Black Tennis Pros

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“It’s good. It will be a good test for her, and for me,” Williams said.

Americans James Blake and Andy Roddick had their hopes of advancing to the doubles final at the Australian Open Series Brisbane International Tournament dashed as the duo fell to the French pair Jeremy Chardy and Marc Giquel 4-6, 6-3, [11/13].

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Moroccan tennis legend Younes El Aynaoui will announce his retirement in Doha after taking one last shot at the ExxonMobilQatarOpen, which he had won in 2002.

El Aynaoui, the most successful player of Arab descent in history, has been given a wildcard by the Qatar Tennis Federation so that he can bow out of the game at one of his favourite venues.

“Younes asked for a wildcard because he wants to retire in Doha. The Khalifa Tennis Complex is one of his favourite venues, and he thought it would be apt for him to call it quits at a place which is very close to his heart,” tournament director Karim Alami told the Gulf Times yesterday.

El Aynaoui, who has won singles titles on the ATP Tour, has had a chequered career. He had to endure long spells of inaction because of several injuries and has not played top-level tennis since September 2008.

“He has been unlucky to suffer many injuries, but he is very fit now and you never know what he is capable of,” Alami, a fellow Moroccan, added.

In March 2008, after a seven-month lay-off due to injuries, he won a Futures event in Castelldefels, Spain on clay, and in April he won a challenger event in Chiasso, Switzerland. In May that year, he reached the semi-finals of the BMW Open in Munich to become the oldest player to reach the semi-finals of an ATP Tour level event since Jimmy Connors in 1993.

He also reached the quarter-finals of the Casablanca Open in Morocco, but retired due to an injury in his left calf. Those were the last two ATP tournaments he ever played.

El Aynaoui is an extremely popular figure in Morocco where he received the country’s highest sporting honour from King Mohammed VI. In a 2003 poll by leading Moroccan newspaper L’Economiste, readers named El Aynaoui their favorite role model for society, ahead of the prime minister and athletics star Hicham El Guerrouj. The centre court of the Royal Tennis Club in Marrakech is named after El Aynaoui.

El Ayanoui’s matches in Doha always drew packed houses, which even players such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal cannot boast of.

Meanwhile, the draw for the QatarExxonMobilOpen beginning tomorrow was held yesterday with World No.1 Roger Federer and World No.2 playing Belgian Christophe Rochus and Italian Simone Bolelli respectively in the first round.

World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko and El Aynaoui will take on qualifiers.

Nadal and Federer are scheduled to arrive in Doha today after playing an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.

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Top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his debut match at the Grand Prix Hassan II on Monday, defeating Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-4, 7-6(10). The Frenchman converted one of three break points and was dominant on serve winning 76% of points.

The 22-year-old Tsonga began the year in fine form, making the semifinals in Adelaide (l. to Nieminen) before going on to reach his first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic). However, he stands at just 2-2 on clay for the season. World No. 56 Montanes, who reached his first ATP Masters Series quarterfinal in Hamburg last week, now slips to 10-12 for the season.

Second seed Gael Monfils joined Tsonga in the second round, firing eight aces in battling past Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-0 in 2hr., 3min. The 21-year-old, who is making his debut in Casablanca, is playing in his first ATP event since falling first round to Igor Andreev in Munich last month, although last week he won a Challenger title in Marrakech.

Former champion Younes El Aynaoui upset eighth-seeded Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 to book his spot in the second round. The Moroccan fired 12 aces and converted four of eight break points to secure the victory in 2hr., 9min.

The 35-year-old wild card is making his 13th appearance at the event, having lifted the trophy in 2002 (d. Canas), while also finishing runner-up in 1995 and 2003. Currently No. 189 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings (former No. 14 – Nov. 2003), El Aynaoui is contesting just his second ATP event of the season after reaching the semifinals in Munich (l. to Gonzalez). World No. 76 Hanescu has now lost first round on all three of his visits to Casablanca.

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Quarterfinal Round - Singles

Younes El Aynaoui, MAR defeated by Fernando Gonzalez, CHI
6-3, 4-6, 3-6



Semifinal Round - Doubles

Angela Haynes, USA and Mashona Washington, USA
defeated by
Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
7-6(3), 6-4

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Quarterfinal Round - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Kevin Ullyett, ZIM
defeated by
Simon Aspelin, SWE and Julian Knowles, AUT
6-3, 6-7(2), 10/4



Quarterfinal Round - Singles

Younes El Aynaoui, MAR defeated Juan Martin Del Potro ARG
6-4, 6-4





Quarterfinal Round - Doubles

Angela Haynes, USA and Mashona Washington, USA
defeated
Courtney Nagle, USA and Ashley Weinhold, USA
7-5, 6-2

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
defeated
Shenay Perry, USA and Carly Gullickson, USA
6-4, 7-6(5)

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Round 2 - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Kevin Ullyett, ZIM
defeated
Ross Hutchins, GBR and Andy Murray, GBR
6-3, 7-6(2)



Round 2 - Singles

Younes El Aynaoui, MAR defeated Steve Darcis, BEL
6-4, 3-6, 6-3



Round 2 - Singles

Alexandra Stevenson, USA defeated by Alexandra Podkolzina, USA
6-3, 6-2

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA defeated by Bethanie Mattek, USA
6-3, 6-1


Round 1 - Doubles

Angela Haynes, USA and Mashona Washington, USA
defeated
Mary Gambale, USA and Petra Rampre, SLO
2-6, 7-5, 10/1

Shenay Perry, USA and Carly Gullickson, USA
defeated
Kristy Frilling, USA and Lauren Herring, USA
6-3, 6-1

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
defeated
Sharon Fichman, CAN and Neha Uberoi, USA
6-2, 4-6, 10/7



Vero Beach, Florida

Round 2 - Singles

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated by Izak Van der Merwe, RSA
6-1, 4-6, 6-3


Semifinal Round - Doubles

Marcus Fugate, USA and Lance Vodicka, USA
defeated
Haydn Lewis, BAR and Bjorn Munroe, BAH
6-2, 6-4

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Round 2 - Singles

James Blake, USA defeated by Denis Gremelmayr, GER
6-1, 6-4




Round 1 - Singles

Younes El Aynaoui, MAR defeated Alexandre Sidorenko, FRA
6-4, 7-6(6)


Round 2 - Singles

Julio Silva, BRA defeated by Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR)
6-1, 6-4



Round 1 - Singles

Alexandra Stevenson, USA defeated Mary Gambale, USA
6-2, 6-2

Angela Haynes, USA defeated by Abigail Spears, USA
6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(2)

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA defeated Romana Tedjakusuma, INA
6-3, 6-4


Final Round - Qualifying Singles

Mashona Washington, USA defeated by Gabriela Paz
6-4, 2-6, 6-1



Vero Beach, Florida

Round 1 - Singles

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated Milos Raonic, CAN
6-1, 6-4


Quarterfinald Round - Doubles

Marcus Fugate, USA and Lance Vodicka, USA
defeated
Chris Lam, USA and Matthew S. Roberts
6-2, 5-7, 10/7

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Round 1 - Singles

James Blake, USA vs. BYE


Round 1 - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Kevin Ullyett, ZIM
vs.
BYE



Round 1 - Singles

Younes El Aynaoui, MAR vs. Alexandre Sidorenko, FRA

Gael Monfils, FRA vs. Igor Andreev, RUS


Round - Qualifying Final

Julio Silva, BRA defeated by Younes El Aynaoui, MAR
6-3, 6-4



Round 1 - Singles

Alexandra Stevenson, USA vs. Mary Gambale, USA

Angela Haynes, USA vs. Abigail Spears, USA

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA vs. Qualifier/Lucky Loser


Round 1 - Doubles

Angela Haynes, USA and Mashona Washington, USA
vs.
Mary Gambale, USA and Petra Rampre, SLO

Shenay Perry, USA and Carly Gullickson, USA
vs.
Kristy Frilling, USA and Lauren Herring, USA

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
vs.
Sharon Fichman, CAN and Neha Uberoi, USA


Round 2 - Qualifying Singles

Mashona Washington, USA vs. Lauren Herring



Vero Beach, Florida

Round 1 - Singles

Marcus Fugate, USA vs. Milos Raonic, CAN


Round 1 - Doubles

Marcus Fugate, USA and Lance Vodicka, USA
vs.
Stephen Bass, USA and Adam Fass, USA


Round 3 - Qualifying Singles

Jarmere Jenkins, USA defeated by David Jonathan, CAN
1-6, 6-3, 4-6


Final Round - Qualifying Singles

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated Sergio Rojas, PER
6-1, 6-1

Timothy Neilly, USA defeated by Paul Todd
4-6, 1-6

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