Vardan Posted May 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Haas Leads Germany to Championship Germany clinched its fourth ARAG ATP World Team Championship after coming from behind to defeat Argentina 2-1 in Dusseldorf. Tommy Haas staged heroics for the host-nation team, defeating Gaston Gaudio in the second singles match and teaming with Alexander Waske to win the deciding doubles match. Read the full story at the Official ARAG ATP World Team Cup site. Meanwhile, the draw was made for the second Grand Slam of the season at Roland Garros, with INDESIT ATP 2005 Race leader Roger Federer taking on a qualifier in the first round. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Davydenko Captures First 2005 Title ATP Top seed Nikolay Davydenko became on Saturday the twelfth champion of the Internationaler BTM-Power Grand Prix in St. Poelten after claiming a three-set victory over local Jurgen Melzer. The Russian needed two hours and 50 minutes to defeat the No. 4 seed 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 and recorded a second career win over the Austrian, whom he had previously defeated in Monte-Carlo earlier this year. The Russian, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race, seemed to have the upper hand when he led 3-0 in the final set, but the lefty Austrian came back to 3-3. They then held serve until Davydenko took Melzer’s serve in the last game. No. 4 seed Jurgen Melzer was looking to lift a first career trophy in front of his home crowd. The Vienna native, who is turning 24 on Sunday, was playing in his first final of the year and second overall career final (Newport 2003), having reached the semifinals in San Jose and Houston earlier in the season. On his way to the final Davydenko defeated Michal Mertinak, Sjeng Schalken, Felix Mantilla and Jose Acasuso while Melzer took care of Marco Mirnegg, Gilles Muller, David Sanchez and Christophe Rochus. WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID: Davydenko: “It feels great to finally win a first trophy this year. This final was really difficult but I am feeling great at the moment and my confidence level is good which is the most important thing.” “Before Roland Garros this is great for the confidence although it is a little bit hard physically. The day after tomorrow I could be playing my first round in Paris and it doesn’t give me much time to celebrate and fully recover from this week." “I am off to Paris tonight, I will try to hit a few balls tomorrow in order to get used to the conditions and it would be great if I can get a Tuesday start over there.” Melzer: “I am of course disappointed, it is never easy to lose in a final 6-4 in the third. I think I played a great match and Nikolay was just the most active player at the end and that was what made the difference in the match today.” “I came back from 3-0 love down in the third set but unfortunately he didn’t let me use the momentum and he played great tennis. “ “This is definitely a great week and a confidence boost before the Roland Garros but it also means a lack of fitness in Paris. I played many matches this week, a lot of three setters and both singles and doubles, it is a lot of matches.” I am leaving to Paris tomorrow and I really hope I can get a Tuesday start over there.” Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Day One Complete in Paris Spanish sensation Rafael Nadal made a successful Roland Garros debut as play began at the second Grand Slam of 2005 on Monday. No.1 seed Roger Federer and No. 7 seed Tim Henman, a Roland Garros semifinalist last year, and former Roland Garros champion Carlos Moya have also advanced. Frenchman Richard Gasquet, the No. 30 seed, battled from a set down to advance. Tenth seed David Nalbandian failed to win a game in his opening set again Marcos Baghdatis, but rallied to claim the match in four sets. Gaston Gaudio began defense of his title with a straight sets win. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 1st Federer, R. 575 2nd Nadal, R. 465 3rd Hewitt, L. 253 4th Safin, M. 245 5th Roddick, A. 244 6th Coria, G. 236 7th Davydenko, N. 224 8th Gaudio, G. 218 9th Ljubicic, I. 215 10th Agassi, A. 209 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Defending Champ Out For the first time ever, the defending champion at Roland Garros has been ousted in the first round. 2004 winner Anastasia Myskina became just the third Grand Slam defending champion to be removed in the opening round on Monday, falling to Maria Sanchez Lorenzo, 64 46 60. Meanwhile, world No.1 Lindsay Davenport , last year's runner-up Elena Dementieva and No.14 seed Kim Clijsters opened the year's second Grand Slam on Monday with first round victories. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 May 22, 2005 © Getty Images Roland Garros - First Round Preview PARIS - The year's second Grand Slam event kicks off on Monday in Paris. Here's a look at the matchups featuring the tournament's Top 16 seeds: (1) Lindsay Davenport (USA) vs. Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) - Davenport Leads 1-0 World No.1 Davenport opens her Roland Garros campaign against a player she easily defeated in their only other career meeting. Davenport downed Srebotnik by a 60 61 count in a quarterfinal meeting last year at Strasbourg. However, Davenport hasn't taken the court since participating in Fed Cup action almost a month ago. Her last clay court appearance was a Charleston when she was forced to retire in her quarterfinal match with Justine Henin-Hardenne due to a hip flexor strain. (2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. Evgenia Linetskaya (RUS) - First Meeting Sharapova stands a mere 91 points away from the World No.1 ranking and will begin her quest for not only the Roland Garros title, but also the top seat in all of women's tennis against Linetskaya. Sharapova reached the quarterfinals last year in her first appearance at Roland Garros, but could have a tough opening round opponent on her hands. Linetskaya recently reached her first Tier I quarterfinals at Rome. (3) Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) vs. Evie Dominikovic (AUS) - Mauresmo Leads 1-0 Once again, all eyes in France will be upon Mauresmo as she looks to final conquer the red clay of Paris. She will begin her two-week quest against No.111-ranked Dominikovic, whom she will be facing for the first time since 1999. Mauresmo has reached the quarters in Paris the last two years, but will be a strong title contender like any other year. She enters Paris after having captured her second straight title in Rome one week ago. (4) Elena Dementieva (RUS) vs. Barbora Strycova (CZE) - First Meeting Last year's runner-up Dementieva will look for a repeat performance at Roland Garros in 2005 and will start off against Strycova, whom she will be meeting for the first time. Dementieva started off the clay season strong in Charleston, reaching the finals where she lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne. However, she didn't fare as well in her last outing, an upset loss to Gisela Dulko in her first match at Paris. Strycova has gone 5-5 so far on clay in 2005. (5) Anastasia Myskina (RUS) vs. Maria Sanchez Lorenzo (ESP) - Myskina Leads 1-0 The defending Roland Garros champion returns to Paris seeking to duplicate her good fortunes in 2004. But Myskina comes to Roland Garros with three straight losses on clay and a dismal 8-9 record in 2005. The Russians mediocre results this season could be put to the test against Sanchez Lorenzo, who has reached at least the second round in Paris on four of her seven appearances at the event. (6) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs. (WC) Mathilde Johansson (FRA) - First Meeting With the experience of one Grand Slam title under her belt, Kuznetsova should have a sizable advantage against her No.249-ranked wild card opponent, Johansson. Kuznetsova will be making her third appearance at this event, having reached the fourth round at last year's event. She is still seeking her first title of the year and has performed well on clay this year, reaching the final at Warsaw and also the quarterfinals at Berlin. (7) Nadia Petrova (RUS) vs. Mashona Washington (USA) - First Meeting This will be the first career meeting between Petrova and Washington. Petrova has performed very well on clay in 2005, reaching the final in Berlin, semifinals at Amelia Island and quarters in Charleston. She looked well on her way to another strong week in Rome before a right thigh strain forced her early exit from the tournament. ( Patty Schnyder (SUI) vs. Yoon Jeong Cho (KOR) - First Meeting Schnyder enters Paris having one of the most consistent clay court seasons this year. She was runner-up to Mauresmo at Rome and also reached the semifinals at Berlin and Charleston, quarters in Warsaw and third round at Amelia Island. Schnyder, a former quaraterfinalist at Roland Garros will begin her week at Paris against Cho, who enters Paris with only two clay court matches in 2005 under her belt. (9) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) vs. (Q) Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) - First Meeting After a difficult clay stretch, which included four straight losses, Zvonareva finally broke out with a semifinal performance at Rome. Zvonareva has made it to at least the third round in all three previous appearances in Paris and will seek another strong opening against No.146-ranked qualifier Meusburger. (10) Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL) vs. Conchita Martinez (ESP) - Henin-Hardenne Leads 6-0 There may be no player more feared in this year's event than 2003 champion Henin-Hardenne, who enters Paris on a 17-match winning streak and a 20-1 record since her return to tennis in March. But the Belgian former No.1 will have anything but a cake walk in the first round against Martinez, the 2000 runner-up in Paris. However, Henin-Hardenne does hold a 6-0 career mark against the Spanish star. (11) Venus Williams (USA) vs. Marta Marrero (ESP) - Williams Leads 1-0 Venus went to Istanbul last week with the goal of getting some quality matches under her belt before hoping on a flight to Paris with a title and some added confidence to go along with it. Williams accomplished everything she had hoped and will now face Marrero for the second time in as many weeks. The American scored only her third career double bagel against Marrero in the second round at Istanbul last week. (12) Elena Bovina (RUS) vs. Maria Vento-Kabchi (VEN) - First Meeting Bovina made it through to the quarterfinals at Warsaw, Berlin and Rome, but will have to take on a dangerous Vento-Kabchi, who has been known to pull off an upset of this calibur from time to time. (13) Nathalie Dechy (FRA) vs. Michaela Pastikova (CZE) - Dechy Leads 1-0 Dechy comes to Paris from Strasbourg, where she was disappointed to not win the title as the tournament's top seed. She will be facing Pastikova for the first time in six years as she opens her Roland Garros as France's No.2 hope behind Mauresmo. (14) Kim Clijsters (BEL) vs. (Q) Meilen Tu (USA) - Clijsters Leads 1-0 After suffering that scary knee injury on a slide at Berlin, many did not expect Clijsters to be ready for Roland Garros. Still, the 2003 runner-up will attempt a return to the event where she has reached one final and two semifinals in her last three appearances. She will take on American qualifier Tu, whom she defeated in their only previous meeting. (15) Jelena Jankovic (SCG) vs. Anna Smashnova (ISR) - First Meeting Jankovic comes to Paris with the confidence of her first career Tier I semifinal at Berlin in her arsenal. She will be making her second appearance in the singles draw and will be looking for her first win at Roland Garros against Smashnova, who was a semifinalist last week at Istanbul. (16) Elena Likhovtseva (RUS) vs. Yuliana Fedak (UKR) - First Meeting Likhovtseva is the eighth Russian in the Top 16 seeds and will look to reach the second round for the eighth time in 11 trips to the event. Fedak carries an 8-5 clay court record in 2005 into this first round meeting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 ©Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Paris, France: Jelena Jankovic ® was the celebrity guest at the Media Happy Hour on Sunday evening. She spent some time chatting with Charlie Bricker of the Sun Sentinel newspaper based near Miami, Florida. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 ©Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Paris, France: Jerome Pugmire of the Associated Press won the latest model Sony Ericsson phone at the Media Happy Hour on Sunday Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 ©Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Paris, France: Jelena Jankovic presented the winner of a Sony Ericsson phone to a member of FR-2 French TV at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Media Happy Hour. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 ©Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Paris, France: French teenage sensation Tatiana Golovin participated in Media Day before the start of the Roland Garros tournament Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 ©Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Paris, France: Kim Clijsters, two-time finalist here, was interviewed by the international press on Media Day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 ©Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Paris, France: World No.2 Maria Sharapova is interviewed by TV crews on the eve of the Roland Garros French Open in Paris. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vardan Posted May 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 ©Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Paris, France: Reigning U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova poses on the Pont du Carrousel for tournament photographers before the start of Roland Garros. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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