Black Tennis Pros

Frenchman Gael Monfils in quarterfinal match against Finland's Jarkko Nieminen

Gael Monfils, who is currently No. 13 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings and third seed at the Open Sud de France, hit nine aces and lost six points on serve in a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in just 54 minutes. Monfils will next face countryman Gilles Simon for their semifinal match.

Monfils reached the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final (lost to Tsonga) in the first week of the 2012 ATP World Tour season. Nieminen dropped to an 8-3 season record, which includes lifting his second ATP World Tour title at the Apia International Sydney (defeated Benneteau) last month.

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(Upper left) Venus and Serena Williams, USA, (lower left) Sloane Stephens, USA, (center) Heather Watson, Great Britain, (right) Simone Pratt, Bahamas.

2012 USA Fed Cup Team

Americans Venus Williams and Captain Mary Joe Fernandez during press conference in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Sloane Stephens, USA during practice.

Great Britain's (r)Heather Watson during practice.

Serena Williams, USA and Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, at Official Draw Ceremony.

Simone Pratt, Bahamas also practicing.

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Serena Williams, left, pulls New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's jersey out of a box, before putting it back, while making a Super Bowl prediction during a Fed Cup tennis news conference in Worcester, Mass., Tuesday Jan. 31, 2012. Williams, who is part of the Fed Cup team competing against Belarus this weekend in Worcester, decided to pick the New York Giants. At right is US captain Mary Joe Fernandez.

Members of the US Fed Cup team pose with jerseys as they make each make a Super Bowl prediction during a news conference in Worcester, Mass., Tuesday Jan. 31, 2012. From left to right is Christina McHale (New York Giants), Serena Williams (New York Giants), Mary Joe Fernandez (New York Giants) and Liezel Huber (new England Patriots)

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Frenchman Gael Monfils with 2010 Open Sud de France Trophy

Frenchman Gael Monfils won the Open Sud de France in its inaugural year in Montpellier. The World No. 15 defeated Ivan Ljubicic in the 2010 final, and returns bidding to win his fifth ATP World Tour title.
  
Montpellier Targets New Date In 2012

Montpellier, one of the fastest-growing cities in France over the past 25 years, hosted its first ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament in late October of 2010. The indoor hard court event, which had relocated from Lyon, will now be played from 30 January in 2012 in a multi-purpose venue called the ARENA, which has a total capacity of 14,000 and seating for 7,500 during the tournament.

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2007 USA Fed Cup Team (l-r) Vania King, Lisa Raymond, Venus Williams, Serena Williams

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Venus Williams will return from illness and her sister, Serena, will play Fed Cup for the first time in nearly five years after being selected to the U.S. team to meet Belarus in a Feb. 4-5 World Group II match at Worcester, Mass.

U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez announced the team, also containing Christina McHale and Liezel Huber, late Tuesday.

"I am looking forward to having Serena and Venus on the team for the first time since I became U.S. Fed Cup captain," Fernandez said. "They bring so much to this team, not only for what they can do on court, but the influence they will have on Christina and the rest of the team."

It will be Venus Williams' first appearance in a sanctioned competition since the U.S. Open, when she revealed she had Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain.

Serena Williams, who lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open, has not played Fed Cup since 2007.

The 19-year-old McHale, ranked a career-high No. 42, will be making her second consecutive appearance and third overall for the American team. Her highlights last year included a win over No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki at Cincinnati and a run to the third round of the U.S. Open.

South African-born Huber, 35, has won six of her eight career matches for the U.S. Fed Cup team.

The winner of the Worcester match will advance to the World Group playoff and a chance to compete for the Fed Cup title in 2013.

Victoria Azarenka, who is expected to lead the Belarus team, will face defending champion Kim Clijsters in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday.

"Victoria is playing the best tennis I have seen from her, so we are excited to be facing Belarus in our first match in the United States in two years," Fernandez said.

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2012 Australian Open Junior Girl's Doubles Champions, 15-year-old (l)Taylor Townsend of Stockbridge, Georgia and 15-year-old (r)Gabrielle Andrews of Pomona, California. They defeated Irina Khromacheva of Russia and Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, 5-7, 7-5, 10-6.

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