Tennis archive

This is a chance for a great leap forward.

A 40-year-old athlete dragged Canadian to the precipice of a spectacular tennis achievement on Saturday, but he sure made the country go through an excruciating experience to get there.

Daniel Nestor, playing in his 66th international match for his country in Davis Cup competition, teamed with 22-year-old Vasek Pospisil to capture an epic and extraordinary doubles contest against the Italian pair of Fabio Fognini and Daniele Bracciali on the campus of UBC that will go down as one of the most memorable matches in Canadian tennis history.

Maybe that’s not a hard thing to be because, let’s face it, the Great White North doesn’t have a great deal of history in this sport.

Well, Nestor and Pospisil decided to change that, and now the country hopes Milos Raonic can finish the job on Sunday.

If Raonic can defeat Italy’s Andreas Seppi, Canada will advance to the Final Four of Davis Cup competition for the first time ever. If Raonic can’t, well, it will go down to a fifth and deciding singles match.

All of Canada will be hoping that doesn’t happen. Surely Canadians sweated enough through Saturday’s drama.

It took the Nestor-Pospisil tandem four hours and 37 minutes to vanquish the Italians in a match that saw the Canadians blow a two-sets-to-none lead and included an extended and tantalizing fifth set, finally won by Canada 15-13.

“There was no way I was going to lose today,” said Pospisil, beaten by Seppi on Friday after leading two sets to none.

Pospisil played on that difficult memory while Nestor limped around on a bad calf, no fun on a tennis court.

“Good thing I had a partner who could cover three-quarters of the court,” said Nestor when it was over.

“Vasek played unbelievably on the big points. He took over in the fifth set.”

Even with Canada advancing to this quarter-final stage of the Davis Cup for the first time, Nestor had been unable to contribute his best, losing three straight doubles matches to France, South Africa and Spain.

But with a raucous tennis audience screaming its support while living and dying with every gut-wrenching point in the final set, Nestor dug down and came up with some key shots before Pospisil served it out and ended the drama.

“I thought we were the better team in the fifth set,” said captain Martin Laurendeau, who squirmed and played cheerleader as Nestor and Pospisil earned eight break points in the final set and squandered them all before finally breaking the Italians.

“I died a few times in that match. But sometimes you’ve got to ride the wave.”

Canada leads the best-of-five Davis Cup tie 2-1, with Raonic knocking off Fognini on Friday after Pospisil lost to Seppi.

Now, it’s a chance for history, and it was fitting indeed that in the crowd Saturday was 24-year-old Philip Bester. If not for Bester, you see, none of this would have happened.

It was Bester, back in July of 2011, who won a decisive singles match against Ecuador to put Canada into a World Group playoff against Israel, which it won to begin the trail to Sunday’s opportunity.

Incredibly, Bester did it with a stress fracture in his right hand in Guayaquil, Ecuador at a tiny country club that, at one point during the weekend, had to suspend play because gangs were exchanging gunshots outside the makeshift stadium.

“I dropped my racquet and ran like Usain Bolt to find cover,” said Bester, recalling the moment.

Canada fell behind 0-2 that weekend, but fought back to tie it before Bester defeated Ivan Endara to clinch the tie.

The Vancouverite has struggled to overcome that fractured hand and an incredible series of injuries since. Even now, he’s facing possible surgery with a hip injury.

“I feel like Sami Salo, hurting myself every two weeks,” he laughed.

Before beating Endara, Bester could barely hold his toothbrush because of the fracture. But that victory in Ecuador might end up being Bester’s career highlight.

“If I had lost it, we wouldn’t be where we are today. It makes me proud to know I contributed something to this,” he said.

“I played through a lot of pain, and probably set my career back a few months. But I felt I had a duty to represent my country.”

Just as Nestor has 66 times, always answering the call, even when he was a Grand Slam champion and the Davis Cup requests were contested in lowly zone competition far away from the bright lights of Wimbledon, Flushing Meadows and Roland Garros.

He delivered one more shining moment on Saturday, building on the process that Bester started almost two years ago.

But getting to the verge of this tennis possibility has taken a lot longer than that for Canada. And there’s still work to be done.



Davis Cup tennis: Canada beats Italy in doubles thriller: Cox | Toronto Star

Milos sends Canada to historic Davis Cup Semifinals AND...wins Best Game Face of the week!


Team Canada will be going to the Davis Cup semi-finals for the first time ever. A huge boost came from the doubles victory by Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil on Saturday, putting Canada up 2-1 in the best of five versus Italy, which set up a chance for Milos Raonic to make history. Raonic didn't disappoint the Vancouver crowd on hand, beating Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to finish off the series on Sunday.

Sunday’s victory at the University of British Columbia wasn’t just another win for Canada’s top-ranked men’s tennis player.

Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., posted a 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 triumph over Italy’s Andreas Seppi to clinch the first semifinal berth for the Canadians at the Davis Cup since the current format was established 32 years ago.

Not a bad feat considering only 16 of 130 countries qualify each year for the elite World Group that determines the champion.

The semifinals are scheduled for September, with Canada facing Serbia, which ousted the United States 3-2 in a best-of-five match in Boise, Idaho. The other semifinal features Argentina and defending champion Czech Republic.

For the casual tennis or sports fan, we explain the Davis Cup in further detail below with answers to five important questions.

1. What is the format of the Davis Cup?

The first Davis Cup was played in 1900 but the current format was introduced in 1981. This year, 130 teams entered the competition, with 16, including Canada, qualifying for the elite World Group that determines each year’s champion.

Those 16 teams have a chance to play four weekends during the year in the quarter-finals and later the semifinals and final. They also ensure their place in the following year’s World Group.

The other countries, including the eight first-round losers, compete in one of three regional zones in World Group playoffs: Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe/Africa, earning points to improve their standing within the International Tennis Federation ranking system with promotion and relegation up for grabs.

This year’s finalists will be ranked 1-2 next year for the initial round of 16 within the World Group.

In the World Group and World Group playoffs, each elimination round, or tie, is contested in a best-of-five match format. Davis Cup play consists of five matches played over three days: two singles games on a Friday, a doubles match the next day and two singles matches Sunday. The first country to win three matches wins the tie.

2. When is the next round?

Canada, Serbia, Argentina and defending champion Czech Republic have advanced to the semifinals to be played Sept. 13-15 at an undetermined location.

For the Canada/Serbia semifinal, Serbia has until April 29 to select a host city and venue.

Choice of venue is determined by the previous history between the teams, with the previous host city being the visitor this time and vice-versa. A draw takes place if there is no prior playing history.

Should Canada defeat Serbia and advance to the final, the Canadians will host, no matter the result of the other semifinal, after winning a draw.

The finals will be held Nov. 15-17

3. What has been Canada’s path to the semifinals?

The Canadians defeated top-ranked Spain 3-2 in their first-round tie on Feb. 3 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver.

That victory vaulted Canada to the Davis Cup quarter-finals for the first time in its history.

On Sunday, Milos Raonic’s seventh consecutive Davis Cup win, a 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 decision over Italy’s Andreas Seppi, clinched a semifinal berth for the Canadians.

Canada reached the semifinals in 1913 and fell to the United States, but hasn’t been this successful in the modern era.

On Friday, Raonic downed Fabio Fognini 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 to pull Canada even after Seppi defeated Vasek Pospisil in the opening match.

In doubles play, Canadians Daniel Nestor and Pospisil teamed for a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 15-13 win over Daniele Braccaili and Fognini.

4. Who are the key players in the semifinals?

The four participating countries will not announce their teams until 10 days before the event but the following is a list of probable competitors.

Canada: Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., is a no-brainer, barring injury. The 22-year-old is 12-4 in Davis Cup action, including a 10-3 record in singles and 2-1 in doubles. Ranked 16th in the world, Raonic reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the third time in his career earlier this year when he lost to Roger Federer at the Australian Open.

Vasek Pospisil, 22, boasts four years of Davis Cup experience. He was part of the Canadian squad that beat Spain in the first round in February. The Vernon, B.C., native fell to John Isner earlier this season in a hard-fought three-set, second-round match at an ATP event in San Jose.

Jesse Levine, 25, is making his Davis Cup debut this year. The Ottawa native served as a hitting partner for Canada in the first round. This season, he lost in the quarter-finals at the ATP World Tour event in Aukland, New Zealand and reached the second round at the Australian Open and San Jose.

Daniel Nestor, 40, holds the record for most wins by a Canadian at the event (44), most doubles victories (29), most ties played (43) and most years played (21). The Toronto resident defeated world No. 1 Stefan Edberg in his first Davis Cup event in 1992.

Serbia: Novak Djokovic, 25 (current world No. 1), and Viktor Troicki, 27 (singles ranking: 44th).

Argentina: Juan Monaco, 29 (singles ranking: 19th), Horacio Zeballos (singles ranking: 39th).

Czech Republic: Radek Stepanek, 34 (singles ranking: 45th), Lukas Rosol (singles ranking: 63rd).

5. Which nations have dominated the competition over the years?

In its 110-year history, 12 countries have won the Davis Cup, led by the United States (32) and Australia (28). Last year, the Czech Republic won its first title since 1980.



Davis Cup tennis explained

Plans are moving ahead to create an indoor tennis facility within Acadia Athletic Park.

City council agreed unanimously Tuesday to take Tennis Alberta and Tennis Canada up on their offer to design, build and operate public courts near outdoor courts at the southeast facility at no cost to the city.

“I was approached by members of the tennis community,” said Ald. Gian-Carlo Carra, who introduced the notice of motion with Ald. John Mar and Ald. Richard Pootmans.

“It’s a bumpy hump of leftover land. They’re very excited about enhancing it,” said Carra.

The complex already houses two sports fields used mostly by the Calgary Flag Football League. There are also six outdoor public tennis courts.

Existing leftover space on the property would be perfect for indoor tennis, and the costs would be picked up by the athletic group, Carra said.

City administrators agreed the priority for tennis courts was not high; however, having the athletic group pay the full capital costs makes it an enticing offer for the city to simply donate the land.

Council agreed the courts should be built no later than 2015, and asked for a report on findings to the standing policy committee on community and protective services by December.

“This makes the most sense. It’s quite an opportunity,” Ald. Gord Lowe said.


Council OK

Pakistan was disqualified from their zonal Davis Cup tie last weekend because the referee showed bias towards their opponents New Zealand, doubles specialist Aisam Qureshi said on Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time).

Pakistan were on course to take a 2-0 lead in the three-day Asia/Oceania Group II tie on Friday (Saturday, PHL time) when Sri Lankan referee Asitha Attygalla abandoned the contest due to an "unplayable court" in the neutral venue of Yangon, Myanmar.

As the encounter had been a designated 'home' tie for Pakistan, who are unable to host matches due to security concerns, Attygalla awarded victory to New Zealand.

An angry Qureshi questioned the referee's decision.

"I will meet with Davis Cup officials this week in London to tell them what actually happened in Myanmar and how we were treated unjustly by the referee," Qureshi told a news conference in his hometown Lahore on Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time).

"I think the referee was partial and favored the New Zealanders."

Pakistan officials have already lodged an appeal with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), complaining that their players were left distraught and the team suffered financial loss due to the referee's decision.

Pakistan chose to 'host' the tie in Yangon after New Zealand refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns.

New Zealand captain Alistair Hunt said on Friday (Saturday, PHL time) the match had to be abandoned because a hole about "an inch deep and half a foot wide... opened up on the baseline, which proved too dangerous to play on".

Qureshi disagreed: "The area deemed dangerous was outside the lines of the court. I am convinced we were treated unfairly and unjustly and I want to plead this case for Pakistan."

The ITF confirmed it had received a complaint from Pakistan.

"The Davis Cup Committee will be considering both Pakistan's appeal and the report of the ITF referee [about the court being unplayable] in making their decision," an ITF spokesman said. -



Tennis: Qureshi accuses Davis Cup referee of bias | Sports | GMA News Online

A missing College of New Jersey senior whose purse was found on a walkway of the George Washington Bridge had been feeling a lot of stress, said her father, who worried her disappearance may have had something to do with her birthday.

Paige Aiello, whose 22nd birthday was Thursday, was reported missing two days earlier by her family in Hillsborough after she apparently took her mother's car, without permission, authorities said.

That night, a passer-by reported finding her purse, cellphone and car keys on the south walkway of the bridge.

Authorities searched the Hudson River and both levels of the bridge and did not find anything.

Late Wednesday, authorities found the missing car at a parking garage in New Brunswick, next to the train station.

Christopher Aiello said it was believed she took the train to New York.

Aiello told New York radio station WCBS that his daughter, a co-captain of the school tennis team who also worked several jobs, had done "incredibly well" in high school and college and was accepted to nine law schools, but she was feeling under a great deal of stress and was living at home for added support.

"She had hit almost like a wall where she felt she was not maybe either worthy of all this or she just couldn't handle it," he told WCBS.

He said his message all day had been: "Not only do we have to be watching our children that are not doing well and getting in trouble, but we have to see and watch the kids that are the overachievers. They have a self-imposed stress. You don't need a parent to be constantly on their back if their stress is internalized."

With Paige's birthday being Thursday, Aiello asked: "Is that a meaningful date in her mind, if she didn't want to celebrate it? You know, I just don't know what I am supposed to say."

Aiello said he was encouraged that no one reported witnessing anyone jumping from the George Washington Bridge. He said he was worried that without a cellphone, she could just be wandering around.





Captain of NJ college tennis team disappears; purse found at George Washington Bridge | Fox News

Top seed Nicolas Almagro capitalized on all three break point chances as he beat seventh seed Paolo Lorenzi in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the US Clay Court Championships.

Almagro, who has won all 12 of his ATP Tour titles on clay, rolled over the Italian 6-4, 6-4 in their centre court match Friday at the River Oaks Country Club.

The 27-year-old Spaniard Almagro blasted nine aces, had one double fault and won 75 percent of his first-serve points in the $455,775 clay court tournament.

Lorenzi hammered five aces and had three double faults in the 81-minute centre court match.

Almagro next faces American wild card Rhyne Williams, who reached his first-ever ATP semi-final by outlasting Spain's Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-4 in just under two and a half hours.

The 22-year-old Williams finished with five aces and won 58 percent of his second-serve points compared to just 39 percent for the Spaniard.

American John Isner reached the semis with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Ricardas Berankis, who beat second seed Tommy Haas in the previous round.

The fifth-seeded Isner blasted 19 aces and won 89 per cent of his first serve points to advance past the Lithuania's Berankis in 83 minutes.

Results on Friday from the fifth day of the $455,775 ATP US Clay Court Championships (x denotes seeding):

Quarter-final Nicolas Almagro (ESP x1) bt Paolo Lorenzi (ITA x7) 6-4, 6-4 Rhyne Williams (USA) bt Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-4 John Isner (USA x5) bt Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Juan Monaco (ARG x3) bt Robby Ginepri (USA) 6-1, 6-0 - AFP



Tennis: Top seed Almagro reaches Houston semis

World number one Novak Djokovic will make a late decision about whether to play in this week's Monte Carlo Masters as he struggles to overcome an ankle injury.

Djokovic, who lives in Monaco and lost to eight-times champion Rafa Nadal in last year's final at the first big claycourt event of the season, sprained his ankle playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup last weekend.

He has practised for the last two days but has not fully recovered.

"I can't still 100 per cent guarantee that I'll be on the court on Wednesday," the top-seeded Djokovic told a news conference on Sunday.

"I'll decide on Tuesday, at least to give time to another player just in case I don't play," he added.

"Strenghthening my ankle is still in the process. Things are looking good, better than I expected it to be.

"But I have to be realistic and cautious and see on some practices in the next few days, when I push myself to the limits, if I'm going to have any discomfort. It'll be an indication that I should not play."

Twice runner-up to Nadal at the glamourous event by the Mediterranean, Djokovic said he would not take any risks.

"Let's be honest, it's a very strong tournament and I think there's no room for any compromise," he said.

"It's a new surface, a new start of the season and, in order to compete on such a high level, I need to be 100 percent, no question about it."

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

But he realises that his special relationship with the tiny principality could help overcome his physical problems.

The Serbian proved it last season when he battled to the final although he was emotionally exhausted following the death of his grandfather during the tournament's early stages.

"I'm always feeling very inspired and motivated to perform my best in this tournament because I live in Monaco and I spend the majority of my time, when I'm not in tournaments, here in this club, practising on these courts," Djokovic said. "There's extra motivation and inspiration for me to try to be fit and ready to perform," he added.

Djokovic, who won his third consecutive Australian Open title in January, said the injury would not prevent him from playing in the next claycourt events.

A six-times grand slam champion, the 25-year-old Djokovic is bidding to complete his collection with a French Open title, the only major trophy he has not won.

"I'm more than sure that there's not any danger for what's coming up next - Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros," he said.

Briton Andy Murray is confident he is fitter than last year, when he struggled with back problems and was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Czech Tomas Berdych.

"I'm in better shape. My back's not an issue like it was, so I feel better than I did coming to Monte Carlo last year," said second seed Murray.

The Scot, who was close to pulling out of the tournament before reaching the semi-finals of last year's French Open, said he had learnt to deal with the demanding tour schedule.

"Rafa has problem with his knees, Roger (Federer) has problem with his back ... I've been playing tennis for a long time, you pick up things. You have to manage your body," he said.

"You have to make sure it's a not a problem during matches. The back's not been doing this since the grasscourt season last year, so I'm not worried about that," added Murray.

"It's the movement that's been the thing I needed to improve on the clay and I feel like I'm moving better this year," he said.



Tennis-Injured Djokovic grapples with Monte Carlo dilemma

Rafael Nadal admitted Monday that his incredible 42-match, 10-year unbeaten run at Monte Carlo will end, but he is in no hurry to see that day.

The 26-year-old Spaniard, who last lost on the clay of Monte Carlo as a fresh-faced 16-year-old when then-clay court king Guillermo Coria defeated him in straight sets in the third round, also claimed he is not the clear favourite he has been in the past.

Nadal is bidding for an unprecedented ninth straight title at the Masters event in the heart of the Cote d'Azur but said his recent seven-month injury lay-off means he cannot be treated as the all-conquering clay king of old.

"I cannot say I'm the biggest favourite to win here again," the Spaniard said on Monday as he prepared for his second-round start after a bye.

"This is not an easy event to win. I don't want to lose perspective, but I don't want to lose either.

"Everything in life finishes sometime. Someday the winning will stop, not everything is forever.

"But I'm excited to be here, it is always a high motivation for me to play Monte Carlo."

Nadal, who won the Indian Wells hardcourt Masters 1000 crown three weeks ago and then rested his troublesome knees on the advice of doctors, remains quietly confident of his abilities on clay, where he has dominated for a decade.

While missing seven months during the last half of 2012 and well into 2013, the 26-year-old knows that he has the skills to step right back into his role as clay court master.

But he is not happy to be continually fielding questions about the state of his knees or his form.

"I want to focus on the tennis day by day," he said. "I don't want to talk knees, if I'm here I'm here to compete.

"I will try my best and hope to play better each day. I had a fantastic comeback (two February clay titles in Latin America before winning Indian Wells)."

Nadal said that while standing fifth in the world he is not prepared to complain about his ranking.

"You can't be in the top four if you did not play for seven months," he reasoned. "I've always gone day by day and just want to try and keep improving.

"I'm always excited to be back here and have the chance to work hard and try to win. Now my job is to try and play well."

On court Nadal's journeyman compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut pulled off an upset as he defeated French 11th seed Gilles Simon 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).

Another seed Marin Cilic avoided a similar fate but only just as the ninth-seeded Croat battled back from a set down to beat Horacio Zeballos 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 6-2.

Finn Jarkko Nieminen defeated slumping Serb Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-2 while Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko dispatched German qualifier Daniel Brands 6-3, 6-4.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic was testing his injured ankle for another day after vowing to try and regain fitness in time for a Wednesday start at the event which begins the European clay season.

Djokovic hurt the ankle last weekend in a Davis Cup win but has made faster progress than he might have deemed possible and holds out hopes of taking his spot in the draw.




Tennis: Nadal admits winning streak will end one day - Channel NewsAsia

Of course he getting older!!

Blackhall tennis prospect Euan McIntosh is looking forward to challenging for the UK No. 1 slot at under-18s – perhaps in Edinburgh this summer – after a stunning run of success.

Euan won a Winter National tournament in Bolton while unseeded and has spent the past fortnight back in England competing. Firstly, he reached the final of the Nottingham junior Open then later progressed to the quarter-finals of an International Tennis Federation event, losing to the eventual winner.

Those results have contributed to Euan, who also won four out of six matches representing East in a junior county cup recently, reaching No. 2 in the rankings and already this year he has a three-set win over the current No. 1, Adam Glynn of Dorset. Both boys could meet up in the Capital in June when 
Craiglockhart hosts a Scottish Junior Open which is part of the ITF circuit.

Looking further afield Euan , 17, has secured a tennis scholarship to Drake University, Iowa, starting this Autumn.

“I’d certainly like to make a career out of tennis if not in singles then in doubles or 
as a coach,” said Euan, who 
began playing aged six at the Next Generation Club, 
Newhaven.

“Drake are known as one of the top tennis universities and before committing I spoke with James McKie (an East men’s county team-mate also from Edinburgh) to find out what I could expect since he has been there for a while.”

Euan added: “I train at the Next Generation club around three times a week but I also enjoy turning out in matches for Blackhall at club level.

“With three highers to be sat at Royal High School in the next month, though, I’ll have to get my head down to add to the couple of highers I gained last year. But there will also be plenty of tennis on the schedule not least because Royal High have won the Scottish Schools Cup, both boys’ and girls’ competitions, for the past two years and it would be good to bow out with hat-tricks.”

In addition to his successes down south and in tournaments as far afield as Maderia, Germany and France, Euan has taken Scottish national titles at every age group from under-12 upwards as well as collecting the prestigious Raymond Miquel Award as one to watch back in 2008.

“All the Scottish trophies I have won contain the names of Andy and Jamie Murray.

“It is really encouraging to know that where I am at the moment in tennis both Andy and Jamie have been. When I was younger and Andy and Jamie’s mum, Judy, was taking coaching classes they were always around. That meant opportunities to hit with them both,” said Euan.

In the case of Jamie Murray in particular it is possible paths could cross at the annual British Inter-County Championships this summer.

“For the past three years I have enjoyed being part of the East senior men’s squad and for the first time ourselves, West of Scotland and North of Scotland will be in the same group – Division Three at Hunstanton.

“Not so long ago Jamie turned out for the North team at county week so maybe he will be on the opposite side of the net this time, too.”

Other coaches to have assisted Euan are Edinburgh’s Alan MacDonald and, much earlier, Leon Smith. Smith is the Scot who has captained Great Britain men to the play-offs for the Davis Cup world group.

“Leon coached me aged 10-12 and was very motivational and helped push me on to the national scene. Alan works closer to home and has always been there to assist me. Mind you, he plays for Thistle who won last year’s East League when I was part of the Blackhall team that finished runners-up.

“I’m keen to turn out for the club whenever I can (he was due in action last night at home to David Lloyd SC at the start of another campaign) and it would be good to try to knock Alan’s team off top spot this season!”





Tennis: Euan McIntosh knocking on UK No.

Churchill senior Tito Moreiras, the defending Class 5A singles state champion, admits to getting a little too emotional as a match goes on.

It was surprising in Wednesday's Region IV-5A boys singles final when Moreiras trailed in the first set. The bigger surprise might have been how calm Moreiras stayed.

Trailing 5-4, Moreiras broke New Braunfels' Paul Domanski's serve twice in the final three games and won 7-5, 6-0 at McFarlin Tennis Center.

“I have a lot of experience now, so I know how to stay focused,” Moreiras said. “I just had to play smart and fight for every point. I'll still get a little crazy here and there, though.”

Moreiras, a Texas A&M commit, also reached the state final in boys doubles as a sophomore. He'll be joined by Churchill's mixed doubles team of Noah Vento and Elisa Nelson at the state tournament April 29-30 in Austin.

Domanski also advanced by winning a playback match.

Johnson freshman Chuyang Guan became the Jaguars' first state qualifier, winning the girls singles championship 6-2, 6-3 against New Braunfels' Alex Corder, who also advances to the state tournament.

Guan, 15, is the fifth-ranked Girls 18s player in Texas.

“I was really nervous,” Guan said. “I felt more pressure here than any other tournament, because I wanted to do well for Johnson, and not just myself.”

Jaguars teammates Paula Gutierrez-Rodriguez and Florencia Bigatti advanced in girls doubles by winning a playback.

Reagan's boys doubles team of Eddie Ayers and Andy Wang won the regional title against Harlingen South's Devin Kyral and Jeremiah Gonzalez 6-2, 6-2.

New Braunfels siblings Lucas and T.J. Fumagalli won the mixed doubles title against Churchill's Vento and Nelson 6-1, 6-3.

Lucas reached the state tournament in boys doubles as a sophomore and has four state titles in team tennis with the Unicorns. He chose mixed doubles for his senior year to play with T.J., a freshman.

“We try to treat each other like friends when we play and not brother-sister, because you're not going to yell at your friend as much as your sibling,” Lucas joked.

Read more: Churchill senior keeps calm in tennis win - San Antonio Express-News

Gardnar Mulloy has received just about every accolade he could possibly be honored with during his illustrious 99 years of life. But when the street where he has lived since he was a toddler was named Gardnar Mulloy Way on Thursday, he said the sign beat any trophy or Wimbledon banquet or Hall of Fame ceremony.

“This is a one-time deal,” Mulloy said after a section of Northwest North River Drive was renamed by the City of Miami.

Mulloy lives steps away on Northwest Ninth Avenue in historic Spring Garden, where his father built a home with a tennis court in 1915. Friends, relatives and doubles partners of Mulloy and descendants of the pioneering Spring Garden families attended the ceremony and were recognized in remarks by Mulloy’s daughter, Diane.

Mulloy, the No. 1-ranked American in 1952 and a five-time Grand Slam doubles champion, recalled some of his matches and reminisced about his childhood by the Miami River -- catching crabs, drinking fresh milk from a neighborhood cow and climbing a huge oak tree with Marjory Stoneman Douglas and staying in it overnight to protest the city’s plans to chop it down and pave the street.

“I’ve got a million stories,” Mulloy said. Then he invited everyone to come back for his 100th birthday in November.

Read more here: Former tennis champ Gardnar Mulloy honored in Miami - Tennis - MiamiHerald-com

Oklahoma State’s men’s tennis team completed its home schedule on Friday with a 7-0 victory over Oral Roberts at the DeBois Tennis Complex.

OSU (12-12) swept the Golden Eagles behind strong play from the Cowboys’ only senior, Rifat Biktyakov, who recorded victories at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles. The team celebrated Biktyakov’s final home match as a Cowboy, ending a successful career for the Uzbekistan-native.

Brady Bohrnstedt and Brandon Champagne helped the Cowboys jump out to an early lead with an 8-3 victory at No. 3 doubles, with the doubles point coming after Oleksiy Arovin and Biktyakov’s doubles triumph.

All six Cowboys earned singles victories in straight sets, helping the squad to its 17th-consecutive victory over Oral Roberts. Denys Pume recorded his first victory of the year at No. 2 singles, while Brady Bohrnstedt and Oleksiy Arovin were each victorious at Nos. 4 and 5. Arovin’s victory clinched the match for the Cowboys, while Biktyakov’s second set tiebreaker victory sealed off the sweep.

The Cowboys will finish off the regular season on Sunday when they travel to Norman to take on No. 13 Oklahoma in a Bedlam battle. The squad will then return to Norman on April 26 to open play in the Big 12 tournament.


Complete Results

Oklahoma State 7, Oral Roberts 0

April 19, 2013 | Stillwater, Okla. | DeBois Tennis Complex

Doubles

Denys Pume/Richard Del Nunzio (OSU) vs. Fabian Zierleyn/Jason Mechali (ORU) 5-4 uf.
Oleksiy Arovin/Rifat Biktyakov (OSU) def. Parker Allen/Nate Avery (ORU) 8-2
Brady Bohrnstedt/Brandon Champagne (OSU) def. Braxton Bates/Gabe Karvelopoulos (ORU) 8-3

Order of finish: 3, 2


Singles

Rifat Biktyakov (OSU) def. Fabian Zierleyn (ORU) 7-5, 7-6(4)
Denys Pume (OSU) def. Jason Mechali (ORU) 6-1, 6-2
Richard Del Nunzio (OSU) def. Parker Allen (ORU) 6-3, 6-3
Brady Bohrnstedt (OSU) def. Braxton Bates (ORU) 6-0, 6-2
Oleksiy Arovin (OSU) def. Nate Avery (ORU) 6-0, 6-1
Trevor Horstmann (OSU) def. Gabe Karvelopoulos (ORU) 6-2, 6-2

Order of finish: 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 1






Cowboy Tennis Sweeps Oral Roberts On Senior Day - Oklahoma State Official Athletic Site

The Tennessee men’s tennis team exacted revenge against Florida on Saturday, and made the finals of the SEC tournament in the process.

With its 4-2 semifinal victory over the Gators in Oxford, Miss., the Vols are back in the championship match for the first time since winning the event in 2010. Tennessee will face Georgia on Sunday.

Florida got off to a quick 3-0 start in its mid-March upset of UT before the Vols came back to tie the match and ultimately fell 4-3.

The Vols (23-7) made sure not to fall into the same hole Saturday by winning the doubles point and the first singles match.

The Gators (15-10) rallied for a 2-2 tie before No. 34 Hunter Reese closed out No. 88 Florent Diep 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 at No. 2 singles and Ed Jones clinched the victory by beating Billy Federhofer 7-5, 6-4 at No. 5 singles. The matches finished within seconds of each other.

Mikelis Libietis — ranked No. 3 in singles and doubles with Reese — notched another two-win day and has only one SEC singles loss this season.

“It was a team effort,” coach Sam Winterbotham said. “We had players fighting, one through six, three doubles teams. I think our team is very close. They care for each other and they will play for each other all day long. Today we did that.”




Men's tennis team reaches finals of SEC tournament » GoVolsXtra

Novak Djokovic ended Rafael Nadal's dreams of a record ninth successive Monte Carlo Masters title with a 6-2 7-6 (7-1) victory in the final on Sunday.

The world No.1 had been a doubtful starter this week with an injured ankle but played through the pain to lift his first trophy in the principality, the 37th of his career and 14th at the Masters 1000 level.

It was also a huge psychological boost ahead of next month's French Open where Nadal is a record seven-time champion.

Nadal had reigned supreme at the Monte Carlo Country Club since his last loss in 2003, when he was still a teenager, and had won every edition since 2005.

Djokovic, who achieved the win in one hour, 51 minutes, was overwhelmed.

"I cannot be happier than I am in this moment knowing what I've been through the whole week, actually two weeks, right after the Davis Cup, trying to recover and make a decision to play or not to play," admitted Australian Open champion Djokovic.

"If somebody told me 10 days ago I'd be winning the trophy, I wouldn't think it's so realistic, to be honest.

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"I went through pain, I went through a big challenge, mentally, physically, emotionally, and in the end it was getting better as the tournament was going on. I can't ask for a better start to the clay season."

Nadal, who returned to tennis in February after seven months out with a knee injury, now stands 38-6 in clay finals, losing to only three players - Djokovic (three times) Roger Federer (twice) and Horacio Zeballos (once).

Before the final, the Spaniard had lost only one set all week after playing in his fifth straight final since his return to the circuit.

"What Novak is doing is just amazing," said the losing finalist, who had won 46 matches in succession in Monte Carlo.

"I like to win more than lose, but that's sport, it's not a tragedy. I lost after eight years without losing here - that's something.

"For me it was a positive week. I didn't have the practice in Mallorca, I just practised here before the tournament."
Djokovic ran away to a 5-0 lead at the start of a match delayed for almost an hour by rain.

But Nadal would not roll over, saving seven break points - five in the sixth game as he finally got on the scoreboard.

Djokovic earned the set after 47 minutes from a Nadal double-fault in the eighth game.

The Spaniard looked like turning it around with a break in the second set which gave him a 4-2 lead.

Djokovic calmly clawed it back with his precision shotmaking, levelling at four game apiece, but losing serve in the 11th game from a backhand wide.

The Serb, who came to the final with titles at the Australian Open and Dubai, broke back for 6-6 through a backhand winner to force the tiebreaker.

He ran away with the decider, seizing the win on the first of five match points with a forehand winner to the corner.



www-foxsports-com-au/tennis/novak-djokovic-denies-rafael-nadal-a-ninth-straight-monte-carlo-masters-with-victory-in-final/story-e6frf4mu-1226625562531#-UXTctUpHOho

Rafael Nadal is determined to put aside his first loss in a decade in Monte Carlo as he searches for peak physical condition this week in Barcelona.

The world number five brushed off his 6-2, 7-6 final defeat to Novak Djokovic at the weekend, which ended his bid for a ninth straight Monte Carlo title, saying it was "no tragedy".

Instead of moaning about missing out on another clay record, the 26-year-old merely re-dedicated himself to the Roland Garros run-up, starting in the Catalan capital where he makes his second-round start on Wednesday.

"Hopefully I can play another great week in Barcelona, play some matches that will keep helping to put me in the 100 per cent condition physically," said Nadal, who has won at Barcelona in seven of the last eight years.

"If we talk about tennis, I was pleased about my tennis," he said after Monte Carlo.

Nadal is ranked as the second seed on his home clay at the Real Club de Tenis, with friend and rival David Ferrer taking the top spot by virtue of his number four world ranking.

The classic hard-working underdog has lost three Barcelona finals -- all to Nadal -- in 2009, 2011 and last year.

The only year that Nadal did not play was 2010 when he sat out with an injury, but the title remained in Spanish hands as Fernando Verdasco triumphed.

Ferrer should be refreshed after skipping Monte Carlo due to the thigh injury he suffered during his losing Miami final with Andy Murray last month.

In opening day first-round play, Croatian Ivan Dodig beat Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, Russian Alex Kuznetsov put out Igor Sijsling 6-1, 6-3 and Italy's Paolo Lorenzi won over Guillaume Rufin of France 6-4, 6-2.

Well over a third of the 48-man field is Spanish, with home players taking three of the top four seedings.


Tennis: Nadal hoping to hone condition in Barcelona - Channel NewsAsia

Wimbledon officials have announced the biggest increase in prize money in the history of tennis as part of a bid to make the sport attractive for future generations of players.

The All England Club, which organizes the oldest grand slam tournament, has hiked prize money by 40% to $34.4 million so the winners of the men and women's competitions will each take home $2.4 million.

Wimbledon has also revealed that it will build a roof over Court No. 1, with the structure expected to be completed in time for the 2019 tournament. The retractable roof, which is expected to be similar to that which has been in place on Center Court since 2009, will allow matches to progress despite any bad weather -- with rain a regular threat at the grass-court event. Wimbledon's announcement regarding the increase in prize money on offer comes following a similar move by organizers of the Australian Open last October.

Players in Melbourne in January competed for a share of $31.1 million following an increase of $4.12 million.

This year's U.S. Open will have its prize fund increased by $4 million to $29.5 million, while next month's French Open will see the winners earn $1.95 million with the total purse up by 16%.

The increases in prize money come following pressure from top players concerned with the huge disparities between those who exit grand slam tournaments at an early stage and those who go much further.

At Wimbledon, the purse for winning the title has gone up with the male and female winner taking home a check of £1.6 million -- a 39% increase on last year. Wimbledon, which will be held from June 24 to July 7 this year, has also put more cash into the opening three rounds of the tournament by 60%.

Players losing in the first round will net $35,800, which is a big improvement on the $22,100 they would have picked up in 2012.

On top of that, the reward for qualifying for the tournament proper has gone up by 41% for singles players and 22% for doubles players.

"We need to make sure we are competitive as a sport," All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis told the UK Press Association. "It is not just about the top players, it is about making the sport attractive to the next generation of talent. "That means players ranked from 50 to 100 and 100 to 200 need to be able to look at the sport and know they can make a good living.

"To be fair to the players and the players' associations, that is one of the points they made to us, which we at never at any stage pushed back on. It is a legitimate point.

"We operate as a global event as a global sport and we need to be competitive for all sorts of positive reasons."

The news has been greeted with excitement by some players, with world No. 98 Sergiy Stakhovsky taking to Twitter to register his excitement. "I don't want to sound crazy but I would like to give a big HUG to @Wimbledon board..exciting news..thank you very much gentlemen!!" he tweeted after the announcement.

According to the men's ATP World Tour website, the Ukrainian has career earnings of $2.65 million, having been ranked as high as 31st, which pales into insignificance compared to world No.1 Novak Djokovic.

The Serb star has raked in $3.92 million in 2013 alone and $49.6 million in his career overall.

Philip Brook, chairman of the All England Club told the tournament's official website: "For the players, it is a deep appreciation of the demanding nature of professional tennis and the top-quality entertainment they bring, while for The Championships it is about giving all our visitors the finest stage on which to enjoy Wimbledon."

Last year Wimbledon made a profit of £37.8 million ($57.5 million) -- an increase of 7%. Most of that is given to the Lawn Tennis Association to invest in developing British tennis.



Wimbledon bonus for tennis stars - CNN-com

Like most corners of the globe, it's all about soccer in Denmark.

Except for the Konigsfeldt family.

Christoffer Konigsfeldt had a tennis racket in his hand before he could walk. His parents, Pernille and Thomas, were both tennis players. Both of Konigsfeldt's older brothers also played.

Tennis was a way of life in the Konigsfeldt home in Rungsted Kyst, a coastal suburb outside Copenhagen. Christoffer also played soccer for awhile as a young child, but it was a lost cause.

"I used to play in a (soccer) club, but I gave it up when I was 13 or 14," said Konigsfeldt, now a senior on Cal's men's tennis team. "I didn't have time for both tennis and soccer. At that time, I was already one of the top players in the country in tennis. I wasn't as good at soccer."

It appears as though Konigsfeldt chose the right sport. He became a member of Denmark's Davis Cup team last year and is the Bears' No. 2 singles player. He also teams up with junior Campbell Johnson to form Cal's No. 1 doubles team.

The Bears are in Ojai this weekend for the Pac-12 Championships after finishing in a tie for second place in the regular season standings. Third-seeded Cal will meet Utah in a second-round showdown on Thursday.

"Chris has a level of experience where he's used to playing in front of a hostile crowd or a really vocal crowd," Cal coach Peter Wright said. "He's not afraid of the spotlight. He's one of the guys, when we play a big match, he really gets up for it. When it comes to crunch time, he is a guy that we want to have out there in singles and doubles."

Konigsfeldt says in a small country like Denmark, the competition thins out pretty quickly at the highest level of tennis. When he got to Cal, he began facing better players more consistently.

"The competition is way higher here," he said. "In Denmark, at my age, we probably have three or four players that can compete. Here, it's hundreds, maybe a thousand that can compete at a high level. At home, you see the same three guys every weekend in the finals. Here, you see new guys all the time that can play. It's more exciting."

That being said, Konigsfeldt said playing Davis Cup is the ultimate accomplishment for a tennis player. And even though tennis itself may not be part of Denmark's daily mindset, it's a source of pride for him.

"It's not a huge deal. It's all about soccer in Denmark," Konigsfeldt said. "But you're representing your country. I was a ballkid for Davis Cup when I was growing up. I was always chasing the players for autographs. Suddenly, I'm the one the little kids are chasing. It's quite different."

Konigsfeldt has been to five Davis Cup matches with Denmark and played singles in two of them. He won a relegation playoff match in Finland last October and then was forced to skip Cal's match against Pacific in February to play in Romania, where he lost in a first-round contest.

Konigsfeldt said tennis has started to gain more popularity in Denmark since native Caroline Wozniacki ascended to No. 1 in the world in the women's game a couple years ago.

"For any tennis player, the Davis Cup is the biggest accomplishment," Konigsfeldt said.

The Bears enter the weekend ranked No. 18 in the country despite losing one of their top players, Riki McLachlan, to a knee injury early in the spring season. With contributions from players like McLachlan's brother, Ben, Konigsfeldt, Johnson and Gregory Bayane, Cal has been able to remain competitive with some of the best programs in the country. The Bears have knocked off No. 4 Duke and No. 11 Florida this season.

"The part that I'm really excited about is our guys really accepted the challenge and we've had some tremendous performances," Wright said. "We finished tied for second in the Pac-12, which is overachieving with this group of guys. We have a really good team, but for what we've been doing, I think the guys are just playing incredibly well as a unit."




Getting His Kicks In Tennis - California

Cross Al Jazeera off the list of potential suitors for the Tennis Channel.

The Qatar-based media giant was mentioned by the New York Post in a story last week as wanting to buy the Tennis Channel.

However, a senior executive with knowledge of Al Jazeera's U.S. media strategy is adamant that there is no such interest in the Tennis Channel. The executive declined to speak on the record because the company did not want to officially comment on idle speculation regarding a financial transaction.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

Because Al Jazeera recently spent about $500 million to buy Current TV from Al Gore, it is seen as having deep pockets and an eagerness for more media outlets in the United States.

But Al Jazeera already has its hands full changing Current TV from a political talk and documentary channel into a full-service news network aimed at challenging CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.

The Tennis Channel, which is owned by a group of private equity firms including Apollo Partners and Bain Capital, has never said it is for sale. However, most industry analysts think the network would be better off if it were part of a larger media company.

Currently in 35 million homes, the Tennis Channel is engaged in a nasty legal fight with cable giant Comcast Corp. that may determine just how much interest there is in it from potential bidders. Comcast is fighting an order from the Federal Communications Commission to carry the Tennis Channel in more than 20 million of its homes.

If the court sides with Comcast, then the Tennis Channel's efforts to expand will have been severely hampered and its potential value greatly diminished.



Al Jazeera not interested in playing ball with Tennis Channel - latimes-com