Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Dream rematch possible in Olympics

   A dream rematch is almost set.
   Top-seeded Americans Bob and Mike Bryan defeated Russians Nikolay Davydenko and Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (6), 7-6 (1) Tuesday to reach the Olympic quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
   The 34-year-old Bryan twins, former NCAA doubles champions from Stanford seeking their first Olympic gold medal, will meet the winner of Wednesday's match between sixth-seeded Swiss Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka and Israelis Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram. That encounter, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed by rain.
   Federer and Wawrinka downed the Bryans 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the semifinals of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and went on to win the gold medal. The Bryans took the bronze. 
   Erlich, 35, and Ram, 32, won the 2008 Australian Open for their only Grand Slam men's doubles title. 
   ATP World Tour/WTA tour in Washington, D.C. -- Four part-time Sacramento Capitals in this month's World TeamTennis season, all seeded, advanced to the second round of the Citi Open.
   No. 1 Mardy Fish of Tampa, Fla., topped Bjorn Phau of Germany 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, No. 8 Sam Querrey of Dallas edged Igor Andreev of Russia 7-6 (2), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3) in 2 hours and 13 minutes, and No. 3 Kevin Anderson of South Africa dismissed Jurgen Zopp of Estonia 6-3, 6-2. Querrey won his third Los Angeles title in four years Sunday.
   On the women's side, No. 4 Vania King beat qualifier Jennifer Elie of New York 6-3, 6-4. 
   In the first round of men's doubles, American wild cards James Blake and Tim Smyczek ousted top-seeded Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Scott Lipsky, a former NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 10-8.
   Men's Challenger in Vancouver, British Columbia -- Wild card Bradley Klahn, a former Stanford star, edged Michael Yani of Durham, N.C., 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (5) in the opening round of the $100,000 Odlum Brown Vanopen. Klahn, the 2010 NCAA singles champion, finished his eligibility at Stanford in May.
   Chinese Taipei's Jimmy Wang, who trains in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, outplayed Canadian wild card Filip Peliwo, the reigning Wimbledon boys singles champion, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Wednesday -- Olympics, third-round singles and first-round mixed doubles, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).    
   Thursday -- Olympics, singles and mixed doubles quarterfinals and doubles semifinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Friday -- Olympics, singles and mixed doubles semifinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Saturday -- Olympics, women's singles final, NBC, 6-8 a.m. (live); men's doubles final, NBCSN, 8:30-11 a.m. (live).
   Sunday -- Olympics, mixed doubles final, NBCSN, 4-5:30 a.m. (live); men's singles bronze-medal match, MSNBC, 4-6 a.m. (live); men's singles final, NBC, 6-8:30 a.m. (live); women's doubles final, NBCSN, 9:15-11 a.m. (live).  
CALENDAR
   Through Sunday -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.
   Saturday through Aug. 12 -- $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Seascape Sports Club, 1505 Seascape Blvd., Aptos, Calif., 95003, www.seascapesportsclub.com/challenger, (831) 688-1993.
   Aug. 27-Sept. 9 -- U.S. OPEN, Flushing Meadows, N.Y., www.usopen.org.
   Sept. 9-16 -- $25,000 USTA Oak River Rehab Challenger, Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness, 3452 Argyle Road, Redding, Calif., 96002, www.sunoakschallenger.com, (530) 227-3498.
   Sept. 14 -- World TeamTennis, Western Conference finals, Sacramento Capitals vs. Orange County Breakers, 3:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 15 -- WTT, Eastern Conference finals, Washington Kastles vs. New York Sportimes, 12:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 16 -- WTT Finals, Western Conference champion vs. Eastern Conference champion, 3:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 29-Oct. 7 -- $100,000 Sacramento Challenger, Natomas Racquet Club, 2450 Natomas Park Drive, Sacramento, Calif., 95833, www.natomaschallenger.com, (916) 649-0909.
   Oct. 6-14 -- $100,000 Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon Peninsula Club, 1600 Mar West St., Tiburon, Calif., 94920, www.tiburon challenger.com, (415) 789-7900.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Tursunov ousted in first round of Olympics

   At least Dmitry Tursunov hasn't had to play Roger Federer in the 2012 Olympics.
   But Feliciano Lopez is no picnic, either.
   Tursunov, a Russian citizen and longtime Sacramento-area resident, lost to Spain's Lopez 6-7 (5), 6-2, 9-7 Monday in the first round at Wimbledon. Tursunov is not in the men's doubles field, and the draw for mixed doubles, which returns to the Games for the first time since 1924, will be announced Tuesday.
   The 29-year-old veteran fell to 1-3 lifetime in Olympic singles and doubles combined. At Beijing in 2008, he lost to Switzerland's Federer in the first round and teamed with Mikhail Youzhny in a second-round loss to eventual gold medalists Federer and Stansilas Wawrinka.
   Lopez, a 30-year-old left-hander, is a three-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist ranked No. 29 in the world. He reached a career-high No. 15 in January.
   The injury-plagued Tursunov has plunged from a career-high No. 20 in 2006 to No. 141.
   WTA Tour in Washington, D.C. -- Seventh-seeded CoCo Vandeweghe, a wild card, defeated Erika Sema of Japan 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the Citi Open.
   Vandeweghe, a 20-year-old resident of Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area, played part-time for the Sacramento Capitals during this month's World TeamTennis regular season. She is scheduled to rejoin the team Sept. 14-16 for the WTT playoffs in Charleston, S.C.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Tuesday -- Olympics, second-round singles and doubles quarterfinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Wednesday -- Olympics, third-round singles and first-round mixed doubles, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Thursday -- Olympics, singles and mixed doubles quarterfinals and doubles semifinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Friday -- Olympics, singles and mixed doubles semifinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Saturday -- Olympics, women's singles final, NBC, 6-8 a.m. (live); men's doubles final, NBCSN, 8:30-11 a.m. (live).
   Sunday -- Olympics, mixed doubles final, NBCSN, 4-5:30 a.m. (live); men's singles bronze-medal match, MSNBC, 4-6 a.m. (live); men's singles final, NBC, 6-8:30 a.m. (live); women's doubles final, NBCSN, 9:15-11 a.m. (live).  
CALENDAR
   Through Sunday -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.
   Saturday through Aug. 12 -- $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Seascape Sports Club, 1505 Seascape Blvd., Aptos, Calif., 95003, www.seascapesportsclub.com/challenger, (831) 688-1993.
   Aug. 27-Sept. 9 -- U.S. OPEN, Flushing Meadows, N.Y., www.usopen.org.
   Sept. 9-16 -- $25,000 USTA Oak River Rehab Challenger, Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness, 3452 Argyle Road, Redding, Calif., 96002, www.sunoakschallenger.com, (530) 227-3498.
   Sept. 14 -- World TeamTennis, Western Conference finals, Sacramento Capitals vs. Orange County Breakers, 3:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 15 -- WTT, Eastern Conference finals, Washington Kastles vs. New York Sportimes, 12:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 16 -- WTT Finals, Western Conference champion vs. Eastern Conference champion, 3:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 29-Oct. 7 -- $100,000 Sacramento Challenger, Natomas Racquet Club, 2450 Natomas Park Drive, Sacramento, Calif., 95833, www.natomaschallenger.com, (916) 649-0909.
   Oct. 6-14 -- $100,000 Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon Peninsula Club, 1600 Mar West St., Tiburon, Calif., 94920, www.tiburon challenger.com, (415) 789-7900.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Querrey captures third Los Angeles title

   Second-seeded Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native, overwhelmed qualifier Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 6-0, 6-2 Sunday for his third title in the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles.
   Querrey, who grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks, has won 13 straight matches in the tournament. He captured the title in 2009 and 2010 but missed last year's event after undergoing elbow surgery.
   “I feel like I always play well here,” Querrey, who played six matches for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis this season, was quoted as saying on atpworldtour.com. “I grew up kind of playing around this area, and I’m really comfortable out there on the courts. It’s fun to play in front of my friends and family. It all came together this week, and especially today.”
   Querrey joined four-time champions Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors as the only players in the Open Era to have won three or more Los Angeles titles.
   Querrey rose 19 spots to No. 38 in the world with the singles title, his seventh on the ATP World Tour.
   WTT -- The host Capitals, winning every set for the first time this season, defeated the Boston Lobsters 25-17 to finish the regular season 7-7. See below for full results.
   Sacramento will face the Orange Country Breakers (8-6) on Sept. 14 in the Western Conference finals.
   The Washington Kastles (14-0) completed their second consecutive undefeated regular season, beating the host Springfield Lasers 25-14 in overtime.
   Washington has won 30 consecutive matches dating to July 22, 2010. It's the second-longest winning streak in professional sports history behind the Los Angeles Lakers' 33 in a row in 1971-72.
   Olympics --The match between Folsom resident Dmitry Tursunov and Feliciano Lopez of Spain in the first round of the Olympics at Wimbledon was postponed by rain until Monday. Lopez leads the head-to-head series 3-2.
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
In Citrus Heights, Calif.
Capitals 25, Boston 17
    Mixed doubles -- Asia Muhammad-Mark Knowles (Capitals) def. Carly Gullickson-Eagle-Eric Butorac (Lobsters) 5-3.
   Women's doubles -- Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Carly Gullickson-Eagle-Irina Falconi (Lobsters) 5-4.
   Men's singles -- Kevin Anderson (Capitals) def. Jan-Michael Gambill (Lobsters) 5-4.
   Women's singles -- Asia Muhammad (Capitals) def. Irina Falconi (Lobsters) 5-2.
   Men's doubles -- Kevin Anderson-Mark Knowles (Capitals) def. Eric Butorac-Jan-Michael Gambill (Lobsters) 5-4.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Monday -- Olympics, second-round singles, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Tuesday -- Olympics, second-round singles and doubles quarterfinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Wednesday -- Olympics, third-round singles and first-round mixed doubles, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Thursday -- Olympics, singles and mixed doubles quarterfinals and doubles semifinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Friday -- Olympics, singles and mixed doubles semifinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Saturday -- Olympics, women's singles final, NBC, 6-8 a.m. (live); men's doubles final, NBCSN, 8:30-11 a.m. (live).
   Sunday -- Olympics, mixed doubles final, NBCSN, 4-5:30 a.m. (live); men's singles bronze-medal match, MSNBC, 4-6 a.m. (live); men's singles final, NBC, 6-8:30 a.m. (live); women's doubles final, NBCSN, 9:15-11 a.m. (live).  
CALENDAR
   Through Sunday -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.
   Saturday through Aug. 12 -- $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Seascape Sports Club, 1505 Seascape Blvd., Aptos, Calif., 95003, www.seascapesportsclub.com/challenger, (831) 688-1993.
   Aug. 27-Sept. 9 -- U.S. OPEN, Flushing Meadows, N.Y., www.usopen.org.
   Sept. 9-16 -- $25,000 USTA Oak River Rehab Challenger, Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness, 3452 Argyle Road, Redding, Calif., 96002, www.sunoakschallenger.com, (530) 227-3498.
   Sept. 14 -- World TeamTennis, Western Conference finals, Sacramento Capitals vs. Orange County Breakers, 3:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 15 -- WTT, Eastern Conference finals, Washington Kastles vs. New York Sportimes, 12:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 16 -- WTT Finals, Western Conference champion vs. Eastern Conference champion, 3:30 p.m. PDT, Charleston, S.C.
   Sept. 29-Oct. 7 -- $100,000 Sacramento Challenger, Natomas Racquet Club, 2450 Natomas Park Drive, Sacramento, Calif., 95833, www.natomaschallenger.com, (916) 649-0909.
   Oct. 6-14 -- $100,000 Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon Peninsula Club, 1600 Mar West St., Tiburon, Calif., 94920, www.tiburon challenger.com, (415) 789-7900.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

With help, Capitals clinch WTT playoff berth

   Thank you, Kansas City and Springfield.
   The Explorers and the Lasers lost Friday, allowing the Sacramento Capitals to clinch a berth in the World TeamTennis playoffs with a 6-7 record.
   Sacramento did its part by defeating Mark Philippoussis and the visiting Philadelphia Freedoms 23-21 in overtime to snap a three-match losing streak. Kansas City and Springfield each fell to 4-9.
   With one match remaining in the regular season for all teams, the field for the Sept. 14-16 playoffs in Charleston, S.C., is set. The Capitals will face Orange County (7-6) on Sept. 14 in the Western Conference final, and the Washington Kastles (13-0) will take on the New York Sportimes (8-5) on Sept. 15 in the Eastern Conference final.
   Washington has won 29 consecutive matches dating to July 22, 2010. It's the second-longest winning streak in sports history behind the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, who won 33 straight.
   Sacramento will host Boston tonight at 7:35 p.m. at Sunrise Mall. 
   Kevin Anderson beat the 35-year-old Philippoussis, a two-time Grand Slam runner-up in singles, 5-4 to give Sacramento a 14-13 lead at intermission. The Capitals' CoCo Vandeweghe made it 19-16 with a 5-3 victory over Karolina Pliskova in a matchup of 20-year-olds who stand 6-foot-1.
   Jordan Kerr and Philippoussis downed Anderson and Mark Knowles 5-3 in the final set, narrowing the gap to 22-21 and sending the match to overtime.
   To ensure that outcomes can't be decided early, WTT rules state that matches go to overtime if the team leading after four sets does not win the final set. Play continues until the leading team wins one more game or the trailing team ties the score, forcing a Supertiebreaker.
   Anderson and Knowles beat Kerr and Philippoussis in the first game of overtime, giving Sacramento the victory.
   The Capitals played without Vania King, who had ended her third season with the team after two matches. King, the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield, is ranked fifth in the world in women's doubles.
   Other results -- Top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan, former NCAA doubles champions from Stanford, topped Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the first round of the Olympics at Wimbledon. The 34-year-old Bryan twins seek the only significant honor to elude them, an Olympic gold medal. They won a bronze medal in 2008 at Beijing.
   --No. 2 seed and two-time champion Sam Querrey reached the final of the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over unseeded Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind. Querrey, a San Francisco native who grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks, will meet qualifier Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania for the title. Querrey went 5-1 in singles during his stint with the Capitals this season. See below for this week's rankings of professional players with Northern California ties.
   --Wild card Mallory Burdette of Stanford fell in the singles quarterfinals and doubles semifinals (with University of Florida star Lauren Embree) of the $50,000 Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships in Lexington, Ky., this week. Burdette stunned top-seeded Olivia Rogowska of Australia in the first round of singles. 
   --Qualifier Ryan Thacher, who completed his eligibility at Stanford in May, advanced to the quarterfinals of the $10,000 USTA Men's Futures Tournament in Godfrey, Ill., this week before losing.
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Capitals 23, Philadelphia 21 (OT)
In Citrus Heights, Calif.
   Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles-CoCo Vandeweghe (Capitals) def. Jordan Kerr-Kristyna Pliskova (Freedoms) 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Karolina Pliskova-Kristyna Pliskova (Freedoms) def. Asia Muhammad-Coco Vandeweghe (Capitals) 5-4.
   Men's singles -- Kevin Anderson (Capitals) def. Mark Philippoussis (Freedoms) 5-4.
   Women's singles -- CoCo Vandeweghe (Capitals) def. Karolina Pliskova (Freedoms) 5-3.
   Men's doubles -- Jordan Kerr-Mark Philippoussis (Freedoms) def. Kevin Anderson-Mark Knowles (Capitals) 5-3.
   Overtime -- Kevin Anderson-Mark Knowles (Capitals) def. Jordan Kerr-Mark Philippoussis (Freedoms) 1-0.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Today -- Olympics, first-round singles, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live). Baku (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (delay). Los Angeles (men), singles semifinal, Tennis Channel, 1-3 p.m. (live); doubles semifinal, 3-4:30 p.m. (live), singles semifinal, 7-9 p.m. (live). Kitzbuhel (men), final, Tennis Channel, 4:30-6:30 p.m. (delay). 
   Sunday -- Olympics, first-round singles, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live). Los Angeles (men), singles final, Tennis Channel, 1-3 p.m. (live), doubles final, 7-8:30 p.m. (delay). Baku (women), final, Tennis Channel, 1-3 p.m. (delay).
   Monday -- Olympics, second-round singles, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
   Tuesday -- Olympics, second-round singles and doubles quarterfinals, Bravo, 4 a.m.-noon (live).
CALENDAR
   Today -- World TeamTennis, Boston Lobsters at Sacramento Capitals (with Kevin Anderson and CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Today-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.
   Aug. 4-12 -- $100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Seascape Sports Club, 1505 Seascape Blvd., Aptos, Calif., 95003, www.seascapesportsclub.com/challenger, (831) 688-1993.
   Aug. 27-Sept. 9 -- U.S. OPEN, Flushing Meadows, N.Y., www.usopen.org.
   Sept. 9-16 -- $25,000 USTA Oak River Rehab Challenger, Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness, 3452 Argyle Road, Redding, Calif., 96002, www.sunoakschallenger.com, (530) 227-3498.
   Sept. 29-Oct. 7 -- $100,000 Sacramento Challenger, Natomas Racquet Club, 2450 Natomas Park Drive, Sacramento, Calif., 95833, www.natomaschallenger.com, (916) 649-0909.
   Oct. 6-14 -- $100,000 Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon Peninsula Club, 1600 Mar West St., Tiburon, Calif., 94920, www.tiburon challenger.com, (415) 789-7900.
PRO RANKINGS
   Following are this week's world rankings of professional players with Northern California ties (change from last week in parentheses):
Men
   Kevin Anderson, Sacramento Capitals (2012) of World TeamTennis -- No. 33 in singles (no change), No. 143 in doubles (+13).
   Bob Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 3 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mike Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 3 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, Capitals (2012) -- No. 13 in singles (no change), No. 733 in doubles (-11).
   John Paul Fruttero, Cal All-American in 2001 and 2002 -- No. 98 in doubles (+1), unranked in singles.
   Bradley Klahn, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 613 in singles (+44), No. 862 in doubles (no change). 
   Mark Knowles, Capitals (2001-07, 2009-12), three-time World TeamTennis Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007) -- No. 71 in doubles (-2), unranked in singles.
   Scott Lipsky, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 34 in doubles (+1), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012) -- No. 57 in singles (-2), No. 63 in doubles (-2).
   Ryan Sweeting, Capitals (2012) -- No. 118 in singles (-1), No. 849 in doubles (-1).
   Dmitry Tursunov, Folsom resident -- No. 138 in singles (-2), No. 186 in doubles (-7).
   Jimmy Wang, Folsom resident -- No. 216 in singles (-6), No. 390 in doubles (+2).
   Pedro Zerbini, All-Pacific-10 Conference first team at Cal (2009-11) -- No. 623 in singles (+16), No. 734 in doubles (+269).
Women
   Jana Juricova, NCAA singles (2011) and doubles (2009) champion from Cal -- No. 938 in singles (+11), unranked in doubles.
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- Career-high No. 19 in doubles (no change), No. 703 in singles (+7).
   Asia Muhammad, Capitals (2012) -- No. 183 in doubles (+2), No. 480 in singles (+3).
   Maria Sanchez, Modesto resident -- No. 139 in doubles (-2), career-high No. 217 in singles (+5).
   Yasmin Schnack, Elk Grove resident, Capitals (2011-12) -- No. 146 in doubles (no change), No. 452 in singles (+2).
   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy resident -- No. 490 in singles (+5), No. 1,141 in doubles (-1).
   CoCo Vandeweghe, Capitals (2009, 2012) -- No. 70 in singles (-1), No. 498 in doubles (+10).

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Capitals reeling but remain in playoff hunt

   If the Sacramento Capitals hope to make the World TeamTennis playoffs, they might want to start winning soon.
   Like now.
   Sacramento's tailspin continued Wednesday, but the team remains in contention for postseason berth. The Capitals lost to rival Orange County for the second consecutive night, this time 21-18 in Irvine, Calif., and dropped out of a first-place tie in the four-team Western Conference.
   The Capitals have lost three straight matches overall and five of their last six to fall to 5-7, one match behind the Breakers (6-6) with two left in the regular season. Kansas City and Springfield also remain alive in the playoff race at 4-8. The top two teams in each conference advance to the playoffs, Sept. 14-16 in Charleston, S.C.
   Oddly, Sacramento fell to 0-2 since standouts Vania King and Kevin Anderson joined the team and 0-3 since rising CoCo Vandeweghe arrived. Even in the Capitals' victory at Kansas City on Friday, they survived a match point before prevailing in a Supertiebreaker.
   On Wednesday night, the 33rd-ranked Anderson lost to promising left-hander John-Patrick Smith for the second night in a row in men's singles. Sacramento trailed 16-15 entering the last set, in which Travis Parrott and Smith beat Anderson and Mark Knowles 5-3 in men's doubles. 
   The Capitals end the regular season with home matches Friday against Mark Philippoussis and the Philadelphia Freedoms (5-7) and Saturday against the Boston Lobsters (5-7). 
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Orange County 21, Capitals 18
In Irvine, Calif.
   Men's singles -- John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) def. Kevin Anderson (Capitals) 5-2.
   Women's singles -- Jana Juricova (Breakers) def. Coco Vandeweghe (Capitals) 5-3. Vandeweghe substituted for Vania King at 1-2.
   Mixed doubles -- Coco Vandeweghe-Mark Knowles (Capitals) def. Lindsay Davenport-John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) 5-3. Vandeweghe substituted for Vania King at 4-2.
   Women's doubles -- Vania King-Coco Vandeweghe (Capitals) def. Lindsay Davenport-Jana Juricova (Breakers) 5-3.
   Men's doubles -- Travis Parrott-John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) def. Kevin Anderson-Mark Knowles (Capitals) 5-3.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Thursday -- Los Angeles (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (live), 7:30-9:30 p.m. (live).
   Friday -- Kitzbuhel (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (delay); Los Angeles (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (live), 7:30-9:30 p.m. (live).
CALENDAR
   Friday -- World TeamTennis, Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Ex-Capital Davenport makes winning return

CoCo Vandeweghe, left, of the Sacramento Capitals, visits with
close friend and mentor Lindsay Davenport of the visiting Orange
County Breakers before Tuesday's World TeamTennis match.
Photo by Paul Bauman 
   Lindsay Davenport had a humorous flashback when she arrived at the Marriott hotel in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova on Tuesday afternoon.
   The Marriott was her home away from home as a 17-year-old rookie with the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 1993.
   "We lost in the playoffs, and one guy on the team was so mad, he was breaking rackets in the parking lot," the 36-year-old legend recalled before her Orange County Breakers defeated the Capitals 19-16 Tuesday night in a Western Conference showdown at Sunrise Mall. "I'm 17 at the time, and I'm thinking, Oh, God."
   Davenport would not name the perpetrator.
   "I'm not outing him," she said with a laugh.
  Despite a star-studded lineup, Sacramento lost for the fourth time in five matches and fell into a first-place tie with Orange County at 5-6 in the Western Conference. The teams meet again Wednesday night in Irvine. The top two clubs in each of the four-team conferences advance to the playoffs, Sept. 14-16 in Charleston, S.C.
   The trim, 6-foot-2 Davenport won 5-1 in the opening set (mixed doubles) and 5-2 in the fourth set (women's doubles with former Cal star Jana Juricova). But she lost both games she played as a substitute in the second set (women's singles).
The Capitals' Kevin Anderson, a 6-foot-8 South African
ranked 33rd in the world, made his WTT debut Tuesday.
Photo by Paul Bauman
   Kevin Anderson, a 6-foot-8 South African ranked 33rd in the world, and Vania King, ranked 56th in singles and fifth in doubles, made their WTT and season debuts, respectively, for the Capitals.
   King, who has played the last two seasons for Sacramento after being named the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield,  won 5-0 in women's singles to get the Capitals back in the match. Sacramento led 11-9 at intermission, but Davenport and Juricova defeated King and CoCo Vandeweghe in women's doubles to give Orange County a 14-13 lead entering the last set.
   Vandeweghe, 20, played her second match for the Capitals after reaching the final of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford as a lucky loser to reach a career-high No. 69 in the world. She is a close friend and protege of Davenport.
   John-Patrick Smith, a 23-year-old Australian left-hander, beat Anderson 5-3 in men's singles to wrap up Orange County's victory.
   At first glance, Anderson was the heavy favorite in the set. He has 91 match victories on the ATP World Tour to none for the 217th-ranked Smith, who turned pro last month following his senior season at Tennessee. But this wasn't the ATP World Tour. Having played all season for the Breakers, Smith was much more accustomed to WTT's lightning-fast pace. Plus, he's left-handed, another adjustment for Anderson.
   "It was tricky playing my first (WTT) match against a lefty," Anderson conceded. "He was serving well, and the format goes so quickly."        
Davenport, 36, is a lock to be inducted into the Inter-
national Tennis Hall of Fame when she becomes
eligible, probably next year. Photo by Paul Bauman
   Davenport, in contrast, is in her 10th WTT season. She won the league's Female Rookie of the Year award in 1993, plus Female MVP honors in 1997 for Sacramento and 2010 for St. Louis. She helped the Capitals win three of their record six league titles -- in 1997, 1998 and 2007.
   On the regular tour, Davenport reached No. 1 in the world in singles and doubles; won 55 career titles in singles, including three Grand Slam crowns, and 37 in doubles; and earned the singles gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She is a lock to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., probably when she becomes eligible next year. Her down-to-earth personality, unfailing cooperation with the media and generally impeccable character don't hurt her case.
   "Of course, I had a great career, but I don't miss it," Davenport said. "It's not like injuries took me out in my 20s. I'm 36 now. My first Slam (title) was in 1999. I've had a lot of years to appreciate my career ... so I enjoy going back now. I never got to enjoy those tournaments. I felt a lot of anxiety and pressure to win."
   Davenport winced when asked whether her Olympic gold medal or one of her three Grand Slam singles titles means the most to her. She won the U.S. Open in 1998, Wimbledon in 1999 and Australian Open in 2000.
   "It's so tough," she said. "The Olympics is the one event I have the least clear memory of. It was literally so surreal. The U.S. Open was a really big deal. I felt a lot of pressure because I hadn't won a Grand Slam title. It was definitely the most important. It came at a needed time. I was 22. It felt the best."
   Davenport reached four other Grand Slam finals and 11 other semifinals in singles.
   "Shoulda, woulda coulda won more Slams," she lamented. "I got close a couple of times. That's the way it went. Some days, I say, Gosh, I won three Slams. Other days, I say, I should have won five."   
   Davenport will be watching when the London Olympics begin Friday.
   "The Olympics are such a great event," she said. "I love the opening ceremonies. For me, it was almost like a blur winning in Atlanta. It happened so fast; it was almost like a dream. I'm excited to watch what happens in London."
   Davenport's father, Wink, played volleyball in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Vandeweghe's mother, Tauna, swam in the 1976 Games in Montreal and was an alternate on the U.S. volleyball team in 1984 in Los Angeles.
   That's just one of many similarities between Davenport and Vandeweghe. Both are tall (Vandeweghe is 6-foot-1), grew up in Southern California, won the U.S. Open girls singles title at 16 and made their WTT debut with the Capitals the following year.
   Comparing herself at 20 to Vandeweghe, Davenport said: "She's by far a better server; I was a better ball-striker. For both of us, our movement will never be our strength. I'm so proud of her being a (finalist as a) lucky loser. I'm very fond of her. We're close.
   "I want her to do more. I think she can be a much better player by doing a few subtle things. She hits a heavy ball and can build points better off the ground; she pulls the trigger too soon. She has a great serve and can use it better. She can build points better."
   Vandeweghe said Davenport "has been a great friend to me. She put me in touch with (former Capital) Robert Van't Hof, who coached me for a while. She let me stay at her house (in Laguna Beach) when I came up (from Carlsbad in the San Diego area) to hit with my coach. Anytime I need advice, she's always there for me. To have my idol there for me is pretty cool, I have to say."
   These days, Davenport spends her time taking care of her three young children with husband Jonathan, commentating for Tennis Channel and playing WTT and a few exhibitions. Broadcasting gives Davenport a chance to stay close to the pro tours.
   "I legitimately love tennis," she said. "I didn't necessarily love the pressure and playing in front of people. I was self-conscious. If I could have played on a club court, I would have played forever."
   ATP World Tour in Los Angeles -- Paolo Lorenzi of Italy defeated qualifier Bradley Klahn, the 2010 NCAA champion who completed his eligibility at Stanford in May, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 in the first round of the Farmers Classic. 
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Orange County 19,Capitals 16
In Citrus Heights, Calif.
   Mixed doubles -- Lindsay Davenport-John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) def. Vania King-Mark Knowles (Capitals) 5-1 (Knowles substituted for Kevin Anderson at 0-1).
   Women's singles -- Vania King (Capitals) def. Lindsay Davenport (Breakers) 5-0 (Davenport substituted for Jana Juricova at 0-3, 0-2).
   Men's doubles -- Kevin Anderson-Mark Knowles (Capitals) def. Travis Parrott-John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) 5-4 (5-2 tiebreaker).
   Women's doubles -- Lindsay Davenport-Jana Juricova (Breakers) def. Vania King-CoCo Vandeweghe (Capitals) 5-2.
   Men's singles -- John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) def. Kevin Anderson (Capitals), 5-3.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Thursday -- Los Angeles (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (live), 7:30-9:30 p.m. (live).
   Friday -- Kitzbuhel (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (delay); Los Angeles (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (live), 7:30-9:30 p.m. (live).
CALENDAR
   Wednesday -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vania King and CoCo Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Friday -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Ex-Stanford star Klahn reaches ATP main draw

   Former Stanford star Bradley Klahn, who turned professional only three weeks ago, reached the main draw of an ATP World Tour tournament Monday.
   The 2010 NCAA singles champion, who completed his eligibility in May, defeated fellow American Alex Kuznetsov 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) in the final round of qualifying in the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles. Kuznetsov played one match for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis this season as a last-minute substitute for injured Ryan Sweeting.
   Klahn, a 6-foot left-hander from Poway in the San Diego area, is scheduled to face 91st-ranked Paolo Lorenzi of Italy today. It will be Klahn's third singles match in a Grand Slam or ATP tournament. As a wild card, he lost to 20th-seeded Sam Querrey in four sets in the first round of the 2010 U.S. Open and to second-seeded Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round of last year's SAP Open in San Jose.
   Lorenzi, 30, lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round of this year's Australian Open.
   Meanwhile, Jimmy Wang, a Taiwanese player who trains in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, lost in the final round of qualifying to Nicolas Meister of Trabuco Canyon in the Los Angeles area 6-4, 7-6 (3).
   The Farmers Classic is being played at UCLA, where Meister starred for four years before graduating last month. In his pro debut the week before graduation, Meister reached the semifinals of the $15,000 Sacramento Futures.
   ITF Women's Circuit in Lexington, Ky. -- Fourth-seeded Krista Hardebeck, an incoming Stanford freshman from Santa Ana, beat American Sylvia Krywacz 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in the second round of qualifying in a  $50,000 tournament.
   Hardebeck will face Kyle McPhillips, a resident of Willoughby, Ohio, who will be a freshman at UCLA, today for a berth in the main draw.
   Romana Tedjakusuma, a Tracy resident from Indonesia who turns 36 today, lost to third-seeded Jennifer Elie of New York 1-6, 6-1, 6-1. 
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Thursday -- Los Angeles (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (live), 7:30-9:30 p.m. (live).
   Friday -- Kitzbuhel (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (delay); Los Angeles (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (live), 7:30-9:30 p.m. (live).
CALENDAR
    Today -- World TeamTennis, Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vania King and CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday -- Capitals (with Anderson, King and Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Friday -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Vandeweghe, Capitals fall to Springfield

   CoCo Vandeweghe ended Sacramento's woes in women's singles, but that's all that went right for the Capitals on Sunday night.
   Sacramento lost the other four sets in a 23-16 home loss to the lowly Springfield (Mo.) Lasers in a World TeamTennis match at Sunrise Mall. The Capitals fell to 3-1 at home, although they needed a shutout by Mark Knowles and Sam Querrey in the last set to beat New York 18-17 last Monday. Springfield has won three straight matches, including two against Sacramento, after losing its first six. 
   The Capitals (5-5) still lead the four-team Western Conference by 1 1/2 matches over Orange County and Springfield (both 3-6) and two matches over Kansas City (3-7). The top two teams in each conference after the 14-match regular season will advance to the WTT playoffs, Sept. 14-16 in Charleston, S.C.
   In their next two matches, the Capitals will play Orange County on Tuesday night at Sunrise Mall and Wednesday in Irvine. Vania King, ranked fifth in the world in doubles and 56th in singles, will join Sacramento for both matches in her third season with the team after earning WTT Female MVP honors with Springfield in 2009. Orange County will counter with Lindsay Davenport, who's a 36-year-old mother of three, a former world No. 1 in singles and doubles, and an ex-Capital.
   Vandeweghe, who recently marched to the final of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford as a lucky loser, played her first match for Sacramento since she was a 17-year-old rookie three years ago. She competed for Boston the last two seasons, but the Capitals drafted her in March as a supplemental player for their last five regular-season matches and potentially the playoffs.
   Against Springfield, the 6-foot-1 niece of former NBA star Kiki Vandeweghe lost 5-3 in mixed doubles,  won 5-3 in women's singles and fell 5-2 in women's doubles.
   Sacramento, with Asia Muhammad and local resident Yasmin Schnack, had lost four consecutive sets in women's singles by a combined score of 20-5. The Capitals have dropped their last three sets in women's doubles and eight of 10 overall.
   Querrey fell to Amir Weintraub 5-4 (5-4 tiebreaker) in a matchup of the No. 1 and 2 singles players in the league, respectively. The 6-foot-6 Querrey, a top-20 player before undergoing elbow surgery in June 2011, dropped to 5-1 in singles sets as he ended his six-match stint with Sacramento. The Capitals have a strong replacement, though, in Kevin Anderson, a 6-foot-8 South African ranked 33rd in the world.
   Also helping Springfield were Maria Sanchez of Modesto and Devin Britton. They won the singles titles of the Gold River Women's Challenger and Sacramento Futures, respectively, in consecutive weeks in June.  
   See below for full results of Sunday's match.
   WTA tour in Carlsbad, Calif. -- Second-seeded Raquel Kops-Jones of Fresno and Abigail Spears of San Diego defeated second-seeded King and Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-4 to win the doubles title in the Mercury Insurance Open.
   Kops-Jones, a 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal, and Spears were coming off a thrilling 7-5, 4-6, 14-12 tiebreak victory over top-seeded Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond. Kops-Jones and Spears saved a match point at 8-9 in the match tiebreak.
   Kops-Jones and Spears won their biggest WTA title together and third overall. Kops-Jones has five WTA doubles crowns and Spears seven.
   King, who grew up in Long Beach, lost in a doubles final for the second consecutive week. The top-seeded pair of King and Jarmila Gajdosova fell to unseeded Marina Erakovic and Heather Watson in the Bank of the West. 
   ATP World Tour in Los Angeles -- Taiwanese veteran Jimmy Wang, who trains in the Sacramento area, and former NCAA singles champion Bradley Klahn, who completed his eligibility at Stanford in May, upset seeds to move into the second round of qualifying in the Farmers Classic.
   Wang edged No. 3 Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2), and Klahn knocked off No. 7 Tim Smyczek 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.
   ITF Women's Circuit -- Qualifier Mallory Burdette of Stanford routed top-seeded Ying-Ying Duan of China 6-1, 6-2 to win the $10,000 Women's Hospital 2012 Tennis Classic in Evansville, Ind.
   The hard-hitting Burdette, 5-foot-10, lost no more than three games in a set in eight singles matches in the tournament and beat the No. 1, 3 and 5 seeds en route to her first title in a professional tournament.
   As a junior at Stanford in the spring, Burdette reached the NCAA singles final (losing to teammate Nicole Gibbs after leading 6-2, 4-1) and won her second straight NCAA doubles crown.
   In Lexington, Ky., fourth-seeded Krista Hardebeck, an incoming Stanford freshman, and Tracy resident Romana Tedjakusuma, who will turn 36 on Tuesday, advanced to the second round of qualifying in a $50,000 tournament.
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Springfield 23, Capitals 16
In Citrus Heights, Calif.
   Mixed doubles -- Timea Babos-Devin Britton (Lasers) def. Coco Vandeweghe-Mark Knowles (Capitals) 5-3.
   Women's singles -- CoCo Vandeweghe (Capitals) def. Timea Babos (Lasers) 5-3.
   Men's singles -- Amir Weintraub (Lasers) def. Sam Querrey (Capitals) 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Timea Babos-Maria Sanchez (Lasers) def. Asia Muhammad-Coco Vandeweghe (Capitals) 5-2.
   Men's doubles -- Devin Britton-Amir Weintraub (Lasers) def. Mark Knowles-Sam Querrey (Capitals) 5-2.
CALENDAR
    Tuesday -- World TeamTennis, Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vania King and CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday -- Capitals (with Anderson, King and Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Friday -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Ex-Cal star, King to meet in Carlsbad doubles final

   Two players with Northern California ties will meet in today's doubles final at the Mercury Insurance Open in the San Diego suburb of Carlsbad.
   Third-seeded Raquel Kops-Jones, a former Cal All-American from Fresno, and Abigail Spears of San Diego nipped top-seeded Liezel Huber of Houston and Lisa Raymond of Wayne, Pa., 7-5, 4-6, 14-12 tiebreak Saturday night in one semifinal.
   Second-seeded Vania King, a Long Beach product who is scheduled to return Tuesday for her third season with the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis, and Nadia Petrova of Russia defeated Kai-Chen Chang of Taiwan and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand 6-2, 7-5 in the other semifinal.
   Kops-Jones and Spears also reached last year's final, losing to top-seeded Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 6-0, 6-2. Neither Peschke nor Srebotnik returned this year.
   ATP World Tour in Los Angeles -- Former Stanford star Bradley Klahn and  Taiwan's Jimmy Wang, who trains in the Sacramento area, advanced to the second round of singles qualifying for the Farmers Classic.
   But top-seeded Ryan Sweeting, who played one match for the Capitals this season, and ex-Cal standout Pedro Zerbini of Brazil lost in singles qualifying.
   Sweeting, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., retired while trailing Clement Reix of France 6-2, 5-3. The reason was not available, but Sweeting suffered back spasms in the Capitals' season opener on July 9 and missed his other two scheduled matches for the team.
   ITF Women's Circuit in Evansville, Ind. -- Unseeded Mallory Burdette of Stanford will meet top-seeded Ying-Ying Duan of China today for the title of the $10,000 Women's Hospital 2012 Tennis Classic.
   Burdette has lost no more than three games in a set in her four matches, including victories over No. 3 seed Bojana Bobusic and No. 5 Sally Peers, both of Australia.
   In Saturday's doubles final, third-seeded Burdette of Jackson, Ga., and Natalie Pluskota of Newnan, Ga., lost to second-seeded Duan and countrywoman Yi-Fan Xu 6-2, 6-3.
   Burdette, who finished her junior year at Stanford in May, has won the last two NCAA doubles titles with different partners and was the singles runner-up to teammate Nicole Gibbs this year.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Today -- Hamburg (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7 a.m. (live), 7-9 a.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), final, ESPN2, noon-2 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (repeat); Carlsbad (women), final, ESPN2, 2-4 p.m. (live); Gstaad (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Bastad (women), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 p.m. (delay). 
CALENDAR
   Today -- World TeamTennis, Springfield at Capitals (with Sam Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Tuesday -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vania King and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday -- Capitals (with King and Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Friday -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Capitals stun Explorers; King to return

   Suddenly, things are looking up for the Sacramento Capitals.
   After coming back from the brink of defeat on the road Friday night, the World TeamTennis franchise will play four of its five remaining regular-season matches at home and receive a much-needed boost from not only CoCo Vandeweghe but Vania King.
   Mark Knowles and 6-foot-6 Sam Querrey saved a match point Friday as visiting Sacramento rallied to shock the Kansas City Explorers 22-21 (7-4 Supertiebreaker).
   "We were hanging on by our fingernails all night," said Capitals coach Wayne Bryan, whose team was coming off tough losses at Washington and Springfield. "We were behind, behind, behind. We staged one of the most remarkable comebacks in my 11 years with the team."
   The Capitals actually led 13-12 at intermission, but 19-year-old Chanel Simmonds won 5-2 in women's singles to give Kansas City a 17-15 lead. Sacramento's Yasmin Schnack substituted for Asia Muhammad at 1-1.
   The Capitals have lost their last four sets in women's singles by a combined score of 20-5. Women's doubles has been only marginally better.
   But Knowles and Querrey pulled out a 5-4 (5-4 tiebreaker) victory over Nick Monroe and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in men's doubles to narrow the Explorers' lead to 21-20 after regulation.
   Because Kansas City, the leading team after four sets, failed to win the last set, the match went into overtime. Knowles and Querrey won the next game and prevailed in the Supertiebreaker.
   Sacramento (5-4) leads second-place Orange County (3-5) by 1 1/2 matches and third-place Kansas City and Springfield (both 2-6) by 2 1/2 in the four-team Western Conference. The top two teams in each conference after the 14-match regular season will advance to the WTT playoffs, Sept. 14-16 in Charleston, S.C.
   Vandeweghe will rejoin the Capitals for their last five matches, beginning Sunday against Springfield at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, Calif., after playing for them full-time three years ago at 17. She reached the final of last week's Bank of the West Classic as a lucky loser and held a set point against Serena Williams in the title match before falling 7-5, 6-3.
   Bryan also announced that King, ranked fifth in the world in doubles, will return to the team for a home-and-home series Tuesday and Wednesday against Orange County. King played for Sacramento in 2010 and 2011 after being named the WTT Female MVP for Springfield in 2009. This year, she fell just short in her bid to make the U.S. Olympic team.
   See below for full results of Friday's match.
   WTA tour in Carlsbad, Calif. -- Second-seeded King of Boynton Beach, Fla., and Nadia Petrova of Russia dispatched Slovakians Dominika Cibulkova and Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the Mercury Insurance Open.
   Third-seeded Raquel Kops-Jones, a former NCAA doubles champion from Cal, and Abigail Spears, playing near her home in San Diego, advanced with a 6-3, 4-6, 10-3 tiebreak victory over Americans Lindsay Lee-Waters and Megan Moulton-Levy.
   Kops-Jones and Spears will face top-seeded Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond, while King and Petrova will meet unseeded Kai-Chen Chang of Taiwan and Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand.
   ATP World Tour in Atlanta -- Matthew Ebden of Australia and Ryan Harrison of Austin, Texas, topped South Africans Kevin Anderson and Rik de Voest 6-7 (2), 6-4, 10-4 tiebreak in the quarterfinals of the BB&T Atlanta Open.
   Anderson, 6-foot-8, will join the Capitals for their last four regular-season matches. De Voest won the singles title in the inaugural Sacramento Challenger in 2005.
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Capitals 22, Kansas City 21 (7-4 Supertiebreaker) 
In Kansas City, Mo.
   Men's singles -- Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Explorers) 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Tetiana Luzhanska-Chanel Simmonds (Explorers) def. Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-3.
   Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Tetiana Luzhanska-Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Explorers) 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Chanel Simmonds (Explorers) def. Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-2.
   Men's doubles -- Mark Knowles-Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Nick Monroe-Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Explorers) 5-4.
   Overtime -- Mark Knowles-Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Nick Monroe-Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Explorers) 1-0.
   Supertiebreaker -- Mark Knowles-Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Nick Monroe-Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Explorers) 1-0 (7-4).
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Today -- Hamburg (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 4:30-9 a.m. (live), noon-2 p.m. (repeat), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-noon (live), ESPN2, 4-6 p.m. (live); Carlsbad (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2-4 p.m. (live), ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay). 
   Sunday -- Hamburg (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7 a.m. (live), 7-9 a.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), final, ESPN2, noon-2 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (repeat); Carlsbad (women), final, ESPN2, 2-4 p.m. (live); Gstaad (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Bastad (women), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 p.m. (delay). 
CALENDAR
   Sunday -- World TeamTennis, Springfield at Capitals (with Sam Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Tuesday -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vania King and Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday -- Capitals (with King and Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Friday -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Capitals blow late lead, lose to Springfield

   Sunday can't come soon enough for the Sacramento Capitals.
   That's when CoCo Vandeweghe is scheduled to join the team for the first of five matches to end the regular season in World TeamTennis.
   Sacramento needs help big-time in women's singles and doubles, which again let down the team in a 20-19 loss at lowly Springfield on Thursday night.
   The Capitals led 15-10 at intermission behind Sam Querrey in men's singles, Yasmin Schnack of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area and Querrey/Mark Knowles in mixed doubles, and Querrey and Knowles in men's doubles.
   But Timea Babos and Modesto's Maria Sanchez beat Asia Muhammad and Schnack 5-3 in women's doubles to cut Sacramento's lead to 18-15. Then Babos, ranked 66th in the world in singles, routed No. 483 Muhammad 5-1 to give Springfield its second victory against six losses. Muhammad served at 3-0 in the last game but lost the next four points to end the match.
   Sacramento is 3-15 in women's singles in its last three matches, two of which the Capitals lost and one of which they needed a shutout in the last set (men's doubles) to win by one game.
   The Capitals rank first in men's singles this season in the eight-team league, third in men's doubles, fourth in mixed doubles and seventh in women's singles and doubles.
   The 6-foot-1 Vandeweghe, meanwhile, jumped from No. 120 in the world to No. 69 after reaching the final of last week's Bank of the West Classic at Stanford as a lucky loser. She held a set point against five-time Wimbledon singles champion Serena Williams in the first set of the title match before falling in straight sets.
   Sacramento (4-4) visits Kansas City (2-5) tonight before hosting Springfield on Sunday night at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.
   After winning three of their first four matches, the Capitals have lost three of their last four. The bright side, in addition to Vandeweghe's impending arrival, is that they still lead the Western Conference by one-half match over Orange County (3-4), 1 1/2 matches over Kansas City and two matches over Springfield. The top two teams in each conference at the end of the 14-match regular season advance to the WTT playoffs, Sept. 14-16 in Charleston, S.C.   
   See below for full results of Thursday's match.
   ATP World Tour in Atlanta -- No. 2 seed and two-time defending champion Mardy Fish retired from his second-round match in the BB&T Atlanta Open.
   Fish, who played two matches for the Capitals last week, hurt his right ankle while leading Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-4, 3-2. It's the lastest setback for the 30-year-old Fish, who underwent a procedure on May 23 for an irregular heartbeat.
   The upcoming Olympics are not a concern for Fish, the second-ranked American at No. 13, because he chose to skip the tournament for the second straight time. He remains emotionally scarred after failing to capitalize on a two-sets-to-one lead over Nicolas Massu of Chile in the gold-medal match at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
   In the first round of doubles in Atlanta, unseeded South Africans Kevin Anderson and Rik de Voest edged Paolo Lorenzi of Italy and Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind., 6-3, 6-7 (3), 10-6 tiebreak.
   The 6-foot-8 Anderson, ranked 33rd in singles, is scheduled to join the Capitals on Tuesday for the first of four matches to close the regular season. De Voest won the singles title in the inaugural Sacramento Challenger in 2005.
   Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Donald Young of Atlanta upset second-seeded Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Scott Lipsky of Huntington Beach 6-2, 7-6 (5). Lipsky, a former NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford, won the 2010 Atlanta doubles crown with Ram. Gonzalez and Lipsky captured the doubles title on grass at Newport, R.I., last week.
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Springfield 20, Capitals 19
In Springfield, Mo.
   Men's singles -- Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Amir Weintraub (Lasers) 5-4.
   Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Timea Babos-Devin Britton (Lasers) 5-2.
   Men's doubles -- Mark Knowles-Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Devin Britton-Amir Weintraub (Lasers) 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Timea Babos-Maria Sanchez (Lasers) def. Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Timea Babos (Lasers) def. Asia Muhammad (Capitals) 5-1.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Today -- Hamburg (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 3-11 a.m. (live), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 1-6 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (delay); Carlsbad (women), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live).
   Saturday -- Hamburg (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 4:30-9 a.m. (live), noon-2 p.m. (repeat), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-noon (live), ESPN2, 4-6 p.m. (live); Carlsbad (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2-4 p.m. (live), ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay). 
   Sunday -- Hamburg (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7 a.m. (live), 7-9 a.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), final, ESPN2, noon-2 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (repeat); Carlsbad (women), final, ESPN2, 2-4 p.m. (live); Gstaad (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Bastad (women), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 p.m. (delay). 
CALENDAR
   Today -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals (with Sam Querrey) at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   Sunday -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Tuesday -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Capitals lose thriller as Kastles extend streak

   The Sacramento Capitals fought valiantly but came up short against the surging Washington Kastles on Wednesday night.
   Washington needed six match points to beat visiting Sacramento 21-19 in overtime and extend its World TeamTennis winning streak to 23 matches dating to July 22, 2010.
   The fourth set proved decisive as former Capital Anastasia Rodionova won 5-0 in women's singles to give the Kastles (7-0) a 16-13 lead in a battle of conference leaders. Yasmin Schnack substituted for Asia Muhammad at 0-2 for Sacramento (4-3).
   Schnack and Mark Knowles saved four match points to beat Rodionova and Leander Paes 5-4 in the final set, mixed doubles, to pull the Capitals within 20-18 and send the match to overtime.
   To ensure that the fifth set of matches are meaningful, WTT rules states that if the team leading after four sets doesn't win the final set, the match continues until either the leading team wins one more game or the opponent overtakes the leader.
   Sacramento escaped one more match point in overtime, which ended 1-1.
   Paes, a 39-year-old Indian, has collected 13 Grand Slam doubles titles (seven men's and six mixed) and two WTT Male MVP awards (2009 and last year). Knowles, 40, from the Bahamas, has earned four Grand Slam doubles crowns (three men's and one mixed) and three WTT Male MVP honors (2001, 2005 and 2007).
   Rodionova, a 30-year-old Russian-born Australian, reached the Wimbledon mixed doubles final in 2003. Schnack, 24, from the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove, played in her first Grand Slam tournament in June, losing in the first round of women's doubles with close friend and former Capital Vania King.
   The Capitals have an excellent chance to reach the playoffs, Sept. 14-16 in Charleston, S.C. Midway through the regular season, they lead the four-team Western Conference by one-half match over Orange County (3-3), two matches over Kansas City (2-5) and three matches over Springfield (1-6). The top two teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.
   Four of Sacramento's remaining seven matches will be at home, including four of the last five. None of the Capitals' remaining opponents has a winning record, although that will change if Orange County wins Thursday night at Philadelphia (3-4).
   Sacramento will host Orange County on Tuesday night and visit the Breakers the following night. Lindsay Davenport, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world in singles and doubles, is scheduled to play women's doubles and mixed doubles for Orange County on both nights.
   As expected, the Capitals' men have been much stronger than their women. They rank first in the eight-team WTT in men's singles, third in men's doubles, seventh in women's singles and doubles, and fourth in mixed doubles.
   Sacramento's Sam Querrey, who reached No. 17 in the world in January 2011 before undergoing elbow surgery, leads the league in men's singles with a 15-8 (.652) record in games.
   The 6-foot-6 Querrey will end his six-match stint with the team on Sunday, but 6-8 Kevin Anderson of South Africa is scheduled to replace him for the Capitals' last four matches of the regular season. Anderson, ranked 33rd in the world, figures to be just as strong.
   Sacramento will get an unexpected boost on the women's side from CoCo Vandeweghe, who's set to join the team for its last five matches. The 6-foot-1 Vandeweghe, 20, reached the final of last week's Bank of the West Classic at Stanford as a lucky loser and held a set point against five-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams in the title match.
   Part-time Capitals lose -- Anderson and Vandeweghe lost on their respective tours.
   Anderson, a South African seeded fifth, fell to Michael Russell of Houston 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the BB&T Atlanta Open. Russell is one foot shorter than Anderson.
   Wild cards Vandeweghe, playing near her hometown of Rancho Santa Fe, and Mirjana Lucic of Croatia dropped a 6-4, 6-3 decision to top-seeded Americans Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in the first round of the Mercury Insurance Open in the San Diego suburb of Carlsbad. 
   Legends to compete in San Jose -- Legends Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Jim Courier will compete in the Champions Showdown on Nov. 16 at HP Pavilion in San Jose.
   The event is part of the PowerShares Series Tour, formerly the Champions Series, for 30-and-over stars that will visit 12 U.S. cities during its seven-week season in October and November.
   Each PowerShares Series event will showcase four legends playing in one-set semifinals followed by a one-set championship match. The tour also features Pete Sampras, Pat Rafter, Michael Chang, Mats Wilander and Todd Martin.
   Tickets for the Champions Showdown, starting at $45, may be purchased at the HP Pavilion ticket office, Ticketmaster.com or (800) 745-3000 beginning Monday. For more information, visit www.PowerSharesSeries.com.
  Downing named to Super Seniors team -- Martha Downing of Shingle Springs, a suburb of Sacramento, will represent the United States at the 32nd ITF Super Seniors World Team Championships, Sept. 10-23 in Croatia.
   The nation's top men and women from age 60 to 80 will compete against teams from more than 30 countries. Up to 1,000 players are expected to participate.
   Joining Downing on the U.S. team in the Alice Marble Cup for women 60 and over are Tina Karwasky of Glendale, Calif., Kerry Young of Maitland, Fla., and Mary Ginnard of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
   Downing, the playing captain of the two-time defending champion Alice Marble Cup team, has played in six Cup team competitions in England, Turkey, Majorca and Australia, and won 27 national titles. She achieved the No. 1 world ranking in 60 singles in 2009, earning seven gold balls (national titles) that year. Last week, Downing was inducted into the Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame.
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Washington 21, Capitals 19 (OT)
In Washington, D.C.
   Men's doubles -- Leander Paes-Bobby Reynolds (Kastles) def. Mark Knowles-Sam Querrey (Capitals) 5-3.
   Women's doubles -- Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Anastasia Rodionova-Arina Rodionova (Kastles) 5-3.
   Men's singles -- Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Bobby Reynolds (Kastles) 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Anastasia Rodionova (Kastles) def. Asia Muhammad/Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-0 (Schnack substituted for Muhammed at 0-2).
   Mixed doubles -- Yasmin Schnack-Sam Querrey/Mark Knowles (Capitals) def. Anastasia Rodionova-Leander Paes (Kastles) 5-4 (Knowles substituted for Querrey at 0-1).
   Overtime --Anastasia Rodionova-Leander Paes (Kastles) tied Yasmin Schnack-Mark Knowles (Capitals) 1-1.
PRO RANKINGS
   Following are this week's world rankings of professional players with Northern California ties (change from last week in parentheses):
Men
   Kevin Anderson, Sacramento Capitals (2012) of World TeamTennis -- No. 33 in singles (no change), No. 156 in doubles (-3).
   Bob Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 3 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mike Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 3 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, Capitals (2012) -- No. 13 in singles (no change), No. 722 in doubles (no change).
   John Paul Fruttero, Cal All-American in 2001 and 2002 -- No. 99 in doubles (-4), unranked in singles.
   Bradley Klahn, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 657 in singles (+4), No. 862 in doubles (-149). 
   Mark Knowles, Capitals (2001-07, 2009-12), three-time World TeamTennis Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007) -- No. 73 in doubles (-3), unranked in singles.
   Scott Lipsky, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 35 in doubles (+1), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012) -- No. 55 in singles (no change), No. 61 in doubles (no change).
   Ryan Sweeting, Capitals (2012) -- No. 117 in singles (-1), No. 848 in doubles (+1).
   Dmitry Tursunov, Folsom resident -- No. 136 in singles (-2), No. 179 in doubles (-6).
   Jimmy Wang, Folsom resident -- No. 210 in singles (-9), No. 392 in doubles (-3).
   Pedro Zerbini, All-Pacific-10 Conference first team at Cal (2009-11) -- No. 639 in singles (+3), No. 1,003 in doubles (-7).
Women
   Jana Juricova, NCAA singles (2011) and doubles (2009) champion from Cal -- No. 949 in singles (no previous ranking), unranked in doubles.
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- Career-high No. 19 in doubles (no change), No. 710 in singles (+6).
   Asia Muhammad, Capitals (2012) -- No. 185 in doubles (+2), No. 483 in singles (-3).
   Maria Sanchez, Modesto resident -- Career-high No. 137 in doubles (no change), No. 222 in singles (-2).
   Yasmin Schnack, Elk Grove resident, Capitals (2011-12) -- No. 146 in doubles (-1), No. 454 in singles (+1).
   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy resident -- No. 495 in singles (+46), No. 1,140 in doubles (+7).
   CoCo Vandeweghe, Capitals (2009, 2012) -- No. 69 in singles (+51), No. 508 in doubles (-7).
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)

   Thursday -- Hamburg (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 5:30-11:30 a.m. (live); Bastad (women), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat).
   Friday -- Hamburg (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 3-11 a.m. (live), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 1-6 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (delay); Carlsbad (women), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live).
   Saturday -- Hamburg (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 4:30-9 a.m. (live), noon-2 p.m. (repeat), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-noon (live), ESPN2, 4-6 p.m. (live); Carlsbad (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2-4 p.m. (live), ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay). 
   Sunday -- Hamburg (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7 a.m. (live), 7-9 a.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), final, ESPN2, noon-2 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (repeat); Carlsbad (women), final, ESPN2, 2-4 p.m. (live); Gstaad (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Bastad (women), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 p.m. (delay). 
CALENDAR
   Thursday -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals (with Sam Querrey) at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   Friday -- Capitals (with Querrey) at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   Sunday -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Tuesday -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Vandeweghe falls to eighth seed in Carlsbad

   Only two days after finishing the tournament of her life, CoCo Vandeweghe faced eighth-seeded Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa on Tuesday night in the first round of the Mercury Insurance Open in the San Diego suburb of Carlsbad.
   Predictably, the 20-year-old wild card from nearby Rancho Santa Fe lost 6-2, 7-6 (4). In addition to playing a seed, Vandeweghe was faced with the challenge of preparing mentally so soon after reaching the final of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford as a lucky loser.
   Vandeweghe, who's scheduled to join the Sacramento Capitals on Sunday for the first of five matches to end the regular season in World TeamTennis, lost to top seed and defending champion Serena Williams 7-5, 6-3 in Sunday's final after holding a set point in the first set.
   Vandeweghe's doubles draw in Carlsbad is even worse than in singles. Wild cards Mirjana Lucic of Croatia and Vandeweghe will face top-seeded Americans Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in the opening round.
   ATP World Tour in Atlanta -- Qualifier Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania coasted past Russian Dmitry Tursunov, a resident of Folsom in the Sacramento area, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the BB&T Atlanta Open.
   The 22-year-old Berankis, only 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, reached the quarterfinals of the SAP Open in San Jose in 2010 and 2011.
   Part-time Capitals Kevin Anderson and Mardy Fish will play their second-round matches Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Anderson, seeded fifth, will face 34-year-old Michael Russell of Houston, and Fish, seeded second, will meet Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.
   Anderson is 6-foot-8 and Russell 5-8.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Wednesday -- Bastad (women), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat).    
   Thursday -- Hamburg (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 5:30-11:30 a.m. (live); Bastad (women), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat).
   Friday -- Hamburg (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 3-11 a.m. (live), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 1-6 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (delay); Carlsbad (women), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live).
   Saturday -- Hamburg (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 4:30-9 a.m. (live), noon-2 p.m. (repeat), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-noon (live), ESPN2, 4-6 p.m. (live); Carlsbad (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2-4 p.m. (live), ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay). 
   Sunday -- Hamburg (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7 a.m. (live), 7-9 a.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), final, ESPN2, noon-2 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (repeat); Carlsbad (women), final, ESPN2, 2-4 p.m. (live); Gstaad (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Bastad (women), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 p.m. (delay). 
CALENDAR
   Wednesday -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals (with Sam Querrey) at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   Thursday -- Capitals (with Querrey) at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   Friday -- Capitals (with Querrey) at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   Sunday -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Capitals rally late to stun New York

   Mark Knowles and Sam Querrey won 5-0 in the final set as the host Sacramento Capitals stunned Martina Hingis and the New York Sportimes 18-17 Monday night.
   New York (3-2) won the first two sets, mixed doubles and women's doubles, to lead 10-6. But the 6-foot-6 Querrey, ranked among the top 20 in the world before undergoing elbow surgery in June 2011, defeated Jesse Witten 5-2 to pull Sacramento within 12-11.
   Hingis, formerly ranked No. 1 in singles and doubles, beat Asia Muhammad 5-2 to increase New York's lead to 17-13. Then the 40-year-old Knowles, formerly No. 1 in doubles, and Querrey blitzed Robert Kendrick and Witten.
   Querrey was born in San Francisco, and Kendrick hails from Fresno.
   After a day off today, Sacramento (4-2) will visit Washington (6-0) on Wednesday in a showdown between the two conference leaders. The match will end the first half of the regular season for both teams.
   The Kastles, who won the WTT title last year with a 16-0 record, have a 22-match winning streak dating to July 22, 2010.      
   See below for full results of Monday night's match.
   WTA tour in Carlsbad --Varvara Lepchenko, a Ukrainian-born American, routed wild card Nicole Gibbs, the reigning NCAA singles and doubles champion from Stanford, 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round of the Mercury Insurance Open in the San Diego area.
   Wild card CoCo Vandeweghe, from nearby Rancho Santa Fe, is scheduled to face eighth-seeded Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa tonight in the first round. The 20-year-old Vandeweghe reached the final of last week's Bank of the West Classic at Stanford as a lucky loser, falling to Serena Williams.
   ATP World Tour in Atlanta --  Xavier Malisse of Belgium and Michael Russell of Houston outdueled the all-Northern California team of John Paul Fruttero and Dmitry Tursunov 1-6, 6-1, 10-3 in the first round of the BB&T Atlanta Open.
   Fruttero, a 31-year-old San Jose resident, earned All-America honors at Cal in 2001 and 2002. Tursunov, a 29-year-old Moscow native, has lived in the Sacramento area for the past 12 years.
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Capitals 18, New York 17 
In Citrus Heights, Calif.
   Mixed doubles -- Ashley Harkleroad-Robert Kendrick (Sportimes) def. Yasmin Schnack-Mark Knowles (Capitals) 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Martina Hingis-Ashley Harkleroad (Sportimes) def. Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-2.
   Men's singles -- Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Jesse Witten (Sportimes) 5-2.
   Women's singles -- Martina Hingis (Sportimes) def. Asia Muhammad (Capitals) 5-2.
   Men's doubles -- Mark Knowles-Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Robert Kendrick-Jesse Witten (Sportimes) 5-0.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
   Today -- Bastad (women), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat).
   Wednesday -- Bastad (women), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat).
   Thursday -- Hamburg (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 5:30-11:30 a.m. (live); Bastad (women), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat).
   Friday -- Hamburg (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 3-11 a.m. (live), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 1-6 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (delay); Carlsbad (women), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live).
CALENDAR
   Wednesday -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   Thursday -- Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   Friday -- Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   Sunday -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Serena repeats, but Vandeweghe serves notice

Top seed Serena Williams defeated lucky loser
CoCo Vandeweghe for her second consecutive
Bank of the West title. Photo by Paul Bauman
   STANFORD — Maybe there's hope for American women's tennis, after all, when the Williams sisters retire.
   As expected, 30-year-old Serena Williams won the Bank of the West Classic on Sunday. But the top seed had to save a set point against lucky loser CoCo Vandeweghe, 20, in a 7-5, 6-3 victory before an announced crowd of 2,834.
   "It wasn't easy," conceded Williams, who surrendered twice as many games in the final as she did in any of her other three matches in the tournament. "CoCo is the future of American tennis. I'm so proud of her."
   It was the first all-American final on the WTA tour in the United States since Lindsay Davenport routed Williams 6-1, 6-3 in Los Angeles eight years ago.
   Williams, who won her fifth Wimbledon singles title the week before the Bank of the West, became the first player to earn consecutive singles titles at Stanford since Kim Clijsters in 2005 and 2006.
   Williams also tied her older sister Venus with 43 WTA career titles, the most among active players and tied for 10th all-time with Justine Henin and Martina Hingis. Venus, 32, continues to battle an autoimmune disease but teamed with Serena this month for their fifth Wimbledon doubles crown.
   Serena, a former world No. 1, will remain No. 4 when the new rankings are released Monday. She would have dropped had she not repeated, a key consideration in honoring her commitment to play at Stanford after winning the Wimbledon crowns.
   Vandeweghe had never advanced past the quarterfinals of a WTA tournament. She will jump from No. 120 into the top 75, surpassing her career high of No. 89 in April 2011. That will put her directly into the U.S. Open, Aug. 27-Sept. 9. 
   The resident of Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area became the first lucky loser to reach a WTA final since Melinda Czink of Hungary fell in the Canberra title match seven years ago. The only lucky loser to win a WTA title is Andrea Jaeger at Las Vegas in 1980.
   Vandeweghe lost to Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand in the final round of qualifying but advanced to the main draw when Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia withdrew with an unspecified injury.
   "Once I go into a main draw, I go in thinking I'm going to win it," said Vandeweghe, who's scheduled to join the Sacramento Capitals next Sunday for the first of five matches to end the regular season in World TeamTennis. "Otherwise, why bother stepping on the court? It was the same against Serena. I thought I could beat her. I had set point. That's not too shabby."
   Vandeweghe possesses a rare combination of power — she's listed at 6-foot-1 and 155 pounds — and athleticism. Her uncle Kiki averaged 19.7 points during a 13-year NBA career (1980-93). Her grandfather Ernie played for the New York Knicks in the 1950s, and her mother, Tauna, represented the United States at the Olympics in swimming in 1976 and volleyball in 1984.
   Vandeweghe played basketball and volleyball as a child and didn't pick up tennis until she was 11. At 16, she won the U.S. Open junior girls singles title. At 18, she beat Vera Zvonareva one month after the Russian reached the Wimbledon final.               
   Admittedly nervous early in Sunday's final, Vandeweghe trailed 2-0 in the opening set of her first meeting with Williams on the WTA tour. But Vandeweghe immediately broke back at love and again to lead 4-3. She held a set point at 5-4, but Williams jumped on a second serve and pounded a backhand, cross-court winner.
   "It is what it is," Vandeweghe said. "I was serving well all week, and I served pretty damn well against Serena. She's a great player. She's going to take advantage of opportunities and not let me off the hook in games or on break points."         
   Vandeweghe didn't help her cause by double-faulting on Williams' sixth break point in the game to even the set at 5-5.
   Serving at 5-6, Vandeweghe lashed a 115-mph ace for 40-15, but Williams fought back to deuce. Vandeweghe then hit a double fault way long and, following a second serve, mis-hit a backhand to drop the set.
   Williams recorded the only break of the second set, at love on another double fault, to lead 3-1 and promptly closed out the one-hour and 27-minute match.
   "I played well enough to win," she said. "I can do a lot better. I wanted it. I was mentally there. That helped me out a lot."
   Bank of the West notes — Bank of the West renewed its sponsorship of the tournament for five years, officials announced. In its 42nd year, the Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women's tournament in the world. It was announced in April that the SAP Open in San Jose, the second-oldest men's pro tournament in the United States, will move to Rio de Janeiro in 2014. Milos Raonic of Canada won this year's SAP Open, the 125th edition of the tournament in the Bay Area, for the second straight year in February. ...
   Unseeded Marina Erakovic of New Zealand and Heather Watson of Great Britain won the doubles title in the Bank of the West Classic, upending top seeds Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia and Vania King of Boynton Beach, Fla., 7-5, 7-6 (7). King played for the Capitals in 2010 and 2011.
   ATP World Tour in Newport, R.I. — Third-seeded Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Scott Lipsky, a former NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford, defeated second-seeded Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins of Great Britain 7-6 (3), 6-3 to win the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. It was the first title of the year and seventh overall for Lipsky, 30. 
CALENDAR
    Monday — World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday — Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   Thursday — Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   Friday — Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 — Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 — Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 — Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 — Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 — Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 — OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.