Tennis archive

Bruce Flory, Phil Smith, Joanne “Jo” Frazer and George McCabe were enshrined into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame Saturday afternoon. After an induction ceremony and luncheon held in the grandstand tent the new class was introduced on Center Court during the first day of this year’s Western & Southern Open.

Flory, Smith and Frazer were all inducted as contributors, while McCabe is one of the top senior players in the world. He didn’t start playing the game until his early 40′s but is now ranked No. 12 by the ITF in the over-80 age group. Flory is the son of Paul Flory and is a former tournament director. Smith is a former senior management member and Frazer was a long-time volunteer at the tournament and then with the USTA.

Frazer was unable to attend the ceremony due to illness. Her daughter Tori, who said her mother will be fine, accepted the award in her place.

Some quotes from each of the inductees…


Read More: Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame adds new class of four | Serve the Word

China's Li Na moved one win away from claiming her maiden title of 2012 after staging an impressive comeback to defeat Czech Lucie Safarova 3-6 6-3 7-5 in the semi-finals of the Montreal Cup on Sunday.

The former French Open, who will face either Petra Kvitova or Caroline Wozniacki in Monday's final, stormed back from the brink after trailing 16th-seeded Safarova 1-5 in the final set.

The change in momentum came as much from Safarova losing her composure as Li eradicating errors from her own game. But the drama did not end there as Li double faulted twice in succession at 6-5 in the final set before serving out the match.


Tennis-China's Li storms into final of Montreal Cup | Reuters

Winning Olympic gold doesn't necessarily put Andy Murray on the path to greatness, but his success at London 2012 reaffirms the belief he is a grand slam winner in waiting.

Let's not kid ourselves, he may have won the first set but the Scot was soundly beaten in the Wimbledon showpiece by Roger Federer - another major final reverse and another chance for question marks to be raised over his prospects of breaking his slam duck.

No doubt feeling dejected and pretty wiped out, both mentally and physically, Murray could easily have sloped off into the wilderness for several weeks/months - as he has done before following such heartbreak - but instead, 28 days later, he returned to the scene of his heart-wrenching four-set defeat to prove to everyone he can dethrone one of the greatest ever in a best-of-five set final.

I say prove; Murray's talent has not just been unearthed, he's been dining at the top table for a good while now. But more for his own piece of mind he now, unequivocally, knows what can be achieved when he hits top gear.
Read more at Now watch Andy Murray go | Tennis What the Deuce | ESPN.co.uk

Petra Kvitova overcame a mid-match slump to claim her first title of the season with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory over China's Li Na in the Montreal Cup on Monday. In an entertaining but erratic encounter between two former major winners, the fifth seed's first tournament win since last October's WTA Championship will lift the Czech's confidence ahead of the US Open starting at the end of the month.

“It is great to have a good result in the Montreal Cup before the US Open. Finally I have played well,” the world number six told reporters. “It is a great preparation. I have played some good matches here and I hope that I can continue that.” The 22-year-old's maiden victory on North American soil pocketed last year's Wimbledon champion $385,000 but it was not without drama. The momentum shifted several times during the match but none more evidently than when Li won the first 16 points of the second set to race into a 4-0 lead after the 30-year-old 10th seed had dropped the opener. “I knew that the second set she played very well,” Kvitova added. “She was very aggressive and I didn't move very well. I knew I needed to calm down and keep patient.” Li, who remains without a title in 2012 after losing finals in Sydney, Rome and now Montreal, had started well before Kvitova eked out a 5-3 lead.

Read More: Tennis: Kvitova overcomes wobble to claim Montreal title Pakistan Sports

Rafael Nadal's Grand Slam count will stay stuck at 11 for now, sidetracked by another knee problem.

The third-ranked Spaniard withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Tendinitis has kept him out of action since his stunning loss at Wimbledon in late June.

The injury already forced him out of the London Olympics, where he was supposed to defend his title and carry Spain's flag in the opening ceremony.

"I am very sad to announce that I am not ready to play the US Open in NY. Thanks to my fans for their support and specially, the new yorkers," Nadal wrote on his Twitter account.

Nadal is still only 26, but the withdrawals raise questions about the future of a player who has had recurring knee problems in the past.

His 11 Grand Slam titles include a record seven on the red clay of the French Open, yet his hard-charging, hard-hitting style of play takes a toll on his body, particularly his knees.

Roger Federer, in contrast, has played in every Grand Slam tournament since the start of 2000, a streak of 51 in a row.


Read More: Nadal pulls out of U.S. Open with knee injury | york, nadal, new - Tennis Capsules - Brownsville Herald

This is sad. That injury definetly needs a rest. Stay positive Nadal!

Olympic champion Andy Murray was sent crashing out of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday, falling 6-4, 6-4 to French lucky loser Jeremy Chardy.

Britain's Murray won a match in Toronto last week before quitting with a knee injury but had looked impressive in his opener here against American Sam Querrey.

But the 25-year-old Murray was distinctly under-cooked against Chardy and his 16th unforced error of the second set sent the Frenchman into the last eight.

"This was like my second or third match in the hard court. I played well yesterday; didn't play so well today," said Murray.

"Sometimes I've won tournaments in the buildup (to a major) and it hasn't helped me. That doesn't normally have that much bearing. But I would have liked to have done a bit better this week," he said, with the US Open on the horizon.

Four-time champion and top seed Roger Federer turned in another flawless performance, schooling Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-2, 6-4 with 27 winners.

"Overall I'm happy. But it's hard to judge my game in these quick conditions," said Federer, the Olympic silver medallist, who however admitted that his serve was "a bit off."

"It was a good performance, I'm playing as well as I want to right now," said the Swiss great.



Read More: Tennis: Murray out in Cincinnati, Federer cruises

No player ranked in the Top 15 in the world stands between Roger Federer and the Western & Southern Open Finals. Federer made short work of Bernard Tomic 6-2, 6-4 in the last round, and is a big favorite to advance to the semifinals as a -1200 favorite over Mardy Fish (+600) on Friday. The winner of this match will take on the winner of Friday’s Milos Raonic vs. Stanislas Wawrinka matchup on Saturday.

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One of the most interesting matches of the quarterfinals comes in Juan Martin Del Potro (-350) vs. Jeremy Chardy (+250). Chardy is coming off a straight-set upset (6-4, 6-4) over Andy Murray, and will look to pay off again as an underdog Friday. The winner of this quarterfinals matchup will play the winner of the Novak Djokovic vs. Marin Cilic match on Saturday; Djokovic will be a large favorite over Cilic.

On the women’s side, the Williams sisters could be on their way to a clash in the Finals with two more wins apiece.

Venus Williams is a slight -185 favorite Friday over higher-seeded Samantha Stosur (+140). Williams crushed higher-ranked Sara Errani in straight sets on Wednesday, 6-3, 6-0. The winner of the Williams-Stosur matchup will likely face top seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals on Saturday. Radwanska is awaiting the winner of a Li Na vs. Johanna Larsson matchup to see who she will face Friday night in the quarterfinals.

Serena Williams is a -450 favorite in her Friday matchup against Angelique Kerber. Williams has been on a tear of late, taking gold in the Olympics shortly after winning Wimbledon. If Williams defeats Kerber she’ll move on to the semi-finals Saturday, where she will face the winner of Friday’s Caroline Wozniacki vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova quarterfinals matchup.

Rafael Nadal said he must fully recover from a nagging knee problem known as Hoffa's syndrome before returning to competition and was a doubt for next month's Davis Cup semi-final against the United States.

Spain's world number three has not played since suffering a shock second round defeat in Wimbledon by lowly-ranked Czech Lukas Rosol in June. He missed the Olympic Games and on Wednesday withdrew from the U.S. Open.

"The important thing is to recover well and come back when my knee is a hundred percent perfect," Nadal told Reuters television in an interview in his hometown of Manacor in Mallorca.

"We'll see if I will be ready for Gijon, for the Davis Cup. My goal, my dream is to be there if the captain has confidence in me, but it always depends on the captain and the knee."

Due to his aggressive style of play, Nadal has suffered a string of physical problems during his career, including a foot injury in 2005 and more recently with his knees.

Read More: Tennis: Nadal unsure he will recover for Davis Cup | Sports | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere

Roger Federer finds a lot to like about Cincinnati — the big crowds for his matches, the quiet time away from the court, the way his game seems to come together on the fast, blue courts. Probably helps that he often takes home the trophy, too.

Make it five for Federer. The world's top-ranked player won a record fifth Cincinnati title Sunday, dominating second-ranked Novak Djokovic in an unprecedented way at the start of a 6-0, 7-6 (7) win for the Western & Southern Open championship. The 31-year-old Swiss star has enjoyed many of his one-week visits. None was better than the latest.

"Looking back, it's just unbelievable," Federer said. "This was probably the best week for me here in Cincinnati. I didn't lose a set. This is very sweet, no doubt about it."

Federer heads to the U.S. Open feeling healthy and fine-tuned. He skipped the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week, giving himself some time to recover from the Olympics in London.

He's also regained the upper hand against one of the players who stands in his way.

Read More: Federer beats Djokovic for fifth Cincinnati title | federer, fifth, beats - Tennis Capsules - Brownsville Herald

Maria Sharapova is going into the candy business.

The four-time Grand Slam title winner launched her Sugarpova brand of 12 types of sweets on Monday.

At this year's French Open, which Sharapova won, she called Sugarpova "the most exciting project that I've ever done ... because it's my own business, my own investment, my own money."

Sharapova is ranked third heading into the U.S. Open, which starts next week.

Former tennis greats Mats Wilander and Goran Ivanisevic both believe Andy Murray will end his long wait for a first grand-slam title by winning the US Open starting next week in New York.

Speaking while promoting a Masters veterans' event at London's Royal Albert Hall in December, the pair first will watch their pick for the US Open title with interest.

Wilander, a winner at Flushing Meadows 24 years ago, has no doubts.

"My prediction for the US Open is Andy Murray winning," he said. "I'm not saying that just because he won the Olympics.

"It's because I think that he's a different man. I think that Ivan Lendl has helped him tremendously. He's becoming better physically all the time, he hits his forehand better, but the biggest difference is emotionally. He's more even-keeled, he's more positive and there's not as much pressure for him at the US Open as there is at Wimbledon."

The Swede also added that the conditions in the Big Apple suit Murray perfectly.

"The hardcourts in New York are a little quicker than in Australia, which suit him," said Wilander.

"I do think Andy Murray is one-up against Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic after the Olympics - he knows that he can beat them back-to-back now.

"I think five-set matches, with the attitude he has now, are going to favour him and, when he plays well with a good attitude, he is at least as good a player as the other top three.


Read More: US Open | Tennis greats back Andy Murray for US... | Stuff.co.nz

After picking up a Wimbledon title and an Olympic gold medal already this summer Serena Williams heads into next week's U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York as the heavy favorite to come out on top in the women's draw.

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Williams is listed as the 1/1 favorite on the tennis odds at Bovada to claim the Grand Slam event, putting her well ahead of the next players on that list – Victoria Azarenka at 5/1 and Maria Sharapova at 6/1.

Williams is a three-time winner of the U.S. Open, taking that title in each of 1999, 2002, and 2008. Azarenka has never won the tournament, while Sharapova came out on top at the event back in 2006. Williams lost in the final last year to Samantha Stosur.

Stosur is at 16/1 to win the U.S. Open this month, which puts her behind the top favorites plus the 10/1 Petra Kvitova. Kim Clijsters is also pegged at 16/1 to win the tournament, and she claimed the title in Flushing Meadows in each of 2005, 2009, and 2010.

Carolina Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva lost in the finals to Clijsters in 2009 and 2010; Wozniacki is at 33/1 odds for the tournament this time around, with Zvonareva at 66/1.

Venus Williams won the U.S. Open in back-to-back years in 2000 and 2001, and she's at 33/1 odds for this week; Venus also made the final in 2002, when she lost to her sister.

Agnieszka Radwanska (16/1), Angelique Kerber (20/1), Sabine Lisicki (25/1) and Li Na (33/1) round out the top contenders for the tournament on the tennis odds at Bovada, with Svetlana Kuznetsova back at 80/1 odds. Kuznetsova was the U.S. Open champion in 2004, and she also lost in the final to Justine Henin in 2007.

A professional tennis referee accused of beating her 80-year-old husband to death with a coffee mug was headed toward Los Angeles on Thursday to face a murder charge after her New York arrest.

Lois Goodman said nothing and looked expressionless as Los Angeles Police Department detectives escorted her from a Manhattan court, still wearing her navy-blue uniform warm-up suit for the U.S. Open. She'd been arrested while in town to work as a line judge at the tournament.

Alan Goodman died April 17 at the couple's condominium in the Woodland Hills neighborhood. His wife told police he apparently had an accident while she was officiating at a tennis match, but police said this week they considered the death suspicious early on.

The husband's head injuries and the amount of blood at the scene didn't square with his wife's suggestion that he'd fallen down some stairs, and police noticed a broken mug, authorities said. An arrest warrant was filed Aug. 14.

Lois Goodman was being flown to Los Angeles on Thursday and was expected to be arraigned there Monday. The 70-year-old had agreed after her arrest Tuesday not to fight extradition to California.

"She's anxious to defend herself" in California, said her New York lawyer, Guy Oksenhendler.

He questioned authorities' decision to have her arrested in New York, suggesting it was a tactic to get headlines on two coasts.


Read More: Tennis referee headed to LA to face murder case

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and five-time winner Roger Federer sit atop the odds to win the men's draw at the U.S. Open, with the last major tennis event of the season set to get underway in Flushing Meadows, New York on Monday.

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Djokovic is listed as the 3/2 favorite on the odds to win the U.S. Open at Bovada, after he topped Rafael Nadal in the final for his first title at the tournament last season. Djokovic was also the runner-up at the U.S. Open in both 2010 (to Nadal) and 2007 (to Federer).

And with Nadal sitting out of this year's U.S. Open with a knee injury, top-seeded Federer is the second favorite on the odds list at 5/2 to win his sixth title at the event. Federer won the U.S. Open five straight years from 2004 to 2008, then was upset by Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the tournament in 2009.

Andy Murray is then at 4/1 on the tennis odds for next week, as he looks to follow up his win in the gold medal match at the Olympics with the first U.S. Open title of his career. Murray's best result at this tourney came back in 2008 when he lost in the final to Federer -- those two are on track to meet again in the semifinals.

Del Potro sits at 10/1 odds to win the U.S. Open for a second time, followed by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at 28/1, and each of John Isner, Milos Raonic and David Ferrer at 50/1.

Tomas Berdych holds down 66/1 odds at Bovada to win the U.S. Open, with Bernard Tomic at 80/1, and Americans Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick long shots at 100/1. Roddick won the U.S. Open back in 2003, and he lost in the final of the tournament to Federer in 2006.

Roger Federer aims to cap his dramatic renaissance by becoming the first man in 87 years to win six US Open titles when the season's last Grand Slam event takes place from Monday.

World number one Federer currently has five New York wins, a mark he shares with US legends Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors, an equal-best performance in the Open era.

But the last man to win six was Bill Tilden, who achieved the feat in the strictly amateur days of 1925 before finishing his career with seven in 1929.

Having just turned 31, Federer is back at world number one thanks to a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title, his 17th Grand Slam trophy.

He was a silver medallist at the Olympics and has six tour titles in total this year, a statistic capped by a record fifth Cincinnati Masters where he swept past Novak Djokovic in the final.

Federer won his five straight US Open titles between 2004 and 2008 but missed the chance of a sixth in 2009 when he lost a five-set thriller to Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro.

Rafael Nadal, missing through injury this year, and Djokovic claimed the 2010 and 2011 editions.

Federer's record at the majors remains one of outstanding consistency - he has reached the quarter-finals or better at 33 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.

Twelve months ago, he squandered match points and lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals in New York, but has gone 56-7 in 2012.

"There have been a lot of sacrifices," said the top seed. "I took some time to assess the situation and how should I move forward.


Read More: Tennis: Federer targets record sixth US Open

Serena Williams overcame foot surgery and blood clots on her lungs in the past two years to regain the form that has made her a 14-time Grand Slam tennis champion.

Now her rivals and admirers from men's tennis see her as the unmatched queen of the sport and a clear favorite entering Monday's start of the US Open.

"It's incredible. Nobody knows where she is going to stop and she keeps on going and dominating," said defending US Open men's champion Novak Djokovic.

"I'm happy I'm in men's tennis -- not needing to face her."

Djokovic, the Australian Open winner, is hitting form at the right time -- his runner-up spot in Cincinnati came on the back of a Toronto Masters triumph seven days earlier.

Williams won last month's Wimbledon title, her first Grand Slam crown since her health issues arose after a 2010 Wimbledon title, and followed up by taking the London Olympic gold medal on the same All-England Club grass courts.

"She has had some issues. That makes the return to the top of the rankings and the top of her game even more exciting," said World No. 1 Roger Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam champion.

"It has been great what she has done over the last 15-plus years but it's an amazing summer for her. She played great. If she's on she's very hard to beat. I think she just proved that point again."

Federer aims to cap his dramatic renaissance by becoming the first man in 87 years to win six US Open titles when the season's last Grand Slam event takes place from Monday.


Read More: Tennis: US Open stars see Serena as nearly unstoppable - Channel NewsAsia

AUSTRALIAN Open boss Craig Tiley has called for an urgent overhaul of world tennis' "unhealthy" leadership as the game's superstars threaten a dramatic boycott of the season-opening grand slam in Melbourne.

Tiley is confident the Australian Open's reputation as the "Happy Slam" along with the richest purse in tennis and "very, very strong relationship with the players" will ensure Roger Federer and company show up in January for the biggest annual event on the national sporting calendar.

But the Open's tournament director readily admits the players deserve a larger slice of the grand slam pie and hopes their demands for more prize money lead to a major upheaval of the sport's governance.

"We are the first to say that for tennis to be a viable career, the top 250 players need to make a good living," Tiley said on the eve of the US Open in New York.


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World No. 1 Roger Federer launched his quest for an 18th career Grand Slam title by defeating American Donald Young 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 on Monday to reach the second round of the US Open.

The 31-year-old Swiss star, seeking a record sixth title on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts, showed the form he used to win last month at Wimbledon and two weeks ago in Cincinnati by advancing in only 94 minutes.

That lifted Federer to 22-0 in night matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium before a typically raucous New York crowd.

"Being back in New York as World No. 1, it's crazy and I enjoy it," Federer said. "It definitely brings out the best in me. The crowds are incredible.

"For me I hope we can keep it going out here."

Olympic champion Andy Murray, who beat Federer for London gold, battled into the second round while defending women's champion Samantha Stosur, top seed Victoria Azarenka and third seed Maria Sharapova cruised in their openers.

Three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters stretched her US Open win streak to 22 matches while Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova and Chinese ninth seed Li Na also advanced on a day where rain halted play for more than two hours.

Top seed Federer broke Young in the eighth game of the match and held to claim the first set in 27 minutes and then broke him three times to claim the second after only an hour on the court.


Read More: Tennis: Federer rolls on, Murray struggles at Open

Venus Williams clocked the fastest women's serve of the U.S. Open on Tuesday (Wednesday, PHL time) before predicting a return to the top 10 and admitting it took her nearly a year to accept she had a serious medical condition.

Williams landed a first serve of 124 mph (199.5km/h) during her 6-3 6-1 demolition of Bethanie Mattek-Sands to set up a re-match with the woman who beat her in the third round of the Olympics, Germany's sixth seed Angelique Kerber.

The former world number one has fallen to 46th on the rankings but claimed she had the weaponry to return to the elite.

"I'm looking forward to the top 10, all that great stuff," the 32-year-old Williams said. "I feel like I have it in me."

Williams revealed at the U.S. Open last year she had been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Sjogren's Syndrome, which causes fatigue and joint pain, after withdrawing from her second-round match against Germany's Sabine Lisicki.

She admitted on Tuesday she was in denial until recently about the seriousness of the disease.

"Honestly, I didn't even understand what I was going through," she said. "I feel like it's been just this summer I've come to acceptance. Especially when you're an athlete you see yourself as this healthy person and nothing can defeat you.


Read More: Tennis: Venus serves her way to victory at US Open | Sports | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere