Black Tennis Pros

Where is Ricky Martin and "The Cup Of Life" when you need him?

Here we go!
Allez, allez, allez!
Go, go, go!
Allez, allez, allez!

I would never have imagined that by Wednesday of this week my whole focus would have changed this dramatically with Roland Garros, but I am so glad that it has.

Twenty-one year old Frenchman Gael Monfils has stepped up to the plate in a most fabulous way and has injected new life into Roland Garros. I don't know where it's going or how long it's going to last, but I'M HAPPY!

Spaniard David Ferrer was downed by Monfils 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a most wonderful effort. It was a pleasure to watch.

Yes, Yes, Yes! I told you all some good things were happening today.

Frenchman Gael Monfils took out Croatian Ivan Ljubicic to the tune of a 7-6(7/1), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.

Gael now faces the probability of becoming the first Frenchman since Sebastien Grosjean in 2001 to reach the semi-finals of the French Open, the local crowd has been waiting 25 years for Yannick Noah's successor as a champion.

"It is fabulous, incredible, I am deeply moved," Monfils said in a courtside interview.

"What is coming next will also be beautiful."

Birthday girl Mashona Washington threw up her arms and let out a loud scream when the final ball finally sailed out. There was reason to celebrate: Washington would be spending the rest of her big day preparing for the women's final at the $50,000 USTA East West Bank Classic Pro Challenger.

"I did not want to lose on my birthday," said Washington, who turned 32 on Saturday. "After my first two matches in qualifying everything else was a bonus. I've just been trying to put matches together."

Houston's Washington went straight to the trainer's table after her 7-6 (5), 6-2, semifinal win over fourth-seeded Anna Tatishvili. She came back with ice on her surgically repaired left knee. "It's feeling pretty good," she said. "I actually had to get some treatment on my back. It's been sore since Monday. I don't know if it's the softness of the beds here or what. But I have been getting some great sleeps."

Washington will play No. 2 seed Alexa Glatch, an 18-year-old from Newport Beach in today's 10 a.m. final.

UPDATE: Mashona defeated Alexa Glatch 7-5, 6-5 to take the championship. Work it girl!!

CARSON, Calif. -- It was about time. That’s what Mashona Washington said was working for her following her hard-fought, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over fellow American Kimberly Couts in the second round of the East West Bank Classic USTA Women’s $50,000 Pro Challenger Thursday at the Home Depot Center.

“It was just time,” said Washington, who upset the tournament’s top seed and her doubles partner Angela Haynes Wednesday. “That’s what was working for me. I’ve been through so many tournaments that lasted two matches, two matches, two matches. Now, finally I get a third match. Everything is a bonus from here on out. It feels great.”

Washington is coming back from injuries and had to work her way through qualifying here. Her current world ranking is 573. The brother of 1996 Wimbledon finalist MaliVai, Washington finished ranked in the top 50 in the world in 2004, the same year she beat her first top-10 player, Maria Sharapova, at New Haven, Conn.

In fact, it was two years ago that Washington almost beat Sharapova again in the first round of the French Open. She served for the match at 5–2 but could not hold serve. At 5-4 in the third set, she held match points before the then-world No. 4 broke back and won the final set, 7-5.

Washington meets wild-card entry Jamie Hampton in the quarterfinals.

Round 3 - Men's Singles

Gael Monfils, FRA defeated Jurgen Melzer, AUT
4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2


Round 3 - Women's Singles

Venus Williams USA defeated by Flavia Pennetta, ITA
5-7, 3-6


DOUBLES

Round 1 - Men's

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Jurgen Melzer, AUT and Alexander Peya, AUT
7-5, 6-4


Round 2 - Men's

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated by
Janko Tipsarevic, SRB and Viktor Troicki, SRB
2-6, 4-6


Round 1 - Women's

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Natalie Grandin, RSA
defeated
Iveta Benesova, CZE and Janette Husarova, SVK
1-6, 7-5, 7-5

Stephanie Foretz, FRA and Olga Savchuk, UKR
defeated by
Dinara Safina, RUS and Agnes Szavay, HUN
4-6, 1-6


MIXED DOUBLES

Round 1

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Elena Vesnina, RUS
defeated by
Nenad Zimonjic, SRB and Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
1-6, 2-6

Gael Monfils, FRA and Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
defeated
Andy Ram, ISR and Natalie Dechy, FRA
6-4, 6-4

Stephanie Foretz, FRA and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, FRA
defeated by
Bethanie Mattek, USA and Kevin Ullyett, ZIM
1-6, 6-4, 0-1(7/10)