Black Tennis Pros

WASHINGTON — Eager to put the scandal-tainted standoff behind them, Senate Democrats accepted Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's Senate successor on Monday and said they expect to swear in the new Illinois senator this week.

Somber looking crew...Malia appears to be the only one with something to smile about.

It was a day in which Obama played the role of tourist, seeing the most famous monuments in the nation's capital while experiencing the flavor of the city.

After riding in a motorcade from their temporary home at the Hay-Adams Hotel, Obama, his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha entered the grounds around the memorial shortly after 7 p.m. Bundled in coats in the near-40 degree weather, they walked up the dozens of steps in a close pack and into the memorial.

HONG KONG (AP) - Venus Williams dominated Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday to give Team Americas the victory over Russia in the Hong Kong team tournament, and finish her only warm-up event before the Australian Open without dropping a set in singles play.

In a rematch of the final of the season-ending WTA Championships in November, which Williams won in three sets, the American broke in the first and third games in the first set to go up 3-0. Zvonavera got one break back in the fourth game, but served four double faults and lost serve again in the seventh.

Actor and activist Bill Cosby, Dr. Alvin Poussaint, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Democratic California Representative Maxine Waters speak on a variety of issues, including a lot of those affecting Black communities across America.

One of my fellow blogging ladies, "The Fitness Diva", has taken her 2009 fitness advice to another level. She's now offering video weight loss tools that I think are great.

Here is The Fitness Diva's Weight Loss Tool #2. To Check out #1, future videos, and all of the other fitness information that she offers, check her out right here at her site, Confessions Of A Fitness Diva.

Way to go Fitness Diva! I'm happy to say that I've already got this tool down pat.


The Fitness Diva's Weight Loss Tool #2 from The Fitness Diva on Vimeo.

DOHA (AFP) — Andy Roddick reached his first final since September when he carved a fine win in a high quality match against Gael Monfils in the semi-finals of the Qatar Open.

The former world number one from the United States also showed signs of evolving into a more measured and varied player during his 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 6-3 win over the brilliant but inconsistent Frenchman.

"He has an interesting dynamic because he just begs you to come forward, and then he will come up with a passing shot," he said.

"So it's a matter of staying the course and not getting discouraged by it. It was a physical match but I have done a lot of hard work in close season.

"I wasn't in shape at the end of last year after various injuries and stiff, but now I feel better."

Monfils, who eliminated world number one Rafael Nadal in straight sets on Thursday, looked to have more than enough spectacular weapons to sweep Roddick aside too, with his blistering court coverage, excellent serving and blazing winners.

But the 22-year-old missed his chance to close out the first set when he was serving at 5-4, and having re-established a dominance in many of the rallies was unable to find the right shot at crucial moments in the final set.

Roddick, by contrast, made the most of his assets in resourceful fashion. He kept his head when Monfils was threatening to trample on him in the first set, making the younger player play plenty of balls in the crises moments, and in the tie-break was by far the more solid.

Monfils, more relaxed again, was at his spectacular best in the second set, when again he looked easily good enough to become a top five player.

One outrageous forehand topspin lob winner, made while he was hurtling sideways behind the baseline, contributed to his break of serve in the fourth game, and he consolidated that by holding serve all through with an 80 percent first delivery ratio.

But Monfils' shot choices became less convincing in the third set, and he also became more passive.

Roddick broke for 3-1, lost it and slipped to 3-3 as Monfils once again looked a better player when trying to come from behind. But the former US Open champion broke again for 5-3 when Monfils played a disappointingly indifferent service game.

Monfils looked capable of breaking back at the death but at 30-all selected a dropshot-lob combination when he seemed well placed to try to pass Roddick. The ball landed long, and Roddick closed the match out nervelessly in the next rally with a well-controlled net attack.

BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) — Seventh seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet upset countryman and doubles partner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International tennis tournament Friday.

After being blown off court in the opening set Gasquet staged a remarkable comeback to down the second seeded Tsonga in 98 minutes.

He will take on eighth seeded Czech Radek Stepanek, a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 winner over Sweden's Robin Soderling, in the semi-finals on Saturday with the winner to play either Fernando Verdasco or Paul-Henri Mathieu in Sunday's final.

Gasquet and Tsonga won the ATP doubles title in Sydney last year and will play together there next week.

But there was no love lost in the first set as Tsonga, the world No.6, blitzed the first set, breaking Gasquet in the second and fifth games to take the set in just 29 minutes.

Gasquet came out in the second a different player and was able to comfortably hold his serve, while at the same time Tsonga went slightly off his game.

Gasquet broke at 5-4 to even the match up then dominated the third as Tsonga began to wilt under the pressure.

He said once he began to get the upper hand his confidence began to grow.

"It was difficult because I lost the first set 6-1 and he was playing better than me," Gasquet said.

"But I told myself to keep fighting and try to serve better and I may have a chance to break him, and it happened and I won the second set.

"After that my game got better and better."

Gasquet said it was important for him to beat top 10 players.

"I am 20 in the world, I was seven, so I can beat a lot of these guys," he said.

"It's good for me to begin the season with a semi-final before a Grand Slam -- it's good for the confidence."