Tennisform Ticker

31 July 2011
23:28	Hantuchova	has been in Brisbane readying herself for the new season. Hantuchova said, "I will also play in Sydney as I would like some match practice before the Australian Open. Unfortunately, my preparation for the new season has not been optimal. Part of my preparation was focused on rehabilitation at the expense of other things. Every day I trained under the supervision of a physiotherapist. It was a necessary part of my training."
23:25	Brands	blasted his way into the main draw with a win over the unfortunate Peter Luczak, who had the unpleasant experience of watching the German's service bombs whizz past him all match. Brands fired 16 aces in two sets, won 78% of serve points, and unsurprisingly was not broken. In the early rounds he beat Max Raditschnigg and Laurent Recourdec, without dropping a set.
23:23	Cilic	"I’m really pleased with the way things went this week," said Cilic. "We haven’t had a Croatian in the final here for 21 years and it was a relief I think for all the tournament organisers and also for me to reach the final and be playing well at home."
23:23	Dolgopolov	was pleased to finally notch up his first ever ATP main tour title. "I was first in the rankings in Ukraine, but I hadn’t won a title and everyone was talking about that a bit," said Dolgopolov. "So I’m really happy that I eventually did win it, because I was playing pretty well for a year, but still I couldn’t manage to win a title. It’s a good moment. I’ll keep on working and try and get higher and higher in the rankings."
23:22	Dolgopolov	landed his first ever ATP main tour title with a well deserved 3 sets win over Marin Cilic. Dolgopolov was the better player throughout with his superb attacking variety and excellent changes of pace causing all sorts of bother for the Croat but he did get a little nervous in the final set, initially squandering a 3-0 lead before eventually sealing the match in 2 hours and 14 minutes. The Ukrainian's first serve percentage was poor once again (just 44%) but overall he served much better than Cilic with the Croat also struggling with his first serve percentage (just 49%). "It was a tough match," reflected Dolgopolov. "I got a bit nervous at the end and it was a nervous third set, so I’m happy I could win it. The key of the match was that I was playing my game, not waiting for him to make errors and I was doing that pretty well until I got a bit nervous. I think I was playing the right game, attacking a lot, making him run and it paid off." Dolgopolov 31w 28ue; Cilic 15w 36ue. Dolgopolov 6/4 3/6 6/3.
23:20	Janowicz	struggled through qualifying a bit, with wins over Peter Steinberger, Josko Topic and Ivo Klec. The young Pole is one of the tallest players on tour at 6'8, and his serve was particularly fierce against Klec, where he was broken only once.
23:17	Souza	stumbled through qualifying, with wins from a set down against Tristan-Samuel Weissborn and Maximilian Neuchrist (876 and 1183 ranked respectively) - he was especially fortunate in the former match, with Weissborn being 62 66, but then catastrophically folding from there on. He produced a more comfortable result against the experienced Victor Crivoi in the final round, with his serve in particular deadly - this is like last week, when Souza found his range in the altitude it was deadly (18 aces vs Gil). Souza will face fellow qualifier Jerzy Janowicz in the first round.
23:02	Kamke	comfortably beat 18yo wild card Denis Kudla in straight sets. Kamke was far superior in every department to the young American with the German posting some decent serving figures (won 74% overall). The German made only 12 unforced errors, 19 fewer than Kudla. "He has some weapons and he can be very dangerous," Kamke said. "I think he’ll be a very good player if he keeps working on his game." Kamke 6/4 6/2.
22:58	R. Ram Link	came through qualifying with straight sets wins over fellow countrymen Alexander Domijan (6/4 6/2) and Wayne Odesnik (6/4 6/4). Ram dropped serve in both matches, twice against Domijan (who dished up 13 double faults) and once against Odesnik. Ram and Odesnik exchanged a rather strange handshake with each other at the end of their match.
22:55	Matosevic	qualified for the main draw with straight sets wins over 528 ranked Michael Shabaz (easily 6/3 6/1 without facing a break point) and Amer Delic (7/6 6/4, saving all 4 break points).
22:47	A. Sitak	qualified for his first ever main tour draw with straight sets wins over 18yo American Andrew Adams (6/4 6/4) and fading veteran Nicolas Massu (7/6 6/2-served 10 aces-1 per game) . Sitak, a 25yo Russian born Kiwi currently ranked 389, reached the final of a futures event in Mexico earlier this year but has never gone beyond the quarter final stage of a challenger.
22:47	Veic	took down Borut Puc (ranked 466) and Diego Junqueira (101) on Sunday, and Henri Laaksonen (826) on Saturday, to qualify for the Kitzbuhel main draw. Veic actually had a fair degree of trouble against the lower ranked players, but beat Junqueira comfortably - the key difference being a lot more effective serving.
22:43	Guccione	qualified for his first main tour draw since Indian Wells earlier this year with wins over Daniel Yoo (easily without facing a break point-9 aces) and in 3 sets over Jesse Witten (rallying from a set down to win going away -just 7 aces). The injury prone Aussie hasn't won a main tour match for nearly 2 years.
22:41	Smyczek	qualified for the main draw with straight sets wins over doubles specialist Oliver Marach (7/5 6/3) and Alex Kuznetsov (comfortably 6/3 6/3).
22:31	Ebden	qualified for the main draw with wins over Americans Mitchell Frank (an 18yo, ranked 725, in 3 sets) and Phillip Simmonds (7/6 6/3). (Blog entry) "Simmonds’s powerful serve kept him close to the top-seeded Ebden in a hard-fought first set, but Simmonds became visibly frustrated after he lost the first-set tiebreaker and Ebden cruised to a straight-sets win."
22:26	S. Williams	secured a straight sets victory over Marion Bartoli, who came out firing and looked to be coping well with the American's greater weight of shot until her level dropped as she served for the first set. The Frenchwoman then received medical attention for a hand injury and offered very little in the second set. Serena served well, winning 69% behind a solid 78% first serve, including 11 aces, while she was impressive off the ground, mixing power and consistency to good effect, forcing Bartoli onto the back foot where she is less effective. "Marion's always coming back. I was relieved after that last point," Williams said. "She's playing really well and really aggressively. I just had to bring the level of my game up to her level because she's clearly a really good player." (Forum extract) "Marion came out guns blazing in the first but just could not maintain, if she can keep that level up consistently she will be one to watch at the USO. Some good quality points in the first set. Overall a decent match considering the mess that is the WTA tour these days. Nice stuff." S. Williams 7/5 6/1.
22:26	Petrova	came through in straight sets against Shahar Peer, who was a break up in both sets but appeared to run out of gas, losing 6 straight games in the second set. Peer looked weary following her three-hour semi-final match and was far too passive off the ground, allowing Petrova to use her greater weight of shot to dominate the rallies. Petrova also served well, winning 83% behind a 64% first serve, including 7 aces. "Both times I was able to turn it around," Petrova said. "I knew Shahar was not able to hurt me with her serve. I knew if I was serving solid I would be very difficult to break." (Forum extract) "Petrova's first serve was unbeatable, her ground game almost faultless and her groundstrokes penetrating and lethal." Petrova 7/5 6/2.
22:25	Peer	"I started each set well, then I backed off a little," Peer said. "I need to be better about this. I think it's my next step. I just need to win the important points. This was my first match this week where I didn't serve good." Peer, who began the week on a five-match losing streak, missed a chance for her sixth career WTA title. Peer, 24, won her most recent titles in 2009 at Guangzhou and Tashkent. Peer was one victory shy of cracking the top 10 in April but slid from a career high 11th in the rankings before switching to new coach Harold Solomon. "I'm encouraged," Peer said. "Even though I lost, I'm in good shape. I'm improving each match. I had a great week. I have to take the positives out of it. There's still a lot to improve but it's a good start for my summer."
22:24	Cermak	and Filip Polasek landed the Gstaad doubles title with a 6/3 7/6 win over Christopher Kas/Alexander Peya. "After we passed the first round we started to play better and better and we showed we got confidence recently from playing well," said Polasek. "We started the final well, broke them early for 3-0 and held it for the first set. The second set was quite difficult as the conditions were pretty windy. Everybody was a bit nervous at the end and I am just happy we won it."
22:22	F. Martin	edged past fellow countryman and doubles partner Kenny De Schepper in a deciding set tie break to win the Recanati challenger title. Martin, who knocked out one of the linespersons with one of his serves at one stage, should have won in straight sets but squandered a 6-1 lead in the second set tie break. The Frenchman, who is just outside the world's top 500 and had to qualify for the event, was winning his first ever challenger title. F. Martin 6/1 6/7 7/6.
21:44	Granollers	"Newly arrived in Kitzbuhel. 4 hours drive and 1 plane!"
21:16	German Bundesliga	(Sunday 31st July) Huta Galung, Jesse NED (5) Dodig, Ivan CRO (2) 06:02 06:03 Bagnis, Facundo ARG (6) Ramirez Hidalgo, Ruben ESP (8) 06:03 03:06 09:11 Galdon, Pablo ESP (8) Klizan, Martin SVK (10) 03:06 7:6 (5) 07:10 Özelli, Raphael GER (14) Struff, Jan-Lennard GER (13) 04:06 01:06 Rochus, Olivier BEL (1) Fischer, Martin AUT (6) 02:06 02:06 Hajek, Jan CZE (2) Phau, Björn GER (7) 06:04 07:05 Vliegen, Kristof BEL (3) Brzezicki, Juan Pablo POL (9) 06:02 07:05 Sandbichler, Armin AUT (5) Stadler, Simon GER (10) 04:06 06:03 08:10 Mayer, Florian GER (1) Andujar, Pablo ESP (4) 7:6 (5) 06:01 Kohlschreiber, Philipp GER (2) Machado, Rui POR (7) 02:06 06:02 07:10 Darcis, Steve BEL (5) Beck, Andreas GER (11) 06:02 06:03 Stebe, Cedrik-Marcel GER (12) Korolev, Evgeny RUS (12) 06:03 6:7 (3) 10:08 Rosol, Lukas CZE (3) Flock, Alexander GER (7) 06:03 6:7 (10) 10:06 Roger-Vasselin, Edouard FRA (7) Kindlmann, Dieter GER (8) 02:06 06:04 07:10 Ignatik, Uladzimir BLR (8) Mertl, Jan CZE (9) 04:06 06:02 10:08 Hernych, Jan CZE (10) Uhlig, Daniel GER (13) 06:04 06:02
21:04	Haider-Maurer	spoke of Kitzbuhel, after his loss to Youzhny in Gstaad: "I'm really looking forward to the tournament. I've recently played well and I feel good. It could also depend on a lot of the draw tomorrow. But one thing is certain in any case, I come there with a lot of confidence, despite the defeat today". Kitzbuhel is the second "home" tournament for Haider-Maurer, after having made the final of Vienna last year.
20:56	Verdasco	assessed his performance in the Gstaad final: "It was close, and when a match is like that, one or two points decide it. He played better than me on the important points and he served very good. He really deserved this victory, after having the pain in his arm the past few weeks and he didn’t even know if he would be able to play here. He played unbelievable all week, beat many good players, and today it was really tough just to return his serve ........ I think I played well the whole week; it’s tough to play here with altitude. I just need to try not to let the negative part of losing the final get me down, and try to take the positive part and get the confidence and motivation for the upcoming tournaments.”
20:55	Granollers	won his second tour title with a fine victory over Fernando Verdasco. Granollers had a more forceful attitude than in previous rounds, aware perhaps that a patient game would just result in Verdasco dominating him. This was successful in the first set, but Verdasco adapted in the second to level it up. The third rather summed up Verdasco's last year though: he doublefaulted on breakpoint midset, and that was the end of the match. Granollers' serve was again the star of the show though: he won 84% of first serve points and was broken only a single time. "Last week was bad for me because I felt a lot of pain in my arm, which I had felt since Wimbledon," said Granollers. "I went home and rested for five days without any practice, and I came here on Sunday and started to feel better and better. Now I have won the tournament and so it’s amazing ....... All week I served very well, especially today. I was very solid from the baseline and today I played the first set very aggressively". Granollers 6/4 3/6 6/3.
20:53	Melzer	"Just arrived in Washington, the heater is on... It will be a nice practice session at 5... Suffer suffer!!"
19:15	Tipsarevic	is complaining of blisters. "Blisters here,blisters there, blisters freeking EVERYWHERE...." the Serb reports on Twitter.
19:03	Muster	has been practising in Kitzbuhel since Thursday. "He has been training in Kitzbuhel since Thursday and has already adapted well to the altitude and court conditions. Perhaps this may be a small advantage," said tournament director, former Austrian player Alex Antonitsch. Muster's opponent in R1, Philipp Kohlschreiber, played both singles and doubles in German Bundesliga (Aachen) on Sunday.
18:56	Thiem Link	plays Daniel Gimeno-Traver in R1. "I don't know the Spaniard personally but I have seen him often on TV. I have nothing to lose so I'll play loose and give it my all," said Thiem. Thiem is a 17yo Austrian wild card who reached the final of the French Open juniors in June. The left hander, currently ranked 7th in the juniors, also won the prestigious Eddie Herr event in Bradenton, Florida last December.
17:22	Rosol	beat Alexander Flock 6/3 6/7 10-6 in a Bundesliga match on Sunday. The Czech, who plays his opening match on Monday, will have little time to adjust to conditions in Kitzbuhel, having only arrived in the Austrian resort on Sunday evening.
17:21	Kohlschreiber	was beaten 2/6 6/2 10-7 by Rui Machado in a Bundesliga match on Sunday.
17:17	Andujar	was beaten 7/6 6/1 by Florian Mayer in a Bundesliga match on Sunday. The Spaniard, who plays his opening singles match on Monday, will have little time to adjust to the altitude in Kitzbuhel, having only arrived in the Austrian resort on Sunday evening.
16:59	Haase	had an easy passage into R2 when Potito Starace retired with a lower back injury early in the second set. Haase had served well up until then, dropping just 7 points on serve. Starace is due to play doubles on Monday. "Played so good today! Stayed calm from the start and served bomb after bomb. Next match against Lopez. Going to be a hard match!" Haase 6/2 2/0 ret.
16:41	F. Gonzalez Link	practiced with a bandage on his right knee.
15:32	Prodon	beat fellow countryman Augustin Gensse in 3 sets (6/1 3/6 6/2) to win the Tampere challenger title. "I am 30-years old and I enter the top 100 for the first time," said a delighted Prodon afterwards.
15:31	L. Mayer	landed the Dortmund challenger title with a comfortable 6/3 6/2 win over Thomas Schoorel. "Lost 6/3 6/2. No chance to get into the match," said Schoorel.
14:34	Soeda	landed his 9th challenger title with a 7/5 6/4 win over Raven Klaasen in Sunday's Wuhai final.
11:47	Kukushkin	landed his 7th challenger title with a comfortable 6/3 6/4 victory over Sergei Bubka in Sunday's Astana final.
11:39	Gulbis	gave credit to his ability to move well and play defence for his success this week. "I'm much more confident playing defence than ever before," said Gulbis, who added that learning to tame his on-court temper has been a help this year. "If you saw me one year ago I broke maybe 60 rackets a year, broke all the rackets for sure. For example [Friday], there was a situation, I served for match, deuce point, there was an obvious mistake and one year ago I'd be frustrated and talk to the referree. Now I realize in this situation there's no point in doing something when you can't change it. Afterwards I can think about if he's an idiot and then just have to accept it." Four years ago Gulbis made it to the fourth round of the U.S. Open in his first appearance. A year later he advanced to the quarterfinals of the French Open and seemed on his way to being the next great tennis star. "When I reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open and quarters of Roland Garros very early in my career, I didn't appreciate it at all," he said. "I just thought I'd go, go, go and didn't put enough work to maintain the level I was playing. Now I really appreciate appearing, now, in a final. I worked tough for these three weeks before here and I appreciate it much more and will try to maintain it."
11:39	Fish	and Gulbis will be playing each other for the first time. Fish said that playing against Gulbis will be a matter of who takes over points quickly. "Gulbis goes for his shots and wants to have the initiative most of the time," Fish said. "I want the initiative, too, I want control." Fish is just 6-12 in ATP main tour finals, Gulbis won his only final in Delray Beach 2010.
11:34	Gulbis	came through in straight sets against Alex Bogomolov, who fought hard throughout but just couldn't find a way to break the Latvian's excellent serve. Gulbis won 72% on serve (11 aces) and didn't face a break point all match. "It's a very big win for me," said Gulbis, who fired 33 winners. "I'm on the way to a comeback. If I wouldn't win tonight I would drop to like, 1,000 (in the rankings)." (Forum extract) "Gulbis, like yesterday, was very composed throughout and didn't force anything. Great stuff." Gulbis 6/2 7/6.
11:33	Harrison	said he just tried to keep his composure in the first set. "There wasn't much that I did -- he played an awesome first set," Harrison said. "For me it was a matter of getting on the board and making him feel a little pressure, hopefully." Although Fish gained an early edge with a break for a 2-1 lead in the third, Harrison broke back to knot the set at 3-3, held for 4-3 and pushed Fish relentlessly to the tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, however, Fish's experience paid off as he quickly took a 5-0 lead and sealed the match on his first match point with his seventh ace. "Tiebreakers are kind of a coin flip," Fish said. "I was lucky to be able to apply some pressure early." Despite the defeat, Harrison said he had progressed since the previous weekend. "This week the match against Mardy was a lot better," he said. "It wasn't like I was overwhelmed by the situation. Today I really gave myself a chance."
11:31	Fish	came out on fire against Harrison, racing through the first set in just 20 minutes. "That was as clean of a set as I could possibly play," Fish said of the opener. Although Harrison was clearly frustrated, he came out for the second set with renewed conviction. He held his serve with authority, and when Fish finally faltered, double faulting to give Harrison a break point and set point in the 10th game, Harrison pounced to seize the set. "I didn't play a great game there," Fish said, who admitted he was feeling "a little pressure". "You don't want to be in a third set," he said. However, he was full of praise for Harrison, who cracked the top 100 in the world rankings on Monday at number 94. "He kept his level, credit to him," Fish said. "He didn't let up. He could have easily won that match."
07:58	Peer	"I always say I like the heat, it didn’t affect me at all," Peer said. "I said to myself that I needed to keep going. I was jumping around and I felt good." Peer was back on the court, playing in a doubles semifinal with partner Sloane Stephens. Peer’s second outing was not as successful, as she and Stephens lost to the top-seeded doubles team of Sania Mirza and Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-0, 6-1, in 35 minutes. “It’s not that easy to play three hours in the heat and come out and play,” Peer said after her doubles loss.
07:57	S. Williams	cruised through in just 59 minutes against Sabine Lisicki and just like the victory over Sharapova, Williams was in vintage form, playing first strike tennis at its best with huge serves and unrelenting aggression off the ground. The American won 82% behind a 61% first serve and played the break-points superbly, converting four of her six chances and fending off all six of Lisicki's break-points. "This just continues my journey to do what I can and don't stop and keep going for it," said Williams. "I have to be more consistent and I want to make fewer mistakes. I was trying to go for the shots when it's right." (Forum extract) "Serena was hitting with appropriate depth and pace which disallowed Sabine to hit her bail out dropshots in the absence of being able to continue a rally. Without that, she just implodes into UEs on low percentage shots. Her second serve is awful too. Sabine really is very one dimensional." S. Williams 6/1 6/2.
07:54	S. Williams	lost to Bartoli in at Wimbledon earlier this year. "She should be fresh and I will be ready," Williams said. "It's a whole new match and I'm a better player than I was at Wimbledon. This is great progress and I'm excited about my potential as I go forward."
07:46	Lisicki	"I didn't play my best because I was too tight," Lisicki said. "That's not good enough against such a champion like Serena. I've never played such a strong player. I'm hitting the ball pretty hard and I'm not used to playing a ball so hard coming from her."
07:41	Bartoli	is now through to her third final at this tournament, after finishing runner-up in 2008 (losing to Aleksandra Wozniak in the final) and winning the title in 2009 (beating Venus Williams in the final). But the Frenchwoman gave her best wishes to Cibulkova. "Ayumi hurt herself on the court against me and now Dominika hurt herself yesterday. It's really bad luck for both of those girls," she said. "I'll just practice more and play some practice sets, and just make sure I'm keeping my level up with the final coming up."
07:41	Petrova	recovered from a slow start to take out Irina Falconi in one hour and 46 minutes. "My concentration was not there. My reactions were not there," Petrova said of her slow start. "I felt half a second late to react to the ball. I knew I had to be more light on my feet and get in a groove, and that's what I tried to do. Breaking her right away in the second set helped get my confidence and game back and I played solid from there until the end." (Forum extract) "I don't think Irina made a single UE in the first set and hit 4 really good drop shots. Nadia was really frustrated from the get-go but was able to calm down and take control. She had a really pissy attitude the entire match but seemed really happy to get the win. If Irina had a serve, she could have won here. I have to respect her ground game. She was hanging with Nadia for a while before getting overpowered." Petrova 1/6 6/1 6/3.
07:36	Falconi	"I think Nadia played really well today," said Falconi, who will crack the Top 100 for the first time on Monday's rankings. The second and third set I think she served exceptionally well. Her Top 5 in the world status really came out. "There are a tremendous amount of positives I can take from this week. I'm Top 80 after this tournament, my first semifinal in a tour event. There has been so much progress that my team and I have made. We're going to use so much of what happened this week for the rest of my career."
07:35	Peer	is 5-2 in her career in finals, while Petrova is 9-11. It will be Peer's first final since she was runner-up at Hobart in January 2010 and Petrova's first since she was runner-up at New Haven last August. In Sunday's doubles final, No.1 seeds Sania Mirza and Yaroslava Shvedova will square off with No.2 seeds Olga Govortsova and Alla Kudryavtseva.
07:34	Paszek	was coming off a three-hour, 42-minute quarterfinal triumph over Stéphanie Dubois late Friday night. "I started the match really well. I played my game, played aggressive and dominated the first set," Paszek said. "Second set I was struggling a lot with fatigue. I hardly even had 12 hours to recover from yesterday. I was trying to hang in there, but I was just struggling with dizziness and heat illness. It was tough for me to close. It was a tough one, but there are positive things to take out of this."
07:33	Peer	"I think it was a good first set even though I lost it," Peer said. "She played really well. I just said to myself to keep being aggressive and go for my shots and the match can turn around." Sure enough, it did, with Peer going ahead 4-2 in the second. However, Paszek then reeled off three straight games and served for the match at 5-4, getting as close as two points from victory at 30-30. Peer rallied to take the set to a tie-break, which she won comfortably. Then she got the third set's only break at 3-3 en route to the win. "It feels great to win four matches in a row after so many months where I didn't do that," Peer said of putting her five match losing streak entering this event behind her. "It was a great win for me, a very tough one."
00:55	Kudla	is a Washingtonian at heart. His parents moved to Fairfax when he was 1, and he has called Arlington home for the past five years. So Kudla calls the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, which officially starts on Sunday, his hometown tournament. “I’ve always told my friends and family, outside of the grand slams, this is the one tournament I wanted to win,” Kudla said. Kudla expects a lot of family and friends to watch him this weekend (and possibly beyond). With that comes extra pressure for a player who reached the quarterfinals at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I., earlier this month. “You don’t get to play in your hometown every single week,” Kudla said. “I hope I handle it better than I did last year.” Kudla tried qualifying for the Legg Mason in 2010 only to fall to Somdev Devvarman. Kudla learned a lesson from that performance as a 17-year-old and plenty more from his work with coach Diego Moyano. Kudla credited Moyano with helping to change his mentality and “remove the weaknesses” from his game. It’s the perfect time for Kudla to show the locals an improved game that he says has been on display for the past couple months. “I feel like I can really make a mark on the tournament,” Kudla said. He fondly remembers going to the Legg Mason as a kid and seeing Andre Agassi play live for the first time. As a younger player, Kudla would have allowed himself to consider what a match against a guy like Roddick would be like, but not anymore. “Now they’re competition,” he said. “You want to think ‘It’s just a tournament, I need to win this match’ and not have to worry about who you’re playing against, who you’re playing in front of or where you’re playing.” Kudla spends most of his time training in Boca Raton, Fla., but still calls the D.C. area home. That’s why the dream of winning the Legg Mason — or even just making it — remains a big one.
00:55	Fish	edged past Ryan Harrison in a deciding set tie break. This looked like being a repeat of last week's match in Atlanta with Fish playing virtually flawless tennis in the opening set but over the final two sets there was virtually nothing to separate the two with Harrison showing once again what a great competitor he is becoming. The 19yo had been totally overwhelmed in the opening set but played some great stuff in sets 2 and 3 with just a little lack of experience proving to be his downfall in the end. Fish had a lot of success hitting no pace balls to Harrison's weaker backhand wing early on but got less and less joy from this tactic the more the match went on. "He impressed me more today than he has," Fish said. "Once he figures out how to play at a high level consistently, he’ll have figured it out." (Forum extract) " There was just no way Fish was losing this, Harrison just doesn't have the consistency in his game yet to beat him. No doubt he'll improve though and hopefully be able to control his anger better as lets be honest, it's affecting his game big time right now. Either way impressive play to keep the last two sets tight and it's no doubt a good sign for the future. As for Fish, well done on yet another final, it's crazy to think where just over a year ago his game was when you look at his results the last 12 months and a bit." Fish 29w 29ue; Harrison 27w 36ue. Fish 6/0 4/6 7/6.
30 July 2011
23:50	Montanes Link	defeated Carlos Moya in the annual Luanco beach tennis event which concluded today. RESULTS : QF: Montanes def. Ortega 6/3 6/2; Moya def. Bautista 7/5 6/2; SF: Montanes def. Riba 6/4 6/4; Moya def. Andujar 6/1 7/5; FINAL (Sat 30th July): Montanes def. Moya 1/6 6/3 6/2.
23:51	Bellucci	"I have just arrived in Washington. I'll do some fitness now and then train on court tomorrow to get used to the conditions," said Bellucci.
23:43	Bolelli	and Fognini landed the Umag doubles title with a narrow 6/3 5/7 10-7 win over Marin Cilic and Lovko Zovko in a match which didn't finish until 1240am local time. "I think me and Fabio played a very good tournament all week long," said Bolelli. "Every match was tough... the last three went to a match-tiebreak, so we are happy. This is my second title this year and in my career. The doubles this year has given me a lot of confidence, even for the singles."
23:39	Blake	has been seen practising with Davydenko. (Courtside view) "And we've reverted to James Blake swearing @ himself during practice vs. Davydenko. Thomas Blake and Irina are looking on. Almost every rally ends in an error. Tough to watch. Everyone seems sad."
23:32	Dolgopolov	says it will be a tough match against Marin Cilic in Sunday evening's final. ""I think it’s going to be a tough match [against Cilic]. He serves well and plays steady on the court. I will try to make winners and go in a bit, hit drop shots, try to break up the game a bit." The pair have never met before. Cilic is 5-4 in ATP main tour finals, Dolgopolov 0-1.
23:26	Haas Link	tweaked his right hip mid practice today in Washington.
23:25	Dolgopolov	gained revenge for last year's loss in Umag to Juan Carlos Ferrero with an impressive straight sets win over the Spaniard in a match which was started an hour late after rain. Despite a poor first serve percentage once again (just 42%) Dolgopolov dominated throughout with a succession of superb winners proving far too good for Ferrero. The Spaniard didn't play badly-far from it- he was just simply overwhelmed by a player who was in unstoppable form. The Ukrainian had been opposed in the Betfair market (from 2.2 to 2.6) in the hours before the off. "I played pretty well and did the right things," reflected Dolgopolov afterwards. "I managed to break up his rhythm and not play long points, so I’m happy with the way I played. I had lost four matches in a row in my last tournaments, so I was pretty nervous [at the start of the week], but I’ve been playing better and better and I’m happy with my game." (Forum extract) "Just an amazing performance again from Dolgo. And it wasn't that Juanqui was bad, not at all. He just couldn't keep up with the apparent endless array of trick shots (droppers, passing shots, you name it) hit at him, despite his versatility (which showed all the more in the second set, where I think he just gave it away at the end, due to some silly errors). Great match, lovely to watch." Dolgopolov 25w 32ue; Ferrero 7w 16ue. Dolgopolov 6/4 6/4.
22:59	Peer	eventually managed to wear down a weary Tamira Paszek in three hours and 6 minutes. The Israeli was pretty awful for most of the match, struggling hugely with the Austrian's lack of pace, but she was marginally the fitter player in the deciding set and just about managed to scrape through. Peer was uncomfortable having to generate her own pace which resulted in plenty of errors as she pressed too much, especially when attacking Paszek's dreadfully poor serve. Paszek failed to serve out the match in the second set before a controversial umpire call appeared to go against her in the tie-break, handing the initiative to Peer, though both players were evenly matched throughout. Peer came back out to play a doubles match later in the day, thuogh her and Sloane Stephens were hammered, winning just one game and 16 points vs. Shvedova and Mirza. Peer 3/6 7/6 6/4.
22:57	Kendrick	will appeal his 12-month ban from competition. On Friday, the International Tennis Federation suspended him for testing positive for use of the banned stimulant Methylhexaneamine at Roland Garros. The 31-year-old Kendrick said that he took a capsule of Zija XM3 to combat jetlag, which contains Methylhexaneamine. The ITF accepted Kendrick’s account that that there was no intent to enhance performance, but said regardless that he is responsible for putting any banned substance in his body. Kendrick argued for a three-month suspension, but the ITF noted that in Paris, Kendrick did not note that he took the pill when he filled out a form prior to his anti-doping test, which is supposed to detail "any prescription/non-prescription medication or supplements, including vitamins or minerals, taken over the past 7 days." The ITF also noted that as a veteran player, Kendrick should have known the rules and took “an inappropriately relaxed approach to his doping responsibilities.” Kendrick, who recently became a father for the first time, said that he is huddling with lawyers and would likely release a statement on Monday. Kendrick’s suspension runs until May 21, 2012.
21:10	Verdasco	Looking ahead to the final against Granollers, Verdasco said, "I want to do well, but I will not change my game because of him. Here with the altitude, the matches are always very close. If you serve well, it’s all about the returns and getting the ball back in. It’s going to be a very difficult match, he’s playing very good."
20:36	Cibulkova	has withdrawn from her semi final against Marion Bartoli with a rib injury. "It had been bothering me the whole week on and off, but it really started to be painful as I was playing my quarterfinal yesterday," Cibulkova said. "I was able to finish the match and I thought maybe it would be better in the morning, but it wasn't. I went for an MRI and the doctor told me it wasn't a good idea to keep playing, that I could make it even worse. I hope I won't need more than a week to recover. I'm going to Carlsbad - I have some things to do there - and I have a bye so I don't play until Wednesday, but I don't know. It's still open. I hope to be 100% ready for Toronto.
20:30	Cilic	breezed into the final with a comfortable straight sets win over Fabio Fognini, who threw in a woeful effort. Cilic served pretty well throughout (apart from a brief lapse at the start of the second set) and was the dominant player in most of the rallies with hs forehand in particular proving a big weapon but he was certainly helped on his way by a hugely uninspiring effort from Fognini, who to put it mildly was diabolical. The Italian, who served dreadfully, dishing up 8 double faults (including 3 in the last game of the match), once again let his poor temperament get the better of him. "I tried to play aggressively in certain moments when I could, and I think I played the right way," assessed Cilic afterwards. "All in all I’m really pleased with the match and that it didn’t go too long. It would be a big thing for me [if I could win the title], because I haven’t won a title in over a year. Last week (in Hamburg) I played really good and this week I’ve played really good, that fills me up with a lot of confidence. Even if I don’t win it, I’m still going to feel good about it. I’ll give 100 per cent in the final tomorrow and we’ll see how it ends." Cilic is the first Croat in the Umag final since the 2 Gorans, Prpic and Ivanisevic, made it through in the inaugural event in 1990. Cilic 17w 14ue; Fognini 15w 23ue. Cilic 6/2 6/2.
19:39	Haun	won an 8 man shootout to secure a place alongside the soon to be retired Stefan Koubek in the doubles draw. Haun, who was one of several hundred players initially chosen for the shootout, was delighted to get through. "I am overjoyed. Now I am really excited to see what Stefan and I can do in the doubles," said Haun. The 37yo German, who is a tennis coach and personal trainer, was ranked number 1 in the world by the ITF in the over 35's at the end of 2010.
19:39	Granollers	will play Fernando Verdasco in the Gstaad final, their first ever meeting. However, Granollers has a remarkably poor record against his countrymen, 0/11 against top50 Spaniards, and 6/24 against top100.
19:25	Verdasco	happily accepted a third set meltdown from Nicolas Almagro, who was the better player for two sets. Both were very solid on serve, controlling the point behind their first ball, and making few mistakes. Verdasco's principal rally advantage was the ability to topspin it above his opponent's single-handed backhand, a tactic that has traditionally caused problems for Almagro. The latter coped well with this though, and was supreme on serve, winning 80% of service points on the opening two sets. After losing the opening tiebreak, Verdasco was able to find more bite on his first ball, and this allowed him to survive to a second tiebreak, with neither having broken to that stage. Almagro promply folded, before losing 4 games in a row in an awful, petulant display. As commentator Nick Lester put it: "Not a great deal of effort to be polite by Almagro in set 3 today". Verdasco did take advantage though, and will be pleased to have come through a difficult match - in the opening two sets he was under a lot of pressure on serve, and with almost no chance to break at all one slipup would have been fatal. It was a useful test of nerves for a player who has often flopped badly in such situations over the last year. "We had very few chances to break each other in the first two sets because I think we were both playing well on serve," reflected Verdasco. "In the first set tie-break he played better, in the second set tie-break I played better. I started the third set with more confidence and he started missing more; that helped me to take the advantage. It was a very difficult match, very mental, and I just tried to play point-by-point." Verdasco 6/7 7/6 6/3.
19:03	Monfils	"Going to Washington tomorrow can't waittttttt."
18:39	Granollers	reached his third ATP main tour final, knocking out Mikhail Youzhny in three sets. Youzhny's performance was an even more extreme version of that against Haider-Maurer in the previous round, losing his game completely at times. He started very slowly, and was down 1-5 before recovering his form significantly. Granollers was as solid as ever, but Youzhny was able to dictate play, with his signature raking backhands particularly effective. This brought him back level, then a 2-0 lead in the final set, before he exploded and lost six straight games for the match. This was one of many oddities about Youzhny's performance today - another was that he chose to go for a very high first serve % (81%), just a rally starter with little pace. Granollers could not match his opponent's peaks, but kept a steady average level and it proved enough in the end. "I started the match very well,” said Granollers. “But I lost my serve in the first game of the second set and then the match changed a little bit because Youzhny started to play better and better. In the final set I was 2-0 down, but I broke him and then the match changed again and I finished it very well.” Granollers 6/3 3/6 6/2.
18:02	Cibulkova	"If I don't play aggressive Bartoli is going to kill me with her two hands."
11:26	Haase	"Playing Starace first round in Kitzbuhel. Don't know when but probably Monday or Tuesday. Going for a first hit here in about one hour." {EDIT] Haase will actually play Starace on Sunday in the only main tour match of the day.
11:23	Withdrawals	WASHINGTON M: Roddick (abs), Raonic (hip), Querrey (elbow), Nishikori (shoulder), Kubot (wrist), Kendrick (banned), and from the alternates list Brown (playing Bundesliga and Kitzbuhel doubles), Huta Galung (playing Bundesliga), Marchenko (left knee) and Paire (?-possibly doesn't want to travel to US).
11:20	Conditions Weather	WASHINGTON is played outdoors on a fast, Decoturf hard court (the same as the US Open). The balls used this year will be Penn ATP XD Tournament Select. In previous years they have used the bullet-like Wilson US Open balls. "I like the conditions here," said Roddick. "I feel like the balls are faster in Washington. The weather also tends to be very hot and humid." Murray said: "It's the most humid place ever. It's a farce how hot it is here." Temperatures will again be on the very warm side all week, with highs in the mid 90's F. Main draw begins on Sunday.
10:59	Conditions Weather	KITZBUHEL: The tournament in Kitzbuhel returns to the ATP calendar this year after a one year absence. The event used to be held in late July but the last time it was played in 2009 (when won by Garcia-Lopez) it was held in the week before Roland Garros. South American players Del Potro, Monaco, Calleri, Gaudio, Massu and Coria won the event in the preceeding six years. The main stadium is 2500 ft (762m) above sea level just under 100 metres higher than Madrid. The balls used this year with be Babolat Team. "The high altitude conditions here are great for my game though as I like to play with a lot of top spin and aggression," said Kohlschreiber. Main draw play begins on Sunday with the final scheduled for next Saturday.
10:39	Fish	expects things to be more difficult against Harrison than they were last week in Atlanta "I think he was a little nervous," Fish said. "He was in a position he'd never been in. Guys either play above what they usually do or way below what they usually do. I think it's safe to say Ryan was happy with the position he put himself in last week and that he could have and wanted to play better."
10:38	Bellucci	"You can not lose a match leading 6-1 4-3 on serve. Once again I have let the chance escape me. The match is decided on these details. I couldn't handle it and lost," lamented a disappointed Bellucci after losing to Bogomolov.
10:31	Withdrawals	WASHINGTON: Hercog (right ankle), Chakvetadze (dizziness from inner ear illness), Pivovarova (lower back), Oprandi (left wrist).
10:29	Withdrawals	STANFORD: Wickmayer (lower back), Errani (right shoulder & leg), Sevastova (left ankle).
10:29	Conditions Weather	CARLSBAD: The Mercury Insurance Open is held in Carlsbad, California, at the La Costa Resort & Spa on a medium paced Decoturf hard court. "The courts are not playing very fast so I was able to mix it up," 2010 runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska said last year.
10:10	Del Potro	"It was very difficult," said del Potro, who never looked comfortable on court. "I got frustrated in the second set when I broke his serve but he broke me back. He was playing with a lot of confidence and took his chances. When you play like I did against a player like him, you lose." The setback was especially disappointing as del Potro looks ahead to the 2011 US Open. He was unable to defend his title at Flushing Meadows after a wrist injury cut short his 2010 season. His injury layoff saw his ranking slide to outside the top 400 and he has painstakingly worked it back up to 19. "I just need to keep working on my game, I don't know any other way," del Potro said. "But I'm still happy with my level. I'm enjoying playing this season, I did well on clay and the grass."
10:10	Conditions	LOS ANGELES: (Forum extract) "These slower conditions at night and the balls sitting up more at these Los Angeles courts really suit Gulbis' game because he can hit through the court and he has time to execute his shots to do so. He hits a really heavy and hard ball, plus has great pace when he flattens his shots and goes for them. Today reminded me of everything that made me and many others like Gulbis so much."
10:10	Gulbis	surprised Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets. Gulbis put in an excellent performance to win with the Latvian, who moved and served well throughout, keeping balls at a good length and consistently outhitting Del Potro from the baseline. Del Potro was poor though with the Argentine never really looking comfortable on court at any stage. "This is probably one of the most important wins of my career," Gulbis said. "Not much to say. I won, I'm happy, I play semis tomorrow." The Latvian was winning 3 matches in a tournament for the first time since May 2010. (Forum extract) "That was the real Ernests tonight, for the first set at least. But WOW, Del Potro was garbage, he played at the same level he did v Blake if not even worse. He never really picked his level up. Very poor performance, serve, very passive play, smothering forehands into the net and outwide constantly." Gulbis 31w 15ue; Del Potro 19w 27ue. Gulbis 6/2 6/4.
09:49	Bogomolov	rallied from a set and a break down to beat Thomaz Bellucci, who collapsed in a heap after looking all set for victory. Bellucci appeared to be well in control before his mental failings once again resurfaced with the Brazilian, who was 4-3 up on serve in the second set, losing 9 of the last 10 games in a dreadful display. There was plenty of money in the Betfair market for Bellucci just before the match. "I just started missing first serves," a disconsolate Bellucci said afterward. For Bogomolov, who took a fall in the second set that resulted in a medical time out for a cut hand and bloodied shorts, this will be his first ATP Tour semifinal. "I'm feeling like this is my best year," Bogomolov said. Bogomolov 1/6 6/4 6/1.
09:43	Fish	comfortably beat Igor Kunitsyn in straight sets in the end. Both players started a little tentatively with the first 5 games resulting in a break of serve but once Fish got in front he never really looked like relinquishing the lead with the American's greater weight of shot proving too much for Kunitsyn to overcome. Fish won a good 76% on first serve. "It was a little awkward," Fish said afterwards. "Luckily I was able to maintain the advantage, get a hold and get in front." Fish 6/2 6/4.
09:42	Harrison	will get a chance for revenge on Mardy Fish for last week's defeat in Atlanta when he takes on his fellow countryman in the first of today's semi finals. "Obviously Mardy's been playing fantastic," Harrison said. "He's in the top 10 in the world. I had a tough one against him last week. I'd love to have another shot at him."
09:41	Lu	wasted a bevy of break chances in the seventh game of the second set as Harrison held serve. The Taiwanese player never really recovered. After that, Lu said, "I started to sink a little bit. I had a lot of chances. But I didn't play well enough on the key points."
09:40	Lu	Of Harrison, Lu said, "He has a good feeling of how to go forward and win the point." Lu also said that the times when Harrison's temper takes hold and a racket goes flying, it doesn't bother him. "He's not doing do it to show his opponent up," Lu said. "It's just his way of getting out the emotions when the pressure comes. All the guys act differently. If it's far away, it's not bothering me. It's fine."
09:40	Harrison	rallied from a set down to beat Yen Hsun-Lu, who was awful on break point conversion (just 2 from 12) and paid the price in the end. Harrison showed once again what a good competitor he is, battling back strongly to win in 2 hours and 24 minutes. The feisty American, who got a warning for racket abuse at one stage, mixed his game up perfectly from the middle of the second set, served with variety and used the slice effectively. Of his slow starting, Harrison said, "I don't know if I'm bad at the beginning or good at coming back but I like to try to get a feel for a match. It helps me figure things out." (Forum extract) "Good fight from Ryan. Lu was absolutely pathetic converting leads on return, 0-7 in qf's now and based on this mental effort it'll probably never change, what a choker." Harrison 3/6 6/3 6/4.
08:36	Cibulkova	cruised through against a tired looking Marina Erakovic, who served poorly and lacked the consistency off the ground to compete with the Slovak. Cibulkova dominated the rallies, easily outmanoeuvring the New Zealander and exposing her weaker backhand wing. "I played much better today than I did against McHale," said Cibulkova. "It was a really good performance. I played aggressively and maintained consistency. It was a solid level." Cibulkova 6/1 6/1.
08:26	Cibulkova	on her semi-final match against Bartoli: " She plays very aggressive and my main aim will be to not allow her time on the ball."
08:24	S. Williams	cruised through in straight sets against Maria Sharapova, whose serve broke down under the immense pressure from Williams. The American stepped inside the baseline and attacked the Russian's first and second serve, breaking in five of 8 return games. Playing just her third tournament back from a year out of the game due to injury and illness, she looked like the Williams of old, slamming serves into the corners, pounding her huge groundstrokes and tracking down almost everything Sharapova hit her way. She had won their last five meetings, and she made it six in a row in front of a packed crowd. "I've just been trying my hardest and practicing and trying to get back in the Top 100," Williams, who is currently at No.169 in the world due to the inactivity, said in her on-court interview. "I'm No.162 right now. It's a little crazy, but hopefully I can change that." (Forum extract) "This was never in doubt. Definitely one of the worst displays from Maria in the last year. The serve and FH were just awe-inspringly woeful. Non existent gameplan. The only non-horrific aspect of her game were the first serve returns - surprisingly good. Serena was VERY solid and showed once again that she knows exactly how to beat Maria easily. Strong message sent to the WTA- She's back and ready to kill." S.Williams 6/1 6/3.
08:18	Lisicki	"I'm looking forward to the match," said Lisicki, who takes on Serena Williams in the next round. "I love competing in the big matches. I have nothing to lose." Last year, Lisicki missed five months with a left ankle injury. She said she has more endurance now than before her injury. "I'm much better than I was before the injury," she said. "I've had to focus on so many aspects of my game. Last year, I couldn't even walk. Now I feel I can rely on my serve when I need it at crucial moments."
08:17	Paszek	eventually managed to wear down Stephanie Dubois after three hours and 42 minutes. "I was far from playing my best," Paszek said. "I will go out tomorrow and be aggressive and finally play my game. It was a tough battle. I was just hanging in there, trying to keep fighting. Turns out that's what I needed to win the match. I guess it makes me stronger." (Forum extract) "I don't know if I caught a bad patch but I found that almost unwatchable. It looked like they were just rallying for most of it. Sooo many long, boring rallies that ended in a limp error, TERRIBLE serving from both. It was absolutely hideous to watch.. Paszek did not look like a top 50 player and Dubois needs to hit through the bloody ball! To be fair though, it was the third set I watched and after nearly 4 hours, no wonder it looked like a club match between two nobodies. Paszek broke Dubois at love to lead 6*-5 in the third, then called the trainer for a problem with her foot, then could barely serve and move and was broken to 15." Paszek 5/7 6/4 7/6.
08:17	Paszek	talked about how she planned to recover in time for her semifinal match on Saturday against No.1 seed Shahar Peer. "I'll use some ice packs and I'm going to have some treatment, a massage to cool down and relax and then have some dinner afterwards," Paszek said. "I'll try to calm down and have an early night, which is pretty tough already, but I'm used to that. Regardless, being in the semifinals here in Washington is an amazing feeling. I'm really happy and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll try to go out there, be aggressive, play my game and hope for a good day tomorrow."
08:14	Petrova	powered her way past Bojana Jovanovski, who twice failed to serve out the first set. The Russian won 66% behind a 65% first serve, including 8 aces and despite the tight looking scoreline, was well ahead in each statistical department, with her greater weight of shot giving her the edge and allowing her to win cheaper points in the hot and humid conditions. Petrova 7/6 7/5.
08:09	Cirstea	"Just arrived in San Diego. I'm really glad to be back in states, it's been a while. Had two good weeks at home, recharged my batteries and now I'm ready to start the hard court season. Looking forward to playing this tournament for the first time."
07:51	Falconi	said her journey to this point has been remarkable. She was born in Ecuador to a legal secretary and high-end custom woodworker who are American citizens and her family moved to New York when she was young. “I came from nothing, not to exaggerate, my parents weren’t wealthy [and] there were nine public tennis courts in front of the building we lived in in New York,” she said. “When we moved to Florida [when she was 14], it was solely for my tennis to grow. When I went to Georgia Tech, I knew I wanted to take my tennis to the next level. . . . It feels so gratifying.”
07:50	Bartoli	advanced when Ayumi Morita retired with an ankle injury at the end of the first set. Bartoli was well on top at the time, winning 88% behind a 57% first serve. "I thought Ayumi played great in her first two matches against Ivanovic and Radwanska. I wish her as speedy a recovery as possible," Bartoli said. (Forum extract) "Unfortunately, Ayumi hurt her foot on the long point at 0-3 love-all." Bartoli 6/1 ret.
07:45	Lisicki	bludgeoned her way past Agnieszka Radwanska, firing 62 outright winners in the process. Radwanska served for the first set but struggled to defend behind her weak second serve, and despite saving 14 of 18 break-points, she was put under under far too much pressure by the powerful German, who returned serve well and looked to land the first big strike in the rallies. "Agnieszka's a really tough opponent to play. She brings back a lot of balls. I knew I had to serve well and go for my shots but not make a lot of mistakes," Lisicki said. "I feel like I can rely on my serve when I need it. It was a little bit off in the second set but in the first and the third set it was there when I need it - but even when it doesn't work, I still have a forehand and backhand I've been very happy with." (Forum extract) "Sabine is such a ballbasher. Her UEs are really bad. But that serve makes difference. Aggie seemed to win most of the finesse points and won easily in the 2nd set taking the momentum away from Sabine. Sabine needs some work on her finesse game, as we saw today. However,with the deadly serve the sky is the limit for Sabine. As the female Eurosport commentator said, Sabine needs practice against pushers/counterpunchers like Radwanska. Unless her serve and groundies are on fire, she's at risk to self-destructing against a Wozniacki or a Zvonareva." Lisicki 7/6 2/6 6/2.
07:43	Falconi	came through in straight set sets against Virgine Razzano, who served poorly and was broken in six of her 10 service games. Falconi was much more consistent in the rallies and played the break points well, converting six of her 8 chances. "It feels amazing," Falconi said of her first jump into the top 100. "I can't describe it. It feels like a reward for all the hard work we've been putting in. It's great. It's so gratifying. It's exciting but at the same time it's almost a feeling of belonging. And it's not over yet. This is only the beginning. I'm not coming in here to get a match in or reach a quarter-final. I'm here to win the title." Falconi 6/4 6/3.
07:40	Peer	cruised through in straight sets against Alberta Brianti, who missed far too many first serves (51%) and struggled in the rallies. Peer looked solid off the ground and won 73% behind a 74% first serve, fending off all 6 break-points faced. "I'm doing well. I played very smart," Peer said. "I'm feeling really good. I'm progressing every match. I will need to play better to win the next match." (Forum extract) "Shahar finally plays a decent match to signal that she might be regaining some form after a horrendous slump in mid-year." Peer 6/1 6/2.
00:19	Conditions	GSTAAD: Nieminen spoke of the difficulties of adapting to the thin altitude air in Gstaad: "....all the other players I hit with and who I saw play, seemed to struggle big time with the altitude as well. They were also talking about how challenging it is to play well here during the first sessions. The quality in practices was so so at both sides of the net. Especially on Monday, the day before my match, I hit everywhere else but the court area."
00:13	Youzhny	meets Marcel Granollers in the semi-final. They have played twice previously, both this year, and Youzhny leads 2-0 (on the heavy Dusseldorf clay, and the quick Rotterdam indoors surface).
00:10	Verdasco	plays compatriot Nicolas Almagro in the Gstaad semifinal. Verdasco leads the h2h 3-2 (all of them on clay), but has lost the last two - including two weeks ago in Hamburg.
00:10	Almagro	returned for his second match of the day, to come through a largely serve-dominated encounter against countryman Feliciano Lopez. The match was somewhat marred by Lopez's apparent leg problem - his right thigh had a heavy supporting bandage around it, and he needed treatment between the sets. This appeared to hurt his serve mainly, landing only 57%, and his attitude was a little downcast at times, especially in the second set where he appeared to be going through the motions. The only two breaks in the match were at the ends of the sets, when Lopez folded and was broken to love (the first with a doublefault). Almagro's serve was superlative though, as it was against Nieminen in the morning match - he won 80% of serve points, and seems to be delighting in conditions here. (forum extract) "Almagro played just the necessary to win without dropping too much energy. He already played this morning, beating Sharko 7/6 6/3. Deliciano played an awful game at the end of the 1st set and was broken to love, the match was more or less ended after that". Almagro 6/4 7/5.
29 July 2011
23:59	Koellerer	struck out at his lifetime ban for matchfixing: "This ITF decision makes me laugh. This is hypocrisy in its purest form. If betting on sports is prohibited, then it should be banned for all: for the players and coaches, and judges and officials ........ It's crazy. I can not participate in any competitions, across the whole world. I will definitely appeal the decision again. I need some time to rebuild my life."