Black Tennis Pros

ACAPULCO, Mexico, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Venus Williams had to stage a major rally Thursday to down unheralded Spaniard Laura Pous Tio and post a quarterfinal win at the Mexican Open.

Williams, the defending Acapulco champion, was trailing 5-1 in the final set after losing the first frame to Pous Tio 4-6 and taking the second set 6-3. But she broke her opponent's serve three times before finally finishing the match on serve by holding at love and winning it 7-5.

With the win, Williams will go on to face Romanian Edina Gallovits in the semifinals. Gallovits gained the spot by dispatching Canadian Sharon Fichman 7-5, 6-2 on the clay courts.

Venus Blogging

Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

To ask Venus a question, visit the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour site here.



It's 1:15 in the morning. I tried laying down but I guess I don't like going to bed!

I had a pretty late match today. Afterwards I did press and then all my routines to get the body up and running again, and now I'm eating more. Today it was chicken and rice. No pasta... there's a limit of how much I can torture myself.

I was much more productive today - I didn't watch much TV. I was working on some marketing for V Starr Interiors (my interior design company). I have a charity event tomorrow for Make A Wish. I won't be there but I'm excited about that. I also need to be working on some designs... I've had a lot of problems: I'm taking a class but I've been extremely unsuccessful in opening my books this year. I really need to get rid of my TV programs! I always have to multitask because I get bored if I don't. Even when I'm watching Smallville, I have to be doing something at the same time. It makes me happy.

You may have seen my Facebook or Twitter pages by now. When I was younger, I wasn't very cool and didn't really have any friends. I always thought Facebook was where you could connect with people you used to know, and all I ever did was read a lot of books, so I figured it wasn't for me. I was a nerd. But recently I found out someone started a Facebook fan page for me and so I took it over. And I really like it, it's fun. Everyone likes Twitter and Facebook. I don't have any childhood friends on there though... it took me 25 years to get cooler.

Tomorrow I play an opponent I haven't played before, so I'm looking forward to that. Also, my mom is coming here hopefully, as I mentioned she has been threatening to come. I got her some earrings in Dubai but I like them so much I'm wearing them now! I can rationalize it. She always loses an earring. One always comes out of her ear, and she'll come around asking, 'Did you see my earring? It fell out!' She's always wearing just one.

Have a good night... talk to you tomorrow!

Venus

P.S. I've attached a picture of me and my sister, Isha :)

What is Harold up to? Jake
He's very happy. The little guy's growing up but he'll always be my little son. I miss him. Special little guy. I picked a really good one... I don't know how but I did! He has a habit of stealing my pillow. Every time I come back he has stolen it, so naturally I just move over and take another one. He's back in Florida right now. I can't wait to get back and see him stealing those pillows.

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In an upset during the night session at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday, Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic fired 15 aces and dropped just four points on his first serve in a 7-5, 6-3 defeat of fifth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Ljubicic, who did not face a break point, next faces defending champion Novak Djokovic.

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MAKUENI, Kenya - Just over a year after visiting Kenya to open the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya, Serena Williams returned to the country to follow up on her humanitarian efforts. Williams arrived on February 22 for a three day charity mission where she will inaugurate the Wee Secondary School in Makueni, Eastern Province, Kenya.

The new school lies roughly 50 kilometers from the first one. While in the country, Williams will follow up on the progress of the Matooni school and will hold a tennis teaching session with the students at both schools.

Williams has partnered with technology giant Hewlett Packard and the Build African Schools initiative. She is a global ambassador for the firm and has also worked with the Starfishgreatheart Charity for orphans in South Africa.

Hewlett Packard will equip the school with computers, printers and internet connectivity, while facilitating the training of the local teachers and students.

Ken Mbwaya, Hewlett Packard's managing director for East Africa, said: "As our ambassador, Serena was touched by the plight of children from these areas. This has made many keen to learn, even with daily challenges and limitations. Education is the best platform to invest in as it empowers whole communities.

"Sixty-two percent of Kenyans live in absolute poverty, which means that some very bright children are hindered from achieving their potential. This is an actual impediment to the realization of Vision 2030 and we need to tackle this before we seek IT penetration into rural Kenya. Education is the best platform to invest in as it empowers whole communities."

While in Kenya Serena visited Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka who lauded Serena's efforts in setting up Kenyan Schools.

Musyoka said her partnership with leading Computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Charitable organization - Build African Schools, is set to transform rural communities by equipping them with school facilities as well as helping them attain computer literacy.

He made the remarks in his Jogoo house when the tennis superstar paid him a courtesy call.

The Vice President, who invited her to also partner with his Kalonzo Musyoka Foundation to provide scholarships to needy students, proposed that Ms Williams would be a worthy beneficiary of the proposed dual citizenship under the new constitution.

"She has definitely touched many Kenyan lives and is therefore worthy of such recognition if she so wishes,'' he said.

Ms Williams said she will continue to not only open and support schools in Kenya but also build and provide computers to other countries, in Africa.

She added that she was committed to contribute towards "putting a smile" on the faces of many unfortunate members of the society.

With a light touch, the champion welcomed the dual citizenship proposal, adding that her only problem would be the confusion at the International Airports on whether to fill her forms as Kenyan or American.

Ms Williams opened Wee Secondary School in Matiliku Location in Makueni district on Tuesday.

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To ask Venus a question, visit the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour site here.


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Hello again!

I played my first match tonight and it went well. I had a good time on the clay. It was my first match on clay in... a while. I'm getting the feel of it again.

This afternoon I relaxed. I watched a lot of programming. I didn't better myself at all. Some Smallville... I haven't started watching Grey's yet. As a rule, I watch programming when I'm in non-English speaking countries. I like Private Practice, and I really love Superman... the cartoon :) Yes, I watch cartoons. It's a bad habit I picked up from Serena. Avatar, Justice League... My favorite person in the Justice League is Superman but if they were real people, for sure it would be The Flash. I would definitely have a crush! Children watch cartoons but cartoons really aren't childish - my mom watches them, my sister watches them... there are some good episodes! I get so caught up in some of the stories.

For dinner we just hit the buffet. Quick and easy. Nothing too special... I did eat some barbecued goat though. I have to try everything once. I felt adventurous! It was good! On another note, as I started playing my matches today, I started carbs too... I downed lots of rice and pasta before the match. It drives me nuts. Brings my happiness level down.

I'll talk to you all again tomorrow... have a good night!

Venus

Who is with you in Acapulco? Mimie
Thanks for the question. Isha is here, my assistant Jessica is here, my hitting partner Dave is here... My mom and dad aren't home. Sometimes it's nice to be on the road without a coach. Quietness in your head with no one talking on the sidelines... My mom has been threatening to come this weekend. We'll see!

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog!

This is kinda like déjà vu... Last year I won Dubai, came to Acapulco and blogged. This year was a little better than the last because I didn't have as long a layover in New York, only two hours. The luggage took a little longer to come, though - it finally came this morning. But it didn't bother me. Until now I've never had a problem with it and everyone else has so I figured it was my turn :)

No jet lag. I'm okay. It's not a lot of time to adjust to the court surface and time zone but I feel like a pro on all grounds - not just tennis - so I have the whole schedule down, the method. I'll be strong for my first match tomorrow.

I talked about the breakfast buffet last year and I'm going to this year too. I love it! I always pile so much on my plate, even though I barely eat any of it. I started eating a little scoop of ice cream at night, too, but I had to stop. I don't really like carbs. I like meat. But a tennis player cannot live on meat alone. I've been taking a break from carbs the last few days but tomorrow I'll have to start back up. I just like meat so much, though. Steak... I like chicken, fried chicken... but overall I'm not a big eater. I'm not into the whole eating thing.

Right now I'm just winding down, it's around 10pm. All day I made sure I didn't fall asleep so I would be able to sleep at a normal time. What do I do to wind down? I'm a tennis geek, so I watch a ton of tennis. Not doing anything is so luxurious. We all know that feeling. Lying around without a care in the world until the next match or practice... I enjoy getting it done and the day being over!

I love keeping in touch with you all with the blog. I usually have more to say... Anyway, visit me on Twitter, Facebook and my website too!

Have a good night!

Venus

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Fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France advanced to the second round of the Barclay's Dubai Tennis Championships Tournament after fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra withdrew from their match after losing the first set.

Tsonga won the tie-break 11-9 before Llodra announced he was unable to continue, citing a hamstring injury.

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ACAPULCO, México - Although it was tougher than the scoreline might suggest, Venus Williams was relatively untroubled in her opening match of the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL, beating Mathilde Johansson, 62 63.

Williams, the No.1 seed and defending champion on the red clay of Acapulco, faced break points as she served in the first game of the match but held and wound up clinching the first set in 34 minutes. The first four games of the second set all went to deuce and it was Johansson who seemed more in form, breaking for 2-1 and holding a point for 3-1; but Williams rolled from there, winning five of the last six games to prevail in an hour and 25 minutes.

"I'm just trying to get my rhythm on the clay so it was good to win," Williams said. "I really had to work for this tournament last year. This time last year I played a really tough three set match before I won, so it's a little better today. But I still just want to take it round by round and hopefully win."

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ROUND 1

Singles

Venus Williams, USA defeated Mathilde Johansson, FRA
6-2, 6-3

Doubles

Mashona Washington, USA and Sharon Fichman, CAN
vs.
Edina Gallovitts, ROU and Mariya Koryttseva, UKR


ROUND 2

Singles

Venus Williams, USA vs. Kaia Kanepi, EST

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Angela Haynes, USA


ROUND 1

Doubles

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Sarah Borwell, GBR
vs.
Darija Jurak, CRO and Katalin Marosi, HUN

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA


ROUND 1

Singles

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA defeated Michael Llodra, FRA
7-6(9), Ret'd


ROUND 2

Singles

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs. Ivan Ljubicic, CRO


ROUND 1

Singles

James Blake, USA vs. Taylor Dent, USA

Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Scott Lipsky, USA
vs.
Jarkko Nieminen, FIN and Bobby Reynolds, USA

James Blake, USA and Ryan Kendrick, USA
vs.
Eric Butorac, USA and David Martin, USA

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

(6)Donald Young, USA


ROUND 1

Singles

Phillip Simmonds, USA, vs. Artem Sitak, RUS
Nicholas Monroe, USA vs. Blake Strode, USA

Doubles

Phillip Simmonds, USA and Andrew Anderson, RSA
vs.
Arnau Brugues-Davi, ESP and Victor Estrella, DOM

Nicholas Monroe, USA and Gregory Ouellette, USA
vs.
Javier Herrera-Equiluz, MEX and Daniel Kosakowski, USA

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Press Release

WASHINGTON – February 11, 2010 – The Washington Kastles, the 2009 World TeamTennis Champions, are proud to announce that for the third consecutive season, world #1 ranked Serena Williams will lead the Kastles after protecting her rights and selecting her earlier today in the league’s Marquee Player Draft. In a move to bolster their 2010 title hopes, the Kastles, in a trade with the Philadelphia Freedoms, added Venus Williams to the squad. Serena will play four matches for the Kastles and Venus will play three.

Serena has played in front of sell-out crowds in her two prior trips to Kastles Stadium for the 2008 and 2009 WTT seasons. This summer, she will make one home appearance at Kastles Stadium, as will Venus for a different match.

Serena is the defending Wimbledon singles and women’s doubles champion and two-time defending Australian Open singles champion. Coming off her 2010 Australian Open championships in singles and women’s doubles, Williams now has 25 career Grand Slam titles, 12 in singles, 11 in women’s doubles and two in mixed doubles. Williams’ 12 Grand Slam singles titles tie her with American legend Billie Jean King for sixth all-time. She holds more Grand Slam titles than any other active female player and has won more prize money than any woman in the history of professional sports.

Venus has won 20 career Grand Slam titles, including five Wimbledon singles titles. She is the reigning Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open women’s doubles champion and holds a total of seven Grand Slam titles in singles, 11 in women's doubles and two in mixed doubles. She also has won three Olympic gold medals, one in singles and two in women's doubles.

With the addition of Venus, the Kastles roster now has a total of 61 Grand Slam titles including 19 women’s singles, 26 women’s doubles, six men’s doubles and 10 mixed doubles championships.

"I'm looking forward to returning to Washington, DC this summer and helping my Kastles teammates defend our WTT Championship title,” said Serena about her return to the nation’s capital. “There's something special about playing in the middle of downtown DC in that setting with the great support of our fans."

During the July 5 - 25 season, the Williams sisters and the Kastles will welcome opponents John McEnroe, who returns with their Eastern Conference rivals, the New York Sportimes, in a rematch of last season’s now infamous and hotly contested battle, and Anna Kournikova and the St. Louis Aces. Martina Hingis, making her return to professional tennis, will likely come to DC when another Eastern Conference foe, the New York Buzz, takes on the Kastles.

“The historic opportunity to have both Serena and Venus on our team is a thrill, both for the success of our team and for our fans, whose support has been so integral to our success,” said team owner Mark Ein. “They are the epitome of what is great about the sport of tennis and will lead an unprecedented collection of talent for us on the court in 2010.”

“It takes world-class talent to win championships and there are no more accomplished athletes than Serena and Venus,” said Kastles head coach Murphy Jensen, who guided the squad to the 2009 title in his first season coaching in the WTT Pro League. “Last summer was truly a dream season for us, and come July 5, the dream continues in D.C.”

The rest of the 2010 Kastles roster will be determined during the March 16 WTT Pro League Roster Draft.

“The hardest thing about winning our first title will be defending it, because everyone will be gunning for us,” continued Ein. “We want to keep the King Trophy right here in D.C. and in order to accomplish that, we’re going to put the most talented team possible on the court every single match, home and away.”

The Kastles are entering their third WTT season. In 2009, the Kastles earned the franchise’s first playoff berth before defeating their heated rivals, the Sportimes, at home in the Eastern Conference Finals. In an epic final, before a capacity Kastles Stadium crowd, the Kastles rallied from down three championship points to triumph over the Springfield Lasers 23-20 to win their first King Trophy.

Great season ticket packages can be purchased by visiting www.washingtonkastles.com or by calling 202-4TENNIS. You can also follow the Kastles on Facebook at facebook.com/washkastles and on Twitter at twitter.com/WashKastles.

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