Black Tennis Pros

Thursday morning brought back the suspended match of the French Open's Wednesday night session between American Venus Williams and the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova. When the match was called due to darkness, Safarova was up one set 7⁷-6⁵.

Safarova continued her aggressive game this morning, a lesser player than Venus would probably have fallen. Venus defended her turf like the pro that she is. She was all over Court Suzanne Lenglen running down Safarova's shots.

Venus eventually had to save both a break and a match point to finally toss Safarova out of there. She took the final two sets 6-2, 7-5.

"Yesterday, I think I did too many things wrong. She just was firing for every shot and making them. Obviously, with the delay, there was a lot of things to think about beforehand, what I could do different, and just tried to be as aggressive as I could.

"The last two sets, you know, it was close. But these kind of matches are really rewarding, and she was playing well. But I felt like I deserved it."

Go Venus, Go Venus, Go Venus!!!!

I'm loving these shots that the photographers are getting of Venus in action:

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American James Blake gave a light-hearted interview to DEUCE Magazine at the Estoril Open about the last time… he cooked for himself, he met his childhood hero, he played a match no one watched and when celebrity helped him.

I hired a tennis court?

It’s definitely been a while. I guess it was during the 2006 US Open, when my coach Brian Barker and I took time out from the media attention at Flushing Meadows and went off-site to Grand Central tennis courts. I think it cost $150 or something per hour to hire a court.

I met a childhood hero?

That would have been [former basketball player] Michael Jordan, immediately after the 2007 Australian Open. I loved watching him compete and play. I loved his intensity in every game.

I played a match that no-one watched?

When I started to come back in 2005, after my neck fracture and Zoster condition the previous year, I was outside of the Top 200 and played a couple of Challenger events. I distinctly remember at Tunica Resorts in Mississippi [May 2005] that not many people watched matches that week. It was pretty much one man and his dog.

I cooked for myself?

I never cook! As players we stay in hotels and travel all the time, so it must have been at least 10 years ago when I cooked macaroni and cheese – nothing difficult.

I shared a hotel room with another player?

I’m not sure about a player, but I stayed one night in the same room as my coach at Basel in October last year as the hotel was overcrowded.

Being recognised helped me?

Last week it definitely helped me in Rome because Brian and I were jogging on a track we weren’t supposed to be on. They must have recognised me as a tennis player, because despite not knowing Italian they were very easy on us.

I was asked if I was a tennis player?

That wasn’t that long ago, it was probably during Memphis in February this year.

I broke a string in a match?

I guess it was when I lost to Tomas Berdych [6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3] in Miami in March. I don’t break too many strings, but it will happen soon. I get the frames re-strung before every match, but I’m not like some of the players who change racquets with every ball change.

I forgot something important?

I’m pretty good at remembering important dates, as I have an assistant who helps me out. So it’s been a while, I never forgot my Mum, Dad and brother’s birthday.

I had to show my credential badge at a tournament?

I’m pretty much okay in the States, but the security is strict at the door in Indian Wells [BNP Paribas Open] so I needed to show it there in March.

I played a competitive sport other than tennis?

I played in a little golf tournament at my local country club just before Andy Roddick’s wedding. My handicap is 10, but I’m not very good. I very rarely played as a kid, but just started playing a little more. I play 5-10 times a year, but a little more in the last 12 months. I wouldn’t say I’m a natural at ball games.

I had a really unusual fan request?

The last time I checked my mail!

I played a practical joke in the locker room?

At Davis Cup we play plenty! The best one was against France in a 2002 semi-final in Paris. Todd Martin thought he could never be gotten with a practical joke. We [Blake, Roddick and Mardy Fish] had had a food fight in the locker room and he thought we were so immature. But I got him with a whipped-cream pie in his face during an interview with ESPN the next day. The last question was ‘can the young guys get you with a practical joke?’ and he said ‘no’.

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WOMEN'S SINGLES

Round 1

Asia Muhammed, USA defeated Kimberly Couts, USA
4-6, 7-5, 6-4

Jennifer Elie, USA defeated by Monique Adamczak, AUS
6-2, 3-6, 4-6

Megan Moulton-Levy, USA defeated by Laura Granville, USA
3-6, 1-6

Mashona Washington, USA defeated by Julia Glushko
2-6, 6-3, 4-6

Alexandra Stevenson, USA defeated Shikha Uberoi, IND
6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3


Round 2

Asia Muhammed, USA defeated by Nicole Gibbs, USA
3-6, 5-7

Alexandra Stevenson, USA defeated Kaitlyn Christian, USA
6-3, 6-3


Quarterfinal Round

Alexandra Stevenson, USA vs. Kristie Ahn, USA


Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Danielle Mills, USA
Brittany Augustine, USA


WOMEN'S DOUBLES

Round 1

Megan Moulton-Levy, USA and Audra Cohen, USA
defeated by
Laura Granville, USA and Riza Zalameda, USA
1-6, 2-6

Asia Muhammed, USA and Kimberly Couts, USA
defeated by
Nicole Gibbs, USA and Stacey Tan, USA
2-6, 6-4 [5-10]

Mashona Washington, USA and Shikha Uberoi, USA
defeated
Kristie Ahn, USA and Danielle Lao, USA
6-4, 6-3

Brittany Augustine, USA and Jennifer Elie, USA
defeated
Christina Fusano, USA and Sacha Jones, NZL
6-4, 2-6 [10-5]


Quarterfinal Round

Mashona Washington, USA and Shikha Uberoi, USA
defeated
Gail Brodsky, USA and Laura Siegemund, GER
6-3, 7-5

Brittany Augustine, USA and Jennifer Elie, USA
defeated by
Monique Adamczak, AUS and Nicole Kriz, AUS
6-7(5), 6-7(4)


Semifinal Round

Mashona Washington, USA and Shikha Uberoi, IND
vs.
Monique Adamczak, AUS and Nicole Kriz, AUS


MEN'S SINGLES

Round 1

(WC)Donald Young, USA defeated by Nick Lindall, AUS
4-6, 1-6

Nicholas Monroe, USA defeated Alex Bogomolov, Jr.
6-3, 4-6, 6-4


Round 2

Nicholas Monroe, USA defeated by Jesse Witten
6-7(7), 6-7(3)

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Phillip Simmonds, USA
Todd Paul, USA


MEN'S DOUBLES

Round 1

Nicholas Monroe, USA and Brian Battistone, USA
defeated
Daniel Kosakowski, USA and J.T. Sundling, USA
6-1, 6-3

Todd Paul, USA and Stephen Bass, USA
defeated by
Ramon Delgado, PAR and Kaes Van't Hof, USA
2-6, 3-6


Quarterfinal Round

Nicholas Monroe, USA and Brian Battistone, USA
defeated by
Harsh Mankad, IND and Frederik Nielsen, DEN
2-6, 3-6

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On Court Suzanne Lenglen Wednesday night American Venus Williams and the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova had to shut down their one-set match for the night due to darkness.

When the match was called for the evening Safarova had taken the first set 7⁷-6⁵.

Venus will have to wrap this one up in straight sets if she is to continue her quest ... she's done it a thousand times.

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Lesser know Frenchman Josselin Ouanna is making excellent use of his wildcard at the 2009 French Open. Today he ended Marat Safin's French Open career with an epic five-set victory on Wednesday evening.

The very tempered but stragetgic Ouanna held on in a tight 4 hour and 34 minute match to take out Safin in a 7⁷-6², 7⁷-6⁴, 4-6, 3-6, 10-8 victory.

Safin, who has vowed to retire at the end of the season, lost the first set on a tie-break and the pattern repeated itself in the second.

The Russian appeared to have the mental edge after he saved four set points while serving at 5-6 but Ouanna stayed focused in the breaker to open a two-set lead.

However, Safin's famous temperament was held in check as he launched a fightback.

A single break of serve in both the third and fourth sets saw him level match - Ouanna missing six break points in the process.

Safin, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2002, looked set to roll on to victory when he broke early in the decider, but he allowed Ouanna to hit back and level at 3-3 - Safin slamming a ball into the stands in disgust and picking up a warning in the process.

The Russian saved match points at 4-5 (with an ace) and at 5-6 (with a brilliant forehand winner) but when Ouanna fashioned more chances at 8-9 he finally cracked.

One was saved but when Safin sent a forehand wide on the next it was all over.

Ouanna progresses to a third-round meeting with Fernando Gonzalez, the 12th seed.

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Although their first round doubles match currently stands suspended due to darkness, sisters Venus and Serena Williams plan to return on Wednesday and complete what they began on Tuesday.

Playing on court No. 2 at the 2009 French Open, the sisters took the first set 6-1, only to have that reversed in the second set when the Czech pairing of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka won 6-3.

The teams currently stand one set all, four games to three third set, Williams sisters.

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PARIS (AP) — James Blake has lost in the first round of the French Open to a qualifier making his Grand Slam debut.

The 15th-seeded Blake was upset 7-6 (6), 7-5, 6-2 on Tuesday by 93rd-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina.

Blake has never been past the third round at Roland Garros. The American made more than twice as many unforced errors as Mayer.

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