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Serena routs Stosur to roll into Charleston final
Williams needed less than an hour to dispatch second-seeded Samantha Stosur, 6-1, 6-1 and advance to the clay-court final.
“You know, I think it was just one of those days that I could have done anything against anybody,” Williams said.
There aren’t many people in the world who could’ve withstood Williams’ performance at the Family Circle Tennis Center. The 10th-ranked player was on her game from the start, winning the match’s first eight points and rarely letting Stosur catch a breath.
On Sunday, Williams will face Lucie Safarova, a 6-0, 6-0 winner over Polona Hercog, for the championship.
Stosur held serve to cut Williams’ lead to 2-1, then lost the next nine games. Stosur, who defeated Williams to win the U.S. Open title last September, got a loud cheer from the crowd when she prevented Williams from shutting her out in the second set.
Williams hit a forehand winner to end the match moments later, and eliminated Stosur from a tournament for the second straight week. Williams beat Stosur 7-5, 6-3 last week at the Sony Ericsson Open, serving 20 aces in the hard-court win.
Williams only had seven aces in this one, but was in command of nearly every shot she hit.
“I have to say this is probably the best match I’ve played in my career, either in a long time or it’s up there in the top five,” Williams said.
Stosur is a skilled 28-year-old player ranked fifth and rising. She combines a powerful serve with the fitness to chase down about any shot. Stosur rallied on Friday to defeat Serena’s older sister, Venus, and was seeking to become just the eighth player to beat both Williams sisters in the same tournament.
Serena quickly made sure that didn’t happen.
She cracked serves over 100 mph, landed returns in both corners and frustrated Stosur at every turn.
Stosur moved up on Williams’ serve, varied her own serves—anything to slow down Williams’ relentless march. Stosur hoped to regroup in the second set, yet Williams’ powerful serves and ground strokes kept coming.
Already down 30-love in the second set’s opening game, Williams sent a rocket shot into the right corner. Stosur tried to chase, realized she couldn’t and slowed her movement, looking to the sky in frustration.
“She was way too good today,” Stosur said. “I think she was pretty happy with the way she played.”
Who wouldn’t be?
The hole in Williams’ Hall-of-Fame resume is clearly on clay. She owns 13 Grand Slam titles, but just one coming at the French Open. Williams defeated sister Venus in 2002 for the championship at Roland Garros. Serena reached the semifinals there the next year and has not made it past the quarterfinals in five appearances since.
Williams has gotten only one day’s practice on clay since the Sony Ericsson event ended. Still, she believes she’s sliding better than she has in recent years and excited about her prospects on the surface this year.
The Family Circle Cup is a good start to her season on clay, she said. But that’s all it is, a start.
“I’m trying to play like this at the end of the clay-court season,” she said. “So we’ll see.”
Her made only mistake in the match, at least in her eyes—a full-blown 360-degree, pirouette after a winning forehand that had her laughing as she moved ahead 2-0 in the second set.
“I didn’t mean to spin,” Williams said. “I was on clay and I kept spinning and I was like, `God, this is so embarrassing right now. I hope nobody remembers this.”’
They’ll remember just about every Williams did in this one, that’s for sure.
Argentina takes 2-1 lead after 5-hour doubles win
Argentina won 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (6), 8-6 and will be strong favorites to clinch victory on the outdoor clay court in Sunday’s reverse singles when Argentina’s top player, Juan Martin del Potro, leads off against Cilic. Nalbandian would face Karlovic in the last singles.
It was a day of errors. Argentina double-faulted 14 times with 11 for Croatia, and each team blew numerous chances to take advantage.
“It was very tough,” said Nalbandian, who lost a five-hour singles on Friday against Cilic. “The wind was a problem for all of us. But we took advantage of some opportunities. Conditions yesterday and today were very difficult.”
Asked if he was tired after 10 hours of tennis in two days, he replied: “No, I’m OK.”
The tennis wasn’t great, but the atmosphere was football-like at Parque Roca with 14,000 fans cheering or jeering nearly every point.
Tied at 6-6 in the final set with Karlovic serving, Argentina broke the big-serving Croat when Cilic hit a volley into the net. Schwank served out the final game with Argentina winning on Cilic’s backhand return into the net.
Croatia came out fast in the first set and broke Argentina in the eighth game on Nalbandian’s double fault. Croatia closed out the set on Karlovic’s serve to win 6-3.
Both teams were broken on their first service games in the second set. After that it went to serve with Argentina taking the tightly contested tiebreaker 8-6.
That victory gave Argentina momentum in the third set with the South Americans breaking Cilic and Karlovic in their last two service games to win 6-3.
Nalbandian probably cost Argentina the fourth set. He double-faulted four times in the set—three times when Argentina was broken in the 11th game for Croatia’s 6-5 lead. He double-faulted again in the tiebreaker won 8-6 by Croatia.
Argentina has beaten Croatia in two previous quarterfinals, in 2002 in Buenos Aires, and in 2006 in Zagreb.
The Argentines have reached the Davis Cup final four times and have yet to win it. They lost last year’s final to Spain.
USA leads France 2-1 in Davis Cup quarterfinals
The Bryans, the top-ranked doubles team, have not lost a Davis Cup match since 2008. They were rarely troubled against a French pair that struggled to find any rhythm on the clay at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
“We were ready for a dogfight,” Bob Bryan said. “I thought we did a great job of not letting the crowd get too loud.”
On Sunday, No. 11 John Isner faced sixth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in singles. Teenager Ryan Harrison, ranked 66th will play No. 13 Gilles Simon.
“Jo is capable of beating him,” France captain Guy Forget said. “We’re better ranked than them, so we have to go out and win.”
Tsonga looked shaky at times when he beat the inexperienced Harrison in four sets on Friday. Isner’s huge serve and dominant forehand present a much bigger threat than Harrison’s shot-making.
“He wanted to play on clay, now we must go and get the win. We all have our duties and responsibilities,” Forget said. “It’s a heavyweight contest between two big hitters.”
On Saturday, the French pair lost their serve at the start of the first and second set. Although they showed more fight in the third set, the Bryans did not have to face a single break point.
The United States trailed 2-1 in the tiebreaker, but quickly rallied for a 5-2.
Llodra’s long forehand offered match point, which the Americans converted when Benneteau’s backhand down the line sailed out.
“We both served at a high percentage, that’s always key,” Mike Bryan said. “We’re good frontrunners, so we played hard.”
Forget was disappointed with how his players approached the match, and said they lacked composure.
The tone was set from the start when Llodra’s double fault gifted the Americans the lead, even though France had been 40-30 up in the opening game. Mike Bryan’s crisp volley made it 2-0 and Benneteau had to save a break point in the next game.
The last time the Bryans lost a Davis Cup match together was against France, four years ago, when Llodra played alongside Arnaud Clement.
Tipsarevic says Stepanek gave him the finger
Janko Tipsarevic accused Radek Stepanek of giving him the middle finger and calling him an ugly name after the Serb defeated the Czech in a gripping five-hour, five-set Davis Cup win in Prague. After a controversial handshake, Tipsarevic charged at Stepanek and had to be pulled back by Serbian captain Bogdan Obradovic
"I would just like all of you to know what kind of person is Radek Stepanek," Tipsarevic told reporters. "I have this thing that I always believe the best in people, and even though players are telling that he can be not so nice on the court, I never believed it — even though I played him three times. As you can see my behavior on the court was, I think, fair enough. When he fell, I crossed the net to see if he needs help. I was always letting him to pass the net first. I even two times admitted a ball (was in) that was questionable After five hours and 10 minutes instead of shaking my hand, he gave me he the middle finger and told me I am stinking — something bad, it's a swear word. [I] can understand that somebody like him can be angry after losing a match, especially after having so many chances [Stepanek had three match points]. But doing this? Not that I would never invent something like this. Unbelievable. I never, ever, ever, thought that I would experience this, especially because of my behavior on court. I'm not saying I'm a golden boy, the Stefan Edberg of men's tennis, but at least I know what is right and what is not right. There is just one word for this: it is pathetic. Nothing else."
Tipsarevic later tweeted a picture of their handshake at net where it appears that Stepanek might have been giving him the finger and tweeted that: "It really is a shame that a great tennis nation like CZE is represented by someone like him."
Stepanek said that they shook hands normally.
Despite the hard-fought win, Tipsarevic told Davis Cup.com that it was "One of my worst performances ever. I'd like to thank my captain and teammates because I played horrible today. I was so friggin' tight it was ridiculous."
Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic told the AP that Stepanek is "the least likable guy on the tour, especially on the court."
Courier likes Isner's confidence level
After Bob and Mike Bryan defeated France's Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to give the United States a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Monte Carlo, U.S. captain Jim Courier said he's confident in John Isner, who can clinch the tie beating French No. 1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga tomorrow. "Well, the way John played yesterday will give him confidence. It gives us, the team, confidence for sure. He's going to have to come out and play at that level to have a chance to beat Jo," Courier said.
King, original 9 reunite to honor women's tennis
King and eight other players broke away from the tennis establishment in 1970, eventually leading to the WTA and an era where female athletes could demand equal pay and conditions on the courts.
The “Original 9” were reunited for just the second time since then, their legacy celebrated at the 40th anniversary of the Family Circle Cup this weekend.
“I get all the kudos, but the eight players here did just as much or sometimes more,” King said.
They all signed $1 contracts in 1970 with the publisher of World Tennis Magazine, Gladys Heldman, to begin a series of women’s professional tournaments.
King and the others were protesting inequities in prize money and bonuses at tournaments where men got what King said was often more than 10 times what the women earned. She received $600 for winning the 1970 Italian Open, while men’s champion Ilie Nastase earned $3,500.
The WTA tour was formed in 1973, and now players travel to countries around the world and benefit from millions in prize money.
The Family Circle offered an unheard of $100,000 in total prize money for its first women’s event. This year’s champion will earn $115,000 of the nearly $750,000 in prize money.
King recalled going to Heldman’s home regularly to discuss what would come next.
The group—King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss and Julie Heldman— stepped out on a limb, King said, by signing the contracts.
King said officials of what is now the USTA called her, asking not to form the women’s tour. There were threats of bans from Grand Slam events.
“It was a very difficult time, but we figured it out,” King said.
Still, Ziegenfuss said there was little hesitation to break away. The group believed in King, Heldman and the product of women’s tennis.
“That doesn’t take courage,” she said.
The two Australians in the group, Kerry Melville-Reid and Judy Dalton, recalled being athletic outcasts back home after starting the women’s tour. What they started, though, began to pick up steam. The same year the WTA was founded in 1973, the U.S. Open offered equal prize money to men and women for the first time.
Their efforts helped raise awareness of other inequalities between men and women. The landmark federal legislation Title IX, passed in 1972, has increased opportunities for women in education and college sports.
The nine’s accomplishments have reached far beyond the tennis courts.
Former U.S. women’s soccer standout Julie Foudy recalls talking with King in 1995 when she and other team members were unsure how to gain a foothold in their sport. Foudy told King their problems about making a living while competing for their country and King told her about the founding of the women’s tennis circuit.
“It was like this epiphany for me,” Foudy said.
WTA CEO Stacey Allaster said the founding group didn’t just give “little girls the dreams they could play professional tennis, you gave little girls the dreams that they could be CEOs of companies.”
That legacy was celebrated at a dinner Friday night that honored the nine founders. A team tennis exhibition will feature Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and John McEnroe on Saturday night. Proceeds from the event will go to a WTA assistance fund, designed to help former players and tournament directors going through hard times.
King is pleased the next generation of tennis stars have “picked up the torch.”
“To think of all the hard work the original nine did benefited all the generations of women’s tennis is something that we’re grateful for,” said former player and current ESPN broadcaster Pam Shriver.
The fight for equality in sports hasn’t slowed. King thanked Venus Williams for helping convince Wimbledon organizers to offer equal prize money—the last holdout among Grand Slam tournaments—in 2007.
Williams, who lost to Samantha Stosur in the Family Circle quarterfinals Friday, understands that without the nine founding players and others like them, she might not have had such a rewarding career.
“There’s so many people who fought for me to have this opportunity here, so I think that it’s the (Family Circle) 40th anniversary is very special,” she said.
Serena Williams believes other groups can learn from the example of King and the founders.
“I think women’s tennis right now is doing amazing,” she said. “We’re getting paid the same amount as men. We have a shorter season than the men.
“I think they need to stand up for themselves because I think we’ve done everything that we could.”
Pressure on France before heavyweight clash
The Bryans showed just why they are the No. 1 doubles pairing in the world, and unbeaten in Davis Cup since 2008, by swatting aside the French pair with such conviction that they did not face a single break point in their 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (4) win on Saturday.
The momentum is clearly with the Americans at the Monte Carlo Country Club, and France captain Guy Forget hopes Tsonga, the former Australian Open finalist, finds his best form to thwart Isner.
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“He wanted to play on clay, now we must go and get the win. We all have our duties and responsibilities,” Forget said. “It’s a heavyweight contest between two big hitters.”
The sixth-ranked Tsonga looked shaky at times when he beat the inexperienced Ryan Harrison in four sets on Friday, and the 11th-ranked Isner’s huge serve and dominant forehand present a much bigger threat than Harrison’s explosive, yet loose shot-making.
“Jo has to serve well throughout,” Forget said. “He has to hold his service games at all costs.”
No. 13 Gilles Simon is then set to play the 19-year-old Harrison, ranked 66th, in what could be the decisive rubber.
“We’re stronger on paper,” Forget said. “The Bryans’ win was logical, and so will Jo and Simon’s (win) be (logical) tomorrow. Otherwise we don’t belong in the semifinals.”
Forget had hoped for an upset over the Bryans, but the French were always up against it after losing their serve at the start of the first and second sets.
“We were ready for a dogfight,” Bob Bryan said. “I thought we did a great job of not letting the crowd get too loud.”
Although the French showed more fight in the third set, their defeat was comprehensive.
“We both served at a high percentage, that’s always key,” Mike Bryan said. “We’re good frontrunners, so we played hard.”
Forget was disappointed with how his players approached the match, and said they lacked composure.
“It’s all well and good preparing the match the night before, saying we had to play along the line every other (point), they didn’t do it enough for my liking,” he said. “There were some nerves at the start of the match as well, more from Julien. It’s understandable. One, what’s at stake? Two, the opponents. Three, the weather conditions. There was more wind today, it was swirling around a lot.”
The tone was set from the start when Llodra’s double fault gifted the Americans the lead, even though France had been 40-30 up in the opening game. Mike Bryan’s crisp volley made it 2-0.
The last time the Bryans lost a Davis Cup match together was against France, four years ago, when Llodra was alongside Arnaud Clement.
It never looked like happening again.
“From my point of view, I think we should have had break points,” Forget said. “It’s not like (facing) John Isner, where you’re not going to have any break points because he serves so big and so well that you just hope that he’s going to double fault.
“But we had some (chances) where we could have done better. Mike doesn’t serve 200 (kilometers per hour) all the time.”
Benneteau lost his serve at the start of the second set when his smash went out. With Mike Bryan serving next, the Americans briefly wobbled at 0-30, but Benneteau whacked a return into the net and then Mike Bryan clipped a volley down the line.
Llodra held to love at the start of the third set to raise hopes a little, but it was not until the 10th game that they started to really generated any pressure, despite the crowd’s best efforts.
Benneteau planted a stinging return into Bob Bryan’s feet on his second serve to make it 15-30, but the threat fizzled out.
“At that level, when you play a team that’s so good and so solid you can’t afford to miss those (chances),” Forget said. “Overall I thought Bob and Mike were more consistent. That’s what doubles is all about, they played solid.”
France was up 2-1 in the tiebreak but slipped quickly down to 5-2.
Llodra’s long forehand offered match point, which the Americans converted when Benneteau’s backhand down the line sailed out.
Venus looks for ways to conserve energy
Venus Williams, who lost to Samantha Stosur in the Charleston quarterfinals, told Sports Illustrated's Behind the Baseline that she has to be more mindful of conserving energy between matches. Williams is suffering from the autoimmune disease Sjogren's Syndrome. "Every day is a variable," Williams said. "I'm really learning, figuring it out as I go, and I think the one thing I do learn is I won't probably figure it all out, but I can try my best. Going into every match I always think how much energy can I save, and then when I start losing, then I say, 'OK, I have to spend.' I start moving my feet and I start saying, I have to run."
Austria wins doubles, cuts Spain's lead to 2-1
Alexander Peya and Oliver Marach overcame a shaky start following a rain delay to beat Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (12) on the Marina d’Or clay court.
After squandering four match points, Peya hit a winner at the net to end the match at just over three and a half hours.
The decisive reverse singles will be on Sunday.
Five-time champions Spain, playing without Rafael Nadal, will again look to David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro, who brushed aside Jurgen Melzer and Andreas Haider-Maurer in Friday’s opening singles.
Spain hasn’t lost at home since 1999 and is seeking its 23rd straight home win.
The hosts looked to be the more comfortable pair early on. Austria scrambled to save five break points before Spain finally broke Peya’s serve to go ahead 4-3 after he returned Lopez’s volley wide.
Lopez, who had been doubtful before the game with back pains, held serve and Spain had little trouble closing out the first set.
But just when it appeared that Spain was on course to ease into the semifinals, a rain delay changed the course of the match.
Austria improved after the short stoppage and broke for the first time to go ahead 3-2 in the second set. They evened the score at a set apiece after Marach hit his team’s second ace and Lopez sent his lob long. It was Austria’s first set of the series.
The third set was even until Granollers slipped with his serve and Peya blasted a winner past Lopez at the net to break Spain and go in front 4-3.
A storm shower again sent the players and fans scurrying for cover with the fourth set level at three games each.
The match saw its longest exchanges and best play after the second break as the score swayed back and forth in the tiebreaker until Austria finally finished Spain off.
Austria, in the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years, is trying to make just its second semifinal.
Czechs seize 2-1 lead over Serbia in Davis Cup
The Czech pair cruised past Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (4) on a red clay indoor court at O2 Arena to extend their Davis Cup doubles record to 10-1. They plan to team up for the London Olympics.
Stepanek converted the first match point with a serve winner.
“It was again a great teamwork,” Stepanek said.
The Czechs need one more point to reach their third semifinals in four years and to avenge a 3-2 loss to Serbia in the 2010 semifinals. Serbia seeks its third consecutive semis.
In Sunday’s reverse singles, Berdych faces Janko Tipsarevic in a matchup of two top-10 players.
“I feel good,” Berdych said. “I have two successful matches behind me. The most important thing for me is to play my aggressive tennis. I certainly have a chance to succeed.”
Zimonjic commented on Friday’s incident after Tipsarevic beat Stepanek in a five-hour five-setter to level the tie. Following their handshake at the net, Tipsarevic had to be pulled away by his captain from a confrontation with Stepanek, who he accused of giving him a middle finger and telling him “something very bad.”
Zimonjic said on Saturday he was not surprised by the incident.
“I’ve been on the tour for quite a while and played many times against Stepanek so he did something that you can expect to him. I think he’s the least likable guy on the tour, especially on the court,” he said. “I was really shocked.”
Stepanek denied again any wrongdoing.
“It’s not true that I said what he presents,” Stepanek said on Saturday. “We shook hands and I don’t want to comment any more at the moment because the most important day (of the tie) is ahead of us. We need to get the third point and that’s the only thing we focus on.”
The Czech pair, relying on Berdych’s powerful serve and effective returns and Stepanek’s volleys, was rarely troubled in the first two sets.
Berdych’s backhand volley down the middle broke Zimonjic, the highest-ranked doubles player on court at No. 6, to go 3-2 up in the opening set.
The Serbs broke Stepanek in the eighth game but Zimonjic was broken again in the following game and Berdych served the set out.
In the second set, the Czechs broke Zimonjic with Stepanek’s well-placed lob for 2-1 before Bozoljac double-faulted twice to drop his serve to trail 4-1, and Berdych served it out with an ace.
The Serbs managed to respond in the third when Stepanek, the Australian Open doubles champ, netted a volley to drop his serve in the second game and Zimonjic fired an ace to jump to a 3-0 lead after saving six break points. But Bozoljac double-faulted in the fifth game, allowing the Czechs to force a tie break.
“The Czech team was a little bit more consistent today on the court, that’s the reason why they won,” Bozoljac said. “They played the important points better.”
The winner will face Argentina or Croatia in September’s semis.
Australia beats South Korea in Davis Cup
The doubles victory gave the home side an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the Asia Oceania second-round playoff.
Bernard Tomic and Matthew Ebden won their opening singles matches Friday.
Australia has won the Davis Cup 28 times, second only to the United States’ 32, but has not played in the eight-country World Group since 2007.
Bellucci rallies; Brazil and Colombia tied 1-1
In the first match, Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo defeated Joao Souza 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Bellucci, Brazil’s top ranked player, broke Falla in the first game of the fifth set and held on to seal his comeback.
The winner of this regional Group 1 series on red clay will advance to the World Group playoffs.
Stosur prevents all-Williams semifinal in Charleston
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)—Reigning U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur put the latest matchup in the Williams sisters’ sibling rivalry on hold by rallying past Venus Williams at the Family Circle Cup.
The second-seeded Stosur won five of the last six games for a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals on a chilly, windy Friday at the season’s first clay-court event. Stosur now has a chance at knocking out both Williams sisters on consecutive days when she meets Serena in Saturday’s semifinals.
While Stosur had never beaten Venus Williams before, she’s had success against Serena. Stosur beat her to win the U.S. Open title last September and won their only match on clay in the 2010 French Open quarters.
“For sure, clay’s not my favorite surface,” said Stosur, the 2010 Family Circle champion. “It’s always tough playing Serena no matter where.”
Serena Williams advanced when Sabine Lisicki twisted her left ankle early in the opening set and had to withdraw after five games.
The buzz for a Williams’ sisters showdown had grown all week as the two Americans moved through the draw. Both came into Friday without losing a set and appeared ready to settle some family business at the Family Circle Tennis Center.
This was Venus Williams’ first clay-court tournament since 2010 and her second event since a bout with the autoimmune disease Sjogren’s Syndrome kept her out of the game since last summer’s U.S. Open. Williams won four times last week at the Sony Ericsson Open and had carried that success into the Family Circle quarters.
She could not get past Stosur, though, and won’t play again until next month in Madrid.
“I have come so far, so far from the U.S. Open,” Venus Williams said.
Stosur shook off some tired legs from an earlier match—the Australian was forced to come back Friday morning and finish her rain-delayed match from the night before—and some wayward serves midway through while moving past Williams.
Stosur is seeking her second Family Circle Cup title in three years.
Stosur came out fast for a 5-2 lead in the opening set. Williams mishit Stosur’s 113 mph serve on set point.
That’s when Stosur’s own service game began to fall apart. She struggled to get the ball in play and Williams took full advantage of Stosur’s slower second serves. Stosur had the chance to go up 3-1 in the set, but sent a forehand wide. Venus Williams eventually won to tie the set at 2-all and closed it out by winning four of the next six games.
Williams carried the momentum—along with the support of the crowd—into the final set and held serve to lead 2-1. Stosur, though, regained her accuracy and Williams began to tire. Stosur only lost two points over the final two games. Willilams slowly walked to the net after her service return went wide on match point.
“I did my best,” Venus said. “I know I can play even better. My errors didn’t help my cause. At this point, I’m just learning and learning and learning more.”
Williams is schedule to play in Madrid, Rome and the French Open as she strives to make the U.S. Olympic team for the London Games this summer. She said her plan was to head home, practice and get stronger for the competition ahead.
She has risen about 60 spots in the rankings from 134th before Key Biscayne to now. “I’ve never been so happy to be 70th” in the world, Williams said.
Early on, it looked as if Serena Williams might have a fight on her hands as Lisicki stood toe-to-toe with the 13-time Grand Slam winner. However, as Lisicki moved to her left after a shot, she apparently hurt her left ankle and fell to the court. She immediately got up and called for the trainer, who re-taped her ankle so the 22-year-old German could continue.
It was obvious Lisicki couldn’t move as she had. She played three more games before retiring in tears. Serena Williams came over to console Lisicki, hugging her near the net and applauding along with the crowd as she left stadium court.
Lisicki was having an MRI. “We’ll see what the doctors say and we’ll go from there,” she said.
Williams has had her share of injuries that forced her to miss major tournaments. She told the young German that she had time to heal and would be back.
“I said, `It’s OK. It’s not the French Open. You’ve got time to get better,”’ Williams said.
Ninth-seeded Lucie Safarova ousted No. 4 seed Vera Zvonareva, 6-3, 6-3. Safarova will meet No. 14 seed Polona Hercog in the semifinals. Hercog defeated 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-2.
Mauresmo to help coach Azarenka
Amelie Mauresmo will become a consultant to No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, Reuters and the French web site "We Love Tennis" reported. Mauresmo will help Azarenka’s regular coach, Sam Sumyk. Two-time Grand Slam champion Mauresmo helped coach French male player Michael Llodra last year.
Del Potro evens Argentina with Croatia
Del Potro defeated Karlovic 6-2, 7-6 (7), 6-1.
Marin Cilic gave Croatia the lead, beating David Nalbandian 5-7, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 in a match that lasted 5 hours, 9 minutes and put pressure on Del Potro.
Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank are scheduled to face against Cilic and Lovro Zovko in Saturday’s doubles match on the outdoor clay court. Nalbandian said he intended to play despite speculation captain Martin Jaite might replace him with Juan Monaco. Reverse singles are Sunday.
The 23-year-old Cilic wore down the 30-year-old Argentine, finally winning on his third match point.
Isner pulls USA even with France in Davis Cup
The Americans needed a strong performance from Isner after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had earlier withstood a spirited performance from 19-year-old Ryan Harrison to win 7-5, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 and give France a 1-0 lead.
“I took to the court very confident,” Isner said. “I played very well. Simple as that.”
Given Isner’s form, France coach Guy Forget thinks Saturday’s doubles match between Bob and Mike Bryan and the French pair of Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra may determine the eventual semifinalist.
Tsonga faces a tough match against Isner on Sunday, while Simon looks short of form.
“The doubles will be decisive,” Forget said. “We’ll be in a great position if we win. If we lose, it will be difficult.”
Given that the Bryans are the world’s top-ranked doubles pairing, and are unbeaten in Davis Cup since losing to France in 2008—when Llodra was partnered by Arnaud Clement—Forget has plenty to worry about.
“I hope Mika and Julien are feeling inspired,” Forget said. “I will try and gee them up as much as possible.”
Simon, who was called up to replace the injured Gael Monfils this week, never looked like getting his first career win against Isner.
“John did what he is supposed to do, which is to be emphatic and dominant,” United States captain Jim Courier said.
The 13th-ranked Simon could not cope with Isner’s big serve on outdoor clay at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
“His second serve bounces up so high I almost prefer his first serve,” Simon said.
Isner hit nine aces and 53 winners and broke Simon’s serve four times. Simon, who is 0-3 against Isner, failed to convert any of his five break point chances.
“I didn’t really serve that great today,” Isner said. “But my forehand was on and I was going for it. I wasn’t holding back and that was the game plan.”
The 11th-ranked Isner took a grip on the match when a double break put him 4-0 up in the second set. With the crowd watching on in resignation, Simon got only a ripple of applause after finally holding to make it 4-1.
The third set was more competitive, but Simon failed to take his chances when they came—including one at set point.
“Gilles had started to play better, and it’s never easy to close the match out against a player of his caliber,” Isner said. “I had to save some break points. That third set could have gone either way.”
With Isner trailing 3-2 and 15-40 down in the sixth game, Simon’s two-handed backhand flew into the net.
Isner was 30-40 on his next service game but saved break point with a clinical smash for 4-4.
Simon kept chipping away and, when Isner missed an easy volley at the net, Simon got his chance to pull back a set with Isner on his second serve. But the American kept his cool, and his forehand winner down the line got him out of danger.
“I had quite a few chances,” Simon said. “But when you don’t break once in a match, you end up with this kind of score.”
The momentum had turned back in Isner’s favor, and his volley on the run gave him break point in the 11th game. After some great defending at the net, he took it to lead 6-5 and easily closed out the match.
Neither team is at full strength.
Simon was a late call up for the injured Gael Monfils, while Harrison replaced ninth-ranked Mardy Fish when he pulled out with fatigue earlier this week.
The sixth-ranked Tsonga found it tough at times against Harrison, ranked 66th and playing in his first meaningful Davis Cup match.
“I had to battle and it worked out quite well for me,” Tsonga said.
The Frenchman took a laborious opening set in 54 minutes, then began to find his range as Harrison’s temper frayed.
“His major weakness is that he is very, very nervy,” Tsonga said. “I knew that if I held on longer than him it would be to my advantage.”
Courier spoke with Harrison after the American smashed his racket into the ground following his double fault that gave Tsonga a 3-1 lead in the second set. He whacked it so violently that the frame bent into a right angle.
“You don’t want to snuff out someone’s fire,” Courier said. “Ryan is a high energy guy.”
Cilic tops Nalbandian in 5-hour Davis Cup marathon
Cilic won the error-filled match 5-7, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 to put the pressure on Argentina’s No. 1 player Juan Martin del Potro, who faced Ivo Karlovic in Friday’s second singles. Doubles are set for Saturday with reverse singles on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Cilic wore down the 30-year-old Argentine, finally winning on his third match point when Nalbandian hit a ground stroke into the net after 5 hours, 9 minutes to disappoint a 14,000 sellout at Parque Roca.
“After playing five hours, it really matters if you win or lose,” Cilic said. “I feel great mentally and I think I will come back quickly on the physical side. You could see the pressure was there because neither of us played up to our ability.”
Cilic said the victory would lift his team’s spirits, and could hurt Argentine morale.
“This will weigh on all the matches coming up,” Cilic said. “The doubles will be critical. It gives us a big psychological advantage. All of the rest of the matches are open now. It opens up all kinds of things and we’re going to be in the tie until Sunday.”
Nalbandian had a 4-0 record against Cilic, but they had never played on clay. Argentine captain Martin Jaite chose him to play instead of Juan Monaco, who has been in better form and has a higher ranking.
Nalbandian broke Cilic twice in the first set—and was broken once himself — to win 7-5 on the red-clay court on the outskirts of the Argentine capital.
Neither player managed much consistency, and in the second set it was Cilic who made fewer errors, breaking the Argentine three times to take the set 6-4.
Nalbandian was steadier in the third set, breaking Cilic in the fifth game and then holding to win 6-4. He won the set with a backhand down the line, prompting loud applause from the chanting, partisan crowd.
The fourth set was filled again with unforced errors, but each player managed to hold on to serve to force the tiebreaker. Nalbandian went ahead 2-1 in the tiebreaker, but lost the next six points to fall 7-2.
Argentina was the favorite playing at home on the red clay. The South Americans have yet to win the Davis Cup and have been the losing finalist four times, including last year against Spain. Croatia won the Davis Cup in 2005.
Argentina and Croatia have met twice in Davis Cup quarterfinals, and the South Americans have won both. Argentina won in 2002 in Buenos Aires, and in 2006 in Zagreb.
Tipsarevic saves match points to draw Serbia even
Tipsarevic, who this week reached his highest ranking of No. 8, faced a match point at 5-6 and two more at 6-7 in the fifth set but served well to remain in the match and prevail in more than five hours.
Earlier, Tomas Berdych eased past Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead after the opening singles on an indoor clay court at the O2 Arena.
The doubles match is scheduled for Saturday while reverse singles will be played on Sunday.
Serbia, seeking a third straight semifinal, is without top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
France's Forget: Doubles point will be crucial
After the United States and France end the first day of their Davis Cup quarterfinal in Monte Carlo deadlocked at 1-1, French captain Guy Forget said Saturday’s doubles clash between the world’s top-ranked team of Bob and Mike Bryan against Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau will take on gigantic proportions. Last year, the Bryans split four matches on the ATP Tour with Llodra when the Frenchman was playing with Nenad Zimonjic, and lost the one match they played against Benneteau, who was partnering Nicolas Mahut. The Bryans have only lost two of their 21 matches together in Davis Cup, one of which was to Llodra and Arnaud Clement in 2008.
"Doubles going to be crucial," Forget told Davis Cup.com. "Mike and Bob have a bit of an edge because they are best players and won Monte Carlo a few times, but Michael has won a few Slams and Masters and is one of the best players also. He’s great friends with Julien and they’ve had great runs together in Davis Cup. I think we’ll see great quality and wouldn’t mind witnessing a little upset there."
Isner enhances reputation as clay-court threat
Isner, who beat Roger Federer on indoor clay in the first-round win in Switzerland, comfortably beat Simon 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 at the Monte Carlo Country Club to level at 1-1 against France after the opening day’s singles.
The winner of US-France looks set to face Spain in the semifinals after the defending champion took a 2-0 lead against Austria.
The Czech Republic leads 1-0 over a Serbia team missing No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic.
Later Friday, Janko Tipsarevic could level for Serbia against Radek Stepanek, and Argentina begins its home match against Croatia.
With a dominant serve and strong forehand, Isner’s game had until this season been considered more of a threat on quicker surfaces, but by following a four-set win over Federer in February with Friday’s rout of Simon, the American indicated he could make a run during the upcoming European claycourt season that culminates in the French Open in May.
Former U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe wrote on Twitter that the No. 11-ranked Isner could even reach the final at Roland Garros.
“I woke up this morning feeling very good,” Isner said. “I didn’t know, but I had a feeling that today was going to be a good day for me. That was the case. Because of that, it was a pretty good day for our team.”
Isner, a finalist at Indian Wells last month, leveled for the U.S. after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put France ahead by beating teenager Ryan Harrison 7-5, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in the first singles match.
U.S. captain Jim Courier hopes the top-ranked doubles pair of Bob and Mike Bryan can give the visiting team a lead when they face the French pair of Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra on Saturday.
“Tomorrow will be a great doubles match between four great doubles players,” Courier said.
The Bryans are unbeaten in Davis Cup since losing to France in 2008, when Llodra was partnered by Arnaud Clement.
The U.S., which hasn’t reached the semifinals since 2008, is playing without the fatigued Mardy Fish, while France is missing Gael Monfils. Several other Davis Cup quarterfinalists are also under strength as the top players take the opportunity to rest during a busy season, which this year also includes the Olympics.
Spain made light of the absence of No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal by winning both the opening singles matches against Austria on clay in Castellon.
Nicolas Almagro easily beat Austria’s No. 1 Jurgen Melzer 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 before David Ferrer made it 2-0 by routing 139th-ranked Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.
“I was a little surprised how easy it was for us today,” Spain captain Alex Corretja said. “I was expecting especially in the first match for it to be more difficult but it didn’t happen. Lucky us. You need to be ready for the big fight and then if it’s easier it’s better for you.”
Serbia is missing No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic, and got off to a bad start in the Czech Republic when Viktor Troicki was thrashed by Tomas Berdych, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
