Hopman Cup XXIV 2012 Final

Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated January 7, 2012

Perth, Australia--Day 8 of the XXIV annual Hopman Cup featured a final matchup of the top seeds Czech Republic and the number two seeds France.  Top seeds Petra Kvitova, who went undefeated, and her partner Tomas Berdych easily handled France in straight sets.

2011 Wimbledon Champion Kvitova who defeated Marion Bartoli in the final 7-5, 6-1, also routed in prior rounds:  Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova, and America's Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Her partner, Tomas Berdych, bested Richard Gasquet 7-6, 6-4 in the final match.  No mixed doubles match play was necessary in the final round.

This is the Czech Republic's second Hopman Cup Title, the first coming in 1994.  Jana Novotna, also a Wimbledon Champion, and Petr Korda defeated Germany.  France who has been in the final match once before has never won the Hopman Cup.

Kvitova gained no WTA ranking points for her win in Perth but with a win in her upcoming tournament in Sydney could overtake the world number one ranking.

Hopman Cup XXIV 2012

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated January 2, 2012

Perth, Australia--The 24th annual Hopman Cup kicked off the 2012 tennis season in Perth Australia.  The Hopman Cup is no average tennis tournament.  The event is made up of 8 teams from countries around the world who play a round robin series of matches to determine an eventual winner.  The defending Champion is the United States team that was made up of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and John Isner who defeat the Belgium team of Justin Henin and Ruben Bemelmans. This year's team consist of returning champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands and number one American male player Mardy Fish. 

The 8 countries vying for this year's Hopman Cup are :

Czech Republic: Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berdych

,France:  Marion Bartoli and Richard Gasquet

Spain:  Anabel Medina Garrigues and Fernando Verdasco 

USA:  Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Mardy Fish, 

Denmark:  Caroline Wozniacki and Frederik Nielsen,

Bulgaria:  Tsvetana Pironkova and Grigor Dimitov,

Australia:  Jarmila Gajdosova and Lleyton Hewitt,

China:  Li Na and Wi Di.

The USA played Denmark on January 2nd with Mardy Fish taking on Frederik Nielsen.  Fish gave the US a scare losing the first set 4-6, then going down a match point before taking the second set in a tie break 7-6(5),  and then putting the third set away 6-4 to give the US the 1-0 lead over Denmark.

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki's match was delayed to give her time to practice before her match with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.  She had flown in from Thailand just four hours before the match was to begin.

Wozniacki began the match looking as if she just got off a plane falling quickly to a 1-5 deficit. Mattek-Sands was aggressive and accurate and looked very much in control if not odd in her fuchsia tank top, black mini skirt, black knee high socks, black high top shoes, blue and green hair, and finally to round out her outfit black marks that football players use beneath her eyes.

Wozniacki was on a comeback breaking Mattek-Sands at love to come back to serve at 4-5, back on serve, and won her service game at love. Both players held their serve to take the first set to a tie break.  Wozniacki took the immediate lead 4-1 lead and things were looking well for a Denmark first set win. The US fought its way back to  4-5 in the tie break and that is as close as it got.  Denmark took control of the tiebreak and the first set 7-6, 7-4 in the tie break.

In the second set it was clear Mattek-Sands was running out of steam.  She looked disheveled, was sweating profusely, breathing hard and went down to Denmark and Wozniacki 0-5 before finally holding serve.  Wozniacki on the other hand hadn't broken a sweat, looked amazing, fitter than ever and her steady, passive style of play paid off once again.

Denmark serving at 5-1, serving for the match, began uncharacteristically with a winning volley to go up 15-0 but then countered with a double fault giving the point back. Denmark had three match points on their racket before being broken with a forehand that sailed long breathing life back into the US who was still down 2-5.

As the US served to stay in the match Mattek-Sands began with a forehand down the line winner to begin 15-0, but nerves if not exhaustion got the best of her as she served a double fault to bring the serve to 15-15.  Mattek-Sands then hit a back hand into the net, 15-30.  The match was now at 1 hour and 30 minutes.  Mattek-Sands now out of answers hit a back hand down the line out, her aggressive style of play was now imploding, the score 15-40, double match point for Denmark.  The match on the racket of Mattek-Sands, she hit a forehand cross court out, game, set, and match for Denmark.  The series was now tied at 1 all.  A deciding mixed doubles match would be played to decide the series.

Group B

Are the Williams Sisters Odds on Favorites to Win Wimbledon?

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated June 19, 2011

Wimbledon, England—I read a headline that said something to the effect, ‘Williams Sisters Front Runners to Win Wimbledon’.  I think marginal writers write this stuff just to start arguments.  With the sisters losing in the early rounds at Eastbourne, a tune-up tournament the week before Wimbledon, were they there for show, for practice, or to win it?  Because they didn’t win it, they didn’t get much match time in (preparation), so all they really did was show up with their father and his young bride in tow.

So the question is: do they really have a shot at winning 2011 Wimbledon?  Being both politically incorrect as Chelsea Handler, and as outspoken as Whoppi Goldberg, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I wouldn’t put one British pound on either Venus or Serena to win, place, or show.  The sisters have been laid off for a combined total of thirteen months with various ailments and HSN commitments.  By their own admission during this time neither has touched a racket.  Venus just turned 30 years old and Serena 29, elderly in tennis years by most standards.

At Eastbourne during Venus’s match against Daniela Hantuchova, Venus swung at, and flat out missed or just mishit a lot of balls.  I think there’s more rust there than a junkyard Chevelle, and wild card Serena blew an enormous lead in her own match in the second round putting both sisters out before the semis.

My point, there were 32 women vying for a title at Eastbourne, it takes 4 wins to make it to the finals.  There are 128 women at Wimbledon.  All the top players, with the exception of Kim Clijsters who has the Serena Williams affliction of spraining her ankle while dancing, will be there, most you will never have heard of.  But on any given day your equal or better is out there ready to take you down and you might not know their name, or even see them coming.

This whole rant is because some jerk wrote a stupid article, and I responded in kind; it doesn’t make me any less of a jerk.  I’m just giving 126 other women the credit they are due.  The WTA Tour is made up of hundreds of women from many countries; they make up the WTA, not just two women from one country, not now, not ever. Let’s not make a joke out of something these other women work extremely hard for every day, not just for three or four tournaments a year.

Wozniacki Falls to Unseeded Goerges in Stuttgard Final

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated April 24, 2011

Stuttgard, Germany—On the indoor red clay courts of Stuttgard Germany, world number one Caroline Wozniacki met unseeded German Julia Goerges in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Finals.

Goerges reached the finals with skill and a bit of luck in the second round where she played Victoria Azarenka, the fourth seed  Goerges lost the first set 4-6, but before the second set could get underway, Azarenka retired from the match with an injury.  It took skill and three sets to get past her semifinal opponent Samantha Stosur 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(3).  Wozniacki didn’t have any bumps in her road to the final; she won each of her matches in straight sets.

In the final against Goerges Caroline looked unprepared for the fight she was encountering.  Julia Goerges was hard hitting and aggressive.  Her first service point of the match was an ace.  She hit 38 winners to 29 errors and wasn’t afraid to approach the net where she was 15 of 22.

In the first set neither player lost her serve, both holding with ease.  At 4 all Wozniacki threw in some moon balls to try and change to pace but Goerges was unfazed. The first set knotted at six all, the tie break began.  Wozniacki looked completely off her game allowing five service breaks losing the tie break 3-7, her father Petr in the stands shaking his head, bewildered.

The first set squared away at 7-6(3), the pressure was now on Goerges to finish the match in straight sets and take out the world number one player, a tall order for the 22 year old.

Goerges served first in the second set and she faced the first break point of the match at 30-40. Wozniacki didn’t take advantage of the break point allowing Goerges to win the next two points and hold her serve.  The second game of the second set began with Wozniacki serving, she only won one point and faced her first break points of the match which Goerges converted to take the only break of the match.

The crowd was clearly behind the German.  Both players faced more break points but managed to hold their serve.  Serving at 5-3 Goerges held double match point and hit a service winner to take the match 7-6(3), 6-3.

Goerges certainly played above her ranking, while Wozniacki needs to reevaluate her level of aggression on court and ability to generate winners before the French Open rolls around and she finds herself out in the early rounds.

Henin Ends Career in Australia

By Pat Byrd   Story Updated January 29, 2011

Melbourne, Australia—In an emotional letter to her fans posted on her web site, seven time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin dutifully explained she was retiring for the second time in her career. 

Henin expressed this retirement came at the hands of an elbow injury that occurred at the 2010 Wimbledon and has been further damaged by her play at the 2011 Australian Open, doctors she said had advised her not to play on.  “I’m in shock, of course, even with the work of these past seven months I had to understand that there might be a reason for all this.  After having well considered and following the advice of doctors, it is now clear and I accept that my career here…..finally ends”, wrote Henin.

Henin’s retirement comes on the heels of a third round loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova at this year’s Australian Open, not unlike her first retirement announcement May 14^th, 2008 that came after a third round loss to Dinara Safina at the Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin just days before the French Open where she was a three time defending champion.  Ranked 13 in the world coming into the Australian Open, Henin has been removed for the WTA rankings list and the player profiles.  When she came out of retirement in 2010, her intention was to play competitive tennis at least until the 2012 Summer Olympics which are set to be held in London.     

Doha 2010 WTA Championships

Story by Pat Byrd  Updated October 31, 2010

Doha, Qatar—Kim Clijsters may not have ended the 2010 tennis season as the number 1 ranked player in the world, but she did finish as the 2010 WTA Championships winner beating the world number 1 ranked player Caroline Wozniacki in a hard fought final 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.  Both players were evenly matched producing some of the finest tennis of the season.

This was Clijsters third WTA Championships title having won in 2002 and 2003, and her 40^th career title overall.  She became the fifth player in WTA history to win the season ending tournament three or more times, Navratilova(8), Graf(5), Evert(4), Seles(3).

The ‘Elite Eight’ for the 2010 Championships were Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, her third straight year qualifying for the tournament, Kim Clijsters, Francesca Schiavone, Samantha Stosur, Jelena Jankovic, qualifying for her tenth WTA Championship, Elena Dementieva, and Victoria Azarenka.

Players were divided into two groups for round robin play.  The maroon group included number 1 seed Wozniacki, number 4 seed Schiavone, number 5 seed Stosur, and number 7 seed Dementieva.  Players for the white group were the number 2 seed Zvonareva, number 3 seed Clijsters, number 6 seed Jankovic, and number 8 seed Azarenka. In round robin play only Zvonareva held a perfect record of three wins, zero losses going into the semifinals, while Jankovic held the worst record coming in 0 for 3, not winning a single set during the tournament.  Also qualifying for the semifinals were Kim Clijsters with a 2 and 1 record, her one loss coming at the hands of Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 7-5, Caroline Wozniacki at 2 and 1 losing one match to Sam Stosur 6-4, 6-3, and finally Sam Stosur with a 2 and 1 record, one loss to Elena Dementieva 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4)

Seven of the top eight players displayed some amazing tennis showing why they deserved a spot in the championships, but Jelena Jankovic came into the tournament complaining of being ill the week prior to the tournament but pledged to give it her all at each match. Jankovic lost to Zvonareva 6-3, 6-0, lost to Clijsters 6-2, 6-3, and lost to Azarenka 6-4, 6-1.  She looked and played like she just didn’t want to be there and she knew she didn’t have to win a single match to take home a prize of $100,000.

For winning the tournament Clijsters walks away with 1.45 million dollars while runner up Wozniacki pockets $780,000.  Not bad for a week’s work, and Zvonareva, many pick to make it to the final and was flawless until the semifinal will collect $400,000 and secure the number 2 world ranking.

“It was a tough match,” Clijsters said after the final, “I’m glad I won and it must be disappointing for Caroline, but I don’t know how many more years I’m going to keep doing this.”  Speaking of Wozniacki Clijsters commented, “she will win a Grand Slam, she is too good of a player not to.  She’s young, she’s number one, she just has to keep working the way she has been working.  She’s been doing really good things, and good things will keep coming.”

Wozniacki has won more tournaments than any other player on tour this year winning six, but not a major. “I’ve had a fantastic year” Wozniacki said, I’ve won six tournaments; I’ve beaten so many good players.  You know, you cannot win every match.  I’ve made the finals of the championships and I lost one match today.  I will come back in the off season and train, but right now, I’m proud of my season.”

In doubles action Gisela Dulko and Flavia Penneta defeated Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in straight sets 7-5, 6-4.  For their win they will split a grand prize of $375,000 while Peschke and Srebotnik will share $187,500.

The 2011 WTA Championships is moving from Doha to Istanbul Turkey and will reside there for the next three seasons.

What’s Up in Women’s Tennis?

Serena's Foot Injury with a Bandaid on it

By Pat Byrd Story Updated Aug 2, 2010

Stanford, CA--There are so many exciting things going on in women’s tennis that I hardly know where to start so how about let’s go with the week in review and the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. 

Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka put on one heck of a performance in the 1 hour 27 minute final.  The 28 minute second set may have been a runaway for Azarenka, but the 59 minute first set was a thriller complete with hard hitting, loud grunting, and big babe tennis.  Each player broke serve as well as being broken but it would be Azarenka to hold that one critical game to take the first set 6-4.  After the first set, it was apparent that Sharapova was fatigued both mentally and physically, letting the second set slip away 6-1.

It had been a week of long matches for Sharapova, finishing a three set semifinal against Agnieszka Radwanska 16, 62, 62, and a three set quarterfinal against the number 2 seed Elena Dementieva 64,26, 63.  Perhaps all the three setters were physically and mentally overwhelming for Sharapova, this her 4^th final of the year.

Victoria Azarenka had no easy road to the final either, she had to contend with last year’s champion Marion Bartoli, the 4^th seed, and then take on the number 1 seed Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals.

And another welcome back to women’s professional tennis to Lindsay Davenport who competed in the doubles at the Bank of the West Classic.  With her doubles partner Liezel Huber they took the title 75, 67(8), 10-8, defeating the team of Chan and Zheng, the number 2 seeds.

For anyone keeping a Serena watch and if you live under a rock and haven’t heard, she’s pulled out of every event she has committed to except the U.S. Open.  So let’s recap Serena’s year…Australian Open…. check, French Open…… check, Wimbledon…..check, everything else….not so much.  The latest victims of the axe are the Istanbul Cup, an International event (come on…..did anyone even think Serena Williams was going to Turkey?),  Cincinnati, the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open, a Premier event, and the Rogers Cup in Montreal another Premier event.  Just for those who hadn’t kept up with Serena’s injury, she cut her foot on a piece of broken glass while visiting a restaurant.  Oh, one place you can find Serena, the Home Shopping Network, she’ll be there on various days and times.

So where can you find the ladies this week?  Try the Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego.  Dinara Safina, Jelena Jankovic, Sam Stosur, and Sara Errani are already into the second round.

By Jim Tyler Story Updated Saturday March 19, 2010

The Sony Ericsson Open announced Friday that the 2010 Australian Open Champion and World ranked number 1 Serena Williams has officially withdrawn from the tournament citing a lingering knee injury would keep her side-lined from the event. Williams has not played a tournament since winning the Australian open, withdrawing from two other scheduled events and continues to boycott the mandatory tournament at Indian Wells. Her next scheduled event is the Andalucía Tennis Experience held April 5 through the 11^th in Marbella Spain.

It’s unclear if the knee injury in question is a new problem or a reoccurrence of her original injury suffered several years ago while dancing in heels.  Williams was unavailable for comment.

Replacing Serena in the Thursday, March 25^th evening match will be her sister Venus, a seven time Grand Slam champion who has already won tournaments at Dubai and Acapulco this year.

Other player commitments include Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, and Elena Dementieva. On the men’s side, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.

Tickets can be purchased by phone at (305)442-3367, or via the internet at www.sonyericssonopen.com.

Sydney, Australia--For the second year running Elena Dementieva has won the Sydney International, in 2009 beating then number one seed Dinara Safina and this year’s number one Serena Williams convincingly 63, 62 at the Olympic tennis centre.

Dementieva was on her game, completely outplaying Williams who later complained of a sore knee, but said it would not keep her from entering the Australian open.  "It's just a little pain and the strapping usually helps the pain go away sometimes."

"I haven't played in two months (with the exception of exhibition matches with her sister Venus) on a competitive level, so I think it's good for my body to go through this now, especially since I'm in doubles as well as singles."

Sydney is Dementieva's 15th WTA tour title and her second in Sydney.  "I'm very satisfied the way I was playing today and the whole week," said Dementieva.  "That's what I was really looking for, coming here to Sydney, just playing aggressively and playing with a lot of pressure."

Dementieva is still looking to win her first major, something only one other Russian player has managed to accomplish and that would be Sharapova's title at Wimbledon.

June, 2009

Desire vs. Preparation

Being able to win a grand slam is 1 percent desire and 99 percent preparation.  Every player that makes it into the main draw of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships has a burning desire to win the tournament, but only two will make it into the final, and only one will be called champion. 

Eight of the world’s top ten women players are preparing by playing at least one of the three warm up tournaments. Seven of the eight, Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Jankovic, Zvonareva, Azarenka, Wozniacki, and Petrova chose Eastbourne as their warm up event.  The world number one, Dinara Safina took a less traveled road, something a little quieter and out of the way, she went to the Netherlands to play her warm up event.  Maybe she needed a less stressful event, its’ understandable.   

If we do the math, that leaves us with two missing top ten tennis players; who could they be?  Who could be so good, so confident, and so untouchable that they need no tournament preparation at all?

Venus and Serena Williams will enter the Wimbledon Championships with no grass court tournament preparation.  Can they win the tournament? I wouldn’t bet against them.  They are both capable of winning the event and as equally capable of losing in the first round.  There are many factors to consider; injuries, fitness, just these two factors combined with father time are going against the sisters. 

Venus, the reigning Wimbledon Champion has had less than stellar results this year, her clay court season was a disaster.  Does she have the desire to win a third straight and sixth overall championship? I believe she does, but I’m not certain she can, I’m just not a believer yet.  I still believe preparation beats desire nine out of ten times.

Serena has made it to the Wimbledon finals four times winning it twice both times defeating her sister Venus.  Her season had been a little better than her sisters, winning the Australian Open, and making it to the finals of Miami, both hard court events. She did not do so well during the clay court season although she did make a run at the French.  She most certainly shows desire on court but without doubt lacks tournament prep. If I was going to put money on one of the sisters, it would be Serena. Her on court emotion is raw and unbridled, she wants nothing but to win, but that little preparation factor creeps in and the match takes a three set turn in the wrong direction and then we’re at the post match interview watching her explain how she gave the match away.

After watching some of the warm up events play out and neither Williams’s sister participating I’ve come to the conclusion that this year’s Championship is anybody’s for the taking.