Order of Play for Friday March 12, 2010.

Indian Wells, CA—

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.

by: Rob York

If you’re a tennis follower, you’ve probably heard it before: Little guys don’t have the power to reach the top of the game.

If any “little” guy were likely to disprove that notion it’d have been Sébastien Grosjean. Now 31, Grosjean stands at 5’9” and weighs in at about 160 pounds. Now 31, he’s been a dangerous presence on the tour for more than a decade, thanks to his great speed, surprisingly punchy serve and ability to hit generate explosive forehands that belied his size.

He has been a regular, if not constant presence in the game since he introduced himself to the tennis-viewing public in 1998, reaching the fourth round on the lawns of Wimbledon. There he fell to Pete Sampras, who certainly knew a thing or two about grass, and the following year he reached his first ever Masters Series final in Miami.

In the early goings of the decade the Frenchman ironically nicknamed “Big John” established himself as a big threat on all surfaces, winning his first tournament on the grass of Halle in 2000 and the semis of both the Australian Open and Roland Garros the following year.

It’s through his 2001 RG result that Grosjean first attracted international attention, while earning his place as a footnote in tennis history. Facing none other than Andre Agassi in front of a hometown crowd, the young Frenchman appeared headed for quick exit, having been outmuscled in the first set 6-1.

Since then, much speculation about this match has focused on what happened to Agassi next: With the former President Clinton arriving to take premium seating, the momentum of the match swung wildly, as Grosjean dropped just one game each in the second and third sets. Though the American dug in for the fourth, Grosjean’s momentum carried him to a 6-3 win, thus securing him the match.

The media would pepper the American legend in the post-match presser, asking him if the presence of the former head of state had any bearing on the result. Though lapses in his play seemingly coincided with Clinton’s presence on the court, Agassi (and Clinton himself) denied this, saying the change in the match’s tempo had more to do with the man on the other side of the net.

We may never know for sure, but Agassi’s side of the story does fit the description of the Frenchman’s game: Often content to use his legs to track down his opponent’s shots and force either mistakes or poor approach shots, Grosjean has long been know for his ability to suddenly switch to offense, firing aces or blasting forehands with minimal effort.

This ability remained useful throughout that season, as he won his first (and only) Masters Shield that fall in Paris. With this win, he qualified for the year-end championships in Sydney. Once there, he reached the finals before losing to world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt.

In 2003 he picked up a longer racket and managed to fight his way to the semis of Wimbledon (a feat he duplicated the next year), a big achievement for a small player on the surface most rewarding of wingspan.

Yet, he never got over the semifinal hump at the Slams: His first opportunity at the 2001 AO against countryman Arnaud Clement – who is listed as one inch shorter than Grosjean – will probably remain his best chance. Up two sets to love against Clement, Grosjean failed to finish off his compatriot in one of the worst latter-round closes in Grand Slam history.

In every subsequent semi appearance, nerves were irrelevant. At that year’s Roland Garros, the heavy bounce of Alex Corretja’s groundstrokes wore down Grosjean. His two Wimbledon semis were notable achievements, but he was thoroughly overmatched once he got there, succumbing in ’03 to Mark Philippoussis in straight sets, and did no better the following year against Roger Federer, successor to Sampras’ grass court control.

Ultimately, what so surprised Agassi that one special summer – sudden bursts of power – has left Grosjean unable to rise higher in the rankings than No. 4, unable to win more than four career titles, and stuck two hurdles from Grand Slam glory. Agassi, who took the ball earlier and hit with more consistent pace than his contemporaries, won eight majors by making his opponents work harder than he did.

Roger Federer, with the most fully developed game in tennis history, hasn’t had to rely on one or two shots to win matches. Even Philippoussis, who only went past the semis of a major twice, had an overwhelming serve used to conserve his energy.

While Grosjean could succeed on the slow clay of Paris and the quick lawns of London, he never made it past the third round of the US Open. Though New York’s hard courts should have been the middle ground between Paris and London’s extremes, it’s easy for an undersized player to burn himself out before the game’s last major.

Still, he perseveres on tour, having won his last title on home soil in 2007 at Lyon. This year he has accepted a wild card into the BMW Tennis Championship in Sunrise, Florida, scheduled to start March 14. It will be his second appearance at the event, having reached the final in 2008.

He’ll be one of many players – some of them young, some of them veterans – looking to use the event as a springboard to better things. We’ll soon find out whether Grosjean, no longer so young, can use his experience to compensate for his size.

Granollers, 23, began his year by defeating current world No. 7 Robin Soderling during the first-round of the Australian Open for his biggest win to date. Capturing two doubles titles on the ATP World Tour in 2010, Granollers was victorious during the first week of the season in Chennai, India, with partner Santiago Ventura, which was followed by his second title of the year in Costa do Saupie, Brazil, with Pablo Cuevas.

Ranked No. 25 in the world in doubles, Granollers shared an intriguing look into his unique game style; his love for soccer, and why he believes having one coach is ultimately the best decision for a player.

Granollers is currently participating in a Challenger level event in Rabat, Morocco, as the No. 5 seed.

Interview by Nima Naderi:

Q. How much confidence did you take away from defeating Robin Soderling in the first-round of the Australian Open?

A. It was a very important match. It was the first time I expressed top 10 level and it was very important to become aware that I am able to play on a top 10 level. It gave me a lot of confidence.

Q. Capturing your first career title at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in 2008, what components of your game or confidence do you need to improve in recapturing that level of play?

A. I am a better player than the Marcel who won at Houston. I am a much more mature player with more game solutions then two years ago. For me, winning in Houston came as a surprise. It was the first ATP event in which I was direct acceptance in the main draw and I won it. During the weeks before Houston I had won many matches on Challenger level, and I was used to winning many matches in a row. That is what I have been missing lately, winning many matches in a row [to] arrive at the end of the week still competing. I need to get used to winning.

Q. You recently exited the world’s top 100 after being ranked No. 44 in the world (February 2008). Is regaining a top 50 ranking your priority for this season?

A. Yes, definitely. I believe that the strategy and the work that I did during the winter and these first [few] months [will] make the top 50 a natural and realistic goal for this season.

Q. Your game consists of very low take-backs on both your forehand and backhand groundstrokes. What would you attribute to your unique style of play. Did you ever encounter a coach trying to alter your strokes?

A. I did work on my forehand take-back last year with my former coach Galo Blanco. My take back on the forehand side is now shorter and a bit higher. This gives me much more power on the forehand side, and I can use the forehand more to come in and follow the stroke to the net. It has been a good change.

Q. Playing well on both hard and clay-courts, what would you consider your favorite surface and favorite tournament?

A. I don’t know what to answer. I also think that I play the same level on both courts, and so show also the results. I like both surfaces, and I think that it is necessary if you really aim to the high rankings nowadays.

Q. You currently have two coaches working with you (David de Miguel, Alex Calatrava). Do you find that having more than one coach aids in your overall improvement, or have you ever encountered a conflict of interest?

A. Well, I travelled only three weeks with Alex Calatrava, when David was busy elsewhere, I can’t really say that I have two coaches now. Sometimes when you work in Academies it happens to travel with different coaches, and on the mental side it can be helpful not to see always the same face every day at breakfast and on the court. At the same time one coach needs to have the leading role, and the others need to execute the program that the main coach gives. I prefer having one coach.

Q. How important has Davis Cup competition been to your career? Do you enjoy the team atmosphere of Davis Cup along side your countrymen?

A. Davis Cup is extremely important. Now, after my real debut ( I was in the team last year but didn’t play) I can tell it is an incredible experience. The connection with the people, the team, the media. Everything gets more intensive. I must say that I have not been nervous at any time during my debut, all the team has helped me a lot, knowing it was my first match. I really like to represent my country and to be so close to the Spanish fans. It is one of those experiences you don’t forget.

Q. You’ve increased your doubles ranking recently to No. 25 in the world. Do you find that playing doubles increases your level of play for singles, in terms of working on your volleys and return game?

A. Yes, I think playing doubles helps a lot to improve your singles. The serve, the returns and the volleys get more precise, because you have a smaller court and you decide with your partner where to hit. Doubles also helps me very much to regain my confidence. If I lose first round in singles, but keep going in doubles all week until the final, I get confident to the next singles tournament as well.

Q. With many years left in your career, what would you like to accomplish before you retire?

A. A tournament that is very important to me, and where I never played well is Barcelona. I am a member of this club, like my brother. My parents, my friends and relatives come to watch me play and I would give anything to win that tournament. Of course, I would also love to win a Slam event or another Davis Cup.

Q. Finally, if you could disclose one locker room story that the public is not aware of, what would it be?

A. Well, in the locker it’s all about soccer. Most of the Spanish players are for Barcelona or Madrid. We discuss a lot in the lockers about soccer, but [we] can be pretty loud and annoying for the other players. At this time, being a fan of Espanol they are giving me quite a bit of sh…! I don’t worry, and wait until Espanol beats them to pay them back!

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.

“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.

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.

Nima will be covering the event live from Indian Wells so stay tuned for loads of insides scoops, interviews and in-depth analysis. As always, you can listen to our podcast below or subscribe to the #1 tennis podcast on the web through iTunes and never miss an episode.

Order of Play For Thursday March 11, 2010.

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.