Sportmaster International

Cincinnati, Ohio - Ivo Karlovic opened up the struggle for the number one ranking as he shocked Roger Federer 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7- 6 (7-5) at the Cincinnati Masters to give Rafael Nadal his chance at the top spot.

Federer saved a pair of match points in the third-set tiebreaker but could do little against the 22-ace attack from the 2.08-metre tall Croatian giant, whom he had beaten in all six previous meetings. It took just over two hours for Federer to fall and leave his top ranking to Nadal, should the Spaniard manage to
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leadPicToggle(); Russian duo power into quarters From correspondents in Montreal, Canada
Former Australian Captain August 01, 2008

RUSSIAN seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina advanced to a quarter-final meeting at the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal with victories before rain halted play. Fourth seed Kuznetsova defeated Portugal’s Michelle Larcher de Brito 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 while seventh seed Dinara Safina defeated Swiss ninth seed Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-2.
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Sharapova needed on-court treatment during her match on Wednesday

The problem caused the 21-year-old Russian to withdraw from this week’s WTA Rogers Open in Montreal. She was in pain in her second-round 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland’s Marta Domachowska and an MRI scan revealed two small tears.”This is something that needs a lot of time to heal. It really hurts me to say I have to miss the Olympics,” she said.”After Wednesday’s match I knew there was something
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Federer has ranked as world number one for a record four-and-a-half years

The 6-7 6-4 6-7 defeat by the big-serving Croatian was Federer’s 11th loss of the season and his first against his opponent in seven matches.World number two Rafael Nadal will usurp the Swiss at the top of the rankings should he win in Cincinnati.The Spanish Wimbledon and French Open champion faces Tommy Haas on Thursday.Federer has been ranked as the world’s number one for a record
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Roger Federer’s grip loosened on his long-time number-one ranking as the Swiss lost to Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (5-7) on Thursday at the Cincinnati Masters.

If Paris and Wimbledon winner Rafael Nadal can lift the title on Sunday, he will take over Monday as the top man in the game for the first time. Federer, with only two titles this season, floated a backhand return long to lose the contest after beating the huge Croatian in six previous matches. Nadal faced a later third-round match
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leadPicToggle(); Nadal slams tough hardcourt schedule From correspondents in Cincinnati, Ohio
Former Australian Captain August 01, 2008

REIGNING French Open and Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal has slammed the ATP for a hardcourt tournament schedule which is taking its toll on the players. With the Beijing Olympics packing out the summer calendar, the post-Wimbledon run in North America began even earlier than usual and the strapping Spaniard says even the most fit competitors are paying the price.
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Third-seeded Novak Djokovic takes a welcome dose of confidence into Friday’s quarter-final with an old foe, after defeating Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-2 at the Cincinnati Masters.

The Serb who holds the Australian Open title will face former Munich academy schoolmate Ernests Gulbis after the Latvian beat seventh seed James Blake for the second time in two months 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. ‘After the tough two-tiebreak, second-round match (over Simone Bolelli), I managed to really get through with an easy score,’
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Murray was happy to beat Tursunov in hot conditions

The Scot broke the world number 34 twice in the first set and quickly opened a 3-0 lead with some fantastic shots in the second to win 6-3 6-3.Tursunov, who has now lost all five of their matches, had little to offer in reply when Murray upped his game.Murray will now face the winner of Carlos Moya or Igor Andreev.In hot and humid conditions, the world number nine dictated many of the rallies and continually
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Rafael Nadal has blasted executive suite at the ATP for an inhuman hardcourt summer which is extracting an injury toll on the fittest of players.

The verbal serve from Spain’s well-respected world number two won’t go down well with embattled boss Etienne de Villiers, whose organisation is embroiled in a lawsuit with the relegated Hamburg event with 75-million dollars in damages at stake. ‘The top management of ATP are always thinking about playing more and more tournaments on this kind of surface. I think
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Tennis can be a tricky sport when you’re just starting out. The following 7 beginner mistakes are what I believe to be the biggest challenges for the novice. Address these issues and you’ll be improving in no time.

1. Not Judging The Ball

It’s very common for a beginner to lack judgment in where the ball is going to go and how fast it’s going to get there and play appropriately. A beginner often thinks the ball is going to be shorter than it actually is. They rush to the ball and consequently hit the ball to hard and are off balance when they get there. They don’t realise that the ball will actually fly deeper.

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Sharapova also struggled with a shoulder injury at the French Open

The world number three will have an MRI scan on Thursday after struggling with pain in her second-round 7-5 5-7 6-2 win over Poland’s Marta Domachowska.Sharapova, 21, said her presence at the Olympics and then US Open in August depends largely on the test results.Elsewhere, top seed Ana Ivanovic stuttered to a win over Petra Kvitova.”It’s obviously unfortunate,” said Sharapova after confirming
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leadPicToggle(); Sharapova pulls out after win From correspondents in Montreal, Canada
Former Australian Captain July 31, 2008

RUSSIA’S Maria Sharapova withdrew from the WTA Rogers Cup just moments after winning a marathon second-round match over Marta Domachowska.

The No.3 seeded Sharapova needed 2hrs, 56mins to beat the unseeded Domachowska from Poland 7-5 5-7 6-2 and then pulled out of the tournament with an injured right shoulder.

“Coming into this tournament I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to compete,” Sharapova said.

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Cincinnati, Ohio - Novak Djokovic wants to take his mind off of the need to succeed after posting his best career showing at the Cincinnati Master on Wednesday 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2) over Simone Bolelli.

Rafael Nadal had no such complex in a 6-0, 6-1 trashing of outclassed Frenchman Florent Serra, getting the demolition done in three-quarters of an hour. But distant world number three Djokovic has no time to worry about his fading place in the rankings duel between Roger Federer and fast- closing rival Nadal. ‘I’m not thinking
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Players holding serve isn’t always about having the biggest, and fastest serve. The key to the best servers is they have very good second serves. The placement keeps the opponent off balance, or off the court. The serve also keeps the opponent out of there strike zone so advantage goes to the server. When you have a great second serve it automatically allows you to go for more on your first serve, and get free points. A common saying “You’re only as good as your second serve.” This saying is the truth.

The second serve can only be good if you
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Cincinnati, Ohio - German Tommy Haas secured near-effortless passage into the third round of the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday as France’s Gael Monfils retired trailing 5-1 with a bad stomach.

The French Open semi-finalist began calling for a doctor on court at the end of the third game, only able to tough it out for less than half an hour before throwing in the towel. Haas awaits an opponent as second seed Rafael Nadal aims for a 30th straight victory, as he opens play after winning his seventh title of the season at the
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leadPicToggle(); Djokovic back to rankings chase From correspondents in Cincinatti, Ohio
Former Australian Captain July 31, 2008

NOVAK Djokovic has timidly re-entered the rankings chase behind Rafael Nadal, the Serbian advancing to the third round of the ATP Cincinnati Masters.

Djokovic is being left behind as Nadal closes to within 300 points of world No.1 Roger Federer.

But the No.3 seed of Serbia showed he’s a also contender as he defeated Italy’s Simone Bolelli 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-2).

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Cincinnati, Ohio - Carlos Moya can’t wait for the big day when he hopes former protegee Rafael Nadal will take over the number one ranking from Roger Federer.

And the 31-year-old will be bursting with pride if his compatriot from the island of Mallorca can follow him to the top of the ATP table. ‘When Rafa becomes number one he will totally deserve it,’ said Moya, 1998 French Open champion who stood at the top of the rankings for a fortnight in March, 1999. ‘He’s been close for three years. ‘But until now but until now, Federer
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Dementieva has not got a good recent record in Canada

Dementieva lost to Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova 6-4 6-2.Fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva, seeded eight, was also a surprise loser, going out 6-3 1-6 7-6 to Virginie Razzano.Britain’s Anne Keothavong was knocked out in the first round by another Russian, Maria Kirilenko, beaten in straight sets 6-1 7-5.Dementieva was playing her first match since her Wimbledon semi-final loss to eventual champion Venus Williams.
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Federer … stretched, but prevails in the end. AFP leadPicToggle(); Federer wins but struggles
Former Australian Captain July 30, 2008

ROGER Federer waited until the last moment to start the rescue of his No.1 ranking, overcoming Robby Ginepri 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/5), 6-0 at the ATP Cincinnati Masters.

The second-round drama in two hours, 13 minutes showed the Swiss just how tough it will be to hold off the field as he tries to extend his 235 weeks on top of the rankings.
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Andy Roddick’s hard-luck season of injury continued on Tuesday as the sixth seed pulled out just moments before an opening match at the Cincinnati Masters.

The US player, who won the title in 2003 less than a month before claiming his only Grand Slam trophy at the US Open, has been bothered since May by a shoulder problem. He later confirmed that his latest niggle was likely the result of nothing more than poor sleeping posture. ‘I fell asleep and woke up, and I still had the lights on in my room,’ Roddick
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Andy Roddick’s plague of injuries this season continued Tuesday as the sixth seed pulled out just moments before an opening match at the Cincinnati Masters.

The US player, who won the Ohio title in 2003, less than a month before claiming his only Grand Slam trophy at the US Open, has been bothered since May by a shoulder problem. He was unable to take to the court for his second-round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber, leaving the German to face South Korean lucky loser Jun Woong-Sun, ranked 252. ‘I woke
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Roger Federer says he’s still in the fight to preserve his number-one ranking after squeezing out win over Robby Ginepri 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 on Tuesday at the Cincinnati Masters.

‘If he gets it, he deserves it,’ Federer said of rival Rafael Nadal, who has closed to within a mere 300 points on the ATP list through seven titles this season, including the French Open and a Wimbledon trophy over the Swiss. ‘He’s been number two for a long, long time. Let’s not forget about that. He had his chances in
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Results on Tuesday at the 2.61-million- dollar Cincinnati Masters (x indicates new result).

First round Fernando Verdasco, 10, Spain, def. Victor Estrella, Dominican Republic, 6-3, 7-5 Richard Gasquet, 11, France, def. Michael Llodra, France, 3-6, 6- 1, 1-0, retired (left arm) John Isner, US, def. Andrea Stoppini, Italy, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 Florent Serra, France, def. Benjamin Becker, Germany, 4-6, 7-6 (8- 6), 6-4 Arnaud Clement, France, def. Thomas Johansson, Sweden, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 Chris Guccione,
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Roger Federer needed a runaway third set to stamp his authority on Robby Ginepri 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 Tuesday at the Cincinnati Masters, keeping alive his hopes of holding onto the number one ranking.

It took more than than two hours and 78 winners for the defending champion to survive against an opponent ranked 64th, whom he had beaten in all four of their previous matches. Federer is engaged in a massive struggle to hold onto his top spot on the ATP against challenger Rafael Nadal, ahead of the Olympics
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Federer was below-par by his lofty standards

American Ginepri took the first set 7-6 and was serving for the match at 6-5 in the second as he played some inspired tennis against his Swiss rival.But Ginepri buckled with a win in sight as Federer levelled after a tie-break.A stomach injury then badly affected Ginepri and Federer, who suffered a shock defeat by Gilles Simon in Toronto, won the deciding set 6-0.Federer was not at his best but will be relieved
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Tennis was reintroduced to the Olympics at Seoul in 1988 and winners have not always enjoyed the profile given to gold medal winners in other sports. Top players were often absent from both the men and women’s draw and players sometimes lacked the individual drive necessary for grand slam triumph and the patriotic fervour that surrounds Davis and Federation cups.

The status of this year’s tournament has been raised by the presence of the top five ranked men and women. Only two players from each top 10 - Andy Roddick and Richard Gasquet from
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Rafael Nadal is much more interested in improving his lifetime Cincinnati Masters record rather than wondering what it might take to put him into the world number 1 position.

‘I’m thinking about playing a good tournament here,’ the Spaniard said on Tuesday 48 hours after lifting his seventh title of the season by winning Toronto. ‘I’ve only made the quarter-finals once, it’s one of my worst results in the Masters Series.’ And the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion added in his standard refrain:
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Zeropoint quantum physics claims to create a shield around the body protecting it from electromagnetic frequency (EMF). The National Council on Radiation Protection declared two miligauss is the maximum amount of EMF that the human body can safely handle at any one exposure. Computers emit about 5 mg., hair dryers about 25 mg., airplanes about 50 mg., appliances about 100 mg., and blenders about 220 mg.

The zeropoint quantum physics technology brings the body into balance physically and emotionally. Another advantage is that it increases the
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leadPicToggle(); Guccione wins first match since June From correspondents in Cincinnati, USA
Former Australian Captain July 30, 2008

AUSTRALIA qualifier Chris Guccione won his first ATP level match since early June, ending four losses with a first-round victory in the Cincinnati Masters.

Guccione defeated American Jesse Levine 6-3 6-4.

2002 Cincinnati champion Carlos Moya, ranked 41st, moved ahead to the second round over Serb Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.
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With the older generation of Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova providing the spark, the rivalries of Sampras- Agassi fueling the fire in the 90s and with such greats as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal taking up the torch today, tennis has became a sensation around the world. With major tournaments being played from Australia to Japan to the USA to Dubai, it’s safe to say that the world does indeed speak the international language of tennis.

But if you’ve ever seen those little green balls moving at about 200 kph after being smacked with a forehand,
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The ATP Tennis tour has now moved away from the European lay and grass courts and has now embarked on to the hard court season. It is the first time in many years that World Number One, Roger Federer has entered this phase of the season without having won one of the year’s Grand Slam events. He lost in the semi-finals of the Australian Open to eventual winner, Novak Djokovic and was then unable to take the French crown from Rafael Nadal, who won his fourth French Title in a row. Worse still was Federer’s defeat at Wimbledon, once again to Nadal in what has been described as the greatest tennis match ever witnessed.

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leadPicToggle(); Federer and Borg in doubles event From correspondents in Paris, France
Former Australian Captain July 29, 2008

TENNIS legends Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg are to play doubles together for the first time in a special exhibition game planned for Macau, China on November 20. And they could be going up against their respective greatest rivals Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe.

The Tour of Champions event will be held at a top Macau hotel and will
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   Cincinnati, Ohio - Collated results on Monday at the 2.61-million-dollar Cincinnati Masters (x indicates new result).

   First round    Tommy Robredo, 12, Spain, def. Mardy Fish, US, 6-2, 6-2    Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic, def. Fernando Gonzalez, 13, Chile, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3    Tommy Haas, Germany, def. Mikhail Youzhny, 14, Russia, 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 6-4    Ivo Karlovic, 16, Croatia, def. Thomaz Bellucci, Brazil, 6-3, 6-4    Ernests Gulbis, Latvia, def. Jarkko Nieminen, Finland, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2    Sam Querrey, US, def. Paul-Henri
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Results on Monday at the 2.61-million- dollar Cincinnati Masters (x indicates new result).

First round Tommy Robredo, 12, Spain, def. Mardy Fish, US, 6-2, 6-2 x Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic, def. Fernando Gonzalez, 13, Chile, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 x Tommy Haas, Germany, def. Mikhail Youzhny, 14, Russia, 7-6 (7- 2), 2-6, 6-4 Ivo Karlovic, 16, Croatia, def. Thomaz Bellucci, Brazil, 6-3, 6-4 Ernests Gulbis, Latvia, def. Jarkko Nieminen, Finland, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 Sam Querrey, US, def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, France, 6-4,
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Roger Federer will begin resuscitating his summer after last week’s Canadian crash out, as the opening day of the Cincinnati Masters was hit by a pair of late injury defections on Monday.

The Swiss superstar learned the name of his opening opponent in Tuesday’s second round, as US player Robby Ginepri overcame Swedish veteran qualifier Jonas Bjorkman 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). Federer is looking for a vast improvement in his game with Toronto champion Rafael Nadal breathing down his neck, just 300 points behind in
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Bartoli was forced to battle through illness before claiming victory

Bartoli needed on-court treatment during the second set for a stomach bug, which has affected a number of players at the tournament.

The 10th seed eventually came through 6-0 6-7 (5-7) 6-0.

“I was not feeling good at all and the doctor gave me tablets but I had to hang in tough,” said Bartoli.

“I was not feeling good at all. My legs were shaking. My arms were shaking by themselves. I was really dizzy. I got cold.

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leadPicToggle(); Bartoli beats virus to take opener From correspondents in Montreal, Canada
Former Australian Captain July 29, 2008

A VIRUS spreading through the Rogers Cup field was unable to stop Marion Bartoli of France from defeating British qualifier Melanie South.

The 10th-seeded Bartoli received on-court treatment during the second set as she overcame a queasy stomach and a case of the shakes at Uniprix Stadium to win 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-0.

“I was not feeling good at all,'’ Bartoli said.
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Results on Monday at the 2.61-million- dollar Cincinnati Masters (x indicates new result).

First round Tommy Robredo, 12, Spain, def. Mardy Fish, US, 6-2, 6-2 Ivo Karlovic, 16, Croatia, def. Thomaz Bellucci, Brazil, 6-3, 6-4 Ernests Gulbis, Latvia, def. Jarkko Nieminen, Finland, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 Sam Querrey, US, def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, France, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Andreas Seppi, Italy, def. Feliciano Lopez, Spain, 7-5, 7-5 Robin Soderling, Sweden, def. Julien Benneteau, France, 6-0, 6-3 x Philipp Kohlschreiber,
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Results on Monday at the 2.61-million- dollar Cincinnati Masters (x indicates new result).

First round Tommy Robredo, 12, Spain, def. Mardy Fish, US, 6-2, 6-2 Ivo Karlovic, 16, Croatia, def. Thomaz Bellucci, Brazil, 6-3, 6-4 Ernests Gulbis, Latvia, def. Jarkko Nieminen, Finland, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 Sam Querrey, US, def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, France, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Andreas Seppi, Italy, def. Feliciano Lopez, Spain, 7-5, 7-5 Robin Soderling, Sweden, def. Julien Benneteau, France, 6-0, 6-23 more (more…)

leadPicToggle(); Robredo wins opening match From correspondents in Cincinnati, Ohio
Former Australian Captain July 29, 2008

TOMMY Robredo of Spain picked up his game on hard court to beat nemesis Mardy Fish 6-2 6-2 in the opening match of the Cincinnati Masters.

Robredo is 3-3 against Fish, including a loss in this year’s Australian Open.

“He destroyed me in three sets,'’ Robredo said.

“So I had to be very focused from the beginning, and I think I did it.'’
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