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Safina cruises past Cibulkova to reach French Open final

2009-06-04T10:11:00.000-05:00

Dinara Safina shanked shots, endured a flurry of double-faults, screamed profanities at herself and still advanced to the French Open final. The combustible Russian beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals Thursday and needs one more win for her first Grand Slam title. It was a mistake-filled match, with the top-ranked Safina winning despite seven double-faults

Federer rallies into quarters, Roddick falls at French Open

2009-06-02T09:43:00.000-05:00

Roger Federer knows full well, of course, that Rafael Nadal is no longer around this year to befuddle him, to beat him, to stand between him and a French Open title. Federer insists he is not thinking about that, not thinking ahead. Still, Federer sure did play as if preoccupied for the better part of two hours Monday, dropping the first two sets of his fourth-round match against

Murray weathers heat, defeats Djokovic for Sony Ericcson title

2009-04-05T21:58:00.000-05:00

Andy Murray hit second serves for aces, slipped passing shots through the narrowest openings and rarely made a mistake. It was a performance worthy of a trophy, and Murray became the first Brit to win the Sony Ericsson Open by defeating Novak Djokovic 6-2, 7-5 Sunday. The Scotsman used his vast repertoire of shots and took advantage of two wobbly stretches by Djokovic, who struggled

Azarenka upsets Serena for Key Biscayne title

2009-04-05T21:51:00.001-05:00

Rising from her chair following the final changeover, Serena Williams glanced at her skirt and brushed away some lint, trying to look good in defeat. A taped thigh seemed to slow Serena Williams in Saturday's final. (J. Pat Carter / Associated Press) It wasn't easy. A sore leg and erratic strokes were too much to overcome, and the top-ranked Williams was upset 6-3, 6-1 Saturday by 19-

Serena beats Venus in Key Biscayne semifinal

2009-04-03T06:34:00.000-05:00

Serena Williams retained the No. 1 world ranking by being the best player in her family Thursday night. Williams defeated older sister Venus 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open. It was their 20th sibling showdown, and each has won 10 times. Serena needed to reach the final to retain the top ranking she has held since Feb. 2. "I'm excited," Serena said. "I was

Del Potro drops Nadal; Azarenka into final

2009-04-02T21:31:00.001-05:00

Rafael Nadal's bid for his first Sony Ericsson Open title was ended by Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Del Potro had lost all nine sets in their four previous matches, but he was buoyed by a home-court advantage, with many transplanted Argentines in the crowd singing "Del-Po" between points. "Wonderful for the crowd," top-ranked Nadal said. "

Former No. 1 Federer seeks end to dry spell at Sony Ericsson

2009-04-02T21:22:00.000-05:00

In the wee hours Thursday morning, Roger Federer easily recounted his 17th win against Andy Roddick in 19 meetings in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open. He struggled to recall the last time he'd won one of the ATP Tour's premier events. Yes, it has been that long. "I don't remember the last one I won exactly," said Federer, a 13-time Grand Slam champion. "Against James?"

Federer trumps Roddick again, will face Djokovic in semis

2009-04-02T06:01:00.000-05:00

Roger Federer has advanced to the semifinals at the Sony Ericsson Open by beating Andy Roddick 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. With the victory Wednesday night, Federer improved to 17-2 against Roddick and avenged a loss when they met in Key Biscayne quarterfinals last year. Federer's opponent Friday will be No. 3-seeded Novak Djokovic, who beat No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4. "I have to be very

Rough start can't keep Serena Williams out of Sony semis

2009-04-01T17:53:00.000-05:00

Top-ranked Serena Williams lost the first five games then rallied to reach the semifinals at the Sony Ericsson Open on Wednesday and waited for a possible matchup against her sister. Williams overcame a dismal start to beat unseeded Li Na of China 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Venus Williams was to face Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic in the last of the quarterfinals late

John McEnroe to work on ESPN2's US Open telecasts

2009-04-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

John McEnroe will be part of ESPN2's announcing team when the network carries the U.S. Open for the first time this year. He sometimes will be paired in the broadcast booth with his younger brother Patrick, who succeeded him as the U.S. Davis Cup captain. John McEnroe won the U.S. Open four times. This year marks the start of a six-year deal through 2014 for ESPN and Tennis Channel to

Federer, Roddick to meet in Key Biscayne quarters

2009-03-31T23:11:00.000-05:00

Taylor Dent kept charging and Roger Federer kept passing him to win 6-3, 6-2 and line up a quarterfinal against Andy Roddick at the Sony Ericsson Open on Tuesday. No. 2-seeded Federer has won 16 of their 18 matches but lost to No. 5 Roddick in the Key Biscayne quarterfinals last year. Nearly all of the top eight seeds made it through the fourth round, including No. 3 Novak Djokovic No.

S. Williams, Nadal enjoy edge as Key Biscayne fan favorites

2009-03-31T06:01:00.001-05:00

South Florida is loco for Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams. The ongoing love affair partly explains why the Sony Ericsson Open's top seeds often hit their stride at this high-profile event, often called the "fifth" Grand Slam tournament. It's a "really, really nice feeling," Nadal said of the fan support. Said Williams, who lives in nearby Palm Beach Gardens: "Obviously it's one of

Nadal struggles, still survives at Sony Ericsson

2009-03-30T15:01:00.000-05:00

Rafael Nadal has advanced to the fourth round at the Sony Ericsson Open by beating qualifier Frederico Gil 7-5, 6-3. The top-ranked Nadal struggled with his second serve and was broken twice Monday but gradually wore down Gil, who is ranked a career-best 74th. The top men have avoided the wave of upsets that has marked the women's draw. The latest surprise was 18-year-old Caroline

Serena swats her way past Glatch, into third round at Sony

2009-03-29T22:08:00.000-05:00

On a sunny day in South Florida, the future of American women's tennis seldom looked so gloomy. The present's in good hands thanks to Serena and Venus Williams, but they were the lone U.S. females among the 32 players reaching the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open. Top-ranked Serena won 6-2, 6-3 against 19-year-old Californian Alexa Glatch, who conceded her generation has yet to

Roddick rolls past Tursunov to reach Sony's fourth round

2009-03-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

Andy Roddick reached the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday after overcoming two set points in the tiebreaker to beat Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 7-6 (9), 6-2. The fifth-seeded Roddick erased one set point with an ace and the second when Tursunov netted a forehand, and won the final three points in a grueling 75-minute first set. Roddick finished with 11 aces and faced only

Clijsters calls press conference as rumors of comeback abound

2009-03-24T12:18:00.001-05:00

Former top-ranked Kim Clijsters will hold a news conference Thursday amid reports she is planning a return to the WTA Tour. The 25-year-old Belgian, who retired two years ago, will "unveil her plans for 2009" at the tennis center where she has been recently training. "At this time, Kim has not contacted the Tour regarding entry into Tour events," WTA spokesman Andrew Walker wrote in an

Roger Federer says girlfriend is pregnant

2009-03-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

Roger Federer is going to be a father. The Swiss tennis star said in a message on his Web site Thursday that girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec is pregnant with the couple's first child. The baby is due in the summer. "This is a dream come true for us," the 27-year-old Federer said. "We love children and we are looking forward to being parents for the first time. Mirka is feeling great and

Tickets for Wimbledon test matches sell out

2009-03-12T12:59:00.001-05:00

Tickets for the exhibition matches under Wimbledon's new Centre Court roof have sold out in five minutes. The May 17 event features former Wimbledon champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, as well as Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman. There will be men's and women's singles matches and a mixed doubles match. The event is dubbed "A Centre Court Celebration" and is designed to test the new

Roger Federer wants to show he can go from two to one

2009-03-12T06:56:00.001-05:00

Roger Federer exists in a room like royalty. He doesn't act it. You feel it. He is a regular guy who really can't be one. The handshake is firm, eye contact direct. His smile says he is happy to do this, to spend this interview time with you. The reality is that he'd rather be a thousand other places. The world of tennis hasn't seen him publicly since he crumbled in the fifth set of the

Andy Roddick closes out U.S. victory in Davis Cup match

2009-03-09T10:14:00.001-05:00

Andy Roddick again closed out a victory for the United States Davis Cup team. Roddick swept past Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets to give the U.S. an opening round victory Sunday in the best-of-five series. Roddick, ranked sixth in the world, is now 11-0 with a chance to close out a Davis Cup series. This one was emphatic: 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Next up for the U.S. is

Sharapova to play doubles at Indian Wells

2009-03-09T10:09:00.001-05:00

Maria Sharapova is returning to the WTA Tour this week, ending her injury absence of more than seven months by playing doubles at an event in Indian Wells, Calif. Sharapova, who missed the last two Grand Slam tournaments with a right shoulder injury, will compete in doubles for the first time in nearly four years, teaming with Elena Vesnina. What the three-time major champion isn't

Djokovic reaches semifinals in Dubai as Murray pulls out early

2009-02-26T18:50:00.001-05:00

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the $2.23 million Dubai Tennis Championship on Thursday with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, but No. 2 seed Andy Murray withdrew with a viral infection hours before his match. Third-seeded Gilles Simon of France defeated compatriot Fabrice Santoro 7-6 (3), 6-1, and will next face Djokovic, who defeated Cilic 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour

Agassi to play World Team Tennis this summer

2009-02-26T18:41:00.000-05:00

Andre Agassi will pick up a racket again, playing two matches for the Philadelphia Freedoms in the World Team Tennis league. Agassi will compete for the Freedoms on July 10 in Philadelphia and July 17 in Newport Beach, Calif., the WTT announced Thursday. "Team play is a terrific way to showcase tennis, especially for kids," Agassi said in a statement released by the league. "WTT is

No fans when Sweden hosts Israel for Davis Cup

2009-02-18T19:19:00.000-05:00

Sweden and Israel will play their first-round Davis Cup match in an empty arena next month because of security concerns. Several anti-Israeli demonstrations are planned during the best-of-five series, which will be played March 6-8 at the 4,000-seat Baltic Hall. Malmo officials announced the decision after a vote on the issue in the city's recreational committee. The Swedish Social

Dubai event may be sanctioned after denying visa to Peer

2009-02-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

The lucrative Dubai tournament risks being struck from the women's tennis calendar after the United Arab Emirates refused a visa to Israeli player Shahar Peer, the head of the WTA tour said Monday. Larry Scott said barring entry to Peer could have ramifications beyond tennis because it threatens the principle that sports and politics should not mix. Speaking in a telephone interview,