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Saturday, October 2, 2010

Djokovic, Venus headline China Open

Venus Williams

Photo: AFP

World number two Novak Djokovic and American superstar Venus Williams are headed to Beijing for the China Open, an event that will bring many of the world's top tennis players to town from Saturday.

Both the ATP and WTA tours have made the hard-court tournament, which runs through October 10, a key part of their long-term strategies for growing the game in the vast nation.

While the sport's dominant duo Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are scheduled to play in Shanghai in mid-October, they have opted out of the Beijing event, clearing the way for Djokovic to defend the title he won last year.

The 23-year-old Serb, who this month helped his country secure a spot in the Davis Cup final against France, will face a tough challenge from Britain's Andy Murray, who has been out of action since a third-round loss at the US Open.

Seven of the world's top 10 men will compete in the Chinese capital including French Open runner-up Robin Soderling of Sweden, Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko.

Djokovic is taking nothing for granted. On his website, he said he would "face a big challenge during the next few weeks" with three titles to defend -- Beijing, Basel and Paris -- before the season-ending championships in London.

On the women's side, the draw lost some serious star power with the withdrawals of world number one Serena Williams and US Open champion Kim Clijsters, both recovering from foot injuries.

"I am very sorry to have to cancel for Beijing," the 27-year-old Clijsters said on her website, adding there was "no doubt" that she would be ready for the season-ending WTA championships in Doha.

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, currently number two in the WTA rankings, will be the top-ranked woman in Beijing, while Williams' sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner and world number three, will be her main challenger.

Also in hot pursuit of the title will be on-form Russian Vera Zvonareva, who has climbed to a career-high number four in the rankings after finishing runner-up to Clijsters at Flushing Meadows.

Last year's winner, Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova, will be looking to bounce back after crashing out of the Pan Pacific Open in Japan this week in straight sets to unheralded German Andrea Petkovic.

Her compatriot Maria Sharapova also will be looking for redemption after being unceremoniously dumped from the Tokyo event in the first round by Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm, who turned 40 on Tuesday.

Serbian number six Jelena Jankovic -- who has had good luck in Beijing, reaching the final in 2007 and winning the title in 2008 -- will be eager to perform well after falling to Estonia's Kaia Kanepi in Tokyo.

The China Open is played at the National Tennis Centre. The women's main draw gets under way on Saturday and the men's on Monday.

The following is a preliminary list of seeds:

Men

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1)

Andy Murray (GBR x2)

Robin Soderling (SWE x3)

Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x4)

Tomas Berdych (CZE x5)

Fernando Verdasco (ESP x6)

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x7)

David Ferrer (RUS x8)

Women

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x1)

Venus Williams (USA x2)

Vera Zvonareva (RUS x3)

Jelena Jankovic (SRB x4)

Samantha Stosur (AUS x5)

Francesca Schiavone (ITA x6)

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x7)

Elena Dementieva (RUS x8)

Friday, September 10, 2010

Venus and Clijsters set to renew old rivalry

Venus Williams of the US hits a return to Australia's Jarmila Groth of Australia at the 2010 Wimbledon tennis championships in London, June 28, 2010

Photo: Reuters

A rivalry spanning almost a decade will be rekindled on Friday when Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters square off for a place in the US Open final.

Both players have won the title twice but the stakes could hardly be higher when they meet in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows. The winner will play either Caroline Wozniacki or Vera Zvonareva, who meet in the other semi, in Saturday's final in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Williams, who won the championship in 2000 and 2001, has not made the final in New York since 2002, when the American lost to her younger sister Serena, while Clijsters is trying to defend the title she won last year.

With Serena missing through injury this year, Venus has opted out of the doubles to focus on singles and her form so far has been illuminating, advancing to the last four without dropping a single set.

"I've always played pretty well here," said Venus. "I feel really comfortable here, and it's great to come back to a place where I have won and a place where I've played well.”

“So all in all, I feel positive."

Clijsters also has a great record at Flushing Meadows, winning her last 19 matches in New York. She won the title for the first time in 2005 but was injured then took a break to start a family.

The Belgian completed a fairytale return to New York when she won last season, celebrating her victory on court with her infant daughter, and says her unexpected success last year has provided her with the confidence she can do it again.

"It's something that you have to experience, obviously," she said. "I guess it's maybe like having a baby.”

“You can't explain it to somebody who has never had a baby what it's like to give birth, because it's a feeling that you can't describe unless it's happened to you."

The pair have played each other 12 times since 2001, winning six times each. Williams was the dominant player in their earlier clashes but Clijsters has won the last four, including a classic three-setter at last year's US Open quarterfinals.

"It was really close,” Williams said. “I'm sure that match made a big difference for her, because she went on to win the title."

"I'm sure we'll have another really good matchup but I'd like to kind of flip the way it turns out."

Wozniacki, promoted to the top seed this year because of the absence of world number one Serena, made the final against Clijsters in 2009 but is a more confident player now.

The 20-year-old won three lead-up events last month to finish as the leading point scorer in the US hard court series. If she wins the US Open she will collect a bonus cash prize of US$1 million and replace Serena atop the world rankings.

The Dane has sailed through her matches without dropping a set and developed a killer's instinct to finish off her opponents quickly.

"I'm really competitive," she said. "I really don't like losing."

The pair have played each other just four times before, all in the last two seasons, splitting them two apiece.

Zvonareva, six years older than Wozniacki, has taken longer to hit her straps and will be appearing in her first US Open semifinal, but the seventh-seeded Russian is now flush with confidence after reaching the Wimbledon final in July.

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