Sharapova tops No. 1 Azarenka in final
2012-04-29 19:23:00
addCustomPlayer('in8tz0f6o3y415ly5f1elmmok', 'f0bae11cf284416e925a9c4fa6f426f5', '3yo0340ni0ik1cuhos8nrd4pf', 620, 429, 'perfin8tz0f6o3y415ly5f1elmmok-3yo0340ni0ik1cuhos8nrd4pf', 'eplayer17');STUTTGART, Germany (AP)—Second-ranked Maria Sharapova cruised past top-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to win the Porsche Grand Prix for her first title of the year.Sharapova lost the finals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells this year to Azarenka, and the Russian had never beaten her rival from Belarus in four previous encounters in a final.''I am really pleased to win such a tough tournament, against such tough opponents,'' said Sharapova, before collecting the white sports car donated by the sponsor. ''Victoria could not perform at her best because of her injury.''Azarenka, who fell to 29-2 this year but will keep the No. 1 spot, had her playing, right wrist taped after the first set. She was seeking her fifth title of the year.''I am disappointed to lose, but still I had a good week,'' Azarenka said.Sharapova, a former No. 1, won her 25th career title, an honor roll that also includes three Grand Slam titles.Sharapova made her debut this year in Stuttgart, a tournament played on indoor clay that brought together the eight top-ranked players. Sunday was her fourth clay court title.The Russian needed 30 minutes to roll through the first set, ending it by firing an ace with her second serve.She broke serve for a 4-3 lead and closed out the match with a service winner. Sharapova is 22-4 for the year.''I came here mainly to warm up for the French Open, so it's been a good week,'' she said.

Nadal beats Ferrer for seventh Barcelona title
2012-04-29 19:22:00
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)—Rafael Nadal became the first player in the Open Era to win two tournaments seven times after beating David Ferrer 7-6 (1), 7-5 in Sunday's Barcelona Open final.The second-ranked Nadal's 21st straight victory on clay followed up his eighth straight win in Monte Carlo, as Nadal won the 10th all-Spanish ATP final for a 48th career win.The sixth-ranked Ferrer lost his fourth Barcelona Open final to Nadal, who saved 12 of 15 break points for a 34th straight victory at Barcelona.Nadal skipped toward the net in celebration after hitting a backhand winner on match point. The six-time French Open champion displayed his normal resilience and steady play to overcome Ferrer in a match marked by grinding rallies and spectacular shotmaking more reminiscent of a major final.''This is the hardest match I had on clay court this season, David always takes you to the limit,'' Nadal told Spanish state TV. ''A bit of it was lottery, luck fell on my side today.''With a warm sun bearing down, the players exchanged early breaks before settling into a slugfest of powerful groundstrokes with long rallies often won by magnificently struck winners to the line.Neither player let a shot go unchallenged with the rhythm only disrupted in the fourth game when both players stopped as medical staff helped a spectator in the stands.Nadal saved seven of eight break points in the first set, including five which were set points for Ferrer in the 12th game. He fired an ace to save the last before holding for the tiebreaker, and Ferrer's double fault allowed Nadal to get ahead 4-1 as he took the first set in a grueling 93 minutes.Ferrer saved a triple break point, but then handed Nadal a 3-1 second set lead when his forehand sailed long.Nadal showed a dip in concentration on his next service game as he was forced to save a triple-break chance before netting on the fourth opportunity to let his opponent back in.Ferrer converted another break point when Nadal double-faulted to lead 5-4, but then hit wide on serve to be broken after Nadal's incredible scramble had set up the break chance.After serving to love to lead 6-5, Nadal's superb crosscourt forehand winner put him ahead as he broke Ferrer for the fourth time to pick up the 0,000 winner's check in 2 hours, 41 minutes.''Like always, Rafa,'' said Ferrer, who has three wins already this season. ''I've lost four times but four times against a great.''Only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have beaten Nadal in a clay court final.

Sharapova doesn't like upcoming Olympic changes
2012-04-29 12:35:00
Maria Sharapova is critical of the ITF’s reported changes to the Olympics eligibility rule. Tennisspace.com reported that the ITF has already decided to change its eligibility rules for the 2016 Olympics, doubling the number of Fed Cup ties players must make themselves available for the four-year period leading up to 2016. Currently, players only have to make themselves available for two ties in the two years preceding the Olympics. Sharapova has played two ties for Russia in 2011 and 2012, but in the past has said that being required to play in multiple Fed Cup ties makes it too difficult on the players' schedules.'I’m disappointed,' Sharapova told the press in Stuttgart. 'I met with them one on Miami. They didn't listen to us at all.'

Maria doesn't like upcoming Olympic changes
2012-04-29 12:35:00
Maria Sharapova is critical of the ITF’s reported changes to the Olympics eligibility rule. Tennisspace.com reported that the ITF has already decided to change its eligibility rules for the 2016 Olympics, doubling the number of Fed Cup ties players must make themselves available for the four-year period leading up to 2016. Currently, players only have to make themselves available for two ties in the two years preceding the Olympics. Sharapova has played two ties for Russia in 2011 and 2012, but in the past has said that being required to play in multiple Fed Cup ties makes it too difficult on the players' schedules.'I’m disappointed,' Sharapova told the press in Stuttgart. 'I met with them one on Miami. They didn't listen to us at all.'

Isner hoping to play with Serena in mixed
2012-04-29 12:27:00
John Isner says his chances of teaming up with Serena Williams in the 2012 Olympic mixed doubles are slim, but he’s going to try anyway. Andy Roddick and both of the Bryan brothers have also mentioned wanting to team up with Serena. 'I may be the odd man out,' Isner told reporters. 'But I’m pretty good friends with Serena. Might need to bribe her, maybe send a gift in the mail to get her to play with me. Obviously, she’s one of the most dominant players ever. To have her on my team would be a big advantage.'

Verdasco: Nadal always at 200 percent
2012-04-29 12:22:00
After falling to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of Barcelona, Fernando Verdasco says that his fellow Spaniard has reached his top level again. 'If friendship weren’t left to one side on the court, Rafa would have no friends, because he is bashing everybody. Rafa is always at 200 percent, with brutal intensity, and takes advantage of you the most quickly.'

Simon defeats Fognini to win Bucharest title
2012-04-29 08:29:00
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)—Top-seeded Gilles Simon beat Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-4, 6-3 to win the Nastase Tiriac Trophy on Sunday.The Frenchman took the event for the third time, after winning the tournament in 2007 and 2008.Fognini, playing in his first ATP World Tour final, made a determined start and broke early for a 2-0 lead before Simon recovered to make it 2-2.Simon broke again to lead 3-2, but immediately lost his serve in a game where both players made several forays to the net.At 3-3, Simon broke for the third time and held on to take the set, despite an apparent eye injury.The second set was dominated by several long rallies, but Simon seemed more in control and at 2-2 broke to take the lead. Leading 5-3, Simon trailed 40-0 on Fognini's serve before rallying to win the match.

No. 1 Azarenka vs. No. 2 Sharapova in final
2012-04-28 12:35:00
STUTTGART, Germany (AP)—Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka will face No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix on Sunday.Azarenka cruised past Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-3 in the first semifinal Saturday, and Sharapova outlasted No. 3 Petra Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion, 6-4, 7-6 (3).Azarenka is seeking a tour-high fifth tournament title of the year.She dominated the match against the fourth-ranked Radwanska, whose four losses of the year have come against Azarenka.On match point, Azarenka fired a forehand winner to advance to the final. She is 29-1 for the year.Sharapova is off to a promising start to her clay-court season. The Russian broke serve in the fifth game and did not face a break point of her own in the first set.That changed in the second.Kvitova held 10 break points in the set, but the Czech could not convert any.She did convert her 11th - after saving a match point - to even the score at 6-6 and sent the second set into the tiebreaker. Sharapova made fewer mistakes and now seeks her first title of the year.Azarenka leads Sharapova 5-3 in career meetings.

Sharapova tops Kvitova in Stuttgart semis
2012-04-28 11:15:00
When you think of Maria Sharapova, you don't think of the word 'consistent'—at least I don't, after watching her serve fall apart and her groundstrokes find the net so many times despite so much success in her career. She lives on the edge, much like her opponent in the second Stuttgart semifinal, Petra Kvitova. But the veteran—another word I don't like to associate with the 25-year-old—was a model of consistency in a 6-4, 7-6 (3) win, taking a match that could easily be in a third set as of this writing.Sharapova was consistent with her backhand all day, which played a large part in the result. She struck it forcefully, accurately, and took what Kvitova gave her, which was plenty. The Czech's forehand was a tale of two types of shot: Her down-the-line variety was effective, but when Kvitova went cross-court and struck it with more spin, Sharapova feasted on it. It put constant pressure on Kvitova, who wasn't sharp to begin with. The world No. 3 gave Sharapova three break chances when serving at 2-2 in the first set, and though she saved them all, a fourth was too much to handle. Sharapova rode the break advantage to the set, thanks to her own fine play and a rash of Kvitova return misses.It was Sharapova's turn to offer Kvitova chances for advancement in the second set—by the sixth game, the Russian was serving to save her fourth and fifth break points. Which she did, yet two games later, Kvitova, leading 4-3, earned break points six and seven. But the same undoings that plagued Kvitova in the first set resurfaced when she had break chances in the second. When she got a racquet on her return—a rarity—she did not play the pivotal points well. Sharapova, by contrast, played some of her boldest tennis in the second set when the pressure was at its peak. She wiped away both break chances to hold for 4-4.Up 5-4, Kvitova earned her ninth break point of the set—a set point—and this time she played it well, forcing a short Sharapova reply with an aggressive forehand. It was arguably Kvitova's best cross-court forehand of the match. She followed it with her worst, coming in and bungling a ball destined for the open court into the net. Sharapova held for 5-5.You simply knew that Kvitova would pay for her inability to break, and Sharapova made her in the next game, taking a 6-5 lead. But Sharapova wasn't done offering Kvitova chances to get back in the match, and on her 11th break point of the set, Kvitova finally won one, when a Sharapova shot landed inches wide. To a tiebreak they went, but in retrospect, Kvitova should never have been in this position.Sharapova ultimately made Kvitova pay again, playing the tiebreaker as she did the majority of the match's major points—very well. Sharapova's serve was far from a liability today; it often got her out of trouble. She didn't break down on either wing, and on this day was the more consistent of two stars known for their powerful if sometimes erratic shots. Kvitova tempted fate too often, and lost the tiebreaker after 10 points. That's how many break points Sharapova saved in second set. Sure, she lost one—but 10 of 11 is pretty consistent to me.Victoria Azarenka, who Sharapova lost to in the Australian Open and Indian Wells finals this year, awaits.—Ed McGrogan

Radwanska suffering from back injury
2012-04-28 09:48:00
After losing to Victoria Azarenka in Stuttgart semis, her fifth loss to the Belarussian this season, world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska says that she's suffering from a back injury and will go back to Poland to try and heal. 'Clay is not my favorite surface, but playing against same player all the time isn't really fun,' she said.

Azarenka routs Radwanska in Stuttgart
2012-04-28 09:47:00
Stuttgart marks the first time in nearly three years that the WTA Top 4 reached the final four of a tournament. But it hasn't been as uncommon to see the world's top two women reach the final round of an event—it happened as recently as Indian Wells, when Victoria Azarenka played Maria Sharapova. We're halfway to another Top 2 collision, thanks to Azarenka's commanding, 6-1, 6-3 win over Agnieszka Radwanska.The world No. 1 is now 5-0 against Radwanska in 2012, 10-3 lifetime, and has won the last eight sets they've played. It wasn't hard to see why if you watched today's match. The obvious reason is power, which Azarenka has to burn and Radwanska lacks. If Radwanska isn't keeping all of her slick shots in—which she wasn't on this day—the rallies will almost always end in Azarenka's favor. That or, at the very least, they will end on her racquet, which given Vika's current form is a risky proposition for her opponents.The second but potentially as important reason is Azarenka's movement. She glides fluidly, and that was even more pronounced on clay. Radwanska moved her feet, but compared to Azarenka, that's all she moved. Getting into position to handle Azarenka's shots was sometimes half the battle for Radwanska, who needed more speed and certainly more ammunition to prevail. But even that may not have been enough against a player who has now won 29 of her first 30 matches.Behind quickly, Radwanska dropped the first set to Azarenka for the exact reasons I mentioned. When she took an extended injury timeout down 3-2 in the second, it looked for a moment as if it might be an even quicker exit for Radwanska than usual. But the Pole encouraged with a no-look, backhand overhead to save a break point, a shot that signaled a change in confidence. That may have been the case—Radwanska played her best tennis as this straight-setter wound down—but her execution was never consistent enough to compete with the top seed. After traversing the break-point tightrope, Radwanska served a sitter to Azarenka, whose backhand return winner gave her the break for for all intents and purposes the match.Down 5-2, Radwanska saved a match point and forced Azarenka to serve out the contest. It was then that we watched Radwanska place a running backhand in the perfect position down the line, and strike a cross-court forehand return winner that gave Azarenka temporary pause. There was nothing little about those shots, and Radwanska must add more of them to her arsenal to unseat the best of the best. In this sense, the WTA No. 4 shares some similarities to the ATP No. 4, Andy Murray.Not too little, no, but certainly too late.—Ed McGrogan

Nadal, Ferrer in Barcelona final for fourth time
2012-04-28 09:46:00
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)—Six-time champion Rafael Nadal defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-4 Saturday to ease into the Barcelona Open final, where he will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for a fourth time.Nadal dominated from the start, winning 21 of 27 points to break Verdasco's first three service games and set him on his way to his 33rd straight win at the competition.In the other semifinal, Ferrer held off Milos Raonic's powerful serve for a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) victory to give him a shot at his fourth title of the year.''Rafa is the best player, clay-court player ever,'' Ferrer said. ''He has beaten me three times in the finals here. I hope tomorrow is different.''Verdasco, who won here in 2010 when Nadal sat out the tournament he has otherwise dominated since 2005, barely offered resistance as the second-ranked player hit winner after winner.Nadal ran off seven straight points to open the match, breaking Verdasco's first service game with an intimidating smash.''I began the first set very strong, and getting the first break gave me a lot of confidence,'' Nadal said. ''He also made some errors early on, which helped me.''Nadal improved to 13-0 all time against Verdasco and predicted a close final.''David is always tough. He is a rival you never want to face,'' Nadal said. ''I wish him the best. Well... not for tomorrow, but for the rest of the season.''Raonic hit 15 aces against Ferrer, displaying the same massive serve that led to his upset of Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.But the third-seeded Ferrer worked his Canadian opponent around the red-clay court with well-placed ground strokes and proved the better finisher in the two tiebreakers.''It was very difficult to beat him,'' Ferrer said. ''We both had our chances. It was a question of winning or losing the key points.''Behind 3-1 in the second-set tiebreaker, the sixth-ranked Ferrer fought back and claimed the match with a superb return that clipped the sideline.''I'm very happy to make my fourth final,'' Ferrer said. ''I have a special relationship with this tournament. I hope I can fulfill my dream of finally winning here.''

USC's Johnson wins 59th consecutive match
2012-04-28 09:16:00
USC's Steve Johnson wins his 59th consecutive collegiate match at the Ojai tournament. His last loss came in January 2011. Johnson, a senior who has competed on the ATP tour when not in school, says he stayed at USC for his senior year to help the Trojans to their fourth straight team title. 'He is, for sure, a top-100 player,' USC coach Peter Smith told the LA Times. After that, it's up to him.'

Murray: Raonic a threat on all surfaces
2012-04-28 09:15:00
Andy Murray praises the progress of young Canadian Milos Raonic, who upset him at Barcelona on clay. The 25th-ranked Raonic also defeated Nicolas Almagro earlier in the week. ''Milos has always played well on hard court—now he's a threat on all surfaces,'' Murray told reporters.

Barthel happy she stayed in school
2012-04-28 09:12:00
German Mona Barthel, whose ranking has risen 173 places since the end of 2010, says she is happy that she decided to stay in school rather than going on tour immediately. The 20-year-old beat Marion Batroli in Stuttgart before falling in a long three-setter to No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, who called the 20-year-old 'one to watch.' 'I went to normal school,  completed high school in eight years instead of nine and therefore naturally had very long school days,' Barthel told tennisnet.com. 'I really only played tournaments in the holidays. I told myself at least I have something if tennis doesn't work. When I then was able to concentrate on tennis, I have improved very quickly. That was not happening at 18 or 19, like with many other players, but that's perfectly fine for me. It is a very strenuous job that we do, and it is certainly not easy, for girls at 15 or 16 without the parents alone to travel the world.'