Weekend Winners

by Savannah

The ATP champions club welcomed two new members over the weekend.

Kevin Anderson of South Africa captured his first ATP title on home soil. He defeated Somdev Devvarman of India 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The other new comer to the winners circle is Ivan Dodig of Croatia. He defeated Michal Berrer of Germany 6-3, 6-4 in front of a home crowd as well.

Tommy Robredo of Spain was not in front of his home crowd but he won his 11th title in Santiago, Chile defeating Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(5).
Congratulations to them all.

Fed Cup - A Disaster For The United States
The only United States players who can come out of Antwerp with their heads high are Liezel Huber and Vania King. Their doubles win allowed the United States to avoid a 5-0 bagel served by the Fed Cup team of Belgium. The one rubber the US had to win, the opening one between Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Yanina Wickmayer went to Wickmayer and that was all she wrote. Mattek-Sands tried to redeem herself in the reverse singles winning a first set tiebreak 12-10 over Kim Clijsters but she was outplayed the next two sets and lost the rubber 7-6(10, 2-6, 1-6. Melanie Oudin did nothing for her team losing to both Clijsters and Wickmayer who both served her a bagel set. I do hope that Mary Jo Fernandez will be allowed to develop her team the way Patrick McEnroe was allowed to do with the US Davis Cup team. I don't see anyone on the horizon who will be able to compete on a grand stage with the better women's players. Most of the top American juniors are simply too small physically to compete with the bigger stronger women from overseas. They're also hampered by their lack of knowledge of how to play strategic tennis. What do I mean?

I hope you got a chance to see the ties played between Australia and Italy and Russia vs France. In both ties knowing how to strategize and how to react to what your opponent is doing on court won for the veterans who composed Team Italy and Team Russia.

In Moscow Captain Shamil Tarpishev saw Virginie Razzano of France make mince meat of Maria Sharapova . As we all know as goes Sharapova's serve so go her matches. Razzano played a crafty came frustrating Sharapova at every turn. With her serve misfiring Sharapova was run off the court. This debacle followed Alize Cornet's drubbing of Svetlana Kuznetsova putting France up 2-0 over Russia, something that surprised everyone to say the least. The reverse singles saw Tarpishev bench Maria Sharapova in favor of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova who was supposedly injured. Couldn't prove it by me as Pavs defeated a frustrated Cornet 3-6, 6-3 6-2 to open reverse singles play. Sveta came ready to play and routined Razzano 6-4, 6-4. Russia also won the doubles 7-6(4), 6-0.

In Australia the Italian women were caught off guard when Francesca Schiavone lost the opening rubber to Jarmila Groth 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3. That was the wake up call Italy needed. Flavia Pennetta won a battle against Samantha Stosur 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-4. The reverse singles saw Stosur push Schiavone to three sets but lose. Groth lost in straight sets to Pennetta who was not going to lose to her. Italy's doubles team beat back a determind Australian team 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-4.

In both ties fans got to see well played women's tennis. It was a beautiful sight.

Some tennisheads were taken back by a couple of Tweets made by Caroline Wozniacki in which she said (and I'm paraphrasing) "I won my matches. None of these bitches stepped up." She did neglect to mention that she lost the doubles she played but I'm sure it was the fault of that lazy bitch who played with her. There was a lot of surprise and of course there were excuses citing her age as the main reason she would make such immature comments in a world wide public forum. Does Denmark need to develop it's players? No doubt. Does the Danish Federation have the money to do so? I don't know. I do know that the Danish Captain tweeted some remarks that hinted he was not amused by Caroline's tweets. This is the second time questions about Caroline's judgment were raised by her Tweets. Someone on her team needs to slow her roll.

The full Fed Cup results are below. Congratulations to all the women who competed.

WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND

ITALY defeated AUSTRALIA 4-1

Venue: Domain Tennis Centre, Hobart, AUS (hard – outdoors)

Jarmila Groth (AUS) d. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 67(4) 63 63

Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 76(5) 67(5) 64

Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 76(1) 36 75

Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Jarmila Groth (AUS) 62 63

Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. Anastasia Rodionova/Rennae Stubbs (AUS) 26 76(1) 64

RUSSIA defeated FRANCE 3-2

Venue: Olympic Stadium, Moscow, RUS (hard – indoors)

Alize Cornet (FRA) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 36 63 64

Virginie Razzano (FRA) d. Maria Sharapova (RUS) 63 64

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Alize Cornet (FRA) 36 63 62

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Virginie Razzano (FRA) 64 64

Svetlana Kuznetsova/Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Julie Coin/Alize Cornet (FRA) 76(4) 60

CZECH REPUBLIC defeated SLOVAK REPUBLIC 3-2

Venue: Sibamac Arena, Bratislava, SVK (hard – indoors)

Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 75 61

Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 62 63

Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 64 62

Jana Cepelova (SVK) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 57 76(5) ret.

Jana Cepelova/Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. Kveta Peschke/Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 61 46 76(4)

BELGIUM defeated USA 4-1

Venue: Sportpaleis Antwerp, Antwerp, BEL (hard – indoors)

Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 61 76(6)

Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. Melanie Oudin (USA) 60 64

Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 67(10) 62 61

Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Melanie Oudin (USA) 62 60

Liezel Huber/Vania King (USA) d. Kirsten Flipkens/An-Sophie Mestach (BEL) 63 75

WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND

SPAIN defeated ESTONIA 4-1

Venue: Tere Tennis Club, Tallinn, EST (hard – indoors)

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) d. Anett Kontaveit (EST) 62 60

Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 63 62

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) d. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 36 64 63

Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) d. Anett Kontaveit (EST) 62 62

Nuria Llagostera Vives/Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. Maret Ani/Margit Ruutel (EST) 61 76(5)

GERMANY defeated SLOVENIA 4-1

Venue: Ljudski vrt Sports Hall, Maribor, SLO (clay – indoors)

Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Masa Zec-Peskiric (SLO) 63 64

Polona Hercog (SLO) d. Julia Goerges (GER) 75 64

Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Polona Hercog (SLO) 61 62

Julia Goerges (GER) d. Masa Zec-Peskiric (SLO) 64 62

Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Tatjana Malek (GER) d. Polona Hercog/Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) 76(3) ret.

SERBIA defeated CANADA 3-2

Venue: Spens Sports Center, Novi Sad, SRB (hard – indoors)

Rebecca Marino (CAN) d. Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 63 36 75

Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) d. Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 64 75

Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) d. Rebecca Marino (CAN) 76(3) 63

Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. Ana Jovanovic (SRB) 60 64

Bojana Jovanovski/Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) d. Sharon Fichman/Marie-Eve Pelletier (CAN) 76(5) 64

UKRAINE defeated SWEDEN 3-2

Venue: Idrottens Hus, Helsingborg, SWE (hard – indoors)

Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 63 62

Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) d. Johanna Larsson (SWE) 76(2) 76(5)

Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 76(3) 64

Johanna Larsson (SWE) d. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 67(3) 62 63

Kateryna Bondarenko/Olga Savchuk (UKR) d. Sofia Arvidsson/Johanna Larsson (SWE) 75 62

Miscellany

Rafael Nadal won the 2010 Laureus Sportsman of the Year award.