Black Tennis Pros

 
In a second round match, Czech Radek Stepanek knocked out top-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-3. Tsonga, a runner-up Monday at The Queen’s Club, managed to win just 55 per cent of his service points and was broken four times during the 59-minute match.

Stepanek improved to a 15-12 season record, and recorded his first win over Tsonga in three meetings. The former World No. 8 next meets the winner between Japan’s Kei Nishikori and German qualifier Rainer Schuettler.

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

On Tuesday at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis Tennessee, a very global group was handed their walking papers in the first round.

From Japan's Kei Nishikori, to American Donald Young, to the 2003 title holder American Taylor Dent, to Argentine Guillermo Canas, and others.... defeat was prevalent in some who I thought would at least make it past the first round. Did I mention that Sweden's Robin Soderling is also in this group?

Neither Young or Nishikori have been setting the courts on fire as of late, so I guess I'm more hoping that they will prevail. Dent and Canas haven't been on top of their game in awhile either, but these are two players who you expect to see beyond round 1.

A quartet of Americans will be front and center on Wednesday, James Blake, Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish. Let's hope they fair a bit better.

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

In an interview Blake said, "Monday's going to be a lot of fun. I did an exhibition with him last year, and we had a really good match. He's obviously one of the great champions we've ever had in the sport if not the greatest. It's a lot of fun being around someone like that, a great tennis mind. Someone who can still teach you plenty.

You know, it's not really pressure packed, we're just having fun. He still obviously has the game that he can compete, you know, for one match or two matches at a time. I think what's gotten him the most is he wasn't able to do the grind all year, playing three out of five sets every other day and playing match after match and getting on the practice court and putting in the time. But on a given day, he can put up a pretty good fight."

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