Tennis Frontier

Category: News

General Tennis News from the Tennis Frontier

  • Agnieszka Radwanska Wins Korean Open

    Agnieszka Radwanska Wins Korean Open

    Agnieszka Radwanska won her third WTA title of the year defeating Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a gruelling match lasting 2 hours 45 minutes at the Korean Open in Seoul.

    The top seeded Pole prevailed 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. “After a great match, almost three hours of great tennis at a really high level, of course I’m very happy,” she said after clinching the title.

    After dropping a first-set tiebreak to Pavlyuchenkova she took back control of the match with an early second set break. Radwanska went on to seal the second set before breaking in the tenth game of a final set decider to take the match.

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    Cover Photo: Christopher Johnson (Globalite), Creative Commons License

  • Andy Murray to Undergo Season-Ending Back Surgery

    Andy Murray to Undergo Season-Ending Back Surgery

    Reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will undergo back surgery on Monday for a long-standing problem, according to the BBC. He is unlikely to resume play for the rest of the season.

    The Scot has suffered from a disc problem for two years, which affects a nerve in his lower back. It is the same injury which prompted his withdrawal from Roland Garros in May.

    Murray had been scheduled to play three tournaments in Asia this fall, including the Shanghai Masters, before going to the Paris Masters and the World Tour Finals in London.

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    Credits: Cover Photo: Marianne Bevis (Creative Commons License)

  • Serena Williams Withdraws from Tokyo

    Serena Williams Withdraws from Tokyo

    World No. 1 Serena Williams withdrew on Thursday from the Pan Pacific Open, in Tokyo, citing fatigue, reported Japan’s Kyodo news agency.

    “I’m disappointed to have to withdraw from the Pan Pacific Open, which I was very much looking forward to playing this year. Unfortunately with the number of matches I have played throughout the summer I need more time to properly recover,” Williams said.

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    Credits: Cover Photo: Edwin Martinez1 (Creative Commons License)

  • Davis Cup 2014: The World Group Draw

    Davis Cup 2014: The World Group Draw

    The 2014 Davis Cup draw for the World Group

    Home countries are listed first with seeding in brackets.

    Germany v Spain (3)

    Czech Republic (1) v Netherlands

    Japan v Canada (7)

    France (5) v Australia

    United States (6) v Great Britain

    Argentina (4) v Italy

    Kazakhstan (8) v Belgium

    Serbia (2) v Switzerland

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    Cover Photo: Kevin Stephen (Creative Commons License)

  • Cilic Suspended for 9 Months after Doping Violation

    Cilic Suspended for 9 Months after Doping Violation

    Croatian Marin Cilic has been suspended for nine months by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for failing a doping test at the BMW Munich Open back in May.

    Cilic, a former Top 10 player, withdrew from Wimbledon citing injury when advised of test results that showed he had used a banned stimulant. Cilic pleaded innocence stating he had taken some glucose tablets purchased over-the-counter by his mother at a pharmacy.

    During the hearing, ITF officials accepted Cilic’s use of the stimulant was inadvertent and reduced his suspension period from two years to nine months. This will be applied from the date of the failed test and retroactively applied from May 1, 2013. It will mean he will not be eligible for the remainder of the year and the Australian Open in January.

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    Cover Photo:  Angela N. (Creative Commons License)

  • Davis Cup Round-Up: Serbia and Czech Republic Make Finals

    Davis Cup Round-Up: Serbia and Czech Republic Make Finals

    Serbia and defending champions the Czech Republic booked their berths in the Davis Cup finals after defeating Canada and Argentina, respectively, in the tournament semifinals.

    Serbia progressed in front of a passionate partisan crowd with Janko Tipsarevic defeating Vasek Pospisil 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 in the deciding rubber to secure a come-from-behind victory.

    The Serbs had been down 2:1 coming into the final day after losing the doubles rubber and Tipsarevic losing a marathon five-set clash to Milos Raonic.

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    Novak Djokovic pulled Serbia level with a 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 straight sets victory over Raonic, to set up a nail-biting decider between Tipsarevic and Pospisil in a winner-takes-all rubber. Tipsarevic prevailed, defeating Pospisil 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 to clinch a place in the finals for Serbia.

    The Czech Republic also prevailed 3:2, but it was a less bumpy ride as they built up an unassailable 3:0 lead that assured them of a finals place before the final day. The Czech victory was built on the exploits of Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych. The pair won both their singles matches and teamed up in the doubles to clinch victory.  The Czechs lost both dead rubbers as they fielded second string players.

    They now travel to Belgrade for the final, hosted from 15-17 November 2013. It is the third time in four years that they have faced Serbia in Davis Cup competition.

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    Other results:

    World Group Playoffs:

    Spain 5:0 Ukraine
    Netherlands 5:0 Austria
    Croatia 1:4 Great Britain
    Switzerland 4:1 Ecuador
    Germany 4:1 Brazil
    Poland 1:4 Australia
    Belgium 3:2 Israel
    Japan 3:2 Colombia

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    Cover Photo: elPadawan (Creative Commons License)

  • Murray Questions Anti-Doping Transparency

    Murray Questions Anti-Doping Transparency

    World No. 3 Andy Murray has called for greater transparency from the ITF anti-doping unit as Maran Cilic appears in London to face his hearing on a failed test earlier in the year.

    Cilic tested positive at the BMW Munich Open, later withdrawing from Wimbledon citing a knee injury when he was advised of the test results. The positive test was not made public as ITF protocols state that the hearings take place three months later to allow both parties to present a case. In Cilic’s case, the positive test was leaked by local Croatian media outlets.

    “I think it’s about time everyone knew what was going on,” said Murray, who leads the British charge in the UK/Croatia Davis Cup clash. “Once it’s out in the open, then whether the hearing took two months or three or fourth months, so long as he isn’t playing in that period. I think it’s too long for no one to say he has failed a drugs test.”

    Cilic’s camp has attributed the failed test down to purchasing an “over the counter” glucose supplement. If the ITF do enforce a ban then it will be backdated to Cilic’s last match and Wimbledon and depending on the sanction should be enforced for 6 to 24 months.

  • Rafael Nadal Wins the US Open

    Rafael Nadal Wins the US Open

    Takes his second US Open singles title, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 over Novak Djokovic.

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    In what was widely set up as a battle for dominance at the end of this year, Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in a four-set war.  Most of their battles seem to involve blood, and this was no different, even though it failed to go the distance.

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    Both seemed to start sharp in the first.  Djokovic may have been feeling the effects of the five-set semifinal he played against Stan Wawrinka two days ago, and failed to meet Nadal’s intensity.  The Spaniard won the first set, 6-2, with two breaks of serve.

    In the second, Djokovic broke early, but Nadal broke straight back.  However, the Serbian No. 1 found the intensity he had been lacking and began to run the No. 2 around the court.  He broke again at 3-4 to serve for it at 5-3, and won the set.  All momentum at this point was in his favor.

    To open the third, Djokovic broke at love.  While Djokovic seemed to be in control in the early part of the set, Nadal kept up the pressure, broke back, and finally snuck the set out at the last minute:  6-4.

    Djokovic initially pressured on the Nadal serve at the beginning of the fourth set, but the Spaniard eventually ran away with it to win the title: 6-1 in the fourth.

    Previous to this match, each had won one title at the USO, so the balance now falls in Rafa’s favor.  Nadal also lifts his unbroken streak on hard courts this year to 22-0.  And, while Djokovic retains his No. 1 status for a short while longer, Nadal has crept up to within 920 points of Novak, with nothing to defend for the rest of the year.  The shift at the top seems only a matter of time.

     

  • Serena Williams Wins the US Open

    Serena Williams Wins the US Open

    Serena Williams fought Victoria Azarenka, the wind, and her nerves to win her 17th Major title.

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    Serena Williams has won her fifth US Open crown with a hard fought victory over world No. 2 Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-1, in a match lasting 2 hours and 45 minutes.  Oddly, it was the first time that the world No. 1 and No. 2 had faced each other in a US Open final in 10 years.

    It didn’t come easy. Serena had to overcome blustery weather conditions, unforced errors, and a very stubborn opponent in the Belorussian. Twice in the second set she served for the match but Azarenka broke her both times to force a deciding set.

    Azarenka had beaten Williams recently in Cincinnati in a three-set thriller but fell behind early in the final set and could not recover. Williams finally sealed the match when an Azarenka return sailed long.

    Williams increased her Grand Slam count to 17, one fewer than Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time list, and jumped for joy on winning her fifth US Open title.

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    Cover Photo: edplain (Creative Commons License)

  • Djokovic Outlasts Wawrinka in the Semifinals; Sets Up Nadal Rematch

    Djokovic Outlasts Wawrinka in the Semifinals; Sets Up Nadal Rematch

    Novak Djokovic overcame an overall lackluster performance, and an onslaught from Stanislaw Wawrinka to prevail in a thrilling 5-set match, 2-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

    It was a roller-coaster ride of a semifinal.  Wawrinka, the still-but-perhaps-not-for-long Swiss No. 2 came out strong and broke Djokovic three times in the first set.  He went up a break in the second, but Djokovic broke back, and sent the set into a tiebreak, which the world No. 1 snatched up.  The Swiss took the third set on one break, and Djokovic the fourth via the same.  Also in the fourth set, Wawrinka had a medical timeout for an injury to his upper-thigh, and did seem to be hampered the rest of the match.

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    Click here to discuss the Nadal/Gasquet semifinal in our discussion forum.

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    The stakes were raised in the fifth set.  At 1-1, with Wawrinka serving, they played a nearly 21-minute, 30-point game.  It was taken to deuce 12 times, with Djokovic having five break chances.  In the end, Wawrinka held, but it seemed to be all he had left.  Djokovic broke at 2-2 and ran away with it.

    After the match, Djokovic said:  “I think it was obvious Stan played more aggressive; he played better tennis over all,” adding, “I was glad I was able to find my best tennis when I needed it.”

    In the second semifinal of the day, Rafael Nadal beat Richard Gasquet with his B-Game, 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-2.  While Gasquet came up with some showy tennis at times, and Nadal was having trouble finding the lines, the best Gasquet can say is that he broke Nadal’s serve for the first time in the tournament.

    The win assures Djokovic that he holds his No. 1 ranking for the time being, and sets up his 37th match with his rival Nadal — an Open Era record for most matches played.  The Spaniard currently leads the head-to-head 21-15.  They will play for the trophy on Monday.