T...itleless Anna Kournikova's days on the WTA Tour have long past, but the Russian is still talking and playing tennis, albeit in exhibitions.
E...arly withdrawals from Wimbledon include Anastasia Myskina, Zheng Jie, Xavier Malisse, Jurgen Melzer, Jose Acasuso, and (of course) Gaston Gaudio.
N...ew Jersey Superior Court, not the tennis court, was where former top-10 player Guillermo Coria was this past week. The Argentine is suing a supplement manufacturer, saying that their contaminated vitamins caused his positive doping test and subsequent suspension from the tour.
N...icolas Kiefer returned to action at Halle after a year's absence from the ATP tour. The German fell in the first round to the eventual champion Tomas Berdych 6-4, 7-6.
I...nternational Tennis Federation came under fire this week by Rafael Nadal, who claimed that the current Davis Cup setup is impractical and needs to change to attract the world's best players.
S...uccess at Queen's Club for Marin Cilic (reached the quarterfinals) and Jo-Wilfired Tsonga (defeated three-time champion Lleyton Hewitt) was followed by the pair receiving wild cards into Wimbledon.
W...inning four matches in two days is what would have been required of Maria Sharapova in order to win the DFS Classic, due to the heavy rains in Birmingham. Sharapova won the first three (against Tamira Peszak, Elena Likhovtseva, and Marion Bartoli), but lost to Jelena Jankovic in the final.
O...ver one-thousand seats will be added to the 3,000 seat Topnotch Resort and Spa stadium in Stowe, Vermont, to accommodate the demand for the United States/Russia semifinal tie on July 14 and 15.
R...oland Garros finalist Roger Federer elected to withdraw from Halle, citing fatigue. He was the four-time defending champion of the Gerry Weber Open.
L...ong-time tennis fanatic Boris Yeltsin will have a "tennis palace" named in his memory, which will house 13 courts, including a central court with seating for 5,500 spectators.
D...VD titled "Sharing a Laugh with Marat Safin" is available at www.safinlaughing.com. The DVD features an interview with the eccentric Russian star as well as commentary from former coach Peter Lundgren and ESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale.
McGrogan's Heroes
!2007_06_18_mahut_blogATP - Even after Nicolas Mahut failed to convert his championship point against Andy Roddick in the finals of Queen's Club, I had already decided on my hero of the week for the men's side. Mahut hasn't sniffed the singles limelight since he won the Wimbledon boys' singles in 2000, but this week he defeated Ivan Ljubicic, Rafael Nadal on the London grass and was one forehand away from taking out Roddick as well. My latest post at Gasquet & Racquet outlines my sentiments on the heroic Frenchman:
*After watching clay court matches for the past few months, one thing that I forgot about tennis on grass is how quickly the points, games, and sets can end. On clay, a player with the requisite speed and footwork (which 99% of the ATP Tour possesses) always has a chance to get back in the rally. But on the lawn, the speed of the shots often forces players to say “too good.” It’s no surprise that the serve-and-volley tactic is so effective on grass, condensing the point into an even quicker sequence of shots.
With Pete Sampras retired and Tim Henman fading fast, serve-and-volley players are a dying breed. But Nicolas Mahut’s performance this week gave us reason to think that the net-rushing strategy should be employed much more often, especially on quick courts like the ones at Queen’s Club. Aided by his play in doubles (Mahut reached the semifinals with Julien Benneteau), Mahut’s volleys were crisp and effective throughout the match. His serve was equally impressive, with 21 aces to Roddick’s 24. Add in the fact that Mahut won 88% of his first serve points, and he had crafted a game plan that could compete with a grass-court master like Roddick – and compete it did.
Winning the first set after converting the only break point opportunity that he had, Mahut took the second set to a deciding tiebreaker. Mini-breaks were scarce, but Mahut eventually acquired one, giving him the chance to win his first ever ATP tournament. On championship point, Andy was trapped at the net after hitting two average volleys. Mahut went for a winning pass down the baseline, but hit the net. The reprieve was all Roddick needed to turn things around and take the second set. Much to the crowd's delight, the match continued.
As mentioned, breaks are not exactly easy to come by on the slick grass, and this brand of tennis produces an exciting product – a single error can spell doom, making it much tenser for fans to watch. In the third set, breaks of serve were again nonexistent, and the players went to another tiebreaker. This time around, Roddick didn’t have to worry about a Mahut gaffe on a crucial point, as he raced to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreaker. With an ace up the middle, Roddick took out a dejected Mahut, who desperately wanted this title – as if you couldn't tell by the many grass stains on his shirt.
Watching this final, I found myself enjoying the tennis so much that I’m nominating it as one of the matches of the year, which I didn’t at all expect coming into it. With Mahut being the overwhelming underdog, handicappers probably figured a few games for the Frenchman, but a straight-setter in the end for the American. But Mahut unquestionably showed why he deserved to be in the final this week, and his potential to do some damage at Wimbledon, should he qualify for the Grand Slam.*
!2007_07_18_shaughnessy_blogWTA - Who said Americans can't play on clay? In the only tournament this week not being played on grass (the Barcelona KIA), Richmond-born Meghann Shaughnessy won her sixth career title over Edina Gallovits of Romania. Shaughnessy is no stranger to clay - she won the Rabat title last year and waxed a hurting Anastasia Myskina at Roland Garros. Overall, the United States' French Open anthem could have been titled "America the Marginal", so it's refreshing for Yankees that someone inspired positive headlines while playing on the dirt. For her efforts, Meghann is granted hero status this week.
There's also something to be said about the other finalist at this event, Edina Gallovits. This was Gallovits' first WTA final, and she navigated a tough draw to reach it. In the first round, she defeated Spanish favorite Virginia Ruano Pascual, and then took out the fifth, fourth, and seventh-seeded players en route to the final. The strong result builds on an impressive year for Gallovits, who has been having success (including two wins) at smaller ITF events.
This Week's Tournaments
Ordina Open (ATP - Grass - 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands)
- Website
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Bracket
The Nottingham Open (ATP - Grass - Nottingham, England)
- Website
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Bracket
International Women's Open (WTA - Grass - Eastbourne, England)
- Website
- Singles & Doubles Bracket
Ordina Open (WTA - Grass - 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands)
- Website
- Singles & Doubles Bracket
Beyond the Bracket
Oh, this one is too easy. Not only is the Ordina Open a combined men's and women's tournament, but the name of the host city is just too delicious to pass up for someone who gets excited over geographical oddities and obscure nomenclature.
First, a little bit about 's-Hertogenbosch. Until I heard Cliff Drysdale refer to the city as "Den Bosch", I was unaware that this imposing tongue-twister of a name has a far simpler variant. Translated in Dutch to mean "the Duke's forest", 's-Hertogenbosch - in either spelling - is in the south of the Netherlands, about 80 kilometers away from the capital city of Amsterdam. Den Bosch is also a capital in its own right, specifically of the province in which the city resides, North Brabant.
The tournament itself is located in the nearby town of Rosmalen, which belongs to the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch. In 1989, a tennis tournament was played at Den Bosch, but it was not at the ATP tour level. Only one year later, the tour granted a men's event to the Dutch city, and six years later, the women followed suit. The main sponsor of the tournament is Ordina, which is a Dutch business service provider that focuses on outsourcing, consulting, and system development/integration.
Looking at the history of the men's portion of the tournament, there are a number of two-time (or better) champions, many of them fantastic grass court players. This list includes Richard Krajicek (1994 and 1997), Patrick Rafter (won three consecutive times from 1998 to 2000), Sjeng Schalken (defeated Arnaud Clement in 2002 and 2003), and Mario Ancic (2005 and 2006). But still sidelined by mononucleosis, Ancic won't be able to try and match Rafter's "three-peat."
The women's honor roll at Den Bosch also features some big names, including former Grand Slam winners Martina Hingis (2000), Justine Henin (2001), Kim Clijsters (2003) and Mary Pierce (2004). Fittingly, last year's champion was Michaella Krajicek, the half-sister of two-time winner Richard Krajicek - and she will be playing to defend her title this week.
- Ed McGrogan
