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Tennis Recap: Nadal beats Wawrinka in Madrid Open final

May 13, 2013 By Admin

46a7f298949e5030e5dc2ba4bde113d2 Tennis Recap: Nadal beats Wawrinka in Madrid Open final
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates his victory against Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.(Photo: Jasper Juinen, Getty Images)

Story Highlights

Rafael nadal defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4
Nadal earned his fifth title of 2013 after returning from knee injuury
It marked his 55th career title and record 23rd Masters title

MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal won his fifth title since returning from a knee injury by beating Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 Sunday for the Madrid Open championship.

Cheered on by the home crowd at the Caja Magica, the fifth-ranked Nadal cruised to his 55th career title and record 23rd Masters Series title and extended his head-to-head record with the Swiss to 9-0.

Nadal grabbed the first set in just over half an hour and closed out the second after Wawrinka put up more of a fight.

It was Nadal’s seventh straight final since recovering from a nagging case of tendinitis in his left knee that sidelined him for seven months.

“I’m very happy and maybe this victory is even more special considering how complicated this year has been,” Nadal said. “This tournament couldn’t have gone better for me.

“I think this was my best match of the tournament. This was perhaps the match where I was the most aggressive.”

Nadal imposed his ground game from the start. He worked his opponent around the court with his left-handed shots, and punished him with passing shots when he tried to come forward.

The local favorite set the tone in the first game by breaking Wawrinka with a vicious flick to land the ball on the sideline.

Nadal, who had won here in 2005 and 2010, roared out to a 4-0 lead in 20 minutes.

The 15th-ranked Wawrinka recovered in the second set and managed to get Nadal’s service game to deuce. But Nadal returned two line-drive shots by Wawrinka at the net before he fired the third try long. Nadal then drove in an ace to end Wawrinka’s challenge.

“Nadal showed again that he is the best on clay,” said Wawrinka, who also congratulated Nadal’s coaching staff for helping him back from his layoff.

“Since he has come back he has shown that it is really tough to beat him.”

Earlier, defending champion Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 in the women’s final to both retain her No. 1 ranking and collect her 50th career title.

Tennis Recap: Nadal beats Wawrinka in Madrid Open final is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Tennis Recap: Serena Williams struggles into Madrid semifinals

May 10, 2013 By Admin

a24ac7ee9fa67485891947562a8064d3 Tennis Recap: Serena Williams struggles into Madrid semifinals

Story Highlights

Top-ranked Serena Williams outlasted Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 0-6, 7-5
“I obviously didn’t do much in the second set and gave her confidence to play better.”
Second-seeded Maria Sharapova breezed past Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-4

MADRID (AP) — Top-ranked Serena Williams outlasted Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 to reach the Madrid Open semifinals on Friday.

Williams appeared to wear down against the scrappy Spaniard on the red clay court, and after getting blanked in the second set she fell behind 4-2 in the decider.

But the defending champion rallied back to break Medina Garrigues’ serve twice to move on.

“It was definitely a battle,” Williams said. “I obviously didn’t do much in the second set and gave her confidence to play better.”

Williams will next face either Sara Errani or Ekaterina Makarova.

Second-seeded Maria Sharapova had less trouble easing by Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 6-4 to set up a semifinal with either fellow former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic or Angelique Kerber.

Williams’ entertaining match at the Caja Magica against an opponent she had rightly described as a “grinder” the day before took several momentum swings.

The 63rd-ranked Medina Garrigues has 10 career clay-court titles — the most of any active player — and her footwork and hustle against Williams showed why.

Williams was ahead 2-0 in the third set and with two break chances to take firm control of the match, but Medina Garrigues ran off four straight points to hold serve and soon enough the upset looked to be in the works.

But Williams regained command of her groundstrokes and a deep drive forced Medina Garrigues into erring her return to cede her serve.

The American favorite then used another powerful shot to break Medina Garrigues again before holding serve to love to close out the match.

Williams said she was still at a loss as to why she lost concentration in that second set, which she considered “a reference for what not to do.”

“I just wasn’t really into it, my feet weren’t moving,” she said. “To change it I got up early (before the third set) and did some high knees, some stretching, anything I could to get my intensity back up to where it needs to be.”

Williams improved her record to 29 wins and two losses on the year.

Later, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray had quarterfinals.

a6234e3392db6be182c9c19ff783f7cf Tennis Recap: Serena Williams struggles into Madrid semifinals

Federer loses; Nadal, Serena, Sharapova advance at Madrid Open

MADRID (AP) — Second-ranked Roger Federer lost to Kei Nishikori 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in the third round of the Madrid Open on Thursday, leaving Rafael Nadal as the clear title favorite.

After recovering from Nishikori’s strong start on the Caja’s Magica’s new red clay courts, Federer looked as if he’d found his stride as he roared back in the second set.

But Nishikori reasserted his ground game in the decider after breaking the defending champion for a 3-1 advantage and held on for the surprising victory to reach the quarterfinals.

“He was my idol and to beat him was one of the goals for my tennis career,” the 16th-ranked Nishikori said. “Beating Roger is, yeah … I need a couple of days to celebrate.”

Federer’s early exit leaves Nadal as the apparent front-runner after world No. 1 Novak Djokovic bowed out on Tuesday. Earlier, Nadal cruised into the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Mikhail Youzhny.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova also reached the quarters in straight sets.When

Federer came to Madrid after a seven-week layoff. The Swiss star said the gusting winds hurt his game, but he gave all the credit to Nishikori.

“He was the better player today for sure,” said Federer, who besides winning here last year had also won in 2006 and 2009. “I was lacking control from the baseline and that carried through from start to finish. Overall I’m disappointed with my play.”

Federer said he will not change his plans, as he will now train for Rome and then the French Open.

This was Nishikori’s fourth win over a top-five opponent. He beat world No. 1 Djokovic in 2011 and has beaten David Ferrer twice. Nishikori will play Pablo Andujar after he advanced when fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver retired.

Nadal’s commanding win over Youzhny featured an entire array of winning shots.

Having already established control by stealing Youzhny’s second service game, Nadal kept a point alive with a deft no-look backhand flick before nailing a winner down the line to hold his serve and delight his fans.

The fifth-ranked Spaniard then broke Youzhny again by dinking the ball over the net while on the run, giving it so much backspin it twisted away from the Russian.

Nadal, who is trying to reach his seventh straight final since returning from injury, improved to 28 wins and two losses on the year. He will next play either Ferrer or Tommy Haas.

Nadal said he was still feeling pain in his right knee that had sidelined him with a nagging case of tendinitis.

“Sometimes I have pain,” Nadal said. “I try to avoid talking about it as much as possible, whisper it. With respect to my rivals it’s not the moment to analyze how I am.”

Also, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rallied back to oust Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, while Tomas Berdych defeated Kevin Anderson 7-6 (5), 7-5, to make the final eight.

In the women’s event, the top-seeded Williams dispatched Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-3, 6-1, after Sharapova put away Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-2, 7-5.

Despite slowing her usually blistering serves, Williams’ dominant performance made Kirilenko wither after she dropped the first set with one of several unforced errors.

“I just felt really relaxed, like I was taking my time,” said Williams, adding that she went for precision over speed on serve.

The defending champion battered Kirilenko with her strong return game, working the 12th-ranked Russian back and forth on the baseline with her precise forehand drives.

“I had been missing my serve when I was hitting it harder, so I took some pace off,” Williams said. “It was easy because when you take off pace you don’t hit as hard and don’t exhaust as much energy. And hitting a serve or a winner are both fun.”

Williams will take on local favorite Anabel Medina Garrigues, who reached the quarterfinals after Yaroslava Shvedova withdrew with a right arm injury.

Sharapova will face Kaia Kanepi next after she defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-4.

Ekaterina Makarova of Russia beat Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-2 and will play either Sara Errani or Varvara Lepchenko. Angelique Kerber of Germany meets former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic also in the quarterfinals.

Tennis Recap: Serena Williams struggles into Madrid semifinals is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Tennis Recap: Serena Williams advances in two sets at Madrid Open

May 5, 2013 By Admin

Serena Williams of the USA fires a forehand during a straight-sets victory Sunday against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.(Photo: Julian Finney, Getty Images)

Story Highlights

Top-ranked Serena Williams beat Yulia Putintseva 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
Venus Williams was forced to withdraw because of a back injury
Caroline Wozniacki was ousted by 35th-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-4

MADRID (AP) — Top-ranked Serena Williams advanced to the second round of the Madrid Open on Sunday, as players applauded the tournament’s return to red clay after its trial with blue “smurf” clay flopped last year.

After dispatching Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, the defending champion echoed the sentiment, saying she liked the new courts at the Caja Magica.

“I think these clay courts are really good,” she said. “I think they’re a little bit faster than the ones I was practicing on in Paris. For me, that’s always a good sign.”

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were even more enthusiastic about the removal of the blue clay, which both players had heavily criticized for being slippery after early exits last year.

“I think that obviously the court last year was not up to the level that we needed,” said Nadal. “It was not prepared to be a competitive court.

“But the courts are impressive this year. In Madrid, we have the problem of the dry climate, so it’s very difficult to have the clay that settles down properly, a clay that’s the same as in other places. I think this year we have managed to have good clay here.”

Djokovic called the traditional red clay “great,” adding that everything he had heard from other competitors was “positive.” The world’s top-ranked player had threatened to not come back unless the blue clay was discarded.

Roger Federer won here last year despite the challenge the slick courts posed. The Swiss star was nevertheless pleased with the decision to go back to a standard playing surface, saying that the new courts were the best he had seen at the event.

“I don’t know if that was due to the color, but this tournament has, in the past, had issues with the quality of the court,” Federer said. “I think through what happened last year, you know, the controversy around the blue clay, I think it was a big eye-opener to have a proper court here now.”

Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer have first-round byes.

In Williams’ opening match, Putintseva broke her serve early to take a 3-1 lead in the first set. But Williams soon settled down after breaking serve and, once through the tiebreaker, dominated the second set.

“I felt a little sluggish out there, but I’m happy I was able to win the match,” Williams said. “Honestly, I obviously have to and want to play better as each match goes on.”

She next faces Lourdes Dominguez-Lino of Spain.

Serena’s sister Venus withdrew early Sunday morning before her first-round match due to back problems.

Also in the first round, formerly top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki was ousted by Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-4.

Shvedova overcame nine double faults by converting five of 15 break chances to see off the 10th-seeded Wozniacki.

Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland eased past Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-4 and will play Britain’s Laura Robson.

Other seeded winners included Angelique Kerber of Germany, France’s Marion Bartoli, and Dominika Cibulkova of the Slovak Republic.

Tennis Recap: Serena Williams advances in two sets at Madrid Open is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Wimbledon 2012: Stosur, Li easily reach Round 2

June 25, 2012 By Admin

6ab3e8a023ae86320de830900840728f Wimbledon 2012: Stosur, Li easily reach Round 2
Sam Stosur of Australia in action against Christina McHale of USA during the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open at the Caja Magica on May 7, 2012 in Madrid, Spain.
(May 6, 2012 – Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) – Third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska and Grand Slam champions Sam Stosur and Li Na won in straights sets Monday to move into the second round of Wimbledon on a dry opening day at the All England Club.

Radwanska, who has twice reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, beat Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-3 in the day’s first match on Court 2.

PHOTOS: The top shots from Wimbledon

Rybarikova took an injury time-out after her left leg gave way and she fell behind the baseline while trailing 2-1 in the second set. After treatment, she returned to the match with her leg heavily wrapped and did not seem troubled the rest of the way.

The fifth-seeded Stosur, the 2011 U.S. Open champion, cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 win over Carla Suarez-Navarro of Spain. The hard-hitting Australian has traditionally struggled on the grass at Wimbledon, losing in the first round in the past two years and never advancing past the third round, but she was always in command Monday.

Li, the 2011 French Open champion who is seeded No. 11, swept past Ksenia Pervak of Russia 6-3, 6-1. No. 15 Sabine Lisicki of Germany, a semifinalist last year, beat Petra Martic of Croatia 6-4, 6-2.

The first seed eliminated was No. 16 Flavia Pennetta, who fell 6-4, 6-3 to fellow Italian Camila Giorgi.

Play began right on time at 6:30 a.m. ET on the outside courts under cloudy skies but without any threat of the rain that has soaked London and parts of Britain for much of the past few weeks. Temperatures reached 72 degrees.

First up on Centre Court was top-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic, who was facing former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero. Six-time champion Roger Federer was to play Albert Ramos of Spain on Court 1 — the first time since 2003 that he wasn’t assigned to Centre Court for the opening round.

Also on the schedule on Day 1 of the championships will be defending champion Novak Djokovic, and Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams.

Wimbledon 2012: Stosur, Li easily reach Round 2 is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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U.S. Open champ Stosur into French Open semifinals

June 5, 2012 By Admin

6ab3e8a023ae86320de830900840728f U.S. Open champ Stosur into French Open semifinals
Sam Stosur of Australia in action against Christina McHale of USA during the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open at the Caja Magica on May 7, 2012 in Madrid, Spain.
(May 6, 2012 – Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

PARIS (AP) – After a quick exit at her last Grand Slam tournament, Sam Stosur is very much in the mix again at the French Open.

Stosur, who followed her 2011 U.S. Open title with a first-round loss at the Australian Open in January, made the semifinals at Roland Garros with a 6-4, 6-1 victory Tuesday over No. 15 seed Dominika Cibulkova.

MORE: Sharapova struggles but survives
PHOTOS: Top shots from Roland Garros

The sixth-seeded Aussie will play No. 21 Sara Errani of Italy, who made her first Grand Slam semifinal with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) victory over 10th-seeded Angelique Kerber.

Stosur leads the series 5-0, including a 6-3, 7-5 victory earlier this year on clay in Rome.

Stosur’s match against Cibulkova was pretty much drama free, save a minor blip in the second set when, trailing 1-0, she faced three break points at love-40. But she won 13 of the next 14 points to take control and wound up winning the match’s last six games. Stosur made only four unforced errors in the second set.

“Today, in tough moments, she gave me so many good winners, so many lines, and it was just everything going her way,” Cibulkova said.

Stosur was the French Open runner-up to Francesca Schiavone in 2010 and made the semifinals in 2009.

“The last few years have been very good to me in Paris,” Stosur said. “I love playing in Paris and it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Errani won her first career match in 29 tries against a top-10 player. The second set included eight total breaks, including twice by Errani when Kerber served for the set.

Playing in her 19th career major tournament, Errani beat two past French Open champions in her previous two matches: 2008′s Ana Ivanovic and 2009′s Svetlanta Kuznetsova.

The men’s quarterfinals followed the women’s matches, with top-seeded Novak Djokovic playing No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 3 Roger Federer going against No. 9 Juan Martin del Potro.

U.S. Open champ Stosur into French Open semifinals is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Tennis Recap: Serena routs Azarenka to win Madrid Open

May 13, 2012 By Admin

Serena Williams of the USA poses with the winners trophy after winning the final match of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open tennis tournament against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the Caja Magica on May 13, 2012 in Madrid, Spain.
(May 12, 2012 – Source: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images Europe)

MADRID (AP) – Serena Williams overpowered the top-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-3 to win the Madrid Open on Sunday.

In a clash of two of the tour’s heaviest hitters, Williams battered Azarenka around the new blue-clay court with her big serve and vicious return to take the first four games and never look back.

Williams served 14 aces on her way to avenging her only loss in six previous meetings with Azarenka when she fell to the Belarusian in the 2009 final in Miami.

It was the 30-year-old Williams’ 41st title and second of the season as she remained unbeaten in her last 13 matches on clay.

“I can still do better,” Williams said when asked if she had found her best form following her return from a yearlong absence due to illness in 2011.

“This is really good. I have been working hard. I had some tough battles and really unfortunate circumstances so I really love this.”

Later, Roger Federer faces Tomas Berdych as the Swiss star seeks his third title here in the men’s final.

Williams broke Azarenka’s first service game when the Australian Open winner could only stab her powerful return into the stands.

William’s strong start left Azarenka shaken, and she hit three double faults to cede her serve again and trail 3-0.

The flustered Azarenka netted a forehand after Williams had fallen on the slick surface and left the entire court open. She then produced another double fault to cap a disastrous first set.

Williams kept the momentum going, hitting her fifth and sixth aces to hold for love at the start of the second set.

As her frustration boiled over, Azarenka smashed her racket into the ground moments before Williams blasted a return by her to break her yet again.

The 13-time Grand Slam winner sealed the victory in one hour, four minutes with her final ace.

“I want to congratulate Serena for a great week. She did a great job,” Azarenka said.

Federer, Berdych reach Madrid Open final

MADRID (AP) – Roger Federer is one win away from displacing Rafael Nadal as the second-ranked player after beating Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets to reach the Madrid Open final on Saturday.

The Swiss star cruised by the seventh-seeded Serb 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the final against Tomas Berdych, who edged Juan Martin del Potro 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6) in the other semifinal.

“It’s going to be a tough match,” said Federer. “Berdych is playing well himself. It’s quick conditions and he can be a big threat in the finals like that.”

On the women’s side, Serena Williams will meet top-ranked Victoria Azarenka in the final after they dispensed with their rivals in straight sets.

While both Rafael Nadal and top-ranked Novak Djokovic vowed to never again play on Madrid’s new blue-clay court after early exits, Federer’s more technical style has not been overly hampered by the surface many players have criticized as slippery.

Federer won Madrid in 2006 and 2009.

Federer shook off the late afternoon gusting winds to hit 25 winners and eight aces en route to the easy victory.

While dominating his service games, Federer moved Tipsarevic around the court with an expert mix of shots until he got a break to go ahead 3-1 when his low slice forced his opponent into netting.

Federer broke again to claim the first set by drawing an error from Tipsarevic with a forehand that clipped the sideline.

Tipsarevic, who had upset Djokovic on Friday, fell behind for good at 3-1 in the second set when he could barely graze Federer’s crosscourt return.

Sunday will be the 30-year-old Federer’s 104th final, where he will seek his 74th career title.

Earlier, the sixth-seeded Berdych, who hadn’t won a set in his last three matches he lost to Del Potro, used his big serve to score 15 aces and overcome the Argentine’s skilled baseline game.

“It was really just about one or two points that decided for my side,” said Berdych. “It was really close. We fought for every point and I am really happy to have gone through.”

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Tennis Recap: Azarenka, Serena advance in Madrid

May 11, 2012 By Admin

147bfc1261aa8ace0506de12379c5e5d Tennis Recap: Azarenka, Serena advance in Madrid
Serena Williams of the USA celebrates a point over Maria Sharapova of Russia in her quarter final match during the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open tennis tournament at the Caja Magica on May 11, 2012 in Madrid, Spain.
(May 10, 2012 – Source: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images Europe)

MADRID (AP) – Serena Williams brushed aside Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the Madrid Open semifinals along with top-ranked Victoria Azarenka on Friday.

Williams sealed her seventh consecutive win over Sharapova with an emphatic slam on the new blue-clay court.

Earlier in the Spanish capital, Azarenka overcame a shaky start to beat French Open winner Li Na 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

PHOTOS: Tennis stars in focus

Williams opened strong, hitting six aces and earning two early breaks to take the first set against the second-ranked Russian.

Sharapova finally showed some fight and broke for love to even the score at 2-2 in the second set, but she quickly squandered her break with a costly sixth double fault to fall behind for good.

Williams, who improved to 11-0 on clay this year, will face either U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur or Czech Lucie Hradecka.

After Azarenka struggled on serve early on, last year’s runner-up found her stride and broke her Chinese opponent’s first two service games of the second set en route to pulling even at a set each.

Azarenka, who has won four titles this season, then used her powerful groundstrokes to jump out to an insurmountable 4-0 lead in the decider before holding off Li’s late charge.

The Belarusian will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Agnieszka Radwanska and Varvara Lepchenko.

On the men’s side, Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro beat Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4 to move on to a semifinal with either Tomas Berdych or Fernando Verdasco.

Later, top seed Novak Djokovic played Serbian countryman Janko Tipsarevic before Roger Federer faced David Ferrer.

Tennis Recap: Azarenka, Serena advance in Madrid is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Tennis Recap: Azarenka, Serena advance in Madrid

May 11, 2012 By Admin

MADRID (AP) – Serena Williams brushed aside Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the Madrid Open semifinals along with top-ranked Victoria Azarenka on Friday.

Williams sealed her seventh consecutive win over Sharapova with an emphatic slam on the new blue-clay court.

Earlier in the Spanish capital, Azarenka overcame a shaky start to beat French Open winner Li Na 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

PHOTOS: Tennis stars in focus

Williams opened strong, hitting six aces and earning two early breaks to take the first set against the second-ranked Russian.

Sharapova finally showed some fight and broke for love to even the score at 2-2 in the second set, but she quickly squandered her break with a costly sixth double fault to fall behind for good.

Williams, who improved to 11-0 on clay this year, will face either U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur or Czech Lucie Hradecka.

Azarenka, who has won four titles this season, then used her powerful groundstrokes to jump out to an insurmountable 4-0 lead in the decider before holding off Li’s late charge.

The Belarusian will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Agnieszka Radwanska and Varvara Lepchenko.

On the men’s side, Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro beat Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4 to move on to a semifinal with either Tomas Berdych or Fernando Verdasco.

Later, top seed Novak Djokovic played Serbian countryman Janko Tipsarevic before Roger Federer faced David Ferrer.

Tennis Recap: Azarenka, Serena advance in Madrid is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Tennis Recap: Williams beats Wozniacki in Madrid

May 10, 2012 By Admin

27f09c5bf80ca98ad6d4f8dae54f4d9e Tennis Recap: Williams beats Wozniacki in Madrid
Serena Williams of the USA shouts in her match against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark during the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open tennis tournament at the Caja Magica on May 10, 2012 in Madrid, Spain.
(May 9, 2012 – Source: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images Europe)

MADRID (AP) – Serena Williams overcame a sluggish start to beat Caroline Wozniacki 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 Thursday and reach the Madrid Open quarterfinals.

Williams hit the net on three straight points in her opening service game and then didn’t put up much resistance in the rest of the of the first set. But she broke Wozniacki at love in the fifth game of the second and ripped a forehand return winner for another break that put her ahead 4-3.

Wozniacki had no reply as the Dane hit a shot long to go down 2-0 in the decider, and Williams cruised to victory in a matchup of former top-ranked players.

Williams improved her record to 10-0 on clay this season with her third win on Madrid’s unorthodox blue-clay surface.

Federer survives second-round scare from Raonic

MADRID (AP) — Roger Federer rallied to beat Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) at the Madrid Open on Wednesday to narrowly avoid his earliest tournament exit in two years.

Federer hasn’t been eliminated in the second round of a tournament since the 2010 Rome Masters, and the 16-time Grand Slam champion had to call on his wealth of experience and shotmaking abilities to survive an early scare against the 23rd-ranked Canadian.

Earlier, Rafael Nadal had an easier time in his first match on the blue clay earlier Wednesday as he beat Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-2.

Defending women’s champion Petra Kvitova lost to Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-3 while top-seeded Victoria Azarenka beat Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-4.

Federer, who was stretched to three sets in winning their only other meeting at Indian Wells earlier this season, recalled a past era when describing a fast-paced match full of power and passing shots.

“These are some of the fastest courts on tour, I expected that a few shots would decide the match, that’s what it was like back in the days of [Pete] Sampras, [Boris] Becker and [Stefan] Edberg,” Federer said. “That’s the way it was tonight.”

Raonic overpowered Federer’s attempts to serve-and-volley early as he hit perfect passing shots whenever the Swiss star came forward. Raonic won 12 straight points to close out the first set, earning the decisive break in the ninth game.

Federer was on the back foot again to start the second, but the Swiss player’s serve bailed him out repeatedly, helping him save all four break points he faced in the set.

“I thought I could take it to him by serving and volleying and it worked a bit,” Federer said. “I definitely started to get a better read on his serve and to get into more baseline rallies, make him hit more shots on his own serve.”

Federer secured the break he needed in the 11th game by stretching Raonic wide to send a shot into the net, and then clinched the set with a soft drop shot.

Both players held serve in the decider to force the tiebreaker, where Federer led 4-1 before a number of erratic shots from the Swiss player allowed Raonic to pull to 5-4.

But Raonic unleashed a wild forehand long to give Federer match point, and the third-ranked Swiss stroked a sublime crosscourt forehand to clinch the victory.

“I thought I played really well the whole time, I was doing what I wanted to do, I was dictating … I just came up a bit short,” said Raonic, who served 21 aces. “Tonight it comes down to one point. It’s hard not to be disappointed.”

Unlike Federer, Nadal thrived on the surface that he criticized this week as soft and slippery, hitting six aces.

“I played much better than I expect,” Nadal said. “The [blue] court … doesn’t make you feel comfortable. It’s difficult, hard to attack and come back to defend. You just have to try and adapt.”

Nadal, who broke his Russian opponent four times to advance to the third round, will next meet Fernando Verdasco. The Spaniard defeated Alejandro Falla of Colombia 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4.

Also, Marin Cilic beat John Isner 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) and fifth-seeded David Ferrer advanced by beating Radek Stepanek 7-6 (4), 6-2.

“It has nothing to do with the courts, I just didn’t play well,” said Isner, who praised his Croatian opponent. “He has played better and he deserves to win.”

Other men’s winners on Wednesday included Juan Martin del Potro, Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, Alexandr Dolgopolov of Russia and French players Gilles Simon, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet.

The third-seeded Kvitova struggled with her serve against Hradecka. Kvitova was broken five times by Hradecka of Czeck republic, who will face Ekaterina Makarova in the third round. Makarova beat Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-4, 6-4 to advance.

Li Na of China and Samantha Stosur of Australia both reached the quarterfinals along with Agnieszka Radwanska, who routed Sara Errani 6-0, 6-1 and ended the Italian’s 16-match winning streak.

Errani failed to convert any of her eight break points as she showed little of the consistent play that carried her to three straight titles this season.

Radwanska will next face Roberta Vinci following her 6-1, 6-2 victory over Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.

Tennis Recap: Williams beats Wozniacki in Madrid is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Tennis Recap: Djokovic, Azarenka, Sharapova reach third round at Madrid Open

May 9, 2012 By Admin

caa7c3c42f9bcd0c4976cce1ff77eae3 Tennis Recap: Djokovic, Azarenka, Sharapova reach third round at Madrid Open
Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain in the 2nd round of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open at the Caja Magica on May 8, 2012 in Madrid, Spain.
(May 7, 2012 – Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

MADRID (AP) — Novak Djokovic needed three sets to win his first match on the blue clay at the Madrid Open on Tuesday, and then stepped up his criticism of the new surface.

Djokovic labored to a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain in his debut on the Magic Box’s unorthodox surface, after top-ranked Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova both beat Czech opponents to advance in the women’s event.

Djokovic, who had already voiced his opposition to the blue clay, was left fuming over the condition of center court, which he said was completely different to the practice courts he trained on before the event.

“To me that’s not tennis. Either I come out with football shoes or I invite Chuck Norris to advise me how to play on this court,” said Djokovic, who like Rafael Nadal has been critical of the new-look surface. “Center court is impossible to move on. I hit five balls throughout the whole match. With everything else, I was just trying to keep the ball in the court.”

The ATP reiterated that the new surface is in a test period this year, and that a decision on whether to use it again will be made after this event.

The defending champion was cruising until the second set when his 137th-ranked Spanish opponent broke for 2-1. Djokovic then made four straight unforced errors in his next service game – including two double faults – to go down 4-1.

Djokovic complained about the surface throughout, but managed to get his emotions in check and his game together to take a decisive 4-2 lead in the third set before sealing his 25th match win of the season.

“When you slide on the red clay you have a feeling you can stop and recover from that step. But here, whatever you do … you are always slipping,” said Djokovic, who hit 20 winners to 24 unforced errors. “Not a single player – not woman not man – I didn’t hear anyone say ‘I like blue clay.”’

The women’s top two overcame dips in concentration to put away mistake-prone opponents. Azarenka held off Andrea Hlavackova’s challenge to win 6-3, 7-6 (2) after Sharapova beat Klara Zakopalova 6-4, 6-3.

Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams will meet in the last 16 after both won their second-round matches. Wozniacki beat Mona Barthel of Germany 6-4, 7-6 (2) while Williams was a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia.

Azarenka has already won four titles this year, including the Australian Open, but showed less convincing form on the blue surface.

“I felt like a lost a little bit of my concentration,” Azaranka said. “I didn’t adjust well to some of the obstacles that happened but I’m glad that I could turn it around pretty quickly and finish the match in my favor.”

The Belarusian took the opening set without too many worries before stumbling toward the end of the second set as she double-faulted to be broken for Hlavackova to tie it up 5-5.

Azarenka saved set point with a forehand smash and took it to the tiebreaker, where she took a 5-1 lead before clinching it when Hlavackova – who had needed treatment on her left thigh late in the second set – hit long.

Azarenka plays Ana Ivanovic in the third round after the Serbian beat Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-1 in an earlier match Tuesday.

“Sometimes you have these roller coasters and she is one those players that doesn’t allow you a rhythm,” Azarenka said, who is playing her second clay court event this season after losing to Sharapova in the Stuttgart final. “I’m glad I could stay in control and finish the match. There is more room to improve.”

Sharapova was more convincing in her second-round match, as Zakopalova’s erratic serve opened her up to Sharapova’s solid ground strokes. Sharapova earned the first of five breaks in the opening game and was in command after another break gave her a 4-1 lead.

Zakopalova came forward to break back in the next game but could get no closer as the pair held serve before Sharapova clinched the set with one of four aces.

Zakopalova was overpowered again on her opening serve but saved a match point and broke back to get to 5-3 before her seventh double-fault clinched it for Sharapova.

In men’s play, Jurgen Melzer rallied to beat Feliciano Lopez 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4, the first seeded player to exit.

Tennis Recap: Djokovic, Azarenka, Sharapova reach third round at Madrid Open is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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