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Gaudio’s victory in the initial round at Barcelona

Previous French Open champion Gaston Gaudio achieved his initial and first match in almost two years on Tuesday, downing Argentine countryman Diego Junqueira 6-4 3-6 6-4 at the Barcelona Open.

Gaudio, the Barcelona winner seven years ago, transformed six of his seven break chances and rallied from a break down in the final set for his earliest triumph at ATP level since the 2007 French Open, a span of 23 months.

Gaudio said, “It’s always pleasant to gain after being out for so long, but I’m scarcely at a level where I can be contented”.

Fourth seeded David Ferrer waited a stubborn face from Kazakhstan qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin to win 6-s3 3-6 6-1. After winning the opening set, the 12th ranked Spaniard cracked for a 3-1 lead in the second frame before Kukushkin used his dominant ground strokes to score consecutive breaks and take it to a third set.

But Ferrer made steady himself and set the Kazakh on the run in the fourth game and impelled a return into the net for a break point and a 3-1 lead that would push him to conquest. Igor Andreev also recently linked up Ferrer in the third round when he downed Spanish wild card Alberto Martin 6-2 6-2.

In other primary round matches, seeded players Radek Stepanek, Robin Soderling, Richard Gasquet and Feliciano Lopez all won. The merely seed to exit was No.11 Marat Safin, the 2000 champion missing to Juan Monaco of Argentina 6-4 6-1.

Third seeded Nikolay Davydenko will fight in opposition to Arnaud Clement on Wednesday after the Frenchman ousted Guillermo Canas 7-6 (7-0) 6-3.

Top ranked Rafael Nadal starts his trail for a fifth straight Godo trophy against Portuguese qualifier Frederico Gil on Wednesday.

Djokovic and Nadal qualified for Monte Carlo semis

Top seeded Rafael Nadal extended his winning line at the Monte Carlo Masters to 25 matches by defeating Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 6-3 on Friday in his second match of the day, to proceed one step away from a fifth straight final.

After crushing Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 6-3 6-0 in a rain late third round match, the four time French Open champion indicated few symbols of exhaustion in winning his 19th straight match on clay to reach the semifinals.

Nadal elaborated who only had time to play one game on Thursday, “I don’t keep in mind ever winning two singles matches in one day, only doubles. I didn’t have a lengthy match in the morning, so I was completely 100 per cent to play the second. That’s imperative.”

Nadal settled the match when Ljubicic attempted to finish a short rally with a backhand winner which went long. Though Nadal has not threw a set in Monte Carlo since downing Roger Federer in four sets in the 2006 final, he said he’s still adjusting to playing on his favorite surface again.

Nadal said, “Have to play some more inside, fewer faults, serve a little bit well, I think all expressions of the game I have to get better.”

The Spaniard has achieved the last four Monte Carlo titles, and has gone on to capture the French Open each time. His final defeat on clay was to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round of the Rome Masters in May last year. Nadal ahead plays the fourth seeded Andy Murray, who found his initial career semifinal on clay after crushing No.8 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 7-6 6-4.

Also, third seeded Novak Djokovic qualified for the semifinals for the second successive year by defeating No.7 Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-2 4-6 6-3 on Friday. Djokovic burst Verdasco, the Australian Open semi finalist, in the sixth game of the deciding set and closed out the match on serve.

Djokovic said, “I could have over the job in two sets, but then he came back, adding that serious rain from Thursday made for tricky situation on the clay. The courts were actually damp. Even today you could feel it. The balls were getting bald and really fast. It was tough to control.”

Djokovic, who qualified for the semifinals of the French Open last year, will meet No. 13 Stanislas Wawrinka in the last four after he punch German qualifier Andreas Beck 6-2 6-4.

Murray will begin again while Federer leaves

Andy Murray improved from a deprived beginning to lead Italy’s Fabio Fognini by a set when rain halted third round play at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000. The Briton was leading 7-6 (13-11) 1-0 after improving from 5-0 down in the starting set on Court des Princes.

Murray will begin again at 0930 BST on Wednesday, with a potency quarter final to follow later on in the day. Roger Federer’s fights continued as he downed 6-4 7-5 to fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka on Thursday.

The world number two had received a wildcard into the occasion as he appears for a first title since October.

Federer said, “I was producing a little too many faults that sort of gave him the benefit. I just thought Stan played well. I’m pleased and contented for him that he has made progressed so much in the last couple years. He’s lastly building a push, acquiring close to top players and crushing top players like myself. I think it’s big for him.”

Federer downs Italian Andreas Seppi easily sufficient in his starting match but 13th seed Wawrinka, who achieved the Olympic doubles title with Federer in Beijing, proved far tougher. The beginning of play was late by over five hours and saw Murray’s match changed to the second show court, while Federer got centre stage on Court Central.

But it was Wawrinka who burst serve in the seventh game when he changed his sixth break point, while Federer had yet to manage one. The natural mistakes that have haunted Federer all year continued to run and, after the pair swapped breaks at the beginning of the second set, an untamed forehand put Wawrinka forward once more at 6-5.

Federer made two break points as Wawrinka served for the match but the fewer heralded Swiss held his courage and defended back to get his first match point, and claim a first win over his compatriot in three meetings.

Wawrinka said, “It was not such a trouble free match but of course I am pretty happy to have achieved it. I am a little bit uncomfortable to celebrate it.”

The world number 108 stormed into a twice smash lead but unsuccessful to serve out at the first chance and paid the price. Murray rose in confidence, spinning off five games in a row to draw level before Fognini gathered himself adequately to force a tie break.

And it demonstrated to be an amazing climax to the set as both players frequently took, and threw away, the initiative.

The couple had seen three set points apiece go begging before Murray lastly changed the fourth when the Italian missed a break, and the rain that followed gave Fognini a welcome opportunity to regroup before the match resumes on Friday.

Wozniacki downed Aleksandra at Ponte Vedra Beach

The second top player Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark crushed the Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1 6-2 on Sunday to gain the Ponte Vedra Beach WTA claycourt tournament.

Second seeded Denmark’s Wozniacki created just 14 unforced faults and succeeded to win 84 per cent of points on her first serve to lift the trophy.

Wozniacki said, “In fact my plan was to play violent and make her run, this is a huge beginning to the clay court season, a truly good start. I showed I can hit these better players.”

Wozniak, the fifth seed who had disturbed top seeded Nadia Petrova in the semi finals, went after 3-1 in the starting set and yield two more games with double faults. Wozniacki prepared the first break of the second set to lead 4-2, and Wozniak won just three points in the last two games. Wozniacki arrogate her fourth career title and her first of 2009.

Wozniacki played and performed with her right thigh bandaged for the second straight match, but she said her wounded leg no longer hurt and she sensed as fast as ever on the court.

She prescribed, “The speed is one of my pluses.”

She as well dealt superior with the warmth, after experiencing dizziness and nausea in her semi final triumph over Elena Vesnina. She reserved and kept ice bags near her chair and used them at times during the changeovers to make herself cool down.

She said, “They were defensive, I didn’t wish for the similar thing to occur today as happened Saturday.”

Frustrated Wozniak said, “I rose up short, which is coming back from a torn tendon in her right shoulder. I lost key shots and she took benefit of all my faults. You obtain so close and then lose, it is sad.”

She said,” lingering pain in her shoulder added to her six double errors. It’s getting well but still distresses every time I serve. You just try to not think about it.”

Hewitt race to initial round Houston win

Lleyton Hewitt started and opened up his 2009 claycourt movement in style with an attack beginning round win at Houston Open. Hewitt required immediately 65 minutes to release Argentine seventh seed Diego Junqueira 6-0 6-2.

Hewitt prescribed, “I didn’t know what to wait for. It’s my primary clay court tournament since last year. He further said, “I wasn’t raised on clay so it’s a matter of making your footwork downward and getting the anxiety out of the way.”

Though Hewitt has achieved and won just one title on clay, at Delray Beach in Florida a decade ago, he has a sound career record of 80-37 on the surface.

He said, “I must be doing something right.

Now on the other hand Australian top one ahead faces another Argentine, Sergio Roitman, for a berth in the quarter finals.

Top two seeds of the tournament, Americans James Blake and Mardy Fish, were both did away with on Tuesday. Blake lost 6-4 6-4 to Argentine Guillermo Canas, while Fish succumbed 6-3 5-7 6-3 to German Bjorn Phau.

Canas, who has drooping to 113th in the world, used his claycourt experience to end a sorry run of six directly first round overcomes this year.

Canas said, “It’s tough to increase self-assurance when you misplace in the first round, this year has been a tough start. I haven’t played and performed very well for the past two months. Now for me, I expect to carry on on with the tournament.”

Blake neglected to 39-41 in career claycourt matches.

He said, “At times, I hit myself out there. I completed a lot of faults. He type of violence you into that the way he plays defence. It’s no reason for some faults, particularly the ones I built at key times. If you wait for to win matches, you have to put that around big points.”

The 28th ranked, Fish was the crowd preferred at the beginning of the match but by the third set, Phau’s resolute to play opening drawing dotted applause. In the third game of the decisive set Phau cracked Fish game and ruled out the triumph with one more smash in the eighth game.

Phau described, “At the starting, I didn’t suffer as well but I began to feel improved by the third set, I struggled to obtain into a rhythm and I think I got it.”

In additional matches, veteran Tommy Haas punch fellow Germany Denis Gremelmayr 6-3 6-3.

Murray, The winner of Miami Masters title

Top ranked Miami title winner Andy Murray conquered arguably the main title of his career to date with a directly sets beat of Novak Djokovic at the Sony Ericsson.

The British top number one hit third seed Djokovic 6-2 7-5 in Miami for his third Masters title, following gains in Cincinnati and Madrid last year. After enduring the first set in searing heat, Murray fought opposed from 5-2 down to clinch the second.

Murray said by expressing his opinion “The situation here are so hard, I know sitting there is hard but running around is attractive tricky too. He begun to come to the net many time and I misplaced my timing a little and I began to explore it a little bit hard towards the end of the second set.”

Djokovic prescribe: “He’s been playing terrific tennis in the last year or so. He was performing improved tennis than me in the first set. I had some opportunities to achieve the second set but unluckily I didn’t.”

Murray, who is 21, has also won and gained tournaments at Dubai and Rotterdam in a superb start to 2009, and now has 11 ATP titles, bringing him beside the career total of former British number one Tim Henman and closer to Greg Rusedski’s 15.

And the conquest in Miami is a substantial adding to the CV as it is regarded by many as the ‘fifth major’, in spite of moving no more ranking points than the other Masters 1000 tournaments. He had began the week in sight of overcoming Djokovic in the rankings, but Djokovic’s beat of Roger Federer in the semi finals ensured the Serb will hang on for at least a while longer.

Sunday’s final was played in the mid afternoon heat in Key Biscayne and both players were rapidly soaked in sweat and packaging themselves in ice towels ate every switch. Murray appeared the powerful from the beginning though, moving into a 4-0 guide as he ruined the Djokovic serve two times.

Whilst Djokovic was building many voluntary faults, the Briton was playing at the top of his game, a slam dunk smash followed by a breathtaking backhand cross-court pass helping him to 5-1.

Murray lost his initial set point in game seven when he went long with a return, but the struggling Djokovic handed over the proposal in the following game with consecutive unforced errors at 15-30 and the Scot sealed it with a smash. When Murray caught a smash at the start of the second after edging a lengthy game with a forehand pass, the world number four let out a scream of delight that signalled he was on his way to the title.

Azarenka kicked out Kuznetsova to attain Miami final

Belarus Victoria Azarenka sophisticated to her initial main final by crushing Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 at the WTA and ATP hard-court tournament on Thursday. Azarenka linked on 63% of her initial functions for her primary vocation triumph over Kuznetsova, while her Russian rival dedicated 46 natural faults.

19 years old 11th seed will face the winner of a afterward semi-final that pits world number one Serena Williams, the dominating US and Australian Open champion in opposition to Sister Venus, the prevailing Wimbledon champion. Azarenka looks for her third career title after captivating her original and primary tops at Brisbane and Memphis earlier this year. She is looking for her original title in one of the WTA’s best Premier proceedings.

Azarenka who qualified for the semi finals last month at Indian Wells, said by expressing her feelings, “It’s the largest moment and dream in my career, It feels and seems immense that all the work I’ve been doing is paying off. I was just annoying to play in every position and every point from the start to the end”.

She further said, “The second set was not so well for me and it did not go in favour of me, but I was still hanging in there and just play in every position and each point no matter what”. Victoria Azarenka ceased an untimely service smash in the opening set, but she gained the next four games to pocket the set.

Kuznetsova competition to a 5-1 pass en route to making level the match at one set apiece, but Azarenka cracked Kuznetsova in the earliest game of the third set to achieve the superior hand.

Azarenka lost her first chance to serve out the match, Kuznetsova saving one match point then flouting serve courtesy of an Azarenka double error. But in the next game Azarenka crushed Kuznetsova, and preserved the conquest on her third match point after two hours and 40 minutes played in boiling heat.

Azarenka prescribed “The last points and the last games were really hard and difficult to even walk there, but I’m just so glad that I found power and that fighting moment that I had to fight no matter what.”

Serena and Djokovic qualified for semis at Miami

Serbian third outstanding tennis player and well performer Novak Djokovic qualified for the semi finals at Miami of the ATP Masters 1000 hard-court tournament on Wednesday with a 6-3 6-4 triumph over France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

And In the women’s draw, top world rated Serena Williams misplaced the initial five games then rebounded to reach the semi finals.

Djokovic will now be in front of victor of the quarter final between second top ranked Swiss Roger Federer and fifth world honored American Andy Roddick. Djokovic, who had missed his last four encounters with the Frenchman, upturned that course in spite of getting treatment for obvious heat connected indications in the second set.

In the eighth game of second set Tsonga had two opportunities to smash Djokovic but couldn’t take advantage on either and the Serbian ruled out the match in just under two hours.

Djokovic, who described that he had been battling a bear ailment on Tuesday, said that the heat and the force of the match all exaggerated him. But he still showed accurate, influential groundstroke that had Tsonga on the self-protective from the beginning.

Previously, Serena Williams missed and lost the first five games then came up to achieve the semi finals, where she expected a probable matchup in opposition to her sister Venus. Serena defeated a miserable beginning to crush unseeded Li Na of China 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 in the quarter finals. Williams looks for her sixth Key Biscayne title, which would break the record she shares with Steffi Graf.

The three time champion Venus Williams was to countenance Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic in the last of the quarter-finals afterward on Wednesday. The other one semi-final on Thursday will be played No.8-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova and No.11 Victoria Azarenka. Williams was on the edge of being distress, but in the essential second set, Li unsuccessful to change all six of her break point chances. The last came at 5-all and Williams got it with a service winner.

Li build effects simple for Williams in the tiebreaker by devoting six voluntary faults. As the third set began to slip away from Li, she displayed her disappointment by slamming a ball in opposition to the backstop on the far end of the court. Then she twice faulted on break point to drop behind 2-1. Williams achieved and won the next three games at love and ruled out the conquest with a service winner.

Murray beats Massu in Sony Ericsson Open at Miami

Andy Murray defeated Chile’s Nicolas Massu by beginning a tricky and wonderful attack, now he will be face and fight in the fourth round of Sony Ericsson Open on Monday at Miami. Murray will now in the front of world number 41 Viktor Troicki in the last 16 after the Serb punch Bjorn Phau 6-4 6-3.

Murray gave for a first-serve percentage of 45% in the start set in opposition to Massu and it was the Chilean’s faults that made the Scot back into the set. When he cracked to go 4-3 up it appeared as although the fourth seed was on path but he played one more bad performance game to let Massu back to 4-4.

Murray fought 5-1 clear in the second set and in spite of allowing one of the breaks go, there seemed to be tiny risk until Massu got back to 5-4. The Chilean then achieved two opportunities to make level the scores in a theatrical game but made voluntary faults on together and finally, Murray got the conquest on his second match point.

Luckily for the Briton, Massu could not manage the anxiety and pressure at key present moments three consecutive double-errors handed the plan to Murray once again and he served out confidently.

Murray prescribed, “His beginning was very fine and sound, striking the ball solid with his forehand and I was hitting it short. But after 3-0 in the first set I performed well until 5-1 (in the second) and then completely misplaced attentiveness, and finished up being in a battle at the end, which I didn’t essentially need.

He further said, “I was much gladder with the means I punch the ball today compared to my first match, bar the first and last three games.”

Somewhere else, sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina facilitated past Janko Tipsarevic 6-4 6-1, and 11th seed David Ferrer of Spain defeat Croatia’s Marin Cilic 3-6 6-3 6-4.

On the other hand In the women’s draw, 13th seed Caroline Wozniacki defeat fourth seed Elena Dementieva 7-5 6-4 to participate in a quarter-final against eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-2 6-1. Samantha Stosur carried out her win over second seed Dinara Safina by thrashing Amelie Mauresmo 6-4 6-4, and the Australian now face 11th seed Victoria Azarenka , who crushed Agnes Szavay 6-2 6-4.

Roger Federer and Djokovic takeover in Miami

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic former top world champions stepped up their game with irresistible opening wins to power into the third round of the Miami Masters as seeds got centre stage.

And on the other hand Federer, who prevailed in 2005-2006 at Crandon Park, obtained his form in a runaway second set as he beaten American Kevin Kim 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic, who dominated in 2007, punch Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-3, 6-2. Federer is also attempting to get well and trying to recover his loss in the semi-finals at Indian Wells last weekend, with the Swiss, 31-8 in Miami, looking for his first title of the season. Federer’s conquest in just 64 minutes improved his 2009 record to 14-3.

Djokovic can have figured out the mystery of the slow beginning which has specified his year so far. He enhanced and improved to 18-7 throughout a season which built-in his 12th career title in Dubai.

France’s Gael Monfils sustained the achievement of sows, all of whom earned benefit from first-round byes. The number 9 hit American Michael Russell 6-2, 6-7 while number 13 James Blake blocked Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-4.

Blake who equated the strength of the Masters 1000 competition to that of the Grand Slams said, “It’s a little bit breezy a little moisture, but the type of environment and situations you suppose here in Miami. It was excellent to get a win. Out Masters 1000s, they’re all enormous because you got the top players. I think they might be just as rough or almost as tough as a Slam to win because you’re playing a lot of enormous players so rapidly.

After the retirement of Russian Marat Safin she connected and joined his sister, women’s second seed Dinara Safina, in advancing, with the two-time Grand Slam champion defeating Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

German Nicolas Kiefer presented a fight back over Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 to earn a third-round place against Federer. Russia positioned four women into the third round, with second seed Safina foremost the way past France’s Mathilde Johansson 6-1, 6-3.

Safina, who lost an opportunity to grab the No.1 WTA ranking from Serena Williams last week at Indian Wells when the American did not play, stepped fourth-seeded compatriot Elena Dementieva, a winner over Anastasia Pivovarova 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.

The former US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova returned marvelous and thrilling scored over teenaged Austrian Tamira Paszek 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 while Alisa Kleybanova punch Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakstan 6-2, 6-4 to complete the Russian winning quartet.

The WTA Chief Executive Larry Scott resigning

The WTA chief Larry Scott threw a surprising effect and shocked into the women’s tennis on the eve of one of the major occasions on the calendar on Tuesday by declaring that he will give up and steps down to move to a university athletics job in the United States.

The resignation declaration prior to the Miami Masters came less than three months after ATP boss Etienne de Villiers was enforced out and interchanged with a lawyer, Adam Helfant, with little bit experience in the sport.

Scott, who worked hard with the men’s ATP before coming over to the women’s side and functioning for six years as chief executive of the WTA, will head the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) PAC-10 Conference, effective July 1.

Scott oversaw a huge addition in prize money and a prosperous partnership with tour global sponsor Sony Ericsson, which turned headline players like Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters into crossover celebrities with forays into fashion, music and show business and computer gaming.

Scott shortly prescribed “With women’s professional tennis more well-liked and admired than ever the Tour in the strongest business position in its history and a incredible senior management team in place, it is now the exact time for me to meet with the new challenge reliable with my family and personal destinations, and give up the room for the next generation of Tour leadership to take on new tasks”.

He will now work with the Tour Board on the selection procedure for his replacement.

The representative of Tournament Board and chairman of the Tournament Council Steve Simon said by expressing his opinion in the favour of Larry, “Under Larry’s leadership and guidance, both Tour and our sport have developed and grown up over the past six years beyond anyone’s extreme expectations,”

“As an association and sport, we are positioned for constant victory and success. We wish and hope Larry the very well in his new position, and are looking forward to start the process of electing a new one CEO for the organization to guide us into the future.”

The resignation will also let Scott to move a bullet in the continuing case of the Williams sisters’ boycott of the just-concluded Indian Wells Masters, a posture which for the first time in 2009 will result in sanctions for the millionaire sibling act.

The most recent Scott’s crisis and calamities came into being last month at Dubai when Israeli player Shahar Peer was deprived of a visa into the Arab emirate, sparking a war of words, a fine of $US300,000 ($A433,000) from the WTA and potential sanctions in opposition to the highlight event.

Scott also felt and analysis by seeing the global growth and development of the sport into new markets, including organization of the Tour’s first ever Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing.

Zvonareva beats Azarenka and ready for Indian Wells final

Recently on Friday’s competition between Zvonareva and Azarenka the Russian Fourth seeded Vera Zvonareva got a unique conquest with the directly sets triumph over doubles partner Victoria Azarenka and now she gets ready to face the Indian Wells final hard-court tournament.

Zvonareva the top and uppermost seed gone in the draw, brought down the eighth seed from Belarus 6-3, 6-3. And now she gets ready for the Well’s final on Sunday in which she’ll face moreover opposing champion Ana Ivanovic from Serbia or Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Earlier of this year Zvonareva who gained and won her succeeded eighth career title at Pattaya City, kept her full pressure and dominance with Azarenka, who has unfortunately never got and taken a set from the Russian in four meetings.

Zvonareva in a shortly speech prescribed “I remains pretty happy with my game at all ,” Zvonareva further said by expressing her feelings, “I did few mistakes and errors, few double faults here and there on various places but I was going for my shots.”

In the second set of the first game she broke Azarenka down and once more time in the final game to avoid her from defeat showed great excellency and to seal the victory in one hour and 20 minutes.

19 years old Azarenka,who succeeded in gaining the first two titles of her career this year in Brisbane and Memphis, distress the highest-seeded Russian Dinara Safina in the quarter-finals, rallying from a set down. “A wasted match,” was the hopeless Azarenka’s appraisal as she bewailed her 37 unforced faults. “Vera played good. I didn’t do yet 10 percent of my game today.”

Even in both two rounds against Zvonareva she had her lucks and chances but her failure made her unsuccessful to alter the two break points in the ninth game to make bigger the first set and she also had three break chances in the eighth game of the second.

In spite of the beat, the 11th-ranked Azarenka is predictable to break into the top 10 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday. On Saturday Azarenka and Zvonareva will be get back again on the similar side of the net on Saturday, when they challenge the women’s doubles final. The second one semi-final was determining up as a fight of youth versus experience and practice.

Zvonareva said “I imagine it going be a hard and tough challenge between those two girls” “Because Anastasia, who is a young, youthful, brilliant talented upcoming player. She undoubtedly has a superior serve. She has an excellent big game, so for Ana it’s going to be very tough and difficult for Ana. But Ana who is a Grand Slam Champion has already all this experience and know about the finger tennis tips and indeed unique skills. She’s fighting and defending champion here.”

Ivanovic got victory in the French Open last year and detained the world number one ranking for a total of 12 weeks, but this semi final appearance is her most excellent and very well result of 2009. In the World she now ranked on seventh, Ivanovic qualified for the semis with no beating a stroke when adversary Sybille Bammer withdrew with a shoulder injury.

Pakistan wishes for neutral Davis Cup venue

The Pakistan tennis officials declined to play their country’s relocated Davis Cup tie against the Philippines in the Philippines, referring security reasons, fears and calling for a neutral venue.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) had expressed to Pakistan that its Asia Oceania Group II tie has been moved to the Philippines due to the some security reasons.

Dilawar Abbas officially said, “The Players of Pakistan have also security concerns about playing in the Philippines as well, so the tie must be shifted to a neutral venue. “The ITF has prescribed us that our home tie which was owing to be played in Lahore has been shifted after some Philippine players, who have US passports, raised security doubts,” the president of Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Dilawar Abbas told AFP.

Last Week the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) wrote to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), saying that the March 3 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team had spread the waves of fear in peoples and concerns about playing in Pakistan. The same city in which the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked killing eight Pakistanis and injuring seven touring players and their assistant coach, the Philippines was scheduled to play Pakistan from July 10-12 in Lahore.

Abbas described that relocating to the Philippines would affect and disturb their opportunities. He further told “By not playing on our home courts we have misplaced the home benefit so we are not going to give that advantage to our opponents and instead press for a neutral venue.

Pakistan’s chances of hosting international sport were covered a serious and heavy powerful stroke by the attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Last month, Pakistan was compelled to move their home Davis Cup tie against Oman to Muscat after their rivals raised security concerns.

Owing to be staged next month in Pakistan, An international squash event was called off and New Zealand has suggested that it will not send its cricket team to Pakistan for the November-December series this year.

Bangladesh’ cricket also delayed its tour to Pakistan on Tuesday by saying that they would not be able to assurance security for the Pakistani team in the wake of last month’s mutiny in Dhaka.

Fighting champ Djokovic proceed at Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic set up his defence of the Indian Wells Masters succession title with a straight-sets conquest on Sunday, as world No.1 Rafael Nadal prepared to open his campaign. Serbia’s Djokovic seeded third behind Nadal and Swiss world No.2 Roger Federer in the $US5.4 million ($A8.2 million) occasion overcame 54th-ranked Argentinian Martin Vasallo Arguello 7-5 6-4 to achieve the third round.

Djokovic, who claimed his initial title of 2009 at Dubai two weeks ago, raised an early break in every set only to surrender his serve before breaking Vasallo Arguello once more. When the Argentinean sent a service return long, he precluded the match on a breezy stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on his second match point.

Spain’s Nadal the 2007 champion who has additional promoted his hard-court recommendations with his Australian Open triumph this year, was to play German qualifier Michael Berrer in a second-round match. Confronting China’s Peng Shuai in the third round, women’s top seed Dinara Safina of Russia was also in action.

Safina, who has a chance to supplant the absent Serena Williams atop the world rankings by reaching the final of this WTA event, will be trying to avoid the upset bug that saw 15 of 32 seeded women eliminated in the second round, including second-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, No.3 Elena Dementieva and No.6 Svetlana Kuznetsova, both of Russia.

In other early matches, last year’s surprise men’s finalist Mardy Fish, who surprised Federer in the semi-finals in 2008, was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1) by France’s Jeremy Chardy. Fourth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva prepared it securely into the fourth round with a 6-3 6-1 win over Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic. Fish admitted that after last year’s heroics, it was deflating to lose his first match.

He said.”I will undoubtedly never forget last year, also never forget the semi-final match against Roger. Maybe it all evens itself out in the end,”

Now Chardy next faces Spain’s David Ferrer, runner-up to Djokovic in Dubai, who defeat US qualifier Todd Widom 6-4 7-5.