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Vesnina and Szavay into second round in Paris

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

PARIS (AP)—Eighth-seeded Elena Vesnina of Russia and Agnes Szavay of Hungary have both reached the second round of the Open GDF Suez tournament.

The 34th-ranked Szavay was leading 6-3, 1-0 against Olga Govortsova when the Belarus player retired Monday, and the 29th-ranked Vesnina advanced 6-1, 6-4 against Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania.

Soderling gets his first win of the year in Rotterdam

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP)—Robin Soderling has won for the first time this year, beating Florent Serra 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the ABN Amro indoor tournament.

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko play their first-round matches on Tuesday.

Third-seeded Soderling was a finalist in Rotterdam, Netherlands, two years ago when he lost to Michael Llodra, who returned this year unseeded. Soderling lost in the first round of the Australian Open.

In other matches, Florian Mayer defeated Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (8) and Andreas Seppi beat qualifier Stephane Bohli 6-1, 7-5.

Last year's winner, Andy Murray, is not defending his title, and 2009 runner-up Rafael Nadal pulled out with an injury sustained at last month's Australian Open.

Dinara Safina, still injured, withdraws from Dubai

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Dinara Safina has pulled out of the WTA event in Dubai next week, still suffering from the back injury that forced her to retire in agony at the Australian Open.

It was a recurrence of the problem that forced her to withdraw from the year-end championships in November.

"Unfortunately, I will not be able to play the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships this year because of the back injury that's been bothering me since the end of last season," Safina said on her official website.

Safina did not say when she expects to return to the tour, but is still entered for Indian Wells in March.

Fed Cup: Russia, Italy, Czechs, U.S. advance

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

LONDON (AP)—The United States, Italy, Czech Republic and Russia reached the Fed Cup semifinals on Sunday.

Teenager Melanie Oudin beat Julie Coin to give the Americans an unassailable lead at France on the way to a 4-1 victory, while Francesca Schiavone rallied from a set down to beat Kateryna Bondarenko and help Italy to a resounding 4-1 win against Ukraine.

The Czech Republic reached a second consecutive Fed Cup semifinal by beating Germany in the decisive doubles match.

It also went down to the doubles as four-time champion Russia defeated Serbia 3-2 as Svetlana Kuznetsova and Alisa Kleybanova beat Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4 in the decisive rubber.

Earlier Sunday in the reverse singles, Kleybanova beat Ivanovic 6-2, 6-3 while Jankovic defeated Kuznetsova 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to level the tie.

Russia, which has won four of the last six Fed Cup titles, will now meet the United States, who trounced France 4-1, in the semifinals.

Oudin defeated Coin 7-6 (3), 6-4 on the indoor clay court at the Stade Couvert Regional de Lievin in just over two hours in the first reverse singles.

The 18-year-old Oudin broke Coin in the fifth game of the second set and clinched the match when the Frenchwoman shanked a forehand.

Oudin had saved two break points at 5-5 in the first to force the tiebreaker, where she hit three straight winners to close out the set.

“I was a little nervous in the beginning,” Oudin said. “She definitely stepped up her game when she came out on court and served some really great service games.

“There wasn’t much I could do in the beginning, besides staying in there with her.”

Alize Cornet had been scheduled to face Oudin but France captain Nicolas Escude decided to replace her with Coin after Cornet acknowledged she struggled with her nerves against Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the opening singles Saturday.

With the U.S. through, France restored some pride with Pauline Parmentier’s 6-4, 6-4 win over Christina McHale before Mattek-Sands teamed with Liezel Huber for a 6-2, 6-3 doubles win over Cornet and Stephanie Cohen-Aloro.

Both teams were missing their best players. Serena and Venus Williams skipped the event, while France played without Marion Bartoli, Aravane Rezai and Virginie Razzano.

The U.S. improved its record against France to 11-1 in Fed Cup play and will next face Russia on April 24-25.

Ivanovic, the former No. 1 who has dropped to 23rd in the WTA rankings after a string of poor results since winning the French Open in 2008, struggled on her serve against the 31st-ranked Kleybanova and committed 51 unforced errors.

“I tried to play more aggressively, but I’m struggling psychologically,” a teary-eyed Ivanovic said.

Italy and Ukraine started Sunday at 1-1 in Kharkiv before Flavia Pennetta beat Alona Bondarenko 7-5, 7-6 (3) to put Italy ahead.

Both players struggled with their serve in that match, which featured nine breaks, but Pennetta proved stronger at the end of each set.

Bondarenko held a 4-2 lead in the first set and had a break point for 5-3 before Pennetta rallied, and the Italian then dominated the second-set tiebreaker to clinch the win.

Schiavone then struggled in the first set and was broken twice before racing out to a 5-0 lead in both the second and third.

Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani beat Mariya Koryttseva and Viktoria Kutuzova 6-1, 6-3 to complete the win.

Italy will play the Czech Republic after Lucie Hradecka teamed up with veteran doubles specialist Kveta Peschke to defeat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Tatjana Malek 6-1, 6-3 on indoor hardcourt at the Brno Exhibition Center.

Italy beat the Czechs 3-2 in their last Fed Cup encounter in 2005.

“Hopefully we’ll beat Italy this time,” Peschke said. “It will be revenge.”

The Czech pair dominated the first set before the Germans got briefly back in the match with a 2-0 lead in the second. The Czechs finally converted the sixth break point in the sixth game and went on to secure a comfortable victory.

Earlier Sunday, Groenefeld rallied to overcome Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to draw Germany even at 2-2 after Hradecka beat Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 7-6 (5) in the first reverse singles to give the Czechs a 2-1 lead in the series.

Kvitova had rallied from 2-0 down in the first set but struggled the rest of the way and lost in a little over two hours.

“I didn’t serve well,” Kvitova said. “That was the biggest problem.”

In World Group II, Australia beat Spain 3-2 in Adelaide, Belgium beat Poland 3-2, Estonia beat Argentina 4-1 and Slovakia beat China 3-2.

Santiago: Bellucci beats Monaco for title

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:05:09 GMT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)—Thomaz Bellucci won the Movistar Open with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 win over Juan Monaco.

Bellucci upset top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez in the semifinals on his way to the championship. The 22-year-old left-hander from Brazil won his second career ATP tournament title after a victory last year on clay in Gstaad, Switzerland.

“After the problems in the second set, I felt I would be able to play well in the third,” Bellucci said.

Monaco also advanced to the Movistar final in 2008, only to withdraw after he sprained his ankle in the doubles final the day before.

This was Monaco’s 10th career ATP final, all on clay. Since his third and last title at Kitzbuehel, Austria in July 2007, he’s been runner-up six straight times.

South Carolina tennis coach DeMars to retire

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)—South Carolina men's tennis coach Kent DeMars will retire after this season, his 26th with the Gamecocks.

DeMars is in his 37th season as a college head coach. He's taken South Carolina to 18 NCAA tournaments and won six Metro Conference titles with the Gamecocks.

DeMars came to South Carolina in 1984 after a successful run at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville where he won seven straight national championships.

DeMars was named the NCAA Division coach of the year in 1989 when the Gamecocks reached the NCAA tournament semifinals.

He was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996.

Cilic wins second title of season at Zagreb Indoors

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:27:51 GMT

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP)—Top-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia successfully defended his Zagreb Indoors title by beating Michael Berrer of Germany in three sets.

Cilic won 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 in 2 hours, 38 minutes Sunday.

It's the 22-year-old Croatian player's second title this year and fifth of his career.

Cilic has been in good form this season, winning in Chennai, India, in January and reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open to break into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in his career.

Lopez defeats Robert in Johannesburg final

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:54:20 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP)—Third-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain has won his second career ATP Tour title by beating Stephane Robert of France 7-5, 6-1 in the SA Open final.

The 39th-ranked Lopez broke in the last game of the first set Sunday and then cruised in the second to earn his first title since 2004. The Spaniard never faced a break point.

Lopez beat top-seeded Gael Monfils in the semifinals and said the high altitude suited his style of play as it led to a faster pace.

Robert was playing in his first career ATP final.

Italy dismisses Ukraine to reach Fed Cup semis

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP)—Francesca Schiavone has given Italy an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the Fed Cup quarterfinals after rallying to beat Kateryna Bondarenko 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.

Schiavone struggled in the first set and was broken twice, but then raced out to a 5-0 lead in both the second and third.

Earlier Sunday, Flavia Pennetta beat Alona Bondarenko 7-5, 7-6 (3) to put Italy ahead 2-1.

Both players struggled with their serve in that match, which saw nine breaks, but Pennetta proved stronger at the end of each set.

Bondarenko held a 4-2 lead in the first set and had a break point for 5-3 before Pennetta rallied, and the Italian then dominated the second-set tiebreaker to clinch the win.

Oudin earns second win to send U.S. into semis

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:31:32 GMT

LIEVIN, France (AP)—Teenager Melanie Oudin won her two singles matches to lead the United States to a 4-1 victory over France and give her team a spot in the Fed Cup semifinals.

Oudin overcame Julie Coin 7-6 (3), 6-4 in just over two hours Sunday to give the Americans an unassailable 3-0 lead.

“I was a little nervous in the beginning,” Oudin said. “She definitely stepped up her game when she came out on court and served some really great service games. There wasn’t much I could do in the beginning, besides staying in there with her.”

Pauline Parmentier then beat Christina McHale of the United States 6-4, 6-4 before Liezel Huber and Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated Frenchwomen Stephanie Cohen-Aloro and Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-3 in the final doubles.

“I’m so proud of my team,” U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez told the Fed Cup’s official Web site. “They really competed hard and practiced so well during the week and they had a great chemistry.”

The U.S. will next face Russia on April 24-25 while France will need to win a playoff to stay in the World Group.

“Russia is the toughest team to play because they have so much depth,” Fernandez said.

The 18-year-old Oudin broke Coin in the fifth game of the second set and clinched the match when the Frenchwoman shanked a forehand.

Oudin had saved two break points at 5-5 in the first to force the tiebreaker, where she hit three straight winners to close out the set.

“I ended up playing a really good tiebreaker and, after three-all, some of the best points of the match,” Oudin said.

Oudin also beat Parmentier 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday.

Cornet had been scheduled to face Oudin on Sunday but France captain Nicolas Escude decided to replace her with Coin after the Frenchwoman admitted she struggled with her nerves against Mattek-Sands in the opening singles Saturday. Mattek-Sands rallied from 5-2 down in the first to win in straight sets, giving Cornet her sixth loss in six Fed Cup singles matches.

“I don’t have much to hold against Julie,” France captain Nicolas Escude said. “I told her yesterday evening that she would replace Alize. She (Coin) got off to a great start but things didn’t go her way.”

Both teams missed their best players. Serena and Venus Williams skipped the event while France played without Marion Bartoli, Aravane Rezai and Virginie Razzano.

Escude hoped in the future that the top French players could join the team.

“Aravane could not integrate the team for this series,” Escude said. “But we rely on her for the next round. We won’t necessarily stake everything on Aravane’s shoulders. But it can ease things a bit if we can count on the best players.”

The U.S. improved its record against France to 11-1 in Fed Cup play.

Bellucci beats Gonzalez to reach Santiago final

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)—Thomaz Bellucci upset top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez to reach the finals of the Movistar Open against Juan Monaco.

Third-seeded Bellucci won 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday over the Chilean Gonzalez, who was trying for his fifth championship in his home event. In the other semifinal, Monaco defeated Brazilian qualifier Joao Souza 6-1, 6-4.

Monaco advanced to the Movistar championship in 2008, only to withdraw against Gonzalez because he sprained an ankle in the doubles final the day before.

Monfils hurts knee in Johannesburg loss

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

After hurting his shoulder at the start of the season, Gael Monfils experienced knee trouble during his 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(1) loss to Feliciano Lopez in the Johannesburg semifinals.

Monfils took two medical timeouts during the second set to have the knee worked on, having reportedly forgotten to have it strapped before the match.

Cilic to meet Berrer in Zagreb Indoors final

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:36:45 GMT

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP)—Defending champion Marin Cilic of Croatia has beaten third-seeded Juergen Melzer of Austria 7-6 (5), 6-4 to reach the finals of the Zagreb Indoors tournament.

The top-seeded Croatian, who will face Michael Berrer in Sunday's final, improved to 14-1 in 2010 with the victory on Saturday. He is going for his second title this year and fifth of his career.

Cilic won in Chennai, India, in January and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open last week to break into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time this week.

Michael Berrer defeated fellow German Philipp Petzschner in the second semifinal.

Lopez, Robert reach final in Johannesburg

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:18:52 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP)—Feliciano Lopez of Spain and Stephane Robert of France advanced to the final of the SA Open on Saturday after eliminating the two highest-seeded players.

Lopez upset top-seeded Gael Monfils of France 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), while Robert ousted second-seeded David Ferrer of Spain 7-5, 6-4.

Monfils struggled in the second set after hurting his knee and was broken twice, winning just eight points on his serve.

``Gael outclassed me in the first set, and after he hurt his knee I was nervous because I wasn't sure to expect,'' Lopez said. ``But I hung in well and played some good serve and volley tennis to take the second set. In the decider, he looked to be back to 100 percent on his feet and it was a close match until the tiebreaker where I just seemed to do everything right.''

The 29-year-old Robert reached the first ATP Tour final of his career. He changed his style of play after returning to the game six months ago following a long bout of hepatitis, which sidelined him for 15 months.

``I had been all my life playing what I call 'casino tennis,' hitting crazy shots, gambling with big shots and closing my eyes just hoping the ball would go in,'' the 100th-ranked Robert said. ``Last August, when I came back to tennis after the illness, I had a long chat with my coach, Ronan Lafaix, who persuaded me to do things differently.

``He urged me to start focusing on one thing at a time, to concentrate harder than ever before and develop a precision game.''

Jankovic rallies to level Serbia with Russia

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)—Jelena Jankovic rallied from a set down and 1-4 in the second to beat Alisa Kleybanova 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 to put Serbia level with Russia at one win apiece after the opening singles Saturday in their Fed Cup quarterfinal.

Earlier, Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4 to give Russia a 1-0 lead.

“Trailing 1-4 in the second set, I decided to take more risks and switch to an all-or-nothing mode,” Jankovic said after winning 11 consecutive games against Kleybanova.

“I struggled until the middle of the second set, but when I started playing, she could not stop me,” the former top-ranked Jankovic said after she completed the win.

“I completely lost the control of the match midway in the second set,” Kleybanova said. “She simply started playing much better and I could do nothing to stop her.”

French Open champion Kuznetsova rallied from 4-2 down in the second set before sealing the win with a smash on match point.

“Even while trailing in the second set, I never thought I could lose this match,” Kuznetsova said. “I didn’t think it would be so easy in the first set.”

The former top-ranked Ivanovic struggled with her serve and accuracy throughout the match. She finished with 50 unforced errors and six double faults.

“I had my chances in the second set, but psychology played a big part in the final outcome,” Ivanovic said.

Ivanovic has dropped to the 23rd in the WTA rankings after a string of poor results since she won the French Open in 2008.

Reverse singles and the final doubles match are scheduled for Sunday in the best-of-five series played on a hard court at Belgrade Arena.

Russia, which has won four of the last six Fed Cup titles, is without top players Dinara Safina, Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva. Serbia is playing for the first time in the World Group.

The winner will take on France or the United States in the semifinals in April.