Tim Henman retires

forever the British hope... forever the British source of frustration....

Gutsy Brit Tim Henman announced his retirement on Thursday in New York, saying "I was as good as I could have been."

.... which was just not good enough to win a Grand Slam. Thanks for the good (and the frustrating) times, Tim. That's quite an emotional retrospective press conference (based on the article above!)....

Now, the British tennis fans can have their emotional upheavals based on Andy Murray's ups and downs :) Why do I get the feeling Fred Perry's record as the last Brit to win Wimbledon (in 1936!) will remain intact for quite some years to come.

Red knickers in a twist

Wimbledon officials are getting their knickers in a twist (or as Americans would say it...panties in a bunch!)... only the Brits could create a fuss not over the visibility of panties during tennis (which is one of those things that happens and is not like a Victorian era exposed ankle!) but over its color!

Tatiana Golovin had the Wimbledon referee reaching for his rule book when she sought to appear on court wearing red underwear. Was she violating the "predominantly white" dress code laid down by the tournament that is such a stickler for sartorial etiquette?

Roddick rumors

Maybe those rumors about him & Sharapova were just that...rumors... because when you can 'flirt' with or 'date' (or whatever else they allegedly did) Sharapova...why'd you go for white-trash like Paris Hilton. It can't be the money (he has enuf)... And ugggh - save me the details, please!!

Paris and  Andy
After dating billionaire Greek heirs, rockers and actors, hotel heiress Paris Hilton reportedly has a new man in her life – tennis champion Andy Roddick. The couple were spotted flirting at Las Vegas' trendy Tao nightclub recently, and were also seen getting hot and heavy on the VIP bed in Vegas’ Pure nightclub.

Wimbledon - Final News Update

Federer did win his 4th consecutive Wimbledon, extending his winning streak on grass and proving it that he is indeed one of the most talented tennis players ever - the last time he lost on grass was at Wimbledon in 2002, when he shockingly lost to 18-year old qualifier Mario Ancic in the 1st round. Incidentally, Federer beat Ancic this year 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarters. His domination in men's tennis over the past few years, losses on clay to Nadal notwithstanding, has even Connors praising him as being 'as unflappable as Borg'. That said, Nadal did give Federer a good fight on grass and is by no means a clay court specialist, like Spaniards before him or his own record coming into this year. Little wonder then that Federer's coach, Tony Roche, says Federer has a rival to be relished, Michael Stich thinks that though Nadal lost, he still has the edge and Nadal himself feels confident that he will beat Federer on grass

All good news for tennis fans like me... some competition in men's tennis will be great though lately the sheer grace and effortless poetry with which Federer plays has been fun enough despite not much of a fight put up by most of his opponents.

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Amelie Mauresmo becomes the first French woman in 81 years (since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925) to win Wimbledon., thereby winning her 2nd Grand Slam title this year.

Mauresmo finally adds inner steel to her mettle
French heroine shuns the Lenglen brandy tonic but finds true bottle

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Martina Navratilova said yesterday that she was angry only a handful of spectators watched her say a final goodbye to Wimbledon last week.

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15-year-old with one hand wins ballboy competition

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Past Specials from Wimbledon

2000: Sampras wins Slam No. 13
1999: Graf says goodbye
1998: Sampras wins a fifth title
1993: Rockets on the 4th for Sampras

1981 - After 5 in a row for Borg, McEnroe roars to unlikely title

Wimbledon - Doubles Update

July 6th, 2006

Wow...what a match... A five setter with 4 tie-breaks...!!!!

Leander Paes and Martin Damm on Wednesday moved into the semifinal of the Wimbledon men's doubles competition when they defeated Australian Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyet of Zimbabwe in a thrilling five-setter here. Seventh seeded Paes and Damm came from behind to win the match 7-6 (10/8) 6-7 (5/7) 6-7 (5/7) 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 against the fourth seeded combination.

But forget Paes' 5-setter match with 4 tie-breaks.. a more interesting match on the same day was the other mens doubles quater finals match which turned out to be the longest ever doubles match lasting 6 hours and 9 minute ... 5-7, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 23-21 ... (remember no tie-break in last deciding set at Wimbledon). Some records about the match from the above two links..

• 6 hours and 9 minutes of gruelling tennis to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, wrapping up a historic 5-7, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 23-21 victory over Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Todd Perry of Australia on Wednesday. The quarter-final match started Tuesday but was halted due to darkness with the fifth set tied 11-11. The final set lasted 3:13, longer than a typical doubles matches usually lasts.
• The previous longest doubles match at a Grand Slam tournament was 5:29 at the 1990 Australian Open when Pieter Aldrich and Danie Visser of South Africa beat Scott Davis and Robert Van't Hof of the United States in five sets, including 23-21 in the deciding set.
• The previous longest doubles match at Wimbledon was 5:05 in 1985 when Heinz Gunthardt of Switzerland and Balazs Taroczy of Hungary beat Paul Annacone of the U.S. of Christo Van Rensburg of South Africa in five sets - 24-22 in the fifth.
• The longest doubles match in tennis history was 6:20 in a 2002 Davis Cup semifinal between Argentina and Russia.
• The longest in singles was 6:31, a first-round five-setter at the 2004 French Open won by Fabrice Santoro over fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement.
• Aspellin, Perry, Nestor and Knowles did not displace Gene Scott, Nikki Pilic, Cliff Ritchie and Torben Ulrich, who share the record for the most games -- 98 -- at Wimbledon after a 1966 marathon. Yesterday's match ran to 87 games. ...

Nestor and Knowles won't have much chance to rest before facing top-seeded American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals Friday. Both have mixed doubles matches Thursday, although that's not where their focus will be. Nestor and Knowles are eager to add a Wimbledon title to their resume. They've never finished better than runner-up at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, losing in the 2002 final. They're in the Wimbledon semis for a fourth time.

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July 7th, 2006

Every one will probably read about and follow the Mens singles final (facile wins today for both Federer and Nadal mean we will see the expected and prospectively "blockbuster" #1 - #2 match-up between Nadal and Federer on Sunday; a repeat of the 2006 French Open finals last month, which Nadal won) and the Womens singles final (again, an interesting match-up; a repeat of the 2006 Australian Open finals in this case, which Mauresmo won by default when Justin Henin-Hardene quit due to a stomach injury).....

.... But you probably will miss reading about the doubles matches, which do not get much coverage but still hold a lot of excitement to tennis fans. So...here I am to enlighten and inform :)

(Note: I'm rooting for Federer (playing 'close to perfection') and Justin Henin-Hardene to win the singles titles. I have raved about Federer elsewhere yesterday evening but Justin, who has reached the final in all three Grand Slam events this year, and with a win Saturday, she would become the 10th woman to win all four major titles, is also a personal favorite for her efficiency, her well-rounded game, which is not dependent merely on a booming service, and her never-give-up attitude.)

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Mens Doubles:

FINALS: Fabrice Santoro (France) and Nenad Zimonjic (Serbia) vs. Bob & Mike Bryan (US) ....Saturday.

7th seeded Paes-Damm, who lost to the Bryan brothers in the Australian Open finals this year but went down early in the first round at the French open last month, today lost their semi-finals match against 6th seeded pair of Frenchman Fabrice Santoro and Serb Nenad Zimonjic, losing in just over 90 minutes 6-2, 6-1, 7-5. Santoro and Zimonjic have dropped just one set in the tournament and even beat No.2 seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi in straight sets in the quarters.

In the other semi-finals, Knowles-Nestor, who won the afore-mentioned 6 hour 9 minute marathon match in the previous round, lost to the #1 seeded Bryan brothers.

Incidentally, I thought the Bryan brothers had won quite a few Grand Slam doubles titles but found out just now that they have only 3 Grand Slam doubles titles - one each at Aus, French, and US Open and no Wimbledon yet although they have reached the finals (and lost) on 6 other occasions.

Won Grand Slam men's doubles title in:

May, 2003 Roland Garros, France - beat Paul Haarhuis (NED) / Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS) 7-6 (3), 6-3

Sep, 2005 US Open, New York, USA - beat Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) / Max Mirnyi (BLR) 6-1 6-4

Jan, 2006 Australian Open, Melbourne, AUS - beat Leander Paes (IND) / Martin Damm (CZE) 4-6 6-3 6-4

Reached finals and lost:

2003: US Open (lost to Jonas Bjorkman / Todd Woodbridge)

2004: Australian Open (lost to Michael Llodra / Fabrice Santoro)

2005: Australian Open (lost to Wayne Black / Kevin Ullyett)

2005: French Open (lost to Jonas Bjorkman / Max Mirnyi)

2005: Wimbledon (lost to Stephen Huss / Wesley Moodie

2006: French Open (lost to Jonas Bjorkman / Max Mirnyi)

Maybe this is the year for a Wimbledon doubles title for the Bryan twins!

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Women's Doubles:

The Chinese are in the finals of a Grand Slam event again!!

FINALS: Yan Zi & Zheng Jie (China) vs. Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP) & Paola Suarez (ARG) .... Sunday

The fourth seeded Chinese duo of Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, who made history by capturing the Australian Open crown in January, beat the seventh seeded pair, Martina Navratilova (US) and Liezel Huber (RSA), 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 yesterday morning and today went on to beat #2 seeds Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs to set up a finals encounter with Virginia Pascual & Paola Suarez, who have won eight career Grand Slam titles together but have not reached the finals of a Grand Slam event since the 2005 French Open. The veteran duo came unseeded to this tournament but are on a roll, even upsetting #1 seeds Samantha Stosur and Lisa Raymond in the third round itself.

The Pascual-Suarez duo too, like the Bryan brothers, have won the other 3 Grand Slams but not Wimbledon...So once again, like in the men's doubles, probably a great chance for a good doubles team to win for the first time at Wimbledon... but to do that they will have to beat the Chinese, the new powerhouse in womens doubles tennis (my blogpost). Interestingly, even in singles, the Chinese are coming up fast with Li Na making history for China earlier this week as she became the first woman from China to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam singles event.)

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Mixed Doubles

In wrote yesterday evening about Martina Navratilova losing her mixed doubles match, her last match at Wimbeldon. She was partnering with Knowles, who was coming of his marathon mens doubles match and Martina herself was coming off a womens doubles loss earlier in the day.

Another match I missed yesterday was that Leander Paes, seeded fourth with Samantha Stosur of Australia, lost 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to the unseeded American duo of Venus Williams-Bob Bryan in the quarter finals.

Venus-Bryan went on to beat #2 seeds Max Mirnyi BLR (2) & Jie Zheng CHN in the semis today - so, Bob Bryan has a chance for a doubles title in mens doubles as well as mixed doubles this time!

Also, although one of the two Williams sisters is missing from the Wimbledon women's singles finals for the first time since 1999, there is a Williams sister playing in at least one of the 4 finals at Wimbeldon this year - albeit the least attention-grabbing mixed doubles finals - whose schedule is even not fixed typically ("The Mixed Doubles Final will be played on either Saturday 8th or Sunday 9th July, on Centre or No.1 Court," says the official Wimbledon site; and historically this match is often times played on Monday after the tournament is officially all but over!)

The other semi-finals is not over yet...so the finals draw is not yet finalized.

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And writing about tennis doubles... a quick note about the stars of mens doubles in the last 15+ years.. Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde. The 'Woodies', as they were called, won a record 61 ATP doubles titles as a team, including 11 Grand Slam events and the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. After Woodforde retired from the tour in 2000, Woodbridge established a partnership with Jonas Björkman, (who was overwhelmed completely today by Roger Federer in the men's singles semi-finals), which resulted in five Grand Slam event titles in four years. In all, Woodbridge won 16 and Woodforde won 12 men's Grand Slam doubles titles. (trivia: Woodbridge's first Grand Slam doubles final win was in 1989 with John McEnroe as his partner!)

Well.. the Woodies are back!

Six years after their sixth and final victory together on Centre Court, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde – known affectionately as ‘The Woodies’ – returned to Wimbledon to play in the 35 & over invitation gentlemen’s doubles this week. The Woodies have six Wimbledon Championships together, including five in a row from 1993-1997, and then again in 2000, Woodforde’s retirement year. Woodbridge went on to win the Championship a further three times with Bjorkman, giving him the record for the winner of the most gentlemen’s doubles Wimbledon championships. Both Woodies have also been victorious in the mixed doubles – Woodforde in 1993 with one Martina Navratilova, and Woodbridge the following year with Helena Sukova.

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Wimbledon Legends

I did not realize that Martina Navratilova has decided to finally retire from competitive tennis...this time, at age 49, probably for good!

Navratilova Era Ends in Mixed Doubles Defeat

Navratilova's match with Knowles today was notable in that it was her last at the All England Club, with the 20-time Wimbledon champion announcing her retirement sometime after the end of The Championships. The legendary player and her mixed doubles partner Mark Knowles were beaten in the third round by ninth seeds Vera Zvonareva and Andy Ram, 7-5, 6-1. Knowles could be forgiven for being a little tired on court after his history-making six hour epic doubles match yesterday with Daniel Nestor. For her part Navratilova came out looking fired-up and focused after her defeat earlier in the day in the ladies doubles quarters.

Earlier today: Navratilova defeated by Chinese pair in Ladies' Doubles

Martina Navratilova's dream of marking her final Wimbledon with an eighth ladies doubles' title - 20 years after her seventh - evaporated when she and partner Liezel Huber were beaten in the quarter-finals. Fourth seeded Chinese pair Zi Yan and Jie Zheng beat Navratilova and defending ladies doubles champion Liezel Huber 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in a match carried over from yesterday. The defeat signified a changing of the tennis guard, with China being the up-and-coming tennis nation and Navratilova having announced the evening before the match began that this will be her last Wimbledon at the age of 49.

Last Wimbledon for Navratilova
M. Navratilova Interview - Day 8

Her 30+ year career has been an impressive one..dating back to her great competitive rivalry (emotional quotient-wise not quite the famed McEnroe-Borg rivalry but close!) with the graceful gutsy Chris Evert (including a few legendary matches), her virtual rule of the Wimbledon court in the late 70s and early 80s, a 2nd era in the late 80s where she competed hard and even won against young upcoming stars like Steffi Graf and such and then a 3rd coming these last few years where she shone again in womens and mixed doubles and actually won a couple Grand Slam titles in 2003 with apro Leander Paes (Australian Open & Wimbledon). Incredible woman! Incredible career!

But even as we celebrate the end of a career of a grass court legend.. let us celebrate and enjoy another fab grass court player - GO ROGER FEDERER!!

He already has a number of records to his name... third-longest consecutive stay in the World No. 1 with only Lendl and Connors having more (both of whom are over-shadowed by Steffi Graf's 186 week consecutive stay at #1 in the late 80s (from August 1987-March 1991) - first man in the Open Era to win Wimbledon and the US Open back-to-back in consecutive years (2004 and 2005); won three straight Wimbledon titles (2003-05), an achievement also accomplished by Bjorn Borg (1976-80) and Pete Sampras (1993-95; 1997-2000). Before he is done, many, including Sampras himself, believe he will have broken many of Sampras' records, which include most Wimbeldon titles (7) and most Grand Slam titles (Sampras has 14; Federer already has 7 in 27 appearances. Sampras, incredibly also had 7 in 26 appearances!)

I hope though Federer does not let Nadal get into his head in the finals on Sunday (am assuming/predicting/expecting wins for Nadal and Federer against Baghatis and Bjorkman respectively in the semis.) Nadal has beaten Federer on clay more than a handful times recently - Federer has lost ONLY 4 times in all of 2006 and all 4 times to Nadal and on clay - but this is Wimbledon and grass that we are talking about, a surface on which Federer has not lost since 2002 and is on a record-breaking 46 game winning streak on grass. He has lost just two of his last 10 Grand Slam semi-finals, once to Marat Safin at the 2005 Australian Open and to Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open and has already won 3 consecutive Wimbledon titles since 2002 while the other three semi-finalists are reaching semis of Wimbledon for the first time in their careers!

So.. at the semi-final stage, despite everyone backing themself to win...
Nadal Aims to Go All The Way
Baghdatis Backs Himself For Title
Bjorkman Ready For Federer Challenge

...in the end...we all know that on grass, Federer Moves in Majestic Ways

So... 3 cheers for two great tennis stars... 3 for Navratilova and 3 more for Federer. The Queen is gone...but long play the Prince! :)

I cannot finish a post on Wimbledon 'royalty' ..er..legends without mentioning my wife's favorite, Steffi Graf . In modern tennis (since the late 70s, say), if Navratilova can be considered the Queen of Wimbledon, Sampras the King, and Federer the up-and-coming Prince, then surely Graf was the Princess!

In addition to being the only woman other than Maureen Connolly (in 1953 and Margaret Court (in 1970) to win the Grand Slam (1988), she won a total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles (second only to Margaret Court's 24), including 6 French Open singles titles (second to Chris Evert), 7 Wimbledon singles titles (third behind Martina Navratilova and Helen Wills-Moody), and 5 at the US Open and 4 at the Australian...thereby becoming the only player, male or female, to have won all four Grand Slam singles tournaments (Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open and the Australian Open) at least four times each.

And speaking of Graf, I found an interesting bit of trivia about Andre Agassi (married to Graf since 2001) which at least I was not aware of untill I read the wiki entry for Agassi.

Andre Agassi's father Mike Agassi is an Iranian of Armenian ethnicity, born in the Assyrian village of Saralan, near Urmia, Iran. His father has written in his book, The Agassi Story, about his experience in Iran, but Andre has also shown interest in the Iranian aspect of his heritage, in February 2005 expressing a desire to visit Iran, which holds "a special place" in his heart.

Also...speaking of Sampras, he had all but disappeared after his retirement in 2002.. but apparently he is 'bored' of retirement and is making a comeback in the World Team Tennis competition next week, when he plays for the Newport Beach Breakers in California. Sampras will play seven matches in the low pressure event which sees teams playing sets of singles and doubles in a relaxed atmosphere.

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REFERENCE:

• List of Grand Slam Men's Singles champions
• List of Grand Slam Women's Singles champions
• List of Grand Slam Men's Doubles champions
• List of Grand Slam Women's Doubles champions
• List of Grand Slam Mixed Doubles champions

Tennis - French Open 2006

I have hardly followed whats happening in French Open this time... just got tired of work this evening and thought I'll catch up on sports news.

French Open 2006

PREVIEW TO FRENCH OPEN:
French Open women's seed report & men's seed report, by Jon Wertheim of SI.com

Also here is a list of French Open Champions over the years..
- WOMEN
- MEN

MENS SINGLES:

Roger Federer has advanced to the semifinals at Grand Slam tournaments after beating Croatia's Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Federer will face No. 3 David Nalbandian in the semifinals. Nalbandian defeated No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to reach his second French Open semifinal.

In the other semifinals, defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain beat Novak Djokovic of Serbia-Montenegro, when the latter quit with a back injury after losing the first two sets. Nadal meets fourth- seeded 27-year old Croat Ivan Ljubicic, who is enjoying his best-ever showing at a Grand Slam event, with his previous-best effort being a trip to the quarterfinals at this year's Australian Open, where he lost to an upstart but eventual finalist Baghdatis. Ljubicic led Croatia to its first-ever Davis Cup title last year and helped the Croats capture the ATP World Team Championships event in Dusseldorf the week before this '06 French Open commenced. Ljubicic reached his first grand slam semifinal after he defeated Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.

Looks like it will be another French Open finals (hopefully with a different result than last time) between Nadal and Federer....though after 3 defeats to Nadal this year*, world #1 and super-tennis player, Federer will strangely start as the underdog!! The 20-year-old Nadal has won an Open Era-record 58 straight matches on clay and has yet to lose at the French Open, where he's 12-0. Nadal, who's a brilliant 98-12 lifetime on clay, is 33-3 overall this season, including four ATP titles.

* Nadal is 3-0 versus Federer this year, with all three wins coming in finals, including clay-court ones at Masters Series events in Monte- Carlo and Rome. Federer is a perfect 43-0 this season when he's not playing Nadal.

GO FEDERER...

 For the first time in 21 years, the top-four seeds will compete in the semifinals here. John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and eventual champion Mats Wilander combined to turn the trick back in 1985.

The 24-year-old Federer needs the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam. The seven-time major titlist currently holds the Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open crowns and is trying to become the first man to hold all four majors since Rod Laver in 1969. Only five men have won all four Grand Slam events (Don Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, Laver and Andre Agassi.

Federer, seeking his first-ever trip to the final at Roland Garros, has won his last 26 Grand Slam matches, dating back to Wimbledon last year. Laver holds the Open Era record by capturing 29 straight from 1969-70. The world No. 1 Federer, who lost to Nadal in last year's Roland Garros semis, will perform in his eighth straight Grand Slam semifinal. Only Lendl, who reached 10 consecutive Grand Slam semis, has a longer streak of reaching the final four.

I am assuming both Nadal and Federer will win the semis.. though it may not happen - might be a tough match for Federer against Nalbandian! (The 2002 Wimbledon runner-up Nalbandian beat Federer in last year's Tennis Masters Cup final in Shanghai and is 6-5 lifetime versus the great Swiss. Federer, however, has won five of their last six encounters, including a semifinal victory at the Rome Masters just last month. They are 2-2 in their Grand Slam meetings, but have never met at the French Open.)

UPDATE - June 9, 2006: Nalbandian retired... Federer wins and moves to finals. 3-6, 6-4, 5-2....
And Nadal's most likely is continuining his winning streak on clay....leading Ljubicic 6-4, 6-2, 3-3
So..gear up for a Nadal-Federer finals on Sunday :)

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WOMEN's SINGLES

It's Henin-Hardenne vs. Kuznetsova in French Open Final
Kuznetsova advanced to her first final at Roland Garros by rallying to defeat the Czech 17-year-old Nicole Vaidisova, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 while Henin-Hardenne never came close to losing the second semifinal against her longtime Belgian rival, Kim Clijsters, breaking open the match at 3-3 in the opening set and winning, 6-3, 6-2, in little more than an hour. It was one of the most lopsided and disappointing matches in their long rivalry, and though it is now tied at 10 victories apiece, Henin-Hardenne holds a 5-1 edge on clay. After the match, Kim Clijsters admitted that there was no way she could have beaten Henin-Hardenne.

Henin-Hardenne has won two out of the past three French Opens and starts as a favorite against Kuznetsova, although the latter is having a great season (winner of the prestigious hard-court Nasdaq-100 tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida this year) after slumping in the wake of her first Grand Slam title at the 2004 U.S. Open. Henin-Harden almost very nearly did not get past Kuznetsova in the fourth round - the latter had two match-points - when she won the French Open last year, easily defeating home-town favorite, Frenchwoman Mary Pierce, 6-1, 6-1, in the finals. In 2005, Kuznetsova had held a match point against Anastasia Myskina in the fourth round in 2004 when Myskina went on to win the title and history almost repeated itself for the third time today when Vaidisova was serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But at that point, the relatively inexperienced Czech, making her debut as a Grand Slam semifinalist, proceeded to make three unforced errors with her feast-or-famine forehand and then double fault at 15-40 to lose the game. Kuznetsova rallied to take the set and swept through the 3rd set to win 5-7 7-6 6-2, bringing and end to a dream run by the Czech 17-year old, in which she beat world number one Amelie Mauresmo and Venus Williams on her way to the last four. After the match, Kuznetsova offered her sympathy to her Czech opponent Nicole Vaidisova after the teenager threw away a set and a 5-4 lead to lose their French Open semi-final.

(Note: Maria Sharpova, the fourth seed, lost in the 4th round itself - upset by her compatriot, the 14th seed Dinara Safina who came from 1-5 down in the final set before reeling off six straight games to complete a spectacular 7-5 2-6 7-5 victory.)

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MENS DOUBLES:

he top-seeded Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, will play in Saturday's men's doubles final after posting a semifinal victory Thursday at the 2006 French Open. The twins handled the 15th-seeded duo of Romanian Andrei Pavel and German Alexander Waske 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) to reach a doubles Open Era-record sixth straight Grand Slam final. The Bryans' next opponent will be the second-seeded tandem of Swede Jonas Bjorkman and Belarusian Max Mirnyi, who throttled the 13th-seeded Czech pairing of Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner, 6-3, 6-3. Bjorkman and Mirnyi beat the Bryans in last year's French Open finale. The 28-year-old Bryans are 3-4 in their Grand Slam finals, with the victories coming at this year's Australian Open, the 2003 French Open and last year's U.S. Open, where they topped Bjorkman and Mirnyi for the crown.

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WOMEN's DOUBLES

Only comment: 4th seeded Chinese pair are in the semis. The Chinese women have become a major force in women's tennis - especially doubles. Hopefully, #1 seeds Samantha Stosur (AUS) and Lisa Raymond (US) can stop them in the finals even if 5th seeded Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) & Ai Sugiyama (JPN) can't.

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Mixed Doubles - Finals

Elena Likhovtseva RUS (7)
Daniel Nestor CAN (7)
vs.
Katarina Srebotnik SLO (8)
Nenad Zimonjic SCG (8)

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btw, apro lose-in-first-round all of this year, Sania Mirza has kept up the trend...she lost in first-round (albeit to a good player) in the women's singles - losing to Anastasia Myskina (10th seed) 6-4, 6-1. She teamed with Janette Husarova of Slovakia in womens doubles and lost there in the 3rd round (her doubles record is much better this year than her dismal singles record - its amazing to me that somehow despite losing every single tournament she has entered in the first round itself and at best in the 2nd round, she is still in the top 40 in singles seeding!!) and she teamed with Paul Hanley of Australia in mixed doubles and lost there ina first-round, again albeit against a good team - the duo of Bob Bryan (of Bryan brothers fame) & Martina Navratilova (looks like Martina has given up on Paes ...after losing the finals in mixed doubles last year.)

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Tennis Update

Indian Tennis Players Rankings

Estranged partners Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi had contrasting fortunes in the ATP doubles rankings released on Monday, and while the former dropped down two places to 10th spot, the latter climbed up six rungs to 23rd on the leaderboard. In the ATP doubles race, Leander and his Czech partner Martin Damm are at sixth position with the Bryan brothers — Bob and Mike — from the US up at the mound. Bhupathi and Radek Stepanek, also from Czech Republic, who lost in the semifinals at Monte Carlo Masters on Saturday, are way down at 26th position.

In the singles rankings, Prakash Amritraj slipped 12 places to 248th position allowing, in the process, Rohan Bopanna to become the highest-ranked Indian on the leaderboard. Big-serving Bopanna gained a place to sit at 243rd position. Meanwhile, Karan Rastogi gained 47 places to 385th while Harsh Mankad slipped 56 spots to 341st position.

Some good performances by the Indian women in the Federation Cup where they blanked both Phillipines and Chinese Taipei 2-0 (the inconsequential doubles match was not played in both series) and then beat New Zealand 2-1 to meet Australia in the finals. However, Australia defeated India 2-1 to advance to the Fed Cup World Group play-offs while India was left rueing more bad news for Sania Mirza comes out of this tournament nursing elbow and wrist injuries, which her doctor claims are 'not serious'.

On fitness front, it's disadvantage Sania - Indian Express
Sania Mirza 'not fit enough' - Indiatimes, India

Sania is now seeded 40 and can be expected to go lower if injuries keep her out for long. 'Among other Indians, US-based Shikha Uberoi maintained her 183rd spot while Ankita Bhambhri gained two places to 336th position, according to information received here. Meanwhile, veteran Rushmi Chakravarthi suffered a free fall in the rankings dropping a whopping 92 rungs down the ladder to 459th spot. Isha Lakhani (368) and Sanaa Bhambri (462), both climbing down four spots, were other Indians in the top 500.'

Meanwhile: Belgium to meet US in Fed Cup semis after Belgium beat Russia, following victories by Justine Henin-Hardenne (6-2, 6-0 win against Elena Dementieva) and Kim Clijsters (61, 6-4 win over Maria Kirilenko.) Russia, who had been aiming to win the Fed Cup for the third year in succession, had lost to Belgium in the 2001 final too, following which the Russians won 3 in a row.

Spanish teenage tennis star, Rafael Nadal, retained his Monte Carlo Masters title with a 6-2 6-7 (2) 6-3 7-6 (5) victory over Roger Federer, his fourth win over the world number one in five meetings. It was also his 42nd successive win on clay and he is now third on the all-time list behind Guillermo Vilas (53) and Bjorn Borg (46) for consecutive match wins on clay. Sunday's success marked only the second defeat for world number one Federer this season - both at the hands of Nadal who also beat Federer in last month's Dubai Open final. Federer now has a 33-2 win-loss record in 2006. The reigning Roland Garros champion, the world number two, and winner of eight clay crowns in 2005, beat Federer for the second time on clay after ousting him in the French Open semi-final last year.

Davis Cup - India

Shameful that India was relegated to Zone 1 and having to play lowly (tennis-wise) Pakistan after being eliminated from higher rounds after some disastrous (Japan 3-2) performancesdismal outing at the 2006 Commonwealth games in Melbourne last month ...where India performed really well this time, finishing 4th in the medals tally behind UK, Australia, and Canada. (Korea 4-1) since last year... (Incidentally, Pakistan had a Surprisingly - no tennis at the Commonwealth games!)

Back to Davis Cup Tennis:

Even against Pakistan, while playing at home (CCI grounds in Mumbai), India had to fall back on Paes to play the last match instead of Bopanna to ensure that India squeezed through to win the series 3-2 and save the country some real bad blushes... phew! If Prakash Amritaj & Bopanna are the #1 and #2 players in the country today...then the future of Indian mens tennis doesnt look too bright!

Paes takes India to win

Resting on inspirational work done by captain Leander Paes, India retained its place in the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone Group I after overcoming the gritty challenge of archrivals Pakistan by a 3-2 margin in the play-off tie held at the Cricket Club of India on Sunday. Suffering from severe cramps, sustained at the start of the third set, Paes showed great fortitude and gumption in ignoring that blow and scripting a memorable 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 0-6, 6-1 win over Pakistan’s number two player Aqeel Khan in the second reverse singles match, that lasted three hours forty minutes.

Going into the final day, with the score reading 2-1 in favour of India, this pulsating tie was forced into the decider after Aisam Qureshi, Pakistan’s number one player got the better of Prakash Amritraj by the scoreline of 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the morning session to put things on even terms.

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DAY 2 - Doubles:

World-beating doubles pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi edged out Jalil Khan and Asim Shafik for a straight-set victory to put India 2-1 ahead in their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone Group I play off tie against Pakistan here on Saturday.

Paes and Bhupathi gave the rivals a sound thrashing, winning the second day’s doubles rubber 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in an hour and 40 minutes. The “Indian Express”, winners of multiple Grand Slam titles, broke their rivals’ serve twice in the opening set, in the third and fifth games, to clinch it in 28 minutes.

Day 1:

Prakash Amritraj came back splendidly to turn the tables on Pakistan's Aqeel Khan in three sets and help India end the opening day of the Asia-Oceania Zone One Davis Cup play-off tie on level terms at Mumbai on Tuesday. Earlier compatriot Rohan Bopanna went down tamely to Aisam Quereshi in the first singles. (Korea 4-1) since last year...

India's No. 1 player Amritraj displayed excellent fighting spirit to come back from 1-4 down in the first two sets against the baseline-hugging Pakistan No. 2 Khan before raising his game up a notch in the third to record a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 victory 2 hours and 50 minutes. Earlier, a pumped up Pakistan No. 1 Qureshi outclassed Indian No 2 Bopanna, who dished out an insipid and error-prone display, in straight sets to give the visitors a flying start in the sixth-ever clash between the arch-rivals.Qureshi, ranked number 416 in the world, subdued his doubles partner and friend on the Tour Bopanna, ranked 235, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4 in two minutes under two hours in the opening singles.

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PREVIEW:

Schedule:

India's No 2 singles player Rohan Bopanna will take on Pakistan No 1 Aisam Quereshi in the opening match of the Asia Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie on Friday. In the second singles match of the day, India's No 1 player Prakash Amritraj will lock horns against Pakistani No 2 Aqeel Khan. The strong Indian duo of captain Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will take on Pakistani pair of Asim Shafik and Jalil Khan in the doubles match of the tie on Saturday. In the reverse singles matches to be played on Sunday, 230-seeded Prakash will meet 416-seeded Quereshi while 235-seeded Bopanna will face Aqeel. (PTI)

Pak coach gives India an edge

Aisam Quereshi, at 416 Pakistan's highest ranked player in the tie, Aqeel Khan, Asim Shafik and Jalil Khan form the playing quartet which takes on India in Cup tie after 33 years. The last clash between the sub-continent rivals occurred in 1973 in neutral Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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Tennis - Australian Open

The Pakistan-India cricket test had consumed my attention the last few days..did not even realize the Australian Open has started...

Well.. here is what the people that follow tennis more regularly than I do think..
Six young players to watch for & Seed Reports: Men / Women

Roger Federer, arguably establishing himself as one of the great players of tennis (though his coach thinks he needs to win the French before he gets counted amongst the best!), recently equalled Pete Sampras’ mark of 102 weeks as world number 1 in the ATP rankings. (He still has some way to go though before reaching Jimmy Connors, who had 160 weeks at the top, and Ivan Lendl with 157). Like in many recent Grand Slams, he starts as the favorite again on the mens side. Andy Roddick, seeded second and winner of the Kooyong exhibition tournament last Saturday, is probably the next best shot...as he has been for the past few Grand Slams and I suspect Leyton Hewitt might have some chance, given that he has a home-court advantage, if there is some such thing in tennis...

On the women's side, it is a tossup between a number of players .... could be Davenport, who has always been in contention but not won recently....could be the 8th seeded Justin Henin, who won the Sydney International on Friday, albeit in a toughly-fought marathon match where she beat Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, or could be Kim Clijsters...or Maria Sharpova or.....any one of the top-10 seeds..!!

First Round:

Oh..just catching up on scores so far and I notice that Venus Williams has lost in the first round, losing 2-6, 6-0, 9-7 to a 18-year-old Bulgarian, Tszvetana Pironkova, while her sister, Serena, the defending champion struggled to beat China's Li-Na - getting steamrolled in a shaky second-set breaker before triumphing 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-2.

And a star from the past is back after a 3-year hiatus with this tournament - Martina Hingis, now ranked 349, needed slightly more than an hour to defeat 30th-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-2 in a first-round match. 'It was beautiful to walk in there,' she said about her return. Zvonareva, on the other hand, was 'red-eyed and frequently slamed her racquet to the court and engaged herself in negative dialogue. '

On the men's side, Lleyton Hewitt almost blew his opening match in Melbourne Tuesday, before rallying to beat the Czech Republic's Robin Vik 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in 3 hours, 45 minutes. England's Grand Slam woes continued as Tim Henman lost his first-round match in four sets to Dmitry Tursunov of Russia and rookie 18-year-old Andy Murray of Scotland, touted as the future of British tennis, took a quick exit after three sets, losing Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina. The English papers were brutal on Henman after this disappointment, with the Telegraph saying, 'Tiger Tim is now an elderly tabby ready for a trip to the vet'. Henman himself is disappointed and has said he will quit by the end of the year if he cannot regain his form! (In 43 Grand Slams tournaments since 1994, Henman has never made it past the fourth round in Melbourne. He has one semifinal appearance at the French and U.S. Open. With five semifinal appearances at Wimbledon, he remains Britain's main hope to win the first men's singles crown since Fred Perry in 1936.)

And ofcourse, I cannot end this without mentioning the Indian sensation..hype...call her what you will... Sania Mirza, who as a wild-card entry at the Australian Open last year, became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam and lost to eventual winner Serena Williams, although it was the beginning of what she's described as a phenomenal year. The former Wimbledon junior doubles champion reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open, and more recently won a tournament in her hometown of Hyderabad. She's started this year well, beating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7-6 (8), 6-2. And if an Indian is doing well, can the Chinese be far behind... China has one of the fastest rising stars in tennis (as in many other fields where they were not even playing some years back!) and according to some is shaping up as WTA's next big thing! itself, losting to Bulgaria’s Tszvetana Pironkova 2-6, 6-0, 9-7, while her sister, the defending champion Serena, had to fight hard to beat 52nd-ranked Li Na of China. Serena was broken as she served for the match at 5-4 in the second set double-faulting twice at 15-30 and won only one point in the tiebreak before she pulled herself back together and finished off a 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-2 victory. Also, a

Second Round:

Hewitt, Pierce stunned on Thursday at Australian Open - Third seeded Hewitt, who had rallied from a two-sets-to-one deficit to beat Czech Robin Vik in the first round on Tuesday, fell to the Argentine, Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (8-10), 6-2. On the women's side, fifth seed Mary Pierce dropped the final four games in a stunning loss to Czech Iveta Benesova, 6-3, 7-5.

And India's big hope disappoints... as Sania Mirza (32) loses to Michaella Krajicek, 6-3, 7-5. She would have faced one of the tournament favorites, Amelie Mauresemo in the next round and most likely lost... but its still a disappointment to lose in the 2nd round itself!

Third Round:

Defending champion Serena Williams loses to Daniela Hanuchova, who has lost all 3 previous matches between the two without winning a set....Christopher Clarey writes in the IHT - "The fifth day of the Australian Open began with Maria Sharapova talking about the possibility of taking her revenge against Serena Williams, but by the time the day had given way to night Friday and the roof over Rod Laver Arena had gone from open to closed, Daniela Hantuchova had deprived Sharapova of that chance. There will be no replay of last year's sensational women's semifinal in which Williams saved three match points and went on to win the title. Hantuchova erased that possibility by defeating Williams, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), in the third round............ Seeded 13th here, her ranking is expected to plummet into the 40s after this defeat."

Hantuchova next plays Sharapova, who won easily today, beating Jelena Kostanic 6-0, 6-1. Andy Roddick also had a relatively easy game, with 17 aces in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over French qualifier Julien Benneteau. Lindsay Davenport had a tougher day, on a day when temperature exceeded 35 Celsius (96 Fahrenheit), holding off Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, despite 42 unforced errors. French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne had a 6-4, 6-1 win over Virginie Razzano.

Another funny snippet from the above IHT article: Marcos 'Baghdatis, a flashy 20-year-old who also reached the fourth round here last year, beat German qualifier Denis Gremelmayr 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. Baghdatis will face Roddick in what will not only be a battle of extroverts but a battle of exuberant cheering sections. Baghdatis, has had a solid block of support in every match in a city with a large Greek community. Roddick, who is popular in Australia, has been attracting a group of bare-chested men and bikini-topped women prone to writing his name on their skin. Asked to compare the support groups, Roddick raised an eyebrow and made it clear he preferred his own. 'I have half naked women, and he has a bunch of men,' Roddick said.'

For a second day in a row, the tournament invoked the extreme heat policy that calls for play to be suspended on outside courts after matches already under way were completed. Third-seeded Amelie Mauresmo was leading Michaella Krajicek 6-2, who had earlier beaten Sania Mirza, when the 17-year-old Dutch player withdrew because of heat stress. "I felt like I was going to throw up. ... I couldn't even see the ball because my eyes were burning," Krajicek said after having an ice bath to cool down.

Meanwhile, Hingis is having a dream return... with some onlookers whispering whether she has a chance to even reach the finals! For now, she joins top seeds like Mauresmo, Davenport, Sharpova, Clijsters, and Justin-Henin Hadenne and fellow-Swiss Patty Schnyder in the final 16!

Also, in the doubles, an interesting matchup for India - Bhupathi and Wesley Moodie of South Africa 'came back from the brink to prevail 4-6, 7-6 (10/8), 7-5 over Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra of France in a marathon second-round encounter that lasted a shade over three hours. The 11th seeded Indian-South African pair are drawn to play seventh seeds Leander Paes and the Czech Republic's Martin Damm in the third round.'

Update: Paes-Damm defeat Bhupath-Moodie at Aus Open

Semifinals

Roger Federer advanced to the Australian Open final Friday by beating Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 while unseeded Marcos Baghdatis extended his remarkable run at the Australian Open, rallying to beat number 4 David Nalbandian 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Now, for a fairy-tale ending, the Cypriot must slay a giant.

In a great semi-finals matchup, Henin-Hardenne continued her magnificent recent record in Australia by winning her 22nd consecutive match to book her place in the final by beating Russian No.4 seed Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-1 6-4 in two hours and 26 minutes of high quality tennis.

In the other women's semi finals, "Mauresmo was leading 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 and 15-love when Clijsters hobbled to the net and withdrew. That ended the prospect of an all-Belgian final with Henin-Hardenne, who is seeking a fifth Grand Slam singles title. Henin-Hardenne beat Clijsters in the final here in 2004 but was sidelined by injuries last year. She won the Sydney International on Jan. 13, coming back after two months out with a hamstring injury, and is 10-0 this season. Mauresmo has not returned to a Grand Slam final since Martina Hingis beat her here in 1999."

And so, although Mauresmo is the No.3 seed, the No.8 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne probably starts as a favorite in many people's minds...

Men's No.1 seeds Bob and Mike Bryan will play the No.7 seeded pairing of Czech Martin Damm and Indian veteran Leander Paes, who beat unseeded Polish pair Mariusz Frystenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-2, 6-4, in the final of men's double after a 6-3 6-4 win over Australian Paul Hanley and Zimbabwean Kevin Ullyett.

In the mixed-doubles, Martina Hingis and India's Mahesh Bhupathi enter the finals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over the fifth seeds, Paul Hanley and Samantha Stosur of Australia. Hingis and Bhupathi, who are a wildcard entry and not seeded, will play sixth seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and Russia's Elena Likhovtseva, who after a tough-fought match defeated Nathalie Dechy from France and Leander Paes from India 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-4).

Finals:

Mauresmo wins a Grand Slam at last...but what an anti-climax as for the 3rd time this tournament, her opponent quit... this has happened now both in the semi-finals (Clijsters) as well as the finals (Justin Henin-Hardenne)! (In an earlier round, she had won a match after Michaella Krajicek defaulted after tiring in the extreme heat!). Her nay-sayers will say she won her Grand Slam finally..but only by default..but it should be said that she was well on her way to a well-deserved win against in the finals..

Federer wins Australian Open (Images from the men's final)

The Chinese announced their arrival on the tennis scene known at the Athens Olympics, when Tian Tian Sun and Ting Li stunned the world by winning the gold in the womens doubles finals. Today, Yan Zi (L) and Zheng Jie made history by winning the first ever Grand Slam event for the Chinese, by winning the Aussie Women's doubles title.

Bhupathi-Hingis won the mixed-doubles final - an amazing comeback tournament for Hingis, who Maria Sharapova thinks will soon be in the top 10. (Interview with Martina Hingis and Mahesh Bhupathi)

No.1 seeds Mike and Bob Bryan, finally claim the crown at the Australian open. They lost in the finals the last two years - beaten by Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra in 2004 and by Zimbabweans Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett in 2005. The third time was a charm however, as they beat the 7th seeded duo of India's Leander Paes and Czech Martin Damm 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the final. (Interview with the Bryan brothers)

Post-Open Updates:
Photo feature: Hail Baghdatis!

In Baghdatis, a star was born at the Australian Open

It was a great dream: Baghdatis

Baghdatis jumps to 27th
Hewitt out of top 10

Giant leap for in ratings for Hingis
Clijsters jumps to no. 1 ahead of Lindsay Davenport, while Mauresmo is now seeded #2. (India's Sania Mirza slips from 32nd to 34th, which is great I suppose considering ast year’s champion Serena Williams dropped 24 places to 39th after losing in the third round in Melbourne. Former world number one Martina Hingis of Switzerland, making a comeback after 3 years, climbed 232 places to number 117 after reaching the quarter-finals in her first Grand Slam event since her retirement in 2002.