IW: Order of Play for Friday March 12, 2010

The order of play for day two action at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens, site of the first Masters 1000 event of the season can be found below.

Order of Play for Friday March 12, 2010.

Moya and Ancic Win First-Round Matches in Indian Wells

Indian Wells, CA—Day one action of the first Masters 1000 event of the year in Palm Springs featured two former top 10 players, Carlos Moya and Mario Ancic winning first-round encounters.

Moya, who captured the No. 1 ranking in 1999, reached the mildstone by advancing to the finals in Indian Wells. Currently ranked No. 639 in the world, Moya needed two tough tiebreak sets to upend opportunistic American Tim Smyczek 7-6(7), 7-6(5) in two hours and 20 minutes.

Winning 75 percent of his first serve points, Moya struck four aces while breaking the serve of his opponent on three occasions. Needing four match points to defeat his 22-year-old opponent, Moya hit a backhand winner to reach the second-round.

The 33-year-old veteran had this to say after his victory. ”I was nervous when I was closing the match, but I’m hitting well. I’m happy to be here with you,” said Moya.

Entering the 2010 season after enduring both toe and hamstring injury in 2009, Moya will next face No. 26 seed Thomaz Bellucci in second-round action.

Croatian Mario Ancic won his first Tour-level match of the season after defeating Bobby Reynolds 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Falling to the No. 694 spot on the computer rankings, Ancic has struggled with symptoms of mononucleosis for the better part to two years.

Completing a law degree while he was sidelined, Ancic reached the finals of a Futures event last week in Texas.

Blasting 12 aces past his American opponent on Thursday, Ancic won 80 percent of his first serve points while breaking the serve of Reynolds on three occasions.

The 6′5″ Split native improved to 5-6 lifetime at the event, and will face No. 31 seed Julien Benneteau in the second-round.

Elsewhere, 2008 finalist Mardy Fish moved past Michael Berrer 1-6, 6-1, 6-3; Ryan Harrison defeated Taylor Dent 6-3, 6-4; Pablo Cuevas dismissed Frederico Gil 6-4, 7-5; Daniel Koellerer defeated Rajeev Ram 6-1, 6-3; Fabio Fognini fought past Oliver Rochus 6-4, 1-6, 7-5; Brian Dabul defeated Leonardo Mayer 7-6 (4), 6-2; Philipp Petzchner breezed past Christophe Rochus 6-2, 7-5; Florent Serra dispatched Alejandro Falla 6-1, 6-2; Ramon Delgado defeated Andreas Beck 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-4; Guillermo Garcia-Lopez won his first match of the year over Lukas Lacko 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; Kevin Anderson brushed aside Bjorn Phau 6-3, 6-3, and Rainer Schuettler defeated Thiago Alves 7-5, 6-0.

Matches that are still to come on Thursday will include: Marco Chiudinelli vs. Ernests Gulbis.

Friday’s featured matches will include: James Blake vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver; David Nalbandian vs. Stefan Koubek, and Richard Gasquet vs. Simon Greul.

Quotes courtesy of atpworldtour.com.

Hewitt to Play Altanta Tennis Championships

Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt has signed on to participate at the inaugural Atlanta Tennis Championships which will be held July 19-25.

The Atlanta event, which will take over for the Indianapolis tournament, will feature a 32-man field. The event will be apart of the US Open Series.

Currently out with a hip injury, Hewitt hopes to be back in action for the grass-court season.

Hewitt will join James Blake, Robby Ginepri, and John Isner for the Southern event.

Henman Says No to Davis Cup Captaincy

Becoming the prime candidate for the Davis Cup captaincy for Great Britain following their weekend loss to Lithuania, former four-time Wimbledon semifinalist Tim Henman has said that he’s not interested in the position at this time.

“It doesn’t feel like the right time. I’m enjoying my family and my golf, and not having any structure in my life.

“Maybe in three years or in 13 years, sometime in the future, I might be interested.”

Henman went onto suggest that the blame should not be put on John Lloyd or Paul Annacone, the current captain and coach of the team.

“It would be easy to say that you can fix the whole thing by replacing John as the captain, and getting rid of Paul as the coach, but what would a new captain do differently?” said Henman. “You’re still going to have the same players. A coach or a captain is only as good as the players he has, and we need to produce better players. This issue runs much deeper than a defeat against Lithuania.”

Quotes courtesy of tennis.com.

Nadal Commits to Queen’s Club

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal has commited to particpating in the upcoming Queen’s Club event in London, England prior to the start of the Wimbledon Championships in June.

Winning the title in 2008, Nadal used the Queen’s Club event to spring board his chances of capturing his first Wimbledon title over Roger Federer.

Unable to defend his Queen’s title last year because of a knee injury, Nadal will be joined by reigning US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the 32 man field.

The Queens Club event takes place June 6-12.

IW: Order of Play For Thursday March 11, 2010

The order of play for the first day of the 2010 Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, California can be found below.

Order of Play For Thursday March 11, 2010.

Tursunov and Knowles Remain Injured

ATP World Tour veterans Dmitry Tursunov and Mark Knowles are hopeful of their return’s to competitive competition.

Tursunov, who had surgery on his foot on Feb. 19 to relieve nerve damage in his foot, is hopeful of a return to the circuit in June for The Wimbledon Championships.

“It’s going to be a long climb back,” Tursunov said Wednesday.

Knowles, who initially became injured during the first week of the season, was forced to withdraw from the semifinals of the Memphis, Tenn. event last month with partner Mardy Fish.

Knowles hopes to be back in action in Indian Wells this week.

Tursunov is currently ranking No. 119 in the world in singles, while Knowles is currently ranked No. 7 in the world in doubles.

Quotes courtesy of www.sacbee.com.

Ivanisevic Will Coach Cilic in Miami and Madrid?

Recent Australian Open semifinalist, and current season win total leader Marin Cilic will work with former Wimbledon champion and mentor Goran Ivanisevic at the upcoming Miami and Madrid Masters events.

Holding an 18-2 record on the year thus far, Cilic has captured two titles while reaching the top 10 for the first time.

Ivanisevic, who takes credit for spotting Cilic as a junior prodigy, sent the youngster to Italy to train with his former coach Bob Brett during his junior career. (Brett coincidentally is the current coach of Cilic.)

“Bob is still his coach but in Miami and Madrid I am going to be his replacement while he is not there,” Ivanisevic told the ATP Champions Tour. “I will be like a mentor to Marin.”

Quotes courtesy of tennis.com.

Federer Beaten by Bolt for Laureus Sports Awards?

Winning Sportsman of the year honors at the prestigious Laureus Sports Awards between 2005-2008, Roger Federer was once again beaten for the second straight year by Jamaican sprinter and three-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.

Federer had a stellar year in 2009, which saw him capture two of the four Grand Slam events, while retaining his No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal.

By contrast, Bolt lowered his 100 m and 200 m world records to 9.58 s and 19.19 s at the 2009 World Championships.

His record breaking margin during the 100 m was the highest since the introduction of digital time measurements. Bolts’ achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname “‘Lightning Bolt.”

Information courtesy of tennis.com, and wikipedia.com.

Preview for BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California

The season’s first Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, CA will bring forward a few compelling storylines.

Gone are the lonely days of February, where many matches and tournaments were played and won—none of which will really be remembered. The tennis season officially bursts into gear this week in Palm Springs, ushering in seven months of block-buster and meaningful tennis. The meat and potatoes of the season which occupies March through September—Indian Wells through the end of the US Open—remains the pulse, points, and prize money for the game’s best.

A few missing soldiers, who have been absent from action for quite sometime will be the featured attractions at the Tennis Garden in Indian Wells. None other than Roger Federer, who has been sidelined with a lung infection and resting after his Australian Open win will lead the field. Rafael Nadal, who has been busy recovering from a series of persistent knee ailments will bring his vigor and tenacity to Palm Springs, and finally the Masters 1000 man himself, Andy Murray, who thrives in the best of three set format, will be making his first appearance since his brief and controversial stint in Dubai.

I’d be surprised to see nothing short of a Davis Cup hangover for the top players. Although the season has just begun, the back and forth grind through Europe and the United States could very well be a telling factor in this week’s results.

Nevertheless, we have a big tournament to cover here, and yours truly will be on site for the beginning of the festivities. I’m anxiously anticipating the “Hit for Haiti 2″ event, but there could very well be some cause for concern regarding the main draw.

Let’s now take a look at the top four seeds, and their respective quarters.

Federer’s Quarter:

Funny isn’t it, Federer is still the man to beat in men’s tennis, yet he hasn’t played a competitive match since January. The ultra fluid Swiss, who is a three-time champion at the event, remains in harm’s way of a recent lung infection and undetermined form. One can never really bet against Federer, but considering his nonchalant approach to his post-Australian schedule, you’d have to think that something could go wrong for Federer and fast.

Federer is slated to face “life’s a party” Marcos Baghdatis in the third-round, with crafty slicer and dicer Radek Stepanek in the round-of-16. Although Federer would be favored against both foes, both players have the weaponry to cause chaos for the top seed. Baghdatis in particular could give Federer something to think about considering his recent run of good form.

Other potential semifinal candidates in this section could include: Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Andy Roddick. The French contingent may find it difficult to make head-ways in the desert considering their Davis Cup heroics over the weekend. Roddick, who has been resting an injured shoulder injury, has been hard at work with California resident Larry Stefanki finetuning his hard-court game. Roddick has yet to win a title in Indian Wells, but could put forth the required effort to complete his quintet of Masters 1000 events on hard-courts.

We’re all aware of Roddick’s dismal record against Federer lifetime—and trust me, it hurts Andy more than anything—but what we must also remember about the veteran American is that his attitude, and blue-colored self-belief, will always resinate through each and every event that he plays.

I know what you’re thinking: Two wins in 21 tries doesn’t leave much in the way for Roddick to prevail in this section. But when taking into account Federer’s inactivity since Melbourne, coupled with Roddick’s recent rest and practice in Palm Springs, a strong claim for an upset could be in order.

Pick: Roddick

Djokovic Quarter:

Entering his first big event with the No. 2 ranking, Djokovic will have the expectation of a deep run plastered on the back of his new Sergio Tacchini attire.

Capturing the title in 2008, Djokovic helped propel his boisterous Davis Cup team into the quarterfinals last weekend, while defending the first title of his career the week before in Dubai.

Considering his recent wear and tear, I’d normally be reluctant to pick Djokovic in reaching the latter stages of the event. But when analyzing his section of the draw, the word “cupcakeish” screams out like the Serb’s players’ box. With no one in sight to challenge Djokovic until the quarterfinals, I’d leave the task of an upset to either No. 11 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero or Tour trailblazer Marin Cilic.

Ferrero had an incredible month in February, which included winning two titles, and recording a 14-1 record. The veteran Spaniard will be eager to prove his mettle on hard-courts, while making tennis fans respect his recent success on clay. Cilic on the other hand has performed well on hard-courts this season—winning two titles and making the final four in Australia. Cilic remains the clear favorite for break out player of the year, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he made Indian Wells the grounds for his biggest title to date.

Trailing Djokovic 4-0 in career meetings, Cilic appears to be on the cusp of figuring out his Serbian nemesis.

Djokovic, to me anyway, will need some time to recover from his marathon win over John Isner in DC action, while continuing his acquaintance with the No. 2 spot. The aforementioned recipe could very result in an upset of the vibrant Serbian—or Cilic’s skill-set could simply be too good for the rest of the field.

At any rate…

Pick: Cilic

Nadal Quarter:

What up, Rafa? Out of action for nearly six weeks, the defending champion will receive a resonating welcome to the Tennis Garden when he makes his return to his den this weekend. Keeping himself busy with a Gypsy, and a recovering knee, Nadal’s level of play and result in California is honestly unknown. Having a workable opening few rounds, Nadal will begin his title defense with two qualifiers and unheralded Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the third-round.

Nadal’s concerns could heighten in the quarterfinals with a collision course with the future of American tennis. Both Isner and Sam Querrey, who made the US proud over the weekend with their diligent Davis Cup performances, could face Nadal in the final eight. At this point, I’d say that either Isner or Querrey could upset Nadal, with both youngsters utilizing their commanding serve and forehand combinations to power through the 2010 season. Querrey’s game is slightly better suited to the Palm Springs desert, while Isner has proven that his size and heart have no boundaries.

If Nadal can squeeze past his super-sized American foes, either Nikolay Davydenko, or Fernando Verdasco would be his likely quarterfinal opponents.

Davydenko is far from his best form, and could very well withdraw before he strikes a single forehand. Verdasco, a quarterfinalist last year, will be coming in off of an injured back, while adamantly tweaking his new Yonex stick. To me, Isner and Querrey remain Nadal’s greatest adversaries in his quarter.

Nadal, if anything, has always provided his legion of fans with the courage and intensity that has allowed him to become one of the most prolific tennis players in the modern era. He will need every last bit of his mojo if he is to preserve through the traitorous field in Indian Wells this year.

You’d be hard pressed to find a single player or fan (love him or hate him) that won’t admit that a draw with Nadal’s name present makes for better theatre.

It is for that reason of the greater good that Nadal should reach at least his fifth final four in Indian Wells.

Pick: Nadal

Murray Quarter:

Falling apart and putting it back together has always been Murray’s method of operation. Just when we think the steady Scot is playing too defensive for our liking, a curving forehand winner around the umpire and his water bottle snaps off of his racket. By contrast, just when we feel that Murray is ready to make that defining push to greater pastures and triumph in a Major championship, we’re left with the words, “I can cry like Roger, it’s too bad I can’t play like him.”

Well, here’s the good news for Murray and his Union Jack crew of supporters: The world No. 4 relishes the opportunity to shine in a best of three set format, and he’s proven on countless occasions that he can succeed.

Beginning with a relatively easy draw, Murray could face his first real challenge against either Ivo Karlovic or David Ferrer in the quarterfinals. Neither player will likely defeat Murray, but both players could very test the defending finalist and take a set.

The bottom half of Murray’s quarter consists of “slug-em ’til you drop” Robin Soderling and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Again, both Soderling and Tsonga have shown their skills throughout the past year; both will be coming into Indian Wells tired and slightly injured.

I’d certainly be shocked to see Murray go down before the semifinals, and moreover, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t capture his first Masters 1000 title in the California.

Pick: Murray

Semifinals: Roddick vs. Murray; Nadal vs. Cilic

Finals: Murray vs. Cilic

Champion: Murray

Talk soon, everyone.

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