Monday Net Post

Published Mar 03, 2008

By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan

Last Week's Tournaments

Abierto Mexicano Telcel (ATP - Clay - Acapulco, Mexico)

- Singles Final: Nicolas Almagro def. David Nalbandian 6-1, 7-6.
- Singles Semifinal: David Nalbandian def. Luis Horna 7-5, 6-1.
- Singles Semifinal: Nicolas Almagro def. Jose Acasuso 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Singles Bracket

- Doubles Final: Oliver Marach/Michal Mertinak def. Agustin Calleri/Luis Horna 6-2, 6-7, 10-7.
- Doubles Semifinal: Agustin Calleri/Luis Horna def. Jose Acasuso/Sebastian Prieto 6-2, 6-1.
- Doubles Semifinal: Oliver Marach/Michal Mertinak def. Nicolas Massu/Potito Starace 7-5, 6-3.

Doubles Bracket

PBZ Zagreb Indoors (ATP - Indoor Hard - Zagreb, Croatia)

- Singles Final: Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Ivan Ljubicic 7-5, 6-4.
- Singles Semifinal: Ivan Ljubicic def. Mario Ancic 7-6, 6-4.
- Singles Semifinal: Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Simone Bolelli 6-4, 6-4.

Singles Bracket

- Doubles Final: Paul Hanley/Jordan Kerr def. Christopher Kas/Rogier Wassen 6-3, 3-6, 10-8.
- Doubles Semifinal: Paul Hanley/Jordan Kerr def. James Cerretani/Filip Polasek 6-3, 6-2.
- Doubles Semifinal: Christopher Kas/Rogier Wassen def. Yves Allegro/Alexander Peya 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles Bracket

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships (ATP - Indoor Hard - Memphis, United States)

- Singles Final: Steve Darcis def. Robin Soderling 6-3, 7-6.
- Singles Semifinal: Robin Soderling def. Jonas Bjorkman 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
- Singles Semifinal: Steve Darcis def. Radek Stepanek 7-6, 6-3.

Singles Bracket

- Doubles Final: Mahesh Bhupathi/Mark Knowles def. Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchai Ratiwatana 7-6, 6-2.
- Doubles Semifinal: Mahesh Bhupathi/Mark Knowles def. Chris Haggard/Jurgen Melzer 7-6, 6-2.
- Doubles Semifinal: Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchai Ratiwatana def. Marcelo Melo/Andre Sa 3-6, 6-3, 15-13.

Doubles Bracket

Abierto Mexicano Telcel (WTA - Clay - Acapulco, Mexico)

- Singles Final: Flavia Pennetta def. Alize Cornet 6-0, 4-6, 6-1.
- Singles Semifinal: Flavia Pennetta def. Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Alize Cornet def. Jill Craybas 6-2, 6-2.

- Doubles Final: Nuria Llagostera Vives/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Iveta Benesova/Petra Cetkovska 6-2, 6-4.
- Doubles Semifinal: Iveta Benesova/Petra Cetkovska def. Maria Elena Camerin/Flavia Pennetta 3-6, 6-3, 10-6.
- Doubles Semifinal: Nuria Llagostera Vives/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Jorgelina Cravero/Betina Jozami 6-1, 6-1.

Singles & Doubles Bracket

Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA - Outdoor Hard - Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

- Singles Final: Elena Dementieva def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Elena Dementieva def. Francesca Schiavone 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

- Doubles Final: Cara Black/Liezel Huber def. Zi Yan/Jie Zheng 7-5, 6-2.
- Doubles Semifinal: Cara Black/Liezel Huber def. Yung-Jan Chan/Chia-Jung Chuang 6-4, 6-4.
- Doubles Semifinal: Zi Yan/Jie Zheng def. Katarina Srebotnik/Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 7-6.

Singles & Doubles Bracket

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships (WTA - Indoor Hard - Memphis, United States)

- Singles Final: Lindsay Davenport def. Olga Govortsova 6-2, 6-1.
- Singles Semifinal: Lindsay Davenport def. Marina Erakovic 6-0, 6-3.
- Singles Semifinal: Olga Govortsova def. Shahar Peer 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

- Doubles Final: Lindsay Davenport/Lisa Raymond def. Angela Haynes/Mashona Washington 6-3, 6-1.
- Doubles Semifinal: Angela Haynes/Mashona Washington def. Varvara Lepchenko/Evgeniya Rodina 6-3, 6-1.
- Doubles Semifinal: Lindsay Davenport/Lisa Raymond def. Sofia Arvidsson/Melinda Czink 4-6, 6-2, 10-3.

Singles & Doubles Bracket

By the Letter

T...wo clay court specialists, Nicolas Almagro and Flavia Pennetta, each won their second title of the year this past week. Alamgro's win upped his record to 15-3 on the season (14-1 on clay); no one on the ATP Tour has more victories so far in 2008.
E...ntering the top 50 for the first time in his career will be Belgian Steve Darcis, following his victory in Memphis this week. Darcis turned heads when he won the first ATP tournament he ever entered (Amersfoort) last July, and did the same this week, outlasting a strong field in Tennessee.
N...ine-year old Lauryn Edwards, a member at an Australian tennis club, was banned from playing after complaints about her excessive "grunting" on court. Edwards does this because she emulates her favorite player, Maria Sharapova.
N...o doubt causing fans to wonder why the sudden change of heart, Roger Federer may not compete in the upcoming Beijing Olympics - a shock because of how often he has spoken about wanting to claim gold before.
I...talian players continue to be at the forefront of the ATP's gambling scandal, as Federico Luzzi (currently ranked No. 163) was suspended for 200 days and fined $50,000 on Friday.
S...eventeen-year old qualifier Petra Kvitova pulled off the upset of the week on the women's side (for the men's, read the ATP McGrogan's Hero) by defeating Venus Williams 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in Memphis. Kvitova won her first match on the WTA Tour just a few weeks prior in Paris, which made her victory over the defending champion Williams even more stunning.
W...hile calling the men's matches for Fox Sports Net in Memphis this week, Taylor Dent announced that he will play in the Mobile, Alabama Futures tournament on April 7. Dent has not played competitively since 2006, due to back injuries and surgeries.
O...pening round match between Roger Federer and Andy Murray at Dubai this week seems more like a quarterfinal at a Grand Slam tournament, but the loaded, 32-player draw can result in such anomalies.
R...oland Garros has a new Head of Sport Management - umpire Sandra de Jenken. The Frenchwoman, who has overseen a number of prestigious men's and women's matches, will now be employed by the French Tennis Federation, and will have a large hand in orchestrating the French Open.
L...indsay Davenport continued to add to her gaudy numbers since her return to the WTA Tour, after winning both the singles and doubles titles in Memphis. She is now 25-3 in singles play since her comeback started, with four titles to her credit (two already in 2008).
D...avis Cup captain Leander Paes will remain the team's captain after the All India Tennis Association (AITA) decided to withhold making any personnel decisions until after India's upcoming tie with Japan in April. There was a formal request sent to the AITA by the Indian team calling for the removal of Paes as the captain weeks earlier.

McGrogan's Heroes

!Sergiy_2 ATP - Last week's MNP praised the journeymen and women inf the qualifying "circuit" of professional tennis. Sergiy Stakhovsky must have read it and said to himself, "I can do you one better."

In a performance that gave new meaning to the phrase "beating the odds," Stakhovsky won the PBZ Zagreb Indoors to claim his first career ATP title. Stakhovsky's run to the championship included wins over some very impressive names, but how he even got the opportunity to play it just as noteworthy.

In a qualifying bracket that featured only two players in the top 200 (Jan Herynch at 164, and Stakhovsky at 200), the second-ranked Stakhovsky figured to have a comfortable path into the main draw. His octet included few immediate threats - just the seventh-seeded Dawid Olejniczak - and two wild cards. After Olejniczak was upset in the first round, Stakhovsky's obstacles looked even more manageable. But Stakhovsky is ranked No. 200 in the world for a reason, and he couldn't put Blaz Kavcic away after winning the first set, losing 2-6, 6-1, 6-3. Although $500 richer for his efforts, Stakhovsky looked to be on his way to the next qualifying draw or Challenger event after the loss.

However, after Michael Llodra withdrew from the tournament late, Stakhovsky received new life, and was admitted into the main draw. He was immediately greeted by the towering presence of Ivo Karlovic, the hard-serving Croat whose strikes would be further intensified by the slick indoor hard courts.

Down a set, Stakhovsky figured to be a loser twice in one week - but amazingly, he found a way to win and upset the No. 2 seed. After getting by Viktor Troicki in three sets in the next round, Stakhovsky tangled with another tough foe, the eighth-ranked Janko Tipsarevic. Again, Stakhovsky lost the first set - but again, he won.

The "lucky loser" was now a semifinalist.

In the semis, Stakhovsky faced Italian Simone Bolelli - an interesting match because Stakhovsky's last tournament, a Challenger in Wroclaw, Poland, came to an end after Bolelli beat Sergiy in the quarterfinals. That match was decided by only a few points (7-6, 4-6, 6-7), but the Ukranian Stakhovsky played them better this week, winning 6-4, 6-4.

One domineering opponent awaited Stakhovsky in the opening round, and another one was waiting in the final. Ivan Ljubicic had much on his side - the home crowd, his preferred surface, and much more experience (he was a finalist in Zagreb last year). He was also the No. 1 seed. But clearly, Stakhovsky paid no attention to the seedings this week, as he should have been vanquished many matches ago by the numbers. Instead, he played the best tennis of the week, and stunned Ljubicic in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4. Stakhovsky became the first "lucky loser" to win an ATP title since Christian Miniussi did in Sau Paulo in 1991.

WTA - Although she' s finished in the top 20 for the last eight years, Elena Dementieva seems easily overlooked. Like her erratic serve, the veteran Russian is a fleeting presence atop the highest level of women's tennis.

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Lena

The bulk of Dementieva's fame accumulated in 2004, where she reached the finals of the French and U.S. Opens - along with notable Tier 1 tournaments in Miami and Moscow. She was ranked as high as No. 4 in the world in '04, and finished that season at number six.

But did you know that for all her success in 2004, Dementieva won only once that year - and that was at a Tier III event in Hasselt, Belgium? The score of that final, 0-6, 6-0, 6-4, against Elena Bovina, symbolizes the rollercoaster ride that is Elena - you just never know what you're going to get. (She also bowed out in the first round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon that year.)

Elena's career is filled with pockets of the unknown - there are patches of puzzling results mixed alongside moments of triumph. But lately, there has been more consistency in the bigger tournaments, and that was punctuated this past week with an impressive win in Dubai. Dementieva defeated a number of celebrated adversaries, including Patty Schnyder, Ana Ivanovic, and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

While watching Dementieva, don't get caught up in watching the serve - I mean, you're not going to miss it or anything - instead, watch her ground strokes. Both her forehand and backhand are things of beauty, and are undeniably some of the best in the women's game.

When Dementieva begins her backhand stroke, it almost has the appearance of a one-handed backhand motion. Elena brings the racket back in an almost "scooping" fashion that contacts the ball with a lot of top spin, something that the best one-handers can do. It's a shot over which she has great control, and which can be used to put an opponent away, or, to set up her forehand.

The forehand of Elena's is also deceiving - not in the setup, but in the result. It's sometimes hard to fathom how a player with such an inept second serve can crack such a blistering forehand, but Dementieva can do it regularly and with great effectiveness.

Expect one thing, get another...hasn't that been the story of Elena's career?

Tennis Theatre

I forgot how I stumbled upon this - it may have been in a comment last week - but someone graciously uploaded the entire Andre Agassi/James Blake 2005 U.S. Open quarterfinal onto YouTube (in excellent quality, I must add). There are fourteen different 10 minute clips, and the links are listed below in order. It's as short a five-setter as you are going to see, so this won't take you four-plus hours to watch. I relived this classic, and I still can't believe Blake didn't put Andre away when he could have. Clearly, nerves got the best of him when it came down to it (late in the third and fifth sets). Watch Blake's play in the first two sets especially - brutally powerful and athletic tennis at its finest.

Next Week's Tournaments

TELEVISION SCHEDULE

Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (ATP - Outdoor Hard - Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket

Website

Tennis Channel Open (ATP - Outdoor Hard - Las Vegas, United States)

Singles Bracket
Doubles Bracket

Website

Bangalore Open 2008 (WTA - Outdoor Hard - Bangalore, India)

Singles & Doubles Bracket

Website

Beyond the Bracket

"Young Americans Must Learn from the Good and Bad of their Elders"

The story is old and tiresome, but it never seems to go away. No, this isn’t about steroids in baseball, or the alleged infractions committed by the New England Patriots, rather, it’s about the decline of American tennis.

Casual observers decry the state of the Yankee men ever since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi ended their careers at Arthur Ashe Stadium. But we're a spoiled lot, and we often overlook what the current group of Americans has accomplished in recent years. This question is almost always pointed at the men, so let's look at them first.

Andy Roddick is the poster boy for American tennis (stop me if you've heard that line before), and in spite of a poor record against the sport's virtuoso, and an allergy to playing well on clay, Roddick has accomplished much. He's won the U.S. Open, reached three other Grand Slam finals, and has won four Masters Series shields. Andy was also the year-end world No. 1 in 2003.

Other American men of note include James Blake, who finished fourth in the world in 2006, and the Bryan Brothers, who have won 44 doubles titles and the career Grand Slam. The men mentioned thus far also collaborated in 2007 to win the Davis Cup for the United States, ending a twelve-year title drought in this international competition.

Some may also say that American tennis is waning on the women's side as well, since Venus and Serena Williams' glory days are behind them. But each sister won a Grand Slam title last year, showing that they can't be discounted when the stakes are at their highest. In addition, Lindsay Davenport, once pegged for retirement, has returned to the WTA Tour with a vengeance, collecting titles in bunches in recent months.

There's one other big thing that U.S. tennis has going for it - a stockpile of promising youth. For the men, Sam Querrey, Donald Young, and John Isner are already in the top 100, with many others lining the 100-200 range. The depth isn't as prevalent on the women's side, but youngsters like Lauren Albanese and Madison Brengle are expected to make big impacts down the road.

This youthful core is of great importance to the USTA and U.S. fans. At the present time, we are seeing more speculation than action - which is normal for these teenagers. But once these players mature, they might produce. But I want to see something different - and this might be more important than the hardware on their mantles. I want to see this next crop of Americans represent our country with more class than some of our current top pros have done.

John Wertheim's recent mailbag points out several examples of some utterly classless behavior that Andy Roddick has demonstrated over the past few years. Umpire and player abuse are rampant. As for the women, the Williams sisters have been the target of criticism for years; some of it was unnecessary, but some of the vitriol was justified - partricularly their continuous - and laughable - resort to making excuses when they lost. It's also a pity that their dedication has been, in recent years, so sporadic, especially at a time when the world is rapidly gaining, and feeding, on U.S. tennis.

This is not a demand that Roddick, or the Williams sisters, change their actions - most likely, their ways are set by now. But this is a call to the younger American men and women, who have many choices to make. These decisions include how to play their game and maximize their talent, but they also involve decision about actions and attitudes, on and off the court.

For their sake, I hope these youngsters choose the right path; they need to learn from those who came before them. This includes the highs (2007 Australian Open: Serena blitzed through the field to win), and the lows (2008 Australian Open: Roddick embarrasses himself, and his country, by degrading the umpire with childish remarks).

if...

Sorry everyone, no tennis question this week, but this question does pertain to something that tennis pros experience - tough losses. I need my fellow upstate New York sports fans to help me out (console me?) with this one here:

if...you had to decide which is the most painful defeat, would it be:

1) The Buffalo Bills losing to the Dallas Cowboys 25-24 after intercepting Cowboys QB Tony Romo five times (returning two for touchdowns), and having the ball kicked to them with a two point lead and 20 seconds remaining in the game. All the Bills had to do was prevent Dallas from recovering an onside kick - which they failed to do - after which Dallas' rookie kicker Nick Folk proceeded to kick a 53-yard, game-winning field goal. To add insult to injury, the game was played in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football.

2) The Syracuse Orange losing to the Pittsburgh Panthers 82-77 after leading by 11 points with 3:49 left to play, and having the ball and a one point lead with about 10 seconds remaining in the game. All the Orange had to do was hold on to the inbounds pass and get fouled - which they failed to do - after which a Pittsburgh player stole the ball and made a blind behind-the-back pass to his teammate, who made the game-winning lay-up. Pittsburgh outscored Syracuse 18-2 in the final 3:49 to effectively end Syracuse's chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament.

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