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The Wrap: Week of OCT. 5-11 Order Restored: Tsonga, Djokovic, Kuznetsova Wins Titles  Mal Taam/MALTphotoBig Jo won his first title since February. SUNDAY, OCT. 11 - After a week of tantalizing upsets, order was restored on the tours, when Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Serb Novak Djokovic and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova grabbed titles. All these elite players were in need of crowns, but perhaps no one more that Tsonga, the 2008 Aussie Open finalist who has largely disappointed at the majors this year, failing to come through with his first Slam crown and falling behind USO champ Juan Martin Del Potro in his list of accomplishments. But Tsonga, who had a terrific fall last year, played huge all week in Tokyo and on Sunday, served and volleyed his way past Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-3 for the title, his third of the year and fifth of his career. "I will celebrate in the plane to Shanghai with a beer and maybe a little dance," Tsonga said. "I played perfectly today, like I did yesterday [against Gael Monfils]. “When I play like that it's tough for my opponents.” Tsonga’s title was his first since Marseille in February and he looks like a good bet to reach the season-ending World Tour Finals in London if he plays reasonably well in the Shanghai and the Paris Masters, where he's the defending champ. "On the big points I didn't miss all week. I know I play well indoors, so if I can continue playing like this it would be great for me to go to the ATP Finals,” he said. Djokovic, who sole decent run at the majors came at the US Open when he reached the semis, had a tremendous week in Beijing, knocking off Robin Soderling and then Marin Cilic (who had upset Rafa Nadal) 6-2, 7-6 to win his third title of the season. Djokovic, who grabbed the No. 3 ranking back from Andy Murray, out-steadied his erratic foe, who committed 25 unforced errors. "Today I failed, I'm a little bit disappointed but after I've slept on it, I think I'll feel better," said Cilic. "I started pretty good but when I came back out, the conditions were a little bit different, it was a bit cooler and I missed my shots." Before the rain hit, Roland Garros champion Svetlana Kuznetsova quickly took care of Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-4. It was the Russian’s first title since Paris and she’ll rise to No. 4 in the rankings. "I like the tournament very much, especially that the prize money is higher than the men's, I think we deserve it," said the Kuznetsova, who earned $775,500 by winning one of the WTA’s premier events, which is larger than the ATP’s 500 in Beijing. "She was just too good tonight," said Radwanska, who is competing for the last spot in the year-end championships in Qatar along with Jelena Jankovic, Flavia Pennetta, Vera Zvonareva and Marion Bartoli. Pennetta and Radwanska are scheduled to play both Linz and Moscow, while JJ and Vera Z. are only scheduled to play Tier I Moscow. Bartoli can only qualify if she does well in Osaka this week and enters Moscow. The Bryan Brothers beat Andy Roddick and Mark Knowles for their sixth title of the year in Beijing, while China’s Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-Wei won the women’s. ... When the WTA rankings come out on Monday, Serena Williams will only hold a five -point lead over Dinara Safina, the smallest margin ever….Barcelona will be the host of the Spain vs. Czech Republic Davis Cup final…. According to the Arizona press covering the men’s senior event there, Mark Philippoussis has confirmed his engagement to actress Jennifer Esposito (“Law and Order”) and they plan to wed in May or June. Given Philippoussis’s massive financial problems, she has better get an airtight pre-nup signed. Cilic Upsets Nadal, to Meet Djokovic; Kuzy v. Radwanska; Tsonga v. Youzhny SATURDAY, OCT. 10 - It looks like the male youngsters are finally ready to step up and be counted. Coming on the heels of Juan Martin Del Potro’s brilliant run to the US Open title, Croatian Marin Cilic dusted Rafa Nadal 6-1, 6-3 in the semis of Beijing. The 21-year-old Cilic will meet Novak Djokovic in the final, who battered Swede Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-3. On the women’s side, Roland Garros champion Svetlana Kuznetsova smashed fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-3 and will meet Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, who scored an impressive 6-4 6-3 over Marion Bartoli. Nadal, who said he was playing well all week post his abdominal injury, was never in the match, as the big-serving, huge hitting Cilic too a 5-0 lead after just 15 minutes of the first set and never looked back. "Cilic is good, is young and has a very good serve but if you are losing 6-1 6-3 there are a lot of things you are doing wrong," said Nadal. "Mentally I probably wasn't there. The worst thing for me is when I had a little bit of a chance to come back into the match in the second set I didn't play well. He gave me many chances to play and I was under pressure in the first game of the second set. I had a lot of pressure. I can do better next time. I must do." In search of his third title of the year, Cilic was thrilled with his level in his first meeting against the Spaniard. "From the beginning of the match to end I didn’t let my level of play drop," said Cilic. "I was aggressive when I had to be. I didn’t back off and I was just [as] stubborn with my style of play." Cilic has never beaten Djokovic in three meeting and surely must play with both power and consistency. With his win the Serb, will reclaim No. 3 from the injured Andy Murray. "I’m very pleased," said Djokovic.. "You know I’ve been No. 3 for a while and Murray played well last eight months and got to No. 2 in the world. What makes best for me is that I deserve it. For this sport it’s always best to have players switching spots at the top - [it] makes it interesting and gives crowd something to cheer about.” Kuznetsova said that she’ll be the favorite against Radwanska, who has been stepping up her level during the past four months. "If I play my best game, if I am doing well, I think I will be the favorite," said Kuznetsova. "I think I'm going to win this time." With the win Radwanska reached her first final of the year and will crack the top 10. She had a decent shot at grabbing the final singles spot in Doha. "In Tokyo last week I did very well and now I've done great two weeks in a row," Radwanska said. "I want to go to Doha so I'll try my best tomorrow." In Tokyo, Jo Tsonga wasted his friend Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-3 and will face Mikhail Youzhny in the final, who overcame Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in two hours and 40 minutes. final on Sunday. "Last time I played Youzhny it was during my great run in Australia and maybe he was surprised," said Tsonga. "It's going to be tough in the final, I watch him play all week. He hits the ball early, mixes it up and goes to the net." The 28-year-old Hewitt said he’s injured again. "My knee has been sore for the last few weeks and it got worse today," admitted Hewitt. "I didn't feel I was moving as well as I would have liked, but he was hitting the ball extremely well." Andy Roddick and Mark Knowles will take on the Bryan Brothers in the doubles final. Nadal Smashes Safin, Radwanska Upsets Dementieva FRIDAY, OCT. 9- Rafael Nadal wasted Marat Safin 6-3, 6-1 in Beijing, ending the brief illusion that the Russian was actually willing and prepared to go on a decent run in his last month of play prior to retirement. "I'm feeling better now than during the American season. I don't know if I am playing at my best level but we'll see over the rest of the tournament,” said Nadal, who will confront Marin Cilic, who upset Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 6-4. Tom Tebbutt is reporting here that Safin may play some senior events in 2010. Novak Djokovic played a fine contest in taking care of Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 and will face Robin Soderling, who defeated Ivan Ljubicic 7-6, 6-4. If the Djoker reaches the final, he'll regain the No. 3 spot from the injured Andy Murray. "I was surprised when (Murray) pulled out of Shanghai but obviously he has some problem with injury," Djokovic said. That's tennis. Rankings come and go, we are all quite close and it can turn around at any time." If Soderling wins the tournament, he’ll put himself into a solid position to grab the final spot in ATP Championships. On the women’s side, Agnieszka Radwanska pulled off one of her most impressive victories of the year when she bested Elena Dementieva 7-5, 6-3. The fourth-seeded Dementieva’s defeat means none of the top five women made it through to the semis. Radwanska will meet Marion Bartoli, who came back from 1-5 down in the second set to overcome Vera Zvonareva 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. Nadia Petrova took out home country girl Peng Shuai 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 and will play her old friend Svetlana Kuznetsova, who took a 6-3, 6-3 over baby Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The WTA announced that Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka became the sixth and seventh players to qualify for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, October 27-November 1. Defending champion Venus qualified for the ninth time, and Azarenka for the first. Other qualifiers are Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Dementieva, Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova. In Tokyo, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga survived a tough battle to best Ernests Gulbis 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and will play fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils, who also had to struggle in downing Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. "Luck is a part of the game," Tsonga said. "It's important to play well but you need some luck to win tournaments. He served unbelievable. It was a surprise for me." Mikhail Youzhny knocked out defending champion Tomas Berdych 6-2, 7-6, and will face Lleyton Hewitt, who blew out Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 6-0. Berdych smashed his racket after losing the match.” I stopped playing at 5-4 and was waiting for him to give me the match," Youzhny said. "In Munich I was 5-1 against Tomas in the tiebreak and lost six points in a row. I didn't want it to happen again." Blake Splits With Barker, Hires Kelly Jones THURSDAY, OCT. 8 - Just as it was reported that he hired a new coach, James Blake went down to Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in Beijing. Blake told ESPN’s Bonnie Ford that he and his coach of the past 17 years, Connecticut’s Brian Barker, split after the US Open. After failing to reach his potential at the Slams during the past four years, Blake has frequently heard that he should consider a coaching change to someone more intense than the mellow Barker, but he was extremely loyal to his intelligent coach and it sounds like it was Barker who did most of the pushing. "I told him that the most important thing in his tennis career is to have a clear head and peace of mind for the rest of your life that you did everything you possibly could to get better, maximize your potential and not leave anything on the table," Barker told Ford. "He eventually agreed that was a good idea…. Sometimes when you're not playing your best, the thinking is that you stir the pot. You put your hat on backwards. There are no guarantees, but you need to look at every option." Blake told Ford that the two will remain close friends and he still could end up going back to him in the future. But at the age of 29 and in the midst of a mediocre year, he was convinced that he should try a different tact. However, he cautioned that he wasn’t responding to the critics. "If they're talking about you that much, you must have earned that pressure that you've gotten," Blake said. "We never let it affect us. I didn't keep him just to spite people -- I'm going to do what's best for me. Now I've hit a point where I need to try something a little different. Kelly's a great coach and people he worked with clearly improved when they worked with him.'… Right now we both feel like I need to hear some things from a different voice. Kelly's been close to both of us for a long time, and he's a perfect fit for now.” New No. 1 Serena Williams was unable to put on a rousing show in China and on Thursday, was knocked out of the third round of Beijing by Nadia Petrova 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5). Williams had three break points at 4-4 in a third set, but couldn’t convert, and then came back from 5-0 down to 6-5 in the tiebreaker, but Petrova closed her out with a forehand winner. "I don't feel like I ever got into high gear, she was controlling the whole match," said Williams. “I ran into a girl today who has never played so good." BTW: Serena committed to playing the Fed Cup final if she’s healthy, but we’ve heard that one before. Nadal said that his victory over Blake was one of the best matches he’s played since injuring his knee last spring. "He's a very good player, I think he has one of the best returns of any player I have played. Winning in three sets always gives you confidence but today what really gives me confidence is how I played.” Nadal will meet Marat Safin in the quarters, a surprise 6-3, 6-4 winner over Fernando Gonzalez. "He served unbelievable and didn't let me do too much, one break point in the whole match," said Gonzalez. Other notable results on the day were: Robin Soderling d. Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-3; Ivan Ljubicic d. Lukasz Kubot 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4; Vera Zvonareva d. Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 5-7, 7-5;and Marion Bartoli d. Zhang Shuai 6-1 6-4. Peng Shuai will face Petrova on Friday while Elena Dementieva takes on Agnieszka Radwanska, Nikolay Davydenko plays Marin Cilicand Fernando Verdasco confronts Novak Djokovic. In Tokyo, France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took out his friend Richard Gasquet 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in typhoon winds. "The conditions were terrible," Tsonga said. "It was dangerous. I saw the (advertising) board start to move and thought 'Woah!' You never know what can happen." Lleyton Hewitt also advanced to the quarters, by beating Fabrice Santoro 3-6, 6-3. 6-1, Hewitt plays another Frenchman, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who upset Juergen Melzer 4-6 6-2 6-3. What is it with all the French men playing in Tokyo this week? Tomas Berdych wasted Andreas Beck 6-4, 6-1….Andy Murray pulled out of the Shanghai Masters as he’s still recovering from his wrist injury. Djokovic might be able to grab the No. 3 spot back from the Briton as Shanghai is a mandatory event and counts as a zero-pointer if a player who qualifies doesn’t particpate. Davydenko on Fire; Peng Pounds Sharapova WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7 - Slowly but surely, Nikolay Davydenko is pushing back toward the top 5, just when some thought it was safe to write off the quiet and enigmatic Russian. In Beijing, Davydenko boosted his chances of reaching the ATP World Finals with a 6-1, 6-0 whitewash of Philipp Kohlschreiber. Davydenko, who won the Malaysian Open last week, will meet young Croatian Marin Cilic in the quarters after he beat Julien Benneteau 6-2, 2-6, 6-0. Cilic, who had a fine US Open, upsetting Andy Murray before he was stopped by Juan Martin Del Potro, could do himself a world of good by putting up some substantial fall results and qualifying for the year-ender in London, but he’s some 1,500 points behind No. 8 Davydenko and would have to go on a real tear to do so. As expected, an exhausted Maria Sharapova bowed out in the third round when she was taken down 6-2 6-4 by China's Peng Shuai. Sharapova had played a marathon match the day before against Victoria Azarenka and had left little in the tank. "My energy level was not where it should have been ... there've been occasions where I've been able to fight back, today was just not one of those days unfortunately," Sharapova said. "She played really solid and really aggressive and did all the right things to win the match." Sharapova is now done for the season, but will play some exo in South American against Gisela Dulko. But credit Peng, who not only took down Tokyo winner Sharapova, but Tokyo finalist Jelena Jankovic in the previous round. Remember a few years back after Kim Clijsters lost to Peng in San Diego that she said the Chinese had top-3 stuff? We’ve haven’t seen that often, but at least she’s stepping up at home, unlike China’s No. 1 Li Na, who was demolished 6-2, 6-0 in just under an hour by Elena Dementieva. "That's the worst match I've played in the last six months," said Li, whose has been battling with the Chinese media "It's normal to win and lose, why do you always question my attitude when I lose? Sharapova also lost today, would you say she has psychological problems?" No, but the Russian’s attitude has never been in question. Novak Djokovic took a quick 6-3, 6-0 win over fellow Serb Viktor Troicki. Djokovic could do himself a world of good by ending the season in a positive fashion after a disappointing year at the Slams. He’ll play Fernando Verdasco, who is ninth in the points race and who took a 7-5, 6-4 win over Juan Carlos Ferrero. Other winners were Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who bested Aleksandra Wozniak 6-4, 6-4…In Tokyo, where a typhoon is about to hit, winners were Stan Wawrinka, Jo Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet, Ernests Gulbis and Mikhail Youzhny. Is Her Last Name Jankovic?
TUESDAY, OCT. 6 - It was quite a day in Beijing, when Serena
Williams regained the No. 1 ranking after a long pursuit and
recent meltdown by now No. 2 Dinara Safina, Andy Roddick
was sent packing and Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova
survived. © TennisReporters.net 2009 |
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