Serena withdraws; Raonic saves 3 MPs, upsets Nadal

Serena Williams addresses the media after withdrawing
from the BNP Paribas Open. Photo by Paul Bauman

   INDIAN WELLS -- It couldn't happen again.
   But it did.
   A Williams sister withdrew shortly before her semifinal in the BNP Paribas Open.
   Serena Williams, who had boycotted the tournament for 14 years, pulled out of tonight's match against Simona Halep with inflammation and pain in her right knee.
   Halep, seeded third, will meet resurgent Jelena Jankovic, seeded 18th, in Sunday's final. Jankovic, a former world No. 1 and the 2010 BNP champion, beat 24th-seeded Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
   Halep, 23, is 3-1 against Jankovic, 30, with three straight wins. In addition, Jankovic is recovering from a torn leg muscle.
   Earlier today, sixth-seeded Milos Raonic saved three match points in a 4-6, 7-6 (10), 7-5 victory over third-seeded Rafael Nadal, a three-time BNP champion, in the quarterfinals. That prevented the first "Big Four" semifinals since the 2012 Australian Open.
   Williams' withdrawal was the third premature exit in the BNP Paribas Open in two days. On Thursday, qualifier Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine retired with an ankle injury with Jankovic leading 6-1, 4-1, and 32nd-seeded Bernard Tomic of Australia pulled out of his quarterfinal against top-ranked Novak Djokovic with a back problem and infected wisdom tooth.     
   Williams, 33, said she felt pain in practice two days ago and received an injection before her scheduled match, but it didn't help.
   "I have never done an injection before," a cordial, upbeat Williams told reporters. "I think if this was any other event, I probably wouldn't have considered it. I wanted to give 200 percent. It just wasn't meant to be this year."  
   Williams rated her pain level as "9 or 10" on a scale of 1 to 10 but said she needed only two days to recover. She added that she hasn't decided whether to defend her title in Miami, which begins next week.
   Williams addressed the fans in Stadium 1 about her injury and received mostly cheers and a few hoots. It was almost as if Williams was testing the crowd after the 1991 controversy.

Milos Raonic blasted 19 aces at up to 147 mph (236.6 kph)
in his victory over Rafael Nadal. Photo by Paul Bauman

   That year, Venus Williams withdrew 20 minutes before her scheduled semifinal against Serena with knee tendinitis. Fans were upset that they got a doubles match instead, and some suspected that Richard Williams had orchestrated the withdrawal so his daughters wouldn't have to play each other. Also, Richard Williams said fans directed racial comments at him.
   Serena, then 19, was booed loudly throughout the final against Kim Clijsters but won her second title in the tournament. Venus still hasn't returned to the BNP Paribas Open.
   The Serena-Halep semifinal was supposed to be the second match of the night session, following Jankovic-Lisicki. But because the afternoon match between Raonic and Nadal lasted almost three hours, the night session actually kicked off with a men's doubles semifinal. Williams-Halep was not replaced with another match or exhibition.
   Serena said she did not fear talking to the crowd.
   "I think both myself and the crowd have a great appreciation for each other, and I have really enjoyed my four matches here," she said.
   Regarding the irony of both sisters withdrawing from semifinals in the tournament, Williams said: "I don't make anything of it. I feel that was 14 years ago, and this is now. I did the best that I could at this event, and I really am happy to have put a lot of that behind me."
   When asked whether she will return next year, Williams said, "I think it's going to be a must."
   Raonic needed 2 hours and 58 minutes to subdue the valiant Nadal for the first time. Raonic had been 0-5 against the Spanish star, although the last meeting, in the quarters at Miami last year, went to 6-4 in the third set. Nadal won the first four encounters in straight sets.
   In Saturday's semis, the sixth-seeded Raonic will face No. 2 Roger Federer, and No. 1 Novak Djokovic will play No. 4 Andy Murray.
   Federer, who owns a record four Indian Wells titles, dismantled No. 9 Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-0. Djokovic and Murray advanced on Thursday.

Nadal, who was plagued by health problems last year, is getting
closer to top form. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Federer is 8-1 against Raonic. But, just as against Nadal, Raonic extended the victorious Federer to 6-4 in the third set in their last encounter. That occurred in the Brisbane final in January.
   Djokovic leads Murray 16-8, including a four-set victory in the Australian Open final in January. Murray, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, is still returning to form after undergoing "minor" back surgery in September 2013.
   With Nadal standing practically in the next country to return serve on many points, the 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Raonic blasted 19 aces at up to 147 mph (236.6 kph) and saved six of the seven break points he faced. He was broken for the only time in the tournament to trail 2-1 in the first set.
   All of the match points against Raonic came on his serve in the second-set tiebreaker. He converted his first serve on the initial two match points, winning on a forehand approach and an overhead. There wasn't much Nadal could do about either.   
   The third match point, at 10-9, was another story. Raonic missed his first serve and hit -- by his standards -- a powder-puff second delivery at 101 mph (162.5 kph). Nadal mis-hit the return into the net with a forehand.
   "That was a big mistake," conceded Nadal, 28. "That's the only (regret) during the whole match."
   The left-handed Nadal missed three months last summer with a right wrist injury and underwent an appendectomy in November. He ended a nine-month title drought in Buenos Aires on clay three weeks ago.
   "Maybe with more victories on my shoulders, (after) being outside of the competition for several months, maybe I will win that match because I will not play a return like this," Nadal said.
   "But is normal that you are a little bit more nervous in that moment than usual. It's true that I didn't compete at that level of intensity for a long time. This is a big improvement for me. I was very focused, playing with positive energy for three hours." 
   Raonic broke Nadal for the only time in the match for 6-5 in the third set on a floater that landed just inside the baseline. By the time Nadal retreated to the ball, he could only flick a backhand long.
   Raonic then served out the match. He showed little emotion during the battle or afterward.
   "That's just the way I am," said the 24-year-old Canadian, widely considered as a potential Grand Slam champion. "It's really great what I was able to do today, and I'm very happy with it, but I don't let myself get caught up, because this isn't where it ends. There is a lot more that I want to achieve this week.
   "It's always about what I need to do next to get better. It's always been like that."
   Raonic took some pleasure in ending talk of a "Big Four" semifinals.
   "I guess (it's nice), because you want to prove people wrong in that sense," said Raonic, who won the last four SAP Open titles (2011-13) in San Jose before the tournament folded. "But I can't control what people say. I just try to get in my own system, in my own bubble, and focus on things that I do have control over." 

Serena wins at Indian Wells after 14-year absence

Serena Williams said Friday night's match was
"one of the proudest moments of my career."
2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   Southern California tennis fans had waited 14 years for this moment.
   Top-ranked Serena Williams returned to the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Friday night after once vowing never to do so, beating Monica Niculescu of Romania 7-5, 7-5 in the second round.
   "I feel like the nerves have kind of gone away," Williams, a three-time champion in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, told reporters after her ragged performance against the 68th-ranked Niculescu, who sliced every forehand and many backhands. "I'm glad I was able to do this. It definitely feels like one of the biggest and one of the proudest moments of my career."  
   The 33-year-old Williams, who drew a first-round bye, received a warm reception from a sellout crowd of 16,100 in Stadium 1. She was booed there during the 2001 final, in which she beat Kim Clijsters for her second title at Indian Wells. Her sister Venus had withdrawn 20 minutes before their scheduled semifinal with knee tendinitis.
    Fans may have suspected that their father, Richard, orchestrated the withdrawal so the sisters wouldn't have to play each other. Richard, however, told reporters that the boos were racially motivated. Or fans might have been upset that they had paid handsomely to see an all-Williams semifinal but got doubles instead.
   During Friday's day session, Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine defeated San Francisco native Sam Querrey 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round. Querrey led 6-2, 3-1 against Stakhovsky, who stunned Roger Federer in the second round at Wimbledon in 2013.
   Jack Sock, making his season debut following hip surgery, outlasted Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-5.
   In an all-American first-round women's doubles match, wild cards Sloane Stephens and Taylor Townsend edged third seeds and Raquel Kops-Jones of San Jose and Abigail Spears 6-4, 2-6 [10-8]. Kops-Jones, a 32-year-old former NCAA doubles champion from Cal, and Spears were coming off the title in Doha. 

COLLEGE DUAL MATCHES

Women

   No. 9 Cal def. No. 65 San Diego State 7-0 in San Diego. Records: Cal 10-2, San Diego State 6-7.
   No. 42 Fresno State def. No. 60 San Jose State 5-2 in Fresno. Records: Fresno State 11-3 overall, 2-0 Mountain West Conference; San Jose State 7-5, 0-1.

Men

   No. 53 San Francisco def. Pacific 5-2 in Stockton. Records: San Francisco 7-4 overall, 2-0 West Coast Conference; Pacific 2-12, 0-2.
   Idaho def. Sacramento State 5-2 in Spokane, Wash. Records: Idaho 9-4 overall, 2-0 Big Sky Conference; Sac State 4-7, 2-1.   

Fish falls in return; Serena to play after boycott

Mardy Fish, shown in 2013, played his first singles match
in more than 18 months on Thursday. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Everyone except Brett Favre, it seems, is making a comeback in the BNP Paribas Open.
   Mardy Fish began the parade on Thursday with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3) loss to fellow American Ryan Harrison in the first round at Indian Wells. Harrison saved two match points serving at 4-5 in the third set against the former part-time Sacramento Capital in World TeamTennis.
   It was the 33-year-old Fish's first singles match and second overall in more than 18 months. The former world No. 7 battled an irregular heartbeat and severe anxiety during his layoff.
   Tonight, Serena Williams is scheduled to make her first appearance at Indian Wells since a racially charged incident in 2001. The top seed and two-time champion, who received a bye in the opening round, will face Monica Niculescu of Romania in the second round. Tennis Channel will televise the match at 7 p.m. PDT.
   Also, Jack Sock (hip surgery) of Tampa, Fla., and reigning U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic (shoulder injury) of Croatia are set to make their season debuts today and Saturday, respectively.
   Meanwhile, Austrian left-hander Jurgen Melzer, yet another 33-year-old, beat Dennis Novikov, 21, of San Jose 6-4, 6-4 in a first-round matchup of qualifiers. Novikov had knocked off two seeds in qualifying to reach the main draw at Indian Wells for the first time.
   College result -- Utah State defeated Pacific 4-2 in Stockton. The Tigers (2-11) swept the doubles and won on Court 2 with Miguel Diaz. On Court 1, Dennis Baumgartner outclassed Alex Hamilton 6-3, 6-2 to help the Aggies improve to 14-4.

Serena advances, No. 2 seed falls at Stanford

   STANFORD -- Incident? What incident?

   Playing for the first time since her bizarre exit from Wimbledon, Serena Williams was back to her normal self in a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic tonight in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic.

Serena Williams looked sharp in a victory over Karo-
lina Pliskova. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "I think I played really well," the top-ranked Williams, who received a first-round bye, said after the 64-minute match. "I think I'm going in the right direction."  

   During the day session, Varvara Lepchenko of the United States outslugged No. 2 seed and 2013 runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

   Both of last year's finalists already have been eliminated. Defending champion Dominika Cibulkova fell to 20-year-old Garbine Muguruza of Spain on Tuesday in the first round.

   Williams, 32, has won 17 Grand Slam singles titles but has failed to reach the quarterfinals in any of the year's first three majors.

   Three days after Williams shockingly lost to Alize Cornet of France in the third round at Wimbledon, the American star stumbled around the court and retired from her second-round doubles match with older sister Venus at 0-3 in the first set.

   Serena had trouble bouncing and catching the ball before serving, double-faulted feebly all four times at 0-2 and quit in tears. Officially, Williams was suffering from a "viral illness." 

Varvara Lepchenko ousted No. 2 seed and 2013 runner-up
Agnieszka Radwanska. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Williams' coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, later told France's Tennis Magazine that the world No. 1 is going through a "difficult period."

   "I have never discussed private matters, and I am not going to talk about them now," said Mouratoglou, who has been romantically linked to Williams, although neither has confirmed it. "There have been difficult things. For sure, Serena is in a difficult phase, but I will leave it there."        

   Williams said Monday that she would undergo a series of physical tests after the season. When asked tonight why she wouldn't have them sooner, she said, "I'm sure it's nothing serious. The hypochondriac that I am ... that's it."

   Williams added that she feels fine and has "moved on" from the Wimbledon incident.

   "I'm just doing the things I think I do best," she said. "If anyone has any questions, they're more than welcome to ask."

   Then, however, Williams abruptly cut off the interview after six minutes.

   Like Williams, Pliskova has a sister on the pro tour. But the 22-year-old Pliskova's is a twin. Karolina and Kristyna, in fact, became the first twins to win a WTA doubles title when they triumphed last year in Linz, Austria.

   Both Williams and Karolina Pliskova, 6-foot-1 (1.86 meters), have punishing serves. Williams was mentally tougher, though, breaking Pliskova three times and never losing her own serve.

   Williams recorded the only break of the first set in the last game, at love. After double-faulting for 0-30, Pliskova sent a forehand long and netted a backhand to drop the set.

   Williams bolted to a 3-0 lead (one break) in the second set and broke again in the final game for the match when Pliskova sailed another forehand long.

   Overall, Williams won 82 percent of her first-serve points and had nine aces against three double faults.

   "I was playing a player that I knew was going to be very difficult to break, so mentally you have to really, really try to hold onto your serve," Williams said. "It was really important to make sure I was super-focused on my serve."

   Radwanska, at No. 5 in the world, is the highest-ranked player Lepchenko has beaten. Lepchenko's previous best wins came against No. 6 Jelena Jankovic and No. 7 Sara Errani.

   Lepchenko, a 28-year-old left-hander from Uzbekistan, became a U.S. citizen in 2011. She had been 0-5 against Radwanska, including a three-setter in last year's Bank of the West quarterfinals.

   Lepchenko will meet 19-year-old qualifier Sachia Vickery in Friday's quarterfinals, guaranteeing that an American will play in the semifinals. 

   Vickery, a quarterfinalist in the recent Sacramento Challenger, beat Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1 to reach her the last eight in a WTA tournament for the first time. 
   Eighth-seeded Andrea Petkovic dismissed Naomi Osaka, a 16-year-old qualifier from Japan, 6-2, 6-2, in a matchup of free spirits. Petkovic, a 26-year-old German, reached the French Open semifinals last month for her best Grand Slam result.
   Osaka, 5-foot-11 (1.80 meters) with a massive forehand, stunned 2011 U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur in the first round.
   Osaka has a Haitian father, a Japanese mother and an 18-year-old sister, Mari, who lost in the first round of qualifying in the Bank of the West Classic.

BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

At Stanford's Taube Tennis Center

Second-round singles

   Sachia Vickery, United States, def. Monica Puig, Puerto Rico, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1.
   Varvara Lepchenko, United States, def. Agnieszka Radwanska (2), Poland, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
   Andrea Petkovic (8), Germany, def. Naomi Osaka, Japan, 6-2, 6-2.
   Serena Williams (1), United States, def. Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-2.

First-round doubles

   Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, and Arantxa Parra Santonja, Spain, def. Daria Gavrilova, Russia, and Yi-Fan Xu, China, 3-6, 7-6 (2) [10-8].
   Paula Kania, Poland, and Katerina Siniakova, Czech Republic, def. Hao-Ching Chan, China, and Andrea Petkovic (8), Germany, 6-2, 3-6 [10-8].

Doubles quarterfinals

   Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro (3), Spain, def. Caroline Garcia, France, and Shuai Zhang, China, 6-0, 7-5.

Thursday's schedule

Stadium

(Starting at 11 a.m.)

   Garbine Muguruza, Spain, vs. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia.

(Not before 1 p.m.)

   CoCo Vandeweghe, United States, vs. Angelique Kerber (3), Germany.
   Ana Ivanovic (5), Serbia, vs. Carol Zhao, Canada.

(Not before 7 p.m.)

   Victoria Azarenka (4), Belarus, vs. Venus Williams, United States.
   Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears (1), United States, vs. Varvara Lepchenko, United States, and Ajla Tomljanovic, Croatia.

Serena -- who else? -- picked as WTA Player of Year

Serena Williams had one of the greatest years in
women's tennis history. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   There hasn't been this little suspense since the Harlem Globetrotters last played the Washington Generals.
   After one of the best seasons in women's tennis history, Serena Williams was named the WTA Player of the Year for the second straight time and fifth overall on Friday.
   Also, Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci were chosen as the WTA Doubles Team of the Year for the second consecutive time.
   Williams collected 78 match wins, the most since Kim Clijsters won 90 in 2003, against four losses. Her 11 WTA titles, including her second French Open and fifth U.S. Open, were the most since Martina Hingis won 12 in 1997. Williams' first French Open crown came in 2002.
   Williams earned $12,385,572 in prize money, shattering the previous record of $7,923,920 set by Victoria Azarenka last year, and became the oldest world No. 1 in February at age 31. The Los Angeles-area product turned 32 on Sept. 26.
   "The French Open was probably the thing that stands out most," Williams -- also the Player of the Year in 2002, 2008 and 2009 -- said on the WTA's web site. "I really wanted to win that for a number of years now, so that was definitely something exciting. Being undefeated on clay was pretty exciting, too. So my results on clay this year definitely stand out.
   "Overall, I'll remember the wins, but I also want to learn from my mistakes so I don't repeat them."
   Only two other women have been named the Player of the Year at least five times: Steffi Graf (eight) and Martina Navratilova (seven).
   Williams skipped the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford this year after winning the title in 2011 and 2012.
   The Doubles Team of the Year was less clear-cut than the singles award, as four different teams won Grand Slam titles. But Errani and Vinci, in addition to capturing the Australian Open, ended the year as the top-ranked pair.
   Neither has played in the Bank of the West Classic.
   Friday's announcements complete this year's WTA awards. Eugenie Bouchard of Canada was selected as the Newcomer of the Year on Wednesday. Alisa Kleybanova of Russia and Simona Halep of Romania were honored as the Comeback Player of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year, respectively, on Thursday.

WTA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
(Since 1995)

1995--Steffi Graf, Germany
1996--Steffi Graf, Germany
1997--Martina Hingis, Switzerland
1998--Lindsay Davenport, United States
1999--Lindsay Davenport, United States
2000--Venus Williams, United States
2001--Jennifer Capriati, United States
2002--Serena Williams, United States
2003--Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium
2004--Maria Sharapova, Russia
2005--Kim Clijsters, Belgium
2006--Amelie Mauresmo, France
2007--Justine Henin, Belgium
2008--Serena Williams, United States
2009--Serena Williams, United States
2010--Kim Clijsters, Belgium
2011--Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic
2012--Serena Williams, United States
2013--Serena Williams, United States

WTA DOUBLES TEAM OF THE YEAR

(Since 1995)

1995--Gigi Fernandez, United States, and Natasha Zvereva, Belarus
1996--Jana Novotna, Czech Republic, and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Spain
1997--Gigi Fernandez, United States, and Natasha Zvereva, Belarus
1998--Martina Hingis, Switzerland, and Jana Novotna, Czech Republic
1999--Martina Hingis, Switzerland, and Anna Kournikova, Russia
2000--Serena Williams and Venus Williams, United States
2001--Lisa Raymond, United States, and Rennae Stubbs, Australia
2002--Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spain, and Paola Suarez, Argentina
2003--Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spain, and Paola Suarez, Argentina
2004--Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spain, and Paola Suarez, Argentina
2005--Lisa Raymond, United States, and Samantha Stosur, Australia
2006--Lisa Raymond, United States, and Samantha Stosur, Australia
2007--Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber, United States
2008--Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber, United States
2009--Serena Williams and Venus Williams, United States
2010--Gisela Dulko, Argentina, and Flavia Pennetta, Italy
2011--Kveta Peschke, Czech Republic, and Katarina Srebotnik, Slovenia
2012--Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, Italy
2013--Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, Italy

Serena repeats, but Vandeweghe serves notice

Top seed Serena Williams defeated lucky loser
CoCo Vandeweghe for her second consecutive
Bank of the West title. Photo by Paul Bauman

   STANFORD — Maybe there's hope for American women's tennis, after all, when the Williams sisters retire.
   As expected, 30-year-old Serena Williams won the Bank of the West Classic on Sunday. But the top seed had to save a set point against lucky loser CoCo Vandeweghe, 20, in a 7-5, 6-3 victory before an announced crowd of 2,834.
   "It wasn't easy," conceded Williams, who surrendered twice as many games in the final as she did in any of her other three matches in the tournament. "CoCo is the future of American tennis. I'm so proud of her."
   It was the first all-American final on the WTA tour in the United States since Lindsay Davenport routed Williams 6-1, 6-3 in Los Angeles eight years ago.
   Williams, who won her fifth Wimbledon singles title the week before the Bank of the West, became the first player to earn consecutive singles titles at Stanford since Kim Clijsters in 2005 and 2006.
   Williams also tied her older sister Venus with 43 WTA career titles, the most among active players and tied for 10th all-time with Justine Henin and Martina Hingis. Venus, 32, continues to battle an autoimmune disease but teamed with Serena this month for their fifth Wimbledon doubles crown.
   Serena, a former world No. 1, will remain No. 4 when the new rankings are released Monday. She would have dropped had she not repeated, a key consideration in honoring her commitment to play at Stanford after winning the Wimbledon crowns.
   Vandeweghe had never advanced past the quarterfinals of a WTA tournament. She will jump from No. 120 into the top 75, surpassing her career high of No. 89 in April 2011. That will put her directly into the U.S. Open, Aug. 27-Sept. 9. 
   The resident of Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area became the first lucky loser to reach a WTA final since Melinda Czink of Hungary fell in the Canberra title match seven years ago. The only lucky loser to win a WTA title is Andrea Jaeger at Las Vegas in 1980.
   Vandeweghe lost to Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand in the final round of qualifying but advanced to the main draw when Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia withdrew with an unspecified injury.
   "Once I go into a main draw, I go in thinking I'm going to win it," said Vandeweghe, who's scheduled to join the Sacramento Capitals next Sunday for the first of five matches to end the regular season in World TeamTennis. "Otherwise, why bother stepping on the court? It was the same against Serena. I thought I could beat her. I had set point. That's not too shabby."
   Vandeweghe possesses a rare combination of power — she's listed at 6-foot-1 and 155 pounds — and athleticism. Her uncle Kiki averaged 19.7 points during a 13-year NBA career (1980-93). Her grandfather Ernie played for the New York Knicks in the 1950s, and her mother, Tauna, represented the United States at the Olympics in swimming in 1976 and volleyball in 1984.
   Vandeweghe played basketball and volleyball as a child and didn't pick up tennis until she was 11. At 16, she won the U.S. Open junior girls singles title. At 18, she beat Vera Zvonareva one month after the Russian reached the Wimbledon final.               
   Admittedly nervous early in Sunday's final, Vandeweghe trailed 2-0 in the opening set of her first meeting with Williams on the WTA tour. But Vandeweghe immediately broke back at love and again to lead 4-3. She held a set point at 5-4, but Williams jumped on a second serve and pounded a backhand, cross-court winner.
   "It is what it is," Vandeweghe said. "I was serving well all week, and I served pretty damn well against Serena. She's a great player. She's going to take advantage of opportunities and not let me off the hook in games or on break points."         
   Vandeweghe didn't help her cause by double-faulting on Williams' sixth break point in the game to even the set at 5-5.
   Serving at 5-6, Vandeweghe lashed a 115-mph ace for 40-15, but Williams fought back to deuce. Vandeweghe then hit a double fault way long and, following a second serve, mis-hit a backhand to drop the set.
   Williams recorded the only break of the second set, at love on another double fault, to lead 3-1 and promptly closed out the one-hour and 27-minute match.
   "I played well enough to win," she said. "I can do a lot better. I wanted it. I was mentally there. That helped me out a lot."
   Bank of the West notes — Bank of the West renewed its sponsorship of the tournament for five years, officials announced. In its 42nd year, the Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women's tournament in the world. It was announced in April that the SAP Open in San Jose, the second-oldest men's pro tournament in the United States, will move to Rio de Janeiro in 2014. Milos Raonic of Canada won this year's SAP Open, the 125th edition of the tournament in the Bay Area, for the second straight year in February. ...

   Unseeded Marina Erakovic of New Zealand and Heather Watson of Great Britain won the doubles title in the Bank of the West Classic, upending top seeds Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia and Vania King of Boynton Beach, Fla., 7-5, 7-6 (7). King played for the Capitals in 2010 and 2011.
   ATP World Tour in Newport, R.I. — Third-seeded Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Scott Lipsky, a former NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford, defeated second-seeded Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins of Great Britain 7-6 (3), 6-3 to win the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. It was the first title of the year and seventh overall for Lipsky, 30. 

CALENDAR

    Monday — World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday — Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   Thursday — Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   Friday — Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 — Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 — Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 — Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 — Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 — Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 — OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Serena, Vandeweghe to meet in all-American final

Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams needed only one hour
to beat ninth-seeded Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Bank
of the West Classic at Stanford. Photo by Paul Bauman

   STANFORD -- The woes of American professional tennis have been well-documented over the past decade.
   The United States hasn't had a Grand Slam men's singles champions since Andy Roddick in the 2003 U.S. Open, and Serena Williams is the only U.S. woman in the top 25.
   Perhaps the most shocking statistic of all, however, surfaced -- so to speak -- on Saturday at the Bank of the West Classic.
   Sunday's 1 p.m. final between Williams, the top seed and defending champion, and lucky loser CoCo Vandeweghe will be the first between two American women on U.S. soil since Lindsay Davenport routed Williams 6-1, 6-3 eight years ago in Los Angeles.
   "It's cool," the fourth-ranked Williams said of the all-American final after dismissing ninth-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-2 in one hour Saturday night. "Everyone is always asking about American players. CoCo took her second chance to the ultimate degree. I'm glad she's American. If she wins tomorrow, I'll be happy for her."

 CoCo Vandeweghe used her powerful serve to become
the first lucky loser in seven years to reach a WTA final.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   The 6-foot-1 Vandeweghe earlier used her powerful serve and groundstrokes to become the first lucky loser in seven years to reach a WTA final. She blasted 12 aces, including a 120-mph rocket to lead all players in the tournament, in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.
   That put Vandeweghe, a 20-year-old resident of Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area, in her first career WTA final.
   "My whole dream when I started playing tennis was to be No. 1 in the world," Vandeweghe said. "Playing in WTA finals and winning titles is progress toward that goal."
   The only previous meeting between Williams and Vandeweghe came in World TeamTennis, which uses an abbreviated scoring format. Williams won by one point, 5-4 (5-4 tiebreaker), last summer. 
   Vandeweghe lost to Thailand's Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, the 2009 Wimbledon girls singles champion, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the final round of qualifying for the Bank of the West Classic but advanced to the main draw when Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia withdrew with an unspecified injury.
    The last lucky loser to reach a WTA final was Hungary's Melinda Czink, who fell to Ana Ivanovic in the 2005 Canberra title match.
   Vandeweghe beat Czink in the first round at Stanford, fourth seed and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the second round, and Urszula Radwanska in the quarterfinals. Radwanska is the younger sister of recent Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska.
   Vandeweghe comes from a renowned athletic family. Her uncle Kiki averaged 19.7 points during his 13-year NBA career (1980-93). Her grandfather Ernie played for the New York Knicks in the 1950s, and her mother, Tauna, represented the United States at the Olympics in swimming in 1976 and volleyball in 1984.
   Tauna is attending the Bank of the West Classic. After Saturday's match, CoCo jumped in her mother's arms and gave her a big hug.
   CoCo played volleyball and basketball as a child and didn't take up tennis until the preposterously late age -- for a future pro -- of 11. At 16, she turned pro and won the U.S. Open girls singles title.
   Vandeweghe played for the Sacramento Capitals of WTT the following year and will return to the team in eight days after competing for the Boston Lobsters the past two seasons.   
   Playing near home in Carlsbad two years ago, Vandeweghe knocked off Vera Zvonareva en route to the quarterfinals. Zvonareva had reached the Wimbledon final one month earlier, losing to Williams.
   Vandeweghe, ranked No. 120 entering the Bank of the West Classic, will crack the top 75 Monday to surpass her career high of No. 89 in April last year.
   Wickmayer, 6 feet, reached the U.S. Open semifinals three years ago at 19 but has been plagued by back problems. She won long three-setters in the first two rounds of the Bank of the West Classic, then upset second-seeded Marion Bartoli of France in the quarterfinals. Bartoli won the Bank of the West in 2009 and reached the final in 2008 and last year.
   Wickmayer and Vandeweghe traded darts from the baseline in their two-hour, 11-minute battle. Vandeweghe broke Wickmayer's serve for 3-1 and 6-2 in the third set while holding her own throughout the set. Both times Wickmayer was broken, she followed an unforced error with a double fault on the last two points.
   Vandeweghe saved four break points at 3-1 in the final set and six of seven overall. She converted only 46 percent of her first serves, a figure that must improve against Williams, but won 86 percent of her first-serve points.
   "She served well," Wickmayer said. "It was tough to get any chances on her serve. It made my serve more difficult. I knew I couldn't lose my own serve. Every break point was like match point."
   The night match featured Serena vs. Sorana. Williams, who reputedly has the best serve in women's tennis history, put in only 38 percent of her first deliveries.
   "That's outrageous, to be honest," she said. "(Cirstea) didn't serve very well, either."
   Cirstea had a first-serve percentage of just 36 and double-faulted eight times. She also committed a whopping 32 unforced errors to 10 winners.
   Vandeweghe hardly can do worse Sunday, but at least an American will win.
   See below for Saturday's full results and Sunday's schedule.
   WTT in Irvine -- Sam Querrey, a top-20 player before undergoing elbow surgery in June 2011, joined the Capitals one match early. But it wasn't enough as Davenport and the Orange County Breakers defeated Sacramento 23-20 in overtime to end the Capitals' three-match winning streak.
   Querrey, replacing Ryan Sweeting, won 5-3 in men's singles and lost 5-4 in men's doubles with Mark Knowles. Sweeting played only one of his scheduled three matches for Sacramento (3-2) after suffering back spasms in the season opener.
   Querrey is scheduled to play the next five matches for the Capitals and 33rd-ranked Kevin Anderson the last four of the regular season. Querrey is 6-foot-6 and Anderson 6-8.
   Davenport, a former Capital who reached No. 1 in the world in singles and doubles, won 5-3 in women's doubles with Anna-Lena Groenefeld and 5-2 in mixed doubles with Travis Parrott for Orange County (2-2). Davenport, a 36-year-old mother of three, did not play singles.
   See below for Saturday's full results.

BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

At Stanford

Singles semifinals

   CoCo Vandeweghe, Rancho Santa Fe, def. Yanina Wickmayer (5), Belgium, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
   Serena Williams (1), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., def. Sorana Cirstea (9), Romania, 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles semifinals

   Jarmila Gajdosova, Australia, and Vania King (1), Boynton Beach, Fla., def. Yung-Jan Chan and Hao-Ching Chan (4), Taiwan, 6-3, 6-3.
   Marina Erakovic, New Zealand, and Heather Watson, Great Britain, def. Natalie Grandin, South Africa, and Vladimira Uhlirova (3), Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-7 (6), 10-7.

Sunday's order of play

(Starting at 1 p.m.)

   CoCo Vandeweghe, Rancho Santa Fe, vs. Serena Williams (1), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

   Jarmila Gajdosova, Australia, and Vania King (1), Boynton Beach, Fla., vs. Marina Erakovic, New Zealand, and Heather Watson, Great Britain. 

WORLD TEAMTENNIS

Orange County 23, Capitals 20 (OT)

In Irvine, Calif.

   Men's doubles -- John-Patrick Smith-Travis Parrott (Breakers) def. Sam Querrey-Mark Knowles (Capitals) 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Lindsay Davenport-Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Breakers) def. Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-3.
   Men's singles -- Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. John-Patrick Smith (Breakers) 5-3.
   Mixed doubles -- Travis Parrott-Lindsay Davenport (Breakers) def. Mark Knowles-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-2.
   Women's singles -- Asia Muhammad (Capitals) def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Breakers) 5-4.
   Overtime -- Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Breakers) tied Asia Muhammad (Capitals) 1-1.

SUNDAY'S TV SCHEDULE

(All times PDT)

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

CALENDAR

   Sunday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, singles final at 1 p.m., doubles final to follow. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Monday -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday -- Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   Thursday -- Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   Friday -- Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Serena advances, but No. 2 and 3 seeds fall

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

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

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

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

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

BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

At Stanford

Singles quarterfinals

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

Today's schedule 

Stadium (starting at 1 p.m.)

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

WORLD TEAMTENNIS

Capitals 24, Orange County 14

In Citrus Heights, Calif.

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

WEEKEND TV SCHEDULE

(All times PDT)

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

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

CALENDAR

   Today -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, semifinals, 1 and 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Sunday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, singles final at 1 p.m., doubles final to follow. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Monday -- Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Wednesday -- Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   Thursday -- Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   Friday -- Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Stars come out at Stanford

Serena Williams, playing her first match since winning
her fifth Wimbledon singles title, beat Stanford's Nicole
Gibbs, the NCAA singles and doubles champion, 6-2,
6-1 in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   STANFORD — One match was a rout, even if the winner didn't think so. The other was an exhibition that ended prematurely.
   But for star power at a non-Grand Slam tournament, it doesn't get any better than Wednesday at the Bank of the West Classic.
   Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams dominated Stanford star Nicole Gibbs 6-2, 6-1 in 62 minutes in the second round during the day session. Then Pete Sampras retired with a calf injury while leading Michael Chang 7-6 (2), 5-5 in an exhibition match at night.
   Williams and Sampras have won 14 Grand Slam singles titles each, but the 30-year-old Williams figures to add to her total. Chang remains the youngest man to win a Grand Slam singles title, capturing the 1989 French Open at 17. He never won another major title, although he reached three more Slam finals.
   All four players were born in the Midwest (Williams and Gibbs) or East (Sampras and Chang) and moved to the Los Angeles area as juniors. Sampras and Chang are 40-year-old International Tennis Hall of Famers.
   Williams' match Wednesday was her first since winning her fifth Wimbledon title on Saturday.

Pete Sampras retired with a calf injury
while leading Michael Chang 7-6 (2),
5-5 in an exhibition. Photo by Paul Bauman

   "I couldn't quite believe I was playing today," said Williams, who will face sixth-seeded Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa in Friday's quarterfinals. "But I'm healthy, I have a heartbeat, so there's no reason not to play. I'll feel better after a day off. I'm still waking up at 2 a.m. I definitely felt sluggish. It's good to get the win over with."

   Williams won last year's Bank of the West Classic in her third tournament back from an 11-month layoff. She had cut her foot on a piece of glass at a restaurant, then had two operations on the foot and was treated for life-threatening blood clots in her lungs.
   Gibbs, a 19-year-old wild card, had won 26 consecutive matches in college and professional competition before Wednesday. She became the third woman in history and first since 1995 to sweep the NCAA singles and doubles titles, then won the $50,000 Colorado International last week as an amateur qualifier.
   "She played really well," Williams said graciously about Wednesday's match. "She moves really well, and she doesn't quit. That's the best quality you can have as an athlete. She easily could have given up. She's a fighter. She actually has a really good first serve. It's good to see Ameicans coming up."
   When pressed about administering a "beat-down," Williams replied: "I don't think it was too much of a beat-down. She held her own."

Chang, whose wife won two NCAA singles titles while attending
Stanford, said the conditions were quick Wednesday night.
Photo by Paul Bauman

  Williams, pounding her first serve and groundstrokes, raced to leads of 4-0 in the first set and 5-0 in the second set. But Gibbs played Williams even for the rest of the first set, and Williams needed four match points to put away her opponent.
   “It was a great experience for me to match up against that level of player and see what’s out there," said Gibbs, who plans to return to Stanford in the fall for her junior year. "I have a lot to look over and work on, but that was a good benchmark for where I am.
   "It was pretty surreal, no matter how much I tried to prepare myself mentally. To be matched up against someone like Serena was obviously a dream and obviously intimidating but just an incredible experience.”    
   The muscular, 5-foot-9 Williams, whose serve is considered the best in women's history, blasted seven aces at up to 117 mph. The petite, 5-6 Gibbs, meanwhile, had none. Her first serve registered in the high 80s and low 90s, her second delivery in the powder-puff 60s.
   "Her second serve has to get deeper and faster," Stanford women's coach Lele Forood said. "She knows that. That's why she's in college."
   Lucky loser CoCo Vandeweghe, who will play the last five matches of the World TeamTennis regular season for the Sacramento Capitals, reached the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over fourth seed and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.
   Sampras said he will have an MRI on his left calf on Thursday. He's scheduled to play Hall of Famer Jim Courier that night in another exhibition, with Chang and Courier set to meet Friday night. 
   Sampras said his injury "was my own fault. I haven't been playing a lot. I felt it on a forehand."       
   He apparently over-extended himself Wednesday, having earlier hit with second-seeded Marion Bartoli of France.
   "She was hitting balls hard," said Sampras, one of whose three siblings is named Marion. "I had just gotten off a plane. It took a lot out of me."
   Sampras and Chang showed flashes of their former brilliance amid some bad errors. The legends were lighthearted in the first set, bantering between each other and with the crowd, but serious in the second. Points ended quickly throughout the match.
   "The women's ball is a little lighter," explained Chang, a former part-time Capital whose wife, the former Amber Liu, won the NCAA singles title in 2003 and 2004 while attending Stanford. "The conditions were quick."
   See below for Wednesday's full results and Thursday's schedule.
   Sweeting probable — The Capitals expect Ryan Sweeting to return for Saturday night's match at Orange County, his last scheduled appearance for the team this season.
   Sweeting suffered back spasms in Monday's season opening loss at Boston and missed Tuesday's overtime victory at Philadelphia. Last-minute replacement Alex Kuznetsov, a 25-year-old American, helped Sacramento beat the Freedoms 22-16 in overtime. In an e-mail, Capitals coach Wayne Bryan called the victory "truly one of the best all-around Caps performances in my 11 years with the team."
   Marquee player Mardy Fish is scheduled to join the Capitals for their home opener Thursday night at 7:35 against Kansas City and for Friday night's home match against Orange County. Fish, 30, is coached by 40-year-old Capitals captain Mark Knowles, who's in his 11th season, all with the team.
   NorCal Hall of Fame — The Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame will add four members, including ex-Stanford All-American Nick Saviano, on Thursday at Stanford.
   Joining Saviano will be volunteer Andrea Norman; Steve Cornell, an accomplished junior, collegiate and senior player and tennis advocate; and Martha Downing, a gifted senior player, teaching pro and volunteer. 
   Saviano has coached more than 50 ATP and WTA players. He helped Stanford win NCAA titles in both of his years there (1974 and 1975) before he turned pro. Saviano peaked at No. 48 in the world in 1978 and reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 1980.
   Norman directed the USTA Girls 18 National Championships in Berkeley, started a tennis-based non-profit organization and participated on national and regional committees aimed at making tennis accessible to everyone.
   Cornell played on UCLA's national championship teams in 1970 and 1971. His teammates included Jimmy Connors, Jeff Borowiak of Berkeley and Jeff Austin.Cornell, a founding member of the Berkeley Tennis Club Foundation, is a USTA committee member and an avid volunteer.
   Downing, a retired teaching pro and tennis director at Sacramento-area clubs for more than 35 years, holds 27 national senior titles and represents the United States in international competitions. A member of the inaugural class of the Sacramento Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009, she has been named the NorCal Senior Player of the Year four times. 

BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

At Stanford

Second-round singles

   Chanelle Scheepers (6), South Africa, def. Michelle Larcher de Brito, Portugal, 6-3, 6-4.
   Yanina Wickmayer (5), Belgium, def. Heather Watson, Great Britain, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.
   Serena Williams (1), Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., def. Nicole Gibbs, Santa Monica, 6-2, 6-1.
   CoCo Vandeweghe (Capitals), Rancho Santa Fe, def. Jelena Jankovic (4), Serbia, 6-4, 6-2.

First-round doubles

   Natalie Grandin, South Africa, and Vladimira Uhlirova (3), Czech Republic, def. Mallory Burdette, Jackson, Ga., and Nicole Gibbs, Santa Monica, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 10-6 tiebreak.

Doubles quarterfinals

   Yung-Jan Chan and Hao-Ching Chan (4), Taiwan, def. Dominika Cibulkova and Janette Husarova, Slovakia, 6-4, 6-3.
   Jarmila Gajdosova, Australia, and Vania King (1), Boynton Beach, Fla., def. Sorana Cirstea, Romania, and Anne Keothavong, Great Britain, 6-2, 6-2.
   Marina Erakovic, New Zealand, and Heather Watson, Great Britain, def. Raquel Kops-Jones (former Cal All-American), Fresno, and Abigail Spears (2), San Diego, 7-6 (9), 2-6, 10-4 tiebreak.

Thursday's schedule
Stadium (starting at 11 a.m.)

   Sorana Cirstea (9), Romania, vs. Saisai Zheng, China.
   Marina Erakovic (8), New Zealand, vs. Urszula Radwanska, Poland (not before 2 p.m.).
   Marion Bartoli (2), France, vs. Mallory Burdette (Stanford), Jackson, Ga.
   Eleni Daniilidou, Greece, and Urszula Radwanska, Poland, vs. Natalie Grandin, South Africa, and Vladimira Uhlirova (3), Czech Republic.
   Exhibition: Jim Courier vs. Pete Sampras (not before 7 p.m.)
   Dominika Cibulkova (3), Slovakia, vs. Erika Sema, Japan (not before 8 p.m.)

CALENDAR

   Thursday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, second round, 11 a.m. and not before 8 p.m. Exhibition match, Pete Sampras vs. Jim Courier, 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
    2012 Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame Brunch and Induction Ceremony (Nick Saviano, Andrea Norman, Steve Cornell and Martha Downing), Stanford, Pac 12 Plaza/Cardinal Plaza, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., tickets $75 each at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=230538. 
   World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals' home opener (with Mardy Fish) vs. Kansas City, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., www.saccaps.com.
   Friday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, quarterfinals, noon and 7 p.m. Exhibition match, Michael Chang vs. Courier, not before 8 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals (with Fish) vs. Orange County, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, semifinals, 1 and 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Sunday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, singles final at 1 p.m., doubles final to follow. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Monday -- Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 18 -- Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   July 19 -- Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   July 20 -- Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Cardinal star Gibbs to face Serena at Stanford

   After disposing of one Wimbledon champion Tuesday, Nicole Gibbs will face another today.
   This one promises to be a bit tougher.
   Gibbs, a wild card who finished her sophomore year at Stanford in May, defeated Thai qualifier Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, the 2009 Wimbledon girls singles champion, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
   Next for Gibbs is top seed and defending champion Serena Williams, who won her fifth Wimbledon women's singles title Saturday. They will meet at 3 p.m. or later.
   "I'm in awe of Serena Williams," Gibbs, 19, told reporters. "She was one of my idols when I was growing up. I'll be honored to be on the court with her. I'm going to try to get her serves back. We'll see what I can do."
   It will be a blockbuster day at Stanford, as seven-time Wimbledon singles champion Pete Sampras is scheduled to play an exhibition match against Michael Chang at 7 p.m. Both are 40-year-old International Tennis Hall of Famers.
   When Gibbs was 12 and growing up in Cleveland, she was a ballgirl for an exhibition match in which Williams played.
   "I think I spoke to her briefly in the locker room," Gibbs said. "I got to hit with Venus Williams, who was there, for five minutes. It was the best memory of my life."
   Did the chance to play Serena, 30, give Gibbs extra incentive against Lertcheewakarn? You might say that.
   "I couldn't have been more nervous today if I tried," Gibbs said after her WTA main-draw debut. "It was an added level of excitement, definitely, which may have translated into nerves. But it was incentive to stay in the points and fight harder, so it actually served me well.
   "I'm going to be nervous (today) -- there's no question about that -- but I couldn't have any less pressure on me. It's just going to be an experience I'll have to enjoy. Hopefully, I present myself as competitive in that match."
   The muscular, 5-foot-9 Williams, whose serve is considered the best in women's tennis history, likely will overpower the petite, 5-6 Gibbs. But Gibbs does have some advantages. She will be playing on her home court and already has played one match in the tournament.
   Williams, meanwhile, will play her first match since beating Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 in the Wimbledon final. Williams, who received a first-round bye, must quickly adjust from grass to hardcourt and cool, rainy weather to heat and sun. A high of 88 degrees is forecast for today.
   And will Williams be mentally ready to play another match only four days after hoisting the Venus Rosewater Dish at Wimbledon?
   One year ago, Williams won the Bank of the West in her third tournament back from an 11-month layoff. Shortly after winning Wimbledon two years ago, she stepped on a piece of glass at a restaurant and subsequently had two operations on her foot. She also was treated for life-threatening blood clots in her lungs.
   "I wanted to come here more than anything," Williams said. "This is where it all began last year. Getting on that plane from London and coming here and playing is the best thing I could have done. I just want to enjoy the moment right now. You never know when you're going to feel this great and this healthy, so you've got to enjoy it."
   Gibbs has been enjoying herself, too. In May, she became the third player in history and first since 1995 to sweep the NCAA singles and doubles titles. Gibbs returned to the court last week and won the $50,000 Colorado International in Denver as a qualifier for her first Challenger title. She has won 26 straight singles matches since losing to UCLA's Robin Anderson in a dual match on April 14. 
   "I still haven't processed it," said Gibbs, who plans to play at Stanford for at least one more year. "I've been playing solid tennis and competing better than I have in my life. I'm taking the opportunities as they come. The biggest improvement for me is mental. I've gotten more mature on the court. My reactions to bad points and to an opponent who is outplaying me have been more tempered."
   Gibbs was not the only wild card from Stanford who won her WTA main-draw debut to earn a meeting with a high seed and Bank of the West champion. Mallory Burdette, who ended her junior year in May by winning her second straight NCAA doubles crown, outlasted 75th-ranked Anne Keothavong of Great Britain 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.
   Burdette will face second-seeded Marion Bartoli of France on Thursday. Bartoli won the Bank of the West in 2009 and reached the final in 2008 and last year. Five years ago, she was the runner-up at Wimbledon to Venus Williams.
   Qualifier Jana Juricova, a former Cal star who won last year's NCAA women's singles title at Stanford, lost to eighth-seeded Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 6-2, 6-2 in the first round. Erakovic stunned top seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka in the second round of last year's Bank of the West Classic before falling to Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals.
   Radwanska's younger sister, Urszula, pulled out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Eleni Daniilidou of Greece.
   In Tuesday night's late match, former Sacramento Capital Vania King lost to ninth-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania 7-5, 6-4.
   See below for Tuesday's full results and today's schedule.
   Capitals bounce back -- It didn't look good for the Capitals entering Tuesday night's World TeamTennis match. They were playing on the road for the second straight night, and they were without injured Ryan Sweeting.
   But Sacramento got a lift from last-minute replacement Alex Kuznetsov and regular Asia Muhammed to  beat the Philadelphia Freedoms 22-16 in overtime. Sweeting suffered back spasms in his WTT debut Monday night as the Capitals lost to the Boston Lobsters 20-14.
   Kuznestov, a 25-year-old American who reached the semifinals of the Sacramento Challenger last October, won 5-1 in men's doubles with Mark Knowles and lost to James Blake 5-4 in men's singles.
   Blake's victory sent the match to overtime, in which Kuznetsov won the first game to give Sacramento the victory and even its record at 1-1.     
   Ironically, Kuznetsov lost to Blake in the Sacramento Challenger and to Sweeting in the second round of the Winnetka (Ill.) Challenger last week.
   Muhammed, who lost both of her sets Monday in her Capitals debut, won both against Philadelphia. The 21-year-old Las Vegan teamed with Yasmin Schnack, a Sacramento-area resident, to beat 20-year-old identical twins Karolina and Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic 5-4 in the first set. Muhammed later routed Karolina Pliskova 5-1 to give Sacramento a 17-11 lead.
   Kuznetsov took over from there.
   After a day off today, the Capitals will play home matches Thursday and Friday night as marquee player Mardy Fish makes his only two appearances for the team.
   Sweeting is scheduled to play his last match for Sacramento on Saturday night at Orange County. Sam Querrey then will join the Capitals for five matches.
   See below for Tuesday's full results.
   West Coast Junior Championships in Sacramento -- Unseeded Logan Staggs of Tracy defeated second-seeded Garrett Auproux of Studio City 7-6 (6), 6-1 to win the boys 18 singles title in the West Coast Junior Championships at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club.
   Staggs beat the No. 1, 2, 8 and 9 seeds en route to the title.
   Fourth-seeded Manon Peri of Los Angeles won the girls 18 singles title, downing unseeded Iris Lin of South San Francisco 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC

At Stanford

First-round singles

(8) Marina Erakovic (NZL) d. (Q) Jana Juricova (SVK) 62 62.
(9) Sorana Cirstea (ROU) d. Vania King (USA) 75 64.
Urszula Radwanska (POL) d. Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 36 63 64.
(Q) Erika Sema (JPN) d. (LL) Alexa Glatch (USA) 62 63.
(LL) Zheng Saisai (CHN) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 42 ret. (low back injury).
(WC) Nicole Gibbs (USA) d. (Q) Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) 64 64.
(WC) Mallory Burdette (USA) d. Anne Keothavong (GBR) 26 75 64.

First-round doubles

(2) Kops-Jones/Spears (USA/USA) d. Chang/Scheepers (TPE/RSA) 63 75.
Cibulkova/Husarova (SVK/SVK) d. Dekmeijere/Lertcheewakarn (LAT/THA) 63 63.
Erakovic/Watson (NZL/GBR) d. Karatantcheva/Sema (KAZ/JPN) 63 36 10-5.

Wednesday's schedule

Stadium (from 11 a.m.)

1. Michelle Larcher de Brito vs. Chanelle Scheepers (6).
2. Yanina Wickmayer (5) vs. Heather Watson.
3. Serena Williams (1) vs. Nicole Gibbs (not before 3 p.m.).
4. Erakovic/Watson vs. Kops-Jones/Spears (2).
5. Exhibition: Pete Sampras vs. Michael Chang (7 p.m.).
6. CoCo Vandeweghe vs. Jelena Jankovic (4) (not before 8 p.m.).

Court 6 (from 1:30 p.m.)

1. Chan/Chan (4) vs. Cibulkova/Husarova.
2. Gajdosova/King (1) vs. Cirstea/Keothavong (not before 2:30 p.m.).
3. Burdette/Gibbs vs. Grandin/Uhlirova (3) (not before 5 p.m.; after suitable rest).

WORLD TEAMTENNIS

Capitals 22, Philadelphia 16 (OT)

In Philadelphia

   Women's doubles -- Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Karolina Pliskova-Kristyna Pliskova (Freedoms) 5-4.
   Men's doubles -- Mark Knowles-Alex Kuznetsov (Capitals) def. James Blake-Jordan Kerr (Freedoms) 5-1.
   Mixed doubles -- James Blake-Kristyna Pliskova (Freedoms) def. Mark Knowles-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-2.
   Women's singles -- Asia Muhammad (Capitals) def. Karolina Pliskova (Freedoms) 5-1.
   Men's singles -- James Blake (Freedoms) def. Alex Kuznetsov (Capitals) 5-4.
   Overtime -- Alex Kuznetsov (Capitals) def. James Blake (Freedoms) 1-0. 

CALENDAR 

   Wednesday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, second round, 11 a.m. and not before 8 p.m. Exhibition match, Pete Sampras vs. Michael Chang, 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com. 
   Thursday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, second round, 11 a.m. and not before 8 p.m. Exhibition match, Sampras vs. Jim Courier, 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
    2012 Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame Brunch and Induction Ceremony (Nick Saviano, Andrea Norman, Steve Cornell and Martha Downing), Stanford, Pac 12 Plaza/Cardinal Plaza, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., tickets $75 each at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=230538. 
   World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals' home opener (with Mardy Fish) vs. Kansas City, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., www.saccaps.com.
   Friday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, quarterfinals, noon and 7 p.m. Exhibition match, Chang vs. Courier, not before 8 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals (with Fish) vs. Orange County, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Saturday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, semifinals, 1 and 7 p.m. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Capitals at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   Sunday -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, singles final at 1 p.m., doubles final to follow. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Monday -- Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 18 -- Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   July 19 -- Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   July 20 -- Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.

Serena to play Wednesday afternoon at Stanford

   Serena Williams won't have much time to celebrate her Wimbledon singles and women's doubles titles.
   Williams will defend her title in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford next week as the top seed. She has a first-round bye and will play during Wednesday's day session at 3 p.m. or later against the winner of the match between Stanford's Nicole Gibbs, the reigning NCAA singles and doubles champion, and qualifier Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand.
   Seeded behind Williams are, in order, Marion Bartoli of France, Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa, Marina Erakovic of New Zealand and Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Bartoli won the Bank of the West title in 2009 and was the runner-up in 2008 and last year.
   The tournament has been hit hard by withdrawals. They include 2012 Wimbledon semifinalist Angelique Kerber (lower back), 2012 Wimbledon quarterfinalists Sabine Lisicki (abdomen) and Tamira Paszek (left thigh), American No. 2 Christina McHale (illness), two-time Grand Slam singles champion Svetlana Kuznetsova (knee) and former world No. 3 Nadia Petrova (right wrist).
   Here's a link to the singles draw for the Bank of the West, Monday through July 15:
   http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/posting/2012/703/MDS.pdf.
   Williams, 30, completed her comeback from two foot operations and life-threatening blood clots in her lungs with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory Saturday over Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland for her fifth Wimbledon singles title. It was also Williams' 14th Grand Slam singles crown, sixth all-time, but first since Wimbledon two years ago.
   Williams pounded 17 aces in the final, including four in one game early in the third set, to give her a Wimbledon-record 102 overall. That broke her own mark of 89 in 2010 and surpassed any man this year.
   All this came after Williams lost in the first round of the French Open in late May, the earliest exit of her career in a Grand Slam tournament. 
   Williams said the low point during her 11-month layoff, which ended in June 2011, came in earlier that year. Depressed, she stayed on the couch at home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., for two days.
   "I was praying, like, I can't take this anymore. I've endured enough. Let me be able to get through this," Williams told reporters. "Coming here and winning today is amazing. It's been an unbelievable journey for me."
   Williams and her older sister, Venus, later teamed for their fifth Wimbledon women's doubles crown as they defeated Czechs Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-5, 6-4. It was the Williamses' first doubles tournament together in two years. Venus is struggling with an autoimmune disease that saps her energy.
   More Wimbledon -- Bob and Mike Bryan had a golden opportunity to win their 12th Grand Slam men's doubles title, breaking the Open Era (since 1968) record they share with Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, and third at Wimbledon.
   Alas, it was not to be.
   The second seeds and defending champions from Stanford lost to wild cards Jonathan Marray of Great Britain and Frederik Nielsen of Denmark 6-4, 7-6 (9), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) in Friday's semifinals.
   Marray and Nielsen on Saturday became the first wild cards in Wimbledon history to win the doubles title, beating fifth-seeded Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-3. Lindstedt and Tecau suffered their third consecutive loss in the Wimbledon final.
   Top-seeded Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor, who had beaten the Bryans 6-4, 6-4 in the French Open final and 6-3, 6-4 in the Queen's Club title match in the past month, lost in the second round at Wimbledon. 
   Marray became the first British man to win the Wimbledon doubles crown since 1936. Nielsen, a singles quarterfinalist in the 2010 Sacramento Challenger, became the first Danish man to win a Grand Slam singles or doubles title. His grandfather, Kurt, was the Wimbledon singles runner-up in 1953 and 1955.
   Meanwhile, there will be no showdown between the 34-year-old Bryan twins in the mixed doubles final. Second-seeded Mike Bryan and fellow American Lisa Raymond will meet fourth-seeded Leander Paes of India and Elena Vesnina of Russia on Sunday for the title. Paes and Vesnina outlasted top-seeded Americans Bob Bryan and Liezel Huber 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals.
   Wayne Bryan, the twins' father and coach of the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis, did not allow his sons to play each other in the juniors. One would default to the other if they were scheduled to meet in singles. Wayne reasoned that there were plenty of other players for Bob and Mike to beat without facing each other.
   Azarenka to regain top ranking -- Victoria Azarenka will return to No. 1 in the world rankings on Monday, the WTA announced.
   The 22-year-old Belarusian, who lost to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals, held the top spot for 19 consecutive weeks after winning the Australian Open in January for her first Grand Slam singles title. Maria Sharapova replaced her after capturing the French Open.
   Azarenka is well-known to Bank of the West fans, having won the 2010 singles title and 2011 doubles crown (with Maria Kirilenko). She chose not return this year, perhaps anticipating a long run at Wimbledon and not wanting to play the following week.
   The Bank of the West was moved up from its customary slot in the last week of July because the Olympic tennis tournament is scheduled for July 28 to Aug. 5 in London.
   Women's Challenger in Denver -- Gibbs, a qualifier from the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica, edged Rika Fujiwara of Japan 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) to reach the final of the $50,000 Colorado International.
    Gibbs will meet unseeded veteran Julie Coin of France today for the title. Coin outclassed unseeded Gabriela Paz of Venezuela 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-0.
   Wild cards Gibbs and Lauren Embree, who has helped Florida win the last two NCAA team titles, fell to unseeded Marie-Eve Pelletier of Canada and Shelby Rogers of Charleston, S.C., 6-3, 3-6, 12-10 tiebreak in the doubles final. 

WIMBLEDON TV SCHEDULE

(All times PDT)

   Sunday -- Men's final, ESPN, 6 a.m.-noon (live), ABC, noon-3 p.m. (repeat). Wimbledon Primetime, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (premiere), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat), midnight-4 a.m. (repeat).

CALENDAR  

   Sunday -- Wimbledon men's and mixed doubles finals,
http://www.wimbledon.com/.
   Through Tuesday -- West Coast Junior Championships, Rio del Oro Racquet Club, 119 Scripps Dr., Sacramento, www.norcal.usta.com.
   Through July 15 -- WTA, Bank of the West Classic, Stanford University. Qualifying continues Sunday, and the main draw begins Monday. www.bankofthewestclassic.com.
   Monday -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals' season opener at Boston, 4 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Tuesday -- Capitals at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. http://www.saccaps.com/.
   Thursday -- World TeamTennis, Capitals' home opener (with Mardy Fish) vs. Kansas City, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., www.saccaps.com.
   Thursday -- 2012 Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame Brunch and Induction Ceremony (Nick Saviano, Andrea Norman, Steve Cornell and Martha Downing), Stanford University, Pac 12 Plaza/Cardinal Plaza, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., tickets $75 each at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=230538.
   Friday -- Capitals (with Fish) vs. Orange County, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 14 -- Capitals at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 16 -- Capitals (with Sam Querrey) vs. New York, Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 18 -- Capitals at Washington, 4:10 p.m.
   July 19 -- Capitals at Springfield, 5:05 p.m.
   July 20 -- Capitals at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.
   July 22 -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 24 -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 25 -- Capitals at Orange County, 7 p.m.
   July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
   July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.