Tennis archive

The Scot believes tennis is less susceptible to doping than a pure endurance sport like cycling but says more players should be tested, especially in their off-season.

Speaking in Paris, where he begins his title bid at the BNP Paribas Masters tomorrow, the US Open champion said he had been blood-tested when he arrived in France on Saturday.

"We're not used to doing that many blood tests in tennis," said the world No.3. "I've probably had four or five blood tests this year, but a lot more urine [tests], so it's something that's obviously necessary. When you hear things like [Lance Armstrong] it's a shame for their sport but how they managed to get away with it is incredible, for that long."

In 2011, only 21 blood tests were conducted in the off-season by the International Tennis Federation, which oversees the process. Murray said he believes the way to catch cheats is to test them when they are training away from competitions.

"We get tested throughout the whole year from a lot of the tournaments [but] I think the out-of-competition stuff could get better," he said. "When we're in December, when people are training and setting their bases I think it would be good to try and do more around that time."

Under the World Anti-Doping Agency code, all singles players ranked among the world's top 50 must declare their whereabouts for one hour, every day for three months in advance. Drug testers can come at any time but if a player misses three tests over 18 months (during that one-hour window), then that individual would be subject to a ban. Murray believes that process should be extended to the rest of the tour.

"There's a lot of testing at the top end but lower down there isn't anywhere near as much," said the Scot. "I think that only the top-50 singles players and the top-10 doubles players have to do it. You need to do it throughout the whole sport."

But Murray believes tennis was in a much healthier position than cycling. "I think there's very little skill involved in the Tour de France, it's pretty much just physical," he said. "A lot of the way the teams work now is just science whereas with tennis, you can't teach the skill by taking a drug.

"Virtually the whole of the Tour de France was taking drugs 10 years ago and in tennis since 1990 [tennis] has had [around] 65 positive tests, 10 of them recreational and 30 to 35 performance-enhancing in that time. In one year of the Tour de France you had more than that so I don't think tennis has been that bad. But that isn't to say that more can't be done to make it 100% sure there are no issues."


Murray in favour of increasing drug testing in tennis | Herald Scotland

Two years working at the youth level of Chinese tennis has given Carlos Rodriguez plenty of insight into the country's development woes.

As China's top players - world No 8 Li Na, No 29 Zheng Jie and No 40 Peng Shuai - feature more prominently in international tournaments, highlighted by Li's victory at Roland Garros in 2011, tennis' popularity has increased across the nation.

Still, there are few young players who appear capable of surpassing their predecessors. Twenty-three-year-old Zhang Shuai, for instance, is still struggling to make the second round at a Grand Slam.

On the men's side, the highest ranked player is Zhang Ze, who is 154th in the ATP rankings. Wu Di became the first Chinese to make the main draw at a major when he qualified this month for the 2013 Australian Open men's singles.

Rodriguez, who brought his tennis academy to China two years ago, said the Chinese have been unable to use the current generation's accomplishments to boost the development of young players, despite the fact tennis courts are springing up nationwide, and several international tournaments have been introduced.

"They haven't been able to profit from this incredible generation that has brought so much credit to China," said Rodriguez, who inked a deal with Li in August. "I know a lot of things have been done, but I still think that they need to have a different approach to restructuring the development of young tennis players.

"I'm not only talking about learning, but tennis tournament structure, selections, and traveling abroad to play. To give Chinese kids at 12 or 14 the opportunities to go and play all over the world, not the Chinese players at 18 or 20 years old - that's too late. Then you are going to have very good players with open minds, and also the coaches to go with them."

The Argentine said there is plenty of room for improvement.

"For example, when you go to a tournament, you should enable the kids to eat good and healthy, but you don't have that," he said.

"It's not good to play a tennis tournament with only three balls on a court, because it will take you 25 seconds to get the ball between the points, but when you go to international tournaments, you have only 15 seconds between points, and the players will be completely lost.

"You also don't have fitness centers and places to take a shower most of the time - how can you educate the kids that after the match, you have to do some bike, stretching, take a shower and eat?

"It's too late to tell them that at 25 years old. You have to do it at 13, 14, and when they come to 16, 18, they become professional players.

"It's not a big deal, it's just a question of the structure. Then you will have huge amount of players, because I see talented kids everywhere, boys and girls with very good potential. It's amazing."


Rodriguez eyes youth problems |Tennis |chinadaily-com.cn

For many African-American celebrities, visiting Africa satisfies a yearning to return to their distant ancestral homeland. Not so for tennis player Serena Williams.

"I'd love to say I'm from Africa, but we're from the United States and we're proud to be from there as well," she told reporters in Nigeria's business hub of Lagos on Wednesday, after a Nigerian reporter asked if perhaps she was originally from Nigeria.

"But my Mom named my sister (Venus) after an African name," she hastily added.

The Williams sisters and their mother are in Nigeria this week to promote women's tennis and empowerment of women on the continent. For Venus, it is her first time in Africa.

Taking their own successes in women's tennis, a sport which before them was dominated by white players, the sisters want to inspire women in the African continent to take up the sport and, more generally, to pursue their dreams despite whatever odds they face in male dominated societies.

"We were able to break the mould and win a lot of grand slams and change the face of tennis ... when tennis was very dominated by white people," 31-year-old Serena said three days after beating rival Maria Sharapova in the final of the WTA Championships in Istanbul.

"It doesn't matter what your background is and where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that's all that matters," she added.

The sisters later conducted tennis classes with some children at a Lagos sports club. On Thursday, they will visit a school to discuss empowerment of girls then on Friday they will play an exhibition match against each other.

"We're very excited to be playing tennis here," Venus said. "Of all the finals everywhere ... this will be our final here in Nigeria.

"I don't know who's going to win but Serena just won the championship so I know she's ready. I'll have to play my best tennis."




Williams sisters urge African women to play tennis | Sport | Reuters

ANDY Murray wasted match point as he was dumped out in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open by towering Pole Jerzy Janowicz.

The Scot surrendered control of a match he was on the brink of winning in straight sets before being blown away in the decider by his 21-year-old 6ft 7in opponent.

The US Open champion served for the match at 5-4 in the second, but he was broken for the first time and Janowicz, a qualifier, went on to win the set on a tie-break.

And the third seed was made to pay for his loss of composure as he fell two breaks down in the third, Janowicz taking the biggest scalp of his career with a 5-7 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 win in two hours, 25 minutes.

The Scot’s victory over Paul-Henri Mathieu on Wednesday night was his first match since citing a back problem as the reason for pulling out on the eve of last week’s event in Basle and the workout he got yesterday was too tough to cope with.

Murray will need to pick himself up in time for next week’s season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London, but Janowicz’s joy at the end of the match was clear.

Murray had to bide his time in the opening set, the first break point not coming until the 11th game.

That was saved, but Murray took the next and then held serve to go one set in front.

He broke for a 4-3 lead in the second and had match point on serve, but Janowicz showed plenty of spirit and rattled Murray by breaking back to level at 5-5.

And the Pole was far more aggressive in the tie-break and it paid off as he forced a decider which he won in real style.

Read More www-walesonline-co-uk/sports/sports-news-round-up/2012/11/02/tennis-andy-murray-beaten-in-bnp-paribas-open-91466-32148963/#ixzz2B3EA2mAU

The University of Alabama men’s tennis team picked up 15 victories Friday on the first day of the Crimson Tide Fall Championships. The Tide got eight of its wins in doubles while the remaining seven came in singles.

Matches resume today at 9 a.m. at the Alabama Tennis Stadium with the final round of doubles. Two round of singles are scheduled to follow.

Results

Doubles

Botha/O’Shaughnessey (Alabama) def. Born/Brand (MTSU) 8-3

Mark/Koepfer (Tulane) def. Botha/O’Shaughnessey (Alabama) 8-5

Vieyra/Proskura (Alabama) def. A. Van Cott/Rappaccioli (Tulane) 8-5

Vieyra/Proskura (Alabama) def. Rondino/Ates (UA😎 8-3

Taborga/van der Vis (Alabama) def. Alvarado/Escobar (Southern Miss) 9-8(4)

Taborga/van der Vis (Alabama) def. Horst/Synn (Furman) 8-4

Kenyon/Conlon (Alabama) def. Vargas/Bardell (West Alabama) 8-3

Kenyon/Conlon (Alabama) def. Gils/Augusto (Tennessee Tech) 8-4

Luque/Martinez (Jackson State) def. Tsangarides/Barnard (Alabama) 8-3

Tsangarides/Barnard (Alabama) def. Ivankovic/Aru (Furman) 8-1

Singles

No. 59 Daniil Proskura (Alabama) def. David Zimmerman (UA😎 6-4, 6-2

Becker O’Shaughnessey (Alabama) def. Adam Drysdale (West Alabama) 6-0, 6-2

Jarryd Botha (Alabama) def. Carlos Martinez (Jackson State) 6-1, 6-0

Rodrigo Rappaccioli (Tulane) def. David Vieyra (Alabama) 6-1, 6-1

Carlos Taborga (Alabama) def. Paulo Alvarado (Southern Miss) 6-4, 6-3

Stuart Kenyon (Alabama) def. Marlon Brand (MTSU) 6-2, 6-2

Harris Barnard (Alabama) def. Phillip Barnes (Jackson State) 6-0, 6-0

Rens van der Vis (Alabama) def. Ezequiel Gils (Tennessee Tech) 7-5, 6-4


UA men’s tennis notches wins at Championships | TuscaloosaNews-com

TENNIS legend Boris Becker believes Andy Murray can be world No1 by next Wimbledon.

Murray, the US Open champion and Olympic gold medallist, plays in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals that begin in the 02 Arena tomorrow.

It is his first appearance in this country since the New York win over Novak Djokovic in September that brought him his first Grand Slam.

Murray’s preparations for this week’s event were upset a little with a frustrating defeat in Paris to Jerzy Janowicz, rated 69th in the world.

But five-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker believes Murray is on the march to the very top. He said: “By next June he could be there. He has a very realistic chance of taking top spot.

“As long as Andy stays fit, he can do it. I can see a great rivalry developing between him and Djokovic that could equal the one between Borg and McEnroe, and Nadal and Federer.

“The reasons for Andy being where he is now has been in his self-belief. “He knows he is good enough to win at the highest level. Winning the Olympics changed it all, and a lot of that was down to Ivan Lendl.

“It was a very brave decision by Andy to take him on as his coach. I had been asked about doing the job, and we have talked about things, but taking on Lendl gave Andy a new perspective on things. I would not be at all surprised if Andy goes on to win two, three, or four more majors.

“I don’t see any emerging stars and that’s why Andy can be dominant. He and Novak will be fighting it out over the next four years.”

After his incredible year, Murray seems more comfortable showing his emotions – and that could be evident this week at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Read More: Sport | Tennis | Boris Becker: Andy Murray is on march to No1Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express

Little-known Pole Jerzy Janowicz set his sights on a place among the tennis elite after being beaten 6-4 6-3 by fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer in the final of the Paris Masters on Sunday (Monday, PHL time).

The 21-year-old's barnstorming run to the final secured a place in the world's top 30 and a seeded place in the Australian Open, the grand slam tournament he skipped in January because of a lack of cash.

Another consolation for the unseeded Janowicz's runner-up finish was a check for 234,865 euros ($301,700).

"I have just become a top-30 player so I think I will not have to worry any more about money and I will have good opportunities to fight for an even better ranking," he told a news conference.

"I'm going to be seeded in Australia, that is a huge help. In the small ATP tournaments sometimes I will have a bye in the first round.

"This is a good opportunity to work even harder and to fight for everything. Maybe one day I will become a top-10 player in the world."

Janowicz beat five top-20 players this week including U.S. Open and Olympic champion Andy Murray.

"At the beginning of this year my goal was to be in the top 100 and suddenly I am in the top 30," he said.

Tournament director Guy Forget, the former world number four, said he had seen it all before.

Special technique

"The first time Gustavo Kuerten reached the final of the French Open he came here with his blue and yellow shirt and his disheveled hair and his very special technique," said Forget.

"People were saying, 'who is that Brazilian player?' So very strange things have happened in tennis.

"Just before the second round, someone asked me a question about Janowicz and I hadn't seen him play at all. I didn't even know what he looked like so I thought I had to watch him a little bit.

"I watched him play and this lad is amazing," Forget added.

Murray, dwarfed in his third-round match with the 2.03-meter Pole on Thursday, was similarly impressed earlier in the week.

"He tried a lot of drop shots and went for winners when he was out of position that maybe some of the others don't," the Scot said.

Janowicz, who saw his parents sell their shops and apartments so that he could become a professional, said he would keep his feet on the ground.

"Right now I cannot relax. I just have to keep my focus all the time because there is a good opportunity to become even stronger," he said.

If he needs a reminder of his stunning giant-killing run in Paris he will simply take a look at the worn-out bag he used this week.

"I will keep it somewhere in my closet at home," he explained. "When I have some tough moments in my life I will just grab this bag and think about this week."



Tennis: Pole Janowicz dreaming of a place among the elite | Sports | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere

Novak Djokovic’s roar of triumph when he completed a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Monday said a lot about the Serb’s intentions here at the O2 Arena in the ATP World Tour Finals.

It was not just beating Tsonga — he’d done that four times before this year — but the fact that he had got himself back on track after a difficult week in Paris which saw him lose in the first round and make a dash back to Belgrade to visit his ailing father in hospital. Partially because of fatigue or Davis Cup distractions, Djokovic has never done himself justice in these year-end finals and this year he seems intent of proving that he is a worthy No. 1 in the world by carrying off the title next Monday.

Referring to the week in Paris, Djokovic said, “It’s a different story, a different week. I had difficult circumstances, some things I had to face. But that’s why this match tonight was very important for me mentally, you know, to break the ice, to return to the shape I want to be in and also be confident and optimistic on court, to play my game.”

With the big Frenchman in full flow, Djokovic needed to pull out all the stops to win the first set and he did — diving full length a couple of times as he advanced to the net more often than usual. “I don’t usually dive that much,” he admitted. “I don’t usually spend that much time on the net. But I needed to because that opening set obviously could have gone either way. To be quite honest, he was the better player throughout the first set.”

But when Djokovic closed out the tiebreaker 7-4, Tsonga deflated and Djokovic took over. “I had many chances in the first set and I missed again,” said the Frenchman who is here with his new coach, the Australian Roger Rasheed. “He’s taking chance all the time and he’s playing freer in the second set.” Tsonga was a finalist here last year and is still in the tournament because this eight-man field plays a round-robin format until the knock-out semifinals on Sunday. But he is in the tougher of the two groups and the odds are now heavily on Djokovic and Andy Murray advancing.

Earlier, another packed house of 17,800 saw Murray, the returning hero after winning the US Open, come from a set down to defeat the powerful Czech Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Murray and Djokovic will meet on Wednesday and Novak is up for it.

“My next match is against Andy and (he) is always a big challenge,” said the man who lost to the Scot in Flushing Meadows final. “He has had lots of success in London, playing in his town, in front of his crowd, big support, big match. We know a lot about each other. Playing Andy I need to be ready for long rallies and a physically demanding match.”

Murray’s supporters were fearful of the outcome when he missed 10 break points on Berdych’s serve in the first set because seizing opportunities is something that Murray has failed to do in recent weeks (losing three matches in which he held match point). But he hit back well in the second set, quickly gaining a 3-1 advantage as he started to move his big opponent out of his comfort zone with angled returns.

Berdych had a chance to go ahead at the start of the third but Murray held on to complete an important victory. When Murray does get break-point chances, his opponents tend to up their game and Berdych did that here in the first set. “I think if you watched them, he served very well on a lot of the break points, especially in the first set,” Murray said. “Then he started to miss a few first serves which sort of helped me get into the points and find a way of being aggressive whereas some of the time in the first set he just completely overpowered me.”

Roger Federer, who missed Paris to get himself fresh for the defense of his title here, plays Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic in the afternoon match on Tuesday before Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina takes on a man who will have had little time to rest — David Ferrer, the winner of the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris last Sunday.

In the first match of the evening session Monday, the only Americans to have qualified for the ATP Finals this year, Mike and Bob Bryan, did not get off to a good start, losing 7-5, 5-7, 11-9 to the Spanish pair of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez. The Bryans have won this title three times in the past, dating all the way back to their first success in Houston in 2003, and are not out of this yet. With round robin, you always get a second chance.





Tennis: Novak Djokovic beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in ATP World Tour Finals first round - News | FOX Sports on MSN

ANDY MURRAY hopes the London crowd can make the difference as he bids to end his season on a high at the World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena.

The world number three began his campaign at the end-of-season tournament on Monday by coming from a set down to beat Tomas Berdych 3-6 6-3 6-4 and today he will face new world number one Novak Djokovic in his second round-robin match.

Back on home soil for the first time since winning Olympic gold at Wimbledon in the summer and as a grand slam champion, Murray would like nothing better than to add one of the tour’s most prestigious titles.

He was given a huge ovation as he walked on to court, and he said: “It was a good atmosphere.

“It’s important in the last week of the year when everyone’s a little bit tired to have that atmosphere and big crowd to give you that extra little push.”

Roger Federer wasted little time in opening the defence of his crown with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Janko Tipsarevic

The Swiss star is looking for a hat-trick of titles in Greenwich and a seventh at the tournament overall.

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THERE was no shortage of drama in the most eagerly-awaited clash of the group stages at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, but it was Novak Djokovic who edged out Andy Murray to put himself in the driving seat in Group A.

It was the seventh meeting between the pair this season and their rivalry is fast developing into the headline act on the ATP Tour.

They were tied at three all, with Djokovic winning epic clashes at the Australian Open and in their last meeting in Shanghai a month ago but Murray coming out in top at the Olympics and, most notably, to win his first grand slam title at the US Open.

The Scot could not have started better and played a near faultless first set, but he could not sustain it and in the end a third-set comeback counted for nothing as Djokovic prevailed 4-6 6-3 7-5 in two hours and 34 minutes at London’s O2 Arena.

This clash will not live long in the memory for the quality, first set from Murray aside, but it was somehow inevitable it would go down to the wire.

Assessing his rivalry with the man he first played as a junior more than a decade ago, the 25-year-old said: “I think both of us probably see each other’s games pretty well. Especially this year, because we’ve played so much.

“You kind of know a little bit what to expect. I think that’s why all the matches, especially the last few, have been so close and decided by a few points.”

Murray was blistering in the first set, pushing Djokovic back with the ferocity of his forehand and dropping only three points on serve after breaking in the opening game following the kind of ding-dong rally for which the pair have become famous.

He was still in the ascendancy at the start of the second and had a chance in the third, only for Djokovic to find the corner with a drive volley.

Three games later the Serb created his first opening and took it when Murray chose to serve and volley and just missed the baseline.

“There are decisions you make in matches,” he said afterwards. “If they come off, you get told you’re a genius. If you miss them, then you’re an idiot. That was just one of those ones that didn’t work.”

Meanwhile, the dream continued for Wimbledon men’s doubles champions Jonny Marray and Freddie Nielsen as they became the first qualifiers for the semi-finals in London.

Having stunned the world’s best doubles players to triumph at the All England Club in the summer, Marray and Nielsen have picked up where they left off and last night defeated defending champions Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 7-6 (7/3) 4-6 12-10.

l THE Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will stay in London for an extra two years until 2015.

The prestigious season-ending tournament moved to the O2 Arena in 2009 and has been a huge success.

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Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro found himself in a strangely familiar position at the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday (Friday, PHL time) after keeping his hopes on track with victory over Janko Tipsarevic.

Del Potro was in impressive form as he overpowered the Serbian world number nine 6-0 6-4 in his second Group B match at the season-ending tournament and now goes into his last round-robin match needing to beat Roger Federer to give himself a chance of reaching the semifinals.

It is a similar scenario in 2009 when he also faced the Swiss in his third match needing to win. Then he pulled off a three-set victory that saw him squeeze through at the expense of Britain's Andy Murray by virtue of a games countback.

That night three years ago was also memorable for the fact that Del Potro knocked around on court with soccer player Carlos Tevez while the ATP did the calculations to work out whether he or Murray had qualified for the semifinals.

It could be equally complicated on Saturday when he faces the defending champion who is already assured a place in the last four having won both his matches comfortably.

Del Potro will be hoping Tipsarevic can do him a favor by upsetting Spaniard David Ferrer although the man dubbed the Tower of Tandil knows he will have to repeat the form he showed when beating Federer in Basel last month to give himself a chance of emulating his run to the final three years ago.

"Well, first I'm glad to beat Janko tonight," said Del Potro, who arrived in London with 63 match wins this year thanks to a return to the destructive tennis that captured the 2009 U.S. Open and fired him to the final in London.

"To win in two sets give me a chance to go to the next round. But before I need to beat Roger once again, it's going to be a different match like 2009 here, but also is going to be a special match for me.

"It could be my last match in this season, so I will try to play similar to the Basel final, trying to be more aggressive than him all the time and see if I have a little chance."

Del Potro, at 24 the youngest of the eight qualifiers for the sell-out events at the O2 Arena, was too good for Tipsarevic on Thursday (Friday, PHL time), his booming forehand causing havoc.

He only faced one break point and was totally dominant, although he acknowledged beating Federer would require another step up in performance.

"I'm glad with my level at this moment. But I know if I want to beat Roger, I should play much better than today and my first match," added del Potro, who was beaten by Ferrer on Tuesday.

While Tevez provided a hitting partner three years ago, on Thursday it was another Manchester City soccer and compatriot Sergio Aguero who knocked up on court with del Potro after Tipsarevic had been dispatched to the locker room.

So how was Aguero's tennis, del Potro was asked.

"He's a good soccer player," was the diplomatic reply.



Tennis: Deja vu for del Potro as Federer looms again | Sports | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere

Campbell Hall's motivation all season was to restore the tradition of one of the state's most successful girls' tennis programs by returning to the Southern Section Div. I title match.

Once the top-seeded Vikings secured their finals berth, their drive was to preserve a legacy.

Campbell Hall not only atoned for a pair of losses last year to University of Irvine -- the latter in the Div. I semifinals -- with a 10-8 victory Friday, but the Vikings remained unbeaten in their past six championship appearances at Claremont Club under coach Steve Kuechel.

"It's crazy when you stop and think about it," Kuechel said. "To be here six times is such a blessing and the fact that I've never lost is just amazing. Every time you get here is special and I couldn't be more proud of these girls. I'm so happy for them, especially our seniors, because of how hard they work and how much they care about one another and how much they came together as a team. From where we were last year until now, it's just incredible."

Campbell Hall (19-0) tied Calabasas for the most Southern Section girls' tennis titles won by an area program with six -- all in the span of a decade -- including its third in four seasons in Div. I, the most by a local program.

It marked the fourth consecutive time the Vikings won by a 10-8 margin in the final, including a pair of Div. I victories over Dana Hills in 2009 and '10, along with a Div. II triumph against Beverly Hills in 2007.

University (20-3) suffered its second straight 10-8 loss in the championship, following last year's setback to Dana Hills. It was also the Trojans' second loss this season to Campbell Hall, including a 13-5 defeat Sept. 18.

The Trojans moved Kaiulani Boyer into the doubles lineup with Shayna Becker and the result was a sweep, contributing to University's eight doubles victories. But the move also left the Trojans vulnerable in singles, with Campbell Hall's Zoe Katz, Yuki Chiang and Emma Higuchi winning all nine sets and allowing only six combined games.

"To go from 13-5 to 10-8, I thought our girls really competed well, but Campbell Hall is the best team and they deserved to win it," University coach John Kessler said. "Those were some tough doubles sets. Once we lost (in the first round), I knew it was going to be difficult to come back."

Alexis Pereira and Joy Kim held off Shannon Theisen and Danielle Pham 6-4 to help the Vikings build a 4-2 advantage after the first rotation. Although University split sets in each of the last two rounds, they continued to face a significant deficit on games because of the efforts of Chiang, Katz and Higuchi.

"This is more, way more than I ever expected. It hasn't even set in yet. I had so much fun," said Chiang, who won 6-1, 6-1, 6-0.

"I wanted to win it for the team. I wanted to do it for them because I knew how much this meant to them after last year."

Although Jay Kim and Caroline Hull -- the only girl in Campbell Hall history to win team championships in two sports -- suffered a 6-2 setback to Becker and Boyer in the last round, their efforts, combined with Katz's 6-0 victory over Sarah Mae Garcia gave the Vikings a 9-6 lead and an insurmountable edge on games.

Higuchi then secured Campbell Hall's 10th point by winning the final six games in a 6-2 victory over Yuki Asami to cap the freshman's impressive debut in her first division title match. "I think all the new kids coming in and being so invested really made a difference. They were all 100 percent committed and we won it because of them," Katz said. "This is the most driven team I've ever been around. Everyone put all of their heart into everything they did and there's just something about us and the connection we have. It makes the experience much better when you're able to accomplish something with people you genuinely love and who you know care about you and the team."

Although Celina Gruaz and Kyla Scott outlasted Conner Calabro and Ifeoma Kuchler in a tiebreaker and defeated Pereira and Joy Kim 6-4 in the last set, the Campbell Hall celebration had already begun outside the courts and eventually spilled inside following the final point.

"In my freshman year, it almost felt like we knew we were going to win. But this year, with all four teams in the semifinals being so good, I thought anything could happen," Pereira said. "I always knew in the back of my mind that we were capable of doing it and this team just remained focused in order to make it happen."



GIRLS' TENNIS: Campbell Hall wins third Div. I title in four seasons, sixth championship overall - LA Daily News

Juan Martin del Potro is getting the better of Roger Federer again, in a way that no player had managed in a decade.

To end the season with a title, though, he might have to get past the Swiss great again in just two days. Using his hard serve and booming forehand, Del Potro earned the last spot in the semifinals of the ATP finals Saturday, overcoming the already-qualified Federer 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3 in their last round-robin match. Del Potro will face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals Sunday, before Federer takes on Andy Murray.

It was Federer's second straight loss to Del Potro, who also beat him in the final in the Swiss star's hometown tournament in Basel last month. It's the first time a player has beaten Federer in two straight indoor tournaments since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.

"It's a little record, but really tough to do it," Del Potro said. "To beat Federer is not easy, for sure. But I didn't think about the semis or trying to qualify for the next round. Just was thinking about my match, doing the same things like in Basel."

Del Potro beat Federer in the 2009 U.S. Open final for his only Grand Slam title, leading many to predict that the tall Argentine would challenge for many more major titles. But he then had much of the next season ruined by a serious wrist injury and has struggled to re-establish himself at the top.

This year, he wasted a two-set lead against Federer in the French Open quarterfinals and lost to him in the longest Olympic match ever, an epic semifinal that ended 19-17 in the third set.

"Good effort (from) his side to get me twice in a row now," Federer said. "I hoped I didn't have to lose against him again today."

It was Federer's first loss in the indoor tournament since 2009, ending a 12-match winning streak. He went undefeated in winning the last two titles and had won his first two group-stage matches this year.

Del Potro's win left David Ferrer and Janko Tipsarevic with only prize money and pride to play for in their group finale as both players had been eliminated. Ferrer seemed the most sluggish at the start and lost the first four games, but the Spaniard recovered to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, leaving Tipsarevic without a victory in the tournament.

That match still had an impact on the tournament, as it meant Federer won the group ahead of Del Potro and was matched with Murray in the semifinals. Had Tipsarevic won, the order would have been reversed.

Del Potro said he still considers himself the underdog in the tournament.

"Now you have three big names in the semifinals, and one big guy," the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Del Potro said.

Del Potro converted his only break point of the match in the opening game of the deciding set and held his own serve comfortably to wrap up the win at London's O2 Arena.

He converted his first match point with a forehand passing shot that Federer netted off a lunging backhand volley.

Both players finished the group stage with 2-1 records. Ferrer was also 2-1, but won fewer sets than Federer and Del Potro. If Federer had won against Del Potro, Ferrer would have advanced with a victory against Tipsarevic.

"I really wanted to give (Ferrer) a chance and give myself the best possible preparation for the semis, really hoped I could win," Federer said. "But more disappointed for (Ferrer) than I am about losing today, to be quite honest."

Ferrer won a tour-best seven tournaments this year, including his first Masters title in Paris last week. He still has a chance for another major victory, as Spain will take on the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final next weekend.





Juan Martin del Potro beats Roger Federer, reaches ATP Finals semifinals - ESPN

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia and second-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland advanced to Monday's championship match at the ATP finals in London, each looking beatable early before turning things around Sunday.

Federer, a six-time champion at the season-ending event, advanced by beating U.S. Open champion Andy Murray of Britain 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Djokovic defeated Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

At a news conference after his match, Djokovic handed out chocolates to thank journalists for their "cooperation throughout the whole year."

Injured world number four Rafa Nadal is on a hit list to fill out the field for the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament, organisers said on Tuesday, as the exhibition event seeks to fight off lucrative Middle East competitors.

"We're in touch with the top four," tournament director Colin Stubs told reporters in Melbourne of negotiations to attract Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray or Nadal for the Jan. 9-12 event.

"Nadal's a possibility and that'd be something special for us because he's never played here." Stubs left open the final spot in the invitational eight-man field, as he announced on Tuesday that Janko Tipsarevic, Juan Monaco and Milos Raonic will join 2009 U.S. Open winner Juan Martin del Potro, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, Kei Nishikori and Marcos Baghdatis for the tournament.

The event has traditionally attracted a high quality field as it guarantees players three competitive matches on the same surface used at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park the following week.

World number two Federer was a regular visitor to the club in the leafy suburb close to the central city, but in recent years had preferred to build up for the Australian Open at events in the Middle East.

Nadal, an 11-time grand slam winner, has been out of action since June with a knee injury, but is hopeful of being back for the Australian Open and could be desperate for matches ahead of the season-opening grand slam.

Djokovic, who clinched the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London on Monday, is schedule to play the mixed-team Hopman Cup event in Perth from Dec. 29-Jan 5, while Murray has been confirmed for the Brisbane tournament from Dec. 30-Jan 6.



Tennis-Kooyong tournament chasing one of 'top four' | Reuters

Mary Laver, wife of tennis great Rod Laver, has died after a long illness. She was 84.

Rod Laver said Tuesday that Mary Laver died Monday morning at their home in Carlsbad in northern San Diego County.

They were married for 46 years and had one son, Rick, who was born three weeks after Laver won the Grand Slam in 1969. The Australian-born Laver is the only person to have won the Grand Slam twice, the first coming in 1962.

"We had a wonderful life together," Laver said. "We did a lot of traveling, a lot of tennis tournaments, tennis events."

The family is planning a private memorial service.

Mary Bensen was born in DeKalb, Ill., on Jan. 23, 1928. Laver said they met at the Jack Kramer Club in the Los Angeles area and were married on June 20, 1966, in San Rafael, Calif.

She had three children from a previous marriage.

The Lavers have lived in San Diego County for 11 years. Rod Laver is 74.




Mary Laver, wife of tennis great Rod Laver, dies at 84 - ESPN

With the top defensive players increasingly getting the better of him often in recent years, Roger Federer would like to speed up the game of tennis.

Or at least the courts the matches are played on.

Federer lost to Novak Djokovic in the final of the season-ending ATP finals on Monday, and then praised the top-ranked Serb's ability to retrieve so many shots and keep the ball in play. That's a trait Djokovic shares with Federer's other two biggest rivals - Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray - and the Swiss star said attacking play doesn't always reap the benefits it deserves even on hard courts because they're often slower than they used to be.

"It's an easy fix. Just make quicker courts, then it's hard to defend," Federer said. "Attacking style is more important. It's only on this type of slow courts that you can defend the way we are all doing right now."

Monday's final at the O2 Arena had a familiar feel to it. Federer did most of the attacking, trying to dictate play with his forehand and aggressive shot making. But Djokovic, as he often does, kept finding ways to get the ball back over the net and was sharper on the key points.

Federer won the first nine points of the match and was up an early break in both sets, but Djokovic recovered to win 7-6 (6), 7-5.

Federer was the two-time defending champion in London and emphasized that he was happy with this court, calling it one of the faster indoor surfaces on the circuit. He said slower courts are also good for long rallies - which are a big crowd pleaser - but that having more variety in the surfaces would force players to learn to be more aggressive.

"What you don't want is that you hit 15 great shots and at the end, it ends up in an error," he said. "So I think sometimes quicker courts do help the cause. I think it would help from time to time to move to something a bit faster. That would help to learn, as well, for many different players, different playing styles, to realize that coming to the net is a good thing, it's not a bad thing."

Federer has won a record-equaling seven Wimbledon titles on grass, the quickest surface, but has only one French Open title on the slower clay, where Nadal has repeatedly thwarted him.

Djokovic and Murray also rely heavily on their great defensive abilities, which have helped set them apart from the rest of the pack.

Having more tournaments played on faster surfaces could make it easier for other players to challenge the sport's "Big Four," Federer said, adding that he wasn't sure tournament directors would necessarily buy into that.

"I think some variety would be nice, some really slow stuff and then some really fast stuff, instead of trying to make everything sort of the same," he said. "You sort of protect the top guys really by doing that because you have the best possible chance to have them in the semis at this point, I think. But should that be the goal? I'm not sure."

Djokovic said his strategy against Federer is usually to try and extend the rallies and hope for an opportunity.

"He's somebody that is very aggressive, that likes to finish points very quickly," Djokovic said. "But I managed to get a lot of shots back into the court, being passive, a couple meters behind the baseline. ... That was one of the goals tonight, to always try to get him into the longer rallies where I think I had the better chance."




Federer wants faster courts to encourage attack - Tennis- NBC Sports

Former doubles champion Bob Hewitt has been suspended from the International Tennis Hall of Fame after an investigation into allegations that he sexually abused girls he coached, and his legacy has been stripped from the institution, officials announced on Thursday.

Hall of Fame CEO Mark Stenning told The Associated Press that the Hall's executive committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to suspend Hewitt indefinitely after an outside investigation deemed credible the allegations of multiple women who said they were abused by Hewitt while he was coaching them decades ago.

The Australian-born Hewitt won several Grand Slam events during his career in the 1960s and 1970s and was inducted into the Hall in 1992. No one has ever been suspended or expelled from the Hall. Stenning said the committee did not consider expulsion because it was believed that would require a criminal conviction. Contact information for Hewitt, who lives in South Africa, could not immediately be found. The Weekend Post newspaper in South Africa quoted him last year as saying, "I only want to apologize if I offended anyone in any way." Stenning said Hewitt's plaque in the enshrinement hall and other references to him at the Hall, and on the Hall's website, were removed on Thursday. The website had called him an 'enduringly elegant player' and a master of the doubles craft.' "His legacy ceases to exist in the Hall of Fame," Stenning said.

Attorney Michael Connolly of the firm Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, which the Hall hired to conduct the inquiry, said he interviewed more than two dozen people over several months. He spent 10 hours interviewing Hewitt, who was accompanied by two South African lawyers, in September, but would not characterize those discussions. Connolly said he pursued every lead he came across. "We identified as many of the victims as we could, spoke to them, spoke to their family members and spoke to a host of others with relevant information," he said.

Connolly presented his initial findings to the executive committee in September, then made a final presentation to the panel in New York City on Wednesday, according to Stenning. Not all members of the committee were in attendance, but everyone who was there voted in favor of indefinitely suspending Hewitt. The Hall changed its bylaws earlier this year to allow for both suspension and expulsion.

Among those Connolly interviewed was Heather Conner, of West Newbury, Massachusetts. She says she was sexually abused by Hewitt starting at age 15, when she says he forced her to have sex with him near a high school in Massachusetts. The AP typically doesn't identify people who say they were sexually abused, unless they agree to be named publicly.

Conner, who has spoken publicly before and agreed to be identified, had been critical of the Hall for not taking action sooner and had sought Hewitt's expulsion. She said Thursday that she was surprised — and pleased — by the Hall's decision. "Honestly, I really didn't think they were going to do anything," she said. "I'm thankful that they've listened and heard. It feels good to be believed."

At least two of Hewitt's accusers in South Africa had asked authorities to open a rape investigation. A South African lawyer representing some of the women told The AP in July that the criminal investigation has moved slowly. The status of the case was not immediately clear on Thursday.






Bob Hewitt suspended from Tennis Hall of Fame due to abuse claims- Tennis- IBNLive

Former top-ranked tennis star Andy Roddick defeated Canada's Milos Raonic 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 in the Sport Chek Face-Off exhibition match on Friday night at Air Canada Centre.

Roddick, known as much for his humour as his short fuse, chatted with courtside fans between points and banged his racket repeatedly against the net in mock anger before rallying with two breaks to win the first set.

The recently-retired Roddick had the Air Canada Centre crowd of 6,558 in hysterics in the second set as he imitated fellow tennis stars, such as Maria Sharapova's interminable serve, Rafael Nadal's familiar clothing rituals and Novak Djokovic's dexterity.

Raonic looked on in amusement but didn't take any heat off his serve, pulling ahead 5-3 in the second with a blazing ace. The Texan could only shrug his shoulders after the ball zipped by his head.

The increasingly-vocal audience chanted for Raonic in the 10-point super-tiebreak, but Roddick impressed with a down-the-line drop shot that put him up 9-6.

Roddick, huffing and puffing early in the first set, jokingly called for timeout to collect his breath. Before the match, he said his fitness regiment since retiring at this year's U.S. Open has been less than stringent.

"What kind of shape am I in now? Well round is a shape, " said Roddick with a laugh. "I had a very detailed retirement plan, and I feel like I've met every aspect of it: a lot of golf, a lot of carbs, a lot of fried food, and some booze, occasionally -- I've been completely committed ... The results have shown."

The only prior meeting between the two was in the 2011 Memphis final where Roddick defeated the now No. 13-ranked Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., in three sets. That tilt produced a YouTube-worthy moment when Roddick won the title with an incredible diving forehand on match point.

The two have often been compared to each other mostly for their powerful serves.

"I like his game and I equally like the way he goes about his business," said the 30-year-old Roddick said of his 21-year-old opponent. "He's very diligent and he has the hunger to get better and not be satisfied, which will serve him well."

The exhibition also featured 15-time Slam champion and world No. 3 Serena Williams taking on world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska in a rematch of this year's Wimbledon final, albeit with the stakes decidedly lower.

Radwanska took advantage of Williams' disinterested start to break twice and jump out to an early 4-0 lead. Williams finally put some heat in her strokes in the fifth game, but it wasn't enough as she dropped behind 5-0.

Williams woke up to win four straight games but Radwanska took the first set 6-4 on a sizzling backhand that her opponent opted not to chase.

En route to a 3-2 lead in the second, Radwanska earned ample cheers from the fans when she hit a between-the-legs shot that Williams returned into the net.

Radwanska aced on match point to earn a small measure of revenge for Wimbledon, defeating Williams 6-4, 6-4.

The loss is unlikely to linger long with Williams, who is coming off one of the best seasons in her career. After a slow start, she won slam titles in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon, gold in singles and doubles at the London Games, a U.S. Open title and the WTA Championships last month. She also collected titles this year in Charleston, Madrid and Stanford.

The 31-year-old says she's pleased with her season but isn't the type to dwell on what went right.

"I'm not a bit reflector," said Williams. "I always feel like I want to do more, I want to improve. Once you start reflecting ... you can become really satisfied. For me, I'm always trying to do a bit better. I'll have more time to reflect after my career."

Radwanska, a 23-year-old native of Krakow, Poland, won this year at Dubai, Miami and Brussels before reaching the final at Wimbledon.

"It was a pretty good match. I was just happy I could play three sets against a grass tennis killer," said Radwanska of her Wimbledon date with Williams.

The evening kicked off with a light-hearted mixed doubles match between Team Canada -- Raonic and Radwanska -- against Team USA's Roddick and Williams.

The foursome were joined by an inter-changing mix of celebrities, including CBC personality George Stroumboulopoulos, Adrian Grenier of the HBO show "Entourage," "Bachelor" star Brad Smith and CFL commissioner Mark Cohon. All proved to be willing sports, though clearly of limited skill with a racket.


Read more: Roddick defeats Raonic at Face-Off exhibition tennis match

The Davis Cup continues to go from strength to strength, with no real need for changing the rules or the format, one of the game's top administrators said on Sunday as the Davis final between the Czech Republic and Spain wrapped up play.

"Davis Cup in our opinion is attractive enough, as you have seen here this weekend. We don't need so much to worry about the attractiveness of the competition," said ITF boss Francesco Ricci Bitti, speaking at the introduction of an American market-led initiative to be dubbed World Tennis Day next March 4.

The celebration of the game is conveniently tied into an exhibition in New York on that day which will feature Victoria Azarenka playing Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal versus Juan Del Potro, plus what orgnisers promise will be wall-to-wall television converge of inaugural World Tennis Day activities.

While not specifically addressing growing calls from various quarters for the annual Davis Cup to be reduced to once every other year like Ryder Cup golf to reduce time demands on players, Ricci Bitti added:

"There is obviously a Davis Cup Committee that is considering all the time continuously, all input coming from many parts. But before changing something that is working very well, we have to be very, very conscious, obviously, considering all the pros and cons.

"I believe the attractiveness is very high. We are in a good shape."

He called the four-time-per-year format "absolutely is the best format we can have, if you talk about the format of the match in a tie. If you talk about general formats, there are many considerations, and I can assure you that the Davis Cup Committee and the board of the International Tennis Federation, we are very, very conscious about that. We consider input every day."

World Tennis Day will be centred on a series of high-profile exhibition events around the world, including the New York exhibitions. The events, organised by the promoter StarGames, headed by former player agent Jerry Solomon, will feature current and former professionals together with demonstrations of the ITF's Tennis10s programme aimed at increasing participation among young players around the world.

Alongside these events, the ITF will be encouraging its 210 National Associations to support World Tennis Day with their own grassroots and club activities to attract new participants to the sport.

Solomon trumpeted the initiative. "We've really patterned it after what we have been able to do in the United States. We started this in 2008 in the US in conjunction with our BNP Paribas Showdown in New York.

"In the first year we had 200 tennis clubs and tennis facilities. Last year we had over 2 000 tennis clubs and tennis facilities participate in Tennis Night in America.

"We've taken that as a blueprint and now we hope to take that around the world. We can envision a day where we have four, five, six showdown events around the world in major events, and five, six, seven thousand tennis facilities around the world participating in World Tennis Day."

Several other federations have already pledged their support to join in World Tennis Day activities in 2013, including Davis Cup finalists Czech Republic and Spain, plus Argentina, Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Norway, Portugal and South Africa.

The initiative also hops to showcase the ITF's Tennis10s programme, which promotes the use of slower and lower bouncing balls, shorter and lighter rackets, and smaller courts to make it easier for children to take up the game which was launched five years ago.




Davis Cup just fine as it is - ITF boss - SuperSport - Tennis