Federer routs Nishikori in Basel final

   As they say, be careful what you wish for.
   Wild card Kei Nishikori, who said Saturday that he always wanted to play Roger Federer, lost to the third-seeded superstar 6-1, 6-3 Sunday in the final of the $2.6 million Swiss Indoors in Basel.
   "I think I started a little bit nervous, even though at the same time I was excited to play in the final here with Roger,” Nishikori, who's coached by Brad Gilbert of San Rafael, said on the ATP World Tour's Web site. “I’m a bit disappointed with how I played today, as it didn’t go well, but it’s always going to be tough against him. ... His tennis was too good for me. I felt like I couldn’t do anything.”
   Nishikori, 21, of Japan rose eight spots to a career-high No. 24 in the world. He was seeking his second ATP World Tour title after winning Delray Beach three years ago. The right-hander underwent surgery on his right elbow in August 2009 and plunged to No. 898 early last year.
   The Basel final was Nishikori's second of the season. He lost to Ryan Sweeting of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on clay in Houston in April.
   “Every match is a good experience, especially when you’re playing Top 10 guys,” Nishikori said. “It’s a different level, and I’ve learned from these matches.”
   Federer ended a 10-month title drought, his longest since he went 11 months between the first two crowns of his career in 2001 and 2002. The Basel title was his fifth in his hometown tournament and marked the fifth time he was won an event at least that many times.
   Bryans win another title -- Top seeds and former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan won their second title in two weeks, beating unseeded Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-4, 7-6 (9) in the $2.85 million Valencia (Spain) Open.
   The 33-year-old twin sons of Sacramento Capitals coach Wayne Bryan were playing in the indoor, hardcourt tournament for the first time since 2003, when the event was played on clay. The title was their eighth of the year, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and record 75th of their career.
   Butorac played for the Capitals in 2008.
   Querrey loses in qualifying -- Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native, fell to fifth-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-1 in the second (final) round of qualifying for the $3.78 million BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.
   The 6-foot-6 Querrey reached the semifinals of the Sacramento Challenger and the final of the Tiburon Challenger last month, losing to 6-10 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia each time.
   Two former Sacramento champions, Donald Young (2008) of Atlanta and Santiago Giraldo (2009) of Colombia, advanced to the main draw.
   NorCal showdown -- In an all-Northern California matchup, fourth-seeded Yasmin Schnack downed Maria Sanchez 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of qualifying for the $75,000 Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic in Phoenix.
   Schnack, from the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove, and Sanchez, from Modesto, won the doubles title in the $25,000 Oak River Rehab Challenger in Redding in September.
 

Nishikori stuns Djokovic, will meet Federer in final

  Kei Nishikori recently became the highest-ranked Japanese man in history.
  He added another distinction Saturday, becoming the first man from his country to beat a world No. 1.
   The 21-year-old wild card, coached by Brad Gilbert of San Rafael, stunned Novak Djokovic 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-0 in the semifinals of the $2.6 million Swiss Indoors in Basel.
   “It’s unbelievable,” the 32nd-ranked Nishikori told reporters. “In the second set I started playing well and getting a rhythm.”
   Nishikori will meet third-seeded Roger Federer in today's final (live at 6 a.m. PST and taped at 7:30 p.m. on Tennis Channel). Federer, the defending champion and four-time winner in his hometown, defeated countryman Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (5), 6-2.
   “I’ve always wanted to play Roger," Nishikori said on the ATP World Tour's Web site. "Before the tournament, I was wishing to play him, but I was on the other side of the draw and knew I would need to make the final to have a chance to play him. It will be a good challenge for me to play against him."
   The right-handed Djokovic, who was within two points of victory in the second set, was treated for a right shoulder injury during the match.
   "I changed the technique of my serve a little bit. I was forcing it too much because of the injury I have," said Djokovic, who might withdraw from this week's Paris Masters. "I've carried it since the U.S. Open, and I'm still afraid something is going to happen (with my shoulder). My rhythm with the serve is not good right now."
   Djokovic fell to 67-4 this year, with two of the losses resulting from injury retirements. Nishikori and Federer are the only players to beat Djokovic in a full match in 2011.
   Bryans reach final -- Top seeds and former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan reached their 11th final of the year, dismissing unseeded Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares 7-6 (2), 6-1 in the $2.85 million Valencia (Spain) Open.
   The Bryan twins seek their eighth title of the year and second in two weeks. They will face unseeded Eric Butorac, a former Sacramento Capital from Rochester, Minn., and Jean-Julien Rojer of Netherlands.
   Ilyushin falls -- Unseeded Artem Ilyushin, a Mississippi State senior from the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, lost to third-seeded Roman Vogeli of the Czech Republic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals of the $10,000 Bluewater Bay Professional Tournament in Niceville, Fla.
   Bad day for Bay Area -- All remaining Bay Area players were eliminated in the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   In women's singles, second-seeded Nicole Gibbs of Stanford lost to unseeded Joanna Mather of Florida 6-4, 6-2, and 5-8 seed Denise Dy, a San Jose resident who attends Washington, fell to unseeded Marta Lesniak of SMU 7-6 (2), 1-6, 6-4. Dy had knocked off Cal's Jana Juricova, the top seed and reigning NCAA champion, in the quarterfinals.
   Gibbs and Mallory Burdette, top-seeded in women's doubles, were eliminated by third-seeded Kristy Frilling and Shannon Mathews of Notre Dame 7-5, 7-6 (4).
   In men's doubles, fourth-seeded Nick Andrews and Christoffer Konigsfeldt of Cal dropped a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision to second-seeded Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola of Ohio State. Andrews lives in the Sacramento suburb of Folsom.

Nishikori to face Djokovic in Basel semifinals

   So, coaching guru Brad Gilbert, got any advice for Kei Nishikori entering his match today against Novak Djokovic?
   Play out of your mind?
   Grow three inches and put on 25 pounds?
   Hope Djokovic sprains his ankle getting out of his courtesy car?
   Pray a lot?
   Nishikori, a wild card coached by San Rafael's Gilbert, outlasted lucky loser Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours, 40 minutes to reach the semifinals of the $2.6 million Swiss Indoors in Basel. The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Nishikori will take on the top-ranked Djokovic, who beat Marcos Baghdatis 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
   In the other semifinal, third-seeded Roger Federer will face fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka. Federer, a four-time champion of his hometown tournament, improved to
21-2 against seventh-seeded Andy Roddick with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
   Nishikori, 21, is having the best year of his career. The highest-ranked Japanese player in history at No. 32, he has reached three semifinals in his last four tournaments.
  "It's a great feeling to reach three semifinals in six weeks," Nishikori said on the ATP World Tour's Web site. "I knew it was going to be a tough week. Beating Tomas Berdych in the first round and getting to the semifinals has been a great experience."
   Djokovic, of course, is having one of the greatest years in tennis history. He's
67-3 with three Grand Slam titles -- the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open -- and 10 overall.

   "Djokovic is playing unbelievable this year," Nishikori said. "He doesn't have many weaknesses, so I will need to play a bit more aggressive than usual and play my best tennis to beat him."

   Good luck with that, Kei. 

   Djokovic is 1-0 against Nishikori, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of last year's French Open.

   Today's match will be televised live on Tennis Channel at 6:30 a.m. PDT.

   Querrey loses -- Unseeded Sam Querrey, a San Francisco native, lost to sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the $2.85 million Valencia (Spain) Open.

   The 6-6 Querrey reached the semifinals of the Sacramento Challenger and the final of the Tiburon Challenger last month, falling to 6-10 Ivo Karlovic each time.

   Top seeds and former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan reached the doubles semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over unseeded Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek.

    Ilyushin advances -- Artem Ilyushin, a Mississippi State senior from the swanky Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, brushed aside Peter Heller 6-2, 6-2 in a quarterfinal matchup of unseeded players in the $10,000 Bluewater Bay Professional Tournament in Niceville, Fla. 

   Cal's Juricova upset -- Washington's Denise Dy, a San Jose resident seeded 5-8, ousted Cal's Jana Juricova, the top seed and reigning NCAA champion, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

   Dy will meet unseeded Marta Lesniak of SMU in the semifinals. Lesniak surprised fourth-seeded Mallory Burdette of Stanford 6-3, 6-1.

   In the other semifinal, second-seeded Nicole Gibbs of Stanford will face Joanna Mather of Florida.

   Burdette and Gibbs, meanwhile, reached the doubles semifinals as the top seeds.

   The only Bay Area player in the men's singles field, unseeded Ryan Thacher of Stanford, lost in the second round to fifth-seeded Henrique Cunha of Duke 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. 

   However, fourth-seeded Nick Andrews and Christoffer Konigsfeldt of Cal will play second-seeded Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola of Ohio State today in the doubles semifinals. Andrews lives in the Sacramento suburb of Folsom.

Bryan brothers clinch year-end No. 1 ranking again

   The honors keep rolling in for Bob and Mike Bryan.
   And they're not done yet.
   The former Stanford All-Americans clinched the year-end No. 1 ATP doubles team ranking for a record seventh time Wednesday with their victory in the $2.85 million Valencia (Spain) Open. They dismissed Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic and Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 6-2 in the first round.
   The Bryans won two Grand Slam titles (the Australian Open and Wimbledon) this year to give them 11 for their career, tying the Open Era record of International Tennis Hall of Famers Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.
   Overall, the Bryans have won eight titles this year and an Open Era-record 75 for their career. Individually, the 33-year-old twin sons of Sacramento Capitals coach Wayne Bryan have been ranked No. 1 in doubles for 265 weeks and will surpass John McEnroe's record of 270 weeks on Dec. 12.
   The twins will compete in the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, Nov. 20-27 in London.
   "We're obviously extremely pumped to finish at No. 1, especially with the quality of teams on the doubles tour," Bob said on the ATP's Web site. "It's always our ultimate goal when we start the year, and we'll definitely look back on 2011 with positive feelings. I want to congratulate our biggest rivals -- (Max) Mirnyi-(Daniel) Nestor, (Michael) Llodra-(Nenad) Zimonjic and the Indian Express (Mahesh Bhupathi-Lander Paes) on highly successful seasons, and we look forward to another awesome event with the eight best teams in London.
   "Breaking McEnroe's record is something that is hard to fathom. He's such a legend, and to achieve something like this won't truly set in for a while. Thanks (go) to our great coach; David Macpherson; my beautiful and supportive wife; our parents, who are always rooting from their computer screen back home; and all the tennis fans who get behind the great game of doubles."
  Added Mike: "It's always a special feeling finishing the year as the top team. I think it's more satisfying than winning a Slam because it represents the season as a whole. When we now look back at 2011, it will be with a lot of fond memories. The level of tennis always keeps getting stronger, so I'm most proud of our willingness to improve as we get older.
   "I especially want thank our coach and one of our best friends, David Macpherson, who always is there for us win or lose and always pushes us to strive for more."      
   In the first round of singles in Valencia, Folsom resident Dmitry Tursunov lost to sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, the runner-up in Vienna last week and 2009 U.S. Open champion, 6-4, 6-1.
   Top seed and defending champion David Ferrer of Spain ousted qualifier Vasek Pospisil, a promising Canadian, 6-3, 6-3.
   Roddick vs. Radek -- Almost four years ago, Andy Roddick defeated Radek Stepanek to win the SAP Open in San Jose and mocked the Czech's trademark "worm dance" afterward.
   The Roddick vs. Radek show will resume Thursday in the second round of the $2.6 million Swiss Indoors in Basel.
   The seventh-seeded Roddick, a three-time SAP Open champion (2004, 2005 and 2008), beat Tommy Haas of Germany 6-3, 6-4, and the unseeded Stepanek, who won the 2009 SAP Open, breezed past Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-1, 6-3.
   Also in 2009, Haas and Stepanek won the doubles title in San Jose, and Giraldo captured the singles crown in the Sacramento Challenger.
   Roddick, 29, is 6-1 lifetime against Stepanek, 32.
   Second-seeded Andy Murray, the San Jose champion in 2006 and 2007, withdrew before his first-round match with a right gluteal strain.
    In doubles, former Stanford All-American Scott Lipsky suffered his fifth consecutive loss. The Huntington Beach resident and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico fell to third-seeded Christopher Kas of Germany and Alexander Peya of Austria 7-6 (0), 6-2.
   Lipsky and Gonzalez became partners at Barcelona in April and saved four match points to beat the Bryans and win the title. Lipsky also won the doubles crown in the inaugural Sacramento Challenger in 2005 with former Stanford teammate David Martin, and Gonzalez reached the doubles final in Sacramento in 2009 with Travis Rettenmaier.
   Schnack beats ex-Capital -- Yasmin Schnack, a Sacramento-area resident, coasted past former Capital Tammy Hendler 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the Grapevine (Texas) Women's $50,000 Tennis Classic.
   Hendler, a 19-year-old South Africa native, lives in Bradenton, Fla., and plays for Belgium. Her mother was born in the former Belgian Congo.
   Ilyushin wins twice -- Artem Ilyushin won twice in the $10,000 Bluewater Bay Professional Tournament in Niceville, Fla.
   Ilyushin, a Mississippi State senior from the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, outlasted qualifier Maverick Banes of Australia 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the first round of singles. Ilyushin then teamed with Gilad Ben Zvi of Israel to beat Benjamin Balleret of Monaco and Didier Lanne of France 7-5, 6-1 in the doubles quarterfinals.
   Kiryl Harbatsiuk, a former Sacramento State star from Belarus, and Boris Nicola Bakalov of Bulgaria lost to Americans Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant 6-4, 7-5.

Nishikori thriving under San Rafael's Gilbert

   Brad Gilbert is working his magic again.
   The San Rafael resident's latest pupil, Kei Nishikori of Japan, knocked off a top-10 player for the second straight tournament Tuesday.
   Nishikori, who recently became the highest-ranked Japanese player in history, defeated fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych, last year's Wimbledon runner-up from the Czech Republic, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the $2.6 million Swiss Indoors Basel.
   Three weeks ago, Nishikori beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Shanghai en route to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semifinal.
   "I’m really happy the way I played today," the 32nd-ranked Nishikori, who's listed at 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds, said on the ATP's Web site. "It was a slow start for me, but (I was) getting rhythm in the second set and playing really well in the third, so I’m really happy."
   Gilbert, who began coaching Nishikori last December, also has worked with Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. Under Gilbert, Agassi won six of his eight majors, Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open and climbed to No. 1, and Murray reached a then-career-high No. 8.
   The right-handed Nishikori underwent surgery on his right elbow in August 2009 and plunged to No. 898 early last year.
   Meanwhile, qualifier James Blake, the runner-up in last month's Sacramento Challenger, reached the second round in Basel after his good friend, Mardy Fish, retired with a left hamstring injury while leading 1-0. They won the San Jose doubles title in 2004.
   Live television coverage of the Swiss Indoors continues Wednesday at 8 a.m. PDT on Tennis Channel. 
   Querrey advances -- San Francisco native Sam Querrey dispatched Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round of the $2.85 million Valencia (Spain) Open.
   Querrey, who reached the Sacramento semifinals, will face second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the second round. Tsonga beat Querrey 7-6 (7), 6-1 in the second round at Shanghai last year in their only career meeting.
   Tsonga has won 12 of his past 14 matches, including titles in Metz and last week in Vienna, as he tries to become one of the eight singles qualifiers for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals this month in London. Tsonga is seventh in the point standings.
   TV coverage of the Valencia Open begins with the quarterfinals Friday at 2 p.m. (taped) on Tennis Channel.
   Schnack edged in doubles -- Yasmin Schnack of Elk Grove (near Sacramento) and Alyona Sotnikova of Ukraine lost to Tammy Hendler, a former Sacramento Capital who plays for Belgium, and Chi Chi Scholl of Pompano Beach, Fla., 1-6, 6-4, 12-10 tiebreak in the first round of the Grapevine (Texas) Women's $50,000 Tennis Classic.
   Hendler and Scholl won the doubles title of a $50,000 tournament in Lexington, Ky., in July. Schnack and Hendler are scheduled to meet Wednesday in the opening round of singles.
   Harbatsiuk falls -- Kiryl Harbatsiuk, who graduated from Sacramento State in the spring, lost in singles but won in doubles in the $10,000 Bluewater Bay Professional Tournament in Niceville, Fla.
   Harbatsiuk, a native of Minsk, Belarus, fell to Herbert Wiltschnig of Austria 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 in the first round of singles but teamed with Boris Nicola Bakalov of Bulgaria to beat Alexios Halebian of Glendale and Matthew Short of Great Britain 1-6, 6-3, 10-8 tiebreak in the opening round of doubles.   
   Artem Ilyushin, a Mississippi State senior from Granite Bay (near Sacramento), and Gilad Ben Zvi of Israel stunned top-seeded Chris Letcher and Brendan Moore of Australia 6-3, 6-2. Ilyushin is scheduled to play qualifier Maverick Banes of Australia on Wednesday in the first round of singles.
   Indian Wells tickets --  Daily tickets and "daily double" packages for the BNP Paribas Open, March 5-18 in Indian Wells, will go on sale Wednesday, tournament director Steve Simon announced.
   Daily tickets range from $12 for the first Thursday evening session to $90 for loge seats for championship weekend. The daily double package provides the same seat (suite, box or loge) for both day and evening sessions.
   Fans attending the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and WTA Premier tournament will see a number of improvements at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, highlighted by a 19,140-square-foot shade structure in the East Village. The permanent facility will feature information towers, four video walls listing scores and schedules, a new bar and music stage, and numerous dining options. 
   For more information and to order tickets, visit https://owa.mcclatchy.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=479724af04384fc7aa0a11fc2632dbb1&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bnpparibasopen.com, or call the Indian Wells Tennis Garden box office at (800) 999-1585 or (760) 200-8000.

Isner, Young lose in first round; new rankings

   Two former champions in Sacramento-area tournaments were upset Monday on the ATP World Tour.
   Unseeded John Isner, who won a Futures tournament in Shingle Springs in 2007 in his professional debut, lost to qualifier Vasek Pospisil of Canada 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9) in the first round of the $2.85 million Valencia (Spain) Open.
    Meanwhile, wild card Donald Young, the champion of the 2008 Sacramento Challenger, fell to lucky loser Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round of the $2.6 million Swiss Indoors Basel.
   Isner and Young are the third- and fifth-ranked Americans at No. 23 and a No. 43 in the world, respectively.
  Pospisil, 21, reached the singles quarterfinals in Tiburon and doubles semifinals in Sacramento and Tiburon last month. He saved a match point against the 6-foot-9 Isner at 7-8 in the tiebreaker before winning on his eighth match point in the 2-hour, 13-minute battle.
   It was the second victory over a top-25 player for the 6-4 Pospisil, who has skyrocketed from No. 339 in the world at the beginning of the year to No. 133. He defeated No. 22 Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina in the first round at Cincinnati in August before losing to Roger Federer.
   Pospisil will meet the winner of the match between top seed and defending champion David Ferrer of Spain and former world No. 7 Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
   New rankings -- Following are this week's world rankings of professional players with Northern California ties (change from last week in parentheses):

Men

   Bob Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mike Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Scott Lipsky, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 26 in doubles (+1), unranked in singles.
   Mark Knowles, Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis (2001-07, 2009-11) -- No. 43 in doubles (-1), unranked in singles.
   Dmitry Tursunov, Folsom resident -- No. 39 in singles (no change), No. 236 in doubles (-2).
   Sam Querrey, San Francisco native -- No. 116 in singles (no change), No. 31 in doubles (no change).
   David Martin, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 104 in doubles (+2), No. 660 in singles (+3).
   John Paul Fruttero, Cal All-American in 2001 and 2002 -- Career-high No. 131 in doubles (+2), 1,229 in singles (+7).
   Conor Niland, 2006 Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year and two-time All-American at Cal -- No. 194 in singles (-1), unranked in doubles. 
   Jimmy Wang, Folsom resident -- No. 282 in singles (+-1), No. 550 in doubles (+1).
   Dusan Vemic, Capitals (2010-11) -- No. 496 in doubles (+5), No. 1,519 in singles (+6).
   Kiryl Harbatsiuk, three-time Big Sky Conference MVP (2009-11) at Sacramento State -- No. 763 in singles (no change), No. 1,247 in doubles (+6).

Women

   Vania King, Capitals (2010-11) -- No. 6 in doubles (+1), No. 75 in singles (+2).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 37 in doubles (no change), No. 718 in singles (-2).
   Yasmin Schnack, Elk Grove resident, Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis (2011) -- No. 213 in doubles (-5), No. 403 in singles (no change).
   Maria Sanchez, Modesto resident -- No. 341 in doubles (+36), No. 688 in singles (career high, no change).