Black Tennis Pros

Gael Monfils amazed as he defeated Phillipp Kohlschreiber

Frenchman Gael Monfils took game to German Phillipp Kohlschreiber in much the same way Kohlschreiber took it to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the previous round.  Monfils left no stone unturned from game one. There was barely a shot from across the net that Monfils did not capitalize on as he defeated Kohlschreiber 6-0, 6-2.

Kohlschreiber initially appeared to be prepared for whatever Monfils would bring, unfortunately he obviously had no clue that Monfils would be bringing match play to the nth degree. Kohlschreiber has now suffered six consecutive defeats from Monfils. 

Monfils recently returned to the rankings in the top 20. With his current game, this should be a seriously impressive season.

Up next in the quarterfinals for the Frenchman is Austrian Dominic Thiem.

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

Frenchman Gael Monfils into the fourth round of the 2019 BNP Paribas Open

ATP Tour - Gael Monfils’ resurgence continued on Monday in Indian Wells, as the 18th-seeded Frenchman defeated Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-0, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.

The 32-year-old, who advanced to the semi-finals in his past three events, is now 14-3 in 2019. He captured his second ATP 500 trophy in February at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

Thanks to his early-season efforts, World No. 19 Monfils is back inside the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time since July 2017. He will face a stiff test in the next round against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Read More...

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

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

 Men's Singles - Round 4

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [13]
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [2]


Women's Doubles - Round 3

Madison Keys (USA)
Alison Riske (USA)
Lucie Hradecka (CZE)
Michaella Krajicek (NED)


Mixed Doubles - Round 2

Raquel Kops-Jones (USA)
Raven Klaasen (RSA)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) [5]
Daniel Nestor (CAN) [5]




 

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

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga set up a last 16 meeting with Novak Djokovic as he dismissed last year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist Jerzy Janowicz in front of a roaring Suzanne Lenglen crowd. What he lacked in perfect accuracy, the Frenchman more than made up for with bravura – it was the kind of day he relishes, galloping about the court in front of the home faithful. He beat the No.22 seed 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.


The two traded breaks at the start of the third as Tsonga’s concentration wandered a little. But halfway through the set the Frenchman breached Janowicz’s defences again – and this time it stuck. He closed out the match with a smash, to leave the crowd recalling memories of his epic quarter-final with Novak Djokovic two years ago when Tsonga somehow saw four match points go by. His ranking now is not as high as it was then, and the Serb is hungrier than ever for the title – but their fourth-round match this coming Sunday is an intriguing prospect, just the same.

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

2013 U.S. Open Champion Rafa Nadal chalks up his 13th Grand Slam Title

The number two ranked Spaniard added a second grand slam crown this season to his French Open triumph when the top-seeded Serb dumped a forehand into the net, sending Nadal down onto his back before rolling face down and sobbing in joy.

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

A morning of inclement Melbourne weather couldn’t dampen the mood of Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as he took to the Yarra River on Friday.

Despite overcast skies and blustery winds, the smiling Frenchman looked right at home while checking out the city sights from the bow of one of the city’s many water taxis.

“I like [to] spend a lot of time on water, I like [to] swim, I like fishing also,” he said.

“I like [the] people here, I like [the] weather, Even if today, you know, it’s not really good. Usually it’s pretty warm and I like that.”

A crowd favourite at Melbourne Park for his cool demeanour and free-wheeling style, Tsonga is about to enter his fifth Australian Open.

However, the sixth-seed faces a tough initiation to the 2012 tournament with an opening round clash against the 67th-ranked Denis Istomin.

Even though he holds a 2-0 career record over the Uzbekistani, Tsonga expects the first round battle with an in-form Istomin – who has reached the quarterfinals at Brisbane and the semifinals at Sydney this season – to be far from easy. “He’s playing well for the moment. It’s going to be a tough first round but, you know, I’m in a pretty good shape,” Tsonga said.

That “pretty good shape” has already seen him net a 2012 ATP title in Doha, courtesy of a 7-5 6-3 win over countryman Gael Monfils in the final.

Tsonga, nicknamed Ali for his resemblance to the legendary boxing icon Muhammed Ali, will be hoping to pack a similar punch when the Australian Open begins on January 16. His aim will be to go one win better than his previous best result, which occurred in 2008 when he reached the final before falling to current world No.1 Novak Djokovic.

“I feel great, I’ve had some great moments [at the Australian Open] in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,” he recalled.

“[I] hope I will play a good tournament.

When he’s not lining up his trademark forehand drive on court, Tsonga plans to use his down-time to check out some of the many restaurants scattered throughout Melbourne’s CBD.

“Sometimes at night I go out for dinner…on the river, on Chapel Street.”

And when asked about what he liked to do most outside of tennis – the likeable Tsonga revealed a simple, but perhaps not surprising, answer.

“I like to laugh, I like to laugh a lot. I think for me it’s the best medicine,” he grinned.

Heading in to the first major of the year, a relaxed, care-free and well-fed Tsonga can only bode well for his aspirations of winning a Grand Slam tournament.

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

Sergei Bubka, Ukraine

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga passed the test posed by Ukraine's Sergei Bubka on Thursday afternoon, earning a straight-sets victory 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 to secure his spot in the third round.

With this win, Tsonga has yet to drop a set en route to the third round, and his tennis looks solid enough to propel him into week two of the US Open. The Frenchman hasn't been pushed in his early round matches, but that may change in his next contest, when he could potentially face No. 19 seed Fernando Verdasco.

Both men opened the match with fairly easy service holds, but in the eighth game on Bubka's serve at 3-4, Tsonga put the pressure on his opponent to reach break point at 15-40. A forehand that sailed wide from Bubka handed Tsonga the break and a chance to serve out the set, which he did handily.

The second set began just as the first, but a break point in Tsonga's favor came a bit earlier, at 2-2, and he converted to take the lead. But Bubka took the break right back in an exciting eighth game at 4-3. Bubka stepped up and produced a solid return game, exhibiting some amazing feel with touch drop shots that fell just out of Tsonga's reach. The crowd came alive when Tsonga charged full-speed the net to track down one of Bubka's drop shots, but when he couldn't reach it in time, he avoided a run-in with the net by leaping over it near the post.


A brief shift in momentum went in Bubka's direction, as his net tactics and aggressive offense allowed him to get back in the set with a 5-4 lead. But Tsonga would have none of it, and he, too, showed great hands at the net, breaking Bubka for a 6-5 advantage and closing out the second set on his serve.

Tsonga needed only 30 minutes to take the final set, breaking Bubka in the third game and never looking back.

Tsonga, who has never fallen before the third round at the US Open, is looking to susurpass his best result here, which was a round of 16 appearance in 2009 as the No. 7 seed. And as the No. 11 seed, his chances of accomplishing that goal are good, considering the high level of play he brings as he entered the event. Tsonga reached the semifinals at Montreal before retiring against Novak Djokovic with a right arm injury.

Bubka, a 24-year-old qualifier who packs a mean serve, leaves Flushing Meadows after having won his first career Grand Slam match here, a four-set win over Andreas Haider-Maurer. And considering this was only Bubka's first US Open main draw and fourth ATP Tour-level tournament, he can't be too disappointed with the early exit.

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

(L-R) Nicolas Almagro and Tsonga

A day after knocking out two-time Rogers Cup champion Roger Federer, Tsonga delivered another strong performance, dismissing the eighth-seeded Almagro in one hour and 28 minutes.

The Frenchman won 70 per cent of his service points, and saved three break points in the final game to lock up the quarter-final win. The victory increased Tsonga’s undefeated record against Almagro to a 5-0 mark. "I was a bit tired today. I lacked energy. The match yesterday took a lot of stamina, and today my energy level was low," admitted Tsonga. "Therefore, I decided to focus on only a number of return games and try to focus on holding my serve. It was a way for me to save the energy I had left, not playing hard every game."

 
Tsonga is into the semi-finals for the second time at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Canada, after reaching the final four in Montreal two years ago. The 26 year old is looking to win his first title in 2011, having finished runner-up in Rotterdam (l. to Soderling) and the AEGON Championships in London (l. to Murray). Tsonga's biggest title to date came on home soil, when he claimed the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris three years ago (d. Nalbandian).

The World No. 16 and Djokovic have met eight times, and Tsonga holds a 5-3 edge. Djokovic won their most recent meeting, defeating the Frenchman in four sets in the Wimbledon semi-finals. "The last match was very close, very intense, very important for both of us," Djokovic said. "He's been playing better in last couple of months. I think he increased his level. He's and all around player. He can play pretty well on all surfaces. He has a big serve. If he serves well, he can beat anybody. He showed that in previous couple of tournaments.

"So it's going to be tough one. It's a fast surface. I need to return well and hope that I can get some chances."

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

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic improved to 7-0 against Gael Monfils, overwhelming the No. 5 seed 6-2, 6-1 in the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Friday evening. He will square off against 13th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals, as Tsonga advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 8 seed Nicolas Almagro.

After facing a break point in the opening game, it was smooth sailing for the Serbian. Monfils held to get to 2-2, but Djokovic reeled off nine consecutive games to put the match out of the Frenchman’s hands. Monfils fought in the final game, creating two break point opportunities, but the top seed closed the door to seal the victory in one hour and 14 minutes. "I have played the best match of the tournament, no doubt. Everything was going well," said Djokovic. "I had a difficult game on two-all to hold my serve. After that, when I made the first break, it was incredible. 9, 10 games in a row. I'm happy to see my game is progressing each day."

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

Round 1


Serena Williams, USA defeated Alona Bondarenko, UKR

Round 2

Serena Williams, USA defeated Julia Goerges, GER

Round 3

Serena Williams, USA defeated Jie Zheng(Q), CHN
4-6, 6-3, 6-3

Quarterfinal Round

Serena Williams, USA defeated Lucie Safarova, CZE

Semifinal Round

Serena Williams, USA vs. Victoria Azarenka, BLR



Round 1

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
Barbara Zahlalova Strycova, CZE and Iveta Benesova, CZE

Round 2

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
Su-Wei Hsieh, TPE and Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ


Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Heather Watson, GBR
Stephanie Foretz Gacon, FRA



Round 1

Gael Monfils (5) FRA, vs. BYE

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Fabio Fognini,ITA

Round 2

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated Alex Bogomolov, Jr. (Q), USA

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Bernard Tomic (WC), AUS

Round 3

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated Viktor Troicki (12), SRB

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Roger Federer (3), SUI
7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1

Quarterfinal Round

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated by Novak Djokovic (1), SRB

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Nicolas Almagro, ESP

Semifinal Round

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA vs. Novak Djokovic (1), SRB


Round 1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
Alexander Dolgopolov, UKR and Dick Norman, VEL

Gael Monfils, FRA and Pablo Andujar, ESP
Sergiy Stakhovsky, UKR and Mikhail Youzhny, RUS

Round 2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
Robert Lindstedt, SWE and Horia Tecau, ROU
6-4, 6-3

Round 3


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
vs.
Max Mirnyi, BLR and Daniel Nestor, CAN

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Nicholas Monroe, USA

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

Which player would you choose…


To share a good bottle of wine with?
(Thinks for a while) Mika Llodra, he knows his stuff.

To take to your favourite restaurant?
Kei Nishikori, because my favourite restaurant is Minori in Paris. It's a great Japanese restaurant. I'll show him that French sushi is better than Japanese sushi (laughs).


To accompany you to the Cannes film festival?
Ana Ivanovic. She would be great arm candy.


To play in a film with?
David Ferrer. He'd play Forrest in Forrest Gump, and I'd play Bubba, his shrimp fishing friend.

To go out on the town with in Las Vegas?
La Monf' (Gaël Monfils), no question about it.


To play in a band with?
Dustin Brown, that would be great. We'd make beautiful reggae.

As master of ceremonies for your wedding?
Novak Djokovic, he would be great at that.


To take to a football match?
Jurgen Melzer. I played football with him in the United States, and he's really good. He loves it.

To go and see stand-up comedy with?
Andy Roddick.


To take fishing?
Rafael Nadal.


To open a bar with?
Marat Safin. Once night falls he's the guy to hang around with.

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

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

MIAMI (Reuters) - World number one Serena Williams has pulled out of next week's Sony Ericsson Open due to a knee injury, organizers said on Friday.

The American's withdrawal is another blow to the tournament after former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and world number two Dinara Safina had already pulled out.

Williams has won the Key Biscayne event five times.

Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova headline the women's field while the men's top three -- Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal are joined by American Andy Roddick and defending champion Andy Murray.

The men's competition will be without fifth-ranked Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina due to a wrist injury.

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

In an upset during the night session at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday, Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic fired 15 aces and dropped just four points on his first serve in a 7-5, 6-3 defeat of fifth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Ljubicic, who did not face a break point, next faces defending champion Novak Djokovic.

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

You know you are part of something special when eight of the world’s top tennis stars are under the same roof.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters and Aussies Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur united as a tennis family today by taking part in the Hit for Haiti fundraiser at Rod Laver Arena.

The 90-minute exhibition match was organised in less than 24 hours. The charity event proved to be a huge success, with a sell-out crowd. Representing the colours of the Haiti flag, Team Red (Federer, Williams, Hewitt and Stosur) defeated Team Blue (Roddick, Nadal, Djokovic, Clijsters, and late substitute Bernard Tomic) 7-6. Former Grand Slam champion turned tennis analyst Jim Courier was the chair umpire for the afternoon.

Spectators over the age of 12 paid $10 to watch the entertaining match, buying their tickets on the door. Russian star Maria Sharapova donated $10,000, while $20,000 was also collected in tin cans around the arena and around the grounds at a packed Garden Square. Today, $159,000 was raised through ticket sales and public donations alone.

It is very rare that you are given an opportunity to see Williams and Djokovic exchange banter from across the court or see Federer doing push-ups during a match, and the crowd lapped up every minute.

As soon as the gates to Melbourne Park opened on Sunday, thousands of excited tennis fans flocked into Rod Laver Arena for the charity event. From the moment the players stepped onto court, the crowd knew they were in for a special treat. The players were wearing microphone headsets, which meant the crowd were able to hear them joke amongst themselves and tease each other during the match.

After the opening game, Djokovic gave Roddick a shoulder rub when he sat down. It’s also not very often that you see defending Australian Open champion Nadal playing the role of a ballkid, handing out water bottles and towels.

Tournament Director Craig Tiley was delighted with the outcome of the charity event.

“It’s fantastic to see the tennis family from around the globe band together to help make a difference in this time of need” Tiley said.

“I would like to thank the players, staff and everyone involved in pulling off this event in such a short amount of time.”

Haiti was decimated by a devastating earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale last Tuesday. The United Nations has launched an appeal for hundreds of millions of dollars to try to help around three million people in need.

Donations can be made online to Partners in Health: www.pih.org

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

In an epic three-setter at the 2009 BNP Paribas Masters tournament in Paris, France on Sunday, No. 15 seed Gaël Monfils was outlasted by the the No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(3) in a match that thrilled the crowd for two and three-quarter hours.

Local hero Monfils confounded the pundits who presumed that Djokovic would make mincemeat of him as the Serb had done to the mighty Rafael Nadal 24 hours earlier. With adrenaline coursing through his veins and the roars of a 13,000-strong partisan crowd behind him, Monfils made light of the fatigue he was feeling after a protracted semi-final and battled all the way to a third set tie-break, treating his supporters to a roller-coaster ride along the way.

The first set was all Djokovic, as the 6-2 scoreline would suggest. He won his first seven points on service and lost only three all set, while his returns sent Monfils scurrying from side to side in a vain attempt to keep pace. The writing appeared to be on the wall when the Serb raced into a 3-0 lead in the second, but then the rigours of over 90 matches this season caught up with him, mentally more than physically. Monfils saw a chink of light and crept through, aided by Djokovic’s sudden propensity for coming to the net and then fluffing his volleys. 3-0 became 3-3, and just as a tie-break seemed on the cards, the Frenchman upped the intensity on his returns and broke to lead 6-5. An ace in the next game sent the crowd into paroxysms of ecstasy and the match was level at one set all.

Djokovic again broke to open the decider, and though Monfils responded immediately the Serb broke again and finally got some daylight between himself and his 23-year-old opponent at 4-1. Despite a sudden rash of double-faults – four in the space of six points – Monfils hauled himself back into the match and when Djokovic suddenly lost his radar in terms of length, the match was back level at 4-4.

A tie-break was the only way to decide what had been a fitting culmination to an incredible tournament, and the fans were indeed treated to the equivalent of a penalty shoot-out. Monfils was asked to summon up one last valiant effort, but it was not to be, and while his double-fault on match point may haunt him over the coming weeks, it will soon be expunged from the memories of those who witnessed his performance in the final and indeed throughout the week.

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

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was unable to continue the dominance that he has recently had over Serbian Novak Djokovic at the Sony Ericsson Open on Wednesday. Prior to this match Tsonga had a 4-1 control over their meetings.

Tsonga, who hasn't looked his best throughout this tournament, played an error filled game that presented a number of break opportunities to Djokovic. Djokovic capitalized on one of those opportunities and went on to take the first set.

Tsonga attempted to elevate his game in the second set, but to no real advantage. Djokovic won the match 6-3, 6-4.

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

MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the French fourth seed, won the 576,000 euros ATP tournament on Sunday, defeating compatriot Michael Llodra 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) for his fourth career title which he dedicated to his sick father.

World number 12 Tsonga added the win a fortnight after his success in the South African Open, living up to his pre-match status as favourite on the heels of his fine win over top-seeded world number three Serb Novak Djokovic in the semis.

He finished Llodra off with his 11th ace before explaining his thoughts were with his father, former handballer Didier, who had surgery during the week.

"I almost didn't come here. I couldn't tell you that my father was operated on this week. Today, I dedicate this win to him," said Tsonga.

Alluding back to his fourth straight win over Djokovic, he added: "With this tournament I showed I was capable of beating one of the world's top players once again and that I was ready to make the step up to join the big guys."

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

After winning the South African Open title earlier this month, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is right back into another final at the Open 13 Tournament in Maseille, France.

Tsonga put his big game on display once again in today's semifinal and barreled over Serbian Novak Djokovic for the fourth time. The Frenchman took the first set in just under a half hour! The win came in at 6-4, 7-6(1)

“I told myself I had to go for it,” Tsonga said in a courtside interview.

"It’s amazing, I played unbelievably. Novak did a very good job today so it was tough to beat him. For me, it was my best match since the start of the year and I’m really happy about that. I hope tomorrow I will win and take the trophy."

“I have played an extraordinary match. I have been heroic on every important point. I am proud of having played such a match.”

Tsonga will meet fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra in the final on Sunday.

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