OUR PROUD TRADITION Of EXCELLENCE DEFINES US

OUR PROUD TRADITION Of EXCELLENCE DEFINES US
Click Above Photo to Visit the American Tennis Association (ATA)

Welcome Tennis Lovers!!
...

US OPEN SERIES W&S OPEN: Federer Says He's Ready For Good Friend Blake On Thursday

Thursday, August 18, 2011

 
James Blake consoles Roger Federer after the top seed's surprise 2008 Olympics exit.


In a post-match interview yesterday, Switzerland's Roger Federer reponded to an inquiry about his upcoming match against James Blake.

Q.  What do you think about playing James Blake next?

ROGER FEDERER: Fun.  I’m really looking forward to it.  He’s a good friend of mine, and it’s been hard seeing him go through challenges and surgeries and injuries and so forth.  He’s back on the big stage where he belongs, especially here in the States.  It’s going to be a tricky, tough match.

I don’t know if the last match we played against each other was the Olympic match, but that was obviously a pretty big match for me to lose as well.  May be getting a chance for some revenge.  I’m looking forward to it.

Seems like he’s playing well.  Definitely going to be ready for it.  Had a great finals here years ago, and hope we can make something similar happen.




Read the rest of this post...........

Posted by Shelia
Labels: , , , , , ,

Email this post

US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: The Serena Sensation Surges On As She Earns 2011 Rogers Cup Title

Monday, August 15, 2011

American Serena Williams celebrates immediately after winning point that earned her the 2011 Rogers Cup title.


Ten years after winning her first Rogers Cup presented by National Bank title, Serena Williams once again lifted the trophy of Canada's most important tennis tournament.

A lot has changed for the 13-time Grand Slam champion in the decade gone by, but one thing is still for certain - she sure is one impressive tennis player.

Williams won the title on Sunday in emphatic fashion, nailing an ace at match point to defeat Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2.

Though the contest was evenly matched through the first eight games, the American turned it up a notch to break at 4-4 and never looked back. She was dominant in the second set, ripping seven aces while losing just one first service point.

It was clear the championship meant a lot to her, as upon clinching victory she immediately jumped and spun around in elation. In her post-match press conference she talked about how Toronto was definitely a tournament she had targeted as an event she really wanted to win this year.

With her mission now accomplished and her 39th career title in her pocket, the 29-year-old should move up nearly 50 spots in the rankings to around the No. 35 spot.


Though Stosur's tournament ended with a loss, her successful week should help her gain confidence heading into the final Slam of the season. Prior to coming to Toronto, the Australian had lost in her opening round twice in a row, but she turned it around here and improved her play with each match up to the final.

Her performance means she'll move back into the Top 10 after spending just one week outside of the upper echelon of the sport. If she keeps it up, she'll definitely be in the conversation at the final Slam of the season.


With the entertaining final between Williams and Stosur now over, Rogers Cup wraps up a successful week of tennis. Though the back-end of the tournament was lacking in the star power provided by such players like Kim Clijsters, who retired in the second round, Maria Sharapova, who was a third-round dropout, and world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki who fell in her opening match, Williams shines brighter than almost anyone on the tour.

She now has two titles in just four tournaments played since her return to tennis following a year-long absence due to serious health issues, and both of those triumphs occurred on hard courts. She will no doubt be a huge threat at the US Open in two weeks times.

For now, the pair will head to the next tournament in Cincinnati, where a Rogers Cup re-match could occur in the second round as Stosur and Williams were drawn in the same quarter.


Photos by Getty Images
Source:  rogerscup.com




Read the rest of this post...........

Posted by Shelia
Labels: , , , , , ,

Email this post

US OPEN SERIES W&S OPEN: Venus Pulls Out Of Second Consecutive Tournament Due To A Viral Illness

CINCINNATI, Ohio (AFP) — Venus Williams has pulled out of WTA Tour's Western and Southern Open tournament, complaining of a viral illness, organizers said on Friday.

It is the second consecutive year the American has withdrawn from the event as she skipped the 2010 tournament with a sore knee.

The world No. 34 was forced to withdraw from this week's Rogers Cup in Toronto with the same illness.

"I regret not having the opportunity to compete in the Western and Southern Open this year," Williams said. "I am making progress towards recovering from a viral illness that began affecting me last week, and have plans to return to the practice court in the coming days. I am optimistic that I will be ready for the US Open at the end of this month."

The 31-year-old American has been limited to three tournaments this year because of injuries and illness. She retired at the Australian Open in January because of a right hip injury and contended with hip and abdominal ailments through May.




Read the rest of this post...........

Posted by Shelia
Labels: , , , , , ,

Email this post

Sorry Querry, the Semi's in this Tournament Ain't Big Enough for 2 Americans: Blake Wins!!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

James Blake advanced to the semifinals by beating Sam Querrey 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday night in a matchup of Americans. He'll face fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, who beat David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 in the last match of the day.

Blake and Querrey played a close-as-could-be match last month in Indianapolis. Querrey served a career-high 34 aces — including 10 in a row — while winning in three sets, all of them decided by tiebreakers. The 19-year-old Querrey had trouble with his serve and found himself occasionally fighting his nerves in his first televised match from center court.

"I had a blast out there, even though I lost," said Querrey, who is ranked No. 65. "That was one of the most fun matches I've ever played. First of all, TV — that's pretty cool."

Blake was more aggressive in the final set, coming to the net to gain the upper hand. He crouched and pumped his fists after breaking Querrey's serve to go up 4-3, then served it out and finished it off with an overhead slam at the net.

It's the second time the 27-year-old Blake has reached a Masters semifinal — he lost the title match at Indian Wells to Federer last year. Blake had to pull out of Montreal last week because of strained abdominal muscles, and didn't know whether he could play. The injury hasn't bothered him.

"Maybe it's a sign that I need to rest a little more sometimes," Blake said. "Maybe it's the lack of expectations coming in. This time, I didn't know what to expect. I wanted to make sure I was healthy."

Source -- International Herald Tribune

Read the rest of this post...........

Posted by Shelia
Labels: , , ,

Email this post
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 

Design by Blogger Buster