Black Tennis Pros

Just A few days after succeeding to the final of the Estoril Open, American James Blake, who is seeded 14^th, has advanced to the round of 32 at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. Blake defeated Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-2, 6-4.

Afterwards Blake said, "My curse was broken and all it took was moving to my least favorite surface."

"I just started playing my game instead of just trying to be a clay courter. I've got to play my style and play aggressive when I get the chance."

Next up for Blake is Croatian Ivo Karlovic.

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This is one loss that American James Blake can take with a grain of salt. We literally watched a man without a plan come into the Estoril Open and establish and execute a grand plan.

After his semifinal match was suspended on Saturday because of rain, darkness and who knows what else, Blake came back on Sunday and finished the job, defeating Davydenko 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-3.

Not long thereafter Blake had to return to the court to play the final against Spainard Albert Montanes. Montanes saved two match points at 4-5 in the second set and came back to beat 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-0 just over two hours.

Yeah well, he didn't have to play two matches either (sour grapes). Congratulations to Montanes and to Blake. Blake had an absolutely fabulous run and made my tennis for the year thus far.



“Tennis is a game of inches,” said Blake. “If he missed the line by one inch on one of the match points, I would have won. It didn’t and he gained confidence. It happens to every player. Today, it happened to me in the final. With the exception of one bad set I played some high-level tennis all week.

“Of course I’m disappointed in a loss. But I’m going to try and look back in the next couple of days and think about it positively. I came in here with very little confidence on clay, having lost my last two matches. At least now I won my last four matches and put myself in a position to win a clay-court tournament. I couldn’t take advantage of it, but I will go onto next week’s tournament with a lot more confidence and try and duplicate the results.”

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MADRID (AFP) — American James Blake continued his fine form on clay by reaching the first European clay final of his career with a 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 win over Nikolay Davydenko at the Estoril Open on Sunday.

Blake, who had never advanced beyond the quarter-finals on the continent before, won a rain-delayed semi-final over two days and now faces a last test in the title match later on Sunday.

The fourth seed will face experienced clay campaigner Alberto Montanes, the Spanish seventh seed, who booked his spot in the final on Saturday.

Blake trailed by a set to 2003 winner Davydenko but took a 4-2 lead in the second before darkness on Saturday finally forced the contest off court after a frustrating afternoon of rain.

Davydenko, who lost the 2008 final to Roger Federer at the Estadio Nacional, levelled at 4-4 upon their return as the Russian's vast experience on the surface looked like paying off.

But the newly confident Blake fought through a second-set tiebreaker, sweeping into a third set after the Russian put a backhand wide.

Blake consolidated in the third set, sewing up his personal best performance on the surface in two and a half hours.

The American and Montanes have never met, while the 28-year-old Spaniard tries to improve a 13-13 season record and bids for a second title from a sixth career final.

Blake holds a 10-12 career record in finals as he plays only his second on clay after losing last year in Houston.

Blake becomes the second American to reach an Estoril final since Todd Martin in 1999.

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American James Blake and Russian Nikolay Davydenko are going through it in their semifinal match at the Estoril Open in Estoril, Portugal. Rain caused the first suspension and darkness the second.

The match is currently suspended in the second set with Blake up 4-2. Davydenko took the first set 7-6(3).

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Americans Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears won their first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour team title at the Estoril Open on Saturday, when the third-seeded Americans beat Sharon Fichman of Canada and Hungarian Katalin Marosi 2-6, 6-3, 10-5 (Match TB) in 74 minutes.

Kops-Jones and Spears, who has previously made a run to the quarter-final in Miami (l. to Peschke-Raymond) this year, won just eight points on return of serve in the first set but managed to turn around their 13th match of the season.

In the Match Tie-break, Kops-Jones and Spears won three points against serve to open up an 8-4 lead which they coolly converted into their eighth win of the year.

The American duo had fought back from a one-set and 5-0 deficit in Friday’s semi-finals against Julie Coin and Marie-Eve Pelletier for a 3-6, 7-5, 10-3 (Match TB) win.

For Kops-Jones it was her second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title after partnering Christina Fusano in Quebec City (d. Dubois-Varacova) in November 2007.

Spears has now four tour-level trophies, including 2003 Auckland (w/Ashley), 2004 Vancouver (w/Mattek), 2005 Cincinnati (w/Granville). She also finished runner-up at 2005 Memphis (w/Granville).

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A wonderfully resurgent James Blake has found his footing and a seemingly new attitude - actually his old one - in Estoril, Portugal at the Estoril Open. Blake knocked Frenchman Florent Serra out of the tournament 6-4, 6-1.

With very little fanfare after quite a few recent early round loses, Blake has moved through this tournament as if previous court failings did not exist. It can't be easy to suffer so many loses and maintain the fortitude that originally took him to the top ten.

Whatever has or has not occurred, Blake is an exciting player that lifts the heat level of any tournament when he plays like he has this week. It is a pleasure to see.

This is a high for Blake, getting past the quarterfinal round on European clay. This effort has granted him a meeting with Russian Nikolay Davydenko whom Blake has a winning record against.

Post match Blake said, "This was a good match but I hope to continue that. Davydenko is a great player and he's especially dangerous on clay. But I feel I'm ready for this match."

"My game has gotten better and better all week and I'm really dictating like I want to on court."

In his interview Davydenko said, "Physically I'm not as strong as I can be but mentally I'm very tough. I've never had such a long time away from tennis in my career.

"But since I've come back I've been playing well. Everything's not about tennis anymore for me, I have family and other interests.

"Now, I hardly think about my matches, I just go out and play relaxed. For me, it doesn't matter how you are playing, it's your mental state. It's always in your head."

These two gentlemen set up the makings of what could be a tremendous match, I hope it turns out that way.

American Venus Williams and Russian Dinara Safina

In Rome at the Internazionali BNL D'Italia, American Venus Williams successfully toiled her way to the semifinals where she was defeated today by Russian Dinara Safina 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4.

Throughout this tournament Venus has shown the tough metal that we have come to know her for over the years. While it wasn't sufficient to pull out the championship in Rome, it should signal that she will be a tough competitor as the clay court season further heats up.

Post match Venus said, "She played well, continued to fight for every point. That's what you have to do on this surface," she said. "I congratulate her on playing good tennis the whole match."

Another aspect of Venus that we've come to know and expect - dignity.

Photos by:
Francisco Leong/AFP/Getty Images (James Blake)
Ryan Pierse/Getty Images (Venus Williams)

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ESTORIL, Portugal (AFP) — America's James Blake booked his first claycourt quarter-final in more than a year with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 defeat of France's Marc Gicquel at the Estoril Open on Thursday.

Blake, now 2-2 on the surface which has traditionally been his downfall, claimed his second victory in as many days at the Estadio Nacional as his game springs to life with the French Open approaching in just over a fortnight.

The 29-year-old has not appeared in a last-eight lineup on clay since May last year when he lost in Rome to Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka.

"It's a good feeling, I really like the way I'm playing," said Blake, 11-8 on the season. "I'm now playing my style and it feels great.

"Even if I'd not won two in a row, I would have been satisfied with my game. I was really going for my shots."

The American is playing in his third clay event of the season after losing openers in both Houston and Rome. But his Wednesday first-round win over Portuguese number one Frederico Gil gave him the boost he needed.

Fourth seed Blake overcame nine aces off Gicquel's racquet, producing five of his own and saving the only break point that he faced.

Blake broke twice in the 79-minute contest which puts him into a quarter-final against French eighth seed Florent Serra who defeated Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

"He beat me pretty bad on clay (Rome, 2006)," said the American. "He's a tough competitor and I certainly don't expect him to roll over - but that won't happen with me either.

"I'm confident in my game and I like my chances if I keep playing like this."

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OEIRAS, Portugal -- James Blake recovered from a poor start to defeat Frederico Gil 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 Wednesday in the first round of the Estoril Open.

Blake struggled with his serve in the first set, while Gil won three of his service games at love and broke the American in the 11th game.

Blake improved in the second, but had to save a break point in the fifth game and looked uncomfortable in long baseline rallies. In the third, Blake broke the 68th-ranked Gil in the second game and withstood three break points chances in the next game.

"It was very tough," said the 16th-ranked Blake. "I just hung in, I've got a lot of experience, and things started going my way."

I thought that we were going to have to have alter call on this brother, we may still have to, but not today.

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River Oaks U. S. Men's Clay Court Championship, Houston, Texas

Final Round - Singles

James Blake, USA defeated by Marcel Granollers-Pujol, ESP
4-6, 6-1, 5-7


Estoril Open, Estoril Portugal

Final Round - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Jamie Murry, GBR and Kevin Ullyett, ZIM
6-2, 4-6, 10-8


Family Circle Cup, Charleston, South Carolina

Final Round - Singles

Serena Williams, USA defeated Vera Zvonareva, RUS
6-4, 3-6, 6-3


USTA Pro Circuit

St. Vincent Auxillary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, Little Rock, Arkansas

Semifinal Round - Singles

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated by Artem Sitak
6-7(1), 6-7(4)

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Jamie Murray narrowly missed out on his second doubles title of the year as the Scot and partner Kevin Ullyett were beaten 6-2 4-6 10-8 by Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie in the final of the Estoril Open.

Murray's regular partner Max Mirnyi, with whom he won the title in Delray Beach in February, was on Davis Cup duty with Belarus but Zimbabwean Ullyett proved a more than adequate replacement.

The pair did not get off to the best of starts however, as top seeds Coetzee and Moodie broke Ullyett's serve twice in the first set.

But a single break in the seventh game of the second set allowed Murray and Ullyett to force a deciding match tie-break.

South Africans Coetzee and Moodie raced into a 5-1 lead and, although the second seeds clawed themselves back into contention, a passing shot down the middle from Coetzee settled proceedings.

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River Oaks U. S. Men's Clay Court Championship, Houston, Texas

Quarterfinal Round - Singles

James Blake, USA defeated Augustin Calleri, ARG
6-4, 6-3


Estoril Open, Estoril Portugal

Semifinal Round - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Yves Allegro, SUI and Nicolas Mahut, FRA
5-7, 6-4, 10/6


Family Circle Cup

Quarterfinal Round - Singles

Serena Williams, USA defeated Maria Sharapova, RUS
7-5, 4-6, 6-1


USTA Pro Circuit

Ballenisles Women's Challenger, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Semifinal Round

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Sunitha Rao, IND
defeated by
Ekaterina Afinogenova, RUS and Lauren Albanese, USA
6-4, 6-1


St. Vincent Auxillary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, Little Rock, Arkansas

Quarterfinal Round

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated James Ward, GBR
7-6(3), 6-3

Phillip Simmonds, USA defeated by Julio Peralta, CHI
6-4, 6-2

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River Oaks U. S. Men's Clay Court Championship, Houston, Texas

Round 3 - Singles

James Blake, USA defeated Ryan Harrison, USA,
6-3, 6-2


Estoril Open, Estoril Portugal

Round 1 - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Robert Lindstedt, SWE and Jarkko Nieminen, FIN
6-2, 6-7(4), 10/6


Family Circle Cup

Round 2 - Singles

Serena Williams, USA defeated Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
4-6, 6-4, 6-3


USTA Pro Circuit

Ballenisles Women's Challenger, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Round 2 - Singles

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA defeated by Anna Tatishvili, GEO
6-4, 6-0

Quarterfinal Round

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Sunitha Rao, IND
defeated
Asia Muhammad, USA and Ashley Weinhold, USA
6-2, 7-6(4)


St. Vincent Auxillary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, Little Rock, Arkansas

Round 2 - Singles

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated Luigi D'Agord, ITA
6-3, 4-6, 6-4

Phillip Simmonds, USA defeated Guillermo Rivera-Aranguiz, CHI
6-2, 3-6, 6-2

Quarterfinal Round - Doubles

Marcus Fugate, USA and Adam Fass, USA
defeated by
Haydn Lewis, BAR and Bjorn Munroe, BAH
6-1, 7-6(5)


Tallahassee Tennis Challenger, Tallahassee, Florida

Round 3 - Singles

Scoville Jenkins, USA defeated by Alex Kuznetsov, USA
4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3

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