Querrey heads field for Sacramento Challenger

Sam Querrey waves to the sparse crowd after
his late-night win in the first round at Indian
Wells in March. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Sam Querrey, ranked 52nd in the world and fourth in the United States, is scheduled to make his first Challenger appearance in more than two years later this month in Sacramento.
   The 26-year-old San Francisco native heads the entry list for the $100,000 Sacramento Pro Circuit Challenger, Sept. 29 to Oct. 5 at the Natomas Racquet Club. The only other top-100 player in the field is No. 76 Adrian Mannarino of France.
   Other entrants include:
   --Marcos Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up from Cyprus.
   --Robby Ginepri, the only active U.S. man to have reached a Grand Slam singles semifinal (2005 U.S. Open).
   --Tim Smyczek, last year's Sacramento Challenger runner-up from Tampa, Fla.
   --Bradley Klahn, the 2010 NCAA champion as a Stanford sophomore.
   --Ryan Harrison, who reached the top 50 in the world two years ago at age 20.
   --Former Sacramento Challenger champions Wayne Odesnik (2007) of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and John Millman (2010) of Australia.
   --Peter Polansky, last year's Tiburon Challenger champion from Canada.
   All except Querrey and Mannarino also are scheduled to play in the $50,000 Napa Valley Challenger, Monday through Sept. 28 at the Napa Valley Country Club.
   Donald Young, last year's Napa and Sacramento champion now ranked No. 50, is not entered in either tournament.
   The entry list for the $100,000 First Republic Bank Tiburon Challenger, Oct. 6-12 at the Tiburon Peninsula Club, has not been released.
   Querrey, 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters), and Mannarino, a 26-year-old left-hander, have played well recently. Both reached the third round of the U.S. Open, and while Querrey was winning both of his Davis Cup singles matches against Slovakia in Chicago last week, Mannarino was winning the $75,000 Istanbul Challenger on hardcourts.
   Querrey climbed to a career-high No. 17 in January 2011 but has battled injuries since then. Although he grew up in Las Vegas and the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks, he is very familiar with Northern California.
   He has played in the Sacramento Challenger three times, reaching the semifinals in October 2011 before losing to eventual champion Ivo Karlovic, a 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) Croat, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4.
   In addition, Querrey played part-time for the Sacramento Capitals in 2012 and 2013 before the longest-running franchise in World TeamTennis at 28 years announced it was moving to Las Vegas. Less than three weeks later, team owner Deepal Wannakuwatte was charged with orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme related to his medical supply business, and the franchise disbanded without playing a match as the Las Vegas Neon.  
   Querrey played annually in the SAP Open in San Jose on the ATP World Tour, advancing to the singles semifinals in 2010 and 2013 and winning the doubles title in 2010 with Mardy Fish. The tournament was replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning last February after 125 years in Northern California.
   Querrey made his professional debut at 18 in Yuba City, a one-hour drive north of Sacramento. He won the 2006 Challenger, defeating Sam Warburg of Sacramento in the final.
   The Yuba City Challenger was last held in June 2009, and Warburg retired that October at age 26.

Farewell, SAP Open — thanks for the memories

Milos Raonic won the last three SAP Open titles, never
losing in the tournament. File photo by Paul Bauman

   Serious tennis fans in Northern California have been suffering withdrawal symptoms for the past week.
   The first ATP World Tour event of the year in North America traditionally has been held at this time in San Jose. But NorCal lost its tournament after 125 years, Memphis moved up one week to take its place, and Rio de Janeiro will debut next week.
   You don't have to be Nick Bollettieri to figure out the reason for the SAP Open's demise: no big gate attraction, especially an American. Andy Roddick was the closest thing it had to one, but he won only one Grand Slam title, and it came 11 years ago.
   Sure, Southern California natives Bob and Mike Bryan played in the SAP Open many times after starring up the road at Stanford. But doubles receives little television exposure, so even though the Bryans have won a record 15 Grand Slam men's titles together and are highly entertaining, they're not big draws.  
   The last five singles champions of the SAP Open were Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic (2009), Fernando Verdasco of Spain (2010) and Milos Raonic of Canada the last three years. All are fine players but not exactly household names.
   The SAP Open did not offer enough money or computer ranking points to induce any of the Big Four -- Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray (in his prime) -- to make the trek from Europe. Murray did play the SAP Open twice, winning it at 18 in 2006 and repeating the next year, but never returned.
   Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Federer for the 2009 U.S. Open title, reached the semifinals of the 2011 SAP Open in his only San Jose appearance but barely moved the attendance needle. The Argentine underwent surgery on his right (playing) wrist in 2010. 
   I covered the last nine SAP Opens (2005-11 for The Sacramento Bee and 2012-13 for this web site). Drama, controversy, color ... the tournament had it all. Except a lot of big names. Here is a fond look back:

Andy Roddick won the SAP Open in
2004, 2005 and 2008. File photo
by Paul Bauman

   Most dominant players — The indoor conditions at HP Pavilion (now the SAP Center at San Jose) aided the pulverizing serves of the 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Raonic and of Roddick, the champion in 2004, 2005 and 2008. They did not have to contend with the sun or wind. Raonic went 13-0 in the SAP Open.
   Best finals — Showing unusual mental toughness as a teenager, Murray edged Lleyton Hewitt 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3) in 2006 and 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) Ivo Karlovic 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (2) in 2007.
   Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, was asked if Murray could threaten to win there someday.
   "Maybe someday," Hewitt replied. "It's hard to say at the moment. Wimbledon is a tad different from San Jose. He's definitely a great prospect for Great Britain. You see the expectations put on (Tim) Henman every June, and I'm sure Andy will see a lot of that, too."
   Murray, of course, ended Great Britain's drought at Wimbledon at 77 years by winning the title last summer.
   Worst final — The top-seeded Roddick crushed unseeded Cyril Saulnier of France 6-0, 6-4 in 49 minutes in 2005. When asked if anything went wrong that day, Roddick quipped, "I wasn't getting cell-phone service in the arena this morning."
   Biggest upset — Murray, unknown at the time, stunned top seed and two-time defending champion  Roddick 7-5, 7-5 in the 2006 semifinals. It was Murray's first victory over a top-10 player in four tries.
   "I have so much respect for somebody like Andy Roddick," Murray said afterward. "He's won a Grand Slam. He's been No. 1 in the world. He's achieved so much. It's just great for me to be on the same court as somebody like him. To actually win against him is amazing."
   Oldest doubles champ — John McEnroe, 47, won the title with Jonas Bjorkman in 2006.
   Biggest disappointment — The Bryan brothers, who have won just about every doubles title in tennis, never hoisted the trophy in San Jose.
   Most anticipated debut — Donald Young was going to be the next American superstar when he played his first ATP World Tour match at 15 years old in San Jose in 2005 (losing to U.S. veteran Robby Ginepri 6-2, 6-2). It hasn't worked out that way.
   Best PR move —Stepanek came onto the court for the 2008 and 2009 finals wearing a Joe Thornton San Jose Sharks jersey over his tennis outfit. The SAP Center is the home of the NHL Sharks.
   Worst dancer — After beating Stepanek in the 2008 final, Roddick tried to top his opponent's trademark worm dance, in which Stepanek flops on the court and gyrates on his stomach. Roddick kicked his right leg high across his other leg and gave an awkward fist pump.
   "All I'm asked about, all I hear is the worm," Roddick said. "I had to find something as cheesy or cheesier. It's tough."
   Most candid player — Mardy Fish ripped Stepanek after losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the 2009 final. With Fish leading 6-3, 2-3 (on serve), Stepanek received treatment on his left leg.
   "I didn't think he was injured at all," Fish later conceded. "If you took a tally of how many times he has called for the trainer (in his career), it would be pretty high.
   "He looked fine. I'd be shocked if he didn't call a timeout when I was up a set. It's par for the course and viewed as unsportsmanlike by everybody on the tour."
   And, yes, Stepanek did the worm dance after winning.  
   Worst fan — Raonic's serve is difficult enough to return without some nitwit in the crowd yelling at the same time. On match point. That's what happened to Verdasco in the 2011 final. Distracted, he netted a forehand return to seal Raonic's 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) victory. 
   Most injury-prone — Gael Monfils of France played in the SAP Open twice and defaulted or withdrew both times. Seeded second in 2011, the right-hander (with a two-handed backhand) defaulted his semifinal against Raonic with an inflamed left wrist. Seeded first the following year, Monfils received a first-round bye. The night before he was scheduled to play his second-round match, he pulled out with knee inflammation. 
   Best first name — For five straight years (2004-08), a player named Andy (Roddick or Murray) won the singles title. Make it six straight if you count Andre Agassi in 2003.
   Nicest guy — Tournament director Bill Rapp was first class all the way. Not only did he make everyone feel important, he seemed sincere. 

Raonic makes history in last SAP Open

   Nobody's perfect.
   Except Milos Raonic in the SAP Open.
   The top seed remained undefeated in San Jose, coasting past fourth-seeded Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour, 15 minutes Sunday at HP Pavilion for his third straight title in the tournament. Raonic, 22, made his SAP Open debut in 2011.
   A 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Canadian with a punishing serve and forehand, Raonic has never lost a set in 13 SAP Open matches. And it appears he never will. The tournament will move next year to Memphis, which lost its event to Rio de Janeiro, after 125 years in Northern California.
   Raonic -- whose only other ATP World tour title came in Chennai, India, last year -- became the first man to win three consecutive San Francisco Bay Area titles since Tony Trabert from 1953 to 1955.
   “It’s pretty awesome. It’s pretty special,” Raonic told reporters. “It’s more than just the trophies that I have. It’s the little things that come with it. There was always the maple syrup story. The San Jose Sharks jersey. It all means a lot. With this event, that has had so many great champions, it’s pretty special. To sort of one-up it and three-peat is pretty awesome.”
   John McEnroe (1978-79), Pete Sampras (1996-97), Andy Roddick (2004-05) and Andy Murray (2006-07) are among those who have won two in a row. Andre Agassi tied McEnroe's modern record of five Bay Area crowns, but none came consecutively.
   Bill Rapp, then the SAP Open tournament director, presented Raonic with a bottle of maple syrup and a Sharks jersey after the player's first San Jose title.
   Raonic, the youngest player in the top 20 at No. 13, blasted 19 aces, won 29 of his 32 first-serve points and did not face a break point in his first meeting with Haas, 34, of Germany.
   Haas, ranked No. 22, reached No. 2 in the world in 2002. He was seeking his 14th ATP title and playing in his first San Jose final in his eighth appearance.
   In doubles, Xavier Malisse built a nice little streak of his own. The 32-year-old Belgian became the first man in 36 years to win two straight doubles titles in the Bay Area.
   The fourth-seeded team of Malisse and Germany's Moser edged Australian wild cards Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic 6-0, 6-7 (5), 10-4 tiebreak in Sunday's final. All but Matosevic are 31 or older. Moser is 36, Hewitt 31 and Matosevic 27.
   Dick Stockton won in 1976 with Roscoe Tanner, a former All-American at nearby Stanford, and in 1977 with Marty Riessen. The tournament was held in Daly City, just south of San Francisco, at the time.
   Malisse and Moser opposed each other in last year's SAP Open doubles final. Malisse played with Mark Knowles, who retired one week before his 41st birthday last year. Moser paired with South African Kevin Anderson, who did not return.
   Malisse has won nine career ATP doubles titles, including the 2004 French Open with countryman Olivier Rochus.

Haas, Raonic reach SAP Open final

   Tommy Haas just keeps on going.
   Haas, a 34-year-old German seeded fourth, upset second-seeded John Isner of Tampa, Fla., 6-3, 6-4 Saturday to reach the final of the SAP Open at HP Pavilion in San Jose.
   "I saw his serve extremely well today, and that obviously helps when you’re playing someone like him," Haas, ranked No. 22 after reaching a career-high No. 2 in 2002, said of the 6-foot-9 (2.08-meter) Isner. "This is the type of surface where if you can hold serve and put some pressure on the opponent, it really works out well."
   Haas will face another big server in Sunday's 3 p.m. (PST) final. Milos Raonic, the top seed and two-time defending champion, advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over third-seeded Sam Querrey, a native of nearby San Francisco.
   Raonic has never lost a set in 12 career matches in the SAP Open. He will play Haas for the first time.
   Isner, the top-ranked American at No. 16, has not been in top form lately. He suffered a knee injury early last month and missed the Australian Open. Isner returned two weeks ago, going 1-1 against Brazil in the first round of the Davis Cup on an indoor hardcourt in Jacksonville, Fla.
   "I just couldn’t find my first serve (against Haas) when I really needed it," Isner said. "He played well; there’s definitely no shame in losing to him."

Raonic downs Istomin in virtual replay

   Not much has changed in one year.

   Top-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada defeated sixth-seeded Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 7-6 (0), 6-3 Friday night to reach the semifinals of the SAP Open at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

   The 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Raonic, who beat Istomin 7-6 (3), 6-2 in last year's final for his second straight SAP Open title, improved to 11-0 overall and 9-0 in tiebreakers in the tournament.

    Raonic will face third-seeded Sam Querrey, a native of nearby San Francisco who outlasted unseeded Alejandro Falla of Colombia 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. Querrey is 2-0 against Raonic, with both matches coming last year.

   In the other semifinal, second-seeded John Isner of Tampa, Fla., will play fourth-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany. Isner topped eighth-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium 7-6 (8), 6-2, and the fourth-seeded Haas, 34, dismissed American wild card Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-2.
   Isner is 3-1 against Haas, but they have not met since Isner's first-round victory at Cincinnati in 2009.

SAP OPEN

In San Jose

Singles quarterfinals

   Tommy Haas (4), Germany, def. Steve Johnson, United States, 6-4, 6-2.
   John Isner (2), United States, def. Xavier Malisse (8), Belgium, 7-6 (8), 6-2.
   Milos Raonic (1), Canada, def. Denis Istomin (6), Uzbekistan, 7-6 (0), 6-3.
   Sam Querrey (3), United States, def. Alejandro Falla, Colombia. 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

Doubles semifinals

   Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic, Australia, def. Mikhail Elgin, Russia, and Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 10-5 tiebreak.

Saturday's schedule

(Beginning at 12:15 p.m. PST)

   John Isner (2), United States, vs. Tommy Haas (4), Germany.

(Not before 4 p.m.)

   Milos Raonic (1), Canada, vs. Sam Querrey (3), United States, or Alejandro Falla, Colombia.

   Exhibition: Stephanie Graf, Germany, and Andy Roddick, United States, vs. Lindsay Davenport and Justin Gimelstob, United States.
   Xavier Malisse, Belgium, and Frank Moser (4), Germany, vs. Alejandro Falla and Robert Farah, Colombia.    

2012 SAP finalists to meet in quarters

   In a rematch of last year’s final, Milos Raonic and Denis Istomin will meet in Friday’s quarterfinals at the SAP Open in San Jose.

   Raonic, the top seed and two-time defending champion from Canada, improved his SAP Open record to 10-0 with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over 34-year-old American Michael Russell in the second round Thursday at HP Pavilion.

   Istomin, the sixth seed from Uzbekistan, outlasted 2007 semifinalist Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

   Raonic, 6-foot-5 (1.96 meters), defeated Istomin 7-6 (3), 6-2 for the 2012 title.
   “I’m definitely comfortable here,” Raonic, who drew a first-round bye this year, told reporters. “I made a big emphasis on starting aggressive today, especially being the first match of the tournament and his second match of the tournament. I was able to play well.”
   Meanwhile, it appears Bob and Mike Bryan will never win the doubles title in San Jose, 20 miles down the freeway from their alma mater, Stanford. The world's No. 1 team, which won its record 13th Grand Slam title last month in the Australian Open, fell to Aussie wild cards Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-7 tiebreak in the quarterfinals.
   The Bryans made their 10th appearance in the tournament, which will be replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning in 2014 after 125 years in Northern California. The 34-year-old identical twins reached the final once, losing to fellow Stanford alumni Scott Lipsky and David Martin in 2008.  
   Lipsky, who also won the 2011 SAP Open doubles title with Rajeev Ram, joined the Bryans on the sideline Thursday. The third-seeded team of Lipsky and Mexico's Santiago Gonzalez lost to unseeded Mikhail Elgin of Russia and Istomin 6-4, 6-4.

   No. 3 singles seed Sam Querrey, who had a bye in the first round, narrowly avoided his third straight opening-round loss in the SAP Open. The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) native of nearby San Francisco edged the 31-year-old Hewitt, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world and the 2002 SAP Open champion, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 7-6 (4).
   Hewitt double-faulted twice in the third-set tiebreaker, including on match point. Querrey pounded 20 aces in the match.

   In 2010, Querrey came within a third-set tiebreaker against Andy Roddick of reaching the SAP Open singles final and won the doubles title with Mardy Fish.

   Querrey will play Colombian veteran Alejandro Falla in the quarterfinals. Falla, the SAP Open doubles runner-up with Xavier Malisse in 2011, upset the seventh-seeded Matosevic 6-4, 6-4.  

  Two players in their 30s reached the quarterfinals in the bottom half of the draw. Fourth-seeded Tommy Haas, 34, of Germany will meet American wild card Steve Johnson, and the eighth-seeded Malisse, 32, of Belgium will face second-seeded John Isner of Tampa, Fla.

   Haas reached No. 2 in the world in 2002, advanced to the SAP Open semifinals in 2005 and won the 2009 doubles title in San Jose with Radek Stepanek.
   Johnson, who turned pro last summer after leading USC to four straight NCAA team titles and winning the last two NCAA singles crowns, dispatched fellow American Tim Smyczek 6-3, 6-3 to reach his first ATP World Tour quarterfinal.

   Malisse gained the San Jose singles semis in 2001, won the French Open men’s doubles title in 2004 with countryman Olivier Rochus and took last year’s SAP Open doubles crown with since-retired Mark Knowles. 

SAP OPEN

In San Jose

Second-round singles

   Milos Raonic (1), Canada, def. Michael Russell, United States, 6-2, 7-5.
   Denis Istomin (6), Uzbekistan, def. Benjamin Becker, Germany, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2.
   Sam Querrey (3), United States, def. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 7-6 (4).
   Alejandro Falla, Colombia, def. Marinko Matosevic (7), Australia, 6-4, 6-4.
   Steve Johnson, United States, def. Tim Smyczek, United States, 6-3, 6-3.
   Xavier Malisse (8), Belgium, def. Matthew Ebden, Australia, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (1).

Doubles quarterfinals

   Mikhail Elgin, Russia, and Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, def. Santiago Gonzalez, Mexico, and Scott Lipsky (3), United States, 6-4, 6-4.
   Alejandro Falla and Robert Farah, Colombia, def. Rik de Voest, South Africa, and Tommy Haas, Germany, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 10-6 tiebreak.
   Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic, Australia, def. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (1), United States, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-7 tiebreak.
   Xavier Malisse, Belgium, and Frank Moser (4), Germany, def. Matthew Ebden, Australia, and Michael Russell, United States, 6-3, 6-3.

Friday's schedule

Center Court

   (Beginning at 11:30 a.m. PST)

   Tommy Haas (4), Germany, vs. Steve Johnson, United States. 

   (Not before 2 p.m.)

   John Isner (2), United States, vs. Xavier Malisse (8), Belgium.

(Not before 7 p.m.)

   Milos Raonic (2), Canada, vs. Denis Istomin (6), Uzbekistan.
   Sam Querrey (3), United States, vs. Alejandro Falla, Colombia.
   Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic, Australia, vs. Mikhail Elgin, Russia, and Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan.

Ex-prodigy tries to rebound after nightmarish year

   SAN JOSE -- In 2005, Donald Young debuted on the ATP World Tour in the SAP Open as the Great American Hope. He was 15 years old.
   Eight years later, Young is still looking for his first ATP title and trying to bounce back from a nightmarish 2012. As a qualifier, he lost to fellow American Michael Russell on Wednesday in the first round of the SAP Open for the second straight year, 6-3, 7-5.
   The 5-foot-8 (1.73-meter), 155-pound (70-kilogram) Russell, who will turn 35 in May, saved five set points in the second set. Several came on spectacular shots.
   "Some shots, I don't know how they went in, but I'll take it," he said.
   Young was erratic, showing the gifted hands that fellow left-hander John McEnroe once compared to his own, but also making too many errors in the match and converting only 43 percent of his first serves in the second set.
   "Credit to Mike for playing well," said Young, ranked No. 202. "I didn't take advantage of my opportunities."

Second-seeded John Isner waits to return serve against Vasek
Pospisil in the second round of the SAP Open in San Jose.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Second-seeded John Isner, the top-ranked American at No. 16 in the world, defeated Vasek Pospisil of Canada 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3 in a second-round match at night. Isner, 6-foot-9 (2.06 meters), drew a bye in the first round.

   Speaking of nightmares, Isner flew economy class from Tampa, Fla., to San Jose. Not surprisingly, he complained of a sore back.
   "I was supposed to fly first class, but the plane from Newark was late, and I had to give up my seat," Isner said. "I took a window seat because the cart is always bumping me on the aisle. It was a 6 a.m. flight, and I must have slept in an awkward position."
   A few weeks before Young's ATP debut, he won the Australian Open junior title to become youngest-ever and first African-American boy to be ranked No. 1 in the world. The prodigy then lost to American veteran Robby Ginepri 6-2, 6-2 in the first round at San Jose.
  Young struggled for years on the ATP circuit and in tennis' minor leagues. What went wrong? You name it:
   --Bad management decisions. Because his family needed the money, Young turned pro at the preposterous age of 14 and accepted wild cards into ATP tournaments. He promptly got pummeled, shattering his confidence.
   "Growing up, I won all the time," Young said. "The pros are not like the juniors, but the more matches you win, the better you feel."
   --Questionable coaching. Young has relied on his parents rather than more accomplished coaches.
   --Bad attitude. Young has gotten frustrated easily during his career.
   --Bad work ethic. This is the curse of being highly talented. It's tempting to say, "I don't need to work hard."
   --Insufficient power. Young is listed at 6 feet (1.83 meters) and 160 pounds (73 kilograms), and finesse doesn't cut it these days.   
   Young nevertheless reached a career-high No. 38 in the world last February, but then came 16 consecutive losses. He finished 5-24 on the ATP tour last year and won one match on the Challenger circuit.
   "I've put 2012 out of my mind," Young said. "I've already won more matches this year than I did last year. I couldn't really tell you what happened. I started losing, and it spiraled downward."
   Young has won seven matches this year, all in qualifying. Wednesday's encounter was his season debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam or ATP tournament. It was also his first match in three weeks after retiring at 0-4 with the flu against Russell in the first round of the Maui Challenger.
   "I'm playing better, but it will take a little while to get over the hump," Young said.
   Russell agreed that Young is rebounding.
   "I definitely think he's playing a lot better," said Russell, who improved to 7-3 against Young and earned a meeting against top seed and two-time defending champion Milos Raonic on Thursday at 7 p.m. "His forehand has a lot more whip on it, and he's serving better. He'll be a lot closer to the top hundred at the end of the year, if not in the top hundred."
   Young once dreamed of winning Grand Slam titles. His goals are much more modest now.
   "My goals are to win 10 matches in February, get back in the top 50 and win my first title," he said.

SAP OPEN

In San Jose

First-round singles

   Alejandro Falla, Colombia, def. Flavio Cipolla, Italy, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (10).
   Matthew Ebden, Australia, def. Rik de Voest, South Africa, 6-2, 7-5.
   Michael Russell, United States, def. Donald Young, United States, 6-3, 7-5.
   Steve Johnson, United States, def. Ivo Karlovic, Croatia, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (6).
   Tommy Haas (4), Germany, def. Jesse Levine, Canada, 6-3, 6-1.

Second-round singles

   John Isner (2), United States, def. Vasek Pospisil, Canada, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3.   

First-round doubles

   Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic, Australia, def. Philipp Marx, Germany, and Florin Mergea, Romania, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 10-2 tiebreak.
   Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, and Mikhail Elgin, Russia, def. Nicholas Monroe, United States, and Simon Stadler, Germany, 6-4, 6-4.
   Xavier Malisse, Belgium, and Frank Moser (4), Germany, def. Jamie Murray, Great Britain, and John Peers, Australia, 6-4, 6-4.

Thursday's schedule

Center Court

(Beginning at 9:30 a.m.)

   Benjamin Becker, Germany, vs. Denis Istomin (6), Uzbekistan.
   Alejandro Falla, Colombia, vs. Marinko Matosevic (7), Australia.
   Xavier Malisse (8), Belgium, vs. Matthew Ebden, Australia.
   Tim Smyczek, United States, vs. Steve Johnson, United States.
   Sam Querrey (3), United States, vs. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia.

 (Not before 7 p.m.)

   Milos Raonic (1), Canada, vs. Michael Russell, United States.
   Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (1), United States, vs. Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic, Australia.
   Matthew Ebden, Australia, and Michael Russell, United States, vs. Xavier Malisse, Belgium, and Frank Moser (4), Germany. 

Courtside Club 16

(Beginning at 4 p.m.)

   Santiago Gonzalez, Mexico and Scott Lipsky (3), United States, vs. Mikhail Elgin, Russia, and Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan.
   Alejandro Falla and Robert Farah, Colombia, vs. Rik de Voest, South Africa, and Tommy Haas, Germany.

PRO RANKINGS

   Following are this week's world rankings of professional players with Northern California ties (change from last week in parentheses):

Men

   Kevin Anderson, Sacramento Capitals (2012) of World TeamTennis -- No. 29 in singles (-1), No. 77 in doubles (-3).
   Nick Andrews, Cal All-American in 2012, resident of Folsom in the Sacramento area -- No. 1,062 in doubles (-1), No. 1,502 in singles (+2).  
   Bob Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 2 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mike Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, Capitals (2012) -- No. 32 in singles (-2), unranked in doubles.
   John Paul Fruttero, Cal All-American in 2001 and 2002 -- No. 159 in doubles (-22), unranked in singles.
   Artem Ilyushin, resident of Granite Bay in the Sacramento area -- No. 1,100 in singles (no change), No. 1,510 in doubles (+1).
   Bradley Klahn, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 223 in singles (-1), No. 475 in doubles (+47).
   Alex Kuznetsov, Capitals (2012) -- No. 255 in singles (+12), No. 189 in doubles (+30).
   Scott Lipsky, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 30 in doubles (-2), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012) -- No. 20 in singles (no change), No. 41 in doubles (no change).
   Ryan Sweeting, Capitals (2012) -- No. 156 in singles (+6), No. 850 in doubles (+237).
   Ryan Thacher, 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 549 in doubles (-1), No. 977 in singles (-1).
   Dmitry Tursunov, Folsom resident -- No. 117 in singles (no change), No. 289 in doubles (-6).
   Pedro Zerbini, All-Pacific-10 Conference first team at Cal (2009-11) -- Career-high No. 468 in singles (+3), No. 552 in doubles (no change).

Women

   Mallory Burdette, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- Career-high No. 126 in singles (+20), No. 366 in doubles (+67). 
   Vania King, Capitals (2010-12) -- No. 28 in doubles (no change), No. 117 in singles (-12).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- Career-high No. 13 in doubles (no change), No. 1,113 in singles (no change).
   Asia Muhammad, Capitals (2012) -- Career-high No. 148 in doubles (+17), No. 435 in singles (+6).
   Maria Sanchez, Modesto resident -- Career-high No. 114 in singles (+5), No. 114 in doubles (+2).

   Yasmin Schnack, resident of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area, Capitals (2011-12) -- No. 192 in doubles (-19), No. 761 in singles (-95).

   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy resident -- No. 460 in singles (+4), No. 1,106 in doubles (+5).
   CoCo Vandeweghe, Capitals (2009, 2012) -- No. 99 in singles (+3), No. 350 in doubles (+143).

TV SCHEDULE

(All times PST)

   Thursday --  Rotterdam (men), round of 16, Tennis Channel, 2-8 a.m. (live), 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (live), 2:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. (repeat).
   Friday -- Rotterdam (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 3:30-7:30 a.m. (live), 7:30-9:30 a.m. (repeat), 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (live). Doha (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2:30-6:30 p.m. (delay), 8:30-10:30 p.m. (repeat). Sao Paolo (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (delay). 
   Saturday -- Rotterdam (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5-7:30 a.m. (live), 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (live). Doha (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 7:30-9:30 a.m. (delay), 3-5 p.m. (delay). San Jose (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 1-3 p.m. (live), 8:30-10:30 p.m. (live). Sao Paolo (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (delay).

   Sunday -- Rotterdam (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5:30-8 a.m. (live), 5-7:30 p.m. (repeat). Doha (women), final, 8-10 a.m. (delay), 7:30-9:30 p.m. (repeat). Sao Paolo (men), final, Tennis Channel, 1-3 p.m. (delay).

CALENDAR

   Through Sunday -- SAP Open, HP Pavilion in San Jose, www.sapopentennis.com. 2012 champions: Milos Raonic, Mark Knowles-Xavier Malisse.
   March 4-17 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, www.bnpparibasopen.com. 2012 champions: Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, Marc Lopez-Rafael Nadal, Liezel Huber-Lisa Raymond.
   April 23-28 -- Pac-12 Men's and Women's Championships, Ojai Valley Athletic Club/Libbey Park, Ojai, www.pac12.com.
   April 25-28 -- Big West Conference Men's and Women's Championships, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, www.bigwest.org.
   April 26-28 -- Big Sky Conference Men's and Women's Championships, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.bigskyconf.com.
   May 10-11 -- NCAA Men's and Women's Team Championships, first and second rounds at campus sites, www.ncaa.com.
   May 16-21 -- NCAA Men's and Women's Team Championships, round of 16 through finals, Urbana, Ill., www.ncaa.com, www.fightingillini.com.
   May 22-27 -- NCAA Men's and Women's Individual Championships, Urbana, Ill., www.ncaa.com, www.fightingillini.com.

U.S. qualifier shocks ex-SAP champ; WTT marquee draft

Qualifier Tim Smyczek signs autographs after stunning fifth
seed and 2010 champion  Fernando Verdasco in the first round
of the SAP Open on Tuesday night. Photo by Paul Bauman

   SAN JOSE -- Little Tim Smyczek gave the United States a big lift Tuesday night.
   Three Americans -- Ryan Harrison and wild card Jack Sock, both 20, and qualifier Ryan Sweeting -- fell in consecutive singles matches on the only court at HP Pavilion during the day session in the SAP Open.
   Combined with wild card Bradley Klahn's loss on Monday night, that brought the United States' singles record in the tournament to 0-4 with the big guns, second-seeded John Isner (6-foot-9, 2.06 meters) and third-seeded Sam Querrey (6-foot-6, 1.98 meters), and others yet to play.
    But in the last match of the night, the 5-foot-9 (1.75-meter), 145-pound (66-kilogram) Smyczek dismissed fifth-seeded Fernando Verdasco, the SAP Open champion in 2010 and runner-up in 2011, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round.
   "It's one of my best moments on a tennis court," Smyczek (pronounced SMEE-check) -- a 25-year-old qualifier from Milwaukee, of all places -- told the announced crowd of 3,418 afterward. "It's always great coming back to San Jose. I've had a lot of success here."
   A four-time qualifier in San Jose, Smyczek received a wild card in the 2011 SAP Open and reached the quarterfinals. He also has advanced to the second round of the last two Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open and the U.S. Open, as a qualifier.  
   Verdasco, a Spaniard ranked No. 24 in the world, is the second-highest-ranked player Smyczek has beaten. He knocked off then-No. 19 Jurgen Melzer of Austria in the first round at Delray Beach (Fla.) -- as a qualifier, of course -- last February before losing to Bernard Tomic of Australia in the second round.
   Smyczek, ranked No. 105, will face the winner of today's match between 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Ivo Karlovic of Croatia and American wild card Steve Johnson, who won the last two NCAA singles titles before completing his eligibility at USC.
   Win or lose, Smyczek likely will crack the top 100 for the first time when the next rankings are released on Monday.
   "It's a longtime goal," Smyczek said. "It's been a long road, and to almost be there is really exciting."

Bob Bryan, right, waits to return serve as Mike Bryan watches during their
first-round match against fellow Americans  Steve Johnson and Jack Sock.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Before Smyczek and Verdasco took the court, top-seeded Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan edged U.S. wild cards Johnson and Jack Sock 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) in the first round of doubles. Johnson and Sock won the first eight points against the Bryans, who were coming off a rare Davis Cup loss.
   "They came out on fire and caught us a little off guard," Bob Bryan said. " ... They were gunning for us, so  we had our hands full. I thought we started playing pretty well there and fought them off."
   The 34-year-old identical twins have won virtually every honor in men's doubles, including a record 13 Grand Slam titles, an Olympic gold medal and a Davis Cup title. But the Bryans have never won the SAP Open in nine attempts.
   They have reached one final in the tournament, losing to Scott Lipsky and David Martin five years ago in a matchup of four former Stanford players. The campus is 20 miles (33 kilometers) northwest of HP Pavilion, and the Bryans had many supporters in the stands Tuesday night.
   This is the Bryans' last shot at the title. The tournament, the second-oldest professional event in the United States behind the U.S. Open, will be replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning in 2014 after 125 years in Northern California.
   "It would be pretty satisfying to get this one," said Mike Bryan, who wore a Stanford cap at the postmatch news conference. "It's eluded us (almost) 10 times. We've been in the finals once or twice. It would be nice to check this one off, especially being from Stanford and having a lot of our friends come out. Now is the year to do it. It won't eat us alive if we don't do it, but we really want to try to play well here."
   The Bryans led Stanford to NCAA titles both years they attended the school, 1997 and 1998, before turning pro. On Monday, they returned to campus and visited their old coach, Dick Gould, and John Whitlinger, who took over in 2005 after Gould became Stanford's director of tennis.
   "Stanford was definitely two of the most fun years we've ever had playing this game," Bob Bryan said. "Playing for a team, it was a blast. To go back there and look at that stadium where we have so many great memories is awesome.
   "We went to the Stanford gift shop and dropped a few hundred dollars on Stanford gear to take home. It's fun to relive those memories and look up on the wall and see the national title plaques. Dick Gould has some amazing monuments there (commemorating every Grand Slam champion from Stanford), so it's kind of cool to see your name etched in the stone wall."
   WTT marquee draft -- The Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis protected their rights to Querrey and Mardy Fish, two of the top three Americans, in Tuesday's marquee draft.
   Querrey is scheduled to play the last week of the three-week regular season in July, and Fish plans to play two or three home matches on dates to be announced. However, Fish has been sidelined since last September with a heart problem. He underwent a procedure for an irregular heartbeat last April.
   Querrey (No. 20) and Fish (No. 32) are the second- and third-ranked Americans behind John Isner (No. 16). Querrey played six of Sacramento's 14 regular-season matches last year, finishing second in men's singles by winning 58.0 percent of his games, and Fish two.
   Neither competed in the playoffs as the Capitals fell to the Washington Kastles 20-19 in the WTT Finals.
   Bob and Mike Bryan of the new Texas Wild, which relocated to Irving after 20 years in Kansas City, will face their father, longtime Capitals coach Wayne Bryan, again on a date to be announced at Sacramento.
   Top pick Andy Roddick, who retired from the men's circuit last September, is scheduled to play five matches for the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers.
   Venus Williams will return part-time to Washington, and 19-year-old Sloane Stephens, who reached the semifinals of last month's Australian Open, will play a limited schedule for the Philadelphia Freedoms.  
   Teams will complete their lineups in the March 12 roster draft in Indian Wells. The 2013 schedule will be released during the week of March 4.

SAP OPEN

In San Jose

First-round singles

   Vasek Pospisil, Canada, def. Evgeny Donskoy, Russia, 7-5, 6-1.
   Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, def. Blaz Kavcic, Slovenia, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
   Benjamin Becker, Germany, def. Ryan Harrison, United States, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-3.
   Marinko Matosevic (7), Australia, def. Jack Sock, United States, 7-6 (5), 6-1.
   Denis Istomin (6), Uzbekistan, def. Ryan Sweeting, United States, 6-3, 6-4.
   Tim Smyczek, United States, def. Fernando Verdasco (5), Spain, 6-3, 6-3.

First-round doubles

   Matthew Ebden, Australia, and Michael Russell, United States, def. Benjamin Becker, Germany, and Flavio Cipolla, Italy, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
   Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (1), United States, def. Steve Johnson and Jack Sock, United States, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5).

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Beginning at 9:30 a.m.)

   Flavio Cipolla, Italy, vs. Alejandro Falla, Colombia.
   Matthew Ebden, Australia, vs. Rik de Voest, South Africa.
   Philipp Marx, Germany, and Florin Mergea, Romania, vs. Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic, Australia.
   Michael Russell, United States, vs. Donald Young, United States.
   Ivo Karlovic, Croatia, vs. Steve Johnson, United States.

(Not before 7 p.m.)

   Vasek Pospisil, Canada, vs. John Isner (2), United States.

   Jesse Levine, Canada, vs. Tommy Haas (4), Germany.

Courtside Club 16

(Beginning at 4 p.m.)

   Nicholas Monroe, United States, and Simon Stadler, Germany, vs. Mikhail Elgin, Russia, and Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan.

   Jamie Murray, Great Britain, and John Peers, Australia, vs. Xavier Malisse, Belgium, and Frank Moser (4), Germany.

Ex-Stanford star falls to familiar foe in SAP Open

   Bradley Klahn probably has seen enough of Jesse Levine for a while.
   Klahn, playing a few miles down the road from where he starred for four years at Stanford, lost to Levine for the second time in one week Monday night.
   In a matchup of diminutive left-handers, Levine defeated wild card Klahn 7-5, 6-2 in the first round of the SAP Open at HP Pavilion in San Jose. Levine, a 25-year-old Canadian, also had beaten Klahn, 22, of Poway in the San Diego area, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in the first round of the Dallas Challenger. 
   Klahn won the 2010 NCAA singles title as a sophomore at Stanford but was plagued by back pain as a junior. He underwent surgery for a herniated disc in October 2011 and returned one year ago for his senior season. Since turning pro last July, he has soared from No. 661 in the world rankings to No. 223.
   Levine, the runner-up to Santiago Giraldo of Colombia in the 2009 Sacramento Challenger, is ranked No. 95. He will face fourth-seeded Tommy Haas, 34, of Germany in the second round of the SAP Open. Haas, who reached No. 2 in the world in 2002 before battling injuries, received a bye in the first round.

SAP OPEN

In San Jose

First-round singles

   Xavier Malisse (8), Belgium, def. Go Soeda, Japan, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
   Jesse Levine, Canada, def. Bradley Klahn, United States,7-5, 6-2.

First-round doubles

   Santiago Gonzalez, Mexico, and Scott Lipsky (3), United States, def. James Cerretani, United States, and Adil Shamasdin, Canada, 6-3, 6-4.
   Alejandro Falla and Robert Farah, Colombia, def. Ryan Harrison and John Isner, United States, 6-2, 6-1.
   Rik de Voest, South Africa, and Tommy Haas, Germany, def. David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco (2), Spain, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 10-6 tiebreak.

Final-round singles qualifying

   Tim Smyczek (1), United States, def. Erik Chvojka, Canada, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
   Ryan Sweeting, United States, def. Alex Bogomolov Jr. (2), Russia, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (4).
   Rik de Voest, South Africa, def. Illya Marchenko (4), Ukraine, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
   Donald Young (7), United States, def. Denis Kudla (3), United States, 6-4, 6-3.

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Beginning at 9:30 a.m.) 

   Vasek Pospisil, Canada, vs. Evgeny Donskoy, Russia.
   Blaz Kavcic, Slovenia, vs. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia.
   Benjamin Becker, Germany, vs. Ryan Harrison, United States.
   Jack Sock, United States, vs. Marinko Matosevic (7), Australia.
   Ryan Sweeting, United States, vs. Denis Istomin (6), Uzbekistan.

   (Not before 7 p.m.)

   Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (1), United States, vs. Steve Johnson and Jack Sock, United States.
   Fernando Verdasco (5), Spain, vs. Tim Smyczek, United States.

Courtside Club 16

 (Beginning at 6 p.m.)

   Benjamin Becker, Germany, and Flavio Cipolla, Italy, vs. Matthew Ebden, Australia, and Michael Russell, United States.
   Philipp Marx, Germany, and Florin Mergea, Romania, vs. Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic, Australia.

SAP Open qualifying, schedule; college scores

SAP OPEN

At HP Pavilion in San Jose

Singles qualifying

Second round

   Tim Smyczek (1), United States, def. Denys Molchanov, Ukraine, 6-3, 2-1, retired.
   Erik Chvojka, Canada, def. Nicolas Meister, United States, 6-3, 6-4.
   Alex Bogomolov Jr. (2), Russia, def. Dennis Lajola, United States, 6-1, 6-2.
   Ryan Sweeting (5), United States, def. Chris Wettengel, United States, 6-0, 6-4.
   Denis Kudla (3), United States, def. Nicholas Monroe, United States, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.
   Donald Young (7), United States, def. Simon Stadler, Germany, 6-3, 7-5.
   Illya Marchenko (4), Ukraine, def. Jason Jung, United States, 6-3, 6-3.
   Rik de Voest, South Africa, def. Robert Farah (8), Colombia, 6-3, 7-5.

Today's schedule

Center Court

(Beginning at 9:30 a.m.)

   Smyczek (1) vs. Chvojka (final-round singles qualifying).
   Bogomolov (2) vs. Sweeting (5) (final-round singles qualifying).
   Gonzalez-Lipsky (3) vs. Cerretani-Shamasdin (first-round main-draw doubles).
   Marchenko (4) vs. De Voest (final-round singles qualifying).
   Kudla (3) vs. Young (7) (final-round singles qualifying).

   (Not before 7 p.m.)

   Malisse (8) vs. Soeda (first-round main-draw singles).
   Levine vs. Klahn (first-round main-draw singles).

Courtside Club 16

(Not before 6 p.m.)

   Falla-Farah vs. Harrison-Isner (first-round main-draw doubles).
   De Voest-Haas vs. Marrero-Verdasco (2) (first-round main-draw doubles).

COLLEGE SCORES

   Men

   San Francisco (2-2) def. Sacramento State (1-4) 6-1 in San Francisco.
   Pacific (4-2) def. Saint Mary's (2-4) 4-3 in Moraga.

Women

   No. 4 USC (7-1) def. No. 7 Cal (3-2) 4-1 in the consolation round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va.
   No. 40 Saint Mary's (4-3) def. Cal Poly (1-4) 4-0 in Moraga.
   No. 56 Fresno State (4-2) def. Santa Clara (2-2) 4-3 in Santa Clara. 
   UC Davis (2-5) def. Portland (3-3) 4-3 in Portland, Ore.
   Pacific (3-2) def. New Mexico State (1-2) 5-2 in Las Vegas.

Raonic could go undefeated in San Jose ... for life

   Milos Raonic finds himself in a unique situation heading into next week's SAP Open in San Jose.

Milos Raonic seeks his third straight SAP Open title
in San Jose. Photo by Paul Bauman

   If the 22-year-old Canadian wins the title as the top seed, he will have gone undefeated in the tournament -- probably forever. Raonic, 6-foot-5 (1.96 meters), is bidding for his third consecutive SAP Open crown in as many appearances at HP Pavilion. He was unseeded in 2011 and seeded third in 2012.

   With a first-round bye, Raonic needs to win four matches to hoist the trophy again. That would give him a 13-0 record in the tournament, which will be replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning next year after 125 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has never even lost a set in the SAP Open, winning all eight tiebreakers he has played.
   Raonic could become the first player to win three straight titles in the Bay Area tournament since International Tennis Hall of Famer Tony Trabert from 1953 to 1955. Among those who have won two in a row are John McEnroe (1978-79), Pete Sampras (1996-97), Andy Roddick (2004-05) and Andy Murray (2006-07). Andre Agassi equaled McEnroe's modern record of five championships, but none came consecutively.
   "It would be something special," Raonic, the youngest player in the top 20 at No. 13, said during a recent conference call. "I don't think people can say really too often that they've gone sort of undefeated at one event. It would be something pretty awesome to be able to do that.
   "It's a long ways to that, but I feel ready, and I just have to keep focusing on it and make the most of those opportunities."
    You don't have to be Brad Gilbert to figure out why Raonic has excelled in the SAP Open, the only North American ATP tournament held in a sports arena.
   He feels comfortable there. It's near Canada, but without the pressure and distractions of playing there, and in another English-speaking country. And although Raonic might be the only Canadian man who's not a hockey fanatic, HP Pavilion is the home of the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League.
   Also, there's no wind or sun to impede Raonic's pulverizing serve. He finished second last year with 1,002 aces, three behind 6-foot-10 (2.06-meter) John Isner, who's seeded second in the SAP Open.
   Meanwhile, the field in the tournament, at the lowest tier on the ATP World Tour, has been less than stellar. In the past two years, the only top-10 player to enter was No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain in 2011. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have never played in the SAP Open, and Murray hasn't returned since 2007.
   Raonic added that the timing of the San Jose and Memphis tournaments benefits him. He has finished as the runner-up in Memphis, another indoor tournament held the week after the SAP Open, for the past two years in his only appearances there.
   "The conditions are good for me," he said. "But I think I've really pushed myself, and I work really hard during the offseason. That gives me a lot of confidence. Those tournaments come up right after I get some matches in (during the Australian Open and its warmup tournaments), as well. So it's just sort of the timing of it and the work I put in. It starts clicking at those events. That's paid off for me the most."
    It's difficult to see anyone besides possibly third-seeded Sam Querrey, a native of nearby San Francisco, halting Raonic's winning streak in the SAP Open. Isner isn't match tough after missing the Australian Open with a knee injury and going 1-1 against visiting Brazil in the Davis Cup last weekend.
   Fourth-seeded Tommy Haas, a German-born U.S. citizen, is 34. The fifth-seeded Verdasco is 29 and hasn't won a title in almost three years. Sixth-seeded Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan lost 7-6 (3), 6-2 to Raonic in last year's SAP Open final. Seventh-seeded Marinko Matosevic of Australia has never won an ATP title, and eighth-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium is 32.
   The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey, however, is 2-0 lifetime against Raonic. They could meet in the semifinals. Both players led their countries to victory on home soil in the first round of the Davis Cup last weekend, winning both of their singles matches.
   Querrey has had mixed results in the SAP Open. He came within a tiebreaker against Andy Roddick of reaching the 2010 final and won the doubles title that year with Mardy Fish. However, Querrey has lost in the first round of singles the past two years.    
   The impending demise of the SAP Open, which uses only one court at HP Pavilion, is "unfortunate," Raonic said. "I think it's a very unique tournament. It's definitely different from the setup of most other events. It's a setup I like. It's an indoor event, which we have a lot of on the tour, but to play in the kind of stadium they set it up in, for me it's been a lot of good memories there."

SAP OPEN

Singles qualifying

First round

   Tim Smyczek (1), U.S., def. William Boe-Wiegaard, U.S., 6-2, 6-4. Denys Molchanov, Ukraine, def. Robin Kern, Germany, 7-5, 6-3. Erik Chvojka, Canada, def. Chase Buchanan, U.S., 7-5, 6-2. Nicolas Meister, U.S., def. Jimmy Wang (6), Taiwan, 6-4, 6-4. Alex Bogomolov Jr. (2), Russia, def. Pierre-Hugues Herbert, France, 6-4, 6-4. Dennis Lajola, U.S., def. Takanyi Garanganga, Zimbabwe, 6-4, 4-3, ret. Chris Wettengel, U.S., def. Gregory Ouellette, U.S., 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4). Ryan Sweeting (5), U.S., def. Marek Michalicka, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-0.
   Denis Kudla (3), U.S., def. Denis Zivkovic, U.S., 6-1, 6-4. Nicholas Monroe, U.S., def. Daniel Kosakowski, U.S., 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. Simon Stadler, Germany, def. Izak Van der Merwe, South Africa, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Donald Young (7), U.S., def. Denny Fafek, U.S., 6-4, 6-4. Illya Marchenko, Ukraine, def. Boris Nicola Bakalov, Bulgaria, 6-4, 6-0. Jason Jung, U.S., def. Prakash Amritraj, India, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. Rik de Voest, South Africa, def. Luka Gregorc, Slovenia, 6-3, 6-3. Robert Farah (8), Colombia, def. Kevin Kim, U.S., 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

Today's schedule

(Beginning at 10 a.m.)

Courtside Club 16

   Bogomolov Jr. (2) vs. Lajola, Smyczek (1) vs. Molchanov, Kudla (3) vs. Monroe, Marchenko (4) vs. Jung, De Voest vs. Farah (8).

Courtside Club 18

   Wettengel vs. Sweeting (5), Chvojka vs. Meister, Stadler vs. Young (7).     

COLLEGE SCORES

Men

   No. 2 USC (9-0) def. No. 19 Stanford (3-4) 6-1 in Los Angeles.
   No. 3 UCLA (7-0) def. No. 13 Cal (3-2) 6-1 in Los Angeles.
   No. 50 BYU (7-2) def. No. 33 Santa Clara (5-3) 4-3 in Provo, Utah.

Women

   No. 6 Georgia (3-0) def. No. 7 Cal (4-1) 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va.
   No. 69 Oregon (7-0) def. UC Davis (1-5) 5-2 in Eugene, Ore.
   San Jose State (5-2) def. Santa Clara (2-3) 4-3 in Santa Clara.
   Fresno State (3-2) def. San Francisco (3-2) 6-1 in San Francisco.

Fish withdraws from SAP; rankings, TV, calendar

   Mardy Fish's career is in jeopardy, but he has far greater concerns.
   The 31-year-old American withdrew from the SAP Open in San Jose with ongoing heart issues, tournament officials announced this week.

Mardy Fish, shown at Indian Wells last March,
has not played since the U.S. Open in early
September. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Fish reached the SAP Open singles final in 2004, losing to close friend Andy Roddick, and 2009, falling to Radek Stepanek. He won the doubles title in 2004 with James Blake and 2010 with Sam Querrey.

   Fish underwent a procedure on May 23 for an accelerated heartbeat. He ended a two-month layoff in late June and played until early September, reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and competing in his two scheduled matches for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis. However, he has not played in a tournament since Flushing Meadows.
   Ranked a career-high No. 7 in 2011, Fish has dropped to No. 31.
   The SAP Open will be played for the 125th and final time Feb. 11-17 at HP Pavilion. The second-oldest men's professional tournament in the United States will be replaced on the calendar by Rio de Janeiro beginning in 2014.
   Heading this year's field are 15th-ranked Milos Raonic, the two-time defending champion from Canada, and John Isner, the top-ranked American at No. 16.
   For ticket information, visit www.sapopentennis.com.

PRO RANKINGS

   Following are this week's world rankings of professional players with Northern California ties (change from last week in parentheses):

Men

   Kevin Anderson, Sacramento Capitals (2012) of World TeamTennis -- No. 29 in singles (+2), No. 79 in doubles (+12).
   Nick Andrews, Cal All-American in 2012, resident of Folsom in the Sacramento area -- No. 1,069 in doubles (+2), No. 1,511 in singles (+5).  
   Bob Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- No. 2 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mike Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, Capitals (2012) -- No. 31 in singles (-4), No. 725 in doubles (+6).
   John Paul Fruttero, Cal All-American in 2001 and 2002 -- No. 138 in doubles (-6), unranked in singles.
   Artem Ilyushin, resident of Granite Bay in the Sacramento area -- No. 1,100 in singles (+2), No. 1,512 in doubles (-5).
   Bradley Klahn, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- Career-high No. 224 in singles (+31), No. 523 in doubles (+54).
   Alex Kuznetsov, Capitals (2012) -- No. 265 in singles (-46), No. 224 in doubles (no change).
   Scott Lipsky, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 28 in doubles (-3), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012) -- No. 22 in singles (no change), No. 45 in doubles (no change).
   Ryan Sweeting, Capitals (2012) -- No. 163 in singles (-10), No. 1,092 in doubles (+2).
   Ryan Thacher, 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 546 in doubles (no change), career-high No. 981 in singles (+6).
   Dmitry Tursunov, Folsom resident -- No. 123 in singles (-2), No. 285 in doubles (+4).
   Pedro Zerbini, All-Pacific-10 Conference first team at Cal (2009-11) -- Career-high No. 468 in singles (+14), career-high No. 549 in doubles (+57).

Women

   Mallory Burdette, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 145 in singles (-1), No. 433 in doubles (-5). 
   Vania King, Capitals (2010-12) -- No. 28 in doubles (-8), No. 104 in singles (-28).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- Career-high No. 13 in doubles (+1), No. 1,109 in singles (-1).
   Asia Muhammad, Capitals (2012) -- No. 164 in doubles (-3), No. 437 in singles (+33).
   Maria Sanchez, Modesto resident -- No. 114 in doubles (+1), career-high No. 117 in singles (+11).

   Yasmin Schnack, resident of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area, Capitals (2011-12) -- No. 174 in doubles (-7), No. 686 in singles (-135).

   Romana Tedjakusuma, Tracy resident -- No. 464 in singles (no change), No. 1,107 in doubles (no change).
   CoCo Vandeweghe, Capitals (2009, 2012) -- No. 99 in singles (no change), No. 495 in doubles (no change).

TV SCHEDULE
(All times PST)

   Today -- Australian Open women's final, Tennis Channel, 4-7 p.m. (repeat). 
   Friday -- Paris (women), Tennis Channel, 5:30-9:30 a.m. (live). Davis Cup, Brazil at United States, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (live); Czech Republic at Switzerland, Tennis Channel, 5-10 p.m. (delay). 
   Saturday -- Paris (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5:30-9:30 a.m. (live). Davis Cup, Brazil at United States, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (live); Czech Republic at Switzerland, Tennis Channel, 5-8 p.m. (delay). 
   Sunday --Paris (women), final, Tennis Channel, 6:30-8:30 a.m. (live). Davis Cup, Brazil at United States, Tennis Channel, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (live); Czech Republic at Switzerland, Tennis Channel, 5-11 p.m. (delay).

CALENDAR

   Friday -- Sacramento State women open spring season at Arizona, 12:30 p.m., www.hornetsports.com.
   Friday-Sunday -- Davis Cup, first round, United States vs. Brazil in Jacksonville, Fla, www.daviscup.com.
   Feb. 9-10, 2013 -- Fed Cup, first round, United States at Italy, www.fedcup.com.
   Feb. 11-17, 2013 -- SAP Open, HP Pavilion in San Jose, www.sapopentennis.com. 2012 champions: Milos Raonic, Mark Knowles-Xavier Malisse.
   March 4-17, 2013 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. 2012 champions: Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, Marc Lopez-Rafael Nadal, Liezel Huber-Lisa Raymond.
   April 26-28 -- Big Sky Conference men's and women's tournament, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.bigskyconf.com.

Graf, others in SAP exhibition; TV schedule; calendar

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

TV SCHEDULE

(All times PST)

   Thursday -- Doha (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 4:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (live), 8 p.m.-midnight (delay); Hopman Cup (men, women), Tennis Channel, 12:30-6 p.m. (delay); Brisbane (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (delay).
   Friday --Brisbane (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 1-5 a.m. (live); Doha (men), singles semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5:30-9:30 a.m. (live), doubles final, 9:30-11 a.m. (live); Auckland (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 3-7 p.m. (delay); Chennai (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 7-11 p.m. (delay).  
   Saturday -- Brisbane (women), final, Tennis Channel, 1-3 a.m. (live), 9-11 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. (repeat); Brisbane (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (delay); Shenzhen (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 3-7 a.m. (repeat); Doha (men), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 a.m. (live) and 7-9 p.m. (repeat); Auckland (women), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Chennai (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Sunday (delay).
   Sunday -- Shenzhen (women), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 a.m. (delay); Hopman Cup (men, women), final, Tennis Channel, 5-10:30 a.m. (delay), 5-10:30 p.m. (repeat); Brisbane (men), final, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (delay); Chennai (men), final, Tennis Channel, 1-3 p.m. (delay); Doha (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay).

CALENDAR

   Jan. 14-27, 2013 -- AUSTRALIAN OPEN, www.australianopen.org. 2012 champions: Novak Djokovic, Victoria Azarenka, Leander Paes-Radek Stepanek, Svetlana Kuznetsova-Vera Zvonareva.

   Jan. 15 -- Sacramento State men at Stanford in spring season opener for both teams, 1:30 p.m, www.hornetsports.com, www.gostanford.com.

   Jan. 18 -- Stanford women open spring season at Freeman Invitational in Las Vegas and at NCTC Classic in Indian Wells, Calif., times TBA, www.gostanford.com. UC Davis women open spring season vs. Northern Arizona in Tempe, Ariz., 1 p.m., www.ucdavisaggies.com.

   Jan. 19 -- UC Davis men at Santa Clara in spring season opener for both teams, 10 a.m., www.ucdavisaggies.com, www.santaclarabroncos.com.

   Feb. 1 -- Sacramento State women open spring season at Arizona, 12:30 p.m., www.hornetsports.com.

   Feb. 1-3, 2013 -- Davis Cup, first round, United States vs. Brazil in Jacksonville, Fla., www.daviscup.com.

   Feb. 9-10, 2013 -- Fed Cup, first round, United States at Italy, www.fedcup.com.

   Feb. 11-17, 2013 -- SAP Open, HP Pavilion in San Jose, www.sapopentennis.com. 2012 champions: Milos Raonic, Mark Knowles-Xavier Malisse.

   March 4-17, 2013 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. 2012 champions: Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, Marc Lopez-Rafael Nadal, Liezel Huber-Lisa Raymond.

   April 26-28 -- Big Sky Conference men's and women's tournament, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.bigskyconf.com.