US Open Day 7 Results: Clijsters Thwarts Ana, Spaniards Dominate, Murray Crashes

The Spanish Armada of tennis stars have been known to dominate the clay courts of Roland Garros, but who knew the red and yellow could make their marks in New York too. Rafa Nadal, Feliciano Lopez, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Robredo all advanced to the Round of 16 on Sunday. In fact, Rafa, F-Lo, Nando and Ferrer occupy every fourth round spot in the 1st quarter of the draw, assuring a Spaniard a spot in the semis.

Rafa earned a 3-set win over Gilles Simon, Lopez was beating Sergiy Stakhovsky before the Ukrainian retired down 6-3, 4-0. Verdasco took out David Nalbandian 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and Ferrer ousted Daniel Gimeno-Traver in straights.

It was unexpected that Francesca Schiavone would emerge victorious at Roland Garros this year, but would it be that far-fetched to give the Italian 6th seed a shot at winning in New York? Not by the way she's plowed through her four matches thus far, most recently crushing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-3, dropping just 13 games overall. Forget about Pavly's right arm, Schiavo has played even better tennis in the Big Apple than she did at the French, and her quarterfinal opponent, Venus Williams, has a lot to be scared of.

V struggled with her game against 16th seeded Shahar Peer on day 7, as the Israeli gave Williams all sorts of trouble, pushing her to a first set tiebreak, which she dropped 7-3, before going away quietly in the second, 6-3. Yes, Williams was wearing her 4th dress of the fortnight. Now, she needs her game to shine like her hot pink number did.

The shock of the day came via Stanislas Wawrinka, as the Swiss, now coached by Roger Federer's old mentor, Peter Lundgren, pulled off a stunner against Andy Murray, defeating the Scot 6-7 (3), 7-6 94), 6-3, 6-3. When Murray got down, he resorted, as usual, to his pushing antics, and Stan the Man completely handcuffed the 4th seed, who was out-aced 13-5. The victory was without a doubt one of the biggest of Wawrinka's career, but things won't get easier, as the 25th seed's 4th round encounter will be against American Sam Querrey.

Querrey had an easy time handling Nicolas Almagro, defeating the Spaniard 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. The win put Sam back in the 4th round, the same stage he reached in 2008. Two American men remain in this 2nd quarter of the draw, and the other one is John Isner, down 2 sets to one against Mikhail Youzhny on Ashe right now. The winner will take on Tommy Robredo, the fifth Spaniard to invade the 4th round. Robredo, a longtime ATP journeyman, was in a 4th set with Michael Llodra, having had one 2 of the first 3, before the Frenchman retired.

Kim Clijsters' and Ana Ivanovic's 4th round encounter was expected to be an exciting match, as the Serb is finally starting to find her game, but it was actually much less enthralling than we hoped, as Kimmie slaughtered the former number 1 in less then an hour, 6-2, 6-1. The Belgian's quarterfinal opponent will be either Elena Dementieva of Sam Stosur, up next on Arthur Ashe.

Roland Garros Men's Predictions

This year we enter Roland Garros with one question. How easily will Rafael Nadal triumph? Sure, it's quite unfair to completely disregard the world number 1 and resident G.O.A.T, Roger Federer, but the Swiss has been very shaky and Rafa, well, he's been anything but. Nadal isn't entering this year's French Open playing as well as he did in 2008, but one must have the experience, confidence and talent to derail the Spaniard this year, as he's been so far ahead of the pack. Many of this year's possible "Soderlings" have 2 of those 3, but without the whole package, no one is coming between Nadal and his 5th French title.

1st Quarter

Of course, Roger Federer sits atop the draw, like he always has. He comes into Roland Garros not having won a tournament since the Aussie Open, and he hasn't gone winless between the year's first two slams in 7 years. That being said, the Swiss was able to eliminate the erratic shanks from his game in Madrid that were ever-so-present in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome. The man he beat in last year's final, Robin Soderling, lies in Fed's quarter, but he hasn't been very impressive either. And Le Sod doesn't have an soft draw either, as he could possibly meet clay-court specialist Albert Montanes in the 3rd round, where I would give the edge to Montanes. Marin Cilic and Ernests Gulbis, who has already contested three 3-setters with Federer this year (winning 1 of them) all are possible quarterfinal opponents for Federer, who needs to get past the quick and crafty Gael Monfils and countryman Stanislas Wawrinka to reach that stage. Despite a rough path, Federer is the clear favorite to reach a 24th consecutive GS semifinal, and expect him to do it without too much difficulty.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Gulbis vs. Cilic

Quarterfinals: Federer def. Cilic

2nd Quarter

I'll be honest- I have no effing clue who is going to win this section. It's by far the weakest of the four, with Andy Murray, playing pretty craptasticly as of late, leading the way. Right behind the Scot, is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who tends to suffer from the infamous "Frenchies at the French" disease, a syndrome Parisians tend to be infected with around May, when playing in front of their home crowd in Roland Garros. In other words, he can't handle the pressure or expectations placed on him by his country. Mikhail Youzhny, Tomas Berdych, John Isner and Tommy Robredo also lie in the 2nd quarter, and I would figure that one of them would be the semifinalist. Youzhny is a headcase, Isner is an American 9that should say it all) and Robredo is a grand-slam punching bag. Berdych, though, has the experience and the game to make a big run. Look for the Czech to cause an upset or two and reach a long overdue Major semifinal.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Murray vs. Richard Gasquet

Quarterfinals: Berdych def. Tsonga

3rd Quarter

Novak Djokovic has been quite the mystery this year. Like Murray, he has all the talent in the world and top-notch results to prove it but a major case of choking (or what Nole would call it: allergies) have put a damper on the Serb's 2010. Poor results all Spring, which tends to be a thriving time of the year for the world number 3, have weakened Djoko's confidence and he isn't playing like a possible contender. Andy Roddick is the 2nd highest seed here, but the American has yet to play a clay-court match in 2010. not ideal circumstances for a solid Roland Garros campaign. The obvious choice would be David Ferrer, and as much as I would love to be a contrarian, everything points in the Spaniard's favor. Ferrer's clay-court run this Spring has been phenomenal, reaching the semis in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, and the finals in Rome. Juan Carlos Ferrero and Sam Querrey are the next two highest seeds and could possibly meet in the 3rd round, both having had success on the clay.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Ferrero vs. Querrey

Quarterfinals: Ferrer def. Ferrero



Rafael Nadal has to like the looks of his section this year. Beating Fernando Verdasco has been comically easy for Rafa this year, and you'd have to be insane to think that Fernando Gonzalez and Ivan Ljubicic pose any sort of threat to the Spaniard's clay-court dominance. Nicolas Almagro gave Rafa all he had in the Madrid semis, but over 3 out of 5 sets any menace Almagro previously provided is gone. I'd be surprised if Nadal lost much more than 10 games en route to the semis.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Lleyton Hewitt vs. Jeremy Chardy

Semifinals: Federer def. Berdych, Nadal def. Ferrer

Here we go again. Federer and Nadal. Expect something along the lines of the 2008 final, but just not as harsh. Win number 5 for El Matador.

Finals. Nadal def. Federer

Madrid Results: Fed, Rafa and Venus Reach Semis, Jankovic and Murray Fall

After suffering a devastating defeat to Ernests Gulbis at the Italian Open two weeks ago, Roger Federer turned the tables on the Latvian in Madrid, mounting an impressive comeback to defeat Gulbis, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Rafael Nadal has yet to drop a set this week at the Mutua Madrilena Masters, where he is the defending runner-up, making quick work of Gael Monfils, 6-1, 6-3, to advance to the semifinals.

Just one week after receiving an absolute beatdown at the hands of Jelena Jankovic, Venus Williams had little difficulty beating one of the other hottest players on tour, Sam Stosur, who could have broken into the top 5 with a win.

“Her game plan seemed to be to just attack everything,” said Williams, following her 3 and 3 win. “She played well. But there were some key points, and at the end, from 4-3, I felt like I went, on autopilot, so it felt good.”

Venus will take on Shahar Peer, who took out Li Na in 3 sets, while Lucia Safarova, who beat Nadia Petrova 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, will face Aravane Rezai, a upset victor against Jankovic.

David Ferrer pulled off an unexpected upset by beating 4th-seeded Andy Murray in straight sets to advance to the final 4, where the Spaniard will take on Federer. Over the course of the 7-5, 6-3 win, which lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes, Ferrer proved why he is constantly a lay-court threat, while Murray showed some of his amateur tendencies that popped up in March. To complete the trifecta of Spaniards in the final, Nicolas Almagro easily defeated Jurgen Melzer, 6-3, 6-1 to earn the right to play Rafa for a finals berth.

Rafa Wins Record-Tying 17th Masters Title in Rome

In yet another all-Spaniard final, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer battled in the final of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia final. The match was interrupted by two different rain delays, but despite the irritating breaks in play, Rafa once again showed his clay-court dominance, defeating David Ferrer in straight sets for his 5th title in Rome and 17th Masters title. At age 34 Andre Agassi won his final Masters, giving him the record, but yesterday, Nadal, just 23, tied the American's mark putting him at an unprecedented pace.

The title improves Rafa's clay-court record this year to 10-0, having won the title in Monte Carlo and Rome. “I didn’t play at the level I did in Monte Carlo, but I’m still winning and that’s the important thing,” said Nadal. “I’m probably more happy winning without playing (my) best. It was more of a mental thing.”

The world number three applied more pressure than usual, forcing Ferrer, who also had a great week, defeating Fernando Verdasco and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, into 5 double faults. In a week, both Nadal and Ferrer, along with most of the world's top 10, will travel to Madrid for the final tournament before Roland Garros.

Rome Results: Rafa and Ferrer to Fight for Title

David Ferrer pulled off yet another upset in Rome yesterday against his compatriot Fernando Verdasco. Ferrer, seeded 13th, won the semifinal in 2 tight sets, 7-5, 6-3, while Verdasco, coming off a huge win over Novak Djokovic, looked sluggish and unprepared. Verdasco jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, only to lose 12 of the next 15 games and a chance at a 3rd final in as many weeks.

"These were the best three weeks of my life and my career,” said Verdasco. “I need to stay positive, recover for a few days and practice hard to be perfect for Madrid and Roland Garros."

Ernests Gulbis came oh-so-close to derailing Rafael Nadal on his favorite surface, but the Spaniard was able to keep his game from unraveling late in the match as nerves started to rattle Gulbis. Nadal wore Gulbis out in the first set in typical Rafa fashion, but an early break for the Latvian in the 2nd eventually tied the match at 1-set-a-piece. The two traded service holds in the deciding set until Gulbis served at 4-5, when Nadal broke to win the match.

Rome Results: Spaniards Dominate in Rome; Fill 3 of the 4 Semifinal Spots

Spain has continued it's clay court dominance from Monte Carlo and Barcelona this week in Rome, as 3 of the 4 semifinal spots, which were decided on Friday, are occupied by someone from the country. Of course, one of them is Rafael Nadal, who advanced to the final 4 with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Stanislas Wawrinka.

Rafa's semifinal opponent will be Ernests Gulbis, who's surprise run to the semis has consisted of the Latvian playing the best tennis of his career. In the quarters Gulbis, who beat Federer in the 2nd round, defeated Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (6), 6-1.

On the other half of the draw lies David Ferrer, an easy 6-4, 6-1 winner against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Fernando Verdasco. The latter won his second consecutive match against Novak Djokovic in the quarters, outlasting the Serb in a thrilling 3-setter 7-6 94), 3-6, 6-4.

The semis will air on the Tennis Channel tomorrow morning for my fellow east-coasters.

Monte Carlo Results: Rafa, Djokovic Reach Quarters, Tsonga and Cilic Out

Rafael Nadal may have been going through a slight drought in his tennis career lately (for his standards) but the Spaniard is back on the clay, his favorite surface, and is crushing every opponent across the net in his return to the dirt. Thursday in Monte Carlo was no different, as Michael Berrer fell victim to the clay-court mastermind 6-0, 6-1. Nadal's quarterfinal opponent will be 9th seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero, an outstanding clay-courter himself, who took out Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 for a shot to play his compatriot. David Nalbandian reached the final eight with a straight-set win against Tommy Robredo, while Phillip Kohlschreiber beat fellow German Phillip Petzschner 6-3, 6-4.

Monte Carlo's number 1 seed, Novak Djokovic was up against a tricky opponent in Stanislas Wawrinka in his 4th round match, but the Serb prevailed 6-4, 6-4 to book a quarterfinal spot. Albert Montanes upset 4th seeded Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, while two other Spaniards David Ferrer, 6-0, 7-6 (4) and Fernando Verdasco, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, also prevailed, giving Spain five of the eight quarterfinal spots.

Miami Results: Rochus Upsets Djokovic, Venus, Rafa, Azarenka and Wozniacki Advance

Olivier Rochus became the first player to bust the brackets in Miami when he took out the tournament's second seed and defending runner-up Novak Djokovic in 3 sets, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-4. Juan Carlos Ferrero defeated Daniel Koellerrer 4-0 after Koellerrer retired with an injury. The Americans didn't have a great days as both James Blake and Sam Querrey lost to Tomaz Bellucci and Jeremy Chardy, respectively.

Venus Williams debuted a new dress in her line EleVen last night in her straight set victory over Sorana Cirstea. 2nd seeded Caroline Wozniacki got off to a rocky start against Tszvetana Pironkova but recovered to win in 3 sets. Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters both dominated in their matches, surrenduring just 3 and 2 games respectively. Shahar Peer advanced with 6-1, 6-0 win. Joining the Israeli in the second round were Russians Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Maria Kirilenko and Elena Vesnina.

The tournament's 4th seed, Rafael Nadal, earned a solid victory over Taylor Dent, 6-4, 6-3, while fellow Spaniards David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo also advanced. Ivo Karlovic and David Nalbandian reached the 2nd round with 3 set victories.

Last year's Sony Ericsson Open champion Victoria Azarenka kept her title defense alive with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Alexandra Dulgheru. Sam Stosur and Lucie Safarova both earned 3 set wins while Jelena Jankovic and Francesca Schiavone won with ease. Virginie Razzano, Sara Errani and Dominika Cibulkova rounded out the day's winners.

Davis Cup Results: Spain, Russia, Argentina and Serbia Advance

I'm gonna try to make this post a quickie 'cuz of the Oscars. BT Dubs, Zoe Saldana is looking all sorts of amazing: Can you say "SHUT IT DOWN"

Anyways..

Argentina moved on to the quarters of the Davis Cup behind the impressive comeback of David Nalbandian, who proved a large part in his country's victory over Sweden in a deciding singles match.

Spain also advanced, as the defending champs entered the final day of competition needing only 1 win to advance. Instead, the Spaniards got 2, downing Switzerland 4-1 behind singles victories by David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro.

The Serbians clinched their first ever spot in the final 8 after an everlasting marathon match between Novak Djokovic and John Isner, won by the former 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-4. Sam Querrey then beat Victor Troicki in a match that meant nothing, but made the final scoreline look closer than it actually was. But, conclusively, the Americans put forth a stellar effort despite not having their anchors Andy Roddick, Mike Bryan and James Blake.

Russia closed out their rubber against India 3-2 after Mikhail Youzhny secured the victory with a commanding 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 win over Somdev Devvarman.

Davis Cup Results: Spain, Argentina and Serbia Take Early Leads; France, Croatia Clinch

The Davis Cup defending champions Spaniards kicked off their 2010 campaign with in good fashion. Nicolas Almagro fell to Stanislas Wawrinka, but Spain recovered, as David Ferrer and the doubles team won the next 2 matches to come within 1 match of clinching a spot in the quarterfinals.

Russia got off to a solid start in their rubber as well, as Mikhail Youzhny and Igor Kunitsyn took their respective singles matches to give their country a 2-0 lead. India got themselves back into it, though, when their doubles team of Mahesh Bhupathi and leander Paes won in straight sets.

The French became the 1st team of the weekend to clinch their tie, as the Germans didn't stand a chance against the powerful singles duo of Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Phillip Kohlschrieber and Benjamin Becker, respectively. Julien Benneteau and Michael llodra booked France a spot in the quarters with a 4 set doubles victory.

Croatia also clinched on Saturday, as Ivo Karlovic squeezed out a tough 5 setter of Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti. Marin Cilic followed up Dr. Ivo's win with an east 3-setter Giovanna Lapentti. Cilic and Karlovic then paired up in the doubles, where they won in straights.

David Nalbandian made his return to Davis Cup after an injury-plagued 2009, and he was just as heroic as he was in 2008, leading Argentina to a straight-set doubles win over Sweden. In the singles, the two countries split, as Robin Soderling emerged 6-1, 7-6 (0), 7-5 over Eduardo Schwank, while Leandro Mayer beat Joachim Johansson in 4.

The Czechs became the 3rd team to have already moved onto the next round, as the Belgians barely put up a fight against the strong tandem of Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek, who both won in easy 3 setters. The two then paired up in doubles, again winning in straights to clinch the win.

The Americans have shown just how vulnerable they are without Andy Roddick and James Blake, as Serbians Victor Troicki and Novak Djokovic took advantage of the inexperienced singles pairing of John Isner and Sam Querrey to jump out to a commanding 2-0 lead. Int he doubles, Isner filled the void left by Mike Bryan quite nicely, teaming up with Mike's brother Bob to win in 4 sets.

The Israel-Chile match up has gotten underway after the 24-hour delay.

Rafa Earns Straight Set Victory over Soderling for Abu Dhabi Championship

Rafael Nadal ended his two-match losing streak to Robin Soderling on Saturday by defeating the Swede in straight-sets to win the Abu Dhabi Capitala World Championships. The six-man exhibition featured Nadal, Soderling, Roger Federer, Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer and Stanislas Wawrinka. Following the Spaniard's 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory, he told the press, "I'm very happy. I played a very good match. I think Robin right now is one of the most difficult players on the tour to play against. His serve is incredible, he has a very good forehand, a very good backhand so it is difficult to stop him."

Roger Federer defeated Ferrer for third place, 7-5, 6-1.

The ATP Tour will officially begin on January 4th, with tournaments getting underway in Chennai, Brisbane and Doha.

Check out the draws below:

For Brisbane, click HERE

For Chennai, click HERE

For Doha, click HERE

Soderling and Nadal Advance to Abu Dhabi Final

On the first day of the new year, Robin Soderling did something he has previously been unable to do. Coming into the match with an 0-12 record against Roger Federer, the Swede defeated the world number 1 in the semifinals of the exhibition in Abu Dhabi, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-1), 6-2. It may not be recorded as an official match but that didn't negate the feat for Soderling, who told the press, "I always said the more times I, play him, the closer I'll get, and here I am today. So far so good, but it's going to be a long season for sure, hopefully I'll get to play against Roger a few more times.'' In the second semifinal, Rafael Nadal beat countryman David Ferrer, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Soderling and Nadal last played a month and a half ago at the World Tour Finals, where the Swede advanced in straight sets.

P.S. Roger was using his new racquet from Wilson's soon-to-be-released BLX line.

Ferrer & Sod Advance in Abu Dhabi; Federer to Skip DC

The 2010 tennis season won't be officially kicked off until January 4th, when the year's first non-exhibition events begin, but the highly popular Capita World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi started today, and Robin Soderling and David Ferrer helped ring in the new year. It is just an exhibition, but the two were competing at their best for bragging rights, as the Swede and the Spaniard defeated Stanislas Warinka and Nikolay Davydenko, respectively, for the rights to take on the world's top 2 players. Soderling won 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), and will play Roger Federer in the semifinals, while Ferrer triumphed 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 to set up a final 4 clash with countryman Rafael Nadal. Federer and Nadal both had 1st round byes.

The Swiss press is reporting that the much-anticipated Switzerland vs. Spain Davis Cup matchup, scheduled for March 5th to 7th, will not include Roger Federer. The world's top ranked player is reportedly hesitant to play on clay, the obvious surface for the Spaniard team, considering the U.S. hardcourt season gets underway just a week after the tie. The news comes as a huge disappointment, as I'm sure we were all eagerly anticipating the Fed/Nadal action.

The Spanish Armada Strike a Pose

The Spanish Davis Cup team + Tommy Robredo posed for pictures w/ Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero with their 2nd straight trophy at the Moncloa Presidential Palace in Madrid.

Congratz on the win, ya'll!

What a way to end a GRUELING season. Just what Rafa and 'Nando needed after a disastrous WTF showing.

Spain Captures 2nd Straight Davis Cup Title

Before we get into Spain's dominant performance over the Czechs, I would like to announce the we got our 1st inches of snow in Baltimore this morning....and it keeps on coming. LOVE this time of year.

Anywayysss...

After Friday's impressive performances, Spain needed just 1 more match win to capture it's 2nd straight Davis Cup trophy, and it was up to Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez, who were to take on Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek. On their favorite surface, clay, in Barcelona, Lopez and Verdasco did just what they needed to, beating the Czechs 7-6 (7), 7-5, 6-2 to build an insurmountable 3-nil lead and keep the DC trophy in Spain for at least 1 more year. The victory moves Espana into the 6th place, with 4 titles, on the list of most successful DC countries, behind the U.S., Australia, France, Britain and Sweden. Spain also became the first country to defend it's title since Sweden. With Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and a conspicuously stellar dubs team, Spain will surely be the favorite to bring home their 3rd title next year.

Felicitaciones Jugadors!

Rafa and Ferrer Win; Espana Jumps Out to 2-0 Lead in DC Final

The Spaniards jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the first day of their Davis Cup final against Czech Republic at the Santi Jordi Stadium in Barcelona. The day started with Rafael Nadal opening a good old can of ass whopping on Tomas Berdych, crushing the Czech 7-5, 6-0, 6-2. After the tight 1st set, Nadal cruised to victory on his favorite surface. In the 2nd singles match, Radek Stepanek was destroying David Ferrer before the Spaniard found his A game to win the match 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 8-6, and give his country a comfortable lead. “It was maybe the most important (win) of my career; it’s the final of the Davis Cup,” said Ferrer, who will play Berdych if necessary following Saturday's doubles encounter. “(But) it all depends on if we win.”