Thursday, January 31, 2013

Fish withdraws from SAP; rankings, TV, calendar

   Mardy Fish's career is in jeopardy, but he has far greater concerns.
   The 31-year-old American withdrew from the SAP Open in San Jose with ongoing heart issues, tournament officials announced this week.
Mardy Fish, shown at Indian Wells last March,
has not played since the U.S. Open in early
September. Photo by Paul Bauman
   Fish reached the SAP Open singles final in 2004, losing to close friend Andy Roddick, and 2009, falling to Radek Stepanek. He won the doubles title in 2004 with James Blake and 2010 with Sam Querrey.
   Fish underwent a procedure on May 23 for an accelerated heartbeat. He ended a two-month layoff in late June and played until early September, reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and competing in his two scheduled matches for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis. However, he has not played in a tournament since Flushing Meadows.
   Ranked a career-high No. 7 in 2011, Fish has dropped to No. 31.
   The SAP Open will be played for the 125th and final time Feb. 11-17 at HP Pavilion. The second-oldest men's professional tournament in the United States will be replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning in 2014.
   Heading this year's field are 15th-ranked Milos Raonic, the two-time defending champion from Canada, and John Isner, the top-ranked American at No. 16.
   For ticket information, visit www.sapopentennis.com.
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. 29 in singles (+2), No. 79 in doubles (+12).
   Nick Andrews, Cal All-American in 2012, resident of Folsom in the Sacramento area -- No. 1,069 in doubles (+2), No. 1,511 in singles (+5).  
   Bob Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 2 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mike Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, Capitals (2012) -- No. 31 in singles (-4), No. 725 in doubles (+6).
   John Paul Fruttero, Cal All-American in 2001 and 2002 -- No. 138 in doubles (-6), unranked in singles.
   Artem Ilyushin, resident of Granite Bay in the Sacramento area -- No. 1,100 in singles (+2), No. 1,512 in doubles (-5).
   Bradley Klahn, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- Career-high No. 224 in singles (+31), No. 523 in doubles (+54).
   Alex Kuznetsov, Capitals (2012) -- No. 265 in singles (-46), No. 224 in doubles (no change).
   Scott Lipsky, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 28 in doubles (-3), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012) -- No. 22 in singles (no change), No. 45 in doubles (no change).
   Ryan Sweeting, Capitals (2012) -- No. 163 in singles (-10), No. 1,092 in doubles (+2).
   Ryan Thacher, 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 546 in doubles (no change), career-high No. 981 in singles (+6).
   Dmitry Tursunov, Folsom resident -- No. 123 in singles (-2), No. 285 in doubles (+4).
   Pedro Zerbini, All-Pacific-10 Conference first team at Cal (2009-11) -- Career-high No. 468 in singles (+14), career-high No. 549 in doubles (+57).
Women
   Mallory Burdette, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 145 in singles (-1), No. 433 in doubles (-5). 
   Vania King, Capitals (2010-12) -- No. 28 in doubles (-8), No. 104 in singles (-28).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- Career-high No. 13 in doubles (+1), No. 1,109 in singles (-1).
   Asia Muhammad, Capitals (2012) -- No. 164 in doubles (-3), No. 437 in singles (+33).
   Maria Sanchez, Modesto resident -- No. 114 in doubles (+1), career-high No. 117 in singles (+11).
   Yasmin Schnack, resident of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area, Capitals (2011-12) -- No. 174 in doubles (-7), No. 686 in singles (-135).
   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy resident -- No. 464 in singles (no change), No. 1,107 in doubles (no change).
   CoCo Vandeweghe, Capitals (2009, 2012) -- No. 99 in singles (no change), No. 495 in doubles (no change).
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PST)
   Today -- Australian Open women's final, Tennis Channel, 4-7 p.m. (repeat). 
   Friday -- Paris (women), Tennis Channel, 5:30-9:30 a.m. (live). Davis Cup, Brazil at United States, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (live); Czech Republic at Switzerland, Tennis Channel, 5-10 p.m. (delay). 
   Saturday -- Paris (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5:30-9:30 a.m. (live). Davis Cup, Brazil at United States, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (live); Czech Republic at Switzerland, Tennis Channel, 5-8 p.m. (delay). 
   Sunday --Paris (women), final, Tennis Channel, 6:30-8:30 a.m. (live). Davis Cup, Brazil at United States, Tennis Channel, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (live); Czech Republic at Switzerland, Tennis Channel, 5-11 p.m. (delay).
CALENDAR
   Friday -- Sacramento State women open spring season at Arizona, 12:30 p.m., www.hornetsports.com.
   Friday-Sunday -- Davis Cup, first round, United States vs. Brazil in Jacksonville, Fla, www.daviscup.com.
   Feb. 9-10, 2013 -- Fed Cup, first round, United States at Italy, www.fedcup.com.
   Feb. 11-17, 2013 -- SAP Open, HP Pavilion in San Jose, www.sapopentennis.com. 2012 champions: Milos Raonic, Mark Knowles-Xavier Malisse.
   March 4-17, 2013 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. 2012 champions: Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, Marc Lopez-Rafael Nadal, Liezel Huber-Lisa Raymond.
   April 26-28 -- Big Sky Conference men's and women's tournament, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.bigskyconf.com.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Bryans break Grand Slam men's doubles record

   It was ironic, but not surprising, that the record came in Australia.
   Top-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States dominated unseeded Dutchmen Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling 6-3, 6-4 Saturday at the Australian Open in Melbourne for their 13th Grand Slam men's doubles title. That broke the mark of Australian legends John Newcombe and Tony Roche (1965-76).
   The Bryans, 34-year-old identical twins and former Stanford All-Americans, have won six men's doubles titles at the Australian Open, four at the U.S. Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the French Open. They were playing in their ninth Australian Open final in 10 years, and their crowns there have come in eight years.
   "To be a part of history is pretty special," Mike Bryan told reporters. "We weren't thinking about it much out there, but now that we have it, it's going to be fun to look back on our career and say we have the most Grand Slams."
   Meanwhile, the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis announced on Thursday that the Bryans' father, Wayne, will return for his 12th season as coach.
   "We like Wayne because he is a great promoter for the sport," Capitals general manager Kolleen McNamee said in a news release. "In addition to being an experienced and accomplished coach, he is able to do things that other coaches aren't able to bring to the table." 
   Bryan, who will turn 66 on Feb. 19, has been named the WTT Coach of the Year three times (2004-06) and has led Sacramento to two of its record six WTT titles (2002 and 2007). The Capitals fell just short of their seventh crown last September, losing 20-19 to the Washington Kastles in the WTT Finals in Charleston, S.C.
   "I still haven't gotten over that match," Bryan said in the release.
   The Capitals' schedule and roster for the 2013 season will be announced in early March. Bryan said there's a good chance that 22nd-ranked Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native who competed in six of Sacramento's 16 matches in his first season with the team last year, will play full-time.
   The coach also hopes that longtime Capital Mark Knowles, a three-time WTT Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007), will return. The 41-year-old Knowles, formerly No. 1 in the world in men's doubles, retired from the regular circuit last year.

Friday, January 18, 2013

College previews: Stanford, Cal, Sac State, UC Davis, etc.

Nicole Gibbs lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the
second round of the Bank of the West Classic on Gibbs' home
court at Stanford last July. Gibbs returns to the Farm for her
junior year after sweeping the NCAA singles and doubles titles.
Photo by Paul Bauman
   For a while, it appeared the Stanford women would have one of the greatest college teams of all time this season.
   Now, the Cardinal will have to settle for being a strong contender for its record 17th NCAA team title.
   After winning two pro tournaments in singles, including the $100,000 Odlum Brown Vancouver Open, and reaching the third round of the U.S. Open before losing to Maria Sharapova last summer, Mallory Burdette decided to forgo her senior season on the Farm.
   All Burdette did at Stanford was win the last two NCAA doubles titles and advance to last year's NCAA singles final, losing to teammate Nicole Gibbs.
   Shed no tears for Stanford, though. The Cardinal has three players with world rankings -- No. 225 Gibbs (who also won last year's NCAA doubles crown with Burdette), No. 308 Krista Hardebeck and No. 561 Kristie Ahn -- plus Stacey Tan, the 2011 NCAA singles runner-up, and Ellen Tsay, ranked No. 55 in college.
   Following are capsules of Northern California college teams:
STANFORD WOMEN
   Preseason national ranking -- No. 5. 
   Spring season opener -- Today at Freeman Invitational in Las Vegas and National Collegiate Tennis Classic in Indian Wells.
   Coach -- Lele Forood (13th year, 308-19, .942).
   Last season -- 21-2 (9-1 Pacific-12 Conference), lost in quarterfinals of NCAA Tournament.
   Key player lost -- Mallory Burdette, two-time reigning NCAA doubles champion, 2012 NCAA singles runner-up.
   Key returning players -- Junior Nicole Gibbs (Santa Monica), defending NCAA singles and doubles champion; senior Stacey Tan (Lakewood), 2012 All-Pac-12 second team, 2011 NCAA singles runner-up; junior Kristie Ahn (Upper Saddle River, N.J.), semifinalist in $25,000 Redding Challenger last September, 2010-11 All-American in singles; sophomore Ellen Tsay (Pleasanton), ranked No. 55 in preseason singles.
   Key addition -- Freshman Krista Hardebeck (Santa Ana), ranked No. 2 in preseason singles.
   Outlook -- The Cardinal is loaded, even without Burdette.
 STANFORD MEN
   Preseason national ranking -- No. 10.
   Spring season opener -- Defeated Sacramento State 7-0 on Tuesday.
   Coach -- John Whitlinger (ninth year, 134-67, .667).
   Last season -- 20-9 (5-2 Pac-12), lost in quarterfinals of NCAA Tournament.
   Key players lost -- Bradley Klahn, NCAA singles champion in 2010, quarterfinalist in 2011 and semifinalist in 2012; NCAA doubles runner-up in 2011, semifinalist in 2010 and quarterfinalist in 2012; Ryan Thacher,  NCAA doubles runner-up in 2011, semifinalist in 2010 and quarterfinalist in 2012.
   Key returning players -- Sophomore John Morrissey (Ireland), ranked No. 39 in preseason singles; senior Matt Kandath (Gansevoort, N.Y.); junior Daniel Ho (Rosemead); sophomore Robert Stineman (Winnetka, Ill.); junior Jamin Ball (Palo Alto), ranked No. 57 in preseason doubles with freshman Trey Strobel. 
   Key additions -- Freshmen Nolan Paige (Fairfield, Conn.), Maciek Romanowicz (Poland), Strobel (Bradenton, Fla.) and Anthony Tsodikov (San Francisco). 
   Outlook -- The Cardinal faces a rebuilding year. 
CAL WOMEN
   Preseason national ranking -- No. 7.
   Spring season opener -- Went 25-0 in singles and 10-2 in doubles in the Weinman Foundation Invitational in Honolulu from Saturday through Monday.
   Coach -- Amanda Augustus (sixth year, 96-31, .756).
   Last season -- 20-7 (8-2 Pac-12), lost in quarterfinals of NCAA Tournament.
   Key player lost -- Jana Juricova, NCAA singles champion in 2011, runner-up in 2010 and quarterfinalist in 2012; NCAA doubles champion in 2009.
   Key returning players -- Zsofi Susanyi (Hungary), ranked No. 7 in preseason singles; Anett Schutting (Estonia), ranked No. 9 in singles and No. 32 in doubles; Annie Goransson (Sweden), ranked No. 110 in singles and No. 32 in doubles; senior Tayler Davis (San Jose); sophomore Cecilia Estlander (Finland); junior Alice Duranteau (France), ranked No. 59 in doubles with sophomore Laura Posylkin (Novato).
   Key additions -- Freshmen Lynn Chi (Weston, Fla.), ranked No. 109 in preseason singles, and Klara Fabikova (Czech Republic), who lost 7-6 in third set to second-seeded Veronica Cepede Royg in the $25,000 Redding Challenger.
   Outlook -- Juricova was a big loss, but the Bears return the rest of their top seven players.
CAL MEN
   Preseason national ranking -- No. 14.
   Spring season opener -- Today at National Collegiate Tennis Classic in Indian Wells.
   Coach -- Peter Wright (20th season, 255-187, .577).
   Last season -- 14-12 (4-3 Pac-12), lost in round of 16 in NCAA Tournament.
   Key players lost -- Nick Andrews, 2012 All-American in doubles; Carlos Cueto, 2012 All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
   Key returning players -- Junior Ben McLachlan (New Zealand), ranked No. 7 in preseason doubles with older brother Riki McLachlan and No. 66 in singles; Christoffer Konigsfeldt (Denmark), ranked No. 42 in singles; redshirt sophomore Chase Melton (Santa Barbara), ranked No. 92 in singles; sophomore Gregory Bayane (France).
   Key additions -- Freshman Mads Engsted (Denmark), ranked No. 93 in preseason singles; freshmen Wyatt Houghton (Westlake Village), Stuart Miller (Napa) and Jordan Smith (Mercer Island, Wash.); sophomore Nikhil Jayashankar (Saratoga, transfer from Northwestern); junior Campbell Johnson (Rancho Santa Fe, transfer from Georgia).
   Outlook -- This is a typical Cal men's team: good but not great. 
SACRAMENTO STATE WOMEN
   Preseason national ranking -- No. 56.
   Spring season opener -- Feb. 1 at Arizona, 12:30 p.m.
   Coach --Dima Hyrnashka, seventh year (112-45, .713, overall; 47-0 in Big Sky Conference).
   Last season -- 17-10 (8-0 Big Sky), lost in first round of NCAA Tournament.
   Key players lost -- Tatsiana Kapshai, three-time Big Sky MVP; Clarisse Baca, three-time All-Big Sky first-team selection; Maria Meliuk, second-team All-Big Sky.
   Key returning players -- Senior Rebeca Delgado (Mexico), three-time All-Big Sky first-team selection; junior Sophie Lohscheidt (Germany); junior Katharina Knoebl (Austria).
   Key additions -- Freshmen Saskia Angerer (Austria), Olivia Boija (Sweden), Jennifer Nguyen (Australia) and Siobhan Ryan-Bovey (Ireland).
   Outlook -- The rebuilding Hornets seek their 12th consecutive Big Sky regular-season championship, conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. They have won 92 straight conference matches.
SACRAMENTO STATE MEN
   Spring season opener -- Lost to Stanford 7-0 on Tuesday.
   Coach -- Slava Konikov, eighth year (108-71, .603, overall; 50-3, .943, in Big Sky Conference).
   Last season -- 11-13 (7-1 Big Sky), lost in first round of NCAA Tournament.
   Key player lost -- Javier Millan, second-team All-Big Sky.
   Key returning players -- Senior Aliaksandr Malko (Belarus), first-team All-Big Sky; sophomore Marek Marksoo (Estonia), first-team All-Big Sky; sophomores Sean Kollar (Loomis), Roy Brandys (Poland) and Tom Miller (Great Britain).
   Key addition -- Redshirt freshman Niranjan Ram (India).     
   Outlook --The experienced Hornets eye their fifth consecutive Big Sky tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. 
UC DAVIS WOMEN
   Spring season opener -- Today vs. Northern Arizona in Tempe, Ariz., 1 p.m
   Coach -- Bill Maze, 18th year (193-160, .547, overall; 60-20, .750, in conference matches).
   Last season -- 12-12 (6-2 Big West Conference), lost in semifinals of Big West tournament.
   Key players lost -- Dahra Zamudio, second-team All-Big West; Kelly Chui.
   Key returning players -- Junior Megan Heneghan (Tustin), two-time All-Big West first-team selection; senior Lauren Curry (Walnut Creek); sophomore Layla Sanders (El Cerrito), second-team All-Big West in doubles; junior Nicole Koehly (Santa Ana); senior Ellie Edles (Costa Mesa). 
   Key additions -- Freshmen Claire Jaramishian (Fresno) and Tiffany Pham (Elk Grove).
   Outlook -- Led by Heneghan, the Aggies could contend for the Big West regular-season and tournament titles.
UC DAVIS MEN 
    Spring season opener -- Saturday at Santa Clara, 10 a.m.
   Coach --Eric Steidlmayer, first year.
   Last season -- 6-16 (1-4 Big West Conference), lost in quarterfinals of Big West tournament.
   Key players lost -- Chris Aria; Josh Albert, All-Big West honorable mention in doubles.
   Key returning players -- Senior Toki Sherbakov (Mountain View), All-Big West first team in singles, honorable mention in doubles; junior Kyle Miller (Pacific Grove), All-Big West honorable mention in doubles; senior Hugo Verdi-Fortin (Canada), All-Big West honorable mention in doubles; junior Alec Haley (Woodside); senior George Horowitz (Atherton).
   Key additions --Freshmen Brett Bacharach (Newcastle), Adam Levie (Solana Beach) and Mitch Thorp (Kent, Wash.).
   Outlook --Led by Sherbakov, the experienced Aggies should improve upon last season. 
ALSO
   Other national rankings and player notes:
   Women's team -- No. 42 Saint Mary's, No. 68 UC Irvine (with sophomore twins Kat and Ali Facey of Cameron Park), No. 72 Syracuse (with sophomore Breanna Bachini of Roseville).
   Women's singles -- No. 26 Katie Le (Santa Clara junior from Milpitas), No. 64 Jenny Jullien (Saint Mary's junior from France).
   Men's team -- No. 36 Santa Clara (with senior Matt Kecki of Sacramento).
   Men's singles -- No. 65 John Lamble (Santa Clara junior from Saratoga).
   Notes -- As a qualifier in her first pro tournament, Le stunned Cepede Royg, a Paraguayan then ranked No. 216 in the world, to reach the quarterfinals of the $25,000 Redding Challenger last September. Le, the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Year, then lost to Sachie Ishizu of Japan. ...
   Kecki, an Australian Open junior doubles semifinalist in 2006 and 2007, transferred to Santa Clara after helping USC win two NCAA team titles and sitting out last season. ...
   Bachini went 4-5 in singles, primarily at No. 3 and No. 4, and 1-5 in doubles, mainly at No. 1, during her injury-plagued freshman year. Syracuse is coached by Luke Jensen, who won the French Open men's doubles title with his brother, Murphy, 20 years ago. The Orange coach, who was known as "Dual Hand Luke" because he's ambidextrous, teaches his players to hit with each hand.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Australian Open TV schedule, pro rankings, calendar

AUSTRALIAN OPEN TV SCHEDULE
(All Times PST)
   Today -- First round, 2-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 4-6 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 6 p.m.-4 a.m. Tuesday (ESPN2, live).
   Tuesday -- First round, 4-11 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat), 2-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 4-6 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 6 p.m.-4 a.m. Wednesday (ESPN2, live).
   Wednesday -- Second round, 4-11 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat), 2-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 4-8 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 8 p.m.-4 a.m. Thursday (ESPN2, live).
   Thursday -- Second round, 4-11 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat), 2-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); third round, 4-8 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 8 p.m.-4 a.m. Friday (ESPN2, live).
   Friday -- Third round, 4-11 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat), 2-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 4-6 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 6 p.m.-4 a.m. Saturday (ESPN2, live).
   Saturday -- Third round, 4-6:55 a.m. (ESPN2, repeat), 7 a.m.-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); fourth round, 4-6 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 6 p.m.-4 a.m. Sunday (ESPN2, live).
   Sunday -- Fourth round, 4-8 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 8 a.m.-noon (ESPN2, repeat), noon-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 4-6 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Monday (ESPN2, live).
   Monday, Jan. 21 -- Fourth round, 3 a.m.-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); quarterfinals, 4-6 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Tuesday (ESPN2, live).
   Tuesday, Jan. 22 -- Quarterfinals, 3-11 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat), 2-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 4-6 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live), 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Wednesday (ESPN2, live).
   Wednesday, Jan. 23 -- Quarterfinals, 3-11 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat), 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat), 2-4 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); TBA, 4-6:30 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live); women's semifinals 6:30-11 p.m. (ESPN2, live).
   Thursday, Jan. 24 -- Men's semifinal, 12:30-3 a.m. (ESPN2, live); semifinals, 3-10 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); men's semifinal, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat); semifinals, 1-8 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); mixed doubles semifinal/women's doubles final, 8 p.m.-midnight (Tennis Channel, live).
   Friday, Jan. 25 -- Men's semifinal, 12:30-3 a.m. (ESPN2, live); men's semifinal/women's doubles final, 3-10 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); men's semifinal, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat); men's semifinal/women's doubles final, 1-11 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat).
   Saturday, Jan. 26 -- Women's final, midnight-2:30 a.m. (ESPN2, live); men's doubles final, 2:30-4:30 a.m. (Tennis Channel, live); women's doubles final, 4:30-6 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); women's final, 6-8 a.m. (ESPN2, repeat); men's doubles final/men's semifinals/women's final, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); women's final, 7-9 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat); mixed doubles final, 9:30-11:30 p.m. (Tennis Channel, live).
   Sunday, Jan. 27 -- Men's final, 12:30-3 a.m. (Tennis Channel, live); women's final, 4-6 a.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); men's final, 6-11 a.m. (ESPN2, repeat); women's final/men's final, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Tennis Channel, repeat); men's final, 4:30-9:30 p.m. (ESPN2, repeat).
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. 31 in singles (+5), No. 91 in doubles (no change).
   Nick Andrews, Cal All-American in 2012, resident of Folsom in the Sacramento area -- No. 1,071 in doubles (-1), No. 1,516 in singles (+1).  
   Bob Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 2 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mike Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, Capitals (2012) -- No. 27 in singles (no change), No. 731 in doubles (no change).
   John Paul Fruttero, Cal All-American in 2001 and 2002 -- No. 132 in doubles (+1), unranked in singles.
   Artem Ilyushin, resident of Granite Bay in the Sacramento area -- No. 1,102 in singles (+1), No. 1,507 in doubles (no change).
   Bradley Klahn, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 255 in singles (-1), No. 577 in doubles (no change).
   Alex Kuznetsov, Capitals (2012) -- No. 219 in singles (no change), No. 224 in doubles (+1).
   Scott Lipsky, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 25 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012) -- No. 22 in singles (no change), No. 45 in doubles (no change).
   Ryan Sweeting, Capitals (2012) -- No. 153 in singles (-9), No. 1,094 in doubles (no change).
   Ryan Thacher, 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 546 in doubles (no change), No. 987 in singles (no change).
   Dmitry Tursunov, Folsom resident -- No. 121 in singles (+1), No. 289 in doubles (+1).
   Pedro Zerbini, All-Pacific-10 Conference first team at Cal (2009-11) -- No. 482 in singles (no change), career-high No. 606 in doubles (no change).
Women
   Mallory Burdette, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 143 in singles (+1), No. 428 in doubles (-1). 
   Vania King, Capitals (2010-12) -- No. 20 in doubles (no change), No. 76 in singles (-1).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 14 in doubles (no change), No. 1,108 in singles (-4).
   Asia Muhammad, Capitals (2012) -- No. 161 in doubles (+1), No. 466 in singles (-1).
   Maria Sanchez, Modesto resident -- No. 115 in doubles (-1), No. 128 in singles (-1).
   Yasmin Schnack, resident of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area, Capitals (2011-12) -- No. 167 in doubles (no change), No. 548 in singles (no change).
   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy resident -- No. 461 in singles (-1), No. 1,107 in doubles (-2).
   CoCo Vandeweghe, Capitals (2009, 2012) -- No. 99 in singles (+1), No. 495 in doubles (no change).
CALENDAR
   Through Jan. 27, 2013 -- AUSTRALIAN OPEN, www.australianopen.org. 2012 champions: Novak Djokovic, Victoria Azarenka, Leander Paes-Radek Stepanek, Svetlana Kuznetsova-Vera Zvonareva.
   Tuesday -- Sacramento State men at Stanford in spring season opener for both teams, 1:30 p.m, www.hornetsports.com, www.gostanford.com.
   Friday -- Stanford women open spring season at Freeman Invitational in Las Vegas and at NCTC Classic in Indian Wells, Calif., times TBA, www.gostanford.com. UC Davis women open spring season vs. Northern Arizona in Tempe, Ariz., 1 p.m., www.ucdavisaggies.com.
   Saturday -- UC Davis men at Santa Clara in spring season opener for both teams, 10 a.m., www.ucdavisaggies.com, www.santaclarabroncos.com.
   Feb. 1 -- Sacramento State women open spring season at Arizona, 12:30 p.m., www.hornetsports.com.
   Feb. 1-3, 2013 -- Davis Cup, first round, Brazil at United States, www.daviscup.com.
   Feb. 9-10, 2013 -- Fed Cup, first round, United States at Italy, www.fedcup.com.
   Feb. 11-17, 2013 -- SAP Open, HP Pavilion in San Jose, www.sapopentennis.com. 2012 champions: Milos Raonic, Mark Knowles-Xavier Malisse.
   March 4-17, 2013 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. 2012 champions: Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, Marc Lopez-Rafael Nadal, Liezel Huber-Lisa Raymond.
   April 26-28 -- Big Sky Conference men's and women's tournament, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.bigskyconf.com.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Graf, others in SAP exhibition; TV schedule; calendar

   The SAP Open in San Jose added considerable star power Wednesday for a mixed doubles exhibition.
   Stefanie Graf, Lindsay Davenport, Andy Roddick and Justin Gimelstob are scheduled to compete on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. A singles semifinal will follow.
   The SAP Open will be played for the 125th and final time Feb. 11-17 at HP Pavilion. The second-oldest men's professional tournament in the United States will be replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning in 2014.
   The singles draw features two-time defending champion Milos Raonic of Canada, the top three Americans (John Isner, Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish), 2002 titlist and former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, and 2010 champion Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
   Headlining the doubles draw are top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan, who starred at nearby Stanford and won an Olympic gold medal last year in London. 
   Graf,  43, won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second all-time behind Margaret Court's 24. Last year, Tennis Channel ranked Graf the top female player of all time and No. 3 overall behind Roger Federer and Rod Laver.
   Roddick, 30, reached No. 1 in the world in 2003 and won the SAP Open in 2004, 2005 and 2008. He retired in September.
   Davenport, 36, climbed to No. 1 in singles and doubles. In singles, she won three Grand Slam crowns and an Olympic gold medal.
   Gimelstob, 35, gained the singles semifinals of the 2003 SAP Open. He won 13 ATP World Tour doubles titles and two Grand Slam mixed doubles crowns (both with Venus Williams).
   Here's the schedule of play for the evening sessions, beginning at 7 p.m., from Monday, Feb. 11, through Thursday, Feb. 14:
   Feb. 11 -- Fish (first-round singles) followed by another featured main-draw match.
   Feb. 12 -- Bryan brothers (first-round doubles) followed by Verdasco (first-round singles).
   Feb. 13 -- Isner followed by Alexandr Dolgopolov (both second-round singles).
   Feb. 14 -- Raonic followed by Querrey (both second-round singles).  
   Ticket packages and group tickets to the SAP Open are available by calling (408) ACE-2121. Individual session tickets will go on sale later this month. For more information, visit www.sapopentennis.com. 
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PST)
   Thursday -- Doha (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 4:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (live), 8 p.m.-midnight (delay); Hopman Cup (men, women), Tennis Channel, 12:30-6 p.m. (delay); Brisbane (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (delay).
   Friday --Brisbane (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 1-5 a.m. (live); Doha (men), singles semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5:30-9:30 a.m. (live), doubles final, 9:30-11 a.m. (live); Auckland (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 3-7 p.m. (delay); Chennai (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 7-11 p.m. (delay).  
   Saturday -- Brisbane (women), final, Tennis Channel, 1-3 a.m. (live), 9-11 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. (repeat); Brisbane (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (delay); Shenzhen (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 3-7 a.m. (repeat); Doha (men), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 a.m. (live) and 7-9 p.m. (repeat); Auckland (women), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Chennai (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Sunday (delay).
   Sunday -- Shenzhen (women), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 a.m. (delay); Hopman Cup (men, women), final, Tennis Channel, 5-10:30 a.m. (delay), 5-10:30 p.m. (repeat); Brisbane (men), final, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (delay); Chennai (men), final, Tennis Channel, 1-3 p.m. (delay); Doha (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay).

CALENDAR
   Jan. 14-27, 2013 -- AUSTRALIAN OPEN, www.australianopen.org. 2012 champions: Novak Djokovic, Victoria Azarenka, Leander Paes-Radek Stepanek, Svetlana Kuznetsova-Vera Zvonareva.
   Jan. 15 -- Sacramento State men at Stanford in spring season opener for both teams, 1:30 p.m, www.hornetsports.com, www.gostanford.com.
   Jan. 18 -- Stanford women open spring season at Freeman Invitational in Las Vegas and at NCTC Classic in Indian Wells, Calif., times TBA, www.gostanford.com. UC Davis women open spring season vs. Northern Arizona in Tempe, Ariz., 1 p.m., www.ucdavisaggies.com.
   Jan. 19 -- UC Davis men at Santa Clara in spring season opener for both teams, 10 a.m., www.ucdavisaggies.com, www.santaclarabroncos.com.
   Feb. 1 -- Sacramento State women open spring season at Arizona, 12:30 p.m., www.hornetsports.com.
   Feb. 1-3, 2013 -- Davis Cup, first round, United States vs. Brazil in Jacksonville, Fla., www.daviscup.com.
   Feb. 9-10, 2013 -- Fed Cup, first round, United States at Italy, www.fedcup.com.
   Feb. 11-17, 2013 -- SAP Open, HP Pavilion in San Jose, www.sapopentennis.com. 2012 champions: Milos Raonic, Mark Knowles-Xavier Malisse.
   March 4-17, 2013 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. 2012 champions: Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, Marc Lopez-Rafael Nadal, Liezel Huber-Lisa Raymond.
   April 26-28 -- Big Sky Conference men's and women's tournament, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.bigskyconf.com.