Black Tennis Pros

James Blake's attempt to win his third successive Sydney International ended Monday after just one match.

France's Fabrice Santoro beat the third-seeded American 7-6 (4), 6-2, taking a 5-0 lead in the second set before Blake came back to win a pair of games. Blake broke Santoro with the Frenchman serving for the match, but then lost it on his own service two games later.

Blake won the Sydney International in 2006 and 2007, beating Carlos Moya in last year's final. He was trying to become the first man since Australian John Bromwich in 1940 to win the title three times in a row.

Blake, who helped the United States win the Davis Cup in November over Russia, said he had some problems adjusting to the new plexicushion surface - the same surface that will be used in Melbourne at the Australian Open.

"Maybe it was him, maybe it was the court, but it seemed so slow it was tough for me to put balls away," Blake said. "I think I got a bit ahead of myself."

Blake admitted to being a little sluggish after his late 2007 season due to the Davis Cup.

"I would have loved to have had a longer offseason, but I'll trade that for a Davis Cup win anytime," he said.

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James Blake

Australian Open Series

Medibank International

Round 1 - Singles

James Blake, USA vs Fabrice Santoro FRA
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs Andreas Seppi, ITA

Round 1 - Doubles

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Richard Gasquet, FRA
vs
Chris Guccione, AUS and Robert Smeets, AUS

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga James Blake
Australian Open Series Medibank International

Frenchman and sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was defeated 6-2, 6-4 by the number three seed Finn Jarkko Niemenen during their semi-final match at the Adelaide International.

Nieminen seized his opportunities, winning three of his seven break points against Tsonga, who recorded five aces during the match.

In route to the semi-finals, Tsonga took out nasty Australian Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinal. (YES!)

Technorati Tags: Sports Tennis Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

I have got to buy better New Year's Eve champagne!! I just realized that there is now an Australian Open Series!

After several passes there checking the current scores and dates for future tournaments, I finally realized that I was being taken to the same new and improved site. (Take a look here.) And after about four (shame) passes, I finally saw "series." I am definitely going to increase the cost of my imbibement next year!

I did notice their new squiggly olympic like insignia though, I guess I like it.

Venus Williams beat Russia's Maria Sharapova in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 Saturday to win the JB Group Classic exhibition in Hong Kong, a warmup for the upcoming Australian Open.

Both players holding serve comfortably in the early games, but the Russian faltered first. Serving at 4-5 in the first set, Sharapova sent a backhand into the net after a long rally and then missed another backhand to give the American a one-set lead.

World No. 5 Sharapova, a past winner at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, was erratic in the second set.

Down 2-3, she double faulted and missed a forehand to give the reigning Wimbledon champ the crucial break.

Sharapova did save two match points in her final service game, but Williams held to love to take the match, closing out the game with a forehand winner.

World No. 8 Williams, a six-time Grand Slam winner, complained Friday of an unspecified injury but appeared unaffected Saturday.

The eight-woman field at the JB Group Classic also featured Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, Russia's Elena Dementieva, China's Peng Shuai, Russia's Anna Chakvetadze, Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.

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Venus Williams

Australian Open

American Venus Williams and Russia's Maria Sharapova have advanced to the finals of the JB Group Classic exhibition tennis tournament in Hong Kong.

Williams, a six-time Grand Slam tournament winner, beat Russia's Elena Dementieva in straight sets Friday, 6-3, 6-3. The American scored her sixth win over the Russian against only one loss all-time.

Sharapova scored a 6-4, 6-2 victory over compatriot Anna Chakvetadze. Both players lost their opening service games, but Sharapova took advantage of Chakvetadze's mistakes, and broke her compatriot in the fifth and seventh games of the second set.

Against Williams, Sharapova is 3-2, including three wins on hard courts. The matches were the semifinals for the Gold Group, made up of winners early in the tournament.

The silver group is for players who lost in the earlier rounds. There will be a JB Gold Group and a JB Silver Group champion.

The tournament is also one of several events that players are using to hone their skills before the first major of the year, the Australian Open, starts January 14th in Melbourne.

Sports

Tennis

Venus Williams

Australian Open

Venus Williams has voiced her support for former world number one Martina Hingis, who was handed a two-year ban for doping.

Hingis, who retired from the sport in November after revealing she had tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon last year, had insisted she was "100% innocent".

But following an extensive investigation, the International Tennis Federation announced on Friday that they had found Hingis guilty of the offence.

Speaking after her semi-final victory over Elena Dementieva at the JB Group Classic in Hong Kong, Williams said: "I like Martina and I think she is a nice girl. I was shocked like everyone else.

"For me, personally, I give her the benefit of the doubt.

"There are hardly any doping cases in tennis and I think that in tennis it doesn't matter what you might take, it doesn't keep the ball in, it doesn't calm your nerves.

"I see where in track and field or other sports where it can help, but tennis is a sport where you need a lot of skill - there is no magic pill for that."