Game, set, match: Czar says so long after 10 1/2 years

Australian Christopher O'Connell and his coach, David Moore, encountered a wall
of flames 200 yards (183 meters) ahead while evacuating during qualifying for the
2017 Fairfield (Calif.) Challenger. They quickly turned around and were shaken but
unharmed. Photo courtesy of Christopher O'Connell

   After 10 1/2 years, this is my 3,324th and last post. That's almost one a day, mostly while working full-time. But who's counting?

   At 66 (ugh), I'm ready to move on. I will, however, keep this website active in case anyone wants to peruse past articles.

   I've seen a lot of great tennis in the past 10 1/2 years, but I will most remember the friendly players from around the world and the revealing interviews. Here are some highlights of the past decade-plus:

Dmitry Tursunov, a former top-20 player, detailed
his rigid upbringing in a four-hour interview in 2011.
2017 photo by Paul Bauman

   —Former top-20 player Dmitry Tursunov, a Moscow native who trained in Northern California as a junior and professional, spilling his guts about his rigid upbringing during a four-hour interview in 2011. As Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair) says in the hilarious 2001 movie "Legally Blonde," "Four hours."

   —Australian John Millman, like Tursunov one of the true nice guys in sports, candidly recalling the low point of his career in a 90-minute interview.

   —Millman becoming the first No. 1 seed in the 28-year history of the Aptos (Calif.) Challenger to win the title and shocking Roger Federer to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

   —Strolling on the beach in Aptos as the sun sets on the Pacific Ocean.  

   —Santiago Giraldo, a former top-30 player from Colombia, looking at a ball with a smiley face on it during changeovers in the 2016 Fairfield (Calif.) Challenger to remind himself how lucky he was to be playing professional tennis. Giraldo won the title and retired four years later at 32. 

   —Belgium's An-Sophie Mestach, the world's top junior in 2011, hurting her wrist twirling her racket while bouncing the ball 25 times — yes, 25 times — before each serve.

   —Christopher O'Connell of Australia recounting his harrowing evacuation from Northern California wildfires during qualifying for the 2017 Fairfield Challenger. O'Connell won the title two years later.

Santiago Giraldo displays the smiley-face ball
he looked at during changeovers in the 2016
Fairfield Challenger "to remember how lucky
I am." Photo by Paul Bauman

   —Attending the Australian Open in 2012 — has it really been 10 years? — the U.S. Open in 2015 and 2016, and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., annually.

   —Sorry to name-drop, but interviewing International Tennis Hall of Famers Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Pam Shriver and Nick Bollettieri. All were gems.

   —The inimitable Wayne Bryan, tennis ambassador, father of Bob and Mike Bryan, and former longtime coach of the Sacramento Capitals in World TeamTennis. Wayne Bryan is smart, funny, exuberant and down-to-earth. Not a bad combination.

   —Serena Williams winning the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

   —Naomi Osaka stunning 2011 U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur in the first round at Stanford in 2014 as a 16-year-old qualifier playing her first main-draw match on the WTA Tour.

   —Germany's Sabine Lisicki breaking the record for the fastest women's serve (131 mph or 210.8 kph) in a first-round loss at Stanford in 2014.

   —Milos Raonic winning his third consecutive SAP Open title in 2013 in San Jose, Calif. The 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Canadian with a pulverizing serve never lost a set in 13 matches in the indoor tournament, which folded in 2014 after 125 years in one form or another.

   —Covering the 100th-anniversary celebration of the Sutter Lawn Tennis Club in Sacramento, Calif. Shriver moderated a poignant question-and-answer session with fellow Hall of Famers Dennis Ralston, Rosemary Casals and Charlie Pasarell. Beforehand, I sat at a dinner table with Ralston, who died 14 months later at 78.

Serena Williams poses after winning the Bank of the West Classic
at Stanford for the third and final time in 2014. Tri Nguyen/
TriNguyenPhotography.com

   —Interviewing San Francisco Bay Area product Brad Gilbert after the renowned coach, author and commentator and former top-five player addressed 125 juniors and parents at the beautiful, stately Olympic Club in San Francisco in 2013. 

   —Sofia Kenin winning a Northern California Challenger for three consecutive years as a teenager, triumphing in Sacramento, Stockton and Berkeley. Eighteen months after the latter tournament, she stormed to the Australian Open title.

   —Sam Querrey, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) San Francisco native, sweeping the three-week NorCal Challenger swing through Napa, Sacramento and Tiburon in 2014. Querrey had decided to stay on familiar ground rather than try to qualify in Asia on the elite ATP World Tour.

   —Cameron Norrie of Great Britain winning back-to-back NorCal Challengers in Tiburon and Stockton at 22 in 2017 and Taylor Fritz of the United States doing likewise in Sacramento and Fairfield at 17 in 2015. They are now ranked No. 1 in their countries at No. 12 and No. 22 in the world, respectively.

John McEnroe spoke to reporters before a 2014
legends match in Sacramento, Calif. Photo by
Paul Bauman 

   —The spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay from the town of Tiburon ("shark" in Spanish).   

   —American Bjorn Fratangelo — yes, he was named after Bjorn Borg — winning the 2018 Fairfield Challenger after almost quitting tennis.

   —American Stefan Kozlov — yes, he was named after Stefan Edberg — reaching the final of the 2014 Sacramento Challenger at 16.

   —Interviewing Jenson Brooksby at 12, CiCi Bellis at 13, Katie Volynets at 15 and Sam Riffice at 15.

   Brooksby and Bellis were voted the Newcomer of the Year on the ATP Tour last year and WTA Tour in 2017, respectively. Bellis, who underwent three operations on her right wrist and one on her right elbow in 2018-19, has not played in 14 months.

   Volynets, who turned 20 on Dec. 31, has climbed to No. 178 in the world. Riffice helped Florida win the NCAA team championship last May, then added the singles title.

   Brooksby and Riffice were born in Sacramento, Bellis in San Francisco and Volynets in Walnut Creek in the Bay Area.

   —Interviewing Stanford alumni Bob and Mike Bryan, Bradley Klahn, Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn. All bias aside, fellow alums are the classiest, most articulate, most introspective athletes I've encountered in 47 years covering tennis. Granted, the tightly wound McEnroe wasn't exactly classy on the court, but he has always been refreshingly candid. Plus, he attended Stanford for only one year.

   Gibbs discussed her battle with depression. Others would have said, "Tennis questions only, please."

At 16, Naomi Osaka stunned Samantha Stosur in the first
round at Stanford in 2014. Photo by Paul Bauman

   True, Ahn flung her racket high into the crowd — accidentally, she said — during the semifinals of the 2019 Berkeley Challenger. But she patiently discussed the incident with a reporter afterward. Others would have hid in the locker room.

   —Nice guys Tommy Haas, Mardy Fish, Tim Smyczek, Denis Kudla, Noah Rubin, Liam Broady and Marc Polmans.

   —The sensational final between Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-check) and Kudla, close friends and training partners, in the 2015 Tiburon Challenger. Smyczek saved four match points and Kudla one in Smyczek's 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7) victory.

   —Nice gals Venus Williams, Garbiñe Muguruza, Zheng Saisai, Kimiko Date (pronounced DAH-tay), Mayo Hibi, Sachia Vickery and Grace Min.

   —Date, a former top-five player from Japan who retired at 26 for 12 years, reaching the semifinals of the Stockton Challenger at 44 in 2015 and losing in the final round of Stockton qualifying at 46. Date was Tom Brady before Tom Brady.

   —The "Gentle Giant," 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) Ivo Karlovic.

   —The "Little Giant," 5-foot-3 (1.61-meter), 120-pound (54-kilogram) Danielle Lao.

The drive to the Tiburon Men's Challenger offers a spectacular view of the
Golden Gate Bridge from the town of Tiburon. 2017 photo by Paul Bauman 

   —Jan Tiilikainen, after winning the national men's 30 indoor title for the fifth time in 2014 in the Sacramento area, recalling his grueling workouts as a teenager in Finland.

   —Interviewing Wayne Thiebaud, a world-renowned artist who played tennis until the day after he turned 100 in November 2020, on the phone. The gracious, humble Thiebaud (pronounced TEE-bow) died this past Christmas.

   —The "cookie lady."

   —Speaking of sweets ... buying heavenly brownies and chocolate croissants at Fournée Bakery in Berkeley, taking them across the street to the venerable Berkeley Tennis Club and munching them while watching world-class tennis courtside in beautiful weather. It doesn't get any better than that.

'Lefty Andy Murray' advances to Stockton semis

   STOCKTON, Calif. — If Michael Mmoh is right, Cameron Norrie has a very bright future.
   When it was suggested to Mmoh that the left-hander's game resembles his British countryman Andy Murray's, Mmoh replied: "Lefty Andy Murray is a pretty good comparison. He has a really good backhand and a pretty good forehand. He's very talented at moving you around the court and really dictating that baseline, so he'll just push you from corner to corner. He can do that all day. He has very good precision."
   That doesn't necessarily mean Norrie, who will face Mmoh today in the semifinals of the $100,000 Stockton Challenger, will ascend to No. 1 and win three Grand Slam singles titles like Murray.
   Norrie, 22, is far behind Murray at the same age. Murray won the first of his 45 ATP titles, 14th in the Open era (since 1968) and fourth among active players, in the now-defunct SAP Open in San Jose at 18 years old in 2006 and repeated in 2007. Norrie is ranked No. 136 and could crack the top 100 by the end of the year. That would be an impressive feat, considering he turned pro only four months ago after his junior year at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.
   Norrie, seeded eighth, beat Tennys Sandgren, seeded second, 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Friday at the University of the Pacific's Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center.
   The third-seeded Mmoh, 19, of Bradenton, Fla., led 34-year-old Russian qualifier Dmitry Tursunov, a former top-20 player who has been plagued by injuries, 6-3 when Tursunov retired with a hamstring injury.
   It's the third consecutive tournament in which Tursunov, who trained in Northern California from age 12 into his 30s, has retired and the second straight because of a hamstring problem.
   In the other semifinal, sixth-seeded Darian King of Barbados will meet unseeded veteran Tim Smyczek of Tampa, Fla., for the first time.
   King, 25, defeated fourth-seeded Stefan Kozlov, 19, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., 6-4, 6-4. Smyczek, 29, eliminated Elias Ymer, a 21-year-old Swede, by the same score.
   Both King and Smyczek qualified for the U.S. Open in August and lost in the first round.   
   Sandgren, 26, of Gallatin, Tenn., in the Nashville area was the only top-100 player in the Stockton Challenger at No. 97. Top-seeded Ruben Bemelmans, a Belgian who lost to Ymer in the first round, dropped from No. 92 when the draw came out last Saturday to No. 101 in the latest rankings on Monday.
   Norrie's victory wasn't really an upset. He improved to 3-0 against Sandgren, including a 6-2, 6-3 victory in the final of the $100,000 Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger on Sunday.
   "I think I've had a little bit of luck (against Sandgren)," the 6-foot-2 (1.88-meter) Norrie said modestly. "I've been winning the long rallies against him, and that's what he usually does well. That's paid dividends, and I've been coming forward when I've needed to and knocking off some volleys when he's on the run and slices. I've been staying positive and staying tough."
   Sandgren led 4-1 (one service break) in the second set, but Norrie broke back for 3-4 when Sandgren sailed a high backhand volley long. Both players then held serve to force the tiebreaker, in which Norrie bolted to a 5-1 lead and held on for the match.
   "He played a good game to break me (early in the second set)," said Norrie, who reached the second round of the U.S. Open as a qualifier before losing to eventual semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta. "I felt like I was playing well. I just tried to focus on the present. Then I fought back and played a very good tiebreaker and served really well. It's the best I've served the last two weeks. I'm feeling really good about the match."
   Mmoh, the son of former journeyman pro Tony Mmoh from Nigeria, skipped college and turned pro last year. He was happy that his match against Tursunov lasted only 39 minutes.
   Mmoh was coming off a 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Mackenzie McDonald, who grew up in Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area, on Thursday. Mmoh saved two match points in the 2-hour, 34-minute battle.
   "I had a super-long match yesterday and was pretty sore this morning," conceded Mmoh, who was named after Michael Jordan and has much of his namesake's athleticism. "Having a 30-minute match or whatever it was is going to help me the rest of the tournament and if I decide to play Fairfield (next week) as well."
   Norrie is 2-0 against Mmoh, including a 7-5, 6-2 win last week in the Tiburon quarterfinals.
   "I need to be a little more aggressive and take my chances," said the 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter) Mmoh, ranked No. 156. "I don't think I'm going to have a lot of success just putting the ball in play and hoping he's going to miss because he can make a ton of balls. I'm going to look to use my firepower and take it upon him."
   Here are the Stockton singles and doubles draws and today's schedule. The tournament is being streamed live.
   Also, here are the singles qualifying draw and today's schedule for the $100,000 Northbay Healthcare Men's Pro Championships at Solano Community College in Fairfield, Calif.

King, Shvedova to face Peschke, Srebotnik

   Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova figure to be the underdogs when they play Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik on Saturday in the semifinals (first round) of doubles at the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul.
  Peschke, a 36-year-old Czech, and Srebotnik, a 30-year-old Slovenian, have won a WTA-high six titles this year. Among them was Wimbledon for their first Grand Slam crown.
   Peschke and Srebotnik became the first team to qualify for the WTA Championships, featuring the top eight singles players and top four doubles teams in this year's standings. They also reached last year's final, losing to Gisela Duko of Argentina and Flavia Pennetta of Italy.
   King, a 22-year-old American who plays for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis, and Shvedova, a 24-year-old Moscow native who competes for Kazakhstan, have won two titles this year (Cincinnati in August and Moscow last week). They also lost a heartbreaker in the U.S. Open final as the defending champions.
   King and Shvedova are 2-1 lifetime against Peschke and Srebotnik but lost the most recent meeting 6-4, 6-4 indoors in the Beijing semifinals three weeks ago. The WTA Championships also are indoors.
   "We've played them a few times and had a good match against them in Beijing so we can't wait to play!" Shvedova blogged at wtatennis.com.
   In the other semifinal, Australian Open champions Dulko and Pennetta will face U.S. Open winners Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond.
   Below are this week's singles results and Friday's schedule (live on Tennis Channel at 7 a.m. PDT and taped at 4 p.m.).
   Bryans survive -- No. 1 seeds and former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan saved one match point in a 6-7 (9), 7-6 (4), 11-9 tiebreak victory over Christopher Kas of Germany and Alexander Peya of Austria in the first round of doubles at the $905,000 Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
   The Bryans are playing in Vienna for the second time after a nine-year absence.
   Tursunov ousted -- Eighth-seeded Dmitry Tursunov, a Moscow native living in Folsom, lost to Potito Starace of Italy 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of the $663,750 St. Petersburg (Russia) Open.
   Tursunov, a semifinalist in St. Petersburg last year, fell to 0-3 lifetime against Starace. The first two matches were on clay. St. Petersburg is played on an indoor hardcourt.
   Ilyushin advances -- Artem Ilyushin, a senior at Mississippi State from Granite Bay, beat wild card Austin Smith of Atlanta 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the $10,000 Players' Choice Open in Birmingham, Ala.
   Ilyushin will meet top-seeded Nicolas Devilder of France in Friday's quarterfinals.

TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

In Istanbul

Tuesday's results

Round Robin -- Red Group

   (1) Caroline Wozniaki (DEN) d. (8) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. 

   (3) Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. (6) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 6-2, 6-4.

Round Robin -- White Group

   (7) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. (2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) 6-1, 7-5.

Wednesday's results

Round Robin -- Red Group

   (6) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. (1) Caroline Wozniaki (DEN) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Round Robin -- White Group

   (5) Li Na (CHN) d. (2) Maria Sharapova ((RUS) 7-6 (4), 6-4.

   (4) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. (7) Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-2, 6-2.

Thursday's results
Singles

Round Robin -- Red Group

(3) Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. (1) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 64 62 (Kvitova qualifies for semifinals).
(8) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. (6) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 16 62 75 (saved three match points).

Round Robin - White Group

(4) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. (5) Li Na (CHN) 62 62 (Azarenka qualifies for semifinals).

Friday's schedule
(Beginning at 7 a.m. PDT)

1. Li Na vs. Samantha Stosur.
2. Petra Kvitova vs. Agnieszka Radwanska.
3. Marion Bartoli (substitute for injured Maria Sharapova) vs. Victoria Azarenka.

King, Shvedova head to Istanbul on high note

   Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova know how to peak for big events.
   The second seeds, preparing for next week's TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul, rallied to beat fourth-seeded Anastasia Rodionova and Galina Voskoboeva 7-6 (3), 6-3 Saturday for the doubles title at the $721,000 Kremlin Cup in Moscow.
   King and Shvedova saved two set points at 5-6 in the first set and overcame a 3-1 deficit in the second set to win their second WTA doubles title of the year and fourth since becoming partners in June 2010.
  King and Shvedova captured their first two titles in Grand Slam tournaments: Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year. They also won the Cincinnati crown in their last tournament before this year's U.S. Open, in which they lost a three-set heartbreaker to Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in the final.
  "I guess Slava and I bloom late in the season," King, a member of the Sacramento Capitals living in Boynton Beach, Fla., said on the WTA's Web site. "It was a high level from all four players (Saturday). We played consistently and stepped it up on the big points. They played well. Maybe their level dropped in the second set, but overall I think we all played a really good match. I guess we were just a bit luckier on the big points.
   "We didn't know our schedule for the last few weeks, but I'm really glad we came to Moscow. We had a great week for practice and for matches, and it was a great experience to play here to get ready for Istanbul."
   All four doubles finalists except King were born in Russia but play for other countries. Shvedova and Voskoboeva hail from Moscow but compete for Kazakhstan. Rodionova, a native of Tambov (300 miles southeast of Moscow) and a former Capital, became an Australian citizen in 2009.
   Blake falls -- James Blake, the runner-up in the $100,000 Sacramento Challenger two weeks ago, lost to Jarkko Nieminen 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-2 in the semifinals of the $825,000 Stockholm Open.
   After losing his first six matches against Blake, Nieminen has won the last two, both in Stockholm. Blake, a 31-year-old Tampa, Fla., resident, was bidding for his third Stockholm crown after beating Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand in the 2005 final and Nieminen in the 2006 title match.
   Nieminen, a 30-year-old Finn, will face top-seeded Gael Monfils, a Frenchman who beat sixth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-3.
   Monfils and Raonic were scheduled to meet in the San Jose semifinals in February, but Monfils defaulted with a left wrist injury. Raonic, who will turn 21 in December, went on to beat defending champion Fernando Verdasco of Spain for his first ATP World Tour title.
   The unseeded Nieminen, who reached a career-high No. 13 in the world in 2006, seeks his first Stockholm title in his third appearance in the final. He fell to Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands 10 years ago in addition to Blake five years ago.
   Nieminen is 1-9 in ATP World Tour finals, having beaten Mario Ancic of Croatia for the 2006 Auckland title.
   Lu tops Wang for title -- Top-seeded Yen-Hsun Lu, the runner-up in the 2007 Sacramento Challenger, defeated unseeded Jimmy Wang, a Folsom resident, 7-5, 6-3 in an all-Taiwanese final at the $100,000 Samsung Securities Cup in Seoul, South Korea.
   Wang, a former top-100 player who trains with Dmitry Tursunov at the Gorin Tennis Academy in Granite Bay, returned to action last November after missing three years because of two operations on his right (playing) wrist. He reached the semifinals of the $15,000 Sacramento Futures in June.

King, Shvedova take Cincinnati doubles title

   Vania King of the Sacramento Capitals and Yaroslava Shvedova picked a good time to win their first women's doubles title of the year.
   In their last tournament before defending their U.S. Open crown, the third seeds edged unseeded Natalie Grandin and Vladimira Uhlirova 6-4, 3-6, 11-9 tiebreak Sunday in the $2.05 million Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
   Grandin, a South African who played as an early-season substitute for the Capitals in their World TeamTennis championship season of 2007, and Uhlirova, a Czech, came within two points of winning while leading 8-7 in the match tiebreaker. 
   King, a Long Beach product living in Boynton Beach, Fla., won her 13th WTA doubles title and Kazakhstan's Shvedova her fifth. They captured their third career title together, but first outside of a Grand Slam, since pairing up in June 2010. King and Shvedova took the Wimbledon crown last year in their third tournament together.
   Grandin and Uhlirova fell to 0-5 in WTA doubles finals. Still, they knocked off top-seeded Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, fourth-seeded Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova and seventh-seeded Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka en route to the final.
   Peschke and Srebotnik are the reigning Wimbledon champions and world No. 1s, and Hlavackova Hradecka are the current French Open champs.
   The U.S. Open is scheduled for Aug. 29 through Sept. 11.
   Schnack falls short -- Second-seeded Yasmin Schnack of Elk Grove lost to unseeded Robin Anderson of Matawan, N.J., 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 in the final of the U.S. Open National Playoffs in New Haven, Conn.
   Anderson, an incoming UCLA freshman, advanced to the U.S. Open qualifying tournament, Tuesday through Friday in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Schnack, who graduated from UCLA last year, will turn her attention to mixed doubles with Sacramento's Eric Roberson in the U.S. Open National Playoffs beginning Wednesday in New Haven. Also entered are the team of Christina Fusano, a Sacramento native and ex-Cal star living in nearby Plymouth, and  David Martin, a former Stanford All-American. The winners of the 16-team event earn a berth in the main draw of mixed doubles at the U.S. Open.
   Stryhas, Meliuk earn titles -- In an all-Rio del Oro Racquet Club final, top-seeded Anton Stryhas routed second-seeded Aliaksandr Malko 6-2, 6-1 to win the men's open singles title in the Spare Time Adult Tennis Championships at the Gold River Racquet Club.
   Maryia Meliuk emerged from round-robin play to win the women's open singles crown.
   Second-seeded Jordan Boyls and Kevin Vieria and top-seeded Gergana Avramova-Hunt and Joyce Martinez won the men's and women's open doubles titles, respectively.

King reaches Cincinnati doubles final

   A current Sacramento Capital will play a former one Sunday in the women's doubles final of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
   Third-seeded Vania King, a Long Beach product who completed her second season with the Capitals last month, and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan will face unseeded Natalie Grandin, a South African who played as an early-season substitute for the Capitals in 2007, and Vladimira Uhlirova of the Czech Republic for the title.
   King and Shvedova, preparing for their U.S. Open title defense, dispatched unseeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Jie Zheng of China 6-1, 6-3 in Friday's semifinals. Grandin and Uhlirova, meanwhile, upset No. 1 seeds and reigning Wimbledon champions Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 6-1, 6-4.
   The Cincinnati final will be a rematch of the teams' second-round encounter at Indian Wells in March. King and Shvedova prevailed 6-7 (4), 6-3, 10-7 tiebreak.
   King is playing in her first doubles event since she and Shvedova fell  in the second round at Wimbledon as the defending champions. They reached the French Open semifinals in June.
   Grandin and Uhlirova, Australian Open quarterfinalists in January, lost in the first round at Stanford last month to Shuko Aoyama and Rika Fujiwara of Japan. King and Shvedova did not play in the tournament.
   In men's doubles at Cincinnati, No. 1 seeds and former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan beat seventh-seeded Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals.
   The Bryan twins seek their second consecutive Cincinnati title, third in four years and fourth overall.
    
  

King nets impressive doubles win

   Vania King of the Sacramento Capitals and Yaroslava Shvedova posted an encouraging victory Thursday night as they prepare to defend their U.S. Open women's doubles title.
   The third-seeded pair eliminated fifth-seeded American veterans Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the $2.05 million Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
   Huber, who will turn 35 Sunday, has won four Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and Raymond, who turned 38 last week, has captured five. They were coming off the title in Toronto last week.
   King and Shvedova will face unseeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Jie Zheng of China in today's semifinals. Makarova and Zheng stunned second-seeded Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 5-7, 10-7 tiebreak.
   Also defending their doubles title in the U.S. Open, Aug. 29 through Sept. 11 in Flushing Meadows, will be twins Bob and Mike Bryan. Seeded first in Cincinnati, the former Stanford stars beat Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic and Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-2, 4-6, 10-1 tiebreak in the second round.
   Last week in Montreal, 33-year-old Bob Bryan became the seventh player in ATP World Tour history to surpass 700 doubles match victories with 703. He joined Daniel Nestor (811), Todd Woodbridge (782), the Capitals' Mark Knowles (734), Sherwood Stewart (723), Mike Bryan (716) and Jonas Bjorkman (709).

Analysis: Capitals make net gains

   Although the season still wasn't up to the Sacramento Capitals' lofty standards, they made progress in 2011.
   After suffering only the second and third losing seasons in their 26-year history, the Capitals went 8-6 in the regular season, returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and came within two games of reaching the WTT Finals.
   The Capitals lost to the St. Louis Aces 20-19 Saturday in the Western Conference finals in Charleston, S.C. The Washington Kastles (16-0)  beat St. Louis 23-19 in overtime in the WTT Finals on Sunday to become the first team in the league's 36-year history to complete an undefeated season.
   Sacramento owns WTT records of six league titles, 19 playoff appearances and seven consecutive playoff appearances. The Capitals went a combined 108-35 (.755) in the regular season with all six of their titles from 1997 through 2007. Since then, they are 28-28.
   Sacramento started this season 1-3, splitting two road matches and then losing at home to teams featuring future International Tennis Hall of Famers Martina Hingis and Serena Williams.
   But the Capitals won five of their next six matches to get back in the playoff race. Among the victories was a home contest against a Kansas City team featuring three reigning Wimbledon doubles champions (Bob and Mike Bryan and Kveta Peschke).
   Sacramento beat the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers in the regular-season finale for both teams to eke out a playoff berth.
   The Capitals were shut out of the WTT awards, but here are some unofficial team honors:
   MVP -- Vania King was the only regular to play three events for Sacramento, and she performed well in each. King, the WTT Female MVP in 2009 for Springfield Lasers, finished third (of nine players) in women's singles, third (of 19) in women's doubles and seventh (of 19) in mixed doubles. The two-time Grand Slam women's doubles champion missed the Capitals' first five matches while resting after Wimbledon. Sacramento native Christina Fusano replaced her in women's doubles, finishing 10th.
   Top newcomer -- OK, so Yasmin Schnack was the Capitals' only newcomer this season. Still, the rookie from the Sacramento suburb of Elk Grove had remarkably little trouble adapting to WTT. Perhaps it was because of her experience playing for UCLA for four years (2006-10), which included the NCAA team title in 2008. Playing with her close friend King, Schnack finished fifth in women's doubles. She also filled in capably for King in singles and mixed doubles in the Capitals' first five matches. 
   Most disappointing -- Mark Knowles, a three-time WTT Male MVP (2001, 2005 and 2007), ranked 17th among 18 players in men's doubles. Knowles did better in mixed doubles, placing eighth. The four-time Grand Slam doubles champion, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world in men's doubles, will turn 40 in September.
   Most enigmatic -- Serbia's Dusan Vemic, who missed the Capitals' first two matches because of visa problems and was replaced by Nick Monroe,  finished third in men's singles and last in men's doubles. And he's a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist in men's doubles. Go figure.

Capitals ousted from WTT playoffs

   The Sacramento Capitals have a strong mixed doubles team.
   But the St. Louis Aces have a better one.
   Liezel Huber and Jean-Julien Rojer beat Vania King and Mark Knowles 5-3 in the final set Saturday to give St. Louis a 20-19 victory in the Western Conference finals of World TeamTennis in Charleston, S.C.
   The Aces (9-6) will meet the Washington Kastles (15-0) today for the WTT title. Washington will try to become the first team in the league's 36-year history to complete an undefeated season.
   St. Louis and Sacramento finished second and third, respectively, in mixed doubles in the regular season.
   Huber was named the WTT Female MVP this season and Rojer the Male Rookie of the Year. Knowles has won three WTT Male MVP awards (2001, 2005 and 2007), and King was named the league's Female MVP in 2009 as a member of the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers.
   The Capitals (8-7) won three of the five sets (men's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles), but St. Louis' Tamira Paszek dominated King 5-1 in women's doubles.
   Paszek, a 20-year-old Austrian who reached the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals early this month, did not play for St. Louis during the regular season. The Aces' Lindsay Davenport, the WTT Female MVP in 2010, missed the season because she is pregnant with her third child.
   Mark Philippoussis, who played part-time for St. Louis during the regular season, was not available Saturday. The powerful Australian, 34, reached two Grand Slam singles finals and a career-high No. 8 in the world before retiring from the circuit with bad knees in 2006.
   St. Louis 20, Capitals 19

   Men's singles -- Dusan Vemic, Capitals, def. Roman Borvanov, Aces, 5-3.

   Women's singles -- Tamira Paszek, Stl., def. Vania King, Capitals, 5-1.

   Men's doubles -- Mark Knowles and Vemic, Capitals, def. Borvanov and Jean-Julien Rojer, Stl., 5-3.

   Women's doubles -- Yasmin Schnack and King, Capitals, def. Liezel Huber and Paszek, Stl., 5-4.

   Mixed doubles -- Rojer and Huber, Stl., def. King and Knowles, Capitals, 5-3.

Capitals' playoff opponent has plenty of Aces

   Now that the Sacramento Capitals have reached the World TeamTennis playoffs for the first time since 2008, they face a daunting challenge.
   Sacramento faces the star-studded St. Louis Aces in the Western Conference finals today at 2 p.m. in Charleston, S.C.
   Both teams finished the regular season 8-6, but St. Louis will have part-time marquee player Mark Philippoussis and new addition Tamira Paszek, according to Capitals coach Wayne Bryan.
   Philippoussis, a 34-year-old Australian, reached two Grand Slam singles finals and a career-high No. 8 in the world before retiring five years ago with bad knees. Paszek, a 20-year-old Austrian, advanced to her first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal at Wimbledon this month.
   St. Louis also features this year's WTT Female MVP, Liezel Huber, and Male Rookie of the Year, Jean-Julien Rojer. The awards were announced Friday.
   The Aces lost Lindsay Davenport, last year's WTT Female MVP, just before their season opener because she's pregnant with her third child. Her doctor told her to skip the 2011 campaign.
   Leading the Capitals is Vania King, who ranked third among nine WTT regulars in women's singles and third among 19 in women's doubles. She was named the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield (Mo.) and won two Grand Slam women's doubles titles last year.
   Awaiting the winner of today's match is the Washington Kastles, who improved to 15-0 with a 25-13 victory over the Boston Lobsters on Friday in the Eastern Conference final in Charleston. In Sunday's WTT Finals, the Kastles will try to become the first undefeated team in WTT's 36-year history.
   Washington swept the other three WTT awards this season. Leander Paes was named the Male MVP for the second time in three years, Arina Rodionova was chosen as the league's Female Rookie of the Year, and Murphy Jensen received Coach of the Year honors.
   Rodionova is the younger sister of ex-Capital Anastasia Rodionova.
  
  
 

Capitals end drought, reach playoffs

   The drought is over.
   In a tense match, the host Sacramento Capitals beat the last-place Springfield (Mo.) Lasers 21-17 Thursday night to reach the World TeamTennis playoffs for the first time since 2008.
   That's an eternity for Sacramento. The Capitals hold WTT records for most league titles (six), most playoff appearances (18) and most consecutive playoff appearances (seven).
   Sacramento will face the St. Louis Aces on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Western Conference finals in Charleston, S.C. Both teams finished 8-6 as the Capitals ended their streak of two consecutive losing seasons, a first in their 26-year history.
   In today's Eastern Conference finals, the Washington Kastles (14-0) will play the Boston Lobsters (7-7) at 4 p.m. in Charleston. Washington became the second team in WTT's 36-year history to go undefeated in the regular season. The other was the Newport Beach Dukes in 1994.
   The winners will meet Sunday at 2 p.m. in Charleston for the WTT title.
   For the second consecutive match, Sacramento led by two games entering the last set (mixed doubles with Mark Knowles and King) on Thursday night.
   The Capitals had lost the set and match to Boston on Wednesday night. This time, though, Knowles and King beat Rik de Voest and Carly Gullickson 5-3 to preserve Sacramento's victory. Springfield ended its season 4-10.
   The Capitals and Aces split their two regular-season matches, both in St. Louis.
   The Aces won 26-21 in the season opener for both teams. Half of the Capitals' roster missed the match because Vania King rested after Wimbledon and Dusan Vemic encountered visa problems in Serbia.  
   In its seventh match of the season, Sacramento edged St. Louis 20-19 in a Supertiebreaker.
   Capitals 21, Springfield 17
   Men's singles -- Dusan Vemic, Capitals, def. Greg A. Jones, Spr., 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Vania King and Yasmin Schnack, Capitals, def. Carly Gullickson and Lilia Osterloh, Spr., 5-0.
   Men's doubles -- Jones and de Voest, Spr., def. Mark Knowles and Vemic, Capitals, 5-4.
   Women's singles -- Osterloh, Spr., def. King, Capitals, 5-2.
   Mixed doubles -- King and Knowles, Capitals, def. Gullickson and de Voest, Spr., 5-3.
 

Capitals suffer key loss

   Despite suffering a heartbreaking loss Wednesday night, the Sacramento Capitals can earn their first berth in the World TeamTennis playoffs since 2008 tonight.
   Former Capitals Coco Vandeweghe and Eric Butorac won 5-2 in the final set to give the Boston Lobsters a 22-21 victory over Sacramento at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.
   Sacramento (7-6) dropped into a second-place tie with the St. Louis Aces in the Western Conference. They trail the Kansas City Explorers (8-5).
   The Capitals end the regular season tonight at home against the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers (4-9). St. Louis, meanwhile, hosts Kansas City.
   The top two teams in each conference advance to the WTT playoffs, Friday through Sunday in Charleston, S.C. The Eastern Conference finals are scheduled for Friday night, and the Western Conference finals set for Saturday night.
   Boston (6-7) was trying to keep its slim playoff hopes alive. Each of the first four sets went to tiebreakers, with the Capitals leading 19-17. Vandeweghe, 19, and Butorac then dominated Vania King and Mark Knowles in mixed doubles to pull out the match.
   Boston 22, Capitals 21
   Men's singles -- Dusan Vemic, Capitals, def. Jan-Michael Gambill, Bos., 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Mashona Washington and Coco Vandeweghe, Bos., def. Vania King and Yasmin Schnack, Capitals, 5-4.
   Men's doubles -- Mark Knowles and Vemic, Capitals, def. Eric Butorac and Gambill, Bos., 5-4.
   Women's singles -- King, Capitals, def. Vandeweghe, Bos., 5-4.
   Mixed doubles -- Vandeweghe and Butorac, Bos., def. King and Knowles, Capitals, 5-2.

King, Capitals crush Springfield

   For the second time in three matches, Vania King was almost unbeatable Tuesday night.
   The World TeamTennis veteran won her three sets by a combined score of 15-1 to lead the visiting Sacramento Capitals over the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers 25-7.
   King, the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield, accomplished the same feat in the Capitals' 22-11 overtime victory at Newport Beach on Saturday.
   Sacramento won all five sets for the first time in 2011 and tied the biggest winning margin in WTT this season. The Kansas City Explorers -- featuring reigning Wimbledon doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan and Kveta Peschke -- demolished the New York Sportimes by the same score Saturday.
   The Capitals (7-5) remained in a three-way tie with Kansas City and the St. Louis Aces for first place in the Western Conference with two matches left in the regular season. The top two teams in each conference advance to the WTT playoffs, Friday through Sunday in Charleston, S.C.
   Sacramento, which has won six of its last eight matches after starting the season
1-3, is in the best position of the three teams. The Capitals host Boston (5-7) tonight and Springfield (4-8) on Thursday, while Kansas City and St. Louis face each other in a home-and-home series.
   The Bryans completed their regular-season stint for the Explorers. The Aces, meanwhile, have 2003 Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis, who has won 10 of his 13 singles games (.769) this season.
   Capitals 25, Springfield 7
   Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles and Vania King, Capitals, def. Carly Gullickson and Rik de Voest, Spr., 5-1.
   Women's singles -- King, Capitals, def. Lilia Osterloh, Spr., 5-0.
   Men's doubles -- Knowles and Dusan Vemic, Capitals, def. de Voest and Doug Elly, Spr., 5-3.
   Women's doubles -- King and Yasmin Schnack, Capitals, def. Gullickson and Osterloh. Spr., 5-0.
   Men's singles -- Vemic, Capitals, def. de Voest, Spr., 5-3.

Kastles rout Capitals, remain unbeaten

  Entering Monday night's match, the Washington Kastles led the Eastern Conference of World TeamTennis, and the Sacramento Capitals were tied for first place in the Western Conference.
   Don't be deceived, though. Washington was 10-0 and Sacramento 6-4.
   As the records suggested, the host Kastles proved far superior, rolling to a 25-14 victory. For the first time this season, Sacramento lost all five sets (two in tiebreakers).
   WTT rookie Arina Rodionova, the younger sister of former Capital Anastasia Rodionova, crushed Vania King 5-0 in the fourth set to give Washington a 20-10 lead.
   The Kastles' full-time roster also features Leander Paes, who has won 12 Grand Slam doubles crowns (six men's and six mixed); Rennae Stubbs, who has captured six Grand Slam doubles titles (four women's and two mixed); and Bobby Reynolds, last season's WTT Male Rookie of the Year after leading the league in men's singles.
   Washington's part-time marquee players? Venus and Serena Williams.
   Sacramento remained tied for first place, but now there's a three-way logjam with the Kansas City Explorers and St. Louis Aces. The top two teams in each conference advance to the WTT playoffs, Friday through Sunday in Charleston, S.C.
   The Capitals probably must win two of their three remaining regular-season matches, all against losing teams, to reach the postseason for the first time since 2008.
   Sacramento visits the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers (4-7) on Tuesday night before hosting the Boston Lobsters (5-7) Wednesday night and Springfield on Thursday night.

   Washington 25, Capitals 14

   Mixed doubles -- Rennae Stubbs and Leander Paes, Wash., def. Vania King and Mark Knowles, Capitals, 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Arina Rodionova and Rennae Stubbs, Wash., def. King and Yasmin Schnack, Capitals, 5-3.
   Men's doubles -- Paes and Bobby Reynolds, Wash., def. Knowles and Dusan Vemic, Capitals, 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Rodionova, Wash., def. King, Capitals, 5-0.
   Men's singles -- Reynolds, Wash., def. Vemic, Capitals, 5-4.

King stars in Capitals' easy win

   This time, there was no suspense.
   Vania King helped see to that.
   One night after eking out a one-point victory over Newport Beach, the Sacramento Capitals dominated the host Breakers 22-11 in overtime Saturday night.
    King won her three sets by a combined score of 15-1. She breezed 5-1 in the opening set (mixed doubles with Mark Knowles), 5-0 in the next set (women's doubles with Yasmin Schnack) and 5-0 in the fourth set (women's singles).
    King, who rested during the week after Wimbledon and joined the Capitals in their fifth match, ranks second among 10 WTT players in women's singles (21-14, .600), third among 19 in women's doubles (21-12, .636) and fourth among 18 in mixed doubles (21-16, .568).
   The Capitals led 19-6 after four sets Saturday, but the Breakers' Lester Cook beat Dusan Vemic 5-2 in the last set to send the match to overtime. Vemic won the first game to end it.
   First-place Sacramento (6-4) leads the Kansas City Explorers (5-4) by one-half match and the St. Louis Aces (5-5) by one match in the Western Conference of World TeamTennis. The top two teams in each conference after the 14-match regular season advance to the WTT playoffs, Friday through next Sunday in Charleston, S.C.
   After starting the season 1-3, the Capitals have won five of their last six matches. They have a rare day off today before facing the host Washington Kastles (10-0) Monday in a showdown of conference leaders.  
   Capitals 22, Newport Beach 11 (OT)
   Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles and Vania King, Capitals, def. Travis Rettenmaier and Marie-Eve Pelletier, NB, 5-1. 
   Women's doubles -- King and Yasmin Schnack, Capitals, def. Pelletier and Anne Keothavong, NB, 5-0.
   Men's doubles -- Lester Cook and Trevor Kronemann, NB, def. Dusan Vemic and Knowles, Capitals, 5-4.
   Women's singles -- King, Capitals, def. Keothavong, Breakers, 5-0.
   Men's singles -- Cook, NB, def. Vemic, Capitals, 5-2.
   Overtime -- Vemic, Capitals, def. Cook, NB, 1-0.