Tennis: Who Will Be #2?

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Nadal Has No Gifts for Murray; Fed and Djokovic Advance

HAMBURG, Germany (AP)—Rafael Nadal had no birthday gift for Andy Murray, winning in straight sets Thursday to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Hamburg Masters.

Nadal won 6-3, 6-2 against Murray, who turned 21.

Defending champion Roger Federer breezed past Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-2. The top-ranked Federer is seeking his fifth title in Hamburg and will play Fernando Verdasco, who upset fifth-seeded David Ferrer 7-6 (2), 6-2.

Djokovic defeated Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (3), 6-3 to stay on course for back-to-back titles after winning last week’s Rome Masters. Djokovic could rise to No. 2 after this tournament.

Nadal will face Carlos Moya, who outlasted Marat Safin 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-1.

Nadal received treatment for blisters on his left hand, but was already ahead 4-1 in the second set. He did not seem to be in discomfort, unlike Murray who did not have an answer to Nadal’s power on clay. Murray ended the match with a meek forehand into the net, one of 23 unforced errors to Nadal’s 11.

The tournament is a major warmup for the French Open later this month, the only Grand Slam title Federer has yet to win.

“I have no aches or pains, I feel very fit, very match tough,” Federer said. Federer has only one title so far this year, at a relatively small clay-court tournament last month in Estoril, Portugal. He has a 24-6 record.

Federer had won all five previous matches against Soderling, and had a crisp 24 winners to 10 unforced errors. Soderling was nearly the opposite, with 12 winners and 23 unforced errors.

“I controlled things well from the baseline, I served well when I had to,” Federer said. “He has a big serve but I retrieved it well and I scrambled well.”

Djokovic leads the tour with three titles this year, but had never played the 6-foot-10 Karlovic.

Karlovic, who led the tour in aces last year, had 12 against Djokovic. He also had 26 unforced errors.

Djokovic trailed 3-1 in the tiebreaker but won six straight points. He broke serve for a 4-2 lead in the second set, which proved enough to win.

Djokovic will play Albert Montanes, who rolled past Janko Tipsarevic 6-2, 6-1. Andreas Seppi upset 12th-seeded Juan Monaco 6-0, 6-3.

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Quarterfinal day at the "Centre Court of the World": Rafael Nadal defeated his friend Carlos Moya and set up a semifinal showdown with Novak Djokovic. Roger Federer has also passed his fourth round test while German Nicolas Kiefer fell to Andreas Seppi.

Kiefer's winning streak came to an end today as he succumbed to Italian Andreas Seppi 3:6, 7:5, 5:7. After losing the first set, Kiefer fought back to take the second. In the third set, he broke Seppi early but this was not enough. When he served for the match at 5:4, Kiefer choked and lost his serve. This proved to be enough to destroy the German's confidence, Seppi took the final set 7:5. The victory over Kiefer has earned the Italian a semifinal clash with world No.1 Roger Federer.

The title defender breezed past Fernando Verdasco to reach the semifinal of the Hamburg Masters Series 2008 presented by E.ON Hanse. He needed only 81 minutes to defeat the Spaniard 6:3, 6:3. Federer: "It took me a little time to get used to playing a leftie again. It's just good playing lefties once in a while because looking ahead to Paris, it just helps." It was Federer's 28th victory in his last 29 matches at Rothenbaum. Verdasco who needed to take a medical time out due to problems with his ankle had three break points against Federer but was not able to win any of them.

Current world No. 3, Novak Djokovic followed Federer into the round of the last four with a 6:2, 6:3 -win over Albert Montanes. His next opponent is Rafael Nadal, who sent his friend and fellow Mallorca native Carlos Moya packing 6:1, 6:3. The winner of this match will be No.2 in the world: "It does make it special. But I'm trying not to think about that. I'll just play that match like every other one and try to be focused to win and then keep winning. That's what really matters."

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Nadal Beats Djokovic in Titanic Struggle; Retains #2 Ranking

HAMBURG, Germany (AP)—Rafael Nadal won a three-set struggle with Novak Djokovic to protect his No. 2 ranking Saturday and advance to the Hamburg Masters final against the world's top-ranked player.

Nadal will face No. 1 Roger Federer in Sunday's final, a rematch of last year's championship match in which Federer won his fourth Hamburg title and ended Nadal's' 81-match winning streak on clay—his only win over the Spaniard on the slow surface.

Nadal and Federer reached the final in contrasting fashion Saturday.

Federer overwhelmed Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-1. Nadal had to fight for more than three hours to defeat the third-ranked Djokovic 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Nadal's ranking was at stake against Djokovic, and Nadal prevailed in an often spectacular match that had both players clenching fists and thumping chests after amazing winners and turned into a superb battle of wills, stamina and skill.

"It was great to be part of a fantastic match, the quality was very high," Djokovic said. "It was one of the best, maybe the best match I can remember I played on clay."

Nadal called the duel "amazing, one of my best matches."

Djokovic was seeking back-to-back titles after winning last week's Rome Masters, where Nadal lost in an early round while struggling with a painful blister on his foot. It was Nadal's second defeat on clay in 109 matches stretching back more than three years.

Djokovic leads the season points race after winning his first major at the Australian Open and then beating Nadal in the semifinals at Indian Wells en route to the title. He has never beaten Nadal on clay in four matches, but came close Saturday—only to be undermined by wasted opportunities.

The Serb raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set and held two break points to make it 4-0. But Nadal held serve and then broke Djokovic's serve before making it 3-3.

"The first three games he played were unbelievable. Had I gone down 4-0, it would have been impossible to win the set," Nadal said.

Nadal went on to win the set, and Djokovic bounced back in the second. Djokovic dropped his serve in the opening game of the third set, then squandered four break points in two successive games on Nadal's serve.

"It was very crucial for me to win that first game, but I made two unforced errors and he used it very wisely. He is the best defensive player in the history of the game," Djokovic said.

Nadal needed five match points to win the last game, during which Djokovic squandered four more break points.

"I was unlucky at some points in the first and third sets," Djokovic said. "I played all the right shots, but luck played a big role. I feel with this performance that I am getting closer to him on clay."

The match took 3 hours, 3 minutes and Nadal may feel the consequences when he faces a rested Federer, who spent almost two hours less on court. Nadal has a 9-6 career record against Federer.

Federer has not dropped a set on his way to the final and has yet to play a seeded player. The tournament is a major warmup for the French Open later this month, the only Grand Slam title that Federer has yet to win.

"It is good to be in the Hamburg final again, it is good for the confidence ahead of the French Open," he said.

Federer has won only one title this year, at a relatively small clay-court tournament last month in Estoril, Portugal. He lost his sixth match of 2008 in the Rome Masters quarterfinals last week, to Radek Stepanek.

"Maybe I am a touch better than last year. I feel a bit more ready for Paris," Federer said.

Edited May 17, 2008 by mauiguy90

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Nadal Takes First Hamburg Championship

HAMBURG, Germany (AP)—Rafael Nadal beat defending champion Roger Federer 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-3 on Sunday to win the Hamburg Masters and add the only major clay-court title missing from his impressive collection.

It was the reverse of last year's final, when Federer won his fourth title in Hamburg and snapped Nadal's 81-match winning streak on clay.

Nadal rallied from big deficits in the first two sets, although he lost the tiebreaker in the second. He led 4-1 in the third and held on to raise his record against the top-ranked player to 8-1 on clay and 10-6 overall.

"All the week has been very special for me," Nadal said.

The second-ranked Spaniard has 26 career titles, 21 of them on clay, including the last three French Opens. Nadal also won in Monte Carlo—beating Federer in the final—and Barcelona this year.

"It was a strange match," Nadal said. "Roger made some mistakes in the first set that helped me. … It was important to win because it was the last big clay-court tournament I never won."

Federer lost his seventh match of the year and has only one title so far, at a relatively minor clay-court tournament in Estoril, Portugal.

The Hamburg Masters is a major warm-up tournament for the French Open, the only Grand Slam that Federer has not won. "I could have served a little better; it wasn't my best performance, maybe. I have to go for big serves—he is a good return player," Federer said. "It was a fun match."

Federer went into Sunday's final with a 41-match winning streak in Germany and a 9-0 career record in finals on German soil. His last loss in Germany was in 2003.

Federer has been No. 1 since February 2004, but Nadal is the top player on the slower clay surface. Since April 2005, he has lost only twice in 110 matches on clay—to Federer last year in the Hamburg final and last week in Rome to Juan Carlos Ferrero, when Nadal was slowed by a painful blister on his foot.

Federer led 5-2 in the first set and wasted two set points before Nadal completed a comeback by winning seven straight games. That gave him the first set and a 1-0 lead in the second.

Federer then won the next four games and went on to lead 5-2, but could not close out the set before the tiebreaker.

Nadal had a three-hour match Saturday in beating Novak Djokovic in three sets to protect his No. 2 ranking, but he appeared fresher in the third set Sunday.

Serving for the match, Nadal won the first three points and then hit a backhand crosscourt winner. He fell to his knees and looked to the sky.

"I am happy that I won and that I beat the No. 1 in the world and the best player of the year (Djokovic), and that should give me some more confidence for the French Open," Nadal said.

Nadal became only the third player to own all three clay-court Masters Series titles, in Rome, Monte Carlo and Hamburg.

"He had a great week and a great clay-court season," said Federer, who finished with 41 unforced errors to Nadal's 28.

Edited May 19, 2008 by mauiguy90

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Murray: I Need to Grow Up On Court

LONDON (AFP) - Andy Murray admits he needs to improve his on-court attitude after branding himself immature.

The British number one was recently described as a "miserable git" by Tim Henman, who insisted Murray must address his temperament if he is to win Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old conceded he can often seem miserable on court, but the Scot is determined to improve that aspect of his game as he bids for a first Grand Slam at the French Open and then Wimbledon.

"I personally think that off the court I'm pretty happy and don't get too down about things," Murray said. "But on the court, for sure, I could be more bubbly, if that's what everybody thinks.

"I've watched matches of myself and sometimes I think the way I act on court is great, and at other times I don't like it. Sometimes I'm immature on court and that's not really acceptable.

"It needs to get better but this year it's definitely been much better than the last four or five months of last year. Hopefully I'll get there but I'm working on it."

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Nadal Out to Make History

Rafael Nadal's ruthless pursuit of an historic fourth straight French Open title is likely to deliver another, possibly fatal blow to Roger Federer's lingering dream of an elusive Roland Garros crown.

The Spaniard boasts a perfect record of three titles and 21 wins in 21 matches since his debut in Paris in 2005 and another victory on June 8 will take him alongside Bjorn Borg (1978–1981) as the only man to win four in a row.

The left-handed Mallorcan has beaten Federer in the past two French Open finals as the world number one's hopes of becoming just the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam titles have come up heartbreakingly short.

Nadal, 21, has also won eight of the duo's nine meetings on clay including the Monte Carlo and Hamburg Masters tournaments this season and since April 2005, the Spaniard has racked up 108 wins in 110 claycourt matches.

Federer has got used to being confronted with such overwhelming statistics.

But 2008 has seen the Swiss, with 12 Grand Slam titles to his name, endure one of his worst years on the tour with just one trophy to show for five months frustrating graft.

There is also another worry in the colourful shape of Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the 20 year old who took his Australian Open title and showed off his claycourt credentials with victory at the Rome Masters.

Little wonder that the popular Federer is hoping that Nadal, who suffered blisters in Rome and needed treatment for a leg injury in Hamburg, might suffer a physical collapse.

"He is perhaps struggling a bit more due to the stress with the levels of the last few weeks. I am completely fine and I will be ready for the French Open," said Federer after seeing his nemesis relieve him of his Hamburg title in a defeat that ended a 41-match winning streak on German soil.

Nadal, however, has shrugged off any fears over his fitness.

"I was a little bit tired," explained the world number two whose battling style saw him come back from 5-1 down in the first set in Hamburg after also winning a three-set, three-hour semifinal over Djokovic the previous day.

"But later everything changed. It's important to beat the number one [Federer] and the best this year [Djokovic]. With this result, I'm already in the Masters Cup. I continue to be the number two but closer to the number one."

Djokovic is breathing down both men's necks.

Beaten by Nadal in the semifinals here in 2007 and quarterfinals in 2006, the Serbian world number three, who celebrates his 21st birthday on Thursday, is the most successful player on tour this year.

He won his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne dropping just one set in seven rounds and also clinched the Indian Wells Masters before his win in Rome.

"I am getting closer to Nadal on clay," said Djovokic after losing 7-5 2-6 6-2 to the Spaniard in Hamburg.

"The semifinal was one of the best matches I have played, probably the best match I have ever played on clay. I am really pleased with my form ahead of the French Open, my fitness is good, I feel fresh and that bodes well for Roland Garros."

Djokovic is also closing in on Nadal's world number two position and the Spaniard believes it's just a matter of time before the Serbian is on top of the world.

"He has improved incredibly and is getting better," said Nadal. "He's going to be world number one within a few years."

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are head and shoulders above the rest of the men's field; world number four Nikolay Davydenko is almost 2000 points adrift of the Serbian in the world rankings.

As a result, the top trio are certain to dominate court time and column inches, but there won't be a dry eye in the house when former triple champion Gustavo Kuerten plays and, probably, loses in the first round.

The Brazilian, champion in 1997, 2000 and 2001, has featured in just nine tournaments in the past three years after failing to recover from a crippling hip injury.

This year's emotional farewell will be the 31 year old's last appearance of his 13-year career.

Edited May 22, 2008 by mauiguy90

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Americans Show Improvement at French Open After One Win

PARIS (AP)—To James Blake, 1-0 sounds a lot better than 0-9.

A year after all nine U.S. men competing at the French Open lost in the first round, Blake won his opener at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament Sunday, beating former top-10 player Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (3).

“We’ve already done more,” the No. 7-seeded Blake said with a laugh. “We set the bar low enough that we’re over the bar by 3 o’clock on Sunday afternoon. It was a tough situation last year, but now maybe it’s just like playing with house money this year.”

He lost to Ivo Karlovic in four sets at Roland Garros in 2007, part of the worst showing by American men at any major tennis championship in 34 years. It also continued their recent trend of struggling on clay.

“We all feel like, you know, last year was an aberration that should never happen again,” Blake said, “and this year we’re definitely looking for better results.”

Or as U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe confidently predicted before the tournament began: “American men are going to do better this year than last year.”

Not really saying a whole lot, huh?

From 2004-07, only one man representing the United States made it as far as the third round in Paris: Blake, two years ago. That was his career-best showing in five previous visits to Roland Garros.

“I feel like I’m playing a little bit better, (with) a little bit more experience on the clay,” said Blake, 9-6 on the slow surface in 2008. “Hopefully this will be the year I put it all together.”

He is one of 10 U.S. men in the field this time, a contingent that does not include sixth-ranked Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who pulled out of the French Open because of a shoulder injury.

The only other American man scheduled to play Sunday was John Isner, the 6-foot-9 big server who led Georgia to the 2007 NCAA team title and won a set against No. 1 Roger Federer at the U.S. Open last year. But Isner’s match against Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina was postponed until Monday because earlier action on their court took too long; there are no lights at Roland Garros.

Blake was peeved to have to play on Day 1—the French Open is the only Grand Slam event that begins on Sunday instead of Monday—although at least he wasn’t exactly staring at a clay expert across the net.

Schuettler was the 2003 Australian Open runner-up, losing the final to Andre Agassi, but he dropped out of the top 150 in the rankings last year and currently stands 90th. He’s 60-83 for his career on clay and has lost seven of his nine first-round matches in Paris, including four in a row.

The German, though, had won both previous head-to-head meetings with Blake.

“For him, it doesn’t really matter if he plays on hard court or if he plays on clay or on grass. He plays his game. He goes for the shots,” Schuettler said. “If he hits the shot and he hits it well, (and) he feels comfortable with the balls on the court, then he’s dangerous everywhere.”

Still, clay tends to slow serves and groundstrokes and make for longer points, often rewarding patience while punishing aggressiveness. It also requires plenty of good footwork. Because people in the United States tend to grow up practicing and playing on speedier hard courts, they often find it difficult to be successful on clay, which is more commonly found in Europe and South America.

No one from the United States won the men’s singles championship in Paris between Tony Trabert’s title in 1955 and Michael Chang’s in 1989.

Blake used to find himself attempting to dramatically alter his approach on clay. Not anymore.

“I tried to be a ‘clay courter,’ and I’m not. I’m not a natural mover, playing defensively on the stuff, looping balls back, standing 8 feet behind the baseline to return serves and just pushing it in. That’s not my game. I’m not good at it,” he said.

“I can’t try to be that person, that type of player. I’m going to lose to guys who are much more skilled at that. So I need to play my game and adjust a little bit, be a little bit more patient, learn to play defense a little bit better, maybe work in the drop shot a little bit more—but not completely changing my game.”

There are still moments when Blake clearly is not nearly as comfortable as he is on hard courts. After sailing one forehand long on a bit of an awkward lunge in the second set against Schuettler, Blake scolded himself: “Don’t slide into that! Just get over there!”

After building a 5-1 lead in the third set, Blake began to bungle things, losing five consecutive games. He twice was broken while serving for the match, but did eventually pull it out in the tiebreaker, getting to match point by ending a 16-stroke exchange with a runaround forehand winner just inside the line.

“Maybe this will help my confidence even more to know that no matter what happens I can deal with ups and downs in matches,” Blake said. “There was quite a few ups until that point, and then there’s one little valley. I dealt with it, so I’m happy about that.”

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Open Harkleroad Fulfills Naked Ambition with Playboy Magazine

PARIS, May 25 (Reuters) - She may have been defeated by Serena Williams at the French Open on Sunday, but Ashley Harkleroad claimed a more glamorous coup over her American rival—by appearing on the pages of Playboy magazine.

The 23-year-old Harkleroad found herself kicking her heels earlier this year when she was recovering from surgery to remove a cyst from her ovaries.

While others would choose to convalesce on a relaxing vacation or just lounge in front of the television, Harkleroad chose to accept the offer of posing nud_e for the world’s most famous glamour magazine.

“I was just laying there for three weeks, and, you know, an offer came to me,” the woman from smalltown Georgia told goggle-eyed reporters.

“I thought, well, I’m not really doing anything right now so I thought about it and it was something that I did. I’m proud of my body. I was representing a female athlete’s body.”

REFRESHING CHANGE

She said she would be the first tennis player to appear in the magazine, August’s edition the male journalists furiously noted, and that it had been a refreshing change to the treadmill of the women’s tour.

“It was hard work, but, you know, it was just a completely different experience. It was fun. I think it comes out July 13th. It’s the August edition. So you’ll see for yourself.

“I stay in shape and try to stay fit, so like I said, I’m just trying to represent a female athlete and her body. That can be sexy too, you know.”

Serena was full of admiration for Harkleroad’s naked ambition when she was told about the Los Angeles photoshoot.

“I’m just surprised that she beat me to it,” Serena, no stranger to the camera lens herself, joked with reporters.

“I’m happy for her if that’s what she wanted to do. It takes a lot of courage. And whether I’m courageous enough, I don’t know, but that’s great for someone to be so courageous and tough.”

Would Serena be following in the footsteps of Harkleroad, U.S. swimmer Amanda Beard and volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and bare all for Playboy?

“I can’t say right now it’s in any thought of my mind to be in that mag. I do appreciate that mag. I think (Playboy owner) Hugh Hefner is a great businessman.”

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Sharapova Struggles in the Wind; Nadal Continues French Open Quest

PARIS (AP)—Start with this statistic on a busy, blustery day at Roland Garros: Maria Sharapova hit 17 double-faults. It bears repeating: 17.

She hammered hard serves, and they sailed long. She tapped soft serves, and they landed in the bottom of the net. And she played poorly enough overall to come within two points of becoming the only No. 1-seeded woman in French Open history to lose in the first round.

Sharapova did regroup in time to barely piece together a 6-1, 3-6, 8-6 victory over Evgeniya Rodina, a Russian teen making her Grand Slam debut Wednesday.

“I don’t think I’d be able to get away with not playing and not serving that well with maybe a different opponent and somebody that has more experience, a top player,” said Sharapova, who placed part of the blame for her woes on swirling wind that kicked up clouds of dust on court. “But I’ll work on it, and it will be better.”

The awful serving and generally sub-par showing by someone who’s supposed to be the best in the world at what she does shared top billing with the dry weather as Wednesday’s most noteworthy developments. After three days of rain— Sharapova originally was to be on court Tuesday—not a drop fell, permitting match after match after match at the clay-court major.

That meant there were other numbers of note, if not much in the way of stunning results:

— Serena Williams made it to the third round for the 33rd time in 34 career Grand Slam tournaments.

— Rafael Nadal improved to 22-0 at the French Open.

— A year after U.S. men went 0-9 in Paris, five reached the second round, and one, Wayne Odesnik, already moved into the third.

Williams found herself trailing 5-3 in the second set against Mathilde Johansson, a French wild-card entry who began this tournament with a 2-5 career Grand Slam record. But Williams took the next four games to end it 6-2, 7-5.

“I haven’t played my best tennis, so hopefully the next round, I’ll play better,” said Williams, who won the French Open in 2002 and is the only past champion in the women’s field.

Nadal began his bid to match Bjorn Borg’s four consecutive titles from 1978-81 by beating qualifier Thomaz Bellucci. A rain shower forced them to pack up and head home Tuesday tied at 1-1, and Nadal stumbled at the start Wednesday, getting broken to fall behind 2-1, then again when serving for the first set at 5-3. But he recovered nicely, winning 7-5, 6-3, 6-1.

“It was tough, no? The conditions are very, very bad,” Nadal said. “The winds are terrible.”

Like Nadal, Bellucci entered the day never having been forced to experience the bitter taste of defeat at Roland Garros. That, of course, is because he never had played a main-draw match in the French Open—or any other Grand Slam tournament, for that matter.

“These were two difficult days, because as time goes by, you get more nervous and you can’t practice, so I probably lost the rhythm I had acquired before this tournament,” Nadal said. “But I hope this won’t be a problem for the rest of the tournament.”

Nadal, Sharapova and other players around the grounds complained about the way loose particles got in their faces and left courts barer than usual.

“Apart from eating and breathing the sand, it was great,” Sharapova said. “It’s dry and you’ve got sand blowing in your face. So you think it’s a hard court, but then you feel like you’re in a desert.”

Maybe the surfaces really did play like hard courts, for what else could explain the success of the men from the United States? They went 5-5 in the first round this time, capped by victories Wednesday by Mardy Fish, Bobby Reynolds and Robby Ginepri.

Fish beat Agustin Calleri of Argentina 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, and Reynolds defeated Thierry Ascione of France 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Ginepri’s match against Donald Young had to produce a U.S. winner, and it was Ginepri, by a score of 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

“When we come over here, we’re already, I think, one step slower than the other Europeans and other guys,” said Ginepri, who shares coach Jose Higueras with top-ranked Roger Federer. “But to be honest, I’m enjoying the clay, and I’m actually a little sad that this is the last clay tournament of the year.”

Odesnik, who is ranked 106th, followed up his upset of No. 29 Guillermo Canas by beating Lee Hyung-taik 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 and now will take on No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who dropped only five games in his second-round win.

“It’s always good to have easy matches,” said Djokovic, the Australian Open champion.

Sharapova, who also won in Melbourne in January, made more than twice as many unforced errors as Rodina, 51-23.

“I had problems in every department,” Sharapova said. “Realistically, I don’t know if there’s any way down from here.”

She could, at least, take solace in not having joined No. 9 Marion Bartoli on the way out after one match. Bartoli, a Frenchwoman who was a Wimbledon finalist last year but is struggling with a wrist injury and an 8-12 record at the moment, lost to Casey Dellacqua of Australia 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2.

Sharapova twice served three double-faults in a single game, making recreational players everywhere feel better about their own foibles. On occasion, she resorted to first serves barely above 80 mph, which might not sound too shabby but certainly is on the slow side for a three-time major champion.

Trailing 4-3 in the final set, Sharapova faced three break points and saved them, remarkably, with three fantastic first serves. Then, down 5-4, a—wait for it—double-fault made the score 30-all, putting Rodina two points from about as big a stunner as tennis has seen. Somehow, Sharapova mustered two service winners, at 101 mph and 102 mph.

Three games later, Sharapova finally seized control, breaking serve to go ahead 7-6 with a big forehand return that caught Rodina flat-footed.

Sharapova still had to hold serve one more time, and she did, although not before one last double-fault, No. 17.

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Top American Seed, Blake, Hits the Dirt; Top Seeds Advance

PARIS (AP)—James Blake’s frustration rose to a crescendo Thursday.

The top U.S. man in the French Open was talking to himself, and the words were growing louder. He was bothered by the clay underfoot. By the chair umpire. By his own play. And, most of all, by the drop shots and assorted other winners his up-and-coming foe produced.

For the fifth time in six career trips to Roland Garros, Blake departed before the third round, losing this time to 80th-ranked Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-6 (2), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. It was part of a 1-3 showing by American men Thursday, when Mardy Fish and Bobby Reynolds also lost.

The 88th-ranked Robby Ginepri knocked off No. 27 Igor Andreev 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to join Wayne Odesnik as the only players from the United States in the third round.

“Americans a lot of times don’t have the highest expectations on clay,” the No. 7-seeded Blake said. “But I really felt like this match today was a match I could have won.”

There were moments, if ever so brief, that similar thoughts ran through the minds of the men facing No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal.

Federer’s opponent, 60th-ranked Albert Montanes of Spain, staked himself to a one-set lead—and then was overwhelmed the rest of the way in a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 victory for the owner of 12 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal’s opponent, 148th-ranked Nicolas Devilder of France, was one point from serving for the first set, holding a break point at 4-all—and then was completely overwhelmed the rest of the way in a 6-4, 6-0, 6-1 victory for the owner of the past three French Open titles.

“His forehand was not a big problem for me to start with. And I thought, ‘Why not? Why not?”’ Devilder said.

And then?

“The games go by so quickly,” he said. “They go by so quickly, and you think: ‘When is it going to end?”’

Nadal improved to 23-0 at Roland Garros and said he’s “improving with each match.”

Federer, meanwhile, called his outing “a good test.”

He saved all six break points he faced, including two during a rain shower while trailing 5-4 in the first set. After a 1 1/2 -hour rain delay—making it the fourth of the tournament’s five days with wet weather—he came out and lost the tiebreaker.

But as Federer put it: “Bounced back strong.”

Talk about understatement. From Montanes’ perspective, Federer was “like a hurricane. I couldn’t do anything. You can tell that he’s here to win this tournament.”

In the third round at the only major tournament he hasn’t won, Federer faces a familiar foe: Mario Ancic of Croatia, the last man to beat him at Wimbledon, back in 2002.

Blake’s exit in the second round in Paris—only in 2006 did he make it to the third—was followed shortly by that of No. 6 David Nalbandian. Unlike Blake, Nalbandian has had success at the French Open, twice reaching the semifinals, but the Argentine wasted a two-set lead—and four break points in the opening game of the third set—and was eliminated 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 by Jeremy Chardy of France.

“The best match I’ve ever played,” said Chardy, a wild-card entry who had won only two tour-level matches in his career before this tournament—and now has doubled that total.

The 19-year-old Gulbis is more experienced than that, but not by much. He moved to Munich when he was 12 to work with Niki Pilic, the same coach who helped mold Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic.

“We were practicing a little bit together when we were kids. I was 12, 13, and he was a little bit older,” Gulbis said of Djokovic. “He was more serious than me at that age.”

Against Blake, it was Gulbis who seemed to have a better grasp of when to go for winners and when to wait for the right opening.

Blake groused afterward about hearing “too many commentators” and “people that talk about tennis that don’t play tennis” say he should tone down his aggressiveness and make fewer errors. Apparently, that was his approach Thursday.

“Today was a perfect example of what not to do,” said Blake, who compiled far fewer winners (54-29) and unforced errors (33-16) than Gulbis. “Just being a little too passive.”

While both rely on powerful forehands, it was Gulbis who displayed a knack for nuance, repeatedly using drop shots against the speedy Blake. Not all worked, of course, but Gulbis did end six points with drop winners, including when he broke Blake to claim the third set.

“It paid off in a lot of situations,” Gulbis said. Blake’s take?

“I was angry that I wasn’t doing anything with them. … That’s probably just not growing up on clay and not being as comfortable in those situations,” Blake said. “That’s maybe something I need to work on.”

Maria Sharapova still has some kinks to work out with her serve, because she served another four double-faults and was broken three times—and her match didn’t even finish. She was leading Bethanie Mattek of the U.S. 6-2, 2-3 when play was suspended because of darkness.

Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic played in the morning and won in straight sets, while No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze—who is hiring Justine Henin’s coach, Carlos Rodriguez—and two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo all lost.

Williams used a six-game streak to take control and beat 241st-ranked qualifier Selima Sfar of Tunisia 6-2, 6-4. Jankovic was troubled by a painful right forearm but defeated Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 6-2, 7-6 (5).

Mauresmo, who was seeded 22nd but never has enjoyed much success at her home country’s major championship, barely put up a fight in a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.

“All I can say,” the Frenchwoman sighed, “is that I feel sorry about the way I played.”

[mauiguy90]

Bad Day for the Williams' Sisters

PARIS (AP)—Daylight was already beginning to fade when a frowning Venus Williams walked onto the stadium court for her third-round match at the French Open.

She wasn't excited to play so late, and it showed. She lost Friday to Flavia Pennetta, 7-5, 6-3, bringing down the curtain on a dismal day for the Williams family.

When younger sister Serena took the court more than nine hours earlier, the sun was bright but the result was similar. She lost to Katarina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4.

"It wasn't a good day for our family," Venus said.

It wasn't a good day for U.S. tennis, either. The double defeats meant that for the first time in the Open Era, there will be no American woman in the fourth round at Roland Garros.

Both losses were unsightly. Serena shanked overheads, sprayed volleys and failed to convert six break points. Venus lost serve six times and committed 29 unforced errors, many after being worn down in long rallies by Pennetta.

The Italian closed out the victory with a forehand winner at 9:47 p.m. Williams said she never asked the chair umpire to suspend the match because of darkness.

"I just kept playing," she said.

Why didn't she ask to stop?

"Because I didn't," she said.

Her sister was equally subdued after her loss. Explaining her demeanor at a postmatch news conference, Serena said, "I just don't want to be here."

Among those still hanging around were top-seeded Maria Sharapova and No. 2 Ana Ivanovic, who both won. No. 3 Jelena Jankovic was leading No. 28 Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 4-2 when darkness forced their match to be suspended—even as Venus and Pennetta played on.

Three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal played for the fourth consecutive day in the rain-interrupted tournament and improved to 24-0 at Roland Garros by defeating Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic beat Floridian Wayne Odesnik 7-5, 6-4, 6-2, leaving Robby Ginepri as the only American in either singles draw.

Ginepri was to play Florent Serra on Saturday. Top-ranked Roger Federer was to face the last player to beat him at Wimbledon—in 2002—Mario Ancic.

The women's draw lost plenty of star power with the elimination of the Williams sisters. They have combined to win 14 Grand Slam titles but were beaten by two tour veterans who have yet to reach a major quarterfinal.

"It's never fun," Venus said. "I never get used to losing. I don't think anyone gets used to losing. And if they do, then maybe it's time to retire."

Serena Williams, who played the day's first match on Court Suzanne Lenglen, converted only one of seven break-point chances and was 0-for-5 in the second set. She repeatedly set up points but failed to finish them, losing 14 of 21 at the net.

"There are a lot of things I would try to do different, but you can't rewind time," Williams said.

When she fell behind she turned up the volume, grunting with almost every shot and screaming in celebration when she hit a winner. But she was unable to rally, and Srebotnik kept her cool down the stretch.

"Today I woke up and it was just another opportunity," said Srebotnik, 27, who ranked the win as the biggest of her career. "This is what you work so hard for—to be in third round where you play Serena or someone like that and you have really nothing to lose."

Srebotnik and Pennetta credited similar tactics for the upsets, mixing the pace and placement of ground strokes to keep the sisters off balance.

Said Pennetta: "I played a complete match in every way."

Edited May 31, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Ivanovic and Sharapova Scratch Through

By Matthew Cronin

No2 seed and 2007 finalist Ana Ivanovic is not playing perfectly yet, but she rediscovered her form and ferocious forehand to knock out Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-1 in the third round on Friday. Top seed Maria Sharapova also struggled to find her game but successfully completed her rain-delayed match in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over American Bethanie Mattek.

Ivanovic struggled to hold serve in an erratic first set, but in the second set, found her rhythm and began to take over off the ground, punching holes on Wozniacki's wall with deep, well struck balls.

"I did play well, but I thought the match I played against [Lucie] Safarova was even better, and I served also better in that match," she said. "Today I didn't go for as many first serves as I probably should have. But, I just tried to find my rhythm back again and to be aggressive and don't force it too much, don't flatten out a lot, and try to move her with heavy balls. That's something I did well in the second set and I was really, really happy about it."

The Serb, who will meet unseeded Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic in the fourth round, had a rough spring post her run to the Australian Open final and Indian Wells title, but she is now picking up steam. While she is primarily an offensive player, Ivanovic, has improved her conditioning and footwork and is a better defensive player. She knows that if she is to complete a maiden voyage to her Grand Slam title, that all the elements of her game are going to have to be working.

"I want to keep up the good work and work hard for every point," she said. "I think on a clay court it's very important. Especially if the conditions are tough and the courts are heavy, you have to really work hard. There are not many winners, and you have to accept that, and that's what I'm working on."

Sharapova struggled for the second consecutive match, but not as much as he did in her opener against Evgeniya Rodina, when she was nearly knocked out of the tournament in an 8-6 in the third set win. On Friday against Mattek, she has barely woken up before she had lost the second set, but in the third set, she was able to get her feet set and employ her power game. While she did not serve well once again, her laser-like ground-strokes and returns were quite effective.

Sharapova is walking a fine line between trying to impose her normal, first-strike game and adjusting to the heavier conations of clay, where she forced to work the points more. But her mentality is clearly evolving.

"To be honest, I just want to go out and play my game," said Sharapova, who will face Italy's Karin Knapp in the third round. "It's as simple as that. And sometimes you get caught up in thinking that you want to do something more, something extra, and something special that sometimes is out of your hands. Especially on a surface that's more challenging to you, that where you're going to have to hit more balls and you're going to have to move a few extra steps to the ball. You have to be more patient. I'm definitely getting better at that, and I'm getting smarter out there. But sometimes you want to go back to the roots? You just want to drive the ball, and that's just not enough at times. I'm not a clay court specialist that's going to stand 10 feet behind the baseline and retrieve balls back. I'm going to stick to my guns and do what I do best. But I'm also going to play patiently if I want to win matches, especially against, physically challenging players that do, hit 10 balls back."

"But I also have to realize, their game is a lot more physical than I am. If I feel tired then they're feeling 20 times more tired, because they're the one doing all the running."

The 21-year-old Sharapova won her first clay court title in April at Amelia Island, reached the quarters of Charleston, where she fell to Serena Williams, and the semifinals of Rome, which she pulled out of a calf injury. Even though at six feet two inches she is not the greatest mover on tour, she has been willing to commit to the grind, as she is one of the tour's greatest fighters.

Last year at Roland Garros, she squeaked out a 10-8 in the third set victory over Patty Schnyder before falling exhausted to Ivanovic in the semifinals. While the three-time Grand Slam champion realizes that clay will never be her best surface, she is prepared to roll around in the dirt for as long as it takes during the fortnight.

"That's clay for you," she said. "Sometimes you're not always going to hold serve. You're going to break more than you usually break, because, look, last year I was serving 85 miles per hour and I got to the semifinals. It was like a miracle. I'm not going to get away with that. It's a combination of things. Like I want to do the right things, but also I have to be patient. Sometimes it's definitely not going to be as easy as, maybe on grass or hardcourts. But that's the beauty of it."

Edited May 31, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Hewitt Goes Down Fighting

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt bowed out of the French Open today, losing to fifth seed David Ferrer after a dogged performance in the third round.

The Spanish clay court specialist took three hours and 35 minutes to win 6-2 3-6 3-6 6-3 6-4.

In the first set, 25th-seeded Hewitt never recovered after Ferrer took a 3-0 lead.

The Australian won his next service game to love, hinting at a possible fight-back but Ferrer remained supremely confident, converting his second break point when Hewitt sent a forehand long for a 1-0 lead.

Ferrer seemed to have a response for everything Hewitt tried until the Australian secured an important break in the fifth game of the second set, heralded by one of his trademark shouts of "C'mon!".

Even then, the Spaniard made his opponent work to hold serve in the next game.

But this time it was Hewitt who kept his nerve while Ferrer lost his, launching a verbal tirade at himself which prompted a warning as he stared down a break.

The Australian converted when Ferrer sent a forehand wide and Hewitt broke his opponent again two games later to claim the set and signal to the Spaniard he had a match on his hands.

After going down a break early in the third set, Hewitt restored parity at 3-3 with a clever lob to break back.

Some excellent shots down the line secured another break for Hewitt in the eighth game, earning him the right to serve for the set.

He eventually claimed a 2-1 lead on his third set point when Ferrer's smash landed just beyond the baseline.

Hewitt took a medical time out before the fourth set but returned a short time later.

Ferrer assumed control with a 4-1 lead, forcing the decider with an ace.

Ferrer finally converted his third break point of an incredibly hard-fought ninth game when Hewitt netted a backhand and he set up match point with an ace, claiming victory when Hewitt hit a backhand wide.

Hewitt said he played with pain from an on-going hip injury during the last three sets today and had heat cream put on it during the time out.

He explained his slow start as trying work out his opponent, who only conceded one game in his second-round match against Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.

"I was switched on, he was playing extremely well and not giving me any cheap points," Hewitt said.

"It was very hard to dictate play against him early on, so it was more me trying to work out what I had to do to get myself into the match against a guy that plays that style.

"He's an extremely tough clay court player though, and I kept fighting and hanging in there and trying to turn things around and I was able to do it for the second and third sets there and nearly got out of it in the fifth."

[marquess]

Absurd True Coverage.

Can't believe it coverage starts at 18.00 when play started at 16.00 and at 17.00 they are showing a highlights programe of yesterdays plays instead of showing live tennis!

[mauiguy90]

Djokovic to Meet Old Friend in the French Quarters

By Matthew Cronin

The serve and the return are not always essential elements in clay court success but they were the recipes for No3 Novak Djokovic's 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory over France's Paul-Henri Mathieu on Sunday.

The Serbian served himself out of seemingly every tough spot by varying his direction and increasing his power, and whenever he had a chance to jump on Mathieu's second serves he needed no second bidding, either ripping outright winners or quickly seizing control of the points.

"This is something I definitely want to have as a weapon," said Djokovic who served 14 aces. "But one of the best elements in my game today and throughout all the tournament was serve. So if I can rely on serve, then I'm relieved through the game, so then I can focus myself more on the baseline strokes."

The Australian Open champion will face Latvian 19-year-old Ernests Gulbis, who knocked out another Frenchman, Michael Llodra, 6-4, 7-6, 6-3. Gulbis is the first Latvian to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam.

Djokovic consistently worked himself into the French veteran's service games and as a result, Mathieu played with his back against the wall during the entire contest. The capacity crowd on Philip Chatrier court tried to urge on the highest-ranked French player left in the draw but Djokovic simply outclassed the No18 seed, playing more sure-handed offense and better defence.

"He is one of the very few players in front of which you have the feeling that you are suffocating," Mathieu said. "He is No1 in the world at the moment. It's just because of a technical ranking that he is No3, so quite normally there is a difference between No3 and No19."

Mathieu's compatriot Llodra tried stridently to impose a serve and volley attack on the Latvian, but Gulbis returned beautifully and seemed to pass him at will. Moreover, the lanky kid served huge, which negated the usually effective chip and charging from the Frenchman.

"One year ago, I was playing pretty stupid on clay. I was going for the shots when I didn't need to go for the shots. I was playing hard court tennis on clay," Gulbis said. "But on clay it's different. This year I realized it and I change my game a little bit. I'm not trying to go for winners every time, only when it's possible, so it's paying off."

Gulbis and Djokovic trained together at the Niki Pilic academy in Munich, where they shared some wild times and plenty of practice matches. "Crazy experiences off the court," Djokovic said. "He's a great guy. He's using his height for the serve which is one of his biggest weapons. He makes a life really difficult for his opponents when he's serving well. He has a big forehand and he's a very talented guy, but maybe my chance is the experience and the patience that I have."

Djokovic, who reached the semis last year, then added with a hearty laugh: "He was destroying me in practices. I couldn't win a match. So all the pressure on him, okay? He's a favorite. Whatever. No responsibility [for me], nothing to lose."

Edited June 2, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Absurd True Coverage.

Can't believe it coverage starts at 18.00 when play started at 16.00 and at 17.00 they are showing a highlights programe of yesterdays plays instead of showing live tennis!

If UBC or True covers an event, its like a blessing from heaven! When they do get something right, I think we're supposed to fall down on our hands and knees...

[mauiguy90]

Safina Pulls Upset Over Sharapova; Bryans, Ginepri Lose

By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer 3 hours, 27 minutes ago

PARIS (AP)—Maria Sharapova did not go quietly.

No, her departure from the French Open was filled with sound and fury: her stroke-accompanying shrieks, her self-loathing shouts between points and the spectators’ hearty boos and high-pitched whistles that ushered the No. 1-seeded woman to the exit.

One point from reaching the quarterfinals at the only Grand Slam tournament she’s never won, Sharapova allowed every bit of a significant lead slip away Monday and collapsed to a 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-2 defeat against No. 13 Dinara Safina.

“Oh, I was angry,” Sharapova said. “I was angry for making unforced errors, for not taking some of those balls and just ripping them.”

Her fourth-round departure was the most startling development on a day that included this footnote: The last U.S. man or woman playing singles at Roland Garros, 88th-ranked Robby Ginepri, was eliminated 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-1 by No. 24 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.

“A five-hour ‘grindfest’ would have favored me a little bit more,” said Ginepri, 0-5 at the French Open before this year. “I tried to end the points too quickly.”

Gonzalez now faces No. 1 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals in a rematch of the 2007 Australian Open final that Federer won for one of his 12 Grand Slam titles. No. 5 David Ferrer will meet Gael Monfils in another quarterfinal.

Rounding out the rough showing for Americans in Paris, the top-seeded men’s doubles team of twins Bob and Mike Bryan was upset by Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay and Luis Horna of Peru 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (1) in a quarterfinal that ended in a downpour—and with a bit of rancor.

When the teams switched sides during the third-set tiebreaker, Cuevas celebrated his duo’s 5-1 lead by leaping over the net. So the Bryans didn’t shake his hand when the match finished.

The U.S. Davis Cup doubles pair was more disturbed by the country’s overall showing on clay.

“I guess we were holding the flag there at the end,” Mike Bryan said. “We’ll suit it up at Wimbledon and see how it goes.”

Sharapova figured it wouldn’t take long to get over Monday’s setback and start focusing on the All England Club, where she won her first Grand Slam title in 2004 at age 17.

With last month’s retirement of top-ranked Justine Henin, and last week’s losses by Venus and Serena Williams, Sharapova appeared to have a clearer-than-usual path to success at the clay-court major. She was one of only two women with a Slam title to her credit among the final 16 players, but will have to wait for another year in Paris.

“I came very close,” Sharapova said.

She led 5-2 in the second set, and went up 40-30 while serving for the match at 5-3. But Safina erased that chance with a backhand winner, and eventually broke when Sharapova missed a forehand. In the ensuing tiebreaker, Sharapova took a 5-2 lead, but Safina claimed five straight points.

“It can go in the wrong direction really fast,” Sharapova said. “It just started going that way.”

Until now, Safina was best known for being the kid sister of Marat Safin, who won the 2000 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open. She shares his broad shoulders and short temper, but thus far had not displayed quite as much talent or taste for the big stage, never advancing beyond the quarterfinals at a major.

Even after beating Sharapova, she didn’t exactly display bravado. Asked whether she could win the title, Safina puffed her cheeks, exhaled loudly, and replied, “I mean, it’s not easy.”

So who could have been surprised that she wasted two set points at 6-4 in the first tiebreaker? After blowing the second set point, she spiked her racket precisely the way Marat does, drawing a warning from the chair umpire.

“I’m not the girl to keep all the emotions I have inside,” Safina said. “I guess I have to pay lots of fines because that’s the way I am.”

She now faces No. 7 Elena Dementieva, the 2004 French Open finalist who beat No. 11 Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in another all-Russian match Monday.

Two other women’s matches were suspended because of darkness. No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, led No. 16 Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-2, while Petra Kvitova and Kaia Kanepi, two unseeded players, split two sets.

For Sharapova, things really began to fall apart when she served while trailing 3-2 in the third set.

At 15-love, Safina’s forehand landed near a line, and Sharapova missed a backhand. Sharapova asked the chair umpire to check the mark from Safina’s shot, drawing scattered noise from the crowd, and the call stood.

On the next point, Sharapova botched a sitter and put a forehand into the net—drawing cheers, generally considered a breach of etiquette among tennis spectators. Another short ball came at 15-30, and perhaps wary of another miscue, Sharapova sent it back cautiously, allowing Safina to pound a forehand. That prompted a scream from Sharapova.

As play proceeded, her yells became louder and louder as she berated herself, at least once with colorful language.

“You sometimes get a little too negative on yourself,” Sharapova said.

After erasing three break points in that game, Sharapova netted two forehands in a row, ceding the break. Now it was Safina’s turn to let it out: She raised a fist and bellowed. A match in which she was playing from so far behind for so long was now in her control, and she did not let go, collecting 10 of the final 12 points—including Sharapova’s seventh double-fault of the match, 43rd of the tournament.

When it ended, Safina dropped to her knees to celebrate. Sharapova quickly collected her things and left without acknowledging the fans who jeered her on the way out.

“I can’t please everyone. That’s not in my ‘J.D.’—not in my job description,” she said.

“I mean, they paid the ticket to watch me,” she added, “so they must appreciate me on some level, right?”

Sharapova moved up from No. 2 to No. 1 when Henin quit, but the stay might be brief. Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Kuznetsova all could lead the rankings by the end of the week. Sharapova was asked about the possibility of losing her spot at the top.

Her reply? “Boohoo.”

[mauiguy90]

Nadal Crushes Almagro; Sets up Decisive Semi-final Face Off with Djokovic

PARIS - Rafael Nadal's French Open quarterfinal began more than 1 1/2 hours after Novak Djokovic's did Tuesday. Which is why, after wrapping up a three-set victory, Djokovic figured his coach could head over and check out some of Nadal's match.

So much for a fresh scouting report ahead of Friday's semifinals.

Turns out Nadal was only moments away from winning 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 against Nicolas Almagro, the most lopsided men's quarterfinal at Roland Garros in the 40-year history of the Open era. Almagro's no slouch, by the way: He was seeded 19th and has won more matches on clay than anyone else this season.

"I told my coach — I think it was 6-1, 6-1, 5-1 — I told him, 'Look! Go! Go fast! See one game! Try to catch at least a game and see how it goes,'" Djokovic said. "'Maybe he'll play some bad shots.'"

Not a chance. Hard as it is to believe, Nadal is playing more relentlessly than ever, treating each point — no, each and every stroke — as though the outcome hangs in the balance.

He's now 26-0 at the French Open for his career, two victories away from becoming the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 to win the clay-court major championship four consecutive times.

Nadal has dropped a total of 25 games, the fewest ever lost through five full matches by a Grand Slam semifinalist in the Open era.

Djokovic beat 80th-ranked Ernests Gulbis 7-5, 7-6 (3), 7-5 to become only the fourth man since 1968 to reach five consecutive Grand Slam semifinals. He also earned the right to face Nadal, who is 113-2 on clay since April 2005.

A berth in Sunday's final — and Nadal's No. 2 ranking — will be on the line.

"He's been playing better and better," the No. 3-ranked Djokovic said. "But I don't want to go out there in the semis and just try my best. I don't want to do that. I want to win."

He's won only three of 10 matches with Nadal in their brief but rapidly ascendant careers, including exits from the French Open each of the past two years. Both are supremely talented, quite young — Nadal turned 22 on Tuesday; Djokovic turned 21 last month — and bent on stealing some of the prizes that otherwise would be headed for Roger Federer's trophy case.

"Anything can happen," Nadal said. "I know that if I'm not playing at 100 percent, it's going to be very difficult for me to win this match."

The top-ranked Federer plays his quarterfinal Wednesday against No. 24 Fernando Gonzalez, while No. 5 David Ferrer meets the unseeded Gael Monfils.

Nadal beat Federer at the French Open each of the past three years on his way to the title. Djokovic upset Federer at the Australian Open in January en route to his first major championship.

While Federer's No. 1 ranking is safe no matter what happens this week, Maria Sharapova will relinquish her status as the No. 1 woman. Sharapova, who took over the top spot when Justine Henin retired but lost in the fourth round in Paris, will be replaced by one of the players still in the draw: No. 2 Ana Ivanovic, No. 3 Jelena Jankovic or No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Ivanovic and Jankovic, two Serbs both seeking a first Grand Slam title, will meet in the semifinals Thursday after straightforward victories. Ivanovic beat No. 10 Patty Schnyder 6-3, 6-2, and Jankovic eliminated qualifier Carla Suarez Navarro by the same score.

Schnyder was asked whether Ivanovic — who lost the French Open final to Henin last year, and the Australian Open final to Sharapova in January — is ready to win a major championship.

"She would never be able to win against Justine, but now I think she can. Definitely," Schnyder said. "I mean, she has the power, and she has the strokes."

Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, finished off her suspended fourth-round match by beating No. 16 Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-3. Kuznetsova's opponent Wednesday is Kaia Kanepi, the first Estonian to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Wednesday's other match is No. 7 Elena Dementieva vs. No. 13 Dinara Safina, who ousted Sharapova.

While they've never played as professionals, Kanepi did beat Kuznetsova in the 2001 French Open junior final.

"It doesn't mean much now, because she's a completely different player. So (am) I," Kuznetsova said. "So it's a box of surprises probably coming."

There were very little in the way of unknowns when Djokovic and the 19-year-old Gulbis stepped on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Even though it was their first matchup at this level, they first met about seven years ago as students at a tennis academy in Germany.

Preparing to walk from the locker room, Djokovic tapped Gulbis on the side, and they traded a few words and smiles. Once play began, Djokovic tried to give his pal a tough time, but Gulbis was able to keep things interesting, thanks largely to saving 11 consecutive break points in the first set.

Not until the 12th game of the match, and Djokovic's 12th break point, did Gulbis finally crack. On Djokovic's fourth set point at 6-5, a 16-stroke exchange culminated with Gulbis stumbling a bit as he pushed a forehand into the net. Djokovic raised his arms and looked skyward, exhaling.

There was still work to be done, including overcoming an early break in the second set, and another break by Gulbis when Djokovic first served for the match. But there seemed little doubt Djokovic's record in major quarterfinals would improve to 5-1, and Gulbis' would drop to 0-1.

"He won with experience," Gulbis said. "Exactly this: He played much better than me on the important points."

Nadal was much better than Almagro on nearly every point, finishing with a remarkably low total of nine unforced errors — 27 fewer than his opponent.

Which is part of the reason an established pro like Almagro managed to win only three more games against Nadal than you or I would.

"When Rafa plays like that, there is nothing you can say. Just congratulate him, wish him 'Happy Birthday,' and wish him all the best for the rest of this tournament," Almagro said. "Quite clearly, we'll have a champion for many years here at Roland Garros."

Edited June 4, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Nadal-Djokovic: The Dream Semi-Final

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

By Matthew Cronin

It was not written in stone before the tournament began, but the Roland Garros stonemason surely must have at least carved the initials of three-time champion Rafael Nadal and world No3 Novak Djokovic into his semi-final bracket.

On Tuesday, Nadal played one of his best matches ever in a 6-1 6-1 6-1 whitewash of fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro and said that he was in the best physical shape he has ever been during his four Roland Garros campaigns. He will certainly need to be in tiptop shape for Djokovic, who outplayed his friend Ernests Gulbis 7-5 7-6 7-5 to qualify nfor his second Roland Garros semi-final.

"There is no such thing as a prewritten script before the tournament starts, and anything can happen before any match," Nadal said. "You never know if you'll make it to the semifinal, final, and win. This is something that we all have in mind. We all know that."

While Djokovic did not play his best against Gulbis in tough conditions, he seized all the big points, playing steady and smart while the 19-year-old Latvian was erratic when the pressure points came.

"Novak is a player who really plays well on the deciding points, and almost every deciding point he made me work so hard for the point," Gulbis said. "Most of the time I made errors, because there were no errors from him at all when it came to important points."

Booming big serves, cracking his forehand, rushing the net and tossing in some soft drop shots, Gulbis had chances in every set, but he grew sloppy when it mattered, flying his ground-strokes over the baseline and becoming confused as to what the right strategies should be.

"That's what makes him No. 3 in the world, that he can play those important points with no errors at all," Gulbis said. "I think my forehand is still a lot to improve, because as you could see, when it came to deciding moments it got a little bit shaky. It's not so consistent."

Djokovic played about as carefully as he is capable of and only cut loose when his former practice partner from the Pilic Tennis Academy made a major push at him. Even though he is only 21 years old, his experience showed.

"I knew he was going to go for the shots, so I didn't want to make the same rhythm," Djokovic said. "I didn't want to try to overpower his game. He's very strong. He's very tall. He has a great serve. But I tried to play a bit more patient and more safe in certain moments, that's for sure. But this is not going to be a case in the next match."

Nadal, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday, played yet another relentless, suffocating contest against a man who he said before the match was one of the top five clay-courters in the world. But Almagro could not contain himself, nor deal with the heaviness of Nadal's strokes.

"I think there was a guy called Nadal on the centre court, and he played much better than me all the time, a bit like a flash," Almagro said. "I tried to play it at the beginning, but I did not expect such results. Quite clearly today I am still far from Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, David, and that gives me strength to continue to work. Congratulations Rafa. I probably didn't play my best tennis, but, when Rafa plays like this, there is nothing you can say. Just congratulate him, wish him a happy birthday, and wish him all the best for the rest of this tournament. Quite clearly we'll have a champion for many years here in Roland Garros."

Nadal has lost the least amount of games in reaching a Roland Garros semi-final in open era history, equaling Bjorn Borg's record which dates back to when the first two rounds were played as best-of-three sets.

"Centre court here is not easy," Nadal said. "Always the wind is changing, and the court is very big. So if you are not playing a lot of times there it's difficult to adapt in the beginning, no? But anyway, I think I played a very complete match. He has a lot of mistakes. But I start the match, having the control of the point with the forehand, and touching better the ball with the backhand. So the most important thing I think was the forehand. Today I feel better the ball."

Nadal and Djokovic have played 10 times, with Nadal owning a 7-3 edge, having never lost to him on clay, including wins at 2006 and 2007 Roland Garros. But Djokovic nearly upset the Spaniard in the Hamburg semifinals two weeks ago in a classic three-hour, three-set match and with the confidence he displayed in winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, he will certainly be a bigger threat than he was here the previous two years. The world No2 ranking will be on the line on Friday.

"I hope it's going to be like the last time, especially if I win," Nadal said. "But I know it's going to be a difficult match. He is very good so far this year. He plays at a very high level, but I also play well. I'm aware of the fact that if I'm not playing at 100% it's going to be very difficult for me to win this match, so I need to play at 100%."

While Djokovic is incredibly solid off both wings and has been serving and returning beautifully, he will have to step up a gear against the left-handed Nadal, who has a 39-0 record in best-of-five-set matches on clay. His defence is near impregnable and grinding types of players find it impossible to knock him off his stride. If the Serbian does not take risks, he will find himself caught in Nadal's spell once again.

"He's been playing better and better," Djokovic said. "He's improved I think the serve a lot this year, on clay especially, and he's going for some shots much more. He combines that with his great physical strength and then patience, and it's impressive on this surface. But I don't want to go out there in semis and just try my best. I don't want to do that. I want to win, and I think I have good quality and good chance. I know, of course, he's a favorite, and all the credit to that. But only with a positive attitude and approach in the match I can get the positive outcome."

Edited June 4, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Federer Rallies Against Gonzalez; Safina Defeats Dementieva

PARIS (AP)—There have been times this year when Roger Federer's cloak of infallibility slid from his shoulders, when his absolute dominance against anyone but Rafael Nadal and at any tournament but the French Open wasn't quite so absolute.

Federer arrived at Roland Garros with one title, his lowest count since 2001. He arrived with seven losses, more than his total for any of the previous three entire seasons.

And so it was Wednesday that for the first set of his French Open quarterfinal against 24th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, Federer looked, well, human. His serve was broken three times. He shanked shots. He was, by his own admission, "a little bit rattled."

Still, as he's done so many times, Federer adjusted and regrouped, beating Gonzalez 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 to extend his own record by reaching a 16th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal. Federer moved two wins away from completing a career Slam and earning his 13th major championship, which would leave him one shy of Pete Sampras' mark.

"At one stage, I was a bit afraid," the No. 1-ranked Federer said, "because the match was not going the way I wanted."

In addition to his opening-set lapse, Federer fell behind love-40 while serving to begin the third. Given a chance to pull ahead again, Gonzalez missed two relatively easy shots before Federer won a 13-stroke exchange to account for the third break point. Thus began this amazing stretch: Federer won 36 of the last 40 points on his serve, including each of the final 17.

"It wasn't the same Federer as the first set," said Gonzalez, who fell to 1-11 against the Swiss star, including a loss in the 2007 Australian Open final.

Impressive as it was, Federer's turnaround had nothing on the one fashioned Wednesday by No. 13-seeded Dinara Safina in the women's quarterfinals. The younger sister of two-time major champion Marat Safin trailed No. 7 Elena Dementieva by a set and 5-2 in the second, then was one point from losing at 5-3, before coming all the way back to win 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0.

The deficit was identical to the one faced by Safina a round earlier, when she trailed by a set and 5-2 in the second, and erased a match point at 5-3, en route to upsetting No. 1 Maria Sharapova.

"Once you went through this," Safina said, "you always believe: 'Why not the second time?"'

Safina's semifinal Thursday will be an all-Russian matchup against No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion and 2006 French Open runner-up. No. 2 Ana Ivanovic and No. 3 Jelena Jankovic will meet in an all-Serbian semifinal.

Kuznetsova, who defeated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 7-5, 6-2, took note of Safina's last two performances.

"She has too many lives," Kuznetsova said, "so I have to be careful."

Safina looked quite a bit like her brother between points, throwing mini-tantrums, including when she whacked some courtside geraniums with her racket, scattering red petals.

She handed Dementieva a match point at 5-3 in the second set by double-faulting to 30-40.

"I just choked so badly," Safina said.

Dementieva repaid the favor, though, by flubbing a backhand return. Later in that set, Safina wasted five set points—three at 6-5, two in the tiebreaker— before finally converting on her sixth with a backhand winner that caught the baseline.

The final set was no contest, allowing Safina to reach her first major semifinal. "You can say that it's a breakthrough," she said.

Federer's semifinal streak includes four straight in France, but he lost at that stage in 2005 and in the finals in 2006 and 2007—each time against Nadal.

"To make four in a row is a great accomplishment, but this year I'm obviously particularly aiming for the title," said Federer, who recently enlisted the help of Jose Higueras, past coach of French Open champions Michael Chang and Jim Courier. "So I hope it's not going to stop here."

On Friday, Federer faces 59th-ranked Gael Monfils, a 21-year-old Frenchman who is the lowest-ranked semifinalist in Paris since 1999. It's Monfils' first Grand Slam semifinal.

"I'm at home," Monfils said after delighting local fans by knocking off No. 5 David Ferrer 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. "I'm ready and waiting for him."

In Friday's other match, three-time defending champion Nadal will take a 26-0 record at the French Open into his showdown with No. 3 Novak Djokovic, the Australian Open winner.

No one is as dominant on clay as Nadal, of course, but Gonzalez entered Wednesday with a 16-0 record on the slow surface in 2008. He hits nearly every shot as though it might be his last, particularly on his favored forehand. That wing was giving Federer trouble at the outset, and Gonzalez used it to go 3-for-3 on break points in the first set.

The rest of the way? He went 0-for-3, all coming at the pivotal start of the third set.

It helped that Federer began putting in more first serves. And that his down-the-line backhand was clicking. And that his forehand began to find the mark.

Oh, and that he realized he should try pushing forward more.

"It was particularly important for me to have an aggressive mind-set," Federer said. "You definitely have players where you get a chance to come in more than against others. But on clay it's always hard."

Not on this day. Federer won the point on 28 of 31 trips to the net over the final three sets.

"He took control," Gonzalez said, "and he didn't let me do too much."

Edited June 5, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Monfils? ... in French Semis

PARIS (AP)—Only one of the men in the French Open semifinals celebrated a victory this week with a dance move popularized by rapper Soulja Boy's hit song "Crank Dat."

Only one showed up at a news conference wearing a Miami Hurricanes football jersey.

And only one likened his next match to the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, although he was sure to clarify: "It's not Game 7."

An American in Paris, perchance? No, they're all long gone. This is a Frenchman, 21-year-old Gael Monfils, who happens to have trained in Florida, and he is the most surprising member of a Roland Garros final four that also includes Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Monfils (mohn-FEECE) plays Federer on Friday, and Nadal takes on Djokovic, with berths in Sunday's championship match at stake.

In the women's final Saturday, No. 2-seeded Ana Ivanovic will meet No. 13 Dinara Safina, and one will earn her first Grand Slam title. Ivanovic beat No. 3 Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, and Safina defeated No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals Thursday.

Monfils is the first man from France to reach the semifinals since 2001, and, not surprisingly, the locals are quite excited.

The front page of Thursday's L'Equipe newspaper, a sports daily, did not contain a single article. Instead, there was an all-capital-letters headline, "La Gloire de Monfils" ("The Glory of Monfils") above a large color photo of the player.

He certainly is an outsider among the remaining quartet. Consider: Federer is ranked No. 1, Nadal is No. 2, and Djokovic is No. 3. Monfils, meanwhile, is No. 59, the lowest-ranked men's semifinalist at Roland Garros since Andrei Medvedev at No. 100 in 1999.

There's also this: Federer extended his own record by reaching a 16th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal. Djokovic is only the fourth man in the 40-year Open era—Federer, Ivan Lendl and Boris Becker are the others—to get to a fifth straight Slam semifinal. Nadal has reached this stage at four of the past five majors.

And Monfils? This is his first trip beyond the fourth round at any of tennis' four most important tournaments.

Which means, of course, he also is the only one of the four men without a Grand Slam title. Federer owns 12, two shy of Pete Sampras' career record, and the French Open is the only Slam he hasn't won. Nadal is trying to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 to win four French Open titles in a row. Djokovic won the Australian Open in January.

"I've not reached my objective," Monfils said. "I'm very happy I'll play a semifinal on the central court, but this is not my last objective."

Asked after upsetting No. 5 David Ferrer in the quarterfinals whether his goal is to win the tournament, Monfils replied: "Well, the first objective is to beat the No. 1 player in the world, and we'll see about the rest later."

Greatness has been predicted for Monfils for quite some time.

In 2004, he nearly completed a junior Grand Slam, winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon boys titles that year. His progress has been slowed by a long litany of injuries, however, including a bad knee that kept him off tour this season until March. He was only 5-7 in 2008 before stringing together five consecutive victories at the French Open.

Even that limited action this season includes an 0-2 mark against Federer, who nevertheless called Monfils difficult to play "because he's French, and he's very fit at the moment."

Nadal is 26-0 at Roland Garros and never even has been extended to five sets. This year, he's been more dominant than ever, dropping only 25 games through five matches.

He is 7-3 against Djokovic and has eliminated him at the French Open each of the past two years. If Djokovic wins Friday, he'll overtake Nadal in the rankings, ending the Spaniard's 150-week stay at No. 2.

"He's going for some shots much more. He combines that with his great physical strength and then patience, and it's impressive on this surface," Djokovic said. "But I don't want to go out there in semis and just try my best. I don't want to do that. I want to win."

Edited June 6, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Nadal Dominates Djokovic; Fed Overcomes Monfils to Reach 3rd Final Against Nadal

PARIS (AP)—As the points piled up and the light faded, it was tough to decide which scenario had seemed less likely at the outset of the French Open semifinals Friday:

That Rafael Nadal would be so dominant during a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (3) victory over Novak Djokovic, a man who is, after all, ranked No. 3 and a Grand Slam champion?

Or that Roger Federer would run into so much trouble before winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 against Gael Monfils, a man who is, after all, ranked 59th and a major semifinalist for the first time?

Then again, by the end of the day, Roland Garros once more produced the likeliest of all championship matches: No. 1 Federer vs. No. 2 Nadal.

“Rafa again, across the net—it’s the ultimate test on clay. It would be so much better to win the French Open by beating him,” Federer said. “It should be entertaining to watch.”

The showdown Sunday is their third consecutive French Open final, their fifth Grand Slam final overall, and plenty is on the line.

Nadal can become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 to win the tournament four years in a row. Federer can add the lone major trophy missing from his collection, thereby making him the sixth man to complete a career Grand Slam and increasing his total haul to 13 majors, one shy of Pete Sampras’ record.

“What’s special is winning the tournament, not beating Federer,” said Nadal’s uncle and coach, Toni. “But if Rafael beats Federer, it means more.”

Federer is 6-10 overall against Nadal, including 1-8 on clay and 0-3 at the French Open, where they also met in the 2005 semifinals.

“I will try everything,” Federer said. “I hope I will finally win here.”

Nadal hasn’t lost at Roland Garros. Ever. He improved to 27-0 by beating Djokovic, who won the Australian Open in January and would have overtaken Nadal in the rankings by beating him.

But by the sixth game, Djokovic’s cheeks were flush from exertion and he was gasping for air. Nadal make him look like a first-round opponent who had come through qualifying.

“Almost perfect,” was the way Nadal described his performance. “Best match at Roland Garros so far, no?”

Federer’s semifinal was second, so he took advantage of the opportunity to watch his nemesis.

“Rafa played fantastic for basically the entire time,” said Federer, who helped his own cause by winning the point on 49 of 64 trips to the net against Monfils.

Nadal does his finest work along the baseline, and the longer the point, the better, as far as he’s concerned. Against Djokovic, he won 32 of the 48 points that lasted at least 10 strokes, according to a tally compiled by The Associated Press.

In addition to showing up on the scoreboard, each of those extended rallies — often prolonged by Nadal’s tremendous defense—can take a toll on an opponent’s body and morale.

“Sometimes,” Djokovic acknowledged, “it’s really frustrating when you can’t make a winner.”

He didn’t register his second forehand winner until the second set, which says far less about Djokovic’s ability than Nadal’s knack for getting to the ball.

Djokovic finally made a stand after trailing 3-0 in the third set, but by then the final outcome hardly seemed in doubt. Even French tennis federation president Christian Bimes, seated next to Borg in the front row, motioned toward someone with a pinkie and thumb near an ear, the international signal for, “Let’s talk on the phone.”

Djokovic reached set point while leading 6-5 in the third, but Nadal erased that with a cross-court forehand that wrong-footed the Serb. Later, Nadal said he was trying to hit a safe shot, not a winner. That’s how things went for the Spaniard, who then built a 6-0 lead in the tiebreaker.

“He showed again that in the most important moments, he’s very strong mentally,” Djokovic said.

The same could be said of Federer, who reached his 15th Grand Slam final, tied for fifth-most in history.

Monfils, an enthusiastic Frenchman backed Friday by about 15,000 of his closest friends in the center court stands, is unaccustomed to this sort of high-pressure match, having never before been beyond the fourth round at a major. He began the match by double-faulting on the way to getting broken at love, something he later attributed to contact-lens problems.

“The key to the match,” Federer called that start. “He was always trailing.” Well, not quite, because when Federer dumped a volley into the net, then shanked a forehand, Monfils broke him to take the second set. All even. Monfils strutted to the sideline pounding his chest with a fist.

When Monfils held for a 1-0 lead in the third, he technically was ahead, but Federer broke two games later. There were worrisome moments to come for Federer, including when he blew a set point and was broken while serving for the third set at 5-3. He broke right back, however.

Little came easy in the fourth set, either, when Monfils earned six break points, two at a time at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3. Federer saved them all, making him 10-for-13 for the match.

Monfils kept things interesting, saving two match points—one with a 128 mph ace—while trailing 5-4 in the fourth set. When the 21-year-old who shows up at postmatch news conferences wearing NFL or college football jerseys held to 5-5 with a 124 mph service winner, he stood in the middle of the court and raised his arms, encouraging the partisan crowd to get louder.

“I thought that would put pressure on Roger,” Monfils said, “but he didn’t feel any pressure.”

Alas for the locals, Monfils wouldn’t win another game.

Federer finished him off with two volley winners, then shook his racket as he skipped to the net, knowing full well what awaits.

“Honestly, I felt relief,” Federer said. “And then, 5 or 10 seconds later, I started thinking about another final. That’s where I want to be.”

[mauiguy90]

Surprising Safina Reaches French Open Final

PARIS (AP)—Marat Safin once dropped his shorts in glee after hitting an especially nifty shot at the French Open, which makes it natural to wonder how his younger sister might celebrate winning the title.

Along with imposing physiques, booming forehands and short fuses, the siblings from Moscow share a flair for theatrics. Two-time Grand Slam champion Safin might be the most unpredictable player on the men’s tour, and now Dinara Safina has made an improbable run to her first major final.

Seeded 13th at Roland Garros, she’ll play Ana Ivanovic for the championship Saturday.

“God kept me in this tournament,” Safina said.

Not that God has anything against Maria Sharapova or Elena Dementieva, but Safina did rally from match point down to beat them in back-to-back rounds. Now she’ll try to become the first woman to win a Grand Slam title after saving match point in two matches.

She well remembers her brother fending off a match point to beat Roger Federer in the semifinals of the 2005 Australian Open, then winning the title three nights later. Does the potential parallel boost her confidence?

“We will see,” she said.

Safin also won the U.S. Open in 2000. He has been text-messaging congratulations to his sister from London, where he’s preparing for Wimbledon, and she’s uncertain whether he’ll attend the final.

“Maybe he will make a surprise and come, because I really like when he comes to see me. But,” she added with a laugh, “he will also be so nervous he will not even be able to watch.”

Safina remembers Safin’s cheeky moment at Roland Garros four years ago. To celebrate a drop shot he hit for a winner, he mooned the crowd and drew a point penalty.

“They have it on YouTube, so I saw it a couple of times,” she said. “He’s an entertainer. That’s why the people love to come to watch him play, because he always gives some show. He’s real on the court. If he has emotions, he will not hide them. He will explode, because I think that he’s real. …

“I’m like this. I know I’m not perfect, but the people have to like me the way I am. I don’t want to hide my personality.”

While Safin’s a former No. 1 player, Safina has struggled to crack the top echelon on the women’s tour, leaving behind a trail of broken rackets. She joined the top 20 in 2005 and has climbed as high as ninth in the rankings, but her best Grand Slam showings until now were quarterfinal finishes in 2006 at Roland Garros and the U.S. Open.

Now 22 and less prone to tantrums, Safina may be on the best run of her career, with six victories over top-10 players since early May. She and Safin are the first sister and brother to reach Grand Slam finals, but she’s unaccustomed to the attention that comes with playing for a major title.

She said she’ll try not to dwell on the stakes.

“I have to do the things that I know to do, and try to avoid thinking as much as I can about, `This is the final,”’ she said. “It’s still the same court and still the same ball. It’s just how I take it in my mind.”

At 20, Ivanovic is two years younger than Safina but more experienced on the big stage. She’s seeking her first major title after finishing as runner-up to Justine Henin at the 2007 French Open and to Sharapova at the 2008 Australian Open.

Ivanovic showed plenty of pluck in the semifinals Thursday, coming from behind three times to beat fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic. The victory ensured Ivanovic will claim the No. 1 ranking for the first time next week.

Nerves sabotaged her chances in the final a year ago at Roland Garros, and she won only three games in a dismal performance. It was an experience many players would be eager to erase from their memory, but not Ivanovic.

“I don’t want to forget it, because it was great learning experience,” she said. “I learned a lot from Justine and the emotions I was feeling going on the court.

“I feel like a different player coming into this French Open. A lot of experience I gained from that final and the final in Australia, so I really hope I can step up this time and make one more step.”

Regardless, Ivanovic will supplant Sharapova atop the rankings next week.

“Coming into this tournament, I didn’t expect that,” Ivanovic said.

Safina helped create the opening in the rankings by beating Sharapova in the fourth round. Safina lost the first set, trailed 5-2 in the second and faced a match point at 5-3.

Her deficit was identical in the quarterfinals against Dementieva. But in the semifinals, she dispensed with such drama and took charge from the start against No. 4-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, winning 6-3, 6-2.

“I said, ‘OK, now I’m not going to be passive anymore. I have to be aggressive, because there will be no third chance,”’ Safina said.

When she completed the straightforward victory, Safina raised her arms and waved her fists. Count on a more exuberant celebration if she wins the title.

[mauiguy90]

Borg: Fed the 'Greatest' If He Wins

PARIS (AP)—Bjorn Borg has no doubt what it would mean if Roger Federer finally manages to beat Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.

"He definitely will be the greatest player ever to play the game," Borg said Saturday, a day before No. 1-ranked Federer meets No. 2 Nadal in their third consecutive championship match at Roland Garros.

Although Borg preferred not to make a prediction, he does expect a tight contest.

"A lot of people, they say no one can beat Nadal tomorrow, the way he's been playing," Borg said. "But I think Roger has a really, really good chance."

Borg plans to be present Sunday, watching in person as Nadal tries to equal the Swede's mark of four consecutive titles at Roland Garros. Just as, last year, he sat in the front row during the Wimbledon final and watched Federer beat Nadal to equal Borg's mark of five consecutive titles at the All England Club.

"They produce the best tennis you can play," said Borg, who won 11 Grand Slam titles and was only 25 years old when he played his last major in 1981 before retiring. "It's like two artists playing out there, both of them."

Nadal is 10-6 against Federer—including 8-1 on clay, and 3-0 at the French Open—making him the only active player to have faced the Swiss star more than four times and compiled a winning record against him.

Still, Federer insists he is confident about his chances Sunday.

"Of course I believe," he said. "I believe very strongly that this is my year."

In the women's final Saturday, Ana Ivanovic beat Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3 to win her first Grand Slam title. Ivanovic will rise to No. 1 in the rankings Monday.

For each of the past four years, Federer has come to Paris knowing that he needed a French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, something only five men have accomplished: Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Fred Perry.

In 2005, that pursuit ended in the semifinals against Nadal.

In 2006 and 2007, he made it to the final, but lost each time to Nadal.

"This is a big thing for him," Borg said. "He never won Paris, and that's his biggest goal."

The greats of the game who never did win the French Open include Pete Sampras, John McEnore, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. It's Sampras' career record of 14 Grand Slam titles that Federer is chasing; a victory Sunday would bring his total to 13.

As Borg pointed out, Federer could employ a slightly different strategy this time. In his semifinal victory over Gael Monfils, Federer came to the net more than 60 times, a high total on clay, a slower surface which dulls the serves and approach shots that make it easier to push forward.

"I can surprise him more than he can surprise me," Federer said.

Nadal doesn't necessarily expect a significant difference in Federer's play.

"When one player is almost perfect," Nadal said Saturday, "it's very difficult to change a lot of things, no?"

Borg also finds Nadal's game to be improved and said he thinks the Spaniard could wind up with seven or eight French Open titles. Borg also believes Nadal will win Wimbledon one day, having lost to Federer in the past two finals there.

It is on clay, though, where Nadal has established himself as predominant.

"He's a favorite in every match he plays, against whoever he plays, on this court," said No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who managed to win only 12 games against Nadal in a straight-set defeat in the semifinals. "He never lost here."

The numbers Nadal has compiled at Roland Garros and on clay bear repeating.

He's 27-0 for his career at the French Open, winning 81 of 88 sets.

He's dropped zero sets through six matches this year, and only 36 games, the third-fewest lost by a man en route to a Grand Slam final in the 40-year Open era (the only lower totals were both accomplished by Borg at the French Open).

He's won 114 of his last 116 matches on clay. He's 40-0 in best-of-five-set matches on the surface and was pushed to five sets only twice in that span. He's 21-1 in clay-court finals.

And so on.

"Invincible? No, he's not," said Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni.

Asked to compare the 2008 version of Nadal to the Nadal of the previous three French Opens, his uncle said with a smile: "He's a year older."

Turning more serious, Toni Nadal added: "This year is the year he's played the best here."

Tough to argue with that.

One thing that certainly is the same about all four of Rafael Nadal's visits to Roland Garros: It will take a victory over Federer to leave with the championship.

As for Federer? Once again, it's Nadal who stands in his way.

"I don't want to think back on what happened. The past is the past," Federer said. "Now I need to believe I can do it."

Edited June 7, 2008 by mauiguy90

[mauiguy90]

Nadal Routs Federer in French Open Final

PARIS (AP)—By the fourth game, Rafael Nadal had Roger Federer kicking the clay in frustration. By the second set, the normally stoic Federer was screaming at himself.

The drubbing went on from there. Nadal won his fourth consecutive French Open title in a rout Sunday, again spoiling Federer’s bid to complete a career Grand Slam.

Dominating the world’s No. 1 player with astounding ease, Nadal swept six consecutive games early in the match and swept the final nine games to win 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.

It was Federer’s worst loss in his 173 Grand Slam matches, and the shortest Roland Garros men’s final in terms of games since 1977.

So thorough was the thumping that during the trophy ceremony, Nadal was moved to apologize.

“Roger, I’m sorry for the final,” Nadal said.

For the No. 2-ranked Nadal, it was merely another in a series of dominating victories. He lost only 41 games in seven rounds.

“I’ve hoped I could have done better today than four games,” Federer said. “But Rafael was very strong this year.”

The Spaniard became the second man to win four consecutive French Open titles. Bjorn Borg did it in 1978-81.

“Winning four times in a row is incredible,” Nadal said.

He improved to 28-0 at Roland Garros, where he has won 83 of 90 sets. Only six-time champion Borg won more French Open men’s titles.

And Nadal became the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the tournament without dropping set.

“He dominated the tournament like never before, like Bjorn,” Federer said.

Borg watched the final from the front row. Much of the crowd rooted for Federer, who arrived in Paris for the fourth consecutive year seeking to become the sixth man to win all four major titles. Each time he has lost to Nadal—in the semifinals in 2005, and in the final each of the past three years.

Federer conceded the latest defeat shakes his belief he can win Roland Garros.

“After a loss like this, you don’t want to play Rafa again tomorrow, that’s for sure,” Federer said.

Fans chanted “Ro-ger! Ro-ger!” between games, but Nadal earned their cheers, too. He won 24 of 27 points to take a 2-0 lead in the second set as a desperate Federer tried everything to reverse the tide.

But when Federer played serve-and-volley on a second serve, Nadal lunged to hit a lob into the corner for a winner. When Federer tried to chip and charge off a return, Nadal passed him with a backhand.

And when Federer settled for playing from the baseline, he had little chance. It’s tough to hit shots where the relentless Nadal can’t reach them, and Federer probably tried too hard, with uncharacteristic errors flying from his racket.

“When you really cannot play your game, and he can play exactly what he wants from the baseline, you end up with scores like this sometimes,” Federer said. “He hardly made unforced errors, and when he’s on the attack, he’s lethal.”

Federer faced a break point in 10 of his 11 service games, and he held only three times. Nadal was particularly ruthless returning second serves, and he won 19 of those 24 points.

Federer did gain a toehold in the second set when he won consecutive games for the only time for 2-all, but he lost serve again at 3-4. On break point he hit a deep volley that would win most rallies, but Nadal ripped it for a winner.

For Federer, the worst came at the end—a 6-0 set loss. The last time that happened to him was on a slightly smaller stage: the first round in 1999 at Queen’s against Byron Black.

On match point, Federer sailed a forehand long, and Nadal raised his arms in triumph.

“To lose the way I did today, it’s obviously hard and it’s a rough loss, but it’s OK,” Federer said. “I’ll move on from here, and I’ll try again next year.”

Nadal improved to 9-1 against Federer on clay, with the only loss coming in the 2007 Hamburg final.

Other statistics that underscore Nadal’s dominance on the surface: He’s 22-1 in clay-court finals, and 41-0 in best-of-five matches on clay.

Federer fell to 12-3 in major finals, with all of the losses to Nadal. They’ve met six times in Grand Slam events, and Nadal leads 4-2.

Federer’s far from alone in his French Open frustration. The list of Grand Slam champions who never won the Roland Garros title includes Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.

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Blake Wins at Gerry Weber Open; Fed to Defend Win Streak

HALLE, Germany (AP)—James Blake served his way to a 6-4, 6-1 win against German qualifier Bjorn Phau on Tuesday in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open.

The seventh-ranked American landed 71 percent of his first serves in his first grass-court match this year. He needed just 50 minutes to win against Phau, ranked 148th in the world.

"This was one of my best serving performances this year," Blake said. "That gave me confidence to play my game—everything just fell into place."

Fourth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny advanced with a 6-3, 6-1 win against fellow Russian Dmitry Tursunov and next faces Nicolas Kiefer, who won here in 1999. Kiefer fought back to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against Robin Haase.

No. 5 Marcos Baghdatis beat Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-5. Other winners Tuesday included Fabrice Santoro and Steve Darcis.

Tommy Haas saved three match points in downing No. 6 Radek Stepanek 6-7 (0), 7-6 (3), 6-4 on his return from a two-month layoff for a recurring right shoulder injury.

"The first set shocked me," Haas said, "But I fought my way into the match and served well—that's very important on grass."

France's Michael Llodra also slipped past No. 9 Ivan Ljubicic 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Blake is seeded second to Roger Federer, who will try to extend a record 54-match winning streak on grass when he plays Michael Berrer on Wednesday.

Blake hopes to improve on third-round exits at the last two Wimbledon tournaments, but said the brief grass-court season will only allow him to play two events on the fast surface.

"I like my chances, but you never know," Blake said of Wimbledon. "A couple of points here and there and you can lose to anyone or beat anyone. It's crazy to have only two tournaments on grass."

Some say Blake, with his athleticism and power, hasn't lived up to his potential.

"I like to think I'm better this year, but the same thing is true for the tour. The tour is getting better," Blake said. "To stay there, you just can't maintain—you really have to keep improving."

For Federer, there's no better way to recover from another failed shot at the French Open than to land on the grass courts of Halle.

Federer lost a third straight final to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros on Sunday, and his worst defeat yet—he won only four games.

"I decided Sunday night to come here. I'm looking forward to grass already," he said. "This tournament has been really good to me, I've had a lot of success here."

Federer is on a 20-match winning streak at the Gerry Weber Open, including four successive titles from 2003-06.

He skipped last year's Open because he was tired after a three-hour loss to Nadal at Roland Garros. Without a grass-court tuneup event for the first time, he still went on to win Wimbledon for a fifth consecutive year.

"I felt a little nervous about that," Federer said. "I feel positive about this tournament this year. The win streak is very important and means a lot to me. I am well aware of the records I have set. I hope to keep the streak in Halle."

Winning Halle in 2003 started Federer's 54-match winning streak on grass.

He'd arrived earlier than expected that year because he'd lost in the first round of the French Open to Luis Horna.

"I was really down, people were saying that I was talented, but I couldn't win a grand slam," Federer said. "Now my life is so different, I've enjoyed a lot of success."

Edited June 11, 2008 by mauiguy90

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Roddick, Nadal, and Djokovic Reach Queen's Quarters

LONDON (AP)—Andy Roddick reached the quarterfinals at Queen’s Club on Thursday when fellow American Mardy Fish withdrew with a left ankle injury after losing the opening set 7-6 (5).

Top seeds Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic also reached the quarterfinals despite some struggles.

Fish fell on a slippery surface and got treatment on his ankle before deciding to stop.

“It’s just unfortunate,” Roddick said. “You know, for a number of reasons. Obviously, Mardy is a friend. I don’t want him to be hurt.”

Roddick, the defending champion, struggled to gain the upper hand and faced two break points at 2-2 before holding his serve. Fish, who in March defeated Roger Federer to reach the final at Indian Wells, Calif., held off three break points in the next game, hitting two aces and a forehand winner before holding with his seventh ace.

A single mini-break for 2-0 in the tiebreaker was enough for Roddick to win the set.

“I want to see him be OK,” Roddick said. “Next week might be a question, but hopefully (he’ll be OK) for Wimbledon.”

Roddick returned to competition after missing several weeks with a shoulder injury, so the shortened match was appreciated.

“Me coming off of an injury, you know, we were out there for about an hour, so that’s about right for me,” Roddick said. “I hit it pretty well yesterday and today. So it’s pulling up all right.”

French Open champion Nadal needed three sets to defeat Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

“Yeah, tough match,” Nadal said. “He played well. I didn’t play my best match, but I fight, no? I tried my best all the match. I served well, I think. Was my best shot today. Probably in the third set I start returning a little bit better, no?”

Second-seeded Djokovic rallied to overcome fellow Serb Janko Tipserevic 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 after losing the opening four games.

Roddick next will play Andy Murray, who survived two injury scares before overcoming Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. The sixth-seeded Murray double-faulted to concede his serve at 5-5, and then received treatment to his right thumb after Gulbis served out the first set.

After rallying to win the second set convincingly, Murray slipped and injured his groin during the opening game of the third before going on to break for 5-4.

Murray’s thumb injury was diagnosed as a sprain and he said he was not sure whether he could play on Friday.

“I’m pretty concerned about it right now,” Murray said. “I’ll wait and see what it’s like when I get up in the morning. When it’s something like that, a sprain, it tends to be worse the next day.”

Ivo Karlovic, who lost to Roddick in the 2005 Queen’s final, upset 10th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-5. Four-time champion Lleyton Hewitt defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-4, and fifth-seeded Richard Gasquet defeated Mario Ancic 7-6 (5), 6-4.

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Nadal Beats Roddick on Grass--Meets Djokovic in Queen's Final

LONDON (AP)—French Open champion Rafael Nadal beat four-time champion Andy Roddick 7-5, 6-4 Saturday to reach the final at the Queen's Club for the first time.

Nadal is vying to be the first Spaniard in 36 years to win a grass-court tournament. Andres Gimeno won at Eastbourne in 1972.

Nadal will face Novak Djokovic in the final. The second-seeded Serb dispatched fourth-seeded David Nalbandian 6-1, 6-0.

After squandering three break points at 1-1 in the first set, Nadal managed to handle Roddick's powerful serves. Nadal got a break to go up 6-5, and then held off four break points in the next game.

"After winning Roland Garros I never thought I could play this final," Nadal said. "I (am) feeling comfortable on grass. The important thing that's helping me a lot, I am serving very well."

Roddick was aiming to become the first five-time champion at the Wimbledon warmup, but faced constant pressure from Nadal's forehand. Nadal broke again to go up 3-2 in the second after a forehand error from Roddick, which was enough to clinch the set.

"He played well today, there's no question," Roddick said. "He is just so match sharp right now. He is almost in cruise control, I think, from just playing so many matches. You know, credit to him. He just beat me today."

Nadal will face the winner between second-seeded Novak Djokovic or fourth-seeded David Nalbandian in Sunday's final.

Roddick was aiming to become the first five-time champion at the Wimbledon warmup, but faced constant pressure from Nadal's forehand. Nadal broke again to go up 3-2 in the second after a forehand error from Roddick.

Roddick, who missed the French Open with a shoulder injury, had a relatively easy path to the final. In the third round, he only had to play one set before Mardy Fish retired with an ankle injury, and Andy Murray withdrew before their quarterfinal on Friday with a sprained thumb. Still, Roddick said he was satisfied with his Wimbledon preparation.

"To be honest, I got about what I wanted out of it," he said. "I was coming in short on practice. I hadn't really played much at all. I hadn't even served hardly."

Djokovic needed just 47 minutes for his most lopsided victory since a semifinal win against Andy Murray in the 2007 Miami Masters, when he also only conceded one game. The Australian Open champion won 12 straight games without facing a break point, winning 51 of the 76 points.

"It was quick and I played aggressive," Djokovic said. "I did all that I imagined to do. It was nearly perfect, I have no complaints."

Edited June 14, 2008 by mauiguy90

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Nadal Survives Battle with Djokovic to Win Queens

LONDON (AP)—Rafael Nadal claimed his first career grass-court title Sunday, defeating Novak Djokovic 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the Queen’s Club final to become the first Spaniard to win on grass in 36 years.

It was the French Open champion’s third win in the last three tournaments over the second-seeded Djokovic, following semifinal victories in Hamburg and at Roland Garros. Andres Gimeno was the last Spaniard to win on grass, at Eastbourne in 1972.

Nadal is also the first player to win at Roland Garros and Queen’s Club in the same year since Ilie Nastase in 1973.

“This week was amazing for me,” Nadal said.

The win should give Nadal a confidence boost ahead of Wimbledon, particularly after his resounding straight-sets win over No. 1 Roger Federer in the French Open final.

“Wimbledon is (a) very, very important tournament, and the motivation is 100 percent,” Nadal said. “Doesn’t matter if I am tired mentally. Physically is a little bit more important, but I think physically I’m fine.”

Federer, who has won the last five Wimbledon crowns, lost to Djokovic in this year’s Australian Open semifinals. The Swiss earned his fifth title at Halle, Germany, earlier Sunday to extend his streak on grass to 59 wins.

Early on, Djokovic threatened to sweep the top-seeded Nadal aside in the same manner as his 6-1, 6-0 demolition of David Nalbandian in the semifinals.

Djokovic survived a break point in the opening game and then took a 2-0 lead on his fourth break point when he forced a forehand error from Nadal. The Serb earned a break point for a 4-0 lead, but Nadal struck a cross-court forehand winner and went on to break Djokovic in the fifth game.

Djokovic had another opportunity in the tiebreaker, leading 6-5 when a forehand from Nadal clipped the net cord and landed wide. Nadal leveled at 6-6 with a forehand winner, and two points later Djokovic netted a return to concede the set.

Nadal took advantage of Djokovic’s frustration by breaking to lead 2-0 in the second set, but Djokovic immediately broke back before Nadal received treatment for blisters on his racket hand.

Both players had opportunities late in the set.

Nadal dropped his serve at love to leave Djokovic serving for the set, but the Spaniard won the final three games of the match, closing out with an easy volley at the net.

Djokovic was pleased with his performance—especially since he has been playing on grass only three years.

“Well, I tried. It was a great match,” he said. “It was a great atmosphere. It’s been a terrific week.”

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Wimbledon: Men's Draw Digested

If Roger Federer is to win the Wimbledon men's singles title for a modern-era record sixth straight year he will have to do it the hard way.

When the draw was made today for The Championships, which begin on Monday, the big question was: in whose section would the third-seed Novak Djokovic land? It was a potential headache that Federer or second seed Rafael Nadal wanted to avoid.

Federer, alas, drew the short straw and is destined to face Djokovic, the reigning Australian Open champion, in the semi-finals.

Even to get that far the 26-year-old Federer will be fully tested. After a first round against Slovakia's Dominik Hrbarty, he is scheduled for a third round clash with Gael Monfils, the Frenchman who took him to four closely-contested sets in the semi-finals at Roland Garros earlier this month, while the fourth round could bring either Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, or the hard-hitting Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.

Nadal is high on confidence after his fourth successive triumph at the French Open was followed by his first grass court title at the Artois Championships.

The 22-year-old from Mallorca starts against a German qualifier, Andreas Beck, and should face the highly-promising Latvian teenager, Ernests Gulbis, in the second round.

Britain's Andy Murray, the 12th seed, is a potential quarter-final opponent. For Murray, who missed last year's Championships because of injury, the early draw has been kind until a fourth round clash with Richard Gasquet, a 2007 semi-finalist.

The sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick, who rates himself as one of the five best prospects for the title, has an undemanding start and should eventually run into American Davis Cup team mate James Blake.