Black Tennis Pros

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bankrupt apparel chain Steve & Barry's LLC can pay tennis star Venus Williams under the terms of her clothing line contract, a U.S. bankruptcy judge said on Tuesday.

Steve & Barry's, which plans to sell itself at an auction later this month, can pay Williams the $250,000 owed to her under a license agreement, provided she makes certain assurances, Judge Allan Gropper said at a court hearing in Manhattan.

Steve & Barry's was seeking to make $625,000 in payments to Williams, professional surfer Laird Hamilton and basketball player Ben Wallace for their license agreements, but Gropper said the company should wait at least two weeks until its sale procedures are approved.

He said the payment to Williams could be made now as she is expected to wear Steve & Barry's apparel while competing in the Olympic Games in Beijing over the next few weeks. Williams wore designs from her Steve & Barry's "Eleven" clothing line when she won the Wimbledon singles title a month ago.

Gropper said he would allow the other two celebrities to submit further proof that they needed to be paid more urgently. He said all the celebrities, including Williams, would have to show that Steve & Barry's would benefit from something other than "amorphous good will" by paying the celebrities now.

Celebrity-licensed clothing at Steve & Barry's accounted for 41 percent of the chain's in-store sales year-to-date, a lawyer for the company, Shai Waisman, said at the hearing.

The company also sells clothing lines created by actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Amanda Bynes, but neither was a part of the Tuesday proceeding.

The 276-store chain filed for bankruptcy protection in July citing tight credit markets, higher costs and a decline in consumer spending that left it unable to pay its debts.

On Monday the company said Bay Harbour Management had agreed to become the firm's "stalking horse" bidder with an offer to purchase the company as a going concern for $163 million. The bid allows Bay Harbour to make the first offer at the company's auction for its assets later this month.

NEW YORK -- Evian Natural Spring Water, the official bottled water of the U.S. Tennis Open, will have significant on-site presence when the event begins Aug. 25.

Among other activations, Evian will be the official recycling sponsor of the U.S. Open. Evian recycling bins will be placed throughout the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, N.Y.

Evian will also feature brand pitchman James Blake, among the top-ranked American tennis players in the world, in person and through marketing support.

Blake will be at the Evian booth, where kiosks will enable fans to access ShopEvian.com. Any purchase made at the Web site will include a complimentary Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray designed by Blake (while supplies last). The bottles currently are for sale at the Web site ($5.50). Visitors to the Evian booth will also have the opportunity to create their own Evian commercial, which they can view online.

Aug. 28 has been named Evian Day, during which about 25,000 of the Blake Brumisateurs will be handed out. In addition, people can win items such as autographed Blake memorabilia, a pair of tickets to the 2009 U.S. Open, gift certificates to a chic New York restaurant or a year's supply of Evian.

Evian added to its roster last month when it signed Canadian tennis pro Frank Dancevic as a spokesman.

Hello!

One year ago today, out of my sense of frustration with either the lack of coverage of Black tennis players, or the negative coverage, Black Tennis Pro's was born. I sought to create a one-stop shop, if you will, where you could get a good idea of the who, what, when and where on Black tennis players. Since that time a lot has happened in the tennis world as well as on Black Tennis Pro's.

One of the most significant things to happen here is my exposure to Black tennis players internationally. Overall, there's a tendency to think that Black tennis players consist of the few superstars that we have come to know and love i.e., Venus and Serena Williams, James Blake, and now Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while there are many more very interesting and talented Black players worldwide.

From simply posting the day-to-day happenings with the players and tournament information, I now have the wonderful opportunity to talk to various players, coaches and media personalities. Each experience has made me appreciate the players and their hard work even more.

The most personal experience that I've had is with those of you who were looking for a place like Black Tennis Pro's before it was ever created. From those of you who wrote to me within the first week that the site came online, to those of you who consistently comment, leave voice messages and share information that you think I may not have yet, it is so rewarding to know that there is such a large audience that feels the same way.

I have no clue where Black Tennis Pro's is going, I can't even believe that one year has already passed. However, I do know that I adore the sport of tennis and want those Black players within it to be as visible and positively presented as all of the other players. Until that happens, I'll probably be around...

~~Shelia

It's been a sloooow weekend for Black Tennis Pro's. While there isn't anything to speak of on the ATP Tour, South African Raven Klaasen was working it out on the USTA Pro Circuit in the 10th Annual Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic in Decatur, Illinois.

Klaasen defeated Tigran Martirosyan of Armenia 7-5, 6-4 and made it to the doubles semifinals of the same event with teammate Ito Yuichi of Japan; they were defeated by Tigran Martirosyan and Korean Daniel Yoo 6-7(7), 1-6.

We haven't had the opportunity to see much of Klaasen, so here are a few shots of him from the tournament, which was covered by the Herald&Review of Central Illinois.

American James Blake seems to be having a lot better time this week than he has been having over the previous few. Even his stance is more confident. Alright Blake, work it out!

In round 2 of the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Blake took out the most-recent-to-rise tennis sensation Gilles Simon of France, 6-4, 6-3. Not only did Blake send Simon packing, he did it with apparent ease in roughly an hour.

"I'm just as surprised as anyone," Blake said. "I figured it was going to be a really tough match."

It was here in Cincinnati in 2007 that Blake made it to the final against Roger Federer. It appears that Blake has reached "his" time of the year.

"This is always the time of year I appreciate most," said Blake, who improved to 24-8 on hard courts. "I've had my best results on this kind of court, getting ready for the U.S. Open. So it fits my game the best, and I feel good and healthy and strong."



Additionally, Blake is also spending a little time with a different sport. He got in a bit of batting practice before a Reds game on Saturday.

Several of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's biggest stars are showcased in a fantastic new photographic book published by the International Tennis Federation to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Tennis Event in Beijing.

Entitled "Journey To Beijing – Tennis Celebrates The Olympics", the book features more than 40 of the world's leading tennis players who took part in the ITF project to help promote the prestigious event, which features its strongest fields since tennis returned as an Olympic sport in 1988.

The 140-page publication features a series of specially commissioned photographs of the game's top names dressed as athletes from other summer or winter Olympic sports. These are accompanied by interviews with the players talking about their Olympic memories and hopes for Beijing.

The photographs were taken over a six-month period by some of the world's leading tennis photographers, with photo shoots held in venues as varied as Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Indian Wells, Los Angeles, Miami, Melbourne, Moscow, Netherlands, Palm Beach, Santiago, Shanghai and Tel Aviv.

Among the 44 players represented in the book are the two current world No.1s, Ana Ivanovic, who is shown playing beach volleyball, and Roger Federer, who poses as a fencer, both of whom were photographed in Miami. Rafael Nadal appears as a footballer on location in Shanghai, while Novak Djokovic takes advantage of Dubai's indoor ski slope.

Maria Sharapova takes time out from a photo shoot to try rhythmic gymnastics in Los Angeles, while Serena Williams demonstrates her ice skating abilities at home in Palm Beach. Olympic champions Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez become marathon runners on the streets of Santiago, while wheelchair world No.1 Esther Vergeer shows her versatility as a basketball player in the Netherlands.

The players also give an insight into the part the Olympics has played in their lives, with a series of exclusive interviews looking at their childhood memories, previous Olympic appearances and ambitions for this summer's Games.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: "I believe the book shows how proud current tennis players are to represent their countries in the Olympic Games as well as the importance the Olympics has played in their lives. In turn, we have witnessed the continued growth, not only of the Olympic Tennis Event, but also of the international reach of our sport since tennis returned to the Olympic Games in 1988."

SINGLES

Round 1

James Blake, USA defeated Gilles Simon, FRA
6-4, 6-3

Gael Monfils, FRA defeated Donald Young, USA(WC)
6-1, 6-1


DOUBLES

Round 1

James Blake, USA and Sam Querrey, USA
defeated by
Todd Widom, USA and Michael Yani, USA
6-7(2), 6-3 [7-10]

Donald Young, USA and Jesse Levine, USA
defeated by
Robert Lindstedt (SWE) and Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)
6-7(8), 6-7(1)



SINGLES

Round 1

Ahsha Rolle, USA(Q) defeated by Alisa Kleybanova, RUS
4-6, 2-6

Jamea Jackson, USA(Q) defeated by Victoria Azarenka, BLR
1-6, 1-6


*Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Angela Haynes, USA
Alexandra Stevenson, USA


DOUBLES

Round 1

Angela Haynes, USA and Liga Dekmeijere, LAT
defeated
Julie Ditty, USA and Shikha Uberoi, IND
6-1, 6-4

Alexandra Stevenson, USA and Anne Keothavong, GBR
defeated
Katie O'Brien GBR and Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
1-6, 7-5 [10-8]


SINGLES

Round 1

Nicholas Monroe, USA(WC) defeated by Yen-Hsun Lu, TPE
6-7(5), 3-6

Scoville Jenkins, USA defeated by Kyu Tae Im, KOR
5-7, 7-6(3), 3-6

Phillip Simmonds, USA vs. Noam Okun, ISR


DOUBLES

Round 1

Scoville Jenkins, USA and Brendan Evans, USA
defeated by
Frederic Niemeyer, CAN and Bobby Reynolds, USA
1-6, 4-6


SINGLES

Round 1

Todd Paul, USA defeated Austin Klores, USA
6-1, 6-2

Jarmaine Jenkins, USA defeated Lance Vodicka, USA
6-3, 4-0 Ret'd

Raven Klaasen, RSA defeated Matthew Allare, USA
4-6, 6-2, 6-1


DOUBLES

Round 1

Jarmaine Jenkins, USA and Ryan Young, USA
defeated by
Tigran Martirosyan, ARM and Daniel Yoo, KOR
6-2, 6-7(5) [6-10]

Raven Klaasen, RSA and Yuichi Ito, JPN
defeated
Sheeva Parbhu, USA and Maciek Sykut, USA
6-0, 3-6 [10-8]


SINGLES*

Round 1

Megan Moulton-Levy, USA defeated by Sofia Melikishvili, GEO
3-6, 6-3, 2-6

Ellah Nze, USA defeated Paula Zabala, COL
6-4, 6-4


DOUBLES

Round 1

Megan Moulton-Levy, USA and Zuzana Zemenova, SVK
defeated
Sarah Foster, USA and Imke Reimers GER
6-1, 6-2

Ellah Nze, USA and Alison Riske, USA
defeated
Emily Fraser, USA and Alexa Guarachi, USA
6-2, 6-2


*Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Tinesta Rowe, JAM