Tursunov returns to top 30 after long absence

Russian Dmitry Tursunov, who trains
in the Sacramento area, rose nine spots
to No. 30 in the latest rankings.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   It has been a long road back for Dmitry Tursunov.
   And it isn't over yet.
   The 30-year-old Moscow native, who trains in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, returned to the top 30 in the world for the first time in more than four years Sunday.
   By reaching the semifinals of the Valencia Open 500 in Spain last week, the hard-hitting Tursunov rose nine spots to No. 30 in the new rankings. After reaching No. 29 on July 27, 2009, he battled injuries and dropped as low as No. 516 exactly one year later.
   Tursunov, one of four nominees for the 2013 Comeback Player of the Year on the ATP World Tour, has one more tournament this year to approach or surpass his career high of No. 20 in 2006.
   He is scheduled to play No. 39 Marcel Granollers of Spain on Tuesday in the first round of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. The winner will face top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who received a first-round bye, on Wednesday. Tursunov is 0-1 against Granollers and 0-3 against Nadal.
   Meanwhile, Bob and Mike Bryan narrowly were denied their 11th doubles title of the year, which would have tied their career high.
   Second seeds and defending champions Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil saved four match points in a 6-7 (3), 7-6 (1), 13-11 match tiebreaker victory over the top seeds and former Stanford stars in the Valencia final.
   The Bryans, 35-year-old identical twins originally from Camarillo in the Los Angeles area, came within two match victories in the U.S. Open of becoming the second pair to win a calendar-year Grand Slam in men's doubles. Australians Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman accomplished the feat in 1961.

Tursunov falls in rare all-Russian semifinal

Moscow natives, left to right, Mischa Zverev, Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Andreev pose
at last year's Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos, Calif. Zverev moved to Germany
at 4 years old, Tursunov to Northern California at 12 and Andreev to Spain at 15.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   The United States and Australia aren't the only tennis powers that have declined.
   Quietly, Russia also has stumbled.
   The glory days, when Russia won three straight Grand Slam women's singles titles in 2004 and the Davis Cup in 2006, seem like ancient history.
   What happened?
   Former world No. 1 Marat Safin, 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina and two-time Grand Slam runner-up Elena Dementieva retired.
   Former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova, 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva, and former top-20 players Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Andreev have battled injuries.
   Svetlana Kuznetsova has not advanced past the quarterfinals of a Slam since winning the 2009 French Open for her second major title.
   Nikolay Davydenko, who reached a career-high No. 3 in 2006, has never been the same since being investigated for match fixing even though he was cleared five years ago.
   Mikhail Youzhny, ranked as high as No. 8 in 2008, has slipped with age.
   Russia still has six women in the top 30 and six men in the top 100. But the nation has only one woman, No. 3 Sharapova, in the top 15 and no men in the top 20 (although Youzhny will return on Monday). 
   Youzhny and Tursunov -- 31- and 30-year-old Moscow natives, respectively, and two of the wackiest players on the men's tour -- met Saturday in the first all-Russian semifinal on the ATP World Tour in more than three years.
   Youzhny, ranked 21st, triumphed 6-2, 6-4 in 75 minutes in on a hardcourt in Valencia, Spain, to improve his career record against No. 39 Tursunov, who trains in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, to 3-1.
   The unseeded Youzhny will face top seed and defending champion David Ferrer of Spain in today's final.
   Youzhny has an elaborate, trademark victory celebration somewhat reminiscent of San Francisco Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval's ritual when he steps to the plate. Youzhny spins his racket and then waves to the crowd with his left hand, holds his racket face on top of his head with his left hand while saluting each side of the stands with his right, and finally pumps his right fist.
   Also, after missing an easy shot five years ago in Miami, Youzhny hit himself in the head with the frame of his racket three times, drawing blood.
   Tursunov, meanwhile, is well-known for his self-deprecating, irreverent sense of humor. Here are some highlights from his 2011 "bag check" video for Wilson Sporting Goods:
   --On his tournament accreditation badge depicting a big letter "L": " 'L' for loser, I guess."
   --On a callous on his hand: "I'm single, so ... "
   --While flipping through a few bills in his wallet: "That's all my prize money for this year."
   To watch the video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMLG8sIw4U.
   In the doubles final today in Valencia, top seeds and former Stanford All-Americans Bob and Mike Bryan will play second-seeded Alexander Peya of Austria and Bruno Soares of Brazil.
   The 35-year-old Bryan twins seek their 11th doubles crown of the year, which would equal their career high, and 94th overall.

Tursunov nominated for Comeback Player of Year

Dmitry Tursunov, who trains in the Sacramento area, has rebound-
ed from No. 125 in the world at the end of 2012 to No. 39.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Don't make room in that trophy case yet, Dmitry.
   Dmitry Tursunov, a Russian based in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, has been nominated for the 2013 Comeback Player of the Year on the ATP World Tour.
   But he faces stiff competition from Rafael Nadal and others. The winner will be announced during the ATP World Tour Finals, which begin Nov. 4 in London.
   Tursunov missed three months early last year with a left wrist injury and fell from No. 40 in the world in the 2011 year-end rankings to No. 125 one year later. A right-hander with a two-handed backhand, he has rebounded to No. 39 this year.
   ”It’s probably like my fifth time attempting to get the coveted title,” the irreverent Tursunov, who also was up for Comeback Player of the Year in 2003 and 2011, joked on atpworldtour.com. “Always someone gets in my way. This time, I think it’s going to be rough. I’m not losing hope. I’m 30. I think I have a couple more comebacks in me. I’m planning to get this one, and if not, I might retire, and I might come back and try to get it again.”  
   Tursunov today reached his third semifinal of the year, beating France's Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-3 on hardcourt in Valencia to earn a meeting with countryman Mikhail Youzhny. Tursunov, who reached a career-high No. 20 in 2006, seeks his first singles final since winning s-Hertogenbosch on grass in 2011 for his seventh career singles title.
   Nadal is overwhelmingly favored to win the Comeback Player of the Year award, although he's a virtual lock for Player of the Year. The 27-year-old Spaniard regained the No. 1 ranking this month after ending last year at No. 4.
   Nadal suffered a left knee injury last year and missed seven months. After returning in February, he reached nine straight finals, winning seven. In the last tournament of the streak, he won his eighth French Open title. Nadal later went on a 26-match hardcourt winning streak over the summer, claiming his second U.S. Open title.
   Tursunov and Nadal could meet in the second round of next week's BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. Tursunov will face 35th-ranked Marcel Granollers of Spain in the first round while Nadal has a bye. Tursunov is 0-1 against Granollers and 0-3 against Nadal.
   Also on the ballot for Comeback Player of the Year are Spaniard Tommy Robredo and India's Somdev Devvarman.
   Robredo, who underwent leg surgery early last year, has jumped from No. 115 at the end of 2012 to No. 19. Devvarman, a right-hander who had right shoulder surgery in January 2012, has skyrocketed from No. 656 to No. 90.

New rankings, TV schedule, calendar

PRO RANKINGS

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

Men

   Bob Bryan, 35 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Mike Bryan, 35 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, 31 years old, Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis (2012-13) -- No. 367 in singles (-2), No. 124 in doubles (-1).
   Bradley Klahn, 23 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 128 in singles (+2), No. 166 in doubles (-5).
   Scott Lipsky, 32 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 33 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 34 in singles (no change), No. 213 in doubles (no change).
   Ryan Sweeting, 26 years old, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 541 in singles (-6), No. 878 in doubles (-6).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 30 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 39 in singles (no change), No. 145 in doubles (+11).

Women

   Mallory Burdette, 22 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 131 in singles (+1), No. 431 in doubles (-1).
   Nicole Gibbs, 20 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- No. 204 in singles (+4), No. 560 in doubles (+5).

   Macall Harkins, Redding resident -- No. 273 in doubles (+1), No. 764 in singles (-6).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 30 years old, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 23 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Megan Moulton-Levy, 28 years old, Capitals (2013) -- No. 56 in doubles (-2), unranked in singles.

   Maria Sanchez, 23 years old, Modesto product -- No. 140 in singles (-1), No. 143 in doubles (-3).

   Taylor Townsend, 17 years old, Capitals (2013) -- No. 278 in singles (-1), No. 214 in doubles (+1).

TV SCHEDULE

(All Times PDT)

Wednesday

   WTA Championships (women), round-robin play, Tennis Channel, 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (live),  6 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Thursday (repeat).

   Basel (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 1:30-5:30 p.m. (delay).

Thursday

   WTA Championships (women), round-robin play, Tennis Channel, 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (live),  5:30 p.m.-midnight (repeat).

   Basel (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 1:30-5:30 p.m. (delay).

Friday

   WTA Championships (women), round-robin play, Tennis Channel, 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (live).

   Basel (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 1:30-5:30 p.m. (delay).  

   Valencia (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 5:30-9:30 p.m. (delay).

Saturday 

   WTA Championships (women), doubles semifinals, Tennis Channel, 3-4:30 a.m. and 9-10:30 a.m. (live).

   WTA Championships (women), singles semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5-9 a.m. (live), 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (repeat).

   Basel (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2:30-7:30 p.m. (delay).  

   Valencia (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 7:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Sunday (delay).

Sunday

   Basel (men), final, Tennis Channel, 6:30-9 a.m. (live), 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (repeat).
   Valencia (men), final, Tennis Channel, 9-11:30 a.m. (delay), 2-4:30 p.m. (repeat).
   WTA Championships (women), singles final, ESPN2, 2-4 p.m. (delay), 7-9 p.m. (repeat).
   WTA Championships (women), doubles final, Tennis Channel, 5:30-7 p.m. (delay). 

CALENDAR

   Through Sunday -- WTA Championships, Istanbul, www.wtachampionships.com. Defending champions: Serena Williams, Maria Kirilenko-Nadia Petrova. 

   Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 2-3 -- Sacramento Clay Court League, Ben Combs' house, 8582 Westin Lane, Orangevale, Calif., 95662, www.sacramentoclaycourtleague.com.

   Nov. 2-3 -- Fed Cup final, Russia at Italy, www.fedcup.com.

   Nov. 4-11 -- ATP World Tour Finals, London, www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com. Defending champions: Novak Djokovic, Marcel Granollers-Marc Lopez.

   Nov. 7-10 -- USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, men and women, Flushing Meadows, N.Y. http://www.itatennis.com/Events/USTA-ITA-Championships-Events/NationalIndoors.htm

   Nov. 15-17 -- Davis Cup final, Czech Republic at Serbia, www.daviscup.com.

   Dec. 9-15 -- Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships, boys and girls 18s and 16s, Plantation, Fla., www.orangebowltennis.org. 

   Dec. 17-23 --  Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship, boys and girls 14s and 12s, Coral Gables, Fla., www.juniororangebowl.org.

   Dec. 27-Jan. 1 -- USTA National Winter Championships, boys and girls 14s and 12s, Tucson, Ariz., http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=122724.  

   Dec. 27-Jan. 2 -- USTA National Winter Championships, boys and girls 18s and 16s, Scottsdale, Ariz.,  http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=122192

   Jan. 13-26, 2014 -- AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Melbourne, www.australianopen.com. Defending champions: Novak Djokovic, Victoria Azarenka, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Sara Errani-Roberta Vinci, Jarmila Gajdosova-Matthew Ebden.

   Jan. 31-Feb. 2 -- Davis Cup, first round, Great Britain at United States, site to be announced, www.daviscup.com.

   Feb. 8-9 -- Fed Cup, first round, Italy at United States, site to be announced, www.fedcupcom.

   Feb. 26, 2014 -- Champions Shootout (Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake), 7 p.m., Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, Calif.,  www.powersharesseries.com.

   March 3-16, 2014 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. Defending champions: Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Ekaterina Makarova-Elena Vesnina.

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New rankings, TV schedule, calendar

PRO RANKINGS

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

Men

   Bob Bryan, 35 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Mike Bryan, 35 years old, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, 31 years old, Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis (2012-13) -- No. 365 in singles (-2), No. 123 in doubles (+1).
   Bradley Klahn, 23 years old, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 130 in singles (+1), career-high No. 161 in doubles (+25).
   Scott Lipsky, 32 years old, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 33 in doubles (-2), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, 26 years old, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 34 in singles (-3), No. 213 in doubles (-47).
   Ryan Sweeting, 26 years old, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 535 in singles (-3), No. 872 in doubles (no change).
   Dmitry Tursunov, 30 years old, trains at Gorin Tennis Academy in Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay -- No. 39 in singles (+1), No. 156 in doubles (+1).

Women

   Mallory Burdette, 22 years old, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- No. 132 in singles (-6), No. 430 in doubles (+1).
   Nicole Gibbs, 20 years old, NCAA singles champion in 2012 and 2013 and NCAA doubles champion in 2012 from Stanford -- No. 208 in singles (-1), No. 565 in doubles (+1).

   Macall Harkins, Redding resident -- No. 274 in doubles (+3), No. 758 in singles (+5).
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 30 years old, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 23 in doubles (-1), unranked in singles.

   Megan Moulton-Levy, 28 years old, Capitals (2013) -- No. 54 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Maria Sanchez, 23 years old, Modesto product -- No. 139 in singles (+1), No. 140 in doubles (no change).

   Taylor Townsend, 17 years old, Capitals (2013) -- No. 277 in singles (no change), No. 215 in doubles (no change).

TV SCHEDULE

(All Times PDT)

Thursday

   Stockholm (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (repeat), 1-7 p.m. (delay). 

   Luxembourg (women), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 7-11 p.m. (delay).

Friday

   Stockholm (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4-10 a.m. (repeat). 

Saturday

   Moscow (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 a.m. (live), 6-10 a.m. (repeat), 3-7 p.m. (repeat).
   Stockholm (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (delay).
   Luxembourg (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 7-11 p.m. (delay). 

Sunday

   Moscow (women), final, Tennis Channel, 2-4 a.m. (live), 4-6 a.m. (repeat), 8-10 a.m. (repeat), 2-4 p.m. (repeat).
   Stockholm (men), final, Tennis Channel, noon-2 p.m. (delay), 7-9 p.m. (repeat).
   Moscow (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (delay). 
   Luxembourg (women), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 p.m. (delay).

CALENDAR

   Through Nov. 3 -- Sacramento Clay Court League, Ben Combs' house, 8582 Westin Lane, Orangevale, Calif., 95662, www.sacramentoclaycourtleague.com.

   Tuesday-Oct. 27 -- WTA Championships, Istanbul, www.wtachampionships.com. Defending champions: Serena Williams, Maria Kirilenko-Nadia Petrova.

   Nov. 2-3 -- Fed Cup final, Russia at Italy, www.fedcup.com.

   Nov. 4-11 -- ATP World Tour Finals, London, www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com. Defending champions: Novak Djokovic, Marcel Granollers-Marc Lopez.

   Nov. 15-17 -- Davis Cup final, Czech Republic at Serbia, www.daviscup.com.

   Jan. 13-26, 2014 -- AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Melbourne, www.australianopen.com. Defending champions: Novak Djokovic, Victoria Azarenka, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Sara Errani-Roberta Vinci, Jarmila Gajdosova-Matthew Ebden.

   Jan. 31-Feb. 2 -- Davis Cup, first round, Great Britain at United States, site to be announced, www.daviscup.com.

   Feb. 8-9 -- Fed Cup, first round, Italy at United States, site to be announced, www.fedcupcom.

   Feb. 26, 2014 -- Champions Shootout (Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake), 7 p.m., Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, Calif.,  www.powersharesseries.com.

   March 3-16, 2014 -- BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Calif., www.bnpparibasopen.com. Defending champions: Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Bob Bryan-Mike Bryan, Ekaterina Makarova-Elena Vesnina.

Hall of Famers, Blake to play in Sacramento

Pete Sampras rips a backhand in an exhibition
against Michael Chang during last year's
Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
Photos by Paul Bauman

   They combined for 25 Grand Slam singles titles.
   Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Jim Courier will play in Sacramento during the 2014 PowerShares Series, organizers announced today.
   The International Tennis Hall of Famers and fellow American James Blake will compete in two one-set semifinals, followed by a one-set final, on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at Sleep Train Arena. The matchups have not been set.
   The 12-city U.S. circuit will begin Feb. 5 in Kansas City, Mo., and end March 21 in Surprise, Ariz. Other part-time competitors will be Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, Michael Chang, Todd Martin, Mark Philippoussis and Andy Roddick. 
   Roddick and Blake -- who retired from the ATP World Tour after the U.S. Open in 2012 and this year, respectively -- will debut in the PowerShares Series.
   Sampras, 42, used his devastating serve-and-volley game to win 14 Grand Slam singles titles, second behind Roger Federer with 17, and held the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record six consecutive years.
   McEnroe, a 54-year-old left-hander, won 17 Grand Slam titles (seven in singles, nine in doubles and one in mixed doubles) with his tremendous touch. His volatile temper, however, often overshadowed his sublime play.

Commentator Jim Courier interviews Roger Federer
during last year's Australian Open.

   Courier, an exceptionally hard worker, won four Grand Slam singles crowns (two at the Australian Open and two in the French Open) and reached the final of all four majors. Now 43, he has served as the captain (coach) of the United States Davis Cup team since 2010.

   McEnroe and Courier, like Sampras, ascended to No. 1 in the world.
   Blake, 33, climbed to a career-high No. 4 in 2006 with his speed and power but never advanced past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. He came close in 2005, losing a fifth-set tiebreaker to Agassi in one of the greatest matches in U.S. Open history.
   McEnroe holds U.S. Davis Cup records for total victories (59) and singles wins (41). He played on five Davis Cup championship teams, Sampras and Courier two each and Blake one.   
   Sampras and McEnroe have played World TeamTennis in Sacramento on visiting teams. Blake advanced to the final of the $100,000 Sacramento Challenger in 2011 and won the title in 2012. It is believed that Courier will play in Sacramento for the first time.
   Tickets for the Feb. 26 event went on sale today for USTA members at a 15 percent discount. Tickets starting at $25 and VIP fan experience packages will be available to the general public beginning next Tuesday. For more information, visit www.powersharesseries.com.