Black Tennis Pros

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA (TICKER) - At The SAP Open Blake injured his ankle on Friday in a quarterfinal win over Sam Querrey. The injury affected his effort against Fish. Fish defeated Blake 6-3, 6-2.

“I had no idea his ankle was that bad,” Fish said. “It’s just a testament to James. He’s never defaulted in a match in his career.”

Blake was down 1-2 in the first set when he asked for a trainer and had his ankle retaped. He had the process repeated at the end of the first set, but to no avail.

“It affected me more than I thought it would have when I did it,” Blake said. “I just iced it a few times yesterday and taped it up. I thought I’d be ready to go.”

The trainer told Blake that he would not do any more damage, so the third seed played on.

“I thought if I wasn’t going to hurt it any more, I could suck up the pain for 20 minutes, 30 minutes and make it a little better for the fans, hopefully, and better for Mardy to feel like he earned a victory, which he did,” Blake said.

PARIS (AP)— Elena Dementieva advanced to the final of the Open GDF Suez after top-ranked Serena Williams withdrew with a knee injury.

Williams said she hurt her right knee during Friday’s win against Emilie Loit and was in too much pain to play.

“My left knee always hurts, but this time it’s my right knee,” Williams said. “When I woke up this morning, it wasn’t feeling good. I wasn’t moving well at all in practice.

“Today I don’t feel like I could have gotten there. I wanted to make the fans extremely happy. It wouldn’t have been a good showing for me at all.”

"My knees have been really good, and I'm really optimistic. I think they'll continue to be really good," said Williams who is due to play in Dubai next week.

"I just have been playing a lot of tennis, so maybe it's just a sign that I'll need to take a day or two off and get ready for the next event."

Monfils, who struggled with illness in his quarter-final win over Julien Benneteau at the ABN AMRO World Tournament, cut a lethargic figure as he returned to court after an off-court medical time-out at the end of the first set and punishingly long rallies with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal. The 22-year-old Monfils showed great character as he continued to fight and produced some of his best tennis towards the end of the second set, when he forced break point opportunities in successive Nadal service games. However, the left-handed Nadal dominated on the important points to snuff out Monfils’ chances and confidently served out the victory to love at 5-4. He now improves to a 13-1 match record on the season.

Monfils was defeated 6-4, 6-4.

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PARIS (AP) — Top-ranked Serena Williams defeated Emilie Loit 6-4, 6-1 to set up a semifinal with Elena Dementieva for the third straight tournament at the Open GDF Suez on Friday.

Loit, only the second qualifier in tournament history to make the quarterfinals, broke Williams when she was serving for the first set at 5-3. Williams threw her racket on the ground but broke right back and cruised the rest of the way.

"Definitely a tricky match," said Williams, the Australian Open champion. "Definitely good to get through, you know? I don't play too many lefties.

"I definitely don't feel at my best," Williams added, "but I feel like I'm getting there."

Dementieva gave Williams her only loss of the year in the Sydney semifinals, but Williams avenged that in the Australian Open semifinals en route to her 10th Grand Slam singles title.


SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — James Blake beat fellow American Sam Querrey 7-6 (9), 6-3 on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the SAP Open, setting up an intriguing meeting with doubles teammate Mardy Fish.

Blake hung on to win despite rolling his ankle with two points to go. He reached the semis shortly after Fish, his close friend and teammate, beat Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4, upsetting the world's seventh-ranked player.

After Fish and Blake meet in a semifinal match Saturday afternoon, they'll team up for a doubles match late that night. They won the doubles title at San Jose in 2004, and both say their games improve when they're working together.

"There won't be any hard feelings," Blake said with a grin. "There better not be any hard feelings, or there might be a serve to the back of the head. ... Hopefully, we can go out to dinner tonight, play each other tomorrow, and then go out to dinner again."

Frenchman Gael Monfils defeated fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-6(4), 6-1 in an all-French quarter-final at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Next up for Monfils is World No. 1 Rafael Nadal. Monfils handed Nadal his only loss thus far of the 2009 ATP World Tour tennis season, posting a quarter-final win at the ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in Doha in the first week of the year. The Spaniard had won their first three meetings in straight sets.



Although Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hit 26 aces, that's right count 'em 26 at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, he was still not able to topple Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Tsonga was defeated 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4.

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Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who defeated Russian Dmitry Tursunov 7-6(6), 6-2 in one hour and 29 minutes, will face World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the ABN AMRO quarterfinals in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Nadal has a 2-1 record against Tsonga, and prevailed in a 7-5 third set in their last meeting in March at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Indian Wells.

Tsonga has now reached the quarter-finals in all five of his ATP-level appearances this season, and has a 14-2 record. The World No. 13 won his third ATP World Tour title last week in Johannesburg (defeating Chardy).

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Gael Monfils of France defeated defending champion Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-4 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the ABN Amro tournament.

He will face fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau. In another all-French match, Marc Gicquel defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3.

"It's interesting that French players have done so well in Rotterdam in recent years," Monfils said. "We like it here."

Source

Photo by AP

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Just when I'm getting all sucked into the Jo-Wilfried Tsonga mania for the 2009 Australian Open, check this out:

SYDNEY, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Last year’s Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could miss next week’s tournament after a back injury forced him out of the Sydney International on Thursday.

The Frenchman twice needed treatment to his lower back during his quarter-final win over Simone Bolelli on Wednesday and then pulled out of his semi-final against Jarkko Nieminen on Thursday after the problem deteriorated overnight.

“I decided this afternoon because the pain, it’s too much, I cannot play,” Tsonga told a news conference. “I saw my physio a lot yesterday. I saw the physio from the ATP. I saw the doctor and they told me it’s difficult to play like that.

Tsonga, seeded fifth for the Australian Open next week, has been troubled by back problems in the past and was unsure whether he would be able to take his place in the first grand slam of the year, starting in Melbourne on Monday.

“I hope it will not affect me for the Australian Open but I don’t know” he said. “I had a problem with my disc a long time ago and sometimes it happens.

“I just have to wait and come back on the court when I feel better. I can’t do anything for the next two days. I will stay maybe in my bed and hope I will be better.”

Tsonga, 22, was one favourites to win the Australian Open after beating Rafael Nadal to reach last year’s final, which he lost to Novak Djokovic, and winning the Paris Masters in November.

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DOHA, Qatar, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Frenchman Gael Monfils slammed seven aces and made three service breaks Thursday to knock world No. 1 and top-seed Rafael Nadal out of the Qatar Open .

Monfils, the tournament's fifth seed, disposed of the Spaniard in a little less than an hour and a half and moved on to the semifinals.

The Frenchman, who in three previous meetings had failed to win more than three games in a set against Nadal, produced some excellent tennis and broke the Nadal serve on three occasions in a match lasting 89 minutes.

It was Nadal's first defeat in a completed match prior to the semifinals since May 2008, when he fell to Juan-Carlos Ferrero in the second round at the ATP World Masters event in Rome.

The 22-year-old Monfils is bidding to reach his second final in Doha, having finished runner-up to Roger Federer in the title match in 2006.

Monfils will now face fourth seed Andy Roddick, who was dominant on serve as he defeated Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-3 6-2.

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World No. 1 Rafael Nadal turned in a virtuoso performance to defeat American Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-4, to secure Spain’s place in the 2008 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final.

It wasn’t that Roddick, ranked No. 8 in the world, played badly; it was just that, on this occasion, he was outclassed by Nadal, who played almost faultless tennis, hitting 60 winners to Roddick’s 39 and committing ten fewer unforced errors in the 2 hour, 12 minute encounter.

“Today I play an almost perfect match and it is very, very exciting,” said Nadal after the win. “Today I played very well. I shocked myself with some of the winners I played, was near perfect tennis.”

Nadal Dominates From Start

The 21,000 strong crowd at the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas in Madrid waited out a 1 hour, 40 minute rain delay before Nadal and Roddick took the court. From almost the first point of the match, the world No. 1 dominated the American, who failed to convert any of the seven break point opportunities he had in the match.

Roddick seemed almost philosophical in defeat, laughing ruefully on the bench at the changeovers with USA Captain Patrick McEnroe:

“He’s possibly the best clay-courter ever so it’s tough, especially when he hits like he did today. He was going for his shots and not leaving much short.”

Roddick Gets The Fans On His Side

Having struggled with the mostly Spanish fans on Friday, Roddick got them on side when he raised his hands as if to ask them to cheer for a missed first serve during the third set. The fans responded by good-naturedly chanting “Roddick, Roddick” and the American player smiled up at the stands.

“Yeah, they’re only going to do that if your getting your butt kicked,” said a good-natured Roddick afterwards.

Nadal showed real emotion in victory but showed his respect for his opponents and his inate good manners by going first to the American bench, shaking every hand before he ran to his own team to celebrate. Carried on the shoulders of Feliciano Lopez, he was saluted by teammates and fans alike in this, his first event in Spain as the new world No. 1. No matador at the Las Ventas, the most important bullring in all of Spain, could have been greeted with more passion or affection than Nadal on this day.

Nadal had a 3-2 advantage in the career head-to-head with the American No. 1 but they had only met once before on clay in the 2004 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final won by the Spaniard in four sets. The pair played twice before in 2008, with a win for Roddick in Dubai and another for Nadal at Queen’s.

Serving Problems In First Set

From start to finish, the atmosphere at Las Ventas was electric and full of anticipation of a Spanish victory. Both players held serve easily to start the match despite a poor first service percentage. In the fifth game of the first set, Roddick’s serving woes continued but he staved off three break points against a determined Nadal but on his next service game, Nadal broke with a forehand passing shot down the line and the Spanish flags started flying. Nadal consolidated his break for 5-3 then, with US captain McEnroe exhorting him from the sidelines, Roddick held serve forcing Nadal, who took a spill running for a drop shot, to serve for the set.

After winning the first point, Nadal made three unforced errors for 15-40 giving the American his first break points of the match. A forehand error from Roddick and two forehand winners gave Nadal a first set point and with an emphatic ace, the Spaniard won the first set 64.

Nadal broke in the opening game of the second set with a forehand down the line winner and, with sublime ease, went on to win the second set 6-0. As in the opening set, the only break points he faced came when he served for the set and, also like the first, he won the set with an ace. This marked the first time that Roddick, who was serving well in the second set, had lost a set to love in Davis Cup and only the fifth time that this had happened in his career.

In the third, Roddick played steadier tennis but Nadal was just too good for him on the day. Although the American saved five match points on his serve for 5-4, the man from Mallorca made no mistake on the first opportunity on his own serve, converting his sixth match point opportunity into a win.

Feliciano Lopez defeated Sam Querrey 7-6, 7-6, in the dead rubber to make the final score 4-1, after which all the Spanish players and captain Emilio Sanchez spoke to the crowd and thanked them for their support.

Spain will travel to Argentina or Russia for November’s final. Argentina led that tie 2-1 overnight.

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Americans Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish kept the defending champions’ hopes alive, defeating Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-4, 63 4-6, 6-4, spoiling Lopez’s 27th birthday celebrations and Spain’s dream of a 3-0 sweep in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Semifinals. Bryan, playing Davis Cup doubles without twin brother Bob for the first time, and close friend Fish made a strong pair but their opponents also played a tough match.

“The key to this match was us bonding,” said Fish. “We’ve been great friends for years and you play your best tennis when you are having fun. I admire the way Mardy played today,” added Bryan. “It was tough to read Feliciano’s serve. It was a hard fought battle. We took our chances when we got them but it took a little while to get going.”

“It was very close. The toughest thing was to come back from two sets to one down and a break,” said Lopez. “With a bit more luck we could have won. The crowd helped us a lot in the fourth set.”

Good Start For Spain

Madrid’s Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas was rocking with nearly 21,000 fans, most hoping to see Lopez and Verdasco win the third point for Spain and propel their country into the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final for a sixth time. Lopez was treated to a chorus of “Happy Birthday” by the fans who were clearly in a celebratory mood but a smaller but no less noisy contingent of American fans also had their dreams of an American comeback.

The Spanish were on fire in the first set, serving better than the Americans and making only two unforced errors compared to 10 and converting the first break point opportunity in the seventh game on Bryan’s serve. Lopez served for the set, poaching a volley from Verdasco to seal the opener for Spain.

There were many celebrities on hand at Las Ventas including former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, who earlier in the day received a Davis Cup replica trophy from ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, to LA Laker Pau Gasol, a friend of Rafa Nadal’s. The iconic bullring was clearly the place to be this weekend and the excitement levels were very high.

Bryan And Fish Find A Way Through

The Americans started more confidently in the second set, making fewer errors and generally looking stronger while the Spanish pair made a few more errors to give the USA an opening and on their first break point of the match, Fish hit a stunning forehand volley to win the second set 64.

In the third set, the Americans really began to gel, playing solid tennis and making the Spanish work for every point. The Spanish were able to save two break points on the Verdasco serve at 4-5 but, on the third, Lopez hit a return just wide but Bryan hit it anyway, a winner down the line to finish the point. Fish held serve to give the Americans a two-sets to one lead.The traditional Bryan bump was adapted to a sort of Mardy/Mike twist bump that made its first outing in this set, never to be seen again.

Grabbing the momentum with both hands, the Americans broke Lopez in the first game to take a 1-0 lead but they were not able to hold on, with the Spanish breaking Mike Bryan in the eighth game to get back on serve. At 4-5, Fish served to stay in the set, saving five break points before the Spanish were able to capitalise and level the match at two-sets all.

Vital Break For USA

Verdasco served first to open the set, saving three break points and squandering two game points before a Lopez winner gave the Spanish a 1-0 lead in the set. The set went with serve until it was Verdasco’s turn again and he was broken to give the Americans the lead. Fish struggled on his serve but held on for 4-2 then Lopez held serve easily for 4-3. Bryan held serve for 5-3 and then Verdasco, who had struggled in his last two service games, needed to hold serve if Spain were to have a chance of victory in today’s doubles. If he was nervous, the Spaniard didn’t show it and forced Fish to serve for the match at 5-4. The American had a comfortable service game, converting the first match point to win the match and keep American hopes alive.

“It means the world to me,” added Fish who played on the losing side in the 2004 Final against Spain in Seville. “Davis Cup is a huge thing. I’ve been waiting four years for this.”

“Nobody can say that our players don’t play their guts out when they are playing for their country,” said US captain Patrick McEnroe. “This is a big shot of adrenalin going into Sunday. We lost two heartbreakers yesterday, won a close one today against a great team. We will take our chances, play aggressively when we can and see what happens.”

Nadal Vs. Roddick Tomorrow

Celebrations on the American bench and the prospect of a Nadal-Roddick opener tomorrow tantalised the crowd at Las Ventas who are excited about another day of live tennis. All three of the matches played so far have registered just over 3 hrs. 15 minutes on the Rolex clocks on court and tomorrow’s could also be a long one with the Madrid altitude helping a big server like Roddick, even against a player with the clay court prowess of Nadal.

Asked if he was worried about the crowd tomorrow, McEnroe said: “Rafael Nadal worries me a lot, more than the crowd. He’s the best clay court player in the world. Andy played a tough match against David Ferrer. He got a bit frustrated, losing his serve at 6-6 in the fifth. He’s a competitor who wants to win. I’m not worried. Andy knows what he has to do. He has been in this position before.”

“The crowd behaved well. We can’t complain. This is normal in Davis Cup,” said Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez. “If I were Andy Roddick, I would be concentrating on facing Nadal. If he is worried about the crowd, he won’t be playing his best tennis.”

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David Ferrer completed the first day’s work for Spain by defeating USA’s Andy Roddick 76(5) 26 16 64 86 in 3 hours, 17 minutes to give Spain a 2-0 lead in the 2008 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Semifinal at the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas in Madrid. Ferrer was supported by an enthusiastic and energetic crowd of mostly Spanish fans who had turned up at noon to watch world No. 1 Rafael Nadal win the first point for Spain.

By any reckoning Andy Roddick is a big occasion man, regularly gracing centre courts of the Grand Slam tournaments, year-end championships and, of course, two Davis Cup Finals. But he committed an uncharacteristic number of unforced errors (54) and was only able to convert six of 13 break point opportunities against the Spaniard. Roddick is definitely the one to beat on the American team and, with a 29-9 Davis Cup record, beating him in this competition is never easy but Ferrer, who was able to convert three of four break point chances, rose to the occasion.

After the tense and emotional victory by world No. 1 Rafael Nadal over Davis Cup first-timer Sam Querrey, the crowd in the 21,000 seat Plaza de Toros Las Ventas, including Prince Felipe of Spain, might have been forgiven for being a little flat but instead the atmosphere was celebratory and good-natured as Spain’s No. 2 Ferrer whose Davis Cup experience at 4-2 was considerably less than Roddick’s.

Roddick In Great Form

The American was surely buoyed by the fight that Querrey staged against Nadal (whom Roddick will face in Sunday’s reverse singles) but Ferrer, who had defeated his opponent in three of their five previous meetings, looked confident and comfortable in the opening set, forcing a tiebreak where he capitalised on a Roddick forehand error at 6-5 to win the opening set.

In the second set, Roddick hit an outstanding forehand winner crosscourt at 15-40 to break Ferrer for a 3-2 lead and broke again for a 5-2 lead before securing the second set with an ace 6-2.

Roddick rolled over Ferrer in the third 6-1 and it looked like a certain American victory but the Spanish No. 2 had other ideas, getting an early break in the fourth from a series of unforced errors by Roddick. Ferrer held on to the lead, converting his first set point opportunity with a forehand winner to level the match at two sets all.

“At no point did I think all was lost,” said Ferrer. “I always thought I had a chance if I hung in there. He was serving very well in the second and third set and I was missing a lot of opportunities.”

Spanish Fans Get behind Ferrer

With the crowd sensing a whitewash by the Spanish on opening day, there was a mood of real excitement in the stands. Roddick needed every bit of confidence in the fifth set as the fans at Las Ventas sang, chanted and did the wave (twice) to support their man. Ferrer’s body language was very positive and victory seemed pre-ordained when he broke Roddick early in the set. But Roddick refused to give up, breaking back for two-all then holding serve for 3-2. The momentum seemed to be going with USA but Roddick missed opportunities to break Ferrer and take the lead.

At 6-5 in the fifth set, Ferrer served to stay in the match and showed tremendous poise. Now it would be the American who needed to hold serve but a series of seemingly nervous errors on the part of Roddick handed the break to Ferrer who served for the match at 7-6. Ferrer held his nerve with two big aces at key points to win the match and give Spain a 2-0 lead in the tie.

“Andy played his butt off and played great,” said US captain Patrick McEnroe. “We are disappointed to be down 2-0 but we have a lot to be proud of. Obviously we are up against it but we knew that coming here. We are going to try to win the doubles and get that point.”

“I thought I played pretty well today,” said Roddick.“The level from both players was high, especially in the fourth and fifth set. I made a bad beginning to the fourth set and he raised his level.”

"Crowd Was Fair"- Agree Sanchez And McEnroe

Asked after the match about the very vocal local fans, Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez defended them saying, “I think the crowd was fair. There were a few close calls in the last two games which raised the tension a little but they were well behaved.”

“I thought the crowd was fair,” agreed McEnroe. “I explained that to Andy after the match. They were well behaved and were supporting their team.”

In tomorrow’s crucial doubles, it seems likely that US captain Patrick McEnroe will stay with his announced team of Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan but perhaps Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez will consider changing his pairing to include Nadal or Ferrer or both.

The winner of this semifinal will travel to either Argentina or Russia for the 2008 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final.

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World No. 1 Rafael Nadal was made to work hard by Davis Cup debutant Sam Querrey before wrapping up a 67 64 63 64 victory for Spain in the opening rubber of its semifinal tie against Spain in Madrid.

The 6’6” American matched the world No. 1 for the first two sets and then briefly threatened to extend the match into a fifth set before Nadal finally subdued him to put Spain ahead.

Nadal started slowly and was not as composed as usual. He struggled to put the ball out of reach of Querrey, who played thoughtful and patient tennis, choosing the moment when to strike with his big serve or an aggressive forehand and retrieving all that the world No.1 could throw at him.

“I’m happy to win. With his serve, it wasn’t easy to take control of the points,” said Nadal.

Few Nerves From Querrey

Querrey certainly wasn’t overawed on his debut and benefitted from the extra kick that Madrid’s altitude was giving to his serve and groundstrokes.

“I think I showed him that I can play a little bit,” said Querrey afterwards. “I played well. It was a tough four sets.”

The initial exchanges were tentative as the two players adjusted to the conditions in the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas, which was bathed in sunshine, noise – thanks to a four-man band playing in the stand between points - and the red and yellow national colours of Spain.

The two players matched each other through the first set as neither was able to set up a break point opportunity. Querrey earned the first minibreak in the tiebreak with a forehand drop volley at full stretch. Nadal got back on serve but then double faulted to set up two set points for USA. The four-time Roland Garros champion saved the first but on the second, but netted on the second of two huge forehands from Querrey.

Nadal On Backfoot

Nadal, who had dropped just three sets in his eight previous Davis Cup victories, was pushed even further onto the back foot as Querrey pounced on a poor Nadal dropshot to break in the opening game of the second set. The Spaniard upped his level, broke back and then struck again as Querrey served to stay in the set at 5-4.

“The break back in the second set was probably the turning point in the match. He just doesn’t go away. If you win the first set, it’s almost like having to start the match again,” said Querrey.

To the crowd’s delight, the Spaniard then took the lead in the match for the first time and broke for a 3-1 lead as Querrey struggled to maintain his bright start. The single break was enough for Nadal and he pocketed the third set to take control.


Nadal Comes Through Tough Fourth Set

There was an air of inevitability hanging over the fourth set especially as Nadal held his first two service games to love, while Querrey began to struggle on serve, coming through three deuces in the fifth game and saving two break points in the seventh.

The American was not done however and took Nadal to three deuces in the very next game, finding his previous form. Nadal regrouped once more and took eight successive points from 30-0 on Querrey’s serve to take victory.

“It’s very important to begin with a win. I was a little short of energy and strength today and I would like to thank the crowd for their extra support, “ commented Nadal.

David Ferrer is taking on Andy Roddick in the second rubber in the Plaza de Toros.

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Actor Mark Indelicato

Actor Stanley Tucci

Photos WireImage

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