U.S. men record dubious first; adieu, Marion

John Isner, the top-ranked American man, fell out
of the top 20 this week but will return on Monday.
He'll face Rafael Nadal in Sunday's Cincinnati final.
2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The unthinkable happened this week.
   For the first time in the 40-year history of the men's world rankings, no American man can be found in the top 20. The top U.S. man, 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner, dropped from No. 20 to No. 22 on Monday.
   Andy Roddick, who retired last September after leading U.S. men's tennis for most of the previous 10 years, recently lamented the decline.
   "Throwing out statistics, like it's the first time since such-and-such, is fair journalism," Roddick, who won the 2003 U.S. Open for the last Grand Slam singles title by an American man, was quoted as saying in the New York Times. "That's a fact. I think I'm more concerned with what's going to happen to make it right and make it better. The other thing that seems painfully obvious when you say stuff like that is how spoiled we've been."
  Roddick was referring to International Tennis Hall of Famers Pete Sampras (14 Grand Slam singles titles), Jimmy Connors (eight), Andre Agassi (eight), Jim Courier (four) and Michael Chang (one) and himself.
   All is not lost for the United States, however. Far from it.
   Isner, whose devastating serve is the biggest weapon in men's tennis, will return to the top 20 on Monday. He has beaten three consecutive top-10 players -- No. 10 Milos Raonic of Canada, No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 7 Juan Martin del Potro (saving one match point) -- to reach Sunday's final in Cincinnati against third-ranked Rafael Nadal (CBS, 9:30 a.m. PDT).
   That makes Isner a threat to win the U.S. Open, Aug. 26-Sept. 9. The questions are whether the 28-year-old native of Greensboro, N.C., can hold up physically over two weeks of best-of-five-set matches and handle the pressure of playing in his home country.
   Isner has never advanced past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, but six years after winning a $15,000 tournament in the Sacramento suburb of Shingle Springs in his professional debut, this could be his time. He reached the quarters of the 2011 U.S. Open.
   The next American in the rankings, Sam Querrey, is No. 28 after reaching a career-high No. 17 in 2011. The 25-year-old San Francisco native, 6-foot-6 (1.96 meters), has played part-time for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis for the past two seasons.
   The United States' top prospects appear to be Jack Sock, ranked a career-high No. 87 at 20 years old, and Ryan Harrison, ranked No. 102 at 21 years old.
   Sock won the 2011 U.S. Open mixed doubles title with Melanie Oudin two weeks after turning 19 and the singles crown at the Tiburon Challenger in the San Francisco Bay area last October. Harrison climbed as high as No. 43 in the world last summer.
   Then there are Bob and Mike Bryan, widely regarded as the greatest doubles team ever with a record 15 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. The 35-year-old identical twins and former Stanford stars will seek the biggest accomplishment of their careers, a calendar-year Grand Slam, in the U.S. Open.

Marion Bartoli retired two months after winning Wimbledon
for her first Grand Slam women's singles title. 2012 photo
by Paul Bauman

   Bartoli retirement -- Tennis lost a true gem when Marion Bartoli of France abruptly announced her retirement at 28 on Wednesday because of numerous injuries. Only two months beforehand, Bartoli won Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam women's singles title.
   Everything about Bartoli was unusual -- her background, appearance, playing style, intelligence and personality.
   Bartoli grew up not on the sunny Riviera or in bustling Paris but in a snowy village in central France. She was taught not by French Tennis Federation coaches but by her physician father, Walter.
   Stocky for a pro player at 5-foot-6 (1.70 meters) and 139 pounds (63 kilograms), Bartoli employed a quirky serve and, like Hall of Famer Monica Seles, a two-handed forehand and backhand. Between points, she practiced her strokes as if she were a beginner.
   Off the court, Bartoli was down to earth, thoughtful and candid. Reputedly, she has a genius IQ.
   Bartoli played in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford for 11 consecutive years (2003-12), winning the title in 2009 and reaching the final in 2008 and 2011. Her news conference after she upset Venus Williams in the 2009 final was a classic. Here are some highlights:
   --"I give absolutely everything on the court. That's probably my biggest strength."
   --"The French federation used to tell me, 'Your dad is so stupid. He's an idiot. There's no way you can be a tennis player with him on your side.' I was looking at Venus when she was 14 or 15 and Serena. (Their father) was making them be No. 1 in the world. I was telling (the federation), 'You see, Venus came to be No. 1 with her dad on her side. Monica, too.' "
   --"I was always very ambitious. When I was 4 or 5, I told my dad, 'One day, I want to be the prime minister of France.' I remember always telling myself, 'I don't want to stay in this village forever. I want to go to the bigger city, travel the world, do something different and take my dad out of this village that doesn't see him work almost 18 hours a day and doesn't respect him.' "
   Mission accomplished.   

Bartoli out of Stanford; Capitals lose heartbreaker

Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli withdrew from next
week's Bank of the West Classic because of a hamstring
strain. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The Bank of the West Classic lost another big name.
   Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli announced Thursday that she has withdrawn from next week's tournament at Stanford because of a hamstring strain.
   Bartoli, 28, of France has played in the Bank of the West Classic every year since 2003, winning the title in 2009 and reaching the final in 2008 and 2011.
   "It's one of my favorite tournaments," the seventh-ranked Bartoli told the Associated Press.
   Second-ranked Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Bank of the West Classic earlier this week with a left hip injury, and Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki opted out last week because of a wrist problem.
   Headlining the Bank of the West Classic are Wimbledon semifinalists Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and Kristen Flipkens of Belgium and 2011 U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur.
   Former Stanford stars Mallory Burdette and Nicole Gibbs have received wild cards.
   Capitals lose heartbreaker -- In a roller-coaster match, the visiting Sacramento Capitals lost to the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers 20-19 in a Supertiebreaker. All the more galling for Sacramento, ex-Capital Vania King played a key role for Springfield.
   The Capitals have lost six straight matches after winning their first three. They likely must win their five remaining regular-season matches to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.
   Sacramento's Olga Govortsova and Megan Moulton-Levy served for the match at 19-17 in women's doubles, but King and Alisa Kleybanova broke serve to tie the set 4-4. That forced a tiebreaker, which the Springfield duo won 5-1 to send the match to a Supertiebreaker.
   King and Kleybanova prevailed 7-2 as Springfield improved to 6-3 and remained tied for first place with Orange County in the Western Conference.
   King, a two-time Grand Slam champion in women's doubles, played all of part of the past three seasons for Sacramento after being named the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield.
   Kleybanova, who reached No. 20 in the world in singles in 2011, returned to competition in May after battling Hodgkin's lymphoma for two years. 
   Sacramento trailed 10-5 after men's doubles and mixed doubles but rallied in men's singles and women's singles to lead 15-14. Ryan Sweeting won in singles for the first time in six attempts, beating Rik de Voest 5-3, and Govortsova routed Kleybanova 5-1.

SPRINGFIELD 20, CAPITALS 19 (Supertiebreaker)

In Springfield, Mo.

   Men's doubles -- Jean Julien-Rojer and Rik de Voest (Springfield) def. Mark Knowles and Ryan Sweeting, 5-2.
   Mixed doubles -- Alisa Kleybanova and Rojer (Springfield) def. Olga Govortsova and Sweeting, 5-3.
   Men's singles -- Sweeting (Capitals) def. de Voest, 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Govortsova (Capitals) def. Kleybanova, 5-1.
   Women's doubles -- Kleybanova and Vania King (Springfield) def. Govortsova and Megan Moulton-Levy, 5-4.
   Supertiebreaker -- Kleybanova and King (Springfield) def. Govortsova and Moulton-Levy, 7-2.  

Sharapova out of Stanford; Caps' tailspin continues

   The Bank of the West Classic lost Maria Sharapova and Sabine Lisicki, but it still has Marion Bartoli.
   The second-ranked Sharapova withdrew from next week's tournament at Stanford with a left hip injury, tournament officials announced Monday.
   Sharapova lost to Michelle Larcher de Brito, who played for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis at 14 six years ago, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round at Wimbledon last month. Sharapova tumbled several times during the match and took a medical timeout for a hip injury.
   The 26-year-old Russian announced on her website Saturday that she had hired Jimmy Connors to replace Thomas Hogstedt as her coach. 
   Lisicki, the runner-up to Bartoli in the Wimbledon final, pulled out of the Bank of the West Classic last week with a wrist problem.
   The seventh-ranked Bartoli will make her 11th consecutive appearance in the Bank of the West Classic. She reached the final in 2008, 2009 and 2011, beating Venus Williams for the 2009 title.
   Bartoli is one of three entrants to have won a Grand Slam singles title. Samantha Stosur of Australia took the 2011 U.S. Open crown, and Francesca Schiavone of Italy captured the 2010 French Open title. 
   The field also includes fourth-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, recent Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium and Americans Varvara Lepchenko, Jamie Hampton and Madison Keys. 
   For more information, go to www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals lose again -- Olga Govortsova fared even worse than Irina Falconi for Sacramento, and Ryan Sweeting continued to struggle.
   The result was the Capitals' fourth consecutive loss, 21-13 to the Orange County Breakers in Irvine. The teams were tied 11-11 at intermission, but Govortsova and Sweeting lost 5-1 in women's singles and men's singles, respectively, to end the match.
   Sacramento's Taylor Townsend, 17, missed her second straight contest with a strained abdominal muscle. Falconi replaced her in Sunday's 23-10 loss at Texas and dropped her two sets (women's singles and women's doubles) by a combined score of 10-3. Govortsova, 24, of Belarus took over on Monday and fell 10-2 overall in the same sets.
   Sweeting, 26, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has won only one of his eight sets (men's singles and men's doubles) for Sacramento this season.
   At the midpoint of the regular season, the Capitals (3-4) rank first in the eight-team league in mixed doubles with Mark Knowles and Megan Moulton-Levy, fourth in women's doubles, fifth in men's doubles, seventh in women's singles and last in men's singles.
   Clay Court Shootout -- Mackenzie McDonald of Piedmont and seven others won division titles in last week's Olympic Club Har-Tru Clay Court Shootout in San Francisco.
   Other champions were Lidia L. Dukic of Santa Clara, Andy Huang of Fremont, Grace Lin of South San Francisco, Kailas Shekar of Cupertino, Pamela Duke of San Jose, Joshua Leopold of Santa Clara and Katie Volynets of Walnut Creek.
   Each division winner received a $500 travel voucher for this week's USTA Boys and Girls National Clay Court Championships at various sites in the Southeast. 

ORANGE COUNTY 21, CAPITALS 13

In Irvine, Calif.

   Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles and Megan Moulton-Levy (Capitals) def. Treat Huey and Maria Elena Camerin, 5-3.
   Women's doubles -- Camerin and CoCo Vandeweghe (Orange County) def. Olga Govortsova and Moulton-Levy, 5-1.
   Men's doubles -- Knowles and Ryan Sweeting (Capitals) def. Huey and Steve Johnson, 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Vandeweghe (Orange County) def. Govortsova, 5-1.
   Men's singles -- Johnson (Orange County) def. Sweeting, 5-1.    

Sharapova's conqueror doubtful for Gold River

   Michelle Larcher de Brito's stunning upset of Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon today probably is bad news for the $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   The former Sacramento Capital in World TeamTennis tentatively would be seeded second in the tournament, Monday though July 6 at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area.
   But Larcher de Brito, a 20-year-old qualifier from Portugal, will meet unseeded Karin Knapp of Italy on Friday in the third round at Wimbledon. The winner of that match will play on Monday. No matches are scheduled on the middle Sunday.

Maria Sharapova lost to former Sacramento Capital Michelle
Larcher de Brito in the second round at Wimbledon.
2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Even if Larcher de Brito loses on Friday, she is unlikely to fly to Sacramento to play on hardcourts in extreme heat so soon after competing on grass in cool London, according to Gold River spokesman Clint Swett.
   Five top-200 players are entered in Gold River: No. 114 Maria Sanchez, the defending champion originally from Modesto; No. 131 Larcher de Brito; No. 143 Casey Dellacqua of Australia; No. 164 Chanel Simmonds of South Africa; and No. 175 Julie Coin of France. The tournament also could lose Dellacqua, who remains alive in women's doubles and mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
   Larcher de Brito ousted Sharapova, the third seed and 2004 champion, 6-3, 6-4 on Court 2 in the second round at Wimbledon. The 5-foot-5 (1.65-meter) Larcher de Brito outslugged the 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) Sharapova in the one-hour, 34-minute match.
   Sharapova, 26, saved four match points in the last game on Larcher de Brito's serve before netting a forehand for her earliest loss at a Grand Slam tournament since falling to fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko in the first round of the 2010 Australian Open.
   "It's frustrating," Sharapova, a former world No. 1 who has won all four Grand Slam tournaments once, told reporters after the first match of her career against Larcher de Brito. "You don't want to lose matches, whether it's early or late in the draw, but this tournament is extremely special, so it's especially tough to lose here.
   "But I'm going to keep my head high about it because there's no other way. I'll find the positives out of what I have done today and in my career, set new goals and try to just keep moving forward."
   Larcher de Brito had beaten three top-20 players in her career but never a top-10 opponent.
   "I'm really excited," said Larcher de Brito, who speaks fluent English because she has a South African mother and trained under Nick Bollettieri in Florida. "I really can't believe it. It's a little bit of shock and excitement. I'm just really happy I got through that match. It was a really great win for me.
   "The end was really nerve-wracking. I tried to stay calm. I gave it my all. It was 5-4. If I lost that, it would have been 5-all. If it were 5-all, it would have been tough to get back up again, because she was serving, and she was serving extremely well. I thought, 'Now or never.' ... "
   Larcher de Brito already has had a long, rocky career. She turned pro in February 2007, nine days after her 14th birthday. Larcher de Brito became the seventh-youngest player to win a WTA main-draw match the following month and the youngest player in WTT history that summer, helping Sacramento win the last of its record six league titles.
   American Madison Keys surpassed Larcher de Brito for the WTT record by 19 days two years later as a 14-year-old with the Philadelphia Freedoms. The 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) Keys is now ranked a career-high 53rd at 18 years old.
   Wayne Bryan, who will return for the 12th year as the Capitals' coach next month, said in 2007 that Larcher de Brito had top-10 potential.
   "She has magic hands," Bryan, the father and first coach of doubles stars Bob and Mike Bryan, told The Sacramento Bee. "She has a huge forehand and backhand, and she plays close to the baseline. She takes your breath away when she hits groundstrokes. She hits the ball really hard."
   Larcher de Brito seemed to be on her way in 2009, advancing to the third round of the French Open and climbing to a career-high No. 76 at 16 years old. But she struggled from then until this week. Playing largely in tennis' minor leagues, Larcher de Brito had not won a main-draw match on the WTA tour since last July.
   "When I was 16, when I was in the top 100, everybody was comparing me to like Martina Hingis and expecting me to win a Grand Slam at that age," Larcher de Brito said. "But that doesn't happen anymore, winning Grand Slams so young. Tennis is such a competitive sport now and so hard, it's just really hard to stay there.
   "But I just tried to keep going, and now I'm here again, and I hope to keep doing well all year."
   Larcher de Brito's parents, Antonio and Caroline, gave her moral support through the hard times. Antonio is Portuguese.
   "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my parents," said Larcher de Brito, whose great grandfather was French (hence the name Larcher, which she pronounces LAR-sher and is pronounced Lar-SHAY in French). "I'm not one of those players who is going to make up excuses like I was sick or injured, none of that. I simply wasn't playing well. I had no motivation.
   "I'm just lucky I had my parents next to me, supporting me, helping me to keep going. It was really tough for me at one stage. The only people I had left were my mom, my dad, my brothers. They were supporting me through this really tough time. Now they're still here with me when I'm succeeding.
   "I'm not going to lie. I did drop off the radar a little bit. That's just why it makes the wins that much sweeter. I'm really grateful to have a wonderful family that supported me all these years."
   Knapp, Larcher de Brito's next opponent, advanced with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over 27th-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic. Until this week, the 25-year-old Knapp had never won a main-draw match at Wimbledon. She is ranked No. 104 after reaching a career-high No. 35 in 2008..
   The 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) Knapp is 1-0 lifetime against Larcher de Brito, prevailing 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (1) in the final round of qualifying for the 2011 U.S. Open.
   The winner of the match between Larcher de Brito and Knapp could face 15th-seeded Marion Bartoli, the Wimbledon runner-up in 2007, in the fourth round.
   In the first round of women's doubles, Megan Moulton-Levy of Washington, D.C., and Shuai Zhang of China defeated Mona Barthel of Germany and Liga Dekmeijere of Latvia 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
   The 5-foot- (1.52-meter) Moulton-Levy, 28, is scheduled to make her WTT debut for the Capitals on July 7. She and Zhang will meet 12th-seeded Ashleigh Barty, a 17-year-old Australian, and Dellacqua in the second round.
   Barty and Dellacqua, a 28-year-old left-hander, in January became the first Aussie women to reach the Australian Open final since 1977. They lost to top-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.
   In the opening round of men's doubles, 14th-seeded Rohan Bopanna of India and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France topped Jarkko Nieminen of Finland and Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 7-6 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (6).
   Nieminen and Tursunov, who's based in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, won the Munich title on clay last month in only their second tournament together.

Sharapova, Radwanska head Stanford field

Maria Sharapova. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Two of the top four women in the world are scheduled to play in next month's Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
   Unfortunately, one of them is not Serena Williams, who has won the last two titles.
   No. 3 Maria Sharapova of Russia and No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland head the field, announced today, for the July 22-28 tournament. Both players will make their fourth appearance at Stanford after competing from 2009 through 2011.
    For Williams, the Bank of the West is a sentimental tournament. After missing 11 months because of health problems, she won her first title at Stanford in 2011 in the third tournament of her comeback. During her layoff, Williams underwent two foot operations and suffered life-threatening blood clots in her lungs.
   Sharapova , who lost to Williams in the French Open final on Saturday, has won each of the four Grand Slam tournaments once. In the Bank of the West Classic, she fell to Venus Williams in the 2009 quarterfinals, Victoria Azarenka in the 2010 final and Serena Williams in the 2011 quarterfinals.

Agnieszka Radwanska. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Radwanska reached last year's Wimbledon final, losing to Serena Williams. In the Bank of the West, Radwanska fell to Daniela Hantuchova in the second round in 2009, Sharapova in the 2010 semifinals and Sabine Lisicki in the 2011 quarterfinals.
   This year's Bank of the West field also features Grand Slam singles champions Samantha Stosur of Australia and Francesca Schiavone of Italy and 2009 tournament champion Marion Bartoli of France.
   Stosur, the 2011 U.S. Open titlist, will make her sixth appearance in the Bank of the West Classic. She reached the semifinals in 2009 and 2010.
   Schiavone, the 2010 French Open winner who will turn 33 on June 23, has fallen to 45th in the rankings. She advanced to the Bank of the West semifinals 10 years ago and last played in the tournament five years ago.

Marion Bartoli. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Bartoli, 28, will make her 11th consecutive appearance in the Bank of the West Classic. She has reached three finals, losing to Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada in 2008, beating Venus Williams in 2009 and falling to Serena Williams in 2011.
   Three Americans are entered this year. Varvara Lepchenko, a 27-year-old native of Uzbekistan, tops the list at No. 28 in the world. Jamie Hampton, 23, rose to a career-high No. 42 after reaching the fourth round of the recent French Open. Madison Keys, 5-foot-10 (1.78 meters), advanced to the third round of the Australian Open shortly before turning 18 on Feb. 17. She is ranked a career-high No. 53.
   American CoCo Vandeweghe, who reached the 2012 Bank of the West final as a qualifier, is not ranked high enough at No. 113 for direct entry this year but could receive a wild card.
   The Bank of the West Classic features a 28-player singles draw and 16-team doubles field. In its 43rd year, it is the longest-running women-only tournament in the world. In addition to Serena Williams, past champions include Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger,  Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
   For ticket information, go to www.bankofthewestclassic.com. See below for the full acceptance list.
   Querrey milestone -- Sixth-seeded Sam Querrey recorded the 200th match win of his career, edging Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia 7-6 (11), 5-7, 7-6 (5) in the second round of the Aegon Championships in London. Bedene was playing only the second grass-court match of his career.
   Querrey, a 25-year-old native of San Francisco and part-time member of the Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis, won the 2010 title in London. He'll face either 10th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria or unseeded Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the third round.
   Dimitrov, known as "Baby Fed" because his fluid strokes are similar to Roger Federer's, upset top-ranked Novak Djokovic on clay in the second round at Madrid last month. Dimitrov, 22, also is Sharapova's boyfriend. 
   Hewitt, 32, won the London title from 2000 through 2002 and in 2006.

BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

Acceptance list

Name, Country, Rank
Sharapova, Maria, RUS, 3
Radwanska, Agnieszka, POL, 4
Stosur, Samantha, AUS, 14
Bartoli, Marion, FRA, 15
Cibulkova, Dominika, SVK, 18
Flipkens, Kristen, BEL, 20
Cirstea, Sorana, ROU, 24
Lisicki, Sabine, GER, 26
Lepchenko, Varvara, USA, 28
Paszek, Tamira, AUT, 29
Goerges, Julia, GER, 36
Radwanska, Urszaula, POL, 38
Hampton, Jamie, USA, 42
Wickmayer, Yanina, BEL, 43
Schiavone, Francesca, ITA, 45
Rybarikova, Magdalena, SVK, 47
Niculescu, Monica, ROU, 48
Morita, Ayumi, JAP, 49
Voegele, Stefani, SUI, 51
Madison, Keys, USA, 53

Serena advances, but No. 2 and 3 seeds fall

   Serena Williams' toughest foe this week might be jet lag.
   Williams still hasn't adjusted to California time after flying from London on Monday, but it hasn't hurt her on the court at Stanford.
   The top seed and defending champion dismissed sixth-seeded Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-4, 6-0 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic. Williams has lost only seven total games in two matches after receiving a first-round bye.
   Williams woke up at Friday at 1 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep. So she watched several episodes of  "Desperate Housewives."
   "I was wide-awake,” Williams told reporters. “It was like I was still in Europe. So I finished 'Desperate Housewives,' which was amazing. It’s my favorite show ever. I finally got back to sleep around 6. What stinks is I have to go back very soon (for the Olympics), and I’ll have to readjust again. But it’s OK.”

   Meanwhile, the second and third seeds lost at Stanford. No. 2 Marion Bartoli of France fell to No. 5 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-3, 6-2, and No. 3 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia wilted against No. 9 Sorana Cirstea 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-0. 

   Bartoli, who had never lost a set in three matches against Wickmayer, double-faulted nine times. She won the 2009 Bank of the West Classic, beating Venus Williams in three sets, and lost in the 2008 and 2011 finals.     

   Cibulkova reached the Bank of the West semifinals last year and the quarterfinals in 2008.
   The 6-foot Wickmayer, a U.S. Open semifinalist in 2009 and Bank of the West quarterfinalist in 2010, will face 6-foot-1 CoCo Vandeweghe in today's semis at 1 p.m. Williams and Cirstea will square off at 7 p.m. Both matches will be first-time meetings.
   Vandeweghe, a part-time Sacramento Capital in World TeamTennis from the San Diego area, beat Urszula Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 6-4 to reach her first WTA semifinal. Vandeweghe also become the first lucky loser in a Premier semifinal since Samantha Stosur in 2006 at New Haven.  
   "I was pretty mad about losing in the last round in qualifying," said Vandeweghe, who avenged a loss to Radwanska one month ago in the final of a minor-league tournament on grass at Nottingham. "I had the match on my racquet and didn't play well on that day -- of course you can't play well every day. But I seem to be doing a pretty good job of picking myself back up and putting a lot of good matches together these days.
   "I've been putting a lot of hard work in, on and off the court, and I knew it would translate into my matches sometime. And I'm glad it's here in Stanford."
   World TeamTennis in Citrus Heights, Calif. -- The good news for the Capitals is that they won their third straight match Friday night. The bad news is that marquee player Mardy Fish completed his two-match stint with the team.
   Fish, ranked 13th in the world in singles after reaching a career-high No. 7 last August, won both of his sets for the second night in a row as Sacramento routed the Orange County Breakers 24-14 at Sunrise Mall. 
   Ryan Sweeting, ranked No. 116, is scheduled to take over tonight at Orange County (1-2) in his last match of the season for the Capitals (3-1). Sweeting, a 25-year-old American, suffered back spasms in Sacramento's season-opening loss at Boston and missed the Capitals' victory at Philadelphia the following night.
   Sacramento won four of the five sets against Orange County, which received a 5-4 victory in women's doubles from Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Jana Juricova.
   Mark Knowles, 40, and Sacramento-area resident Yasmin Schnack got the Capitals off to a fast start with a 5-0 victory over Travis Parrott and Jana Juricova in mixed doubles. 

   In 2009, Knowles and Groenefeld won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title, and Parrott took the U.S. Open mixed crown with Carly Gullickson. Juricova, a former NCAA singles and doubles champion from Slovakia, completed her eligibility at Cal in May. 

BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

At Stanford

Singles quarterfinals

   Serena Williams (1), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., def. Chanelle Scheepers (6), South Africa, 6-4, 6-0.
   Yanina Wickmayer (5), Belgium, def. Marion Bartoli (2), France, 6-3, 6-2.
   Sorana Cirstea (9), Romania, def. Dominika Cibulkova (3), Slovakia, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-0.   CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) d. Urszula Radwanska, Poland, 6-4, 6-4.

Today's schedule 

Stadium (starting at 1 p.m.)

   CoCo Vandeweghe, Rancho Santa Fe, vs. Yanina Wickmayer (5), Belgium.
   Jarmila Gajdosova, Australia, and Vania King (1), Boynton Beach, Fla., vs. Yung-Jan Chan and Hao-Ching Chan (4), Taiwan.
   Serena Williams (1), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., vs. Sorana Cirstea (9), Romania (not before 7 p.m.).
   Natalie Grandin, South Africa, and Vladimira Uhlirova (3), Czech Republic, vs. Marina Erakovic, New Zealand, and Heather Watson, Great Britain.

WORLD TEAMTENNIS

Capitals 24, Orange County 14

In Citrus Heights, Calif.

   Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Travis Parrott-Jana Juricova (Breakers) 5-0.
   Women's doubles -- Anna-Lena Groenefeld-Jana Juricova (Breakers) def. Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-4.
   Men's doubles -- Mardy Fish-Mark Knowles (Capitals) def. Travis Parrott-John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Asia Muhammad (Capitals) def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Breakers) 5-4.
   Men's singles -- Mardy Fish (Capitals) def. John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) 5-2.

WEEKEND TV SCHEDULE

(All times PDT)

   Today -- Newport, Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Jennifer Capriati, Gustavo Kuerten, Manuel Orantes, Randy Snow and Mike Davies), Tennis Channel, 9:30-10:30 a.m. (live); Newport (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (live); Stanford (women), semifinals, ESPN2, 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. (live); Stuttgart (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 3-7 p.m. (delay); Bastad (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 7-11 p.m. (delay).

   Sunday -- Newport (men), final, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (live); Stanford (women), final,  ESPN2, 1-3 p.m. (live); Stuttgart (men), final, Tennis Channel, 1-3 pm. (delay); Bastad (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Umag (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (delay); Palermo (women), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 p.m. (delay).

CALENDAR

   Today -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, semifinals, 1 and 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Sunday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, singles final at 1 p.m., doubles final to follow. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Monday -- 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, 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.

King pulls off first win over a top-10 singles player

   Vania King, a doubles star on the WTA tour, recorded the biggest singles victory of her career Wednesday.
   The 22-year-old member of the Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis stunned 10th-ranked Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the $220,000 Hansol Korea Open in Seoul, South Korea.
   King, ranked ninth in doubles and 98th in singles, had been 0-16 against top-10 players since turning pro in July 2006. In her last match against Bartoli, King had lost 6-1, 6-2 in the first round at Brisbane, Australia, in January.
   King won the first four games of Wednesday's match and overcame a 4-2 deficit in the second set. Bartoli, seeded second, finished with 17 double faults.
   "I'm very excited to win today," King said on the WTA Web site. "Last time I played her, I won just two (sic) games, but I've changed a lot and improved things in the last year. I'm much more confident in my abilities and have been working hard to be more creative. I'm happy this hard work is starting to show on court."
   King and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year and reached the final at Flushing Meadows, N.Y., two weeks ago. Shvedova, 5-foot-11, provides the power and King, 5-5, the quickness.
   Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon runner-up, will turn 27 on Oct. 2. She has reached the Stanford final in three of the last four years, beating Venus Williams for the 2009 title.
   King, who's not playing doubles in Seoul, will meet unseeded Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic in Friday's quarterfinals. Zakopalova, also 5-5, demolished seventh-seeded Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania 6-1, 6-1.
    "I played against Zakopalova about a year and a half ago," said King, who's 3-0 lifetime against the 29-year-old veteran ranked No. 43. "She has improved a lot since then -- today she won her match in less than an hour. I will need to be really focused to beat her."   
   Davis Cup draw -- If there was one unseeded team the United States didn't want to meet in the first round of the Davis Cup next year, it was Switzerland.
   But that's who the Americans, featuring doubles stars and former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan, drew in the ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand. That means, barring injury, the United States will face Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka.
   In singles, Federer has won a record 16 Grand Slam titles, and Wawrinka is ranked 19th after reaching a career-high ninth in 2008. In doubles, they won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
   Wait, it gets worse for the Americans. Switzerland will host the best-of-five-match series, Feb. 10-12. The rosters and exact location will be announced at a later date.
   The United States lost to Spain, playing without injured Rafael Nadal, in Austin, Texas, in this year's quarterfinals in July. Switzerland qualified for the World Group by coming from behind to beat host Australia 3-2 last weekend.
   The United States has won a record 32 Davis Cup titles, most recently in 2007 over Folsom resident Dmitry Tursunov and Russia in Portland, Ore. That U.S. team consisted of Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryans.
   Tursunov won the deciding match Sunday as host Russia rallied to defeat Brazil and remain in the World Group. The Russians will play at Austria in February. 

Serena tops ailing Bartoli for title

   STANFORD -- It was all so ironic.
   Serena Williams, who returned to the circuit in June after enduring serious health problems, benefited from Marion Bartoli's injury Sunday in the final of the Bank of the West Classic. Bartoli, in turn, had played only one set in the quarterfinals and semifinals combined because of her opponents' injuries.
   The unseeded Williams, playing in only the third tournament of her comeback, defeated
the third-seeded Bartoli of France 7-5, 6-1 for her first title since Wimbledon last year. It was also Williams' first crown at Stanford, first in a non-Grand Slam or season-ending tournament in more than three years and first on the U.S. summer circuit since 2000.
   After delivering a 113-mph service winner on her first match point, Williams joyously dropped her racket, put her head in her hands and raised her fists in triumph.
   "I'm really happy because I put a lot of work into this week," said the former world No. 1, who will rise from No. 169 to the top 80. "It was a relief because Marion is always coming back."
   Not this time. Pounding her serve and dominating rallies with her two-handed forehand and backhand, Bartoli led 4-2 in the first set. In the sixth game, however, the right-hander apparently jammed her right hand with her racket and bruised a bone. Williams won 10 of the next 11 games, including eight in a row after Bartoli served for the first set at 5-4.
   "I was not able to grip the racket on my serve and forehand," said Bartoli, who lost five straight service games, double-faulting six times in the first four, after the injury.
   Bartoli, ranked a career-high ninth, didn't want to use the injury as an excuse but admitted that it "disturbed me. I can still walk away saying I played some great tennis in the first seven games." She said she plans to practice this week and play in Toronto next week.
   Williams, meanwhile, reduced her errors and dominated on her serve, reputedly the best in the history of women's tennis, when the sun wasn't in her eyes. She finished with 11 aces.
   "(Bartoli) was playing really aggressively and well," Williams said of her early deficit. "I was not doing what I could have done. I had to bring up the level of my game. She's clearly a brilliant player."
   Bartoli appeared in the Bank of the West final for the third time in four years. Her only title came in 2009, when she upset Venus Williams in the final. Last month, Bartoli defeated Serena in straight sets in the fourth round at Wimbledon for her first career victory over the American star after two losses.
   Serena has improved since Wimbledon, Bartoli said.
   "Absolutely. I said it even before the match. She has improved from Monday to today, so you can imagine how much she has improved in one month," Bartoli said.    
   Shortly after winning Wimbledon last year for her 13th Grand Slam singles title, Williams stepped on broken glass at a restaurant and twice had surgery. Then she suffered life-threatening blood clots, extending her layoff to 11 months.
   "I love winning majors, obviously, but I feel so blessed to be out here," Williams said. "You never know what tomorrow brings."
   In the doubles final, second-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Maria Kirilenko of Russia routed top-seeded Liezel Huber of Houston and Lisa Raymond of Wayne, Pa., 6-1, 6-3.
   Raymond, 37, leads active players with 70 career doubles titles. Huber, a 34-year-old American citizen originally from South Africa, ranks fourth with 44.

Serena, Bartoli have an easy time

   Fans didn't get to see much singles Saturday at Stanford.
   During the day session, third-seeded Marion Bartoli of France reached the final of the Bank of the West Classic without hitting a ball as eighth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defaulted because of a strained abdominal muscle.
   At night, Serena Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., brushed aside Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-1, 6-2 in 59 minutes in a matchup of unseeded players. Williams advanced to her first final since winning Wimbledon last year.
    "I have never played her before, so I did not know what to expect," said Lisicki, who reached her first Grand Slam semifinal recently at Wimbledon. "I’m not used to having the ball come back at me so hard. It was a new experience, a learning experience."
   Williams is 2-1 against Bartoli, who won the last meeting in straight sets in the fourth round at Wimbledon in June. It was Williams' second tournament since returning from an 11-month absence caused by an off-the-court foot injury and life-threatening blood clots in her lungs.
   "I’m a much better player now – I was really struggling there," Williams said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself, being the defending champ and having a lot to lose."
   This is the 26-year-old Bartoli's ninth consecutive year in the Bank of the West Classic. After failing to advance past the second round in the first five years, she has reached the final in three of the past four years. She upset Venus Williams for the 2009 title and was the runner-up to Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada in 2008.
   Serena Williams, 29, is playing in the Bank of the West Classic for only the third year. The former world No. 1 reached the semifinals in 2008 and the quarterfinals in 2009.
   Ranked No. 169, Williams will rise to the top 80 with a victory today and approximately  No. 110 with a loss.
   Both finalists will be fresh.
   Aside from her three-set victory over Maria Kirilenko in the second round, Williams has lost only seven games in three matches. She blanked former Sacramento Capital Anastasia Rodionova 6-0, 6-0 in the first round.
   Bartoli, ranked a career-high No. 9, has played only three sets in the tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, she won in straight sets in the second round and triumphed 6-1, retired in the quarterfinals before Cibulkova's default.
   "This has never happened to me, but there’s not much I can do about it," Bartoli said. "It’s a shame Dominika had to be put out. It will be an extremely tough match (today), and I need to get ready."

Results - Saturday, July 30, 2011
Singles - Semifinals
(3) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. (8/WC) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) w/o (left abdominal strain)
Serena Williams (USA) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) 61 62
Doubles - Semifinals
(1) Huber/Raymond (USA/USA) d. Aoyama/Fujiwara (JPN/JPN) 61 62
(2) Azarenka/Kirilenko (BLR/RUS) d. (3) Goerges/Zahlavova Strycova (GER/CZE) 46 63 105 (Match TB)
Order Of Play - Sunday, July 31, 2011
Stadium (from 12.00hrs)
1. Singles Final: Marion Bartoli vs. Serena Williams
2. Doubles Final: Huber/Raymond vs. Azarenka/Kirilenko

Serena aces test against Sharapova

   Look out, women's tennis.
   Serena Williams is returning to form quickly.
   In only her third tournament since an 11-month layoff, the unseeded Williams routed second-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-3 Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
   "I had a good start," Williams said of the matchup between former No. 1 players in the world. “You can’t go in against the fifth-ranked player with your mind everywhere. You have to be serious. It’s a great win for the hardcourt season."
      Added Williams: "I’m a better player this month than I was last month. I’ve put in a lot of work, and I hope it continues to pay off."
    Williams improved to 7-2 against Sharapova with six straight victories.
    "It certainly wasn’t my night," said Sharapova, who at 17 shocked two-time defending champion Williams to win the 2004 Wimbledon title. "She was serving and hitting so well, and I was extremely late in my reactions. I felt sluggish. It was a bad day, but it’s also a reminder that I need to step up."
   With Sharapova's loss, both of last year's Bank of the West finalists have been eliminated. Top seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka fell to qualifier Marina Erakovic of New Zealand on Thursday.
   Erakovic, however, fell to eighth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
   In today's semifinals, third-seeded Marion Bartoli of France will meet Cibulkova at
1 p.m., and Williams will face unseeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany at 7 p.m.
   Bartoli won the Bank of the West in 2009 and reached the final in 2008. Lisicki, 20, recently reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon.
   Kendrick suspended -- Former top-100 player Robert Kendrick, a Fresno native, was suspended for one year by the International Tennis Federation after testing positive for a banned drug at the French Open.
   Kendrick, 31, said the drug came from a capsule he took to fight jet lag.
   Ranked a career-high No. 69 in 2009, Kendrick has fallen to No. 105. He reached the final of the Sacramento Challenger last October and in 2008, and he won the 2007 doubles title with Brian Wilson.
   Wayne Odesnik, the 2007 Sacramento Challenger singles champion, returned to action early this year after a one-year suspension for a doping violation.

Results - Friday, July 29, 2011
Singles - Quarterfinals
Serena Williams (USA) d. (2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) 61 63.
(3) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 61 ret. (right ankle injury).
Sabine Lisicki (GER) d. (5) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 76(4) 26 62.
(8/WC) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. (Q) Marina Erakovic (NZL) 61 61.
Doubles - Quarterfinals
(1) Huber/Raymond (USA/USA) d. Fichman/Pelletier (CAN/CAN) 62 64.

Order Of Play - Saturday, July 30, 2011
Stadium (from 13.00hrs)
1. Dominika Cibulkova vs. Marion Bartoli.
2. Goerges/Zahlavova Strycova vs. Azarenka/Kirilenko.
3. Sabine Lisicki vs. Serena Williams (NB 19.00hrs).
4. Huber/Raymond vs. Aoyama/Fujiwara.

Sharapova advances in Bank of the West

   Maria Sharapova did her part. Now it's up to Serena Williams.
   Sharapova, a Russian seeded second, outlasted Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 Wednesday night in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
   If Williams beats Maria Kirilenko of Russia on Thursday afternoon, she will meet Sharapova in Friday's quarterfinals in a matchup of former No. 1 players in the world.
   Williams is unseeded at No. 169 after missing 11 months because of foot injuries and life-threatening blood clots in her lungs. She returned to the circuit last month and is playing in her first tournament in the United States in almost two years.
   Also winning Wednesday were third-seeded Marion Bartoli of France, fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and eighth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.
   The 5-foot-3 Cibulkova, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist this year, ousted 19-year-old American Christina McHale, the youngest player in the top 100, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
   Bartoli won the Bank of the West Classic in 2009 and reached the final in 2008. Radwanska gained the semifinals last year and Cibulkova the quarterfinals in 2008.
   In the doubles quarterfinals Wednesday, Wimbledon runners-up Sabine Lisicki of Germany and Samantha Stosur of Australia lost to third-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 match tiebreaker.

Serena shuts out ex-Capital Rodionova

   Serena Williams apparently feels pretty good these days.
   The 13-time Grand Slam singles champion demolished Anastasia Rodionova, a former Sacramento Capital, 6-0, 6-0 in 47 minutes Tuesday night in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
   It probably didn't hurt that Williams played on the surface she grew up on, hard courts, in her home state. Serena and older sister Venus were raised in Compton in the Los Angeles area but now live in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
   Serena, who will turn 30 in September, is playing in only her third tournament since missing 11 months because of foot injuries and life-threatening blood clots. The Bank of the West Classic is her first tournament in the United States in almost two years.
   On Thursday, the 169th-ranked Williams will meet Russia's Maria Kirilenko, a quarterfinalist last year who beat sixth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany 6-2, 6-3. Williams defeated Kirilenko 6-3, 6-2 last month in the third round at Wimbledon before losing to Marion Bartoli of France.
   In another upset Tuesday, Japan's Ayumi Morita knocked off seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-3, 7-5.
   Second-seeded Maria Sharapova, last year's runner-up to Victoria Azarenka, opens against Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia tonight at 7.  The top four seeds -- No. 1 Azarenka of Belarus, Sharapova, No. 3 Bartoli and No. 4 Samantha Stosur of Australia -- received first-round byes.
   If Williams and Sharapova win, they will meet Friday night in the quarterfinals in a matchup of former No. 1 players. It would also be a rematch of the 2004 Wimbledon final, in which Sharapova, then 17, stunned the two-time defending champion for the first of her three Grand Slam singles titles.