Video: Federer’s Latest Tweener

Not waiting until the final weekend to pull off the shot of the event this time around, No. 2 seed Roger Federer ignited Monday’s night session with his latest tweener shot.

Some have argued that Federer’s tweener against Novak Djokovic during last year’s semifinals was better, but there’s no doubting that his latest trick shot was one of the all time greats.

Pilot Pen Tennis: Stakhovsky and Istomin Reach Finals

Pilot Pen Tennis—New Haven, Connecticut

No. 9 seed Sergiy Stakhovsky will battle No. 12 seed Denis Istomin for the Pilot Pen Tennis title on Saturday.

Needing one hour and 22 minutes to defeat Thiemo de Bakker 6-3, 6-4 during semifinal action, Stakhovsky never faced a break point, while striking seven aces and winning 86 percent of his first serve points.

Advancing to his second final of the season, Stakhovsky will aim to become the second Ukrainian player other than Andrei Medvedev to capture two Tour titles in one season.

Istomin also created a bit of history on Friday by putting himself in prime position to become the first player from Uzbekistan to win a Tour title. Clipping Viktor Troicki 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-2, Istomin needed two hours and 10 minutes to prevail.

Breaking the serve of his Serbian opponent on six of 10 occasions, Istomin improved to 26-19 on the season, and will face Stakhovsky in a first time meeting on Saturday.

The winner of tomorrow’s final will receive 250 ATP World Tour points, and $93,630 in prize money.

Movers and Shakers: Federer Finding his Form; Nadal Finding it Difficult

With another exquisite week of Masters action in the books, let’s now spare a few thoughts on those players who excelled last week in Cincinnati, and a few words for the not-so-successful.

Roger Federer: Is Federer back? Well, the all-time Slam champion proved that with a little bit of luck, and some fined-tuned all-court play, that he still had the goods to capture a Masters title. Leapfrogging into the quarterfinals after his early round opponents either couldn’t take to the court or retired with injury, Federer was fresh for the weekend’s action.

Dismantling Nikolay Davydenko and Marcos Baghdatis, Federer stepped up his court movement and backhand from his trip to Toronto. Dropping the hammer on his serve when he was in trouble, Federer will enter the US Open with the renewed confidence that his year will include a second Major title.

His Australian Open victory does seem like a long time ago, but a potential seventh straight final in New York could become a vivid memory for months to come.

Mardy Fish: The veteran American kept his chin up and socks low for another spectacular showing this summer. Defeating a cast of the who’s who on the ATP World Tour, Fish solidified himself as a conversation player heading into the Open. Continuing to improve on his forehand wing, Fish pounded his serve and backhand on countless occasions, and almost had enough to oust Federer in the final.

With a good draw and continued belief heading into New York, Fish could find himself fighting for the grand prize on the final weekend.

Marcos Baghdatis: The shot-making Cypriot added to his wonderful form in Washington by upsetting Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, while pulling in his best performance of the season. Baghdatis’ second serve was questionable—the reason that he hasn’t won a Slam to date—but he did prove that his first serve was almost unreturnable.

Proving that his early ball-striking can rival anyone in the sport, Baghdatis might be pushing his luck by playing in New Haven this week, but he’ll still be a legitimate dark horse at Flushing Meadows.

Andy Roddick: Blowing the lead of leads against Fish in semifinals, Roddick will leave Cincinnati with many positives to draw off. His competitiveness appeared to back on track (that seemed to be an issue during his loss to Gilles Simon in Washington), and his on-court energy lasted through the heat and humidity of Ohio.

Roddick’s ground game was a little passive for my liking throughout Cincy, but his serve was razor sharp for the most part. Competing under best of five set matches will be a totally different story, and Roddick’s energy level will be tested from the get go. I don’t think Roddick will win in New York this year, but he could make a few night matches memorable.

One final note on Roddick: He jumped back into the top 10 this week.

Rafael Nadal: A frazzled Mallorcan (not a description that usually goes hand-in-hand with the world’s top ranked player) was evident throughout the event. Nadal never looked comfortable in Mason, and his practice time heading into New York will have to be increased if he’s to bag the final link in his Major collection.

The trouble for Nadal heading into the US Open could be that he’s completely healthy. I know that may sound strange, but it’s a scenario that he’s not accustomed to feeling. Having his knees in working order, Nadal seemed to be overthinking his shots for the second straight week, and that could hurt him at the year’s final Slam.

His backhand was hit into the net; his forehand was either struck long or too short, and although his serve improved from Toronto, it appeared slow compared to his competition.

I’ll provide more thoughts on Nadal in the coming days, but the Spaniard’s chances at the Open are definitely not the best.

Some final thoughts on Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

Murray was grumpy when he was losing, but I wouldn’t take his loss to Fish as an alarming concern. Murray has logged a lot of court time this summer, and his game will be ready to go come New York. The heat could be a factor for him, and if he can fight the urge and not resort to playing predominate defense, he remains a top three favorite for the event.

Djokovic remains a question mark from many standpoints. He didn’t play poorly in either Toronto or Cincinnati, but he did suffer from the heat at both tournaments, and his serve and forehand continued to misfire. The Serb’s inability to find the court or his fitness heading into New York can’t be good for his confidence, and although I don’t think he’ll crash out early, I can’t in good faith pencil him in as a top tier favorite.

Enjoy New Haven this week, and I’ll be back with some US Open thoughts in a few days.

Nima

Pilot Pen Tennis: Men’s and Women’s Draw Preview and Analysis

by: Nima Naderi

Pilot Pen Tennis—New Haven, Connecticut

The final week of the US Open Olympus Series will feature one of only four events on the calender year where both men and women compete at the same event. While the Pilot Pen tournament is usually sparse in star power due to the US Open taking place the very next week, this year’s event will feature hometown hero James Blake, and world No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki.

With Blake suffering from various injuries throughout the season, and Wozniacki becoming the forerunner favorite at the US Open with the withdrawals of Serena Williams and Justine Henin, the 48-player men’s field, and the 30-draw women’s field, will provide a final indicator towards the favorites heading into New York.

There are no top 10 players taking part in the men’s field this year, with Marcos Baghdatis, Thomaz Bellucci, Fernando Gonzalez, and Mardy Fish rounding out the top four seeds. Other notables players to watch out for in New Haven will be No. 5 seed Andrey Golubev, No. 7 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov, Taylor Dent, and No. 11 seed Xavier Malisse.

Fish could be coming in fatigued after his world-beater effort in Cincinnati, and his productivity at the event could be limited. The same could be said for Baghdatis, who defeated Rafael Nadal during his semifinal march in Ohio. Fernando Gonzalez will see his first action since injuring his knee at the French Open, and although he will be eager to put forth a good effort, I wouldn’t expect much from the swashbuckling Chilean.

The men’s field will likely be dominated by a multitude of upsets, and it would be wise to either choose a few of the lower ranked seeded players, or an aspiring American to make some noise.

Dolgopolov may just be the seeded player to look at this week, while Taylor Dent’s menacing serve could provide him with a stellar result. Malisse has also been playing some great ball as of late, and the talented Belgium remains one of the elite ball-strikers on the circuit.

When looking through the top half of the draw, I’d say that a healthy Fish could continue his dominance, but one has to consider that he may pull out and conserve his energy for New York. Baghdatis remain the logic favorite to reach the semifinals, but he hasn’t shown the ability to provide solid back-to-back weeks on Tour.

In saying that, I like the chances of Dent and Thiemo de Bakker to advance to the semifinals, with the young Dutch player reaching his first Tour-level final.

The bottom half of the draw would likely carry the upset trend, and that could result in a fortunate week for Dolgopolov and Malisse. Both players can hit any shot in the book, and considering their flat hit strokes, a semifinal showdown is not out of the question. Blake’s campaign will be closely monitored, but his form as of late has been quite miserable. Although everyone on the campus of Yale would like to see Blake provide a deep run, I have a feeling that his week could end after his first or second-round match.

Viktor Troicki is another powerful hard-court player to watch for, and his draw does seem rewarding until a potential third-round contest against Dolgopolov. No. 2 seed Bellucci always gives 100 percent when he’s on-court, but his western forehand and deep court positioning will be exposed early on.

Denis Istomin has picked up his level of play this year, and he could be in line for a few upsets. He did suffer an injury in his second-round contest against Roger Federer last week, and his movement could still be hindered. I still like Malisse and Dolgopolov to come through in this half of the draw, with the veteran Belgium defeating de Bakker in the final.

Onto the women’s field which will be highlighted by four top 10 players. While Wozniacki put forth a confident performance in Montreal, I see no reason for her to stop in New Haven. The Dane is super fit, and does hold the ability to grind through players like no one else on Tour. Her game is full of junk balls and moon balls, but there’s no denying her effectiveness on court. Wozniacki could face Melanie Oudin in her second-round match, a contest that would prove to be more important to the young American than the defending champ.

Oudin hasn’t fulfilled her potential since setting the tennis world on its head last year at the US Open. On the eve of her return to New York, Oudin would be best served to come up with a compelling performance in New Haven, in order to alleviate the pressures of her upcoming Flushing Meadows campaign. Based on what I’ve seen from Oudin as of late, I think it’s safe to say that she’ll have to “believe” and then some in order to recreate her magic of a year ago.

Wozniacki could face No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva or No. 6 seed Marion Bartoli in the semifinals, with either Flavia Pennetta or Alisa Kleybanova in the quarterfinals. Bartoli all but choked her chances away from a third set with Victoria Azarenka in Montreal last week, but I did appreciate her fighting spirit, and that should pay off for her in the coming weeks.

Dementieva has improved her serve a great deal over the past year, but she still remains short on match play, and that could cost her against the top seeded Dane.

All in all, I like what Wozniacki is currently bringing to the court, and a finals appearance in New Haven seems likely.

The bottom half of the draw will feature this year’s French Open champion and finalist. While Francesca Schiavone managed to pick up her level of play in Montreal last week, Sam Stosur was forced to pull out of the event with an injury. Stosur has encountered much better success than Schiavone since the Roland Garros final, but her form on hard-courts hasn’t matched her proficiency on the clay.

Stosur is seeded No. 2 this week in New Haven, and she could get a test right out of the gate against Jie Zheng. No. 8 seed Nadia Petrova could loom as a potential quarterfinal opponent for Stosur, a match up that could spell the end of the Australian’s week. Petrova hasn’t quite been at her best this season, but her intense baseline driven game can upset any woman in the world.

With US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer in this section, Schiavone could be dusted in the quarterfinal round. The trouble for Schiavone remains that former world No. 1 Dinara Safina will be her first-round opponent. The two slugged out a third-round meeting in Canada last week, a match that Schiavone sliced her way to victory. Something tells me though, that Safina won’t lose two straight matches against the Italian.

While Maria Kirilenko and Daniela Hantuchova also lurk in this section, I’d say that Wickmayer and Petrova remain the two players due for a big result. However, although I’m taking Petrova to reach the finals, I still like Wozniacki to ride her wave of confidence into the US Open with a victory in Connecticut.

Cincinnati Masters: Order of Play for August 20, 2010

Friday’s order of play at the Cincinnati Masters will highlight quarterfinal action. The top four seeds will all take to the court, led by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray. Mardy Fish and Marcos Baghdatis will also be in action.

For Friday’s order of play from Cincinnati, click the link below.

Order of play for Friday August 20, 2010.

Rogers Cup Unveils iPhone App; First Ever Masters Event App

Tennis Canada unleashed the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank iPhone app on Wednesday that will be available during the two weeks of the world-class tennis events in Toronto and Montreal. Previous to this, only the four Grand Slams offered the iPhone App, making Rogers Cup the only other professional event to supply such exposure for tennis enthusiasts.

“With an innovative partner such as Rogers Communications, it was important for Tennis Canada to lead the charge in marketing technology,” said Adam Bloom, director, marketing and promotions, Tennis Canada. “Fans will stay connected with all of the action at this year’s Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in both Toronto and Montreal. We’re proud to be one of the first tennis events to offer an App.”

The supplier for this Rogers Cup app, _Indusblue_, is a Toronto based web, Flash and iPhone development agency. For all iPhone users, the app can be downloaded for free from the Apple’s App Store online. Smartphone users are also able to receive Rogers Cup coverage by visiting m.rogerscup.com in English and m.couperogers.com for French.

Additionally, Rogers Cup supporters will be able to take advantage of free wireless connection on-site during both events and will get caught up on all the tournament action.

Rogers Cup presented by National Bank runs from August 7-15, 2010 at Rexall Centre on the campus of York University in Toronto. The Montreal tournament takes place August 13-22, 2010 at Uniprix Stadium.

Blake and Nalbandian See Action in Washington

Legg Mason Tennis Classic—Washington, D.C.

Former top five players James Blake and David Nalbandian will highlight day two action at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

Blake, who reached the quarterfinals in Los Angeles last week, will face countryman Ryan Sweeting in first-round action. Currently ranked No. 105 in the world, Blake will face his lower ranked countryman in a first career meeting. Admitting that his knee injury is responding well to the anti-inflammatories that he’s taking, Blake has renewed belief that he can once again reenter the higher ranks of the sport.

Davis Cup hero Nalbandian will be making his first official tour return since losing in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000. Aiding his Davis Cup team to a recent 3-2 victory over Russia in the quarterfinal round, Nalbandian will test his hip and abdominal muscle in a first-round showdown against Rajeev Ram. Never facing his American opponent, Nalbandian will be making his first appearance in Washington this year.

Elsewhere, a packed Monday in Washington will feature the following matches:

Igor Kunitysn vs. Kei Nishikori; Denis Istomin vs. Leonardo Mayer; Viktor Troicki vs. Kevin Kim; Lukas Lacko vs. Thiemo De Bakker; Illya Marchenko vs. Rainer Schuettler; Dmitry Tursunov vs. Teymuraz Gabashvili, and Benjamin Becker vs. Grega Zemlja.

Sunday’s day one action in D.C. saw Xavier Malisse defeat Santiago Giraldo 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Horacio Zeballos move past Michal Przysiezny 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Malisse will next face No. 12 seed Julien Benneteau, while Zeballos will take on No. 8 seed Marcos Baghdatis in second-round action.

For updated scores from all of today’s matches, click the live scores link at the top of the page, or for live streaming from Washington, click here.

Querrey Digs Deep to Advance to Los Angeles Final

Farmer Classic—Los Angeles, California

Defending champ Sam Querrey needed three sets and some good fortune to fight past Janko Tipsarevic during the semifinals of the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Prevailing 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-4, Querrey reached his fifth final of the year in two hours and 48 minutes. Trailing 5-1 in the second set tiebreak, Querrey overcame a potential straight set loss by maintaining his composure while using his blistering serve and forehand to level the match at a set apiece.

Tipsarevic, who was visibly disgusted by the loss of his insurmountable lead, shattered his racket after dropping the second set. Quickly rebounding to break Querrey for the first time during the opening game of the third set, Tipsarevic would lose his lead at 3-2 serving, while faltering on his serve once again during the 10th game of the final set.

Improving to 32-15 on the year, Querrey ended the nail-biting encounter with 19 aces, 80 percent of his first serve points won, and two breaks of serve.

The lanky Las Vegas native will next face top seed Andy Murray or No. 4 seed Feliciano Lopez in Sunday’s final.

Starace Advances to Umag Final; Murray and Querrey Remain on Collision Course in LA

ATP Studena Croatia Open—Umag

Unseeded Italian Potito Starace advanced to his third career ATP World Tour title on Saturday at the Croatia Open in Umag.

Defeating Juan Ignacio Chela 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2, Starace improved to 21-17 on the season, while evening his career head-to-head series against Chela to three wins a piece. Striking 21 forehand winners in total, Starace continued to display the confidence that had taken him to two previous semifinal rounds this year. Winning 61 percent of his total service points, Starace broke Chela’s serve on seven of 10 occasions, while saving 14-17 break points against his delivery.

Previously losing in the finals of Kitzbuhel and Valencia (both in 2007), Starace will next face either defending finalist and No. 4 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, or countryman and good friend Andreas Seppi.

Ferrero breezed past Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinal round, while Seppi ousted No. 2 seed Jurgen Melzer 6-1, 6-4.

Farmers Classic—Los Angeles, California

Top seed Andy Murray and No. 2 seed Sam Querrey will continue their respective paths to Sunday’s final in Los Angeles with semifinal matches on Saturday.

After encountering a tough first set against Alejandro Falla, Murray was razor sharp in advancing to the semifinals with a 7-6(3), 6-1 scoreline. Facing Feliciano Lopez on Saturday, Murray will take a 2-0 series lead against his Spanish opponent. Lopez saved a match point in defeating James Blake in a three set thriller during the quarterfinals.

Murray, who has not picked up a Tour title all season, recently split with his long time coach Miles Maclagan earlier this week.

Elsewhere, defending champ Sam Querrey will continue his LA campaign courtesy of a magical victory against Rainer Schuetter on Friday evening. Facing match game down twice in the latter stages of the third set, Querrey broke his German opponent on both occasions before utilizating his cannon serve to prevail in the deciding tiebreak.

Facing the always entertaining Janko Tipsarevic in the final four, Querrey will take a 1-0 series lead against his Serbian opponent. The pair have not played since the former Indianapolis event in 2006. Tipsarevic put forth a riveting serving performance to defeat No. 3 seed Marcos Baghdaits in straight sets.

Querrey, who already has three tournament titles to his credit this year, defeated Carsten Ball during last year’s title match.

For updated scores from all of today’s matches, click the live-scores section at the top of the page, or for live streaming of today’s action, click here.

Gasquet Previals in Gstaad; Dolgopolov Advances in Umag; Querrey Begins Title Defense in Los Angeles

Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad—Switzerland

Former top 10 player Richard Gasquet, and recent Stuttgart champ Albert Montanes advanced to the quarterfinals in Gstaad on Wednesday.

Gasquet, who needed three sets to defeat Daniel Brands of Germany 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-0, used nine aces and 83 percent of his first serve points won to capture his 22nd match victory of the season.

Returning to action this week after missing Wimbledon with a back injury, Gasquet will next face No. 4 seed Montanes, who defeated Andreas Haider-Maurer 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

Montanes continued to enjoy a fantastic year on Tour which has seen him capture two Tour titles. After losing the first set to his No. 273 ranked opponent, Montanes crushed the inexperienced Austrian by breaking serve on five of eight opportunities.

Improving to 28-16 on the season, Montanes will attempt to win his first match against Gasquet during their second career meeting on Friday.

Elsewhere, Daniel Gimeno-Traver advanced to his second quarterfinal of the season by disposing of Andreas Beck 7-5, 6-4 in 85 minutes.

Gimeno-Traver will await the winner of Igor Andreev or Marco Chiudinelli for a place in the semifinals.

ATP Studena Croatia Open—Umag

Posting his second quarterfinal result of the season, No. 7 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov defeated hometown favorite Franco Skugor 7-6 (1), 6-3 during second-round action in Umag on Wednesday.

Continuing his breakout year on the circuit, Dolgopolov used his quick-draw groundgame to overpower his lower ranked opponent. Winning 69 percent of his total serve points, Dolgopolov saved all five break points against his delivery, while converting on two of five break point chances.

Winning his 11th match of the season, the young Ukrainian will next face either No. 4 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero or Pablo Cuevas. Ferrero, a former world No. 1 and French Open champ, has enjoyed a resurgent year which has feature two tournament titles.

Elsewhere, top seed and defending champ Nikolay Davydenko will attempt to change his recent losing streak when he faces Stephane Robert of France. Failing to win consecutive Tour matches since February, Davydenko’s loss of form could largely be attributed to the wrist injury he sustained in Rotterdam.

The Russian also recently parted ways with his brother Eduardo as his full-time coach.

The day’s final match will feature Simone Bolelli vs. Juan Ignacio Chela.

Farmers Classic—Los Angeles, California

Defending champ Sam Querrey will see his first action of this year’s US Open Series on Wednesday against Kevin Anderson.

Entering the event as the No. 2 seed, Querrey has enjoyed a terrific year on the circuit which has featured taking home titles on all three major surfaces.

Leading Anderson 2-0 in career head-to-head, Querrey will begin his long string of tour action, which will take him from Los Angeles all the way to the end of the US Open.

Defeating Carsten Ball in last year’s final, Querrey holds a 6-2 record at the event.

Elsewhere, Ryan Sweeting will take on No. 3 seed Marcos Baghdatis, No. 6 seed Janko Tipsarevic will battle Somdev Devvarman, and Rainer Schuettler will face Robby Ginepri.

Top seed Andy Murray will go up against Tim Smyczek during Thursday evening’s night session.

For updated scores from all of today’s matches, click the live-scores section at the top of the page, or for live streaming of today’s action, click here.

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