!2008_02_11_spain_blog By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan
This Week's Tournaments
Davis Cup
World Group - First Round
[Results courtesy of ATPtennis.com]
RUSSIA 3, SERBIA 2
Small Sports Arena, Moscow
Hard - Indoors
Rubber 1: Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) d Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) 26 63 62 64
Rubber 2: Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) d Viktor Troicki (SRB) 61 16 63 16 62
Rubber 3: Novak Djokovic/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) d Mikhail Youzhny/Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 63 76(6) 76(5)
Rubber 4: Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) d Novak Djokovic (SRB) 46 36 64 ret. (illness)
Rubber 5: Viktor Troicki (SRB) d Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 76(7) 46 63
CZECH REPUBLIC 3, BELGIUM 2
CEZ Arena, Ostrava
Carpet - Indoors
Rubber 1: Tomas Berdych (CZE) d Kristof Vliegen (BEL) 63 61 64
Rubber 2: Radek Stepanek (CZE) d Steve Darcis (BEL) 64 76(4) 76(5)
Rubber 3: Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) d Kristof Vliegen/Olivier Rochus (BEL) 67(2) 76(6) 75 57 64
Rubber 4: Steve Darcis (BEL) d Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) 76(1) 64
Rubber 5: Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) d Pavel Vizner (CZE) 67(4) 75 22 ret.
ARGENTINA 4, GREAT BRITAIN 1
Estadio Parque Roca, Buenos Aires
Clay - Oudoors
Rubber 1: David Nalbandian (ARG) d Jamie Baker (GBR) 61 63 63
Rubber 2: Agustin Calleri (ARG) d Alex Bogdanovic (GBR) 63 61 61
Rubber 3: Jose Acasuso/David Nalbandian (ARG) d Ross Hutchins/Jamie Murray (GBR) 62 76(11) 60
Rubber 4: Jose Acasuso (ARG) v Alex Bogdanovic (GBR) 75 75
Rubber 5: Jamie Baker (GBR) d Agustin Calleri (ARG) 76(4) 64
ISRAEL 2, SWEDEN 3
Canada Stadium, Ramat Hasharon
Hard - Outdoors
Rubber 1: Dudi Sela (ISR) d Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) 76(8) 63 61
Rubber 2: Thomas Johansson (SWE) d Harel Levy (ISR) 61 61 63
Rubber 3: Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR) d Simon Aspelin/Robert Lindstedt (SWE) 63 76(3) 75
Rubber 4: Thomas Johansson (SWE) d Dudi Sela (ISR) 76(6) 61 75
Rubber 5: Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) d Harel Levy (ISR) 06 64 63 76(6)
GERMANY 3, KOREA, REPUBLIC 2
Volkswagen Halle Braunschweig
Clay - Indoors
Rubber 1: Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d Jae-Sung An (KOR) 62 62 62
Rubber 2: Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) d Florian Mayer (GER) 75 63 16 76(7) 63
Rubber 3: Philipp Kohlschreiber/Philipp Petzschner (GER) d Woong-Sun Jun/Jae-Sung An (KOR) 61 63 63
Rubber 4: Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) 60 46 61 76(1)
Rubber 5: Woong-Sun Jun (KOR) d Michael Berrer (GER) 61 36 64
SPAIN 5, PERU 0
Jockey Club del Peru, Lima
Clay - Outdoors
Rubber 1: Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d Matias Silva (PER) 63 75 60
Rubber 2: Tommy Robredo (ESP) d Ivan Miranda (PER) 62 63 63
Rubber 3: Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d Luis Horna/Ivan Miranda (PER) 63 64 76(4)
Rubber 4: Tommy Robredo (ESP) d Mauricio Echazu (PER) 64 61
Rubber 5: Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d Ivan Miranda (PER) 62 63
FRANCE 5, ROMANIA 0
Sala Transilvania, Sibiu
Hard - Indoors
Rubber 1: Richard Gasquet (FRA) d Victor Hanescu (ROM) 76(5) 64 75
Rubber 2: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d Andrei Pavel (ROM) 67(2) 64 64 64
Rubber 3: Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra (FRA) d Florin Mergea/Horia Tecau (ROM) 63 64 67(6) 36 62
Rubber 4: Michael Llodra (FRA) d Andrei Pavel (ROM) 76(5) 76(7)
Rubber 5: Arnaud Clement (FRA) d Horia Tecau (ROM) 76(3) 26 64
UNITED STATES 4, AUSTRIA 1
Ferry Dusika Hallenstadion, Vienna
Clay - Indoors
Rubber 1: Andy Roddick (USA) d Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 64 46 63 67(4) 63
Rubber 2: James Blake (USA) d Stefan Koubek (AUT) 57 75 62 62
Rubber 3: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) d Julian Knowle/Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 61 64 62
Rubber 4: Stefan Koubek (AUT) d Mike Bryan (USA) 75 10 ret.
Rubber 5: Bob Bryan (USA) d Werner Eschauer (AUT) 60 36 76(3)
Open Gaz de France (WTA - Indoor Hard - Paris, France)
- Singles Final: Anna Chakvetadze def. Agnes Szavay 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Anna Chakvetadze def. Marion Bartoli 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.
- Singles Semifinal: Agnes Szavay def. Elena Dementieva 6-3, 1-6, 7-5.
- Doubles Final: Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarneko def. Eva Hrdinova/Vladimira Uhlirova 6-1, 6-4.
- Doubles Semifinal: Eva Hrdinova/Vladimira Uhlirova def. Mervana Jugic-Salkic/Gabriela Navratilova 7-5, 6-1.
- Doubles Semifinal: Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarneko def. Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik (walkover).
- Singles & Doubles Bracket
Pattaya Women's Open (WTA - Outdoor Hard - Pattaya, Thailand)
- Singles Final: Agnieszka Radwanksa def. Jill Craybas 6-2, 1-6, 7-6.
- Singles Semifinal: Agnieszka Radwanksa def. Ekaterina Bychkova 6-1, 6-1.
- Singles Semifinal: Jill Craybas def. Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-0.
- Doubles Final: Yung-Jan Chan/Chia-Jung Chuang def. Su-Wei Hsieh/Vania King 6-4, 6-3.
- Doubles Semifinal: Yung-Jan Chan/Chia-Jung Chuang def. Andreea Ehritt-Vanc/Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-4, 7-5.
- Doubles Semifinal: Su-Wei Hsieh/Vania King def. Anastasia Rodionova/Arina Rodionova 6-7, 6-2, 10-1.
- Singles & Doubles Bracket
By the Letter
T...wenty-year old Anna Chakvetadze is now 7-0 in WTA Tour finals, winning this week in Paris over Agnes Szavay.
E...SPN will not be broadcasting this year's Indian Wells and Key Biscayne tournaments (in case you missed this) - instead, FSN has the rights this year.
N...ovak Djokovic was up two sets to love and 3-0 in the third against Nikolay Davydenko in the fourth rubber between Russia and Serbia. But the ailing Serb couldn't close the match out in straight sets, and retired after the third set due to flu-like symptoms and exhaustion. That gave Russia its third point of the weekend and sent it through to the next round.
N...ext week's Laureus World Sports Awards nominees include Roger Federer, Justine Henin, and Novak Djokovic. Their competition for the various awards can be found here.
I...ndian Sania Mirza has decided not to compete in the upcoming Bangalore Open, saying that too much controversy and problems regarding her have come about from her home country.
S...pain did not drop a set in its tie against Peru; in only two of the eleven sets played did the host Peruvians even win five games. France also shut out their opponents Romania on the road.
W...orld Group Playoffs will be the next Davis Cup competition for Great Britain, and Andy Murray has made it clear that he will compete in the tie - in spite of a late withdrawal from this past week's opening round.
O...ut after less than a year - Yiannos Hadjigeorgiou acknowledged personal reasons for his decision to quit as Marcos Baghdatis' coach.
R...oland Garros legend Gustavo Kuerten, who will retire after this year's French Open, starts his year this week in Costa do Sauipe as a wild card.
L...ast Monday (I had last week's MNP composed on Sunday) Roger Federer officially held the world No. 1 ranking for four consecutive years. MNP regrets the omission.
D...istant from the first round action of the World Group, Australia won an important tie against Taiwan in their bid to return to the main stage.
McGrogan's Heroes
!2008_02_11_johansson_blog ATP - Federer. Djokovic. Tsonga. Ferrer. These are some of the names in men's tennis that have been in the spotlight most frequently over the past few months. But there's another, more obscure name that I've also heard a lot about of late - Dudi Sela. I remember in last September's Davis Cup World Group playoff, Sela won two impressive contests against Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, which helped elevate Israel to the World Group for the first time in 13 years. This year against Sweden, Sela didn't skip a beat, winning the opening rubber against Jonas Bjorkman in straight sets.
This result put Thomas Johansson in an unenviable position. In Ramat Hasharon, Johansson faced Harel Levy in what was essentially a must-win match. Why such pressure in what was just the second rubber? Because like the Americans, the Israelis have a formidable doubles team (Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram) who virtually assure them a point on Saturday. The veteran Johansson played magnificent, walloping Levy 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 and leveling the tie 1-1.
As expected, Erlich and Ram secured the doubles point for Israel. This meant that - literally, this time - Johansson was in a must-win situation in his singles match. He squared off against Sela, who was coming into the match with tremendous confidence. The Canada Stadium was ready to erupt, as victory would send Israel to the Davis Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1987. But Johansson quelled the celebrations again, defeating Sela in straight sets, 7-6, 6-1, 7-5. It wasn't as easy as the first match - and Johansson probably didn't expect it to be - but the former Grand Slam champion showed why he's still a threat on the court, even at age 32.
Jonas Bjorkman's win in the decisive final rubber against Levy (after losing the first set 0-6) was obviously one of the most important elements of Sweden's 3-2 win. But considering the circumstances, Johansson's matches were the most memorable of the tie. His two straight-set victories not only gave Sweden important points they needed in the tie, they stopped any momentum that Israel had gained.
Sweden's quarterfinal match will be in Argentina, on clay. It's a surface that Sweden should be comfortable on, but it should be noted that they elected to play on hard when they hosted the U.S. in last year's Davis Cup semifinals.
!2008_02_11_radwanska_blogWTA - Agnieszka Radwanska was named the McGrogan's Heroine a few weeks ago, after she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The final eight in the women's draw included seven of the world's top nine ladies, with the lone exception being Radwanska. She was drawn against the No. 9 seed, Daniela Hantuchova, whom I expected Radwanska to beat. Even at just 18 years of age, I thought that Radwanska's game would be enough to get be Hantuchova, a player with great skill, but also prone to mental lapses.
Faster than you can say "Agnieszka", the Pole suffered a swift beating from Hantuchova, 6-2, 6-2. The result was one that Radwanska will surely learn from for future Grand Slams, but in the immediate future, she showed no effects of a letdown in her first tournament back. At the Pattaya Women's Open in Thailand, Radwanska was ranked as the top seed, and played like it, winning her second career title.
Radwanska's path to victory started against American Vania King, who played a close match - the final score was 7-5, 7-6. From there, Radwanska cruised through the next three rounds, winning 36 of the 47 games played. It wasn't until the final when Radwanska was severely tested again, this time by another American, Jill Craybas. Craybas, 15 years older than Radwanska, was also seeking her second career title; her last one was in 2002 at Tokyo.
The first two sets of the final were split. Radwanska came out strong in the first, winning 6-2, while Craybas leveled the match after winning the second 6-1. For the early part of the third set, it appeared that Radwanska had reverted back into her play from the opening set, after opening up a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 lead. But that cushion quickly evaporated after Radwanska could not finish the match on two separate match points she earned (once at 5-2, and another at 5-4). Craybas hung around, winning the next five games to take a once unfathomable lead in the third set, 6-5.
Radwanska faced a match point at 5-6, but she held Craybas off and won a long, 18-point game. It brought the set to a climactic tiebreaker, which Radwanska won 7-4. Despite this tournament being a Tier IV event, losing this match might have been even more painful to Radwanska than her quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open. Losing a final in such a painful fashion is a memory that can stay with you the whole year, creeping doubt into your head at the worst times. Of course, I can't say that I've had this happen to me, but I feel like I can sense it in certain star-crossed players while watching them play. Radwanska avoided this fate, and will reap many rewards from it. In addition to the title, she is now ranked sixth in the WTA Tour points race, and has reached a career-high of No. 21 in the world.
Tennis Theatre
I got to play the Nintendo Wii for the first time this week, and all I can say is, if you haven't yet played it, you're really missing out. Obviously, I chose to play tennis first. I definitely need some more practice and seasoning with the game - the timing can be difficult at times, and that one-handed backhand that I try to hit doesn't always correlate to what's actually going to unfold on the screen. But it's amazingly fun and I look forward to my next hit.
Here's a video showing a few notable players giving the Wii a shot:
After tennis, I switched to another favorite sport of mine, bowling. It's incredibly realistic, especially when it comes to shooting spares - it must be seen to be believed. I had better success at Wii Bowling, shooting a 226 in my third game (somewhat realistic for me, back when I was bowling on Whitesboro's varsity team - nowadays, just breaking 180 is a success).
Next Week's Tournaments
Brasil Open (ATP - Clay - Costa do Sauipe, Brazil)
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Bracket
- Website
Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ATP - Hard - Delray Beach, United States)
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Bracket
Open 13 (ATP - Indoor Hard - Marseille, France)
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Bracket
Proximus Diamond Games (WTA - Indoor Hard - Antwerp, Belgium)
- Singles & Doubles Bracket
- Website
Cachantun Cup (WTA - Clay - Vina del Mar, Chile)
- Singles & Doubles Bracket
- Website
Television Schedule
Beyond the Bracket
Ask nearly any passionate tennis fan or professional player what they think about the season's calendar, and you'll probably hear one word more than any other in their responses: crowded. As tournaments are being contested eleven months out of the year, with few breaks in between, it's easy to see why. But strangely, even at a time when there is tennis being played in three continents on both the men's and women's tours, we're presently in a bit of a lull.
The six weeks in between the end of the Australian Open and the start of Indian Wells are some of the longest to endure, from my perspective. There's plenty of tournaments, don't get me wrong, but few of them have "must see" appeal. On the women's side, there is only one Tier I event (Doha), while on the men's side, I would only classify Dubai, and possibly Rotterdam, as a tournament of significant importance. Normally, I wouldn't mind this extended respite, but considering how many Masters Series, Tier I, and Grand Slam tournaments are jammed together like sardines in the spring and summer months, it feels odd to actually have to wait for a big event to take place.
Another reason that this stretch drags on for me is because many of the game's elite treat this period as idle time. This is especially true on the ATP tour, where you almost forget what some players look like until they resurface in mid-March. Last year, Federer and Nadal only played in Dubai during these six weeks. This year, it appears to be more of the same - according to their official websites, Roger will again only play in the U.A.E. (and if you missed a fine post by Pete about this last year, go here), while Rafa and Novak Djokovic are both planning to play in Rotterdam and Dubai.
Quite honestly, I'll believe it when I see it, because if I've learned anything from watching tennis closely over the past few years, it's that participation in International Series events - prestigious (Gold) or not - is always subject to change. Tennis is built upon the sturdy foundations of the Grand Slams, which is one of the sport's biggest assets. But it also means that lower-level tournaments are sometimes rendered meaningless.
With all this in mind, I got thinking about something - is there any incentive for tennis' biggest players to play in smaller tournaments?
To that I say this: there is an incentive, but it's not a very big one.
There's a number of factors that I base this on. The first involves the way the rankings are calculated. On both tours, only a capped number of non-Grand Slam/Masters Series/Tier I tournaments are computed into your year-end ranking (see here and here for the fine print). And while this number includes only the best results (meaning a poor result can be wiped away if a player has a better result and plays over the maximum amount of smaller tournaments tabulated), the impact that these events have on the overall ranking is minimal at best. In addition, players who have recorded spectacular results in Grand Slams and Masters Series/Tier I events can amass such a high ranking from those points alone that they don't need the boost that smaller events would give. A good example of this is Federer, who only played in two International Series events last year (Dubai and Basel). And if not for his Swiss heritage, that count would have been reduced by one.
The second factor is prize money. While International Series tournaments still offer significant purses, for any player in the top 25, the "need" to win money is not as pressing. This is even more pronounced once you look what what the top 10 players on each tour traditionally earn - and these are the players who we are talking about here.
Finally, players consider the potential for injury and fatigue when playing in smaller events. With such a jam-packed summer, the best players ideally look to conserve their energy for this impending marathon run, and have largely decided to ignore many smaller events - and I can't say I blame them for doing so. No one - the fans, the media, the tournament organizers - want to see the biggest tournaments hit with a slew of withdrawals (remember the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup backlash?). For better or for worse, this comes at the expense of smaller events; i.e. the tournaments played in the next few weeks.
This year, it looks like much the same will occur as in prior seasons. There may be a smattering of appearances from the upper echelon of players, but largely, the top draws will be absent at many of these smaller events. Is that a good thing? It probably is for the biggest tournaments and the overall health of the sport. After all, it's the Grand Slams and top draws that ultimately get people to watch and invest in tennis. But I wonder about the vitality of some of these smaller events down the road. Many have an established tradition (San Jose, Memphis), and some events thrive on showcasing home grown talent, but I find it hard to believe that all of the existing tournaments on the ATP and WTA calendars can survive without getting the biggest names to come and play. Does anyone else share this concern? [This is my If... question, also.]
(And if they can survive - which it appears that many smaller events have been doing for some time now - all the better. That speaks to the love of the sport by tennis fans around the world.)