Verdasco wins in Acapulco; Gulbis reaches quarters in Delray Beach

ABIERTO MEXICANO TELCEL—Acapulco, Mexico

Second-round results:

(8) Fernando Verdasco defeats Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-2; Santiago Giraldo defeats (7) Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-3; Carlos Berlocq defeats Potito Starace 6-1, 6-4.

DELRAY BEACH INTERNATIONAL TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS—Delray Beach, U.S.A.

Second-round results:

Ernests Gulbis defeats Steve Darcis 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-3; Marinko Matosevic defeats (6) Alexander Bogomolov Jr. 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Kleybanova Battles Back From Cancer to Receive Sony Ericsson Open Wildcard

MIAMI, Fla. (www.sonyericssonopen.com) - The 2012 Sony Ericsson Open announced it has extended a main draw wildcard to WTA former World No. 20 Alisa Kleybanova.

The 22-year-old Russian was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphona in May 2011 and was forced to withdraw from the season’s remaining tournaments to undergo treatment. Before she was compelled to step away from the game, Kleybanova was a rising star on the WTA tour. She collected her first two career singles titles in 2010, and was off to a strong start in 2011 where she reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 in the world.

“We are pleased to extend a wildcard to Alisa,” said tournament director Adam Barrett. “She has shown tremendous perseverance and determination to return to the court and I know that her story can be an inspiration to others.”

Kleybanova has completed all of her tests and has begun training for her return to the tour. The Sony Ericsson Open will mark her 2012 debut.

“I finished my treatments in December and a couple of weeks ago I did my last tests in Italy,” said Kleybanova. “The treatments were successful, my doctors are happy with my health and I’m feeling great!”

The tournament awarded several wildcard entries last week; including seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams; Chilean Fernando Gonzalez who will retire after the tournament; and former World No. 6 David Nalbandian.

The women’s main draw begins on Tuesday, March 20, while the men’s main draw kicks off the following day on Wednesday, March 21. The qualifying rounds will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 19 and 20.

Tickets to the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyericssonopen.com. An electrifying two weeks of tennis conclude with the women’s final on Saturday, March 31 and the men’s final on Sunday, April 1.

Nalbandian, Querrey, Sock, Falconi and Stephens given BNP Paribas Open wildcards

INDIAN WELLS, Calif., Feb. 29, 2012 – Former top-five player David Nalbandian; Americans Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, Denis Kudla, Robby Ginepri, Irina Falconi, Sloane Stephens, Jamie Hampton, Coco Vandeweghe, Lauren Davis and Jill Craybas; and Sania Mirza and Urszula Radwanska were granted wildcards into the main draws of the BNP Paribas Open, to be held March 5-18 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, it was announced today by Steve Simon, tournament director.

Nalbandian has won 11 ATP World Tour titles since turning professional in 2000 and reached the 2002 Wimbledon finals in his first appearance at the event. The Argentine and former World No. 3 will be making his ninth appearance at the BNP Paribas Open. His best result in Indian Wells was when he reached the quarterfinals in 2008.

American Sam Querrey reached a career-high ranking of No. 17 in the world at the beginning of 2011 before injuries sidelined him for much of the year. Currently just inside the top 100, the six-time ATP World Tour titlist and Southern California native is working his way back up the rankings and looking to continue that trend at the BNP Paribas Open.

Seven young Americans have been granted wildcards into the main draws including 19-year-old Jack Sock, who paired with Melanie Oudin to win the 2011 US Open mixed doubles title; 19-year-old Denis Kudla, who reached the second round at San Jose this month and is at a career-high ranking; 21-year-old Irina Falconi, who defeated two higher-ranked opponents to reach the third round of the 2011 US Open; soon-to-be 19-year-old (her birthday is March 2) Sloane Stephens, who is the second youngest player in the WTA top 100; 22-year-old Jamie Hampton, who is at a career-high ranking of No. 104; 20-year-old Californian Coco Vandeweghe, who first played at the BNP Paribas Open in 2007 when she was only 15; and 18-year-old Lauren Davis, who won two ITF titles in 2011. Along with these Americans, 21-year-old Urszula Radwanska, younger sister to World No. 5 Agnieszka, was also granted a wildcard into the main draw.

Three veterans receiving main draw wildcards are Robby Ginepri, Jill Craybas and Sania Mirza. Ginepri reached a career high No. 15 in the world in 2005, a season that included a run to the semifinals of the US Open. His first a career high No. 15 in the world in 2005, a season that included a run to the semifinals of the US Open. His first appearance at the BNP Paribas Open came back in 2003, where he reached the quarterfinals. Craybas turned professional in 1996 and will be making her 12th consecutive appearance at the BNP Paribas Open. Mirza, from India, owns one singles title, and is also an accomplished doubles player. She owns 13 doubles titles, including the 2011 BNP Paribas Open (with Elena Vesnina).

“Wildcards have always presented the BNP Paribas Open with a way to provide a mix of players from veterans to rising stars to top players that might be returning from injury the opportunity to shine in the main draw,” said Simon. “Adding players like David Nalbandian; Jack Sock, Irina Falconi and Sloane Stephens; and former top 20 star Sam Querrey only strengthens our already incredible fields.”

Qualifying wildcards were given to Americans Steve Johnson, Tim Smyczek, Daniel Kosakowski and Julia Cohen, and to Belgian Steve Darcis and Puerto Rican Monica Puig.

Reigning NCAA Singles Champion Johnson has led the USC Trojans to three straight NCAA team championships and has returned for his senior year. Smyczek fought through qualifying at the BNP Paribas Open in 2011 and reached the second round of the main draw, losing in a tight third set tiebreak. Kosakowski battled through the 2011 BNP Paribas Open pre-qualifying tournament to earn wildcards into the qualifying draw. Cohen has won two ITF titles in 2011. Darcis has won two ATP World Tour titles in his career. Puig recently captured the silver medal at the Pan American Games, defeating top seed Christina McHale to reach the finals.

In addition to three women’s qualifying wildcards the tournament has yet to give, the winners of each pre-qualifying tournament, which takes place February 27-March 3, will also be granted a berth into the 2012 BNP Paribas Open qualifying draw. Women’s qualifying starts March 5 and men’s qualifying begins March 6.

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Quarterfinal Preview

by: Tom Cochrane

Thursday is quarter-finals day at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and there are 4 mouth-watering clashes to look forward to after virtually all of the big names progressed to the final 8 on Day 3.

Day 3 Recap

After appearing sluggish in his opening round match and later admitting that he had been feeling unwell, Andy Murray was in much better shape and much better form on Day 3. The third seed cruised past Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli, breaking serve once in each set to dispatch the journeyman. Murray next faces Czech Tomas Berdych for a place in the semi-finals after the fifth seed crushed Slovak Lukas Lacko for the loss of just 3 games.

In the biggest upset on Day 3, Russian dark horse Mikhail Youzhny, who has twice made the Dubai final, continued his love affair with the tournament, surprising sixth seed Mardy Fish in straight sets. The American has started 2012 in fairly mediocre form, and his patchy play was exposed by Youzhny. There is however a giant obstacle standing in the way of a final four spot for the Russian, with Roger Federer his next opponent. The second seed got the better of Feliciano Lopez, who has been in good form in recent months, but the Spaniard put in a commendable fight in his 7-5 6-3 loss to the Swiss master.

Also valiant in defeat was Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky, who lost a very tight first set tiebreaker en route to a straight sets loss to top seed Novak Djokovic. The Serb faces his countryman Janko Tipsarevic for a spot in the semi-finals, while the remaining quarter-final pits Juan Martin Del Potro against Jo Wilfried Tsonga after the Argentine and Frenchman accounted for Golubev and Rosol in respective straight sets victories.

Day 4 Preview

At the Brisbane International in January Andy Murray was erratic and sluggish in his opening matches before gradually improving his form and going on to win the tournament quite comfortably. Similarly in Dubai Murray started slowly in the opening round but showed significant signs of improvement in round 2. Berdych has the greater firepower in terms of raw power, but Murray is the better mover and defender, and is also more astute tactically. Berdych can win this one if he is firing on all cylinders, but there’s more chance of a Murray victory. Murray in 3.

Mikhail Youzhny has done many things in his career – reach the top 10, make the semi-finals of the US Open on two occasions, make the Dubai final on 2 occasions – but he has never beaten Roger Federer. The 29 year old has had 7 cracks at it so far with no success, and I think he will be 0 for 8 after this match is done and dusted. The warm desert conditions and fast court surface make the rallies super quick in Dubai, and that plays to Federer’s strengths in terms of his laser-like forehand and his sharp footwork. Federer in 2.

It’s an all-Serbian affair in the first night match on Day 4, and Janko Tipsarevic will be looking to spring a surprise on his more illustrious compatriot Novak Djokovic. Tipsarevic pushed Djokovic at the US Open last year, and I think he has the arsenal to trouble the top seed. Of course, these Davis Cup teammates know each other’s games extremely well, so there is likely to be very few tricks up either player’s sleeve. I think Tipsarevic will take a set off the world number one, but in Djokovic’s present state of mind, defeat is not really an option. Djokovic in 3.

The final quarter-final sees a rematch of the semi-final in Marseille last week, where former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro topped local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to claiming the title. Del Potro was steady against Dolgopolov and always in control against Golubev, while Tsonga had a fine win off a limited preparation against Baghdatis and was never really troubled against Rosol. I’ll back Tsonga to gain revenge over his conqueror from last week in a tight 3-set tussle. Tsonga in 3.

That’s it for today. Enjoy the tennis and I’ll be back with another edition tomorrow.

Djokovic, Federer and Murray reach quarters in Dubai

DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS—Dubai, U.A.E

Top seed Novak Djokovic led the way for the seeded players at the Dubai Open on Wednesday, defeating Sergiy Stakhovsky, 7-6(5), 6-3.

After winning the first set in a tiebreaker, Djokovic fell behind 3-1 in the second set before reeling off five straight games. Improving to 3-0 against Stakhovsky in lifetime meetings, Djokovic will take his 9-0 record this year into a quarterfinal battle against Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic. The seventh seeded Serb overcame the loss of the first set to dismiss Flavo Cipolla, 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-1.

Elsewhere, former four-time winner Roger Federer won an entertaining serve and attack match against Feliciano Lopez, 7-5, 6-3, and No. 3 seed Andy Murray improved on his lackluster start to the tournament by defeating Marco Chiudinelli, 6-3, 6-4.

Federer, who won the title in Rotterdam in early Feburary, will next face Mikhail Youzhny for a semifinal berth. Youzhny defeated No. 6 seed Mardy Fish, 6-2, 7-6(0).

Aiming to win his second title of 2012, Murray will next face No. 5 seed Tomas Berdych.

Other winners on the day included Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin del Potro.

Djokovic, Nadal and Murray to play doubles at BNP Paribas Open

INDIAN WELLS, Calif., Feb. 28, 2012 – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and other top-ranked singles players will join the World No. 1 Bryan Brothers and other talented doubles teams in the BNP Paribas Open men’s doubles draw, it was announced today by Steve Simon, tournament director. The tournament will be held March 5-18 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and the men’s doubles draw will begin on Sunday, March 11.

Djokovic, the defending BNP Paribas Open men’s singles champion and World No. 1, will once again partner with fellow Serbian Viktor Troicki. The team reached the quarterfinals of the doubles draw last year. World No. 2 Rafael Nadal will pair with Marc Lopez again and together they captured the 2010 BNP Paribas Open doubles title, but fell last year in the semifinal. World No. 4 Andy Murray and his brother Jamie will team up as well again, and seek to improve upon their quarterfinal run in 2011.

Other top-ten singles players who will compete in the doubles draw include No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, partnering with countryman Julien Benneteau, and No. 8 Mardy Fish, partnering with fellow American and former World No.1 Andy Roddick. Fish and Roddick have won two doubles titles together including the 2009 BNP Paribas Open.

Competing alongside these singles stars will be perennial doubles powerhouses such as World No. 1 ranked Bob and Mike Bryan, Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor and Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic. The Bryan Brothers are the most successful doubles team of all time, owning 76 titles and finishing as the No. 1 team in the world seven of the last nine years. However, the BNP Paribas Open title has eluded the American duo from Southern California, but they hope to change that as the tournament’s top-seeded team.

Mirnyi and Nestor teamed up to win four titles in 2011 including the French Open. Combined, they have won a total of 118 titles dating back to when Nestor won his first in 1994. Llodra and Zimonjic also won four titles as a team last year and have won a total of 67 in their combined careers. Within those top three teams, however, Nestor is the only one to have won the doubles title at the BNP Paribas Open, doing so three times in 2002, 2005 and 2006.

The tandem of Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse will seek to defend their 2011 BNP Paribas Open title and will no doubt produce some exciting tennis. Entering into the draw at the last minute last year, and playing together for the first time, the ponytailed duo won all of their matches in third set super tie-breaks, and by no more than three points.

“We are very pleased with the strength of the BNP Paribas Open men’s doubles draw,” said Simon. “Fans certainly have followed these matches with a great deal of interest and excitement as they love seeing the top singles players compete against each other in doubles as well as against the marquee doubles teams.”

Other notable teams in this year’s draw include 2012 Australian Open champions Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek, Gael Monfils and Philipp Kohlschreiber, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna and Kei Nishikori and Juan Monaco. Eight more teams will receive on-site direct entry and two will be granted wild cards. The men’s doubles final will be held on Saturday, March 17 following the men’s semifinals and the women’s doubles final.

Simon falls in Acapulco; Isner wins in Delray Beach

ABIERTO MEXICANO TELCEL—Acapulco, Mexico

Second-round results:

Carlos Berlocq defeats (3) Gilles Simon 7-6(5), 6-3; Santiago Giraldo defeats David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-2; Albert Ramos defeats (6) Juan Monaco 7-6(2), 5-3 ret.; Lukasz Kubot defeats Daniel Garza 6-1, 6-3; Jeremy Chardy defeats Rui Machado 7-6(4), 6-3.

DELRAY BEACH INTERNATIONAL TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS—Delray Beach, U.S.A.

First-round results:

(1) John Isner defeats Jesse Levine 6-4, 7-6(15); Jarkko Nieminen defeats (2) Marin Cilic 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Marinko Matosevic defeats Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4; Ernests Gulbis defeats Alejandro Falla 6-4, 6-1; Steve Darcis defeats (3) Viktor Troicki 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; Xavier Malisse defeats Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6(3), 6-3; Ivan Dodig defeats Matthias Bachinger 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; Tim Smyczek defeats Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, (5) Philipp Kohlschreiber defeats Oliver Rochus 6-1, 6-4; (7) Kevin Anderson defeats Austin Krajicek 6-1, 6-4.

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: Day 3 Preview

by: Tom Cochrane

Andy Murray was forced to work hard on Day 2 in Dubai, the Scot forced to a third set by qualifier Michael Berrer. In his first match since his agonising semi-final loss at the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic, Murray twice squandered the break in the second set before regrouping and closing out the match in the deciding third set.

Day 2 Recap

Emirati royalty watched on as Roger Federer raced through the opening set of his match against Frenchman Michael Llodra, the Swiss master not dropping a game and wrapping up the set in just 17 minutes. But the left-handed Llodra picked up his game in the second set, not dropping serve as the set went to a tiebreaker. The Frenchman had a set point, but a forehand winner from Federer saved the day, and the second seed claimed victory a couple of points later.

In other matches on Day 2, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga withstood a spirited challenge from Marcos Baghdatis, Feliciano Lopez disposed of Nicolas Mahut, and Nikolay Davydenko went down to Marco Chiudinelli. In the marquee night fixture, Juan Martin Del Potro took out the tricky Alexandr Dolgopolov, the Argentine edging past the Ukrainian 6-3 7-6.

Day 3 Preview

Roger Federer is back in action on Day 3, with the second seed taking on Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. Although Lopez has a different game to that of Federer’s last opponent, Michael Llodra, both Lopez and Llodra are left-handers who like to serve and volley. Federer looked sharp against Llodra, particularly in the first set, and he’ll be in the groove for this encounter. Federer in 2.

Andy Murray takes on Marco Chiudinelli, with the Scot looking for an easier match than his 3 set duel against Michael Berrer. Chiudinelli made it through qualifying for this event, and had an impressive win in the opening round against Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko. Murray’s opening round hit-out should have cleared the cobwebs after his time off from the tour, and I expect he’ll play better in this match than he did against Berrer. Murray in 2.

Top seed Novak Djokovic faces Sergiy Stakhovsky, a Ukrainian who has been as high as 31 in the world. Stakhovsky faces a huge task against the all-conquering Serb, who showed little sign of rustiness in his opening round win over Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. Djokovic is riding an enormous wave of confidence right now, and I can’t see the Ukrainian having the weapons to take him down. Djokovic in 2.

Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, backing up from his fine opening round win over Alexandr Dolgopolov, goes head to head with Andrey Golubev, the Kazakh qualifier. Del Potro was steady, focused and patient against Dolgopolov and is in good form, having reached the final in Rotterdam and winning the tournament in Marseille last week. The Argentine will be too strong in this one. Del Potro in 2.

That’s it for today. Enjoy the tennis and I’ll be back with another edition tomorrow.

Federer, Murray advance in Dubai

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships—Dubai, U.A.E

Second seed Roger Federer overcame a second set charge by his opponent Michael Llodra at the Dubai Open on Tuesday, defeating the Frenchman, 6-0, 7-6(8).

After blitzing through the first set, Federer fought toe-to-toe with Llodra before advancing in one hour and seven minutes. Winning the title in Dubai on four occasions, Federer will next face Felicano Lopez, who defeated Nicolas Mahut, 6-4, 6-4.

Elsewhere, three-time slam finalist Andy Murray encountered some resistance from his opponent Michael Berrer before advancing, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Losing his serve on five occasions, Murray managed to break the strong German six times, while striking seven aces.

Not playing a tournament since the Australian Open, Murray will next face Marco Chiudinelli. The world No. 185 dismissed Nikolay Davydenko, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

Other winners on day 2 action included Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Janko Tipsarevic and Juan Martin del Potro.

Players Honour Shanghai, Dubai & Bastad As 2011 Tournaments Of The Year

The ATP announced the 2011 ATP World Tour Tournament Award winners on Tuesday, with the Shanghai Rolex Masters, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and the Skistar Swedish Open all maintaining their status as the most favoured tournaments on the ATP World Tour in their respective tournament categories, as voted by ATP players.

The tournament awards recognise leading standards set within the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (Shanghai), ATP World Tour 500 (Dubai), and ATP World Tour 250 (Bastad) tournament categories in 2011 and provide further confirmation of the outstanding standards set by each tournament in their respective categories in recent years.

ATP Executive Chairman & President, Brad Drewett said: “These tournaments continue their pursuit of excellence and players appreciate their efforts to provide the very best conditions for them to showcase their skills. Players enjoy their time at these events and show their appreciation through these awards.”

The Shanghai Rolex Masters has captured the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 award in each of its first three years as a Masters 1000 event (2009-11). Last year’s tournament saw Andy Murray triumph over David Ferrer to capture his eighth career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

Arnaud Boetsch, Communication and Image Director, Rolex, said: “We are delighted that the Shanghai Rolex Masters has been named ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year by the players for the third consecutive year. We are truly proud of the recognition by the ATP players and we would like to express our pride in being associated with such a well organised, high standard event. We would especially like to thank the Shanghai Municipal Government and the event organiser, Juss Event, for their hard work and dedication which have made this event an outstanding tournament both on and off the court.”

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, taking place this week, won the ATP World Tour 500 award for an impressive eighth time in nine years (2003-06, 2008-11). Last year, Novak Djokovic captured a third consecutive Dubai title en route to compiling a record-breaking year in which he finished the year as ATP World Tour No. 1 for the first time.

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman, Dubai Duty Free, said: “We are delighted to receive the award for ‘Tournament of The Year’ in the ATP 500 category for eight of the past nine years. The fact that this award is based on votes by the players themselves is incredible and our thanks go to all of the ATP players and officials. The award is a great way to mark our 20th anniversary of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.”

The Skistar Swedish Open continues to excel in the ATP World Tour 250 category, triumphing for a remarkable 10th consecutive year (2002-11). In 2011, local favourite Robin Soderling thrilled the home crowd by capturing the title with victory over Ferrer in the final.

Thomas Wallén, Tournament Director, Skistar Swedish Open, said: “To win this award for 10 consecutive years is a great encouragement not only for our organisation but also for Bastad and Sweden, as the host city and nation. This is, again, an injection of strength and energy which will motivate us to continue our commitment to winning this prestigious award.

“The Skistar Swedish Open is the leading annual sporting event in Scandinavia. The players are the artists and the happier they are, the better they perform. Their performance is key to the success of the tournament. World-class tennis draws record crowds; this attracts our strong sponsor family – a simple and successful concept which we will continue in years to come.”

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