Gulbis Wins LA event over Top Seed Fish
July 31, 2011
Farmers Classic—Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Unseeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis completed a dream week in Los Angeles by defeating top seed Mardy Fish 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 for his second career title.
Losing the first set after striking a double fault in the 12th game, Gublis failed to serve out the match at 5-2 in the third set, but quickly rebounded to seal the match after two hours and 43 minutes.
Blasting 10 aces in total, Gulbis broke Fish on three occasions to earn the first prize check of $113,000.
Fish, who was attempting to win his second straight tournament after prevailing in Atlanta, fell to 29-15 on the season.
Dolgopolov Wins First Career Title in Umag
July 31, 2011
ATP Studena Croatia Open—Umag, Croatia
No. 2 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov captured his first career ATP World Tour title on Sunday in Umag, Croatia by dispatching No. 4 seed Marin Cilic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Needing two hour and 14 minutes to prevail, Dolgopolov won 88 percent of his first serve points, while breaking Cilic on three occasions.
Losing in the finals of the Brazil event earlier this year, Dolgopolov collected € 72,600 in prize money for his efforts, as well as 250 ATP World Tour points.
Dolgopolov, who is currently ranked No. 26 in the world, is projected to hit No. 22 in the rankings on Monday. Cilic, who hasn’t won a title since February 2010, will likely move up to No. 23 in the world when the latest rankings are released.
Granollers Defeats Verdasco for Gstaad Title
July 31, 2011
Crédit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad—Gstaad, Switzerland
No. 8 seed Marcel Granollers won his second ATP World Tour title on Sunday at the Open Gstaad in Switzerland. Defeating No. 4 seed Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, Granollers captured €72,600 in prize money, and 250 ATP World Tour points.
The 25 year old had previously won the Houston event on clay in 2008, while losing in the final of the Valencia tournament last fall. Winning 84 percent of his first serve points, Granollers broke Verdasco on two occasions, while striking five aces in total.
Verdasco, who was attempting to win his first title since Barcelona in 2010, fell to 0-3 in title matches this year.
Tomic Signs Up For Hometown Event In Brisbane
July 31, 2011
Wimbledon quarter-finalist and hometown hero, Bernard Tomic, confirmed today that he will start his tennis year in Queensland.
The World No. 68 has enjoyed a quick post-Wimbledon break at home on the Gold Coast and said he was looking forward to starting his Australian summer campaign at the Brisbane International.
“January’s coming and that’s Australian Open and Brisbane International time,” Tomic said. “You want to get here [Brisbane] before and prepare.
“I haven’t won a round yet in Brisbane, in the last three years, and if I can push and play well early in Brisbane… get some confidence before I lead into the Australian Open, I think it will be a really big benefit me for the 2012 Australian Open.
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“Brisbane is a great tournament for me, I love playing there. It’s my favourite place to play. Hopefully I can do well here, in Australia and in the future.”
Brisbane International Tournament Director Cameron Pearson said he was looking forward to welcoming the Gold Coast teenager to Brisbane in 2012.
“It’s a real coup to have Australia’s latest rising star, Bernard Tomic, commit to the Brisbane International,” Pearson said.
“Bernard’s achievements last month at Wimbledon were nothing short of sensational. He became the youngest Grand Slam quarter-finalist since Boris Becker in 1986 and only the fifth qualifier to reach the last eight of a Grand Slam during the Open era.
“He managed to upset this year’s Brisbane International champion and World No.5 Robin Soderling, former No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko, Xavier Malisse (No.41) and had eventual champion and World No.1 Novak Djokovic under enormous pressure in his quarter-final loss.
“At the Australian Open Bernard held his own against Rafael Nadal after upsetting Feliciano Lopez (No.24) and Jeremy Chardy (No.58).
“Add to that he is a Queensland boy and Australia’s current No.1 men’s tennis player and he is the perfect first men’s announcement for the Brisbane International. I look forward to welcoming him in 2012 and have no doubt his home crowd will get behind him this coming January.”
The Djokovic and Tomic contest at Wimbledon was billed as the most significant for Australian men’s tennis since Lleyton Hewitt’s 2005 Australian Open final against Marat Safin.
He was the first 18-year-old to reach the final eight at the event since 1990 when Goran Ivanisevic, his hero growing up, made it to the semi-finals.
The Gold Coast teenager is the seventh Australian to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in the past 25 years joining Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis, Patrick Rafter, Todd Woodbridge, Jason Stoltenberg and Pat Cash, who all reached semi-finals or better.
Tomic is currently ranked No. 68 in the world and is only one of two teenagers in the Top 100. He flies out on Monday morning for the North American summer circuit, culminating with the US Open where he will play in the main draw for the first time as a Top 100 player.
The Brisbane International commenced in 2009 with world-class talent including Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Soderling competing over the past three years.
Prize money for this combined ATP/WTA tour event will increase to USD$1.1million in 2012, a 63 per cent increase, then to USD$1.55 million in 2013.
Fish beats Harrison to Reach LA Final
July 30, 2011
Farmers Classic—Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Semifinal Results:
No. 1 seed Mardy Fish defeats Ryan Harrison 6-0, 4-6, 7-6(3).
ATP World Tour Singles Draws for Washington D.C and Kitzbühel
July 30, 2011
The ATP World Tour singles draws for Washington D.C, and Kitzbühel can be found below.
Continuing with the third week of the US Open Series, Gael Monfils and Mardy Fish lead the 48 man field in Washington. After a one year absence from the Tour, the Kitzbühel event will feature the last clay tournament before the US Open with a 28 man draw. Juan Ignacio Chela and Feliciano Lopez are the top two seeds. Former French Open winner and world No. 1 Tomas Muster is also in the draw.
Link: Washington Draw
Link: Kitzbühel Draw
Cilic Advances to Umag Final; Verdasco Reaches Third Final of Season in Gstaad
July 30, 2011
ATP Studena Croatia Open—Umag, Croatia
Semifinal Results:
No. 4 seed Marin Cilic defeats No. 6 seed Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-2.
Crédit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad—Gstaad, Switzerland
No. 4 seed Fernando Verdasco defeats No. 1 seed Nicolas Almagro 6-7(2), 7-6(2), 6-3; No. 8 seed Marcel Granollers defeats No. 3 seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
Kendrick Found Guilty of Doping
July 29, 2011
Press Release
The International Tennis Federation announced today that Robert Kendrick has been found to have committed a Doping Offence under Article C.1 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (presence of a Prohibited Substance in player’s sample).
Mr Kendrick, a 31-year-old tennis player from the United States, provided a sample on 22 May 2011 at the French Open held in Paris, France. That sample was sent to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Montreal, Canada for analysis, and was found to contain methylhexaneamine, a stimulant.
Methylhexaneamine is a Prohibited Substance under section S6 of the 2010 WADA List of Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods, and is therefore also prohibited under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme. Mr Kendrick was therefore charged with an anti-doping rule violation under Article C.1 of the Programme.
Mr Kendrick asserted that the methylhexaneamine had got into his system through his ingestion of a capsule of Zija XM3, which he took to combat jetlag. He denied any intent to enhance his performance as a result of taking this substance.
The ITF accepted Mr Kendrick’s account of the circumstances surrounding his ingestion of methylhexaneamine, and accepted that he did not intend to enhance his performance. Under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, however, it is a player’s strict personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substance enters his body, whether as a prescription medication or otherwise, unless he holds a valid therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for such substance. Mr Kendrick did not hold a valid TUE.
A tribunal therefore confirmed Mr Kendrick’s commission of a Doping Offence under Article C.1 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, and determined that he should be suspended from participation for a period of 12 months, commencing as from 22 May 2011 and so ending at midnight on 21 May 2012.
The tribunal also determined that Mr Kendrick’s results at the 2011 French Open should be disqualified, with resulting forfeiture of the ranking points and prize money that he won at those events.
The Tennis Anti-Doping Programme is a comprehensive and internationally recognised drug-testing programme that applies to all players competing at tournaments sanctioned by the ITF, ATP World Tour, and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Players are tested for substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency and, upon a finding that a Doping Offence has been committed, sanctions are imposed in accordance with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code. More background information on the Programme, sanctions, tennis statistics and related information can be found at www.itftennis.com/antidoping.
Top seed Wawrinka Upset in Gstaad; Cilic, Fognini Advance to Semifinals in Umag
July 29, 2011
Crédit Agricole Suisse Open Gstaad—Gstaad, Switzerland
Quarterfinal Results:
No. 8 seed Marcel Granollers defeats No. 2 seed Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2; No. 3 seed Mikhail Youzhny defeats Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; No. 4 seed Fernando Verdasco defeats Julian Benneteau 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.
ATP Studena Croatia Open—Umag, Croatia
Quarterfinal Results:
No. 4 seed Marin Cilic defeats No. 7 seed Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-3; No. 6 seed Fabio Fognini defeats Potito Starace 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Sweeting, Dimitrov Ousted in Los Angeles
July 28, 2011
Farmers Classic—Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Second-Round Results:
No. 4 seed Thomaz Bellucci defeats Alejandro Falla 6-0, 6-1; No. 8 seed Igor Kunitsyn defeats Ryan Sweeting 7-6(4), 7-6(6); Alexander Bogomolov Jr. defeats No. 7 seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3
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