Tsonga books Shanghai spot after Paris Masters victory
November 3, 2008
In my previous tennis post I mentioned that the winner of the Paris Masters wins a double prize. That is a Masters title which in itself is a prestiguous title, they also would claim a spot in the season ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is that man. He claimed the title and his ticket to Shanghai with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over the defending champion David Nalbandian. The Masters Series title was the first for Tsonga. It was made even more special seeing he was playing in his home country. Tsonga is from a place better known for motorsport rather than tennis, Le Mans. Perhaps he will change all that.
Tsonga showed at the start of the year that he would one day challenge for a place at the top of world tennis. Injury slowed him down in the middle part of the season but now he is back.
“I’m going to go there (Shanghai) really to represent France and all my family and my friends,” said Tsonga. “That’s it. I’m going to represent everyone and I’m going to give my best. I think the Masters will be a very important moment for me. Maybe another great victory could maybe replace this one.”
In the match against Nalbandian, Tsonga got off to a fast start breaking his Argentine opponent in the second game of the match. A double fault by Nalbandian made his job easier. With that break Tsonga was able to close out the first set.
Nalbandian hit back in the second. Tsonga serving at 4-4 in the set fell behind 0-40. He served his way out of trouble in that game and looked like he might be able to get to a tie-break to have a go at winning the set and the title. He did however stumble again in his next service game to hand Nalbandian the set.
In the crucial third set Tsonga again got an early break, this time in the third game. He then managed to ride out that break to get to a position to win the set. He almost gave it away when serving for the match at 5-4. Tsonga playing nervously slipped to 0-40. With the help of an ace, his 25th for the match Tsonga finally brought up a match point and with that he sealed the deal.
Nalbandian was attempting to become the first player since 1986 to win back-to-back titles in Bercy since 1986. Despite missing his place in the Tennis Master Cup all is not lost for Nalbandian. He will be fighting for the Davis Cup when Argentina face Spain in the final in Argentina, November 21-23.
With Tsonga now heading for Shanghai I am tipping him to take the title.
Top two bow out of the Madrid Masters tennis
October 19, 2008
World no. 1 Rafael Nadal was heading towards a finals matchup against world no. 2 Roger Federer at the ATP Masters Series event in Madrid. In their way were Andy Murray and Gilles Simon.
As it turned out both top ranked players were beaten by their opponents. Murray overcame his conquerer in the US Open final, Roger Federer. The score was 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Murray is in hot form having won his first Masters Series title in August at Cincinnati before going on to reach his first grand slam final at the US Open.
In the final Murray will face Frenchman Gilles Simon who defeated Nadal 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6). Murray is the current world no. 4 ranked player on the Atp tour. Simon is down at no. 16. A victory over Murray in Madrid will see him make a charge towards the top ten.
In the head-to-head matchup between Murray and Simon they are currently 1-1. Both previous meetings took place on clay.
Simon is also fighting for his place in the Tennis Masters Cup to be held in Shanghai. He is currently in 9th spot and his good showing in Madrid could see him push into the top eight. Murray has already qualified.
The Tennis Masters Cup will take place from November 9-16 at the Qi Zhong Stadium in Shanghai.
Jankovic wins China Open, Kirilenko win Korea Open
September 28, 2008
The number one seeded Jelana Jankovic has won the China Open played in Beijing. She defeating no. 4 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2. Jankovic in 2006 lost in the semis at the Beijing tournament. Last year she improved only to lose the final to Anges Szavay. Today she continued her progression and claimed the title.
The China Open title is the second one won by Jankovic this season. He other title came on clay in Rome. She recently made her first grand slam final losing to Serena Williams in the US Open.
Over in Seoul, South Korea Maria Kirilenko defeated Australia’s Samantha Stosur 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. Like Jankovic in the China Open Kirilenko stepped up from being the beaten finalist in 2007 to take the title in 2008.
Stosur was playing in her fourth career WTA singles final and was hoping to win her first title. Despite winning the first set she is still winless in tournament finals.
Roddick wins the China Open in Beijing
September 28, 2008
Andy Roddick has claimed his 26th career ATP singles title with a win at the China Open. He defeated first time finalist Dudi Sela from Israel. The final score was 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3.
After the match Roddick announced he would donate $25,000 of his prize money to the Chinese Tennis Association (CTA) to help with assistance to the people who were victims of the terrible Sichuan earthquake.
The title in Beijing is title no. three for the 2008 ATP season.
You can read more about Roddick’s China Open tennis win at the ATP website
Tennis Elbow prevention is better than cure
September 23, 2008
My wife was unable to play tennis for an entire summer thanks to a tennis elbow injury. As I told her prevention of a Tennis Elbow injury will always be so much better than a cure.
Here are some tips to prevent a tennis elbow injury.
There are several things you can do which will dramatically lessen your chances of having a tennis elbow injury which incidentally afflicts thousands of players every year.
The selection of the right equipment is right up there in order to prevent injury. There are guidelines that need to be followed when selecting your tennis racquet, and this especially applies to the vast majority of players, who never play in a tournament, but equally suffer the greatest number of Tennis elbow injuries.
You should endeavour to test as many racquets as possible before choosing the right one for you. Seek advice from your coach, if you have one or a qualified salesperson before making your final purchase decision!.
A graphite racquet is preferable because it will lessen vibration and give you better torque control.
Don’t get sucked in by an oversized racquet because although the sweet spot might be bigger, the area outside the sweet spot is very large and you will more likely experience side-to-side twisting of the racquet which increases the likelyhoot of a tennis elbow injury.
A racquet with a more flexible frame will reduce your chances of a tennis elbow injury.
A heavier racquet will vibrate less, but stay away from a racquet with a heavier head because they increase the risks. A heavier handle is OK. Overall what you are looking for is a racquet with a high sweet spot, light head and good balance.
Make sure that the string tension is at the lower end of the specifications, and use synthetic nylon, making sure you get a re-string every few months.
Another tip is that when you are playing, especially on clay do not allow the balls to get heavy. This has the potential to cause tennis elbow, so change them often, also when it is damp.
To avoid learning bad habits or to remove them from your game it is a good idea to get some lessons from a qualified tennis instructor. Make sure you ask them to pay particular attention to your technique.
This applies particularly to weight transfer while ensuring your chest neck and shoulder are being kept stable. This will help so that your shot making is better and there isn’t too much muscle tension.
Warm up properly before you begin, doing gradual stretching exercises for the wrist. If you have a coach ask them about the best exercises.
When you are out on the tennis court start your backhand from the shoulder not the forearm.
Bend your forearm on your forehand shots, so your biceps and shoulder take the force of your swing rather than your elbow .
Whatever you do, bend the arm when you serve. A straight arm and rigid wrist means the elbow takes all the shock of contact.
The last tip is don’t put too much topspin on the ball when you play a ground stroke.
If you take all of this into account then chances are you will dramatically reduce your potential for a tennis elbow injury. As mentioned at the start of the article it is always better to prevent an injury rather than cure it after the event. A good fitness program is key to being able to better perform in any of your sporting events including competitive tennis or hit and giggle tennis.
Argentina and Spain advance to 2008 Davis Cup final
September 22, 2008
Both finalists from the 2007 Davis Cup final have been eliminated from the 2008 event following semifinal losses.
The 2007 Champions USA lost their tie 1-4 to Spain. The USA had defeated the Spanish team in the quarterfinals in 2007 however this time around the Spaniards lead by world no. 1 player Rafael Nadal were too strong for the USA.
The Russian team were defeated by Argentina 3-2. The tie, played in Buenos Aires, Argentina went to the final rubber between Juan Martin Del Potro and Igor Andreev before being decided. On day one Argentina had started well as they won the first two rubbers, both in straight sets. The Russians kept in the tie by winning the doubles in five sets before Davydenko squared the tie with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-0 win over David Nalbandian.
Del Potro was then left with the task of winning the tie and booking a place in the 2008 Davis Cup final for the home team. There was further incentive for the Argentinians as a win would give them a home final for the first time in their history.
Del Potro had to beat Andreev knowing that the Russian had won his three previous live fifth rubber Davis Cup matches. For Del Potro he had the confidence going into the match coming from a run of 24 match victories from 25. He had won four titles going into the recent US Open tournament with two of them coming on clay. You had to say he is a player in form.
The recent record of Del Potro suggested he would win against Andreev and that is how it turned out. The 13th ranked Argentinian broke in the first game of the match. Andreev showed some resistance in the first set but after that it was all the Argentine. The final score was 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.
Spain earned their spot in the final with a home win against the USA. The Spanish team opened the tie with two wins on day one as Nadal defeated Sam Querrey in four sets and David Ferrer won a tough five setter against Andy Roddick.
The doubles team of Mike Bryant and Mardy Fish kept the tie interesting after they won their match against Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco in five sets. This just left it to Nadal to close out the tie. He did this easily with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 defeat of Andy Roddick.
Argentina were glad to win the right to host a home final however knowing that the best player on clay will be in the opposing team will make it tough. The final is likely to become a showdown between the king of clay, Nadal and Del Potro.
The 2008 Davis Cup final will be played in Argentina over the weekend of 21-23 November. The venue is yet to be announced however it is likely to be Parque Roca.
Federer still US Open top dog
September 9, 2008
Roger Federer may not have been able to win at the French Open or hold onto his crown at Wimbledon. He is however still top dog at the US Open tennis.
In the delayed final against Andy Murray he was too good for his challenger. The no. 6 seed had no answer to the play of Federer. He was once again showing that he is a force to be reckoned with.
The win at the 2008 US Open made it five straight US Opens for Federer. This match his winning streak at Wimbledon which he completed last year. He was going for six straight before Nadal brought this to an end earlier this year.
Federer has now won 13 career grand slams and is just one behind Pete Sampras in the all time list.
The match was won by Federer 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. He is probably back to full fitness after having health issues at the start of the year. Despite this he still made the Australian Open semis, the French Open final, Wimbledon final and won the US Open. This for most players is an awesome year. For Federer he was being written off as a has been.
With this win under his belt he will be keen to equal Sampras’ record when he kicks off the new grand slam season at the 2009 Australian Open.
Murray was outclassed by a champion player. Federer is one of the all time greats and is still a player to be feared when the draw comes out each tournament. I can see him taking back the number one ranking at some stage next year.
Serena back on top following US Open win
September 8, 2008
Tomorrow Serena Williams will be the number one ranked women’s tennis player following her straight sets win over Jelena Jankovic in the 2008 US Open final.
Both players went into the match knowing that the winner would claim the no. 1 ranking in women’s tennis. For Serena she was aiming for her ninth grand slam title and her third at the US Open, while Jankovic was shooting for her first ever grand slam title. The US Open was the first grand slam final she had reached.
The women’s final was played on Sunday night in what would normally be the men’s final timeslot. This came due to the torrential rain that hit New York on Saturday.
The match did not dissapoint. Even though Serena won the match in straight sets, Jankovic pushed her all the way and in the second set held a set point.
The first set saw plenty of breaks of serve before Serena got the edge and took the set 6-4. Serena hit 19 winners to Jankovic’s 8 however she also made 16 unforced errors to 11.
The second set saw Jankovic get a break at 3-3 and she held the next game to lead 5-3. Williams took the match to 4-5 and then stopped Jankovic from winning the set as she broke back. Jankovic had a set point which she was not able to convert.
The match had now swung back around in favor of Serena and she put the pressure on Jankovic to win her service game when down 5-6 in order to extend the match to a tiebreak. Serena got the better of Jankovic and took the second set to claim her third US Open crown and to also rise to the top of the rankings. The final score was 6-4, 7-5.
Serena last held the no. 1 ranking way back in August 2003.
Five Straight for Federer at US Open tennis?
September 7, 2008
Roger Federer has beaten the rain and Novak Djokovic to take his shot at his fifth straight US Open tennis title.
The organisers brought the match forward by one hour as the weather reports said torrential rain was on the way. That is how it turned out as the second semi and the women’s final were not completed in the day’s play.
The other semifinal was moved to Louis Armstrong Stadium also in an attempt to beat the rain. Unfortunately they made the move too late and the match could not be completed before the torrential rain hit the courts. The move caused a security concern as when the announcement came there was a rush of fans from Arthur Ashe Stadium to Louis Armstrong.
The current world number 1, Rafael Nadal has a tough battle ahead of him when play resumes on Sunday New York time as he currently trials Andy Murray 6-2, 7-6(5), 2-3. It is not beyond him but Murray was playing a good match. Nadal does have the break and is serving when the players get back on court.
Roger Federer advanced to the final, which will be played on Monday following a 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 win over his conquerer at the Australian Open at the same stage, Novak Djokovic. If not for that loss Federer would have been playing in his 14th straight grand slam final.
Federer started the match well and got a break in the first set. This was enough to secure the first set. In the second set Djokovic was now playing closer to his best and hitting the ball well. Djokovic and Federer both had breaks and the match was at a crucial point with Federer serving at 5-6. He quickly found himself 3 set points behind. Unlike last year in the final Djokovic converted a break point to level the match at a set a piece.
After the second set Djokovic was not able to earn himself a break point as Federer stepped up his game. The third set was tight and Djokovic was serving to level the match at 5-5. Djokovic made a few errors and the match turned as Federer broke. He served out the set to go two sets to one up.
Federer could now see the end in sight and pushed ahead to close out the match. He won the set 6-2 to claim his spot in the final. Federer was asked who he would prefer to meet in the final. He skipped the question by saying “I prefer the trophy, That’s what I prefer.”
Federer now can enjoy a day off as Nadal and Murray resume their match.
Federer will be aiming for his 13th grand slam title to edge closer to Pete Sampras’ record of 14.
Serena and Jelena setup US Open final battle for no. 1 spot
September 6, 2008
Going into the women’s semis of the 2008 US Open tennis tournament all four players had the chance to grab the no. 1 ranking on the WTA. Now that the semifinal matches have been played it is now a winner take all showdown between Jelena Jankovic and Serena Williams in the final.
In testing conditions on center court both players got off to slow starts in their respective matches. Players found it difficult to time their shots due to swirling winds on Arthur Ashe stadium.
First up was the no. 2 seed Jankovic against the no. 5 seed Elena Dementieva. It was the no. 5 seed who got off to a better start as she broke early to go out to a 2-0 lead. Dementieva’s game started to slip when she lead 4-2 and it was Jankovic who won five straight games to take the first set 6-4 and lead 1-0 in the second.
Dementieva had chances in the second set to take hold of the match and she broke Jankovic twice. Unfortunately for her she could not hold her own serve often enough as Jankovic closed out the match with three breaks of serve along the way. Jankovic earned her first ever grand slam final spot with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. Claiming two sets from Dementieva was no mean feat as she had not dropped a set all tournament.
Serena Williams also started slowly in her match against Dinara Safina. She fell a break behind early in the first set but then came back to break Safina twice. The strong wind was causing havoc with the players ball toss and ground strokes in general. Serena took the first set 6-3.
In the second set Safina was once again able to break. This did not help her much as she herself was broken three times. In the end Serena won the second set comfortably 6-2. This took her to the final once again where she will be playing for her third US Open title and ninth grand slam title overall. Jankovic will of course be playing for her first grand slam title.
Jankovic and Williams have a head to head record that currently stands at 3-3. Interestingly all their matches have been played on hard courts. At the 2008 Australian Open Jankovic knocked Williams out at the quarterfinal stage winning 6-3, 6-4. Williams hit back in Miami winning 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.
In the final it remains to be seen if Jankovic can handle the pressure of the big occasion associated with playing in a grand slam final. If she keeps her nerves under control she should have a good shot at beating Williams. I think it is too hard to call.
