Posts Tagged ‘Cincinnati’

Atp Cincinnati Masters – Murray Takes Trophy Home

The Cincinnati Masters which is part of the nine Masters Series tournaments in the ATP tour was just recently held in Mason, Ohio and to this day it is the oldest tennis event played in the United States. For the surprise of many, the last two men standing were the Serbian Novak Djokovic and the Scot Andy Murray who has positioned himself in the number 6 spot in the rankings after grasping the title in a thriller match.

On his way to achieve his fourth title the Serbian Djokovic was able to beat the unstoppable Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who will soon become the new number one tennis player in the world, after a 32-match winning streak during their semi final game. The world number three Djokovic continues his pursuit for a better spot but the point gap between Nadal and him is now bigger, the difference stands at 1,065 points after the double win the Spaniard was able to pull by grasping two Grand Slams consecutively.

Nevertheless the US$2,750,000 Cincinnati tournament was a delight display of tennis for the fans as these two sensational players reached the final game. Both of them knew that winning this tournament will unfold the road for the final grand slam scenery in the Big Apple within a couple of weeks. Murray whose game has been in ascension after a long-time wrist injury he was unable to recover from until recently showed his best qualities and skills in the sport. He smartly enough knew how to move the pieces and with amazing back hand strokes stunned his rival in two sets.

The final score of the match was 7-6, 7-6 and it latest approximately two hours and 22 minutes. It was a game full of rallies, tie-breaks, and volleys as both players challenged each other constantly. It was amazing to see how much Murray’s game has improved in the last months and how clean his moves appear on the hard surfaces. On the other hand, Djokovic did not step back and his ground strokes continued to surprise us all even Murray who by the very end seemed tired but held on until the last second.

Murray did mention that “I played in these conditions all week so maybe I was more used to it.”There were lots of long, long rallies which took a toll and we were both tired at the end.” Regardless of the long runs this did not make a difference for the Scot who risked his games with heavy constant attacks that drained all of his opponent’s energy.

Now, the Scot moves into the sixth position of the world rankings closely followed by the Argentinean Nalbandian and the American James Blake who are approximately 200 points behind him. The next weeks will be quite in the ATP circuit as the Olympics approach but the action will continue in New York City where history will be written for the top players and those who believe can take on better positions in the 2008 ATP race.

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.

Andy Murray qualified for Miami final

Top brilliant Murray made a stunning show as he hit Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro to qualify in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. The Briton sealed an excellent 6-1 5-7 6-2 triumph and now in Sunday final he will fight against Novak Djokovic, after the Serb earlier beat Roger Federer 3-6 6-2 6-3.

An annoyed Federer shattered his racquet as the match went by. Djokovic’s triumph seems that Murray cannot pass him as the world number three in next week’s rankings.

But the Scot will get huge assurance from one more well presentation as he saw off Del Potro in front of a partisan throng in Friday’s evening session. The Scot, 21, had won both his previous matches against Del Potro and started magnificently, while his opponent appeared to be suffering from a draining semi-final win over top seed Rafael Nadal.

Murray had prepared speedy progress into the last four and looked sharp-edged, breaking two times as he raced into a 5-0 lead and quickly took the set. It was as a lot a lack of attention from Murray as anything Del Potro did that saw the Briton drop serve early in the second; having led 40-0, but Murray got the break back straight away and looked on course for the win.

But the longer Del Potro, 20, stayed on serve the more his confidence grew, and he levelled the match with a superb game at 6-5 to send the crowd wild. The impetus looked to be with the seventh seed going into the decider as he saved an early break point but Murray left remarkably paying attention and got the break in game five.

Through another smash point waiting at 4-2, Murray had to stay while Del Potro went to his chair for treatment to his leg, but the British number one transformed his second chance of the game and served out the match comfortably.

Murray said afterwards, “There were many highs in the game. I think I only played one or two bad games”. The first set was great. I can only hope in the future I can play close to that level. In the first set I mixed it up a bit and kept him moving around. I knew he would be tired after the Nadal game so that’s what I tried to do.”

Second seed Federer was annoying to achieve his first title at the elite Masters 1000 level since Cincinnati in August, 2007, and the Swiss started Friday’s first semi-final well in blustery conditions.

Kim Clijsters once again in professional tennis

On the Thursday former tennis player of Belgium Kim Clijsters declared her return into the professional and competitive tennis approximately two years after retiring from the sport at just 23 years old.

Kim said in a press conference at her hometown “I intend to play in the US Open and about surely in the tournaments at Cincinnati early August, my first official tournament back and Tornoto”. She further said “I have been involved in practicing on a usual and regular basis with my training partner Wim Fissette and by physical coach Sam Verslegers, frequently as much as six hours in a day.

Kim who is the right hander, has a wonderful and marvelous tennis background included rewards and many achievements during his stay in tennis. Famous for her trademark splits suspicious play, she won 34 WTA tournaments and 11 doubles’ crowns including the 2005 US Open title when she beaten the French player Mary Pierce 6-3, 6-1 at Flushing Meadows. She also won the women’s season ending tour championship title conducted in 2002 and 2003.

Kim misplaced four Grand Slam finals particularly the 2003 French Open and US Open championship matches, as well as the 2004 Australian Open to compatriot and rival Justine Henin, who has also since retired. In August 2003 she got the top world rankings with a record of 427 wins against 104 defeats as well as having the extraordinary difference of holding the number one spot in both singles and doubles in 2003.

But handicapped by a series of injuries and keen to begin a family with new husband Brian Lynch, an American basketball player, she unexpectedly declared her retirement in May 2007 at just 23 years old.

At now 25, Clijsters is approximately two years younger than Williams and has time on her side in maybe retrieving the world No.1 ranked and including to her Grand Slam accumulation. What it occurs after blushing Meadows in beginning September, However, depends on more than a few factors, she insisted.

She said “I will have to get stock of how I supervise to unite my family condition with life on the circuit, I am a mother and a wife after all, and also we will have to see how I come out of it all physically.”

Clijsters will not be one of those players who need time to off separately to have a baby and then effort a return back to the route. A very close friend of Clijsters Lindsay Davenport former World No. 1 did similarly in 2007 even though she never officially and formally declared she was retiring. Last year the American prepared a dramatic return to the WTA Tour circuit winning four tournaments before moving to the sidelines again in January after announcing that she was pregnant once again.