Black Tennis Pros

MIAMI, Fla. (www.sonyericssonopen.com) – The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open announced its wildcard entries and this year it features former World No. 4 James Blake and former World No. 1 Dinara Safina. A total of five wildcard slots were granted to the men’s draw and also include Jack Sock, Ryan Harrison, Milos Raonic, and Bernard Tomic. While six were given on the women’s side which feature Heather Watson, Sorana Cirstea, Sabine Lisicki, Madison Keys, and Coco Vandeweghe.

Women’s main draw begins on Tuesday, March 22, while the men’s main draw kicks off the following day on Wednesday, March 23. The qualifying rounds will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 21 and 22.

Tickets to the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyericssonopen.com. An electrifying two weeks of tennis conclude with the women’s final on Saturday, April 2 and the men’s final on Sunday, April 3.

Blake will make his return to Miami, hoping to improve on his career-best quarterfinal showings in 2006 and 2008. Safina made her last appearance on the purple courts in 2009 as the No. 2 seeded player advancing to the third round. She recorded her career-best finish in 2008 when she advanced to the quarterfinals.

Blake, always a fan favorite, earned his first ATP win in 2002 becoming the fourth African American to win an ATP title in the Open Era. In 2005, Blake grabbed the national spotlight at the U.S. Open when he played a thrilling five-set match in the quarter finals against his idol, Andre Agassi. From there, Blake’s career blossomed tremendously as he reached his career-high of No. 4 in the world in 2006 becoming the first African American to crack the top-10 since his role model, Arthur Ashe.

Safina made her professional debut in 2002. The Russian star recorded a breakout season in 2008 winning a career-best four singles titles. In 2008, she was awarded the WTA Most Improved Player, and was the first player in history to defeat three reigning World No. 1s in the same season (Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, and Jelena Jankovic). Safina reached a career-high rank of No. 1 in the world in 2009, and joined her brother Marat Safin as the first brother-sister combo to both achieve World No. 1 rankings.

In addition to Blake and Safina the tournament wildcards include many of the Tour’s next generation of tennis stars.

Men’s Main Draw Wildcards
James Blake
Jack Sock
Ryan Harrison
Milos Raonic
Bernard Tomic

Men’s Qualifying Wildcards
Gastao Elias
Filip Krajinovic

Women’s Main Draw Wildcards
Dinara Safina
Heather Watson
Madison Keys
Sabine Lisicki
Coco Vandeweghe
Sorana Cirstea

Women’s Qualifying Draw Wildcards
Michelle Larcher de Brito
Lauren Davis
Carina Witthoeft
Aleksandra Wozniak
Beatrice Capra
Sloane Stevens

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The BNP Paribas Open announced Blake as one of their wild card recipients in saying, "American veteran and former World No. 4 James Blake, who will be seeking to conjure up memories of 2006 when he made the finals of the BNP Paribas Open. The 10-time winner on the ATP World Tour battled injuries throughout 2010, but is starting to get healthy and looking to climb the rankings."

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NEW HAVEN -- Fairfield's James Blake has seen better days. Once ranked in the top five in the world, he now finds himself 107th, with injuries and inconsistent play being the main reason.

However, Blake is hoping the Pilot Pen again can be an all-purpose fix to his career. Not just to get his confidence back up, or move him up in the world rankings, but more importantly, to make the game fun again.

"It's a fact that I miss being on the court," said Blake. "That isn't fun (not playing), but being on the court and being able to play in front of my hometown fans is always a good time. I have so much fun playing in front of these guys."

The fun for Blake begins today as he is holding a tennis clinic and Q and A from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Grandstand at Yale as a part of Kids Day at the Pilot Pen. Tickets are $8 for those 14 and under and $16 for adults.

His mom, Betty, is even getting in on the action. She recently wrote a book titled "Mix it Up, Make it Nice: Secrets of a tennis mom." She will be signing her book at 12:30 today in front of the pro shop at the tennis center, and James will be right by her side assisting.

Blake will be facing off against Pere Riba on Monday at a time to be announced. Blake won the Pilot Pen in 2005 and 2007.

Injuries to his knee and hamstring and poor finishes at Wimbledon, where he was eliminated in straight sets to the 151st-ranked player in the world, Robin Hasse, and recently the Legg Mason, where he was bounced out in the first round, have kept Blake down in the rankings. However, he said he does not look at the rankings. They only cross his mind on one occasion.

"The only time I think about it is when I need a wild card or what I am going do for my schedule in the fall," Blake said. "Or will tournament directors give me wild cards, you know; not all tournament directors are as nice as Anne Worcester."

However, the injuries have taken a toll on the former Pilot Pen champion's outlook for the future. Blake mentioned retirement as a possibility after Wimbledon, but Saturday said he has not seriously contemplated it. In spite of that, he is aware that the end could come at any time.

"I don't look at a definite timeline," Blake said. "Since '04 when I was sick (with the shingles), I always thought that I have a finite career. ... I've always thought there would be a life after tennis, whether it's in tennis or out, or back in school. I've always thought about that. But I haven't set a time when we're going to plan a retirement party."

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Two-time US Open quarterfinalist James Blake (Tampa, Fla.) and a talented group of Americans consisting of Bradley Klahn (Poway, Calif.), Jack Sock (Lincoln, Neb.), Ryan Sweeting (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), and Donald Young (Atlanta), along with two international players -- Australian Carsten Ball and Guillaume Rufin of France -- have been awarded men's singles main-draw wild-card entries into the 2010 US Open Tennis Championships. One additional wild card will be given to the winner of the 2010 US Open Wild Card Playoffs, held August 18-20 at the USTA Player Development Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. The 2010 US Open will be played August 30 - September 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Both the men's and women's US Open singles champions will earn $1.7 million, with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total potential payout of $2.7 million) based on their performance in the 2010 Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Men's Singles Championship is presented by Mercedes-Benz USA. Blake, 30, of Tampa, Fla., has won 10 career singles titles on the ATP World Tour and reached a career-high of No. 4 in 2006. He reached consecutive quarterfinals at the US Open in 2005-06, and in 2008 he upset Roger Federer en route to a fourth place finish at the Beijing Olympics. A long-time Davis Cup stalwart, Blake helped lead the U.S. to the 2007 Davis Cup title. Blake, who grew up in nearby Fairfield, Conn., has been hampered by injuries in 2010 and is currently No. 107. Blake last received a US Open wild card in 2005, when he was also ranked No. 107 at the time of the entry deadline. His quarterfinal finish that year ranks second all-time for best US Open finish by a wild card.

Young, 21, of Atlanta is ranked No. 101 and has bounced back in 2010 to approach the Top 100 for the first time since 2008, reaching the semifinals or better at six USTA Pro Circuit Challengers and advancing to the second round at the Australian Open. He first broke into the Top 100 in 2007 by reaching the third round at the US Open. As a junior standout, Young was a two-time junior Grand Slam tournament champion (2005 Australian Open, 2007 Wimbledon) and in 2005 became the youngest-ever year-end world junior No. 1.

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Press Release



Atlantic City (March 30, 2010) - Harrah's Entertainment, Caesars Atlantic City and StarGames announced today that Caesars Tennis Classic host Venus Williams will receive the first annual Caesars Tennis Classic Achievement Award during the exhibition event on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The award recognizes a tennis personality that has contributed above and beyond their play both on and off the court. In addition to her stellar play on the court as one of the top women players in the world (she advanced to the quarterfinals of this week's Sony Ericsson Championship in Miami yesterday), Williams continues to be a great ambassador of the sport working with the UNICEF, the USTA, the WTA and the Women's Sports Foundation to promote the game and give back to different communities throughout the world. Don Marrandino, the President of the Eastern Division of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. will present the award to her on behalf of the inaugural Caesars Tennis Classic.

The highly anticipated Caesars Tennis Classic, hosted by Williams, will feature tennis greats of past and present including Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Mats Wilander and Marat Safin in a one night tennis spectacular at the newly renovated Boardwalk Hall. In addition to the Classic, Caesars will host pre and post-tournament events including the must see Tennis Village in the Palladium Ballroom at Caesars with appearances by the tennis greats. Detailed information regarding the Caesars Tennis Classic can be found at www.CaesarsTennisClassic.com.

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ROUND 1

Women's Singles

(Q)Sloane Stephens, USA defeated Lucie Hradecka, CZE
7-6(5), 7-6(7)

(Q)Shenay Perry, USA defeated by Karolina Sprem, CRO
2-6, 6-4, 3-6

Doubles

Raquel Kops-Jones and Sarah Borwell, GBR
defeated
Anabel Medina Garrigues, ESP and Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7-6(4), 4-6 [10-2]

Shenay Perry, USA and Melanie Oudin, USA
defeated by
Alisa Kleybanova, RUS and Francesca Schiavone, ITA
4-6, 5-7


Men's Singles

Gael Monfils, FRA vs. BYE

James Blake, USA defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver, ESP
6-3, 6-2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs. BYE

Doubles

James Blake, USA and Andy Roddick, USA
defeated
Ross Hutchins, GBR and Andy Murray, GBR
7-5, 7-6(5)

Gael Monfils, FRA and Gilles Simon, FRA
defeated by
David Ferrer, ESP and Albert Montanes, ESP
4-6, 2-6

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Julien Benneteau, FRA
defeated
Robert Lindstedt, SWE and Robin Soderling, SWE
7-5, 7-5

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Donald Young, USA
Dustin Brown, JAM


ROUND 2

Women's Singles

(Q)Sloan Stephens, USA defeated by Vera Zvonareva, RUS
4-6, 5-7

Doubles

Raquel Kops-Jones and Sarah Borwell, GBR
defeated by
Yung-Jan Chan, TPE and Jie Zheng, CHN
1-6, 2-6


MEN'S SINGLES

Gael Monfils, FRA defeated by Simon Gruel, GER
6-1, 2-6, 3-6

James Blake, USA defeated David Ferrer, ESP
6-1, 6-4

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA defeated Marinko Matosevic, AUS
6-1, 6-3

Doubles

James Blake, USA and Andy Roddick, USA
defeated by
Daniel Nestor, CAN and Nenad Zimonjic, SRB
4-6, 6-3 [7-10]

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Julien Benneteau, FRA
defeated by
Simon Aspelin, SWE and Paul Hanley, AUS
6-7(4), 3-6


ROUND 3

MEN'S SINGLES

James Blake, USA vs. Nicolas Almagro, ESP
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs. Albert Montanes, ESP


ROUND 1

Singles

Asia Muhammed, USA defeated Ahsha Rolle, USA
6-4, 6-3

Angela Haynes, USA defeated by Jing-Jing Lu, CHN
4-6, 2-6

Doubles

Asia Muhammed, USA and Courtney B. Dolehide, USA
defeated by
Christina Fusano, USA and Courtney Nagle, USA
4-6, 6-3 [3-10]

Megan Moulton-Levy and Yulia Fedossova, FRA
defeated by
Xinyun Han, CHN and Chun-Mei Ji, CHN
6-1, 1-6 [5-10]

Angela Haynes, USA and Ahsha Rolle, USA
defeated
Corinna Dentoni, ITA and Anna Tatishvili, GEO
6-1, 6-4


Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Alexandra Stevenson, USA


ROUND 2

Singles

Asia Muhammed, USA defeated by Jing-Jing Lu, CHN
2-6, 4-6


QUARTERFINAL ROUND

Doubles

Angela Haynes, USA and Ahsha Rolle, USA
defeated by
Yi-Fan Xu, CHN and Yi-Miao Zhou, CHN
5-7, 6-3 [15-17]

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Friday, Delray Beach, Fla. (AP) — Second-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia advanced to the semifinals of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championship on Friday, overpowering seventh-seeded James Blake in the third set for a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory.

The 6-foot-10 Karlovic served 23 aces in improving to 5-3 against Blake and reaching his first semifinal in four quarterfinal appearances this year.

Blake broke the 33rd-ranked Croat once, the fourth game of the second set at love.

In the third set, Karlovic lost only three points in four service games. He won two service games in the final set at love — two of the four points in the first game were aces, and three of the four service points in the fifth game were aces.

Blake, a two-time finalist at Delray Beach, questioned whether Karlovic's backhand was in on the point that cost the American his serve for the second time in the final set, but he lost the argument.

“To miss a call that’s clearly out when you can overrule a 140 mile-an-hour first serve seems a little strange to me, but that’s going to happen,” said Blake.

Later, Blake teamed with fellow American Robert Kendrick in a doubles losing effort against Slovakia's Igor Zelenay and Germany's Philipp Marx, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, [10-6].

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Part I - The Beginning
Part II The Emergence Of A Black Champion

At the end of Althea’s career, Dr. Johnson realized that his dream of helping to produce a world champion was successful. But, he had something else up his sleeve… For the past several years, he had been grooming other talented youngsters at his home in Lynchburg, Virginia. Each summer, a group of the most talented minority youth from across the country would gather at his home to train and play tournaments. I was selected as the northeastern candidate and this is how I met the next world champion, Arthur Ashe. We were a talented group but it soon became clear that Arthur was something special. He was a quiet, determined youngster and was developing a formidable tennis game. In Dr. Johnson’s opinion, Arthur was perfect to lead the charge because he was unflappable. Insults, flagrant cheating and verbal abuse would roll off of Arthur’s back without effect. The mission was clear; win quietly and respond to nothing but the tennis ball. It was further made clear that any of us that reacted to the bad calls; any of us that argued; any of us that responded to the verbal slurs or challenged the fairness of the situation, would be sent home immediately. Although none of us were sent home for violations of these rules, those of us from the big, northern cities had to bite our tongues. Arthur, on the other had was born and raised in the segregated south. His father was the public park attendant at the tennis courts across the street from his home and he couldn’t play on those courts because he was black. He seemed to understand that he was destined for greatness and that his icy-cool demeanor was a key to success. We were made to understand that an outburst by one of us, would be seen as a negative characteristic of the entire group. Tournament directors would be able to say, “See, I knew they’d act that way if we let them into the tournament!” There were many youngsters placed in that situation over the years, but, none of us ever allowed those words to be uttered.

After civil rights legislation was enacted in 1964, history would show that the black elite moved to exclusive, suburban communities. Some people believe that this suburban exodus was the beginning of the decline in the growth of black tennis as well as a slowing of the positive growth in the black community. Others believe that the ability to live beside and emulate positive role models, along with the forced creation of a homogeneous community, were positive aspects of segregation. Black businessmen, both legitimate and otherwise, were guaranteed to be successful - as a direct result of segregation. Any Black that opened a grocery store, produce stand or repair store was certain to capture the business of the local constituency, because those customers were not permitted to patronize white-owned stores. This environment provided fertile ground for entrepreneurs; legitimate businessmen and hustlers alike.

It is into this era that Arthur Ashe emerged as a standout tennis player. In some ways, Arthur was a most unlikely role model and world champion. He was slender, almost frail looking. He was mild-mannered; always appearing to be passive, unemotional and reserved. Did he possess the strength, focus and determination to overcome the alienation of segregation, along with the rejection and degradation that was sure to be in his future? Wouldn’t someone from the north - someone with a more aggressive personality - someone who would defy the system have a better chance to overcome the odds? History would show that Arthur was the perfect candidate. He was simply better than the rest of us. He was a likeable young man and if you were not a hard-core racist, you would find Arthur friendly, personable and non-confrontational. Even in his memoirs, “Days of Grace”, one can sense his absence of anger. Concerning his inability to play tournament tennis in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, Arthur said: “I remember the kindly white tennis official, Sam Woods, who would not allow me to play in municipal tournaments in Richmond, and all the other not-so-kindly officials who barred my way so that I finally played in only one official tennis tournament while I was a junior in Virginia.”

His success as a Davis Cup player and his U.S. Open and Wimbledon titles are legendary. But, his recognition at tennis became the tool that he would use to challenge society to end the racial injustice that plagued the planet. He made several trips to South Africa (against the wishes of many Black leaders in America) to pressure the government to end apartheid. He marched on Washington in support of the fair treatment of Haitian refugees. His life was dedicated to the elevation of his people. He focused a great deal of his attention on education. He encouraged youngsters to become doctors and lawyers. He wanted youngsters to attend and graduate from college instead of putting all of their energy into athletics. He realized that less than 1% of varsity athletes ever signed a professional sports contract. At the same time, he made many attempts to create a system that produced a pipeline of young black players that could use tennis as a vehicle to take them to college. One such program was a collaboration with Nick Bollettieri. The Ashe-Bollettieri “Cities” Tennis Program (ABC) taught tennis to more than 10,000 children. The program attempted to impress upon them the value of preventive health education and the importance of staying in school. Hundreds from this program (which later became the Arthur Ashe Safe Passage Foundation) went on to college on either academic or athletic scholarships. It was one of the programs that made Arthur most proud. Before Arthur died, he got a glimpse of Venus and Serena Williams, two young girls that would, for a short time, take over the reins of leadership after his voice was silenced. But, Arthur would not live to see the emergence of James Blake. James possessed many qualities that would enamor him to the tennis community at large. He is handsome, articulate and Harvard University educated. More importantly, he is thoughtful, non-confrontational and non-threatening. James, if he is so inclined, will be the heir-apparent to Arthur’s throne; the voice of Black tennis. Because, you see, like Arthur, the voice of James Blake is the only one that is likely to resonate with the powers that be.



The author, Bob Davis, currently owns and operates Coastal Tennis and Sports, LLC in Bradenton, Florida.

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At the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Thursday, American James Blake, who has reached the finals here twice, advanced to the quarterfinal round after a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Robin Haase of The Netherlands. Blake's next opponent is Croatia's Ivo Karlovic.

After his win over Haase, the 30-year-old American hit the main stadium court for a first-round evening doubles match, teaming with Robert Kendrick to defeat fellow Americans Eric Butorac and David Martin 6-3, 6-4 on a chilly night in South Florida. They next meet Philipp Marx and Igor Zelenay, who earlier upset the No. 3-seeded team of Ross Hutchins and Jordan Kerr in three sets.

In his first round match, Blake defeated fellow American Taylor Dent 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.


Atlanta Tennis Championships Inaugural Tournament

Committed to playing in the inaugural Atlanta Tennis Championships is James Blake, the long-time American tennis star who has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world. Blake has won 10 ATP titles, including the 2006 Indianapolis tournament, which the Atlanta tournament is replacing. He started his career in 2000 and has been a Davis Cup stalwart for the American team.

The Atlanta event, owned and operated by USTA Southern, will serve as the kick-off to the 2010 Olympus US Open Series.


Caesars Tennis Classic Inaugural Tournament

A match between Pete Sampras and James Blake has been added to the inaugural Caesars Tennis Classic at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on April 10.

The event, being hosted by Venus Williams, has three matches in a team format.

The first features Ivan Lendl, in his first match since his 1994 retirement, against Mats Wilander in a one-set no-ad scoring match.

The second match has Andy Roddick, currently the top-ranked American men's player, facing Marat Safin in a best-of-three-set match. This match will also be no-ad scoring and will be decided by a super tiebreaker (first to 10 must win by two) if necessary.

The third match has Sampras, 14-time Grand Slam champion, against Blake in a best-of-three-set match. This match will also be no-ad scoring and will also be decided by the super tiebreaker, if necessary.

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ROUND 1

Singles

Venus Williams, USA defeated Mathilde Johansson, FRA
6-2, 6-3

Doubles

Mashona Washington, USA and Sharon Fichman, CAN
vs.
Edina Gallovitts, ROU and Mariya Koryttseva, UKR


ROUND 2

Singles

Venus Williams, USA vs. Kaia Kanepi, EST

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Angela Haynes, USA


ROUND 1

Doubles

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Sarah Borwell, GBR
vs.
Darija Jurak, CRO and Katalin Marosi, HUN

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA


ROUND 1

Singles

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA defeated Michael Llodra, FRA
7-6(9), Ret'd


ROUND 2

Singles

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs. Ivan Ljubicic, CRO


ROUND 1

Singles

James Blake, USA vs. Taylor Dent, USA

Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Scott Lipsky, USA
vs.
Jarkko Nieminen, FIN and Bobby Reynolds, USA

James Blake, USA and Ryan Kendrick, USA
vs.
Eric Butorac, USA and David Martin, USA

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

(6)Donald Young, USA


ROUND 1

Singles

Phillip Simmonds, USA, vs. Artem Sitak, RUS
Nicholas Monroe, USA vs. Blake Strode, USA

Doubles

Phillip Simmonds, USA and Andrew Anderson, RSA
vs.
Arnau Brugues-Davi, ESP and Victor Estrella, DOM

Nicholas Monroe, USA and Gregory Ouellette, USA
vs.
Javier Herrera-Equiluz, MEX and Daniel Kosakowski, USA

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Top-seeded Andy Roddick snapped a three-match losing streak to fellow American James Blake with a 6-3, 4-6. 7-6 (3) victory in the first round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships on Wednesday night.

"We've played so many times, and he's beaten me, that there's going to be a sense of belief that most guys ranked 60th in the world probably aren't going to have as much as he has against me," Roddick said.

Blake, actually ranked 55th, broke Roddick's serve in the 10th game of the third set to pull even at 5-5. Both then held serve sending the match to the tiebreaker.

He went up in the tiebreaker when he broke serve on the fourth point as Blake hit a backhand wide down the line. Blake would end up with three unforced errors off the backhand in the tiebreaker.

"Whoever won was going to be pretty darn well-prepared for the rest of the tournament and feel good about their chances," Blake said. "It's tough to swallow.

"It just didn't go my way on a couple of points," Blake said of the tiebreaker. "A couple of missed backhands, and he kept the pressure on me the whole time."

As usual, Roddick used a strong serve, recording 22 aces and converting 75 percent of his first serves.

"I served well in the tiebreaker," Roddick said. "I served smart in the tiebreaker."

Roddick, the defending champion, was the only one of the top four seeds in the tournament to make it out of the first round. No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco lost Tuesday night.

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France’s Gael Monfils didn’t show his best form in cruising past Croatia ‘s Antonio Veic 6-4, 6-4 6-4 in the second round. Next, he faces a much taller task in American John Isner.

Putting his various ailments behind him, the 12th seed played an athletic and fairly effective game behind the baseline match in besting the Croat, cranking big forehand winners when called upon to ice the contest. “I’ve had two easy rounds, and that’s never happened to me at Grand Slam before.”

But Monfils, who is coached by Australian Roger Rasheed, wasn’t thrilled with his play.

“On a scale of 1 to 20, I would give myself a five,” he said. “Roger would probably give me a two. Against Isner, I’m planning on giving him a much better number.”

“He has a monster serve,” said Monfils. “It’s going to be really hard to return serve. If he’s serving well, it’s almost a bet as to whether I go left or right. I’m going to have to try and read his serve really well.”

James Blake, USA

I don't know what this exchange of glances on the sidelines was about, but there was definitely a fight happening on court. Blake was not able to topple Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro, who won the match 6-4, 6-7(3), 5-7, 6-3, 10-8, but he put up one hell of of a contest.

In the best match on the men’s side to date, del Potro had to come up with every shot in the book to repel the veteran American, who fought off one break point after another late in the fifth set in an attempt to pull off what could have been one of the most critical victories of his career.

“As soon as I let any ball sit up a little, he was taking it to me,” Blake said. “That’s my goal too, and I had chances at them and made some mistakes. That's the difference. You miss a couple balls and he’s moving on, and I'm not. But that’s why he won the US Open and is No. 4 in the world.”

“It’s tough to rank the [five set losses] but right now it hurts pretty bad,” said Blake. “I had plenty of messages from people back home who were up until 5 am watching me, and I don’t even want to respond to many. I just feel bad that they were up watching and are probably going to sleep a little disappointed. Luckily for me they will all be my friends tomorrow, which will help me get through after I stop beating myself up for a few hours or few days.”

That was an encouraging battle to watch, no disappointment here Blake.

Donald Young, USA

"Every match I played in the qualies, it seemed like they were rooting for the other guy, but this will just be at a totally different level, obviously," he said."I'll just have to go out there and play and imagine they're cheering my name."I've played a couple of pretty top players, but none like Lleyton here with the crowd. He's from here and they love him. (But) that's what you look for, you want to play these players."

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Way to go Donald... great performance!

American Donald Young persevered in a four-set match with Belgium's Christophe Rochus that saw him down a set from the jump. Donald put it in gear though and took the next three sets with a win coming in at 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4.

Donald said “If he would have played the whole match the way he did that first set, he would have got me again. He couldn’t miss.”

After having come through the qualifying event to enter the main draw he states, “When I’m feeling good about myself, I play better, when I’m down I don’t play as well.”

American Venus Williams cruised past Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic easily, defeating her her 6-2, 6-2. Post match Venus said, "I feel like I have so much left in my strings to accomplish, I love playing. I want to win each tournament I play. I want to win the majors, play doubles, and be in the Olympics."

Always being asked about age and retirement as she approaches 30 this year, of playing younger players Venus says, "To be honest, when you're on the court, age doesn't matter. So far, I'm fast and strong and maintaining that is great."


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has continued his love affair with the Australian Open, sailing through to the second round after a straight-sets win over Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky on Hisense Arena on Tuesday.

The Frenchman, seeded No. 10, put on a powerful and athletic display that entertained the sizeable crowd. Showing no signs of the wrist injury that afflicted him in the lead-up to the tournament, he prevailed 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 51 minutes.

American James Blake continues to look like a man on a mission in his 7-5, 7-5, 6-2 defeat of Frenchman Arnaud Clement. Blake seems so much more poised and focused as he begins his 2010 campaign - impressive.

Blake himself is pleased with his current serve execution, “I only got broken once in three sets against a guy who puts so many returns in the court … a good feeling - got a few free points and served at a high percentage for me. I am pretty proud of the work we did on my serve in the off-season.

American Serena Williams made quick work of her first opponent, Poland's Urszula Radwanska who also has a big sister on the tour (Agnieszka). Serena pummled Radwanswka for a little over an hour to arrive at a decisive 6-2, 6-1 victory.

“I was happy to get through,” Serena said. “The scoreline seemed to be easy, but there were tough points. So I was just happy to get it over with.

“She plays really well. I think her game has definitely come on. I feel like she's more consistent. You know, it's a different score than Wimbledon, but still I think that she's more consistent and a little better ‑ a lot better.”


Frenchman Gael Monfils completed his rain-delayed match against Australian Matthew Ebden, winning the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.


American Shenay Perry was unable to find a solution for her match with Serbian Ana Ivanovic. She was defeated 2-6, 3-6.

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