Azarenka out of Fed Cup opener with back injury
2012-02-04 08:30:00
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)—Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus has withdrawn from her Fed Cup match against the United States because of a lower back injury.The Australian Open champion was scheduled to play Christina McHale in Saturday’s opening singles of the second-tier series. She was replaced by Anastasiya Yakimova but remains eligible to play Sunday in the best-of-five competition.Azarenka says her lower back has been sore since the Australian Open. She says the long flight from Australia didn’t help her back and she has had little time for practice.Azarenka took the No. 1 ranking after winning her first Grand Slam title last weekend.'It has been a while and I have been trying to take [the injury] day by day. I had the pain since the Australian Open and was hoping to recover, but did not have enough time with all the flying I did,' Azarenka said in a satement. 'Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen. It’s disappointing, but health is the most important thing. I am trying to do my best and over the last few days, I have got treatment and not so much practice. It is frustrating to sit out, but what I did in Australia was very physical, so the body needs a little break. We have a great team and the girls are ready to go.'

Injured Azarenka uncertain for match vs. Serena
2012-02-04 08:24:00
World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has pulled out of her first match in Fed Cup with a back injury. It is unclear whether she will be able to face Serena Williams on Sunday. . The Australian Open champion was scheduled to play the United States' Christina McHale in Saturday's opening match of  the Fed Cup World Group II tie in Worcester, Mass. 'It has been a while and I have been trying to take [the injury] day by day,' Azarenka said in a statement. 'I had the pain since the Australian Open and was hoping to recover, but did not have enough time with all the flying I did. Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen. It’s disappointing, but health is the most important thing. I am trying to do my best and over the last few days, I have got treatment and not so much practice. It is frustrating to sit out, but what I did in Australia was very physical, so the body needs a little break. We have a great team and the girls are ready to go.'Azarenka did not cite an injury during her maiden run to a Grand Slam title in Australia, where she beat Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova back to back. After winning the title, she flew to Los Angeles and appeared on the 'Ellen Show' before heading to Massachusetts.  — Matt Cronin

Monfils to face Berdych in Montpellier final
2012-02-04 08:00:00
MONTPELLIER, France (AP)—Defending champion Gael Monfils saved a match point to edge second-seeded Gilles Simon 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 and reach the Open Sud de France final on Saturday.Monfils will meet top-seeded Tomas Berdych, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-4.Simon rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the final set, leveling at 4-4, but he dropped serve again to lose the all-French match.“It’s not easy to outmaneuver Gilles,” Monfils told Sport Plus television. “I tried to be aggressive. I missed some shots in the beginning but that’s what made a bit of the difference in the end.”Monfils whipped a forehand winner to break for a 2-1 lead in the first set, but Simon broke back in the sixth game with a backhand return winner.Simon put Monfils under pressure at 5-4 and took the first set when Monfils sent a forehand into the net.Monfils saved eight break points in the second set, including a match point at 6-5, to force a tiebreaker. He leveled at one set apiece on a forehand error from Simon.Monfils will play in his second final this season after reaching the Qatar Open final last month.Berdych broke Kohlschreiber once in each set and saved all five break points he faced.The Czech clinched victory when Kohlschreiber netted a backhand.Berdych will chase his first title since winning the China Open last October.

Italy, Ukraine split opening singles in Fed Cup
2012-02-04 07:55:00
BIELLA, Italy (AP)—Lesia Tsurenko routed 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-2 Saturday, leaving Ukraine tied with Italy after their opening singles matches at the Fed Cup.Earlier on the indoor red-clay court at the Lauretana Forum, Sara Errani followed her quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open by beating Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-3.Reverse singles and doubles in the first-round, best-of-five series is Sunday.The 121st-ranked Tsurenko dominated with a big serve and accurate volleys, while Schiavone lacked her usual aggressiveness and fleet footwork.Errani broke early in each set and was never really challenged by the 89th-ranked Bondarenko. The 34th-ranked Errani usually plays doubles for Italy, but captain Corrado Barazzutti decided to use her in singles because of her results in Australia and Flavia Pennetta’s back injury.“It’s never easy to open in Fed Cup but it was a good match, very quick. She was hitting really hard,” said Errani. “For me, Fed Cup is the best thing all year.”Errani was beaten by Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in the Australian Open quarters. She also reached the doubles final in Melbourne, pairing with Vinci in a loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva of Russia.Italy won the Fed Cup in 2006, 2009 and 2010. But in its previous outing, it played without Schiavone and Pennetta and lost to Russia 5-0 in last year’s semfinals, ending its winning streak of eight series. Italy has won all three of its series with Ukraine.

Serbia and Belgium tied 1-1 in Fed Cup
2012-02-04 07:55:00
CHARLEROI, Belgium (AP)—Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium won in straight sets Saturday, leaving this opening-round Fed Cup series tied after the first day.Jankovic, once ranked No. 1, beat Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 7-5. Wickmayer then downed Bojana Jovanovski 6-4, 6-4.Kim Clijsters decided to sit out the opening round for Belgium in her farewell season. Serbia is without former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.Jankovic showed her experience late in the opening set, forcing a first break of serve against the 176th-ranked Flipkens. She went up 4-2 in the second but let Flipkens back in the match. Jankovic saved two set points before winning.That put the pressure on Wickmayer in the best-of-five series. Wickmayer became Belgium’s highest-ranked player after Clijsters lost in the semifinals at the Australian Open title last week. Wickmayer is ranked No. 29 and had enough experience to edge Jovanovski, 76 places below her.Wickmayer rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the second set but won the final four games.

Czechs take 2-0 lead over Germany in Fed Cup
2012-02-04 07:45:00
STUTTGART, Germany (AP)—Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova rallied to outlast Julia Goerges 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 Saturday, giving defending champ Czech Republic a 2-0 lead over Germany in the first round of the Fed Cup.In the first match of the best-of-five series, Iveta Benesova also had to come from behind to beat Sabine Lisicki 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.Goerges was two points from winning, leading 5-4 and 30-0 before falling to the second-ranked Kvitova in 2 hours, 21 minutes. Kvitova is on a 26-0 run indoors.Benesova served two aces to save two break points while trailing 3-2 in the second set and held serve.“That was very important,” Benesova said. “It gave me a push and I stayed in the match.”The series will be decided Sunday with two reverse singles and a doubles match at Porsche Arena. Germany’s 10th-ranked Andrea Petkovic was ruled out with a lower back injury.This is the seventh meeting between the countries, with the Czechs leading 5-1. The series winner will play Ukraine or Italy in the semifinals April 21-22.

Russia leads Spain, 2-0, after first day of play
2012-02-04 05:00:00
MOSCOW (AP)—Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova won their opening singles matches Saturday to give Russia a commanding 2-0 lead over Spain in their Fed Cup first-round series.Sharapova routed Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-2, 6-1 in the first match, while Kuznetsova downed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-1.After an early exchange of breaks, Sharapova won four consecutive games in the first set and four more in the second. She closed the match on her first match point with a forehand that Fed Cup debutante Soler-Espinosa failed to return.“I was a bit nervous before the beginning of the match as I failed to show my best tennis in my previous Fed Cup appearance in Moscow,” Sharapova said.Sharapova is playing for Russia for the third time. The three-time Grand Slam champion won both of her singles matches against Israel in 2008. She lost in opening singles against France last year.“It was very important to stay concentrated, to believe and prove that my tennis is better and to win the match. Luckily, I managed to do all that and now I’m really satisfied with my performance.”Kuznetsova won four consecutive games before Suarez Navarro narrowed the gap to 4-3 in the first set. But the two-time major winner won five more games in a row to take a 3-0 lead in the second set. She converted her second match point with a service winner.“From the scoreline, the match looked easy but in fact it was a bit difficult,” Kuznetsova said. “But I’ve played rather well today and I’m satisfied with my tennis.”In Sunday’s reverse singles, Sharapova was drawn to play Suarez Navarro, while Kuznetsova will take on Soler-Espinosa. In the doubles match, the Russian pair of Nadia Petrova and Ekaterina Makarova will play the Spanish duo of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja.Russia has won the Fed Cup title four times since 2004 and is 5-1 against Spain, which won the title five times between 1991 and 1998.The winner of the series will play either Belgium or Serbia in the semifinals on April 21-22.

Japan takes 2-0 lead over Slovenia in Fed Cup
2012-02-04 01:00:00
KOBE, Japan (AP)—Kimiko Date-Krumm and Ayumi Morita both won on Saturday to give Japan a 2-0 lead over Slovenia in a Fed Cup World Group II tie. Date-Krumm beat Polona Hercog 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the first match and Morita gave Japan a 2-0 lead with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Nastja Kolar. Morita will face Hercog and Date-Krumm will take on Kolar on Sunday in reverse singles.

Chela, Monaco advance to Vina del Mar semifinals
2012-02-03 19:00:00
VINA DEL MAR, Chile (AP)—Top seed Juan Monaco of Argentina beath fifth-seeded Albert Montanes of Spain 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Vina Del Mar VTR Open. Fellow countryman and No. 2 seed Juan Ignacio Chela defeated Joao Souza of Brazil 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-1. Chela’s victory sets up a semifinal match up against countryman Carlos Berlocq, who defeated Federico Delbonis of Argentina 6-3, 6-4. Monaco will face France’s Jeremy Chardy in the other semifinal on the red clay. He beat Frederico Gil of Portugal 6-2, 7-6 (5).  

Argentina's Suarez to un-retire in Olympic bid
2012-02-03 14:23:00
Argentina’s Paola Suarez is coming out of retirement in order to play the Olympics with Gisela Dulko, the tennis web site Fuebuena reports. The 35-year-old Suarez was standout doubles player, winning seven Grand Slams with Spain’s Virginia Ruano-Pascal. She and Dulko have entered the upcoming tournaments in Bogota and Acapulco. Dulko is not playing with her regular partner, Italy’s Flavia Pennetta, this year because Pennetta and her countrywoman Francesca Schiavone have decided to team up for the Olympics. If Dulko stays in the top 10, she will automatically be given a spot in the Olympics, but because Suarez has been retired since 2007 and has not played or made herself available to play Fed Cup (which is a requirement) in the past two years, she will likely have to ask for an exemption.

France's Escude, Rezai in Fed Cup dispute
2012-02-03 14:18:00
French captain Nicolas Escude and Aravane Rezai are in Fed Cup dispute that saw former top 15 player Rezai quit the team before this weekend’s tie against Slovakia in Bratislava. The French newspapers L’Equipe and Le Figaro report that Rezai claimed that she recanted, but Escude disputed that and said that the No. 123 ranked Rezai was incoherent. Rezai, who was not selected to the team,  said that she was asked to leave Bratislava and was not allowed to stay and cheer on her teammates. The French captain chose Pauline Parmentier, Virginie Razzano, Alize Cornet and Kristina Mladenovic for the team. Rezai apparently lost her wild card into next week’s Paris Indoors and now will be forced to play the qualifying.

Baghdatis to play Lacko in Zagreb semifinals
2012-02-03 13:15:00
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP)—Lukas Lacko of Slovakia beat seventh-seeded Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-4 Friday to reach the Zagreb Indoors semifinals. Lacko, who earlier ousted second-seeded Alex Bogomolov Jr., will now face Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who defeated defending champion Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-4, 7-5. The sixth-seeded Baghdatis beat the fourth-seeded Dodig with little trouble, leaving the host country without representatives in the semifinals for the first time since 2006. In another quarterfinal, third-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia defeated eighth-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 7-6 (10), 3-6, 7-6 (6). Germany’s Michael Berrer also advanced, defeating Austria’s Jurgen Melzer 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Berrer, a finalist in 2010 and 2011, rallied after failing to convert five break points in the first set. “I just feel very comfortable here,” Berrer said. “I had lot of respect for Melzer. … I knew it would be difficult and that I had to be on the top of my game to beat him.”

Berdych, Monfils, Simon reach Montpellier semis
2012-02-03 11:01:00
MONTPELLIER, France (AP)—Tomas Berdych, Gilles Simon, defending champion Gael Monfils and Philipp Kohlschreiber reached the semifinals at the Open Sud de France. Berdych, seeded first, finished off Nicolas Mahut of France with his 14th ace Friday, winning 6-3, 6-4. Simon, seeded second, edged wild card Guillaume Rufin 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-2 in an all-French quarterfinal. Simon will play another Frenchman in the semis when he faces third-seeded Monfils, who cruised past Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-3, 6-3. Nieminen won the Sydney International last month. Kohlschreiber, seeded seventh, served 18 aces in defeating fourth-seeded Richard Gasquet of France 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. The German will next play Berdych. This is Kohlschreiber’s second semifinal this season following last month’s Heineken Open in New Zealand. Berdych outplayed Mahut in the first set, with the Czech making only two unforced errors. Mahut fought back in the second, but the Frenchman double-faulted to give the 2010 Wimbledon finalist a 4-3 lead. Simon won when a backhand from Rufin sailed long. Rufin was hurt by his serve in the final set, double-faulting five times and making only 38 percent of his first attempts. Simon took the first set tiebreaker on a forehand error from Rufin. Rufin hit two consecutive forehand winners to lead 6-2 in the second tiebreaker and evened the match at one set apiece when Simon netted a backhand. Monfils broke serve twice to win the first set when Nieminen sent a backhand volley into the net. Nieminen hit a forehand wide to trail 3-1 in the second set. Monfils did not face a break point and won when Nieminen netted a backhand return.

Kournikova sells Miami home for .4 million
2012-02-03 09:54:00
Anna Kournikova has sold her 6,630-square-foot home in Miami Beach's exclusive Sunset Island for .4 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. Former top 10 player Kournikova paid million for the seven-bedroom waterfront home in 2000. The property has about 150 feet of frontage on the Intracoastal Waterway and a coral-rock pool deck that surrounds a pool and Jacuzzi. Kournikova and her longtime partner, singer Enrique Iglesias, are building a new home in South Florida that is said to cost somewhere around million.

Tomic plans to sell controversial sport car
2012-02-03 09:52:00
Bernard Tomic has put the bright orange V8 BMW M3 sport car that has recently gotten him into trouble up for sale. The car retails for more than 0,000. 'I wish to move forward from this and use it as part of my learning experience, so I've decided to sell my BMW,' Tomic told the Courier-Mail. 'I'll put my dream car on hold for a while and in the next few years I'll look again and hopefully I will be able to find a similar car. I now want to focus on my tennis without any distractions.' Tomic has a court date on February 14 for driving the car in areas not permitted under his license.