You know it is the end of the season when you are not getting nervous about matches anymore. Federer has cruised through his first two rounds in Basel, swiftly beating Seppi 3 and 3 today. That man gets the worst draws. Wawrinka overcame Ljubicic in a tough three setter, and is due to meet Marin Cilic next. Cilic has an outsider’s chance to get to the WTFs. He has to win Basel though. A field with both Roger and Novak. Mmm. Good luck with that one.

Tsonga retired against Youzhny this morning in Valencia. I guess this makes his WTF chances basically nil. Monfils also lost to Garcia-Lopez (embaressing). Verdaso cruised and Simon beat my man Berdych in three sets.

Over in Bali, the pretty Sabine Lisicki lost to Rezai. Wickmayer, Stosur, and Bartoli all won.

Can you just sense my enthusiasm for these end of year tournaments through my blogging? Yeah, though so. The men really should be playing the WTFs right now. Season. Too. Long.

Even Roger’s shirt is boring. Geez.

Speaking of shirts… Mandy Murray is ditching Fred Perry for adidas. Cannot WAIT to see what colourful creations they pop on him. Mandy in orange? Mandy in blue? Mandy in lime green? Very excited.

Nole is still rumoured to be going to K-Swiss (bad bad bad move).

That is all for now… will update at the end of Basel. Unless some super exciting news comes along… (any more excerpts, Agassi?)

ATP Beijing

Novak Djokovic derrotó a Marin Cilic en la final del ATP de Beijjing por 6-2/7-6(4). Cilic había derrotado contundentemente a Rafael Nadal en las semis, pero solo pudo darle pelea al serbio en el segundo set, en el que ambos se quebraron el saque en tres ocasiones. Ahora Novak Djokovic recuperará la tercera plaza del Ranking.

ATP Tokio

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga venció a Mikhail Youznhy 6-3/6-3, en la final del ATP de Tokio. Tsonga ganó su quinta final consecutiva de un torneo, y no pierde una final desde la del Australian Open 2008.

WTA Beijing

Svetlana Kuznetsova ganó el WTA de Beijing con un 6-2/6-4 sobre Agnieszka Radwanska. Kuznetsova quebró el saque de su rival iniciando el primer set para encaminarlo fácilmente en 31 minutos. En el segundo parcial, el partido fue un poco más disputado, pero al final se lo adjudicó Svetlana en 48 minutos.

Wilson players Roger Federer and Serena Williams on Top of the World Tennis Ranks

Wilson players Roger Federer and Serena Williams sit atop the professional tennis ranks.

Roger Federer is #1 on the ATP World Tour and continues to be nothing less than extraordinary.  Earlier this year, Roger made his mark on tennis history as he used his Wilson [K]Six-One Tour racket to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon to lift his major title count to a record 15 Grand Slam titles.

“This year has been fantastic for me and I look forward to finishing the year on a successful note,” said Roger Federer, the greatest player of all time. Federer owns many records, most notably the record for most consecutive weeks at number one (237), most consecutive major finals appearances (10) and most consecutive semifinals appearances at a major (22).

Roger is scheduled to be in action in Basel, Paris and at the ATP World Tour Finals in London on November 22^nd when the eight best players in the men’s game compete for the ATP World Tour title.

Serena Williams regained her world #1 WTA Tour ranking after using her [K]Blade Team racket to reach the Round of 16 at the China Open last week.

Williams now has the chance to add to her career total of 72 weeks at number one. “Obviously I’m happy to be there because I’ve worked so hard this year to get there. I think I’ve earned it,” Williams said.

It has been a great year for Serena as she took the Australian Open and Wimbledon singles titles. She has also had success on the doubles court with sister Venus as they took 3 of the 4 Grand Slam Women’s Doubles titles in 2009.

“Wilson’s tennis history is unparalleled,” says Wilson Tour Director Massimo Calvelli. “Roger and Serena are a tremendous part of the Wilson tennis heritage and we are extremely proud to have them on the Wilson team.”

2010 promises to be an outstanding year for the Wilson Tour Team.

For a little hint to what’s neXt from Wilson and Roger Federer, please click here.

Il francese Jo-Wilfried Tsonga con 11 ace è un’ottima percentuale al servizio,ha battuto il russo Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 6-3 aggiudicandosi il torneo Atp di Tokyo e conquistando così il terzo trofeo ATP stagionale.

Another absolute heartbreaker for Ernests Gulbis fans last night. After winning a brilliant first set against Tsonga, Gulbis squandered break point oppertunities in the first game of the second set and Tsonga never looked back. As his serve started clicking, Gulbis’s mental game began to falter and he dropped the last two sets. It has been the best week of 2009 for Gulbis, coming through qualifying to reach the quarter finals. It is hard not to be disappointed despite this result, as he had a really good chance to beat Tsonga in straights. With his new coach and hopefully new found remembrance on how to play tennis, we can only hope Gulbis continues to improve and play well throughout 09.

Marat Safin was completely disappointing in his routine 3 and 1 loss to Nadal. Nadal played well, but Safin was nothing short of woeful. I only saw the first set, but I saw him hit many a routine forehand long. Makes me grateful I am not a Safin fan.

Elena Dementieva was another disappointment in Beijing, losing 5 and 3 to twelth seed, Radwanska. Despite playing brilliantly up until this stage of the tournament, Dementieva couldn’t make her serve count when it mattered. A very disappointing performance from a girl who had a chance to claim another title in Beijing.

Petrova struggled against the gutsy Peng, but eventually prevailed 6-2 in the third.  Bartoli prevailed over a potentially exhausted Zvonareva, as did Kuznetsova, Soderling, Cilic and Bartoli over their opponents. A good win for Novak Djokovic, who didn’t play his best tennis 63 16 61 win over Verdasco, but he played well enough to give himself a very good shot to reclaim the number three ranking, (which he will if he wins his next match against Soderling). Djokovic still seems slightly too scared to go for his trademark down the line shot when it really matters, his first serve needs to go in the box more, and his forehand was spraying a touch much. Hopefully he can improve for his next match against the always tough Soderling.

Another exciting night of tennis… but not exactly the match ups I was hoping for… *tear*

Ernests Gulbis finally beat his second round curse and beat Juan Monaco to move into the Quarter Finals of Tokyo last night. He was absolutely pummeling Monaco until Monaco was so shocked he had to retire down a set and 1-4. Something has changed in Ernests Gulbis. Including qualifying, he is now on a four match win streak, which is unheard of for 09. Tonight he takes on Tsonga. Someone he could have beaten last week and has a very good chance of beating tonight. Hopefully Ernie can hold his nerve and take it out.

In other crazytennisgirlsaywhat news, Marat Safin won his second round match… against Fernando Gonzalez… in straight sets. I watched this match and Marat was nothing but dominant. Gonzalez was lacking enthusiasm and firepower, but Marat wasn’t. I know, insane. Marat says he is actually… EXCITED… about tonights match versus Nadal. Don’t believe me? The exact quote was;

‘ I know I will play better tomorrow. Nadal is going to be the favorite. I have no pressure; I’m just going to play my game, go for it, be aggressive   and then we’ll see. It’s going to be my biggest match in a long time so I’m pretty excited.’

Insane. Speaking of Nadal, he dropped a set to a James Blake who actually looked like he knew how to play tennis. He, much like Gulbis, has a new coach and seems to be going through something similar.

On the womens side, some very exciting tennis which I am quite gutted I missed. Nadia Petrova took out the new world number one Serena Williams in an epic three setter. In what is more suprising, the third set scoreline was 76(5). It is hard to beat Williams in such a tight match but Petrova managed to keep her cool and take it. Serena Williams gave her great credit, saying she, ‘ran into a girl today that has never played so good in her whole life’.

Vera Zvonareva beat Flavia Pennetta in a very tough three setter. This would not be suprising if you have forgotten the huge mental lapse Vera had at the US Open against Flavia in the third. This time she kept her cool and took the match 63 57 75. Seems she has learnt from her mistake and really took it to Flavia. Really good news for Vera fans.

Tonights match ups look really exciting, with Marat vs Rafa, Ernie vs Tsonga, Nole vs Verdasco, and Peng Shuai (who took out Masha and JJ) vs Petrova. Good stuff.

Venus Williams and Serena Williams used their Wilson [K]Blade Team rackets to qualify for doubles event at the Sony Ericsson Championships, set to take place for the second year in a row at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, from October 27-November 1, 2009.

The team of Venus Williams/Serena Williams is the second to qualify for the Championships and will join Cara Black/Liezel Huber, along with singles competitors Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, and Caroline Wozniacki, all of whom have previously qualified and are headed to Doha. The world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams from the 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season will compete for the coveted Sony Ericsson Championships title and a share of the record Championships prize money of $4.55 million.

“We are thrilled to be heading to Doha for the Sony Ericsson Championships,” said Serena Williams. “I love playing doubles with Venus as we have so much fun on the court. This year, we actually decided to put more emphasis on our doubles careers and going to Doha has been on our mind all season. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to compete at the Sony Ericsson Championships in both singles and doubles.”

“It’s been extremely rewarding to win a number of big doubles titles with Serena this year,” said Venus Williams. “While playing doubles with my sister is one of the best experiences for me, qualifying for the Sony Ericsson Championships as a team is a great accomplishment and we can’t wait to get to Doha and take on the best doubles teams in the world.”

Venus and Serena Williams’ 2009 season includes victories at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, in addition to winning a title at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford. Venus and Serena Williams, along with Lisa Raymond, are the only active players to have completed the career doubles Grand Slam (2001/2003/2009 Australian Open, 1999 Roland Garros, 2000/2002/2008/2009 Wimbledon, 1999/2009 US Open). Overall, Venus and Serena have won 10 Grand Slam doubles titles and hold a perfect 10-0 record in Grand Slam finals. In the Open era, the Williams team is the third-most successful Grand Slam doubles partnership, trailing only the team of Martina Navratilova/Pam Shriver (21 Grand Slam titles) and the team of Gigi Fernandez/Natasha Zvereva (14 Grand Slam titles).

Information Courtesy of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

Here at the Sports Locale, we like to offer our opinion on various sports and the writers believe that the current rankings in some of the sports do not reflect the participants in order from best to worst all that well.  So the Sports Locale has taken it upon ourselves to adjust the rankings to which we feel truly represent who is the best in that particular sport at that moment in time.  Here are our rankings for Men’s professional tennis:

1.  Roger Federer- Simply the best at what he does.  A loss to Delpo in a 5-setter doesn’t take away all he has done this year.
2. Rafael Nadal - Crafty and scrappy, and gives his opponents fits with his athleticism.  Now proving that he is not just a clay court specialist.
3. Juan Martin del Potro- Winner of the US Open and is only 20 years old.  Has been getting better and better and from last year to this year has gotten stronger and fitter and it has shown as he took out Federer and Nadal in the same tournament.
4. Andy Murray – Come on Andy, just win one already.  Probably the most talented person on the tour who does not have a major.  Does well in the tune ups, but his game just needs to translate.  2010 may be the year where he gets one.
5. Novak Djokovic - Not the best 2009 for his standards, but he still put in great performances and solidified himself as a top 5 player on the tour.
6. Andy Roddick- Hard serving American had a 2009 with mixed success.  He performed well in the Australian Open and at Wimbledon lost to Roger Federer in a marathon match where he was only broken once.  But he also got dethroned at the US by fellow American John Isner.  I like the way Andy came out this year and I’m expecting another strong year where hopefully he could add another major, but his time is dwindling especially with new up and coming player such as del Potro.
7. Fernando Verdasco – The Spaniard is putting it all together and is starting to record wins over top competition.  Had his best year to date in major finishes including a semifinals appearance at Melbourne Park
8. Fernando Gonzalez – The Chilean has a serious forehand and on any given day, can give a top player a run for their money.  His slicing serve short into the deuce court gives opponents fits. 
9. Robin Soderling- Who knows how he would have done this year if he didn’t square off with Roger Federer in virtually every slam.  He beat an ailing Nadal on clay to only lose to Roger in Paris.
10. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – The young Frenchman who first made himself known to the tennis world as a surprise finalist in Melbourne in 2008 had a solid 2009 including wins in a few tournaments and strong showings in the majors.  He is a player who can pull off an unsuspecting win out of thin air against the best of the best and his powerful serve and volley style is a hybrid of old school game mixed with new school flair.

BThomps

To celebrate Roger Federer’s triumph of owning the most Grand Slams in tennis history, Wilson asked fans to pay tribute to the all time-great in the Roger Federer Tribute Video Contest.

There was a great response with thousands participating.

Wilson is proud to announce the winner of the Roger Federer autographed Wilson [K]Six-One Tour racket is Celine Lostracco from Texas.

It was a family event as Celine submitted a video of her brother Paul’s artwork and the music was created by Celine’s son Patrick.

Paul Lefebvre said of his original Roger Federer paintings, “Roger Federer’s artistry, natural elegance on and off the court was my inspiration. His sense of sportsmanship, fair play, genuine kindness and generosity on all levels is what I admire most in a champion.”

When asked about the video, Celine said, “Our family loves tennis and I thought it would be great to share Paul’s art that pays tribute to our favorite player, Roger!”

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. Congratulations to Celine Lostracco!!

To view the video please click here

Click here for a recap of the 2009 US Open

Roger Federer uses the Wilson K Six-One Tour racket

Juan Martin Del Potro uses the Wilson K Six-One 95 racket

History in the making for Federer-Del Potro final

It will be a thrilling all Wilson final, when Roger Federer takes on Juan Martin Del Potro for the 2009 US Open Men’s Singles title as both players look to make history when they step onto Arthur Ashe Stadium court tomorrow.

Earlier this year, Federer captured the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles and now is attempting to become the first player to win three consecutive major championships in one season since Laver completed the Grand Slam in 1969. He is also bidding to become the first man since Tilden in 1925 to win a sixth consecutive US Open title and just the fourth man in history to win six successive titles at the same Grand Slam championship. Federer has never lost a US Open semifinal match and he kept that record in tact, as he used his [K]Six-One Tour racket to prevail in straight sets 7-6, 7-5, 7-5 over Djokovic and reach the final.

Juan Martin Del Potro used his [K]Six-One 95 racket to dispatch of Nadal 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 and become the first Argentine to reach a major final since Puerta at the 2005 Roland Garros championship. In his 1st appearance in a major final, Del Potro is bidding to become only the second South American champion at the US Open since Vilas in 1977. At the age of 20 years and 355 days, Del Potro is the youngest US Open finalist since Djokovic in the 2007 final.

Tomorrow’s final promises to be a great match of contrasting styles and an exciting rematch of this year’s French Open semifinal.

US Open Men’s Final:

Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin Del Potro 

Monday September 14 at 4pm EST

My two favourites continue their run, Roger with another a win over Soderling, and delPo with an awesome win over Cilic. Absolutely fantastic first set from Cilic. After that it was all Juan way. Oh yea, I just went there.

Praying for a delPo Fed final. If it was a Djokovic Nadal final it would be one of the biggest disappointments of my life. Of course, its entirely plausible.

Nervous already.

Over on the women’s side we have the final semi between Kim and Serena to look forward to. I can’t see either of these girls not living up to the hype, like say… oh, I don’t know, the ENTIRE WTA!

Just looking back on my ‘interesting match ups’ post.  I said the following would be good to watch:

Ernie vs Muzz (it was good, real good)
Tsonga vs Rafa (didn’t happen)
Nole vs Roddick (didn’t happen)
Fed vs Roddick (didn’t happen)
Tsonga vs Rafa (didn’t happen)
delPo vs Murray (didn’t happen)

Hilerious.

Travis Parrott and Carly Gullickson

 

Wilson Players Travis Parrott and Carly Gullickson take 2009 US Open Mixed Doubles Title

Travis Parrot and Carly Gullickson teamed up to stun second seeded Paes and Black 6-2, 6-4 to take the 2009 US Open Mixed Doubles title.

Travis used his Wilson [K]Six-One 95 racket as partner Carly used her [K]Pro Open racket as they volleyed their way to the title in one hour and six minutes.

“I still can’t believe we actually won the US Open,” Gullickson said in her post-match press conference. “It’s weird to me.”

Gullickson and Parrott, who possess five doubles titles between them, saved two match points in their opener against Nadia Petrova and Max Mirnyi and then proceeded through the draw without dropping another set as they knocked off three more seeds, including number one seed Huber and Bhupathi in the semifinals.

Parrott and Gullickson only joined forces when Parrott’s first choice, Spears, pulled out. Parrott sent Gullickson a text, and she accepted his offer to play.

Needless to say, this Wilson team will pair up again.

Congratulations to Travis Parrott and Carly Gullickson!!

Travis uses the Wilson K Six-One 95 racket and Carly uses Wilson K Pro Open racket

Tsonga a chuté contre Fernando Gonzalez 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-4

Idem pour Monfils qui a perdu face à Nadal 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, malgré s’être bien battu

Just got back from watching the only two French guys que tengo ganas de apoyar – besides Zinedine Zidane (retired) and Serge Gainsbourg (dead) – go down in flames. Jo Wilfried played flat against the strong Chilean, Fernando Gonzalez, and Monfils simply got a big spoonful of classic Nadal. I have to say though, watching Rafa remind Monfils which side of the Pyrenees he’s from was nothing less than glorious! 

Petit Cassius

Let’s start with Jo Wilfried.  Lacking a day pass, I had to watch Little Cassius from the big screen outside Ashe Stadium.  Not a bad consolation prize if you can only procure tix to the night session.  I cracked an $8 Heineken and leaned back in one of the bar stools at the outdoor cafe facing Ashe.  [As a side note, the US Open is one of the most fan friendly sporting events in existence...that is, if you can scratch together enough ducats for a ticket...and an $8 Heineken!]  Tsonga is without a doubt one of the most compelling players to watch on the tennis court.  Well aware of his uncanny likeness to Mohammed Ali, he is confident and smooth and patrols the court with a conscious swagger and natural style that are absolutely infectious.  You want this guy to win.  Everybody wants this guy to win…well…everybody except Fernando Gonzales.  Mano de Piedra (as Gonzo is known to some) just happens to be really good…and he just happened to play really well last night.  Well enough that Jo Wilfried needed a bit more than swagger to win.  He needed that A-game that got him to the Aussie finals… but he just didn’t bring it.  I stepped away to watch Serena on Ashe while the match was tied at one set apiece…but Tsonga looked uncharacteristically flustered and a bit rattled, trying to find the proverbial “groove” that on this night was leaning more towards rut.  The butterfly wasn’t floating and the bee had lost its sting.  When I later checked the score, Jo Wilfried had just lost the third set tie break…and as we would see with Monfils, it just wasn’t a night for the French to make a comeback.  Of course, we must tip our hat to Gonzales!  He played brilliant tennis and was steady as rain.  El Bombardero de La Reina didn’t blink when Tsonga took the first set and played his powerful and consistent game through to victory.  Hasta la victoria, siempre!  One Frenchie down, one to go.

Le Plastique

Much like Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils is a guy you just gotta love.  Skinny and awkward yet ripped and athletic, he’s one of the fastest and most dynamic players on tour.  I mean…the guy slides on hard court!  For the tennis ignant, you just don’t slide on hardcourt.  The surface isn’t made for it…your shoes aren’t made for it…your ACL isn’t made for it!  So with his long lanky limbs and Don King hair flying to and…uh… fro, and with his knobby knees bending in ungodly directions as he slides around the court, he is one of the most fun and exciting players to watch.  And much like Little Cassius, he doesn’t hesitate to get the crowd involved.  After any one of his freakishly athletic shots he’ll flex his outstretched skinny-ripped arms, turn to the stands and start gesturing towards the sky until the whole place is screaming.  This plays right into the hearts of tennis fans – especially New Yorkers – who growing up on Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe won’t hesitate to jump ship and root against their favorite player if the other guy is bringing more charisma to the table.  New York tennis fans also love the underdog.  So here’s Monfils with style, grit, personality, and coming in ranked 13th to Nadal’s #3.  From the start, the crowd – most of whom were wearing Rafa t-shirts – were screaming “Allez Monfils” in hopes of an upset or at least an epic battle.  And it looked like Monfils would deliver.  Serving much tougher and matching Rafa’s court speed and groundstrokes, Monfils repeatedly set up a high flat forehand that would explode down the line for a winner.   One of the nastiest shots I’ve seen.  When Rafa turned the ball back to Monfil’s backhand, Gael would lift his back leg and leap off his front foot as he whipped his torso around in the air to connect on a leaping backhand crosscourt winner, a one-two punch that earned him victory in a first set tie break.  But here’s the rub with Rafa.  You can play perfect and take a set from him.  You can play amazing and take two sets from him… but to beat him in a best of five match, you have to play perfect - and amazing – for the whole nine yards…and right now the only hombre in the world who can do that with any predictability is Roger Federer.  Love Monfils as we may, he is no Roger Federer.  Sure enough, the tide turned and Rafa broke Gael to take the second set.  He then leapt out to big lead in the third and here’s where Gael made a crucial mistake.  Serving at 1-5, he tanked the last game.  It may or may not have been a conscious decision, but he most definitely blew that last game in hopes of flipping a switch in the fourth and coming back in five.  Bad move.  Rafa could smell the desperation and kept his foot on Monfils’ neck.  The fourth set had some exciting moments, but none of the 10,000 in attendance were at all surprised when Rafa closed it out.

So now we have a quarterfinal lineup that includes Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin Del Potro, Fernando Gonzalez, and Fernando Verdasco.  Not too shabby for the hispanohablantes.  I especially look forward to seeing what Del Potro is able to do this year.  This US Open could mark his arrival…or we might see another Federer-Nadal final.  As for the French…? well, the way they folded, you would have thought they were playing Tommy Haas or Philipp Kohlschreiber.  (Sorry, but sometimes you gotta pick the low hanging fruit).

Attention now turns to Oudin-Wozniacki.

Melanie Oudin uses the Wilson K Blade Tour racket

 

Melanie Oudin and Kateryna Bondarenko Reach 1st Grand Slam Quarterfinals

Melanie Oudin and Kateryna Bondarenko were victorious on Monday as they used their Wilson rackets to reach their career first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Melanie Oudin is the breakout star of this year’s US Open.

In an awe-inspiring match, Oudin used her [K]Blade Tour racket to defeat Petrova 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Arthur Ashe stadium court yesterday.

5’3 Melanie is the giant killer of the tournament, as she defeated three seeds en route to the quarterfinals: #29 seed Sharapova, #4 seed Dementieva and #13 seed Petrova.  

Oudin looks to continue her run when she plays Wozniacki on Wednesday.

In a 57 minute match, Kateryna Bondarenko used her [K]Blade 98 racket to crush Dulko 6-0 6-0 and reach her first quarterfinal in a major.

It was sweet revenge for the Bondarenko family, as sister Alona had lost to Dulko earlier in the tournament.

After saving match points in her first round defeat of #11 seed Ivanovic, Kateryna has not dropped a set since.  She will now take on Wickmayer.

US Open play resumes at 11am today

Kateryna Bondarenko uses the WilsonK Blade 98 racket