EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Nations prepare for Davis Cup semifinals
TODAY’S MEN’S NEWS
Davis Cup
Four World Group nations were gathering their sides in Belgrade and Prague as the international team competition picked up with the semi-finals as the non-stop tennis circuit continued with barely a pause after the end of the US Open.
In Belgrade, Canada were to make an historic first semi-final appearance, taking on 2010 champion Serbia. In Prague the defending champion Czechs were facing Argentine without both Juan Del Potro and David Nalbandian, who appears to be a step away from retirement. The Czechs will field their one-two punch of Tomas Berdych and US Open doubles champion Radek Stepanek against the South Americans led by Juan Monaco.
Canada is paced by Milos Raonic, set for singles along with Vasek Pospisil. Frank Dancevic and 41-year-old doubles king Daniel Nestor are also on board in Nestor’s birthplace. The Serbs are awaiting the late arrival of US open finalist Novak Djokovic, who was hosting a charity gala in New York for his foundation. Captain Bogdan Obradovic will make a late team selection based upon his star’s physical condition. Viktor Troiki is missing as he serves a controversial ban for skipping an anti-doping blood test in the spring.
In playoff rounds, US Open champion Rafael Nadal is due to play for Spain against the Ukraine while Andy Murray should be onside for Britain in Croatia. Switzerland face Ecuador with New York semi-finalist Stan Wawrinka but without Roger Federer.
THIS WEEK IN TENNIS
THIS WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:
Davis Cup
NEXT WEEK ON THE ATP WORLD TOUR:
Metz (250/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
St. Petersburg (250/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Martin Klizan
STATS AND FACTS
RANKINGS
Estimated ATP World Tour Rankings
As of September 9, 2013
Rank &
Prior…Player………..Points
1..(1) Djokovic……….10980
2..(2) Nadal………….10860
3..(3) Murray………….7060
4..(4) Ferrer………….6850
5..(5) Berdych…………4535
6..(7) Federer…………4515
7..(6) Del Potro……….4425
8..(8) Tsonga………….3425
9..(9) Gasquet…………3165
10.(10) Wawrinka………..3150
11.(11) Raonic………….2555
12.(12) Nishikori……….2325
13.(13) Haas……………2265
14.(14) Janowicz………..2110
15.(17) Isner…………..2025
16.(22) Robredo…………1970
17.(16) Simon…………..1950
18.(18) Fognini…………1945
19.(15) Almagro…………1940
20.(20) Anderson………..1775
21.(24) Youzhny…………1825
22.(23) Seppi…………..1630
23.(21) Tipsarevic………1505
24.(19) Cilic…………..1445
24.(25) Kohlschreiber……1445
26.(26) Lopez…………..1435
27.(27) Melzer………….1425
28.(28) Paire…………..1380
29.(29) Dimitrov………..1375
30.(32) Monaco………….1275
********
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
* #8 seed Shvedova falls in Tashkent; #7 Voskoboeva wins
* Doi cuts short Rodina’s comeback
* Glushko cements Top Hundred ranking
* Top seed and defending champion Flipkens falls in Quebec City, will slip to #20
* No sweat for Safarova — but no points yet, either
TODAY’S WOMEN’S NEWS
Quebec City
Two more Canadians followed Aleksandra Wozniak out the door at home in the first round, with American fourth seed beating Stéphanie Dubois 6-3, 6-4 while Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni stopped Sharon Fichman 6-4, 6-0. Holder and top seed Kirsten Flipkens of (Belgium lost in her opener to Polona Hercog 6-3, 6-1.
Other seeds went through to the second round, with No. 2 French player Kristina Mladenovic defeating US qualifier Melanie Oudin 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-2. Third seeded Czech Lucie Safarova stopped Anna Tatishvili 6-3, 6-2 and No. 7 American Lauren Davis Italy’s Camila Giorgi, who made the US Open fourth round, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2. Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova beat Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 6-3, 7-5. Other results: qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva over Swiss Amra Sadikovic 6-3, 6-4 and Julie Coin of France beating Portugal’s Michelle Larcher de Brito 7-6(5), 7-5.
Tashkent
A minor seeds advanced on day 2, with No. 7 Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan beating Ukrainian Maryna Zanevska 6-3, 6-4. But eighth seed Yaroslava Shvedova went down to Serb Vesna Dolonc 76(6), 7-5.
The challenger trailed 5-2 in the first set and saved a pair of set points before taking the opener; she then broke on the final game of the second to secure the upset over the former No. 25, here training partner at the US Open. “We both know each other’s games,” said the winner, making a sixth appearance here. “Shvedova is a high-level player and a good server, so I had to be sharp. I was a slow starter and was lucky to get through. I’ll need to wake up earlier in my future matches before it’s too late.”
In other results, Czech Petra Cetkovska went five-for-five on break chances to beat Nigina Abduraimova of Uzbekistan 6-2, 7-6(2). Misaki Doi of Japan beat Russian Evgeniya Rodina 6-4, 6-2 and Israeli Julia Glushko put out Tetyana Arefyeva 6-3, 7-5.
THIS WEEK IN TENNIS
THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:
Quebec City (International/Indoor Hard). Defending Champion: Kirsten Flipkens
Tashkent (International/Hard). Defending Champion: Irina-Camelia Begu
NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:
Seoul (International/Hard). Defending Champion: Caroline Wozniacki
Guangzhou (International/Hard). Defending Champion: Hsieh Su-Wei
STATS AND FACTS
RANKINGS
Estimated WTA Rankings As of September 10, 2013
Rank &
Prior
Rank….Name…………….Points
1 (1) SWilliams 12260
2 (2) Azarenka 9505
3 (3) Sharapova 7866
4 (4) ARadwanska 6335
5 (5) Li 5565
6 (6) Errani 4325
7 (7) Bartoli 3746
8 (8) Wozniacki 3645
9 (9) Kerber 3420
10 (10) Jankovic 3245
11 (11) Kvitova 3170
12 (12) Vinci 3065
13 (13) Stephens 3045
14 (15) Suarez Navarro 2775
15 (16) Lisicki 2770
16 (17) Ivanovic 2720
17 (18) Stosur 2715
18 (19) Halep 2630
19 (20) Kirilenko 2620
20 (14) FLIPKENS 2556
21 (21) Makarova 2275
22 (22) Cirstea 2250
23 (23) Cibulkova 2126
24 (24) Vesnina 2125
25 (25) Hampton 2036
26 (26) Kanepi 1941
27 (27) Petrova 1937
28 (28) Kuznetsova 1839
29 (29) Cornet 1790
30 (30) Hantuchova 1680
DRAWS
Quebec City — Week of September 8
1 Flipkens
Hercog
Larcher de Brito
Qualifier
McHale
Paszek
Wozniak (WC)
8 Garcia
4 Mattek-Sands
Dubois (WC)
Tomljanovic
Sanchez
Daniilidou
Zahlavova Strycova
Burdette
6 Erakovic
7 Davis
Giorgi
Hlavackova
Rodionova
Fichman
Lucic-Baroni
Tatishvili
3 Safarova (WC)
5 Bouchard
Arvidsson
Qualifier
Qualifier
Hradecka
Martic
Qualifier
2 Mladenovic
Tashkent — Week of September 8
1 Jovanovski (Q)
Nara
Doi
Rodina
Arefyeva (Q)
Glushko
Zanevska
7 Voskoboeva
3 Meusburger
Babos
Abduraimova (WC)
Cetkovska
Folts (WC)
Torro-Flor
Panova (Q)
6 Begu
5 Cadantu
Sharipova (WC)
Birnerova
N Kichenok
Govortsova
Krajicek
L Kichenok (Q)
4 Vekic
8 Shvedova
Dolonc
Minella
Puchkova
Kozlova (Q)
Ozaki (Q)
Burnett
2 Tsurenko
SCORES
MONDAY
Quebec City
Singles – First Round
Polona Hercog (SLO) d. (1) Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 63 61
(2) Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) d. (Q) Melanie Oudin (USA) 76(5) 57 62
(3/WC) Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. Anna Tatishvili (GEO) 63 62
(4) Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. (WC) Stéphanie Dubois (CAN) 63 64
(7) Lauren Davis (USA) d. Camila Giorgi (ITA) 67(5) 63 62
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) d. Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 63 75
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) d. Sharon Fichman (CAN) 64 60
(Q) Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) d. (Q) Amra Sadikovic (SUI) 63 64
(Q) Julie Coin (FRA) d. Michelle Larcher de Brito (POR) 76(5) 75
Doubles – First Round
(2) Kudryavtseva/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) d. Coin/Sadikovic (FRA/SUI) 64 26 107 (Match TB)
Sanchez/Slater (USA/GBR) d. (3) Jurak/Martic (CRO/CRO) 57 75 107 (Match TB)
Paszek/Tomljanovic (AUT/CRO) d. Rosolska/Vandeweghe (POL/USA) 26 75 1412 (Match TB)
Tashkent
Singles – First Round
(7) Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) d. Maryna Zanevska (UKR) 63 64
Vesna Dolonc (SRB) d. (8) Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 76(6) 75
María-Teresa Torró-Flor (ESP) d. (WC) Arina Folts (UZB) 60 63
Misaki Doi (JPN) d. Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 64 62
Julia Glushko (ISR) d. (Q) Tetyana Arefyeva (UKR) 63 75
Petra Cetkovska (CZE) d. (WC) Nigina Abduraimova (UZB) 62 76(2)
Doubles – First Round
(1) Babos/Shvedova (HUN/KAZ) d. Palkina/Pekhova (KGZ/BLR) 63 61
(2) Govortsova/Minella (BLR/LUX) d. (WC) Honcova/Sharipova (SVK/UZB) 62 62
Begu/Cadantu (ROU/ROU) d. (3) Birnerova/Buryachok (CZE/UKR) 64 76(7)
Kichenok/Kichenok (UKR/UKR) d. (4) Dolonc/Olaru (SRB/ROU) 63 62
Krajicek/Panova (NED/RUS) d. Ivakhnenko/Kozlova (UKR/UKR) 75 63
Rodionova/Zanevska (RUS/UKR) d. Kremen/Sasnovich (BLR/BLR) 64 62
Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Davis Cup, Sports, Tennis, US Open, Wta