious tournament at Key Biscayne in Florida later this month.
Sharapova told reporters that she had first felt the problem during last year's U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, but really started to feel it in the deciding set against Zheng in a two hours 43 minute encounter.
"I just felt like I couldn't really extend it all the way. It was a little stuck. So it was going on for a while, but I thought it would be best to call the trainer," she said.
The three-time grand slam champion has suffered a string of injuries, culminating in serious shoulder surgery in October 2008 which saw her sidelined for nearly 10 months.
She has steadily clawed her way up the rankings and was 10th seed at Indian Wells, but her performances in grand slams have been disappointing and she went out in the first round of the Australian Open to fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko.
Sharapova admitted to reporters after her defeat to Zheng that she would liked to have moved up the rankings faster, but was still proud of her efforts, which culminated in a 21st career title on the WTA Tour in Memphis last month.
"I mean, I think I'm doing a lot better than other people that have had shoulder surgery in their careers," she said.
"Some people have never come back. I don't know. What, I'm 13 in the world or something? That's a lot better than some of the girls I've lost to in the last year," she added.
Off the court, Sharapova's appeal remains as strong as ever and in January she renewed her contract with Nike, signing an eight-year deal worth a reported $70 million.
(c) 2010 Cable News Network
Alicia Molik charges into fourth round at Indian WellsALICIA Molik is continuing her charge up the WTA rankings, reaching the fourth round of the Indian Wells event.
The 29-year-old Australian, on the comeback trail after a second career-threatening ailment, cruised into the round of 16 with a 6-0 6-2 victory over British qualifier Elena Baltacha.
Molik next faces China's Zheng Jie who battled past former champion Maria Sharapova 6-3 2-6 6-3.
Zheng, whose run to the Australian Open semi-finals along with that of compatriot Li Na electrified Chinese tennis, lost to Molik in the first round in Dubai last month.
Zheng toiled for two hours, 43 minutes to dispatch the 10th-seeded Sharapova - the second set alone taking 68 minutes.
"It was a tough match,'' Zheng said.
"The second set, I still had some chances, a lot of games went to deuce."
Sharapova was impressed by Zheng's tenacity.
"She's like a ball machine,'' Sharapova said.
"She hits a lot of balls back, hits them hard and deep.''
After dropping her serve in the first game of the third set, Zheng broke back immediately. Sharapova broke again to take a 3-2 lead, after which she received treatment on court on her elbow - and didn't win another game.
"I just felt like I couldn't really extend it all the way,'' Sharapova said.
"It was a little stuck. So it was going on for a while, but I thought it would be best to call the trainer.
"I actually didn't want to take a timeout then, but she said if I didn't do it then I couldn't do it later. I had to take a three minute timeout.''
Sharapova said the elbow had been bothering her since she arrived at Indian Wells, and was a hindrance on her serve.
For Zheng, the injury timeout was a welcome breather.
"It was good fighting for the final set,'' she said.
"I think it was 2-3 down, and I came back to 6-3. It's not easy. I'm so tired.
"When she called the trainer, I called my coach. I said, 'Oh, I have time for rest.' Coach tell me, 'Keep fighting.' It gave me more confidence.''
Sharapova won the title in the California desert in 2006, but didn't play singles here last year as she continued her recovery from shoulder surgery.
The former world number one lost a three-set slugfest to compatriot Maria Kirilenko in the first round of the Australian Open, but bounced back last month by lifting the WTA title in Memphis.
Copyright 2010 The Sunday Time
Why is Britain so bad at tennis?
The Lawn Tennis Association has an annual budget of GBP59.7m compared with the Lithuanian federation's GBP90,000. Britain has 52 world-ranked male singles players and Lithuania just three. How could Britain lose to such opponents?
Because for decades Britain has failed to produce a consistent flow of world-class players. The individual successes of Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Andy Murray have simply papered over a lack of strength in depth.
Those failings have been exposed by the retirements of Henman and Rusedski and the occasional absence of Murray, who, like four of the world's other top six players, did not make himself available for national duty last weekend. Britain has one man in the world's top 100; France has 12, Spain 12 and Germany 11.
Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis, the world No 195, was the highest-ranked singles player in the Europe Africa Zone Group Two tie against Britain. The results in Vilnius went according to world rankings, apart from the decisive fifth rubber, in which Laurynas Grigelis (world No 519) beat Dan Evans (No 252).
Do British players receive adequate support?
The LTA spends some GBP25m a year on the development of "high-performance" players. It can do so thanks in large part to the annual surplus it receives from Wimbledon (GBP29.2m last year) and its GBP25m five-year sponsorship deal with Aegon, a financial services company.
Forty-three British players receive funding as members of "Team Aegon". Anne Keothavong, until recently British No 1, and Laura Robson, the 2008 junior Wimbledon champion, both received the equivalent of GBP48,000 last year to provide them with personal coaches. Other senior players received GBP24,000 each and juniors GBP16,000. They all had a GBP12,000 travel budget.
British players also have the benefit of world-class training facilities, sports science support and highly paid coaches at the swish National Tennis Centre at Roehampton. The head coach of men's tennis is Paul Annacone, who used to work with Pete Sampras and Henman.
Are the players too pampered?
There is a view that British players have it too easy and are not hungry enough for success. Critics compare them with eastern Europeans who receive little material support and have to work hard for everything they get. Recognising those criticisms, the LTA now gives players annual targets, covering both their ranking and specific areas like fitness, diet and technical aspects of their game. If the targets are not met, funding can be cut. Eleven players, including Alex Bogdanovic, the British No 2, were dropped from Team Aegon at the end of last year.
Critics also point to the annual handing out of Wimbledon wild cards. They say it rewards undeserving players and that when they lose it serves only to heap scorn on British tennis. Last year Gerry Sutcliffe, the Minister for Sport, said he was "tired of excuses" after nine out of 11 Britons lost in the first round. They included Bogdanovic, who has received eight Wimbledon wild cards and lost every time.
The attitude and commitment of some British juniors have also been questioned. Two years ago, for example, the LTA took away all of Evans' funding for four months after he was seen in a nightclub in the early hours on the day of his boys' doubles match at Wimbledon, which he lost in straight sets.
Given that this was the first time that Britain have lost five Davis Cup matches in succession, should heads roll?
John Lloyd, Britain's Davis Cup captain, could be first in the firing line. His team selections have been questioned by some. Bogdanovic is ranked 94 and 97 places respectively above James Ward and Evans, Britain's two singles players in Vilnius, but was overlooked. Lloyd, nevertheless, could point to Bogdanovic's woeful Davis Cup record, the 25-year-old having lost all seven of his "live" singles rubbers. Lloyd has been a popular captain and it is not his fault that the country fails to produce better players.
Instead, the LTA might look at the coaching of the elite men. While Roger Draper, the chief executive, insists it will take time for his changes to bear fruit, there has been little evidence of improvement among the current leading Britons, with the notable exception of Murray. The LTA could also ask itself whether it is attempting too much. Some critics believe the LTA should be more of a facilitator, helping independent academies and clubs to develop players, rather than acting as an all-embracing hub.
Does tennis attract enough of Britain's most talented sporting youngsters?
No. Football, rugby and cricket have had better success in identifying and recruiting talent. The LTA sees this as a big priority, along with increasing participation. It says the number of juniors who play competitively has been rising rapidly.
A programme backed by the LTA, the Tennis Foundation and Aegon is promoting the sport in schools. In the last 12 months more than 3,000 primary school teachers have been trained to deliver tennis and 3,000 schools have been given equipment. The use of slower balls and smaller courts is also seen as a way of making tennis more accessible to children.
Is there any cause for optimism?
The woes of Britain's men have coincided with a marked improvement in the women. Keothavong, Elena Baltacha and Katie O'Brien have broken into the world's top 100 in recent times, while Robson and Heather Watson have won junior Grand Slam titles.
There has been talk of Britain having to "miss a generation" among the men, but optimism that a group of promising teenagers led by Oliver Golding, George Morgan, Jack Carpenter and James Marsalek can eventually be successful. However, we have heard that before.
Can Britain fall any lower?
Yes. Britain need to beat Turkey in their next match in order to avoid relegation to the Davis Cup's lowest tier alongside Albania, Andorra and Malta. Without Murray, who must be a doubt given that the match will be played the weekend after Wimbledon, the highest-ranked singles player in the tie is likely to be Turkey's Marsel Ilhan, the world No 122.
(c)independent.co.uk
|
