Black Tennis Pros

Former World No. 1 Venus Williams made a special appearance to sign autographs on High School Day for a throng of students gathered in the Grandstand Tent.


Williams, who made the third round of Cincinnati in ’09, has won seven Grand Slam titles in her career and 43 Tour titles overall. A viral illness has forced her to withdraw from this year’s Western and Southern Open, but she came on-site Sunday to fulfill sponsor obligations.

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Kid's Day

Highlighting the day’s Kid’s Day events was the appearance of ’07 Cincinnati finalist James Blake and recent Carlsbad quarterfinalist Sloane Stephens. The American duo played an exhibition match in the Quickstart tennis format. Instead of racquets, however, they were equipped with frying pans.


The 2011 Casting Call was bigger and better, with something for the entire family. Auditions took place on the Fountain Square stage, siblings played on the tennis courts installed right on the square, and parents enjoyed lunch from Skyline under the sun. Kids between the ages of 7 and 12 tried out for a chance to sing in front of thousands at this summer's Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open. These lucky winners will have the special opportunity to sing "America the Beautiful" prior to a session of the 2010 tournaments at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

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2011 Men's Standings

Place	Player	Points
1	Mardy Fish (USA)	185
2	Novak Djokovic (SRB)	100
3	Ernests Gulbis (LAT)	85
T-4	John Isner (USA)	70
	Gael Monfils (FRA)	70
	Radek Stepanek (CZE)	70
7	Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)	60
8	Ryan Harrison (USA)	50
9	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)	45
T-10	Kevin Anderson (RSA)	30
	Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE)	30
	Viktor Troicki (SRB)	30
T-13	Nicolas Almagro (ESP)	25
	Tomas Berdych (CZE)	25
	Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA)	25
	Gilles Muller (LUX)	25
	Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)	25
	Donald Young (USA)	25
T-19	Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)	15
	Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)	15
	Marin Cilic (CRO)	15
	Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)	15
	Somdev Devvarman (IND)	15
	Ivan Dodig (CRO)	15
	Roger Federer (SUI)	15
	Richard Gasquet (FRA)	15
	Ivo Karlovic (CRO)	15
	Igor Kunitsyn (RUS)	15
	Rajeev Ram (USA)	15
	Fernando Verdasco (ESP)	15

   

2011 Women's Standings

Place	Player	Points
1	Serena Williams (USA)	170
2	Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)	130
3	Samantha Stosur (AUS)	70
4	Vera Zvonareva (RUS)	60
5	Andrea Petkovic (GER)	50
T-6	Victoria Azarenka (BLR)	45
	Marion Bartoli (FRA)	45
T-8	Ana Ivanovic (SRB)	40
	Sabine Lisicki (GER)	40
10	Maria Sharapova (RUS)	30
T-11	Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)	25
	Lucie Safarova (CZE)	25
	Roberta Vinci (ITA)	25
	Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ)	25
T-15	Marina Erakovic (NZL)	15
	Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)	15
	Petra Kvitova (CZE)	15
	Na Li (CHN)	15
	Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)	15
	Ayumi Morita (JPN)	15
	Shuai Peng (CHN)	15
	Francesca Schiavone (ITA)	15
	Sloane Stephens (USA)	15
	Jie Zheng (CHN)	15

Standings through Week 4

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Ten years after winning her first Rogers Cup presented by National Bank title, Serena Williams once again lifted the trophy of Canada's most important tennis tournament.

A lot has changed for the 13-time Grand Slam champion in the decade gone by, but one thing is still for certain - she sure is one impressive tennis player.

Williams won the title on Sunday in emphatic fashion, nailing an ace at match point to defeat Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2.

Though the contest was evenly matched through the first eight games, the American turned it up a notch to break at 4-4 and never looked back. She was dominant in the second set, ripping seven aces while losing just one first service point.

It was clear the championship meant a lot to her, as upon clinching victory she immediately jumped and spun around in elation. In her post-match press conference she talked about how Toronto was definitely a tournament she had targeted as an event she really wanted to win this year.

With her mission now accomplished and her 39th career title in her pocket, the 29-year-old should move up nearly 50 spots in the rankings to around the No. 35 spot.


Though Stosur's tournament ended with a loss, her successful week should help her gain confidence heading into the final Slam of the season. Prior to coming to Toronto, the Australian had lost in her opening round twice in a row, but she turned it around here and improved her play with each match up to the final.

Her performance means she'll move back into the Top 10 after spending just one week outside of the upper echelon of the sport. If she keeps it up, she'll definitely be in the conversation at the final Slam of the season.


With the entertaining final between Williams and Stosur now over, Rogers Cup wraps up a successful week of tennis. Though the back-end of the tournament was lacking in the star power provided by such players like Kim Clijsters, who retired in the second round, Maria Sharapova, who was a third-round dropout, and world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki who fell in her opening match, Williams shines brighter than almost anyone on the tour.

She now has two titles in just four tournaments played since her return to tennis following a year-long absence due to serious health issues, and both of those triumphs occurred on hard courts. She will no doubt be a huge threat at the US Open in two weeks times.

For now, the pair will head to the next tournament in Cincinnati, where a Rogers Cup re-match could occur in the second round as Stosur and Williams were drawn in the same quarter.

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On Saturday night, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia qualified for the final of the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank after a match that never actually ended.

Djokovic was leading 6-4 and 3-0 when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, who defeated Roger Federer on Thursday, retired due to a right arm injury.

There were some spectacular points in the two-sided first set. Until 4-4, things were running smoothly despite the three break points that went to Djokovic.

In the ninth game, the World No.1 broke Tsonga and ran away with the set.

As the second set got underway, it seemed that Djokovic had also broken Tsonga's spirit. At 2-0, the Frenchman asked the chair umpire to call the trainer, who came out at the next changeover and quickly saw that Tsonga couldn't go on.

Attack, defense

At the start of the match, Tsonga pulled out his best offensive arsenal, pushing Djokovic to the limit. Unfortunately for him, the world no.1 stood firm. All Tsonga could do was fold.

Slowed by pain in the second set, the Frenchman changed his game and rallied from the backcourt with the king of counter offensives to no avail.

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CINCINNATI, Ohio (AFP) — Venus Williams has pulled out of WTA Tour's Western and Southern Open tournament, complaining of a viral illness, organizers said on Friday.

It is the second consecutive year the American has withdrawn from the event as she skipped the 2010 tournament with a sore knee.

The world No. 34 was forced to withdraw from this week's Rogers Cup in Toronto with the same illness.

"I regret not having the opportunity to compete in the Western and Southern Open this year," Williams said. "I am making progress towards recovering from a viral illness that began affecting me last week, and have plans to return to the practice court in the coming days. I am optimistic that I will be ready for the US Open at the end of this month."

The 31-year-old American has been limited to three tournaments this year because of injuries and illness. She retired at the Australian Open in January because of a right hip injury and contended with hip and abdominal ailments through May.

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Vegosen

On Finals Weekend, the USTA and the US Open will remember those whose lives were lost on September 11, 2001, with a pair of pre-match ceremonies in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Prior to the start of the prime-time women’s singles final on Saturday, September 10, there will be a special performance by Grammy and Emmy Award-winner Cyndi Lauper. On Sunday, September 11, Queen Latifah – musician, television and film actress, label president and author – will preside over a tribute before the start of the men’s singles final. Queen Latifah performed at the US Open’s first ever Opening Night Ceremony in 2002, which was 9/11 themed.

For both the women’s and men’s singles championships "9-11-01" will be inscribed on Arthur Ashe Stadium court as part of this memorial tribute. The USTA also will include on the upper ring encircling Arthur Ashe Stadium the 9-11 memorial logo developed by the City of New York. This logo will replace a USOpen.org logo that will be in place prior to Finals Weekend.

"The USTA’s goal is to mark this solemn occasion in a dignified and respectful manner," said Jon Vegosen, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. "We are one of this nation’s global stages on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, and we have a special responsibility to honor those fallen and those who responded heroically on that fateful day."

Each ceremony will include a moment of silence and the unfurling of a giant American flag over the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium by a United States Marines Corps color guard. On Sunday, the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, the two men’s players competing in the Final will enter the court through an honor guard comprised of members of the New York Police Department, the Fire Department of New York and the Port Authority Police. There also will be a military flyover on Sunday, September 11, at the conclusion of the ceremony. CBS Sports will present live coverage of each ceremony as part of its broadcasts of the prime-time women’s final and Sunday afternoon men’s final.

In addition to the Finals Weekend ceremonies, the US Open tradition of boys and girls singing patriotic-themed songs in Arthur Ashe Stadium continues in 2011. Talented vocalists ages 12 and under are scheduled to perform nightly on Center Court after being selected in June by a celebrity panel of judges at the fifth annual open casting call, held at Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater in New York City.

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2011 Men's Standings

Place	Player	Points
1	Mardy Fish* (USA)	160
2	Ernests Gulbis (LAT)	85
T-3	John Isner (USA)	70
	Gael Monfils (FRA)	70
	Radek Stepanek (CZE)	70
6	Janko Tipsarevic* (SRB)	60
7	Ryan Harrison (USA)	50
T-8	Novak Djokovic* (SRB)	45
	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga* (FRA)	45
T-10	Kevin Anderson (RSA)	30
	Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE)	30
	Viktor Troicki (SRB)	30
T-13	Nicolas Almagro (ESP)	25
	Tomas Berdych (CZE)	25
	Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA)	25
	Gilles Muller (LUX)	25
	Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)	25
	Donald Young (USA)	25
T-19	Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)	15
	Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)	15
	Marin Cilic (CRO)	15
	Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)	15
	Somdev Devvarman (IND)	15
	Ivan Dodig (CRO)	15
	Roger Federer (SUI)	15
	Richard Gasquet (FRA)	15
	Ivo Karlovic (CRO)	15
	Igor Kunitsyn (RUS)	15
	Rajeev Ram (USA)	15
	Fernando Verdasco (ESP)	15

   

2011 Women's Standings

 

Place	Player	Points
1	Agnieszka Radwanska* (POL)	130
2	Serena Williams* (USA)	115
3	Vera Zvonareva (RUS)	60
4	Andrea Petkovic (GER)	50
T-5	Victoria Azarenka* (BLR)	45
	Marion Bartoli (FRA)	45
	Samantha Stosur* (AUS)	45
T-8	Ana Ivanovic (SRB)	40
	Sabine Lisicki (GER)	40
10	Maria Sharapova (RUS)	30
T-11	Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)	25
	Lucie Safarova (CZE)	25
	Roberta Vinci (ITA)	25
	Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ)	25
T-15	Marina Erakovic (NZL)	15
	Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)	15
	Petra Kvitova (CZE)	15
	Na Li (CHN)	15
	Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)	15
	Ayumi Morita (JPN)	15
	Shuai Peng (CHN)	15
	Francesca Schiavone (ITA)	15
	Sloane Stephens (USA)	15
	Jie Zheng (CHN)	15

 Standings through Friday, August 12

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