The Wrap, Week of Feb. 15-21

Querrey Chops Down Isner for Memphis Crown; Sharapova, Llodra, Ferrero, Duque Marino Also Win Crowns

By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net


Maria won title No. 21.

SUNDAY, FEB. 21 - Just two points from defeat, Sam Querrey overcame John Isner 6-7 (3) 7-6 (5) 6-3 for the Morgan Keegan Championships crown in Memphis. Unable to touch Isner’s serve nearly all day long, Querrey stood strong in the breaker while the former UGA star couldn’t come up with enough meaningful shots in the clutch. In winning his first ATP World Tour 500 event, Querrey cruised in the third set and broke the despondent Isner twice to win the match.
It was the first meeting between the two doubles partners and buddies, who will head to Acapulco on Monday to get their feet used to the red clay before taking the two singles positions for the US Davis Cup team in Serbia the week following. With the win, Querrey moved back into the top 25, while Isner will improve his career high ranking at either No. 22 or 23.
On Saturday night, former No. 1 Maria Sharapova did what she had to in Memphis and pocketed the women’s Tier III crown by blowing out Sofia Arvidsson 6-2 6-1. Sharapova won her 21st Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title and lost just 21 games in 10 sets during the week. After being stunned by Maria Kirilenko in the first round of the Aussie Open, the Russian was thrilled to get her form back, even though it was over a relatively weak field. “ I came here for matches - I got five and I got the win, so it was a good week,” said the 13th-ranked Sharapova, whose next tournament is at Indian Wells and who has no points to defend until mid-May. “I served and returned well, two things that are very important indoors. I also did the right things against Sofia today. I worked hard after the Australian Open and little by little things are coming along." Vania King and Michaella Krajicek won their first dubs title together by taking down Bethanie Mattek-Sands and the just returned Meghann Shaughnessy 7-5 6-2.
In Marseille, the serve and volleying Michael
Llodra bested fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-3, 6-4 and then they teamed up to win the dubs…Roger Federer withdrew from Dubai because of a lung infection.

Federer is expected to return at Indian Wells. “I'm hoping to be back for Indian Wells. But of course, there are no promises," Federer said. The event has also lost Rafa Nadal and Andy Roddick, who pulled out on Saturday but likely wasn’t planning to compete unless he fell early at Memphis, which he didn’t. No. 3 Andy Murray heads the field.
In Bogota, Columbian Mariana Duque Marino thrilled her home country by taking down Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-3 for the title. The 20-year-old Duque Marino came into the event with a ranking of No.143, the lowest ranking since then-No.155 Kimiko Date Krumm won 2009 Osaka. “Coming into this season I didn't think I would win a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title so this has been incredible,” she said. “I ran so much. The hard work paid off."
Serena Williams has pulled out of the Billie Jean King Cup exo at Madison Square Garden on March 1 with the same leg problem that saw her pull out of Paris and Dubai. She’ll be replaced by Ana Ivanovic… Juan Carlos Ferrero won back-to-back Buenos Aires titles with a 5-7 6-4 6-3 win over David Ferrer. One would have to think that he’ll get the call for Davis Cup against the Swiss….John McEnroe kicked off his 2010 ATP Champions Tour campaign in style with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Mats Wilander at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships “Saturday night in Delray sure is alright and we were definitely fighting out there,” said the 51-year-old Mac. The Delray Beach ATP event will kick off on Monday with Tommy Haas and Ivo Karlovic as its top seeds. James Blake is also in the field and will face Taylor Dent in R1. Vince Spadea got a wild card, as did Seb Grosjean.

Venus Beats Vika for Dubai Title; Querrey vs. Isner in Memphis Final


SATURDAY, FEB. 20 - Victoria Azarenka may be one of the most promising players on tour, but she’s sure having trouble against the elite veterans. On Saturday, Venus Williams retained her Dubai crown by defeating Belarussian 6-3 7-5 for the title. It was Venus’ 42nd singles title, putting her one ahead of Justine Henin."It was definitely very competitive," said Williams, who had a humdrum Aussie Open. "I respect her game. My serve is a big advantage for me. I (also) think I get a lot of balls back, that helps. Off the ground she's very strong and consistent but I think I'm probably a little stronger than her so that helps me to control the point."

In Memphis, two friends who are doubles partners and who are also the face of the new US Davis Cup team will clash when
Sam Querrey beat Ernests Gulbis 6-3 6-4, and John Isner bested Philipp Petzschner 7-5 4-6 6-3. Maria Sharapova and Sofia Arvidson will play in the women’s final. In Marseille, Julien Benneteau will meet fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra in the final. Benneteau ousted compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 5-7 7-6, and Llodra overcame Mischa Zverev 6-1 7-6. "I had many chances but missed all of them," Tsonga said. "I made too many unforced errors….In Bogota, Mariana Duque of Colombia beat Arantxa Parra Santonja and will play Angelique Kerber of Germany who took out Gisela Dulko 7-5 6-3… Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Juan Monaco 6-2 7-6(7) in the first Buenos Aires semi.


Venus v. Vika in Dubai; Querrey Gets Revenge Over Roddick

FRIDAY, FEB. 18 - Venus and Vika will meet for only the second time, but it will be a defining match for Azarenka, who needs to win another fair sized title in order to reestablish her credentials. On Saturday in Dubai, Williams bested Shahar Peer 6-1 6-4. The match was played on a side court due to security concerns which have surrounded Peer as this is the first time she has been allowed to play in the anti-Israeli government country. “The main difference between playing me and the other top players was maybe my serves, the power, and maybe my speed... but had I not had those things, I could have been another Top 10 player packing today. She played so well,” said Venus, who also could use another title.

Azarenka took out Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-4 and has played well all week, but after blowing a significant lead to Serena Williams at the Aussie Open, has to show that she can sustain a high level over three sets. Williams is aiming for her 42nd title; Azarenka her fourth. Williams and Azarenka have faced off once before, at 2008 Olympics with Venus winning easily.

Former champ Sofia Arvidson is on fire in Memphis, wasting Melanie Oudin and then knocking off Britain’s Anne Keothavong 6-4 in the third. She’ll face the winner of the match between Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova.

In men’s day matches, John Isner out-served the nearly unbreakable Ivo Karlovic 6-1, 7-6(1) to gain the semis “This is a dream start to the season,” said Isner. “Everybody wants to do well at the beginning of the year and I’ve done that so far. It’s only my third tournament of the year and I already have 11 match wins. That’s pretty big so far. Isner next will meet German Philipp Petzschner, who defeated Lukas Lacko 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.

In the night match, Sam Querrey got a measure of revenge of Andy Roddick for his third-set loss to the elder American last week when he blew past Roddick 7-5, 3-6, 6-1. Clearly, Roddick was tired after 12 days at tournaments, but Querrey has to be pleased after largely choking the breaker last week. The Santa Monica resident will face Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who is finally showing fine form again when he took down Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3). No. 99 Gulbis was treated for a left knee injury when trailing 4-1 in the final set. "It's a problem (patella tendonitis) which I've been dealing with for more than one-and-a-half years. At 4-1, I was pretty sure I was going to lose so I went for my shots; I played more relaxed. I broke him once, and now he's under pressure, not me anymore."
In Marseille, Michael Llodra upended Robin Soderling 7-6 6-4 and will meet Mischa Zverev who beat Guillaume Rufin 7-5 6-7 6-3. Jo Tsonga will face Julien Benneteau after the French vet upset Gael Monfils 6-3 7-5.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18 - Andy Roddick is still having trouble breaking serve, but once again, he was able to break down an opponent when it mattered most as he took down his friend James Blake, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3) in front of what was said to overflow crowd of more than 5,000 at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis.
Roddick advanced to a second-round match-up on Thursday night against Yen-Hsun Lu. ‘‘Playing James is difficult for a lot of reasons,’’ said Roddick, who leads their head to series, 7-3. ‘‘Obviously what he brings as a tennis player and what you have to deal with. Speed on the serve doesn’t really affect him. He’s a quick guy and sometimes the off-pace (serve) works just as well as what I bring. It was a battle. I expected him to play well. He normally plays pretty well in an atmosphere like that.’’
In early results on Thursday, fifth seed Tomas Berdych took down US veteran Michael Russell 3-6, 63, 6-2. American Sam Querrey will face Argentine Leonardo Mayer. On Wednesday, Isner overcame Jarkko Nieminen 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4 to move into the quarters. “I played better in the second and third sets and I served well and hit my forehand big,” Isner said.
On the women’s side at the Cellular South Cup, top seeds Maria Sharapova and Melanie Oudin moved closer to a showdown when Sharapova clubbed Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-1, 6-1, and Georgia’s Oudin defeated Lilia Osterloh 6-2, 6-1. Oudin will take on former champion Sofia Arvidsson. “Playing tennis is the reason why I play, because I love the game. I think that's really showing in my matches now,” Oudin said Sharapova will play British No.1 Elena Baltacha on Thursday night. Another Britain who is on the comeback trail, Anne Keothavong, will play Croatia’s Karolina Sprem.
Despite some early upsets. Dubai will have two standout semis when Venus Williams takes on the remarkable Shahar Peer and Victoria Azarenka plays Agnieszka Radwanska. On Thursday, Venus beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-4, while Peer – who was banned form playing last year – advanced when Li Na retired down 7-5 3-0. Recall that last year, Venus decided not lead a player boycott of the event because she didn’t see the value in it to anyone.
Azarenka again won the battle of the coaching traders when she blew through Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-3. Radwanska, who hasn’t made a major move in some time, overcame young Russian Regina Kulikova 3-6 6-4 6-3…In Marseille, top seed Robin Soderling beat Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4.

NOTES
As expected, U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe announced that John Isner, Sam Querrey and Bob and Mike Bryan will represent the United States in the 2010 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round match against Serbia, March 5-7, on an indoor clay court at the Beogradska Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. Isner will be making his Davis Cup debut and Querrey will make his second appearance. This is the first time since 2000 that neither Andy Roddick nor James Blake will be on the U.S. Davis Cup roster – a span of 25 Davis Cup ties.
Rafael Nadal thinks he’ll be ready to compete again at Indian Wells. “I think things are progressing very well,” said Nadal.
Andy Roddick will take part in an exo to be staged at Caesars Palace in Atlantic City on April 10, just before Monte Carlo, an event he usually skips. The event will also feature Marat Safin, Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl. It will be Lendl’s first competitive match since he retired in 1994.
Roger Federer collected threee ATP awards: Player of the Year, Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award and ATPWorldTour.com Fans' Favorite. Vincenzo Martucci of La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy received the Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award
, ATP World Tour Doubles Team of the Year were Bob and Mike Bryan MaliVai Washington, a winner of four career ATP World Tour titles and a finalist at Wimbledon, won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award for his charitable efforts. The Most Improved Player was John Isner, Newcomer went to
Horacio Zeballos (at the age of 24??), Comeback Player went to Marco Chiudinelli, Masters 1000 Tournament was Shanghai, the 500 Tournament of Year was Dubai qnde the 250 Tournament of Year was Bastad.
Bob Larson reported that Nick Bollettieri did not receive a sufficient number of votes to be elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “Yes, it is true,” Bollettieri said “I am surprised and disappointed, but life goes on, and in my mind, my hall of fame is what I have done in working with the youngsters and helping them develop tennis skills and improving their lives.” MORE

Woznaicki, Kuznetsova Fall in Dubai

Roddick v. Blake Ahead in Memphis

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17 - Caroline Wozniacki just can’t seem to get her season going on the right track, and neither can Svetlana Kuznetsova. In Dubai, the top seeded Dane fell to the inspired Israeli Shahar Peer 6-2 7-5, while Kuznetsova was beaten 5-7 7-6 6-4 to Russian qualifier Regina Kulikova. "In the end it was a little bit difficult but I think I played very well and am very happy about the match," said Peer, who lost to Wozniacki at the Aussie Open and was banned from playing Dubai last year. "When I played her in Australia, I played well in the first set but didn't take my chances. I knew this time I had to take them - she never gives up. She's always there. She's always trying to find a way." Peer will face Li Na who bested Marion Bartoli 3-6, 7-5, 6-0, Victoria Azarenka got through over Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-1 4-6 6-3 and will have her second match of the season against Vera Zvonareva, the woman whom she exchanged coaches with in the off season. The Russian beat Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-2, another player who can’t seem to put up consistent results anymore. Other winners were Venus Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Memphis doesn’t have quite the same talented field, but Melanie Oudin continued her standout play by pasting Alexa Glatch on Tuesday night. Some Wednesday day winners were Anne Keothavong over Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-3 6-1 (is she ever going to play well again?), Kaia Kanepi over Nicole Vaidisova 4-6 6-1 6-3 (not terrible loss for the one time top-10er), Sofia Arvidsson over Vania King 3-6 6-4 6-2, Petra Kvitova over Michaella Krajicek 6-4 7-5 and Karolina Sprem over Ajla Tomljanovic 3-6 6-2 6-0.
Maria Sharapova will tee it up against Bethanie Mattek on Tuesday night in what should be a competitive match, followed by Andy Roddick vs. James Blake blockbuster. Wednesday’s early results included an early exit for Vaidisova’s BF, Radek Stepanek, who fell 7-6(5) 7-5 to Ernests Gulbis. Big John Isner overcame Jarkko Nieminen 6-7(3) 6-4 6-4, while Sam Querrey bullied Rajeev Ram 6-2 6-3 and Xavier Malisse tripped up the slumping Tommy Haas 6-4 3-6 6-4. On Tuesday, Jeremy Chardy upended San Jose champ Fernando Verdasco 7-6(4) 6-3, while Tomas Berdych thumped Ryan Sweeting 6-2 6-1, and will play Michael Russell, who came back to best Wayne Odesnik 0-6 7-5 6-4,
In Marseille, titleholder Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame fellow Frenchman Josselin Ouanna 7-6 6-4, "I hadn't played for three weeks and I need to find the right pace again," Tsonga said. No player has ever retained his title in Marseille so I know what my challenge is but let's go step by step." Frenchman Michael Llodra rushed past Marcos Baghdatis, seeded seventh, 7-6 6-4 while fourth seed Tommy Robredo fell 6-2 3-6 6-1 to Mischa Zverev.

Sharapova, Isner Memphis Winners; Wozniacki, Venus in Dubai

TUESDAY, FEB. 16 -Former UGA standout John Isner returned to the tour in fine fashion on Monday at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships/Cellular South Cup in Memphis. The towering Isner, who was last seen reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and is now ranked a career high No. 25, took out US teen Ryan Harrison 6-1, 7-5.

"I was happy to play well in the first set, and the second set was a battle," said Isner. "I knew it was going to be closer than the first; I knew he was going to pick his game up."Isner praised US hopeful Harrison, who had won the Aussie Open wildcard event in December in Atlanta. "I know how much talent he has. He's only 17 - me at 17 I was nowhere near that. I can't imagine him in four years' time - once he gets stronger, grows into his body a little bit more, he's going to be a force."

Other men’s winners were third seed Radek and German Philipp Petzschner, who beat American Taylor Dent 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Top seed Maria Sharapova led the women’s winners by quickly dispatching American Shenay Perry 6-0, 6-2. Third seed Kaia Kanepi beat Arantxa Rus 6-0, 6-4, while other victors included Britain’s
Anne Keothavong, Canada’s Valerie Tetreault, Michaella Krajicek and Portuguese teen Michelle Larcher de Brito, who ran through American Madison Brengle 6-3, 6-3. Georgia’s Melanie Oudin, who reached her first WTA Premier semifinals last week at the Paris Indoors, is the tournament’s second seed and will face former Fed Cup teammate Alexa Glatch.

In Dubai on Tuesday, top seed Caroline Wozniacki had a tough first round against Dominika Cibulkova but came through 6-2, 7-6(2). Super tweeter Svetlana Kuznetsova also advanced when Anabel Medina Garrigues pulled out with a back injury. Venus Williams scored her most impressive win of the year with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Sabine Lisicki , while Victoria Azarenka got through when Kateryna Bondarenko hurt her left knee. There was one decent sized retirement of the day, but not that big when you consider that she came off a title run at the Paris Indoors when Elena Dementieva quit with a sore shoulder in the second set against Daniela Hantuchova. Jelena Jankovic bested Aravane Rezai 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, while Li Na overcame María Jose Martinez Sanchez 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-4. Other winners were Flavia Pennetta, Marion Bartoli, Vera Zvonareva, Olga Govortsova, Shahar Peer, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anna-Lena Groenefeld.

USTA Selects Birmingham, Alabama for Fed Cup Semi Between US & Russia

TUESDAY, FEB. 16 - The USTA announced that Birmingham, Ala., has been selected as the site for the 2010 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal tie between the United States and Russia, April 24-25. The matches will be played at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena, which will be hosting a Fed Cup event for the first time. The venue also was the site for the ‘09 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie between the United States and Switzerland.
“We are very excited to have earned this home tie and are thrilled to choose a community that is rampant in its love for tennis,” said U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez. This semifinal tie will mark the eighth match up overall between the U.S. and Russia. The U.S. leads the overall series 4-3, but Russia has won the last three ties between the two countries dating back to the 2005 World Group semifinal. Nadia Petrova and Russia upset the Venus Williams-led U.S. 3-2 in the ‘07 World Group semifinal in Stowe, Vt., the last time the two teams met on U.S. soil.
Whether Russia can field a standout team is in question, as most of its players will have gone back to Europe post the Indian Wells-Miami hard court stretch and Charleston, which is played on green clay. The tie will be played on hardcourts and all of the top players will have to go to Europe the next week for the Rome and Madrid swing. The US team will likely be composed of the three players who were on the team that took out France: Melanie Oudin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Liezel Huber. It’s doubtful that either Serena or Venus Williams will play. TR.net has learned LA resident Maria Sharapova will not play the tie for Russia as her schedule is already too full. Tickets will go on sale the week of March 8th. Call (888) 334-8782 or visit usta.com/fedcup.

© TennisReporters.net 2010