May 02
World number one Rafael Nadal began his quest for a third clay title in less than a month with a 6-1 6-3 drubbing of unseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the Madrid Open second round on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old Spaniard, who won back-to-back tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona last month, did not face a single break point on his serve and converted his first match point when he whipped a trademark forehand winner down the line.
The victory took his record on the red dust since 2005 to 187 wins and only six defeats and set up a last-16 meeting against Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro.
The resurgent former world number four and 2009 U.S. Open champion dismissed Croat Marin Cilic 6-3 6-0 as he continued his comeback from a wrist injury.
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Apr 26
BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbian hero Novak Djokovic was an easy quarterfinal winner Friday in his hometown of Belgrade at the Serbia Open.
The top-seeded world No. 2 star handled Slovenian Blaz Kavcic 6-3, 6-2 in 1 hour, 26 minutes on the red clay at MGM Belgrade.
The high-flying Djokovic, who is now a perfect 26-0 this year, is the reigning Australian Open champion and 2010 U.S. Open runner-up and already owns four titles this season.
Djokovic captured his hometown event two years ago and led the Serbs to their first-ever Davis Cup title with a victory over France in last year’s final right here in Belgrade.
Up next for Djokovic will be seventh-seeded fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic, who held off rising Indian Somdev Devvarman 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Day 5.
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Apr 22
Stuttgart, Germany – Germany’s Julia Goerges delighted the home crowd Sunday, upsetting top-ranked Dane Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
The 22-year-old Goerges posted a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory to become the first German to win this tournament since Anke Huber in 1994.
Goerges reached two finals last year, beating Timea Bacsinszky last July in Bad Gastein before losing to Roberta Vinci in October in Luxembourg.
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Apr 21
St Kilda scrape past Brisbane Lions to record their first win of the 2011 AFL season, while Shaun Marsh spanks Shane Warne in the Indian Premier League, in front of Liz Hurley, and Real Madrid captain Sergio drops the Spanish Cup.
THEY’LL TAKE THE FOUR POINTS
Winless from three matches, you’d think St Kilda coach Ross Lyon would have crawled over broken glass to achieve a win over Brisbane Lions at the Gabba last night.
The Saints didn’t have to go that far, but they sure had a fight on their hands against the Lions – who themselves are tipped for some pain in 2011.
St Kilda led then trailed, then led, then trailed, but showed the fight that has made them such a great side over the past two seasons as they kicked clear in the final term to win 13.11 (89) to 11.10 (76) in front of 22,520 fans.
C’MON SHANE, SHE’S WATCHING
Shane Watson was there.
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Apr 16
Milos Raonic is guaranteed of being seeded at the second Grand Slam of the year.
The Canadian tennis sensation moved up to 28th in the world rankings Monday, meaning he will be among the seeded players for the French Open in Paris next month. Thirty-two players are seeded at the tournament, which starts May 17.
Raonic, a 20-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., has jumped 128 spots in the rankings since the start of the year. He was ranked 156th at the end of 2010.
Fifteenth-seeded Raonic will face Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the first round of the Barcelona Open Tuesday. Last week he was ousted by Spain’s David Ferrer in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco.
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