World Tennis

Nadal advances to Madrid final

2009-05-21T21:05:00.011-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MADRID -- Roger Federer will face Rafael Nadal for a championship.

On clay. In Spain.

The two rivals set up their first clash since the Australian Open when Nadal saved three match points to beat Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9) on Saturday.

Playing their fourth match this year, they needed a Masters Series record four hours, three minutes to decide matters at the Magic Box tennis centre. Federer beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4 in their semifinal.

Top-ranked Nadal's 33rd straight win on clay lifted him into his seventh final this season, but he will be nursing a right knee injury into Sunday's match.

Federer has lost his last five matches against Nadal, including the finals at the French Open, Wimbledon and Australia in February, when the Swiss player was in tears after the defeat.

"What's important for me is to get past that semifinal hurdle that I haven't been able to get past in the last couple of months," Federer said ahead of their 16th meeting in a final. "I feel like playing him anywhere is a challenge. The extra flair here is that it's in Spain."

Earlier, top-ranked Dinara Safina beat Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-2 to set up a final against teenager Caroline Wozniacki, who put away former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo 7-6 (1), 6-3.

Nadal, who won in the Spanish capital in 2005 when the event was played on indoor hard court, is 9-1 on clay against Federer, who didn't doubt Nadal would be in top shape for the pairs first match in Spain.

"They asked me the same question in Australia," said Federer, who faced Nadal after he had won a gruelling five-set match against Fernando Verdasco. "I think with the adrenaline and the crowd he's going to be the Rafa we know tomorrow."

It's the mental aspect that Federer will have to prepare for as he comes face-to-face with Nadal for the first time since the Spaniard denied him a chance to equal Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam wins.

Djokovic was also left red-eyed after feeling in control for most of Saturday's match.

"It's frustrating when you play so well and you can't win," No. 4-ranked Djokovic said.

Nadal complained of discomfort in his right knee before the match, which hampered his ability to move as he made uncharacteristic errors that allowed for an early break in the first set.

Nadal had his leg wrapped in the second set before levelling.

In the deciding tiebreaker, Djokovic watched Nadal hit forehand winners down the near line to save his first two match points. The Serb then beat Nadal with a passing shot to save a match point of his own.

But leading 9-8, Djokovic sent the ball out and then netted on Nadal's next match point to end the longest three-set match in the history of Masters tournaments, the ATP level below the Grand Slams.

"I love these matches, it's very special to play these matches," said Nadal, who improved to 27-1 in clay semifinals. "If I don't fight here, when am I going to fight?"

Despite 50 unforced errors against Djokovic, Nadal's perseverance paid off as he rallied the 12,500 spectators with crucial winners to reach his 26th clay-court final. He has won 25 of those.

Djokovic, who missed a chance to take the No. 3 ranking from Andy Murray, added his latest loss to Nadal to those recently in the Olympics, the Davis Cup, and finals at Monte Carlo and Rome.

"I played one of my best on this surface, so ... I don't think you need my comments, you saw everything," Djokovic said. "A couple of points decided the winner."

Federer improved to 5-0 against del Potro, who has yet to take a set off the former No. 1. He will be going for his 15th Masters title -- and first in nearly two years -- which would allow him to equal the 22-year-old Nadal's tally. Only Andre Agassi has won more with 17.

Safina, coming off a victory at Rome, reached her fifth final of the season by staying undefeated in four meetings against Schnyder.

Wozniacki, who hasn't dropped a set this week to reach her third final of the season, saved two set points before rallying to take the first and then clinched it on her second match point when Mauresmo hit long.

Djokovic wins home Open in Serbia

2009-05-21T21:05:00.009-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BELGRADE, Serbia -- Top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat unheralded Lukasz Kubot of Poland 6-3, 7-6 (0) in the Serbia Open final Sunday to win the first ATP Tour tournament held in his home country. Djokovic played in his fourth straight final after being runner-up in Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome. It was his 13th career title. "Although this is not one of the biggest tournaments I had won, it means the most to me," Djokovic told some 7,000 spectators that packed a makeshift tennis stadium on the banks of the Danube River. Kubot, who was in the draw as a lucky loser from qualifying after Steve Darcis of Belgium withdrew because of a shoulder injury, was the first Pole to reach an ATP final since Wojtek Fibak in 1983 at Basel. "I have one of my best memories here in Serbia, and hope to be back next year," Kubot said. The 179th-ranked Kubot served for the second set, but Djokovic managed to return two difficult drop shots to force the tiebreaker, where he won all three points on Kubot's serve. Djokovic's family brought the first ATP event to Serbia this year after buying the licence from the former ABM Amro Open in the Netherlands.

Wimbledon unveils retractable roof

2009-05-21T21:05:00.007-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON -- Wimbledon picked the perfect day for showcasing its new retractable roof on Centre Court.

The sliding, canvassed roof barely had time to shut Sunday for the All England Club's grand opening -- or closing -- of the new structure before the rain starting pouring down over south London. In the same kind of weather that has forced so many rain delays in the past, the Centre Court then hosted a televised tennis spectacle in perfect conditions.

"It's a real treat to be able to play in these conditions inside, when it's been so miserable, cold, windy and wet outside," said Tim Henman, who teamed with Kim Clijsters to play married couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf in doubles and singles matches.

It seems no fan with a Centre Court ticket will ever return home again without seeing a single shot of tennis played.

"Fundamentally, it worked like it was supposed to work," said Ian Ritchie, the All England Club's chief executive.

To kick off the event, the sliding roof slowly started unfolding with a soft whirring in an afternoon ceremony as British singers Faryl Smith and Katherine Jenkins sang "Amazing Grace" in the centre of the court.

The 15,000 spectators -- along with invited guests such as former tennis great Boris Becker -- collectively raised their heads and cameras as the 10 trusses supporting a translucent canvas slowly covered the court to shield it from the heavy grey clouds above.

As the two-parted roof closed without a hitch, it was greeted by a thunderous applause.

Then shortly after the tennis began, as if on cue, it started to rain.

Not that anyone inside the stadium noticed.

"The conditions were really good," Clijsters said. "And I love the sound. Wimbledon already had that, where you feel like when (the crowd is) really into the match, the sound really comes down to the players. And now even more so with the roof. For the players, it just feels like they're right there next to you."

Agassi also said the closed surrounding will take the atmosphere to a new level.

"The sound was magnificent," he said. "I think when you get two people out there who can really play, and move and hit the ball, I think you're going to feel a level of titanic battle that you haven't seen yet. ... That's an environment that lends itself to some spectacular tennis."

The roof is perhaps the biggest change to come to the 87-year-old tennis cathedral, and marks a remarkable break with tradition by the famously conventional All England Club.

But if the Centre Court looked more modern than ever, the action on the grass looked decidedly old-school.

Graf, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, returned to the Centre Court for the first time in 10 years, while Agassi won his first Grand Slam title here in 1992.

They still know how to entertain a crowd, though. The couple drew a large cheer by exchanging a good-luck kiss on the court before the doubles match. Then they showed they can still make some shots as well.

On his first serve, Agassi taunted Clijsters for standing close to the baseline for her return, telling her to "move back a bit." When she didn't, he punished her with an ace.

On the next serve, Henman moved nearly all the way back to the wall for his return.

The ladies had their moments as well. In the third game, Clijsters and Graf exchanged so many crosscourt forehands that Henman and Agassi just put their hands on their hips and watched. When Clijsters finally hit the ball Agassi's way, he netted a volley -- to Graf's feigned dismay.

In the end, Henman and Clijsters won the one-set match 7-6 (6) after Agassi hit a lob long. Agassi then beat Henman 6-4 in singles and Clijsters defeated Graf by the same score.

But as much as the crowd enjoyed seeing the old Wimbledon stalwarts back on the Centre Court, it was the new structure that received the most praise.

"It's beautiful," said third-ranked Andy Murray, who hopes to become the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1936 to win Wimbledon. "It looks very nice, compared to most roofs."

Five-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, who beat rival Rafael Nadal in the final of the Madrid Open on Sunday, sent a recorded greeting to the crowd, saying he couldn't wait to play at the new-look Centre Court.

"So often do we just wait around (during rain delays)," Federer said. "I know that can be fun too, but maybe after a few days you want to see a match. ... For me it's nice to see that Wimbledon is taking such a big step in the right direction."

The roof takes about 10 minutes to close, and the Centre Court's ventilation system then needs about 30 minutes to get moisture out of the air and create the right conditions. During short rain showers, organizers still plan on using the traditional covers on the court to create shorter breaks. Once the roof is up, it will not open up until a match is over.

After finally getting the roof completed, Ian Ritchie, the chief executive of the All England Club, said he wouldn't be surprised to see perfect weather at this year's tournament. But that's just fine with him.

"We see this as an outdoor summer tournament," he said. "The roof is an insurance."

No issues as Nadal wins 5th in Spain

2009-05-21T21:05:00.005-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BARCELONA, Spain -- Rafael Nadal has won his fifth straight Barcelona Open title by beating David Ferrer 6-2, 7-5. The top-ranked Nadal exploited Ferrer's inconsistent service game to win the first set while also overcoming his own erratic play in the second set to win the Godo trophy at his fellow Spaniard's expense for the second straight year. Nadal, who was coming off a record fifth straight Monte Carlos Masters title, improved to 24-1 in clay court finals to pick up his fourth title of the season. The four-time defending French Open champion goes into the Rome Masters on a 25-match unbeaten run with only three defeats in his last 133 matches on the red surface.

Wimbledon roof to be ready in time

2009-05-21T21:05:00.003-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WIMBLEDON, England -- The new retractable roof over Wimbledon's Centre Court could keep players, and fans, at the All England Club later than usual. Tournament organizers unveiled the 5,200-square-metre folding roof Tuesday and confirmed that it will be ready for the first time for the June 22-July 5 tournament. While matches will be scheduled as they were in previous years, the new roof and the 118 lights under it mean that play will likely continue well beyond the point at which bad light usually forces a halt. Also, matches will be moved from other courts to the tournament's only covered venue if bad weather hits the grass-court tournament. Last year's men's final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer finished in near darkness at 9:15 p.m. All England Club chairman Tim Phillips said that any match started on Centre Court should now be played to completion on the same day, with the only caveat that organizers do not intend following the U.S. Open and Australian Open in staging night matches. "Not yet," said Phillips, who acknowledged that play may continue past 10 p.m. "We still intend that it will be a day tournament." Phillips said that games would only be moved to Centre Court if enough games had been affected by the weather to threaten an overrun into the second week of the tournament. He identified the women's singles, which has matches scheduled for Monday and Tuesday on the second week, as the competition most likely to find itself under the new roof. Otherwise, players could find themselves without a rest day on the whole of the second week, he added. "On the first Saturday, one would want to ensure all the ladies singles are completed," Phillips said. But the prospect of late matches means the ventilation system under the roof will have to be working perfectly to prevent condensation and the danger of slipping for the players racing across court. It will take between eight and 10 minutes for the roof's 10 trusses to slide across and cover Centre Court, and then as long as another 30 minutes for the airflow system to reduce moisture sufficiently for play to begin. The construction of the closing roof began in 2006 with the dismantling of the traditional roof overhang after that year's tournament. The grass surface was more open to the elements during the wet tournament of 2007, but the overhang was back in 2008, along with 1,200 extra seats. A new 4,000-capacity Court No. 2 will also open for the first time, taking the total ground capacity to 40,000. If the Centre Court roof, which will be tested out on May 17 at a special exhibition featuring former Wimbledon champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, has to be closed during a match, it will not be opened again until after that match finishes so that players have consistent conditions and to prevent delays. Phillips and All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie said the decision on whether to close the roof was solely down to the referee and that an unidentified member of staff would be responsible for actually activating the mechanism. "The button pusher," they jokingly called them. Any brief shower, such as the 15-minute rain interruption in Nadal's final victory in 2008, will still demand the use of the old-fashioned covers being pulled across the grass, rather than the more complicated process of closing of the roof. "Of course, it's going to be 13 days of blazing sunshine this summer anyway," Ritchie said.

Serena: 'I'm the best in the world'

2009-05-21T21:05:00.001-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROME -- Serena Williams may be ranked second in the world but she believes there is no one better.

The 27-year-old American was overtaken in the rankings two weeks ago by Dinara Safina, making the Russian and older sibling Marat Safin the only brother-sister duo to have been No. 1 in professional tennis.

"We all know who the real No. 1 is. Quite frankly, I'm the best in the world," Williams said Monday, adding that she is her toughest opponent and "I always beat myself."

Safina has never won a Grand Slam title, losing last year's French Open final and being beaten in the Australian Open final this year by Williams.

"I'm excited for her," Williams said with a smile.

Williams was speaking at the Italian Open, which she won in 2002 and where she will play her first clay-court event of the season. She opens against 2005 runner-up Patty Schnyder of Switzerland on Tuesday.

."I'm happy to be here," Williams said of the warmup for the French Open. "I think it will be a good event for me."

Safina, the 2006 runner-up, two-time defending champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia are among the top eight seeded players who have first-round byes.

Venus advances at Family Circle

2009-05-17T15:26:00.011-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Second-seeded Venus Williams struggled to advance at the Family Circle Cup on Wednesday, beating Sania Mirza of India 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. It took the fifth-ranked Williams almost 2 1/2 hours to defeat the 100th-ranked Mirza on the green clay of stadium court at the tennis centre on Daniel Island. Williams, who won the Family Circle five years+ ago, is now 3-0 against Mirza. "When she's playing against me, she's got to go for it and I think there's also a sense of nothing to lose," Williams said. "When you look at the numbers and the rankings and statistics, you know, I'm supposed to win this match, so I think that gives her an opportunity to swing freely." It appeared Williams had the match well in hand, winning the first set 6-1, although it took 46 minutes to do so. She led 3-1 in the second before Mirza rattled off five straight games, including breaking Williams at love to take a 5-3 lead and holding serve in the final game, which went to deuce eight times. Williams recovered to easily win the third set. "These kind of matches are great to pull out," she said. "I've been in these situations before, so I rely on that." While Williams struggled, it was a big day for fellow-American Melanie Oudin, who advanced to the third round with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over No. 29 Aleksandra Wozniak, seeded ninth. "I was really happy with the way I played and how I kept it up, especially through playing a set and not letting her come back at all," said Oudin, ranked No. 176. The 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., called it one of the biggest victories of her career. "This is definitely one of the top two biggest highlights I have had," she said, the other coming when she beat Sybille Bammer, who was ranked No. 27 at the time. Oudin will face 13th-ranked Marion Bartoli of France in the next round of the US$1-million Family Circle Cup. No. 5 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Blainville, Que., defeated Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 6-3, while Patty Schnyder, the No. 8 seed, was eliminated by Elena Vesnina 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5. No. 10-seeded Shuai Peng advanced with a 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Akgul Amanmuradova. In other matches Wednesday, 11th-seed Alona Bondarenko was ousted by Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-4, 7-5, and 12th-seeded Bethany Mattek-Sands was defeated by Anastasia Rodionova 6-2, 6-4. Sabine Lisicki, seeded 16th, advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Lenka Wienerova and faces Williams.

Nadal, Federer move on in Monaco

2009-05-17T15:26:00.009-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONACO -- Rafael Nadal beat Juan Ignacio Chela 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters, a first step in his bid for a fifth straight title in this clay-court tuneup for the French Open.

Each time Nadal has won Monte Carlo he has gone on to capture the French. The top-ranked Spaniard has won 17 straight matches on clay since losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round of the Rome Masters in May 2008.

Nadal will next face two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin or Nicolas Lapentti.

Switzerland's Roger Federer, who lost to Nadal in the last three Monte Carlo finals, defeated Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round. Federer, ranked No. 2, will face 13th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka, his doubles partner at the Beijing Olympics, on Thursday. Wawrinka beat Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Federer played his first match since marrying longtime girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec on Saturday in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland. He can equal Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles if he wins the French Open for the first time.

Federer began clay-court preparations 10 days ago, and Seppi was an ideal first test.

"I knew there was going to be some long rallies with Seppi. He's very steady off both sides," Federer said. "So on a good day he can be really dangerous. I've already played him twice this year, which was kind of good going into this match, knowing what to expect."

The biggest adjustment, Federer said, is getting used to the unpredictable bounces on clay.

"We've been playing on hard court now for nine months ... you never see a bad bounce," Federer said. "So all of a sudden you're a little bit worried, sometimes hitting half volleys because they can bounce onto your frame."

Federer has beaten Seppi three times this year and improved to 5-0 overall without dropping a set against the big-serving Italian.

Also advancing were No. 7-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain, No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, No. 12 David Nalbandian of Argentina and Simone Bolelli of Italy.

Verdasco beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-4; Daydenko defeated Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 6-4, 6-3; Nalbandian downed Marcel Granollers of Spain 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; and Bolelli ousted Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 7-5, 6-3.

Masters: Djokovic, Murray move on

2009-05-17T15:26:00.007-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONACO -- Third-seeded Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Andy Murray both won in straight sets Tuesday to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Djokovic was rarely troubled in beating Oscar Hernandez of Spain 6-1, 6-2, while Murray began slowly before defeating Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3, 6-2 to stay on course for a first career quarter-final match on clay.

Djokovic, who reached the French Open semifinals last year, next faces either Jean-Rene Lisnard or Albert Montanes. The Serb said he was surprised at how well he played in his first clay-court match of the season.

"I didn't quite expect to perform that good, considering the fact that I didn't have any matches, singles matches, on this surface," Djokovic said. "But I was really playing aggressive and patient at the same time. This combination is really important for this surface. So hopefully I can continue."

Murray twice dropped serve early to trail 2-1 in the opening set, but the British player took the next four games for a commanding lead.

"At the start of the match when I got broken, I was sort of moving like I was still on a hard court," Murray said. "And then after four, five, six games, I started to move better."

He broke Hanescu, a French Open quarter-finalist in 2005, in the seventh game of the second set to take a 5-2 lead, and then converted his fourth match point when the Romanian hit a forehand return into the net.

Murray, who lost to Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final last year, next takes on either 14th-seeded Marin Cilic or Fabio Fognini of Italy. If he wins that, he will reach a clay-court quarter-final match for the first time in his career.

"It takes time. I never played that well on clay especially in the last couple of years," Murray said. "I played solid and he made some mistakes. I was happy with the way I played for my first match on clay this year."

Also in the second round, sixth-seeded Gilles Simon lost to Andreas Beck of Germany 7-5, 6-1. Simon, who twice beat Federer last year, said the loss to a qualifier was the worst he could recall.

."I don't remember ever playing so badly. Nothing was right. Nothing was working. My forehand, my backhand, my serve, nothing," Simon said. "I played so bad today that I couldn't have beaten anyone."

.Marat Safin of Russia beat Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 7-5 in a match between two-time Grand Slam champions. Safin next plays Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador.

.Hewitt won the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships on Sunday for his first clay-court tournament since 1999. But the 28-year-old Australian player felt exhausted after his flight out of Dallas, Texas, was delayed.

"I couldn't get out Sunday night," Hewitt said. "And then Monday, with the time change and everything, it just sort of put it even further behind. Then our flights got delayed about 3 1/2 hours, as well, out of Dallas."

Hewitt had massage treatment on his right thigh at the end of the first set and continued the match with a bandage.

"It's a bit sore at the moment," Hewitt said.

.In the first round, 10th-seeded David Ferrer beat Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-3 in an all-Spanish match; No. 12 David Nalbandian of Argentina beat Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; and Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia upset ninth-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-3, 6-1.

Kirilenko crushes Pin in Barcelona

2009-05-17T15:26:00.005-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BARCELONA, Spain -- Maria Kirilenko opened defence of her Barcelona Open title with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Camille Pin of France on Tuesday. The sixth-seeded Russian took advantage of Pin's erratic serve for six breaks on the outdoor clay. Two seeded players failed to reach the second round, -- Kaia Kanepi and Sorana Cirstea. Lucky loser Masa Zec Peskiric of Slovenia overcame 12 double-faults and rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over the fourth-seeded Kanepi, while Belorussian qualifier Anastasiya Yakimova posted a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win over the eighth-seeded Cirstea. Zec Peskiric had replaced third-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues after the Spaniard pulled out with an abdominal strain.

Wozniak rallies at Family Circle Cup

2009-05-17T15:26:00.003-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Ninth-seeded Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., rallied past Abigail Spears of the United States 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 in her opener Tuesday at the Family Circle Cup. Wozniak was the runner-up at Ponte Vedra Beach on Sunday, falling 6-1, 6-2 to second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in the final. Vera Zvonareva began her bid to reach a second straight Family Circle Cup final by beating Rossana de los Rios of Paraguay 6-3, 6-2. Joining third-seeded Zvonareva in the third round were No. 6 Marion Bartoli, who has never gone any further, and No. 7 Dominika Cibulkova, for the first time. In other second-round matches, Bartoli defeated Latvian qualifier Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 6-3, and Cibulkova downed Tamira Paszek of Austria 6-4, 6-0. Sania Mirza of India ended a three-match losing streak in beating Sesil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-4, and bought a second-round match with 2004 champion Venus Williams. Russian Alla Kudryavtseva's second win of the year, at the expense of American qualifier Angela Haynes 6-4, 5-7, 6-0, put her into a matchup with Wozniacki.

Murray advances at Monte Carlo

2009-05-17T15:26:00.001-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONACO -- Fourth-seeded Andy Murray eased past Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

The British player twice dropped serve early to trail 2-1 in the opening set, but took the next four games for a commanding lead.

He broke Hanescu, a French Open quarter-finalist in 2005, in the seventh game of the second set to take a 5-2 lead, and then converted his fourth match point when the Romanian hit a forehand return into the net.

Murray, who lost to Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final last year, next takes on the winner between 14th-seeded Marin Cilic and Fabio Fognini of Italy. If he wins that, he will reach a clay-court quarter-final for the first time.

"It takes time, I never played that well on clay especially in the last couple of years," Murray said. "I played solid and he made some mistakes. I was happy with the way I played for my first match on clay this year."

Also in the second round, sixth-seeded Gilles Simon lost 7-5, 6-1 to Andreas Beck of Germany.

Simon, who twice beat Federer last year, said the loss to a qualifier was the worst he could recall.

"I don't remember ever playing so badly. Nothing was right. Nothing was working. My forehand, my backhand, my serve, nothing," Simon said. "I played so bad today that I couldn't have beaten anyone."

In first-round matches, No. 12 David Nalbandian of Argentina beat Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia upset ninth-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-3, 6-1.

Venus advances at Family Circle

2009-04-19T01:14:00.011-07:00

Nadal, Federer move on in Monaco

2009-04-19T01:14:00.009-07:00

Masters: Djokovic, Murray move on

2009-04-19T01:14:00.007-07:00

Kirilenko crushes Pin in Barcelona

2009-04-19T01:14:00.005-07:00

Wozniak rallies at Family Circle Cup

2009-04-19T01:14:00.003-07:00

Murray advances at Monte Carlo

2009-04-19T01:14:00.001-07:00

Wozniak falls short in Florida final

2009-04-15T09:29:00.011-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki defeated Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., 6-1, 6-2 to win The MPS Group Championships on Sunday.

Wozniacki, from Denmark, won 84 per cent of her first serve points in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour clay-court season opener and took advantage of several mistakes.

Wozniak never mounted a charge and down 3-1 in the first set double-faulted away two games.

Each player held serve in the second until Wozniacki broke her opponent at 3-2. Wozniak, who committed 31 unforced errors, won only three points the last two games in a match that lasted only 63 minutes.

"My plan was to play aggressive and make her run," Wozniacki said. "This is a great start to the clay-court season, a really good start. I proved I can beat these better players."

As a precaution, Wozniacki played for the second straight match with her right thigh taped. She said the leg had stopped hurting since Saturday and was once again able to use her speed to track down balls all match.

"The speed is one of my plusses," she said.

She also did not have the same dizziness and nausea as experienced in her semifinal win over Elena Vesnina. During that match trainers attended to her several times and took her blood pressure on court.

In the final, she kept ice bags nearby and occasionally used them on her legs.

"They were precautionary," she said. "I didn't want the same thing to happen today as happened (Saturday)."

The win was Wozniacki's first of the season and fourth career title and she took home US$37,000 of the tournament's $220,000 purse.

"I came up short," Wozniak said. "I missed key shots and she took advantage of all my mistakes. You get so close and then lose, it is sad."

Wozniak, who is coming back from a tendon tear in her right shoulder, said she still is hurting and the pain helped contribute to her six double faults, including those in the first set.

"It's getting better but still hurts every time I serve," she said. "You just try to not think about it."

In doubles, unseeded Chia-Jung Chuang and Sania Mirza upset top-seeded American Lisa Raymond and Kveta Peschke 6-3, 4-6 10-7 to win the doubles title.

Chuang, from Taiwan, and Mirza, from India, jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the tiebreaker and withstood a charge from Raymond and Peschke.

The winners lost out on one match point while leading 9-6 but Mirza ended the match with a hard forehand from the baseline that split the defenders.

"In the tiebreak, it's anybody's match," Mirza said. "We played the important points well."

Chuang and Mirza picked up $11,000 for the win.

Hewitt wins first tourney in 2 years

2009-04-15T09:29:00.009-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Lleyton Hewitt of Australia held on to win his first tournament in two years Sunday with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Wayne Odesnik of the United States in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. Hewitt won his 498th career match and moved closer to joining Roger Federer and Carlos Moya as the only active players with 500 or more victories. Hewitt also won his first clay court tournament since he took the Delray Beach tournament in 1999. Hewitt ranks 35th on the career victories list. He sailed to a 3-0 lead in the second set without much opposition from Odesnik, making his first ATP final. Odesnik had at least one service break in each of his 10 service games, and made his only rally by breaking Hewitt in the fourth game of the second set, then withstanding five break points to hold his serve in the fifth game. Odesnik broke Hewitt two more times for a 5-3 lead in the second set. Then his serving problems returned and he was broken after three break points in the ninth game and again in the 11th game. Hewitt won on the first match point on Odesnik's forehand error. Hewitt didn't need the extended match that took two hours, three minutes. Rain had already caused a one hour, 25-minute delay at the start. Hewitt hoped to still catch a flight to Monte Carlo, where he is scheduled for a first-round match on Tuesday. Hewitt won a trip to his first clay court final in a decade with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Evgeny Korolev of Russia in Saturday's semifinals. Odesnik reached the final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Germany's Bjorn Phau. Hewitt failed to win a tournament in 2008 for the first time since he turned pro in 1998. He ended 2008 ranked No. 67 and currently is No. 88. He's still undergoing rehab for hip surgery in August. Odesnik was trying to become the first American to win a clay court event since 2006, when Mardy Fish won this event. Since the clay court tournament came to Houston in 2001, Americans have won five of the eight titles. Andy Roddick won three and Andre Agassi and Fish each have one trophy.

Ferrero takes home Casablanca title

2009-04-15T09:29:00.007-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CASABLANCA, Morocco -- Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain beat fifth-seeded Florent Serra of France 6-4, 7-5 Sunday to win his first title since 2003 at the Grand Prix Hassan II.

Ferrero, who was unseeded at the clay-court event, broke Serra six times to win for the first time since the Madrid Masters in October 2003. That year, Ferrero won his only Grand Slam title at the French Open and lost in the U.S. Open final to Andy Roddick.

Ferrero's win took him to 12 career titles.

Serra was chasing a third title after last winning in Adelaide, Australia, in January 2006. His only other title came in Bucharest, Romania, in 2005.

Robredo moves on at Monte Carlo

2009-04-15T09:29:00.005-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Eleventh-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain and 13th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland advanced to the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters in straight sets on Sunday.

Robredo beat Rainer Schuettler of Germany 6-1, 6-4, and Wawrinka defeated Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-2, 6-3.

Schuettler, the 2004 runner-up, won only 16 points in the first set and lost his serve five times.

Robredo next plays either Juan Monaco or Jeremy Chardy, while Wawrinka will face either Igor Andreev or Martin Vassallo Arguello.

Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany and Simone Bolelli of Italy also won. Kohlschreiber beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-1, 6-3 to set up a second-round match against seventh-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

"It's a very good start for the clay court season," Kohlschreiber said. "Overall I have to say I did everything right. I played a good match today."

Bolelli needed more than two hours to defeat big-serving Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Bolelli broke Soderling in the fourth game of the third set and then held for a 4-1 lead. He clinched the match with an ace on his second match point and next faces either ninth-seeded Gael Monfils of France or Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal will begin his quest for a fifth consecutive Monte Carlo title in the second round against either Igor Kunitsyn of Russia or Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina.

The Spaniard has won the French Open and Monte Carlo every year since 2005 -- beating second-ranked Roger Federer in the last three finals at both events.

All the players ranked in the top 10 are taking part this year, except sixth-ranked Andy Roddick.

Federer accepted a last-minute wild card invitation Thursday. The 13-time Grand Slam champion married his longtime girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec in a small ceremony in his hometown of Basel on Saturday.

After struggling with his form last year and losing his No. 1 ranking to Nadal, Federer also lost to the Spaniard in this year's Australian Open final.

Federer marries longtime girlfriend

2009-04-15T09:29:00.003-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BASEL, Switzerland -- Roger Federer married longtime girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec Saturday in a small ceremony in his hometown.

The second-ranked tennis player announced the wedding on his website, saying the couple got married "surrounded by a small group of close friends and family."

"It was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occasion," he said.

The couple announced last month they are expecting their first child.

Federer is set to play in next week's Monte Carlo Masters after accepting a last-minute wild card invitation Thursday. Federer is a three-time finalist at the clay-court tournament but has never won.

After struggling with his form last year and losing his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal, Federer is aiming for his sixth Wimbledon title this summer. He lost to Nadal in the Australian Open final, the year's first major.

Hewitt ends decade-long drought

2009-04-15T09:29:00.001-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON -- Lleyton Hewitt of Australia reached his first clay-court final in a decade with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Evgeny Korolev of Russia at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships on Saturday. The former No. 1 player will meet Wayne Odesnik of the United States in Sunday's title match. Odesnik reached the final with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Germany's Bjorn Phau. Hewitt won his 498th career match, moving him closer to joining Roger Federer and Carlos Moya as the only active players with 500 wins. A victory Sunday would give Hewitt his first title on clay since Delray Beach in 1999. There were no service breaks in the match until the final game of the second set, when Korolev fell behind love-40 and lost on the first match point with a backhand that sailed past the baseline. Hewitt faced no break points in the match and gained control of the first-set tiebreaker on four straight errors by the Russian. Korolev hit a backhand into the net to bring on the first set point at 6-2. Hewitt won the set with a strong forehand to the corner just out of Korolev's reach. Odesnik is trying to become the first American to win a clay-court event since 2006 when Mardy Fish won the U.S. Men's Clay Court title in Houston. Odesnik faced little drama until the sixth game of the second set, when he led 5-1. Phau fought off the first match point with a forehand winner. Facing a break point, Odesnik served what he thought was an ace, but it was overruled. He double-faulted on his second serve for the break. That only delayed the outcome. Odesnik held in the ninth game and won it on the second match point when Phau hit a forehand beyond the baseline.

Wozniak upsets Petrova in semis

2009-04-13T14:06:00.011-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., upset top-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 Saturday in the semifinals of The MPS Group Championships.

She will meet second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who beat Russia's Elena Vesnina in the other semifinal 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Wozniak, the tournament's No. 5 seed, won the first set and led 4-1 in the second before Petrova, ranked 10th in the world, came back to win five straight games.

"She stepped it up in the second set," Wozniak said. "I started backing up. Of course, my emotions got involved, but I found my composure in the third set. It feels good to beat the top seed and a top-10 player."

Wozniak, who had 35 winners, built a 3-0 lead in the third set. She withstood the Russian's rally with a variety of well-placed shots to every area of the court.

"She played really well," Petrova said. "I've never seen anybody paint more lines that she did today."

Petrova, who is coming back from a stress reaction injury to her right foot, said she's not disappointed with the loss.

"Two weeks ago they were talking about surgery so I am lucky to be able to play," she said. "I know when I get my feet back I'll play good tennis."

The winner will receive US$37,000 of the $220,000 purse.

The top-seeded doubles team of Lisa Raymond and Kveta Peschke beat Wozniacki and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 4-6, 7-5, 15-13. They will play unseeded Chia-Jung Chuang of Taiwan and Sania Mirza in the final. Chuang and Mirza beat American Angela Haynes and Liga Dekmeijere 6-4, 7-5.