Dementieva cruises into semis at Malaysian Open

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -Elena Dementieva cruised past Magdalena Rybarikova 6-0, 6-3 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Malaysian Open.

The match was delayed for 3 hours by rain at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort. Rybarikova held serve only once in the 62-minute match.

"It was tough on both of us to wait so long to begin the match, but I think it affected her more as she had a very slow start to the game," Dementieva said. "I'm just thankful to have finished the match in two sets."

Dementieva will play sixth-seeded Sybille Bammer, who rallied to defeat Chang Kai Chen 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 after a rain delay.

Alisa Kleybanova overcame Anastasia Rodionova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the other semifinal.

Rodionova was involved in a running argument with the chair umpire and line judges, allowing her frustrations to affect her game.

Kleybanova will play unseeded Ayumi Morita, who defeated Chanelle Scheepers 6-3, 7-5.

The 19-year-old Ayumi, who reached her first WTA semifinal, will seek to avenge her loss to Kleybanova in their first meeting four months ago at the Tokyo Open.

Ronaldo aims for double gloryDjokovic to face Baghdatis in Dubai semifinal

Clay concerns for Venus

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -Top-seeded Fernando Verdaso was knocked out of the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open on Thursday by Juan Monaco, while women's No. 1 seed Venus Williams fought back from 1-5 down in the final set to survive.

Monaco, from Argentina, beat the Spaniard 7-5, 6-3.

Williams had a harder-than-expected struggle against Spanish qualifier Laura Pous Tio, finally winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Pous Tios is ranked No. 399 and Williams is No. 5.

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Verdasco, who beat Andy Roddick in an ATP final two weeks ago in San Jose, Calif., said he had not adjusted to clay after not having played on the surface in seven months.

"I played better than the first two days here, but I still didn't have the level I needed to beat a solid player on clay - and one who played well like Juan," Verdasco said. "There is not much more to say."

Monaco credited his serve.

"I have beaten a top-10 guy who has been playing well for several years," Monaco said. "But I can't think about it too much because tomorrow I have to start from zero."

Fernando Gonzalez of Chile rallied to beat Eduardo Schwank of Argentina 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, while third-seeded David Ferrer of Spain defeated Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 7-5, 6-4.

"When I won the first set, the second was easier and I played with more confidence and was more aggressive," he said.

In the other quarterfinal, No. 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero beat two-time defending champion and fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-1, 7-5, 6-2.

In the semifinals, Ferrer will play Gonzalez, and Ferrero will face Monaco.

Williams got herself into several holes with loose ground strokes and showed this is her first tournament of the season on clay - her weakest surface.

"I just thought I'm not going to give it to her. That's the first thing I thought," Williams said.

Williams, who won here last year, was cheered on by thousands of fans.

"I really have never had that kind of support, ever in my life," Williams added. "Never, never at home, never anywhere. ... Never Fed Cup, never even the Olympics. ... It was just really amazing. I thought, OK, yeah, I can do this."

"If I never experience that again, I can remember today."

In other women's quarterfinals, Polona Hercog of Slovenia beat Agnes Szavay when the Hungarian player retired because of a left thigh injury. Hercog won the first set 6-4 and Szavay was up 1-0 in the second when she stopped playing.

In the other quarterfinals, No. 5 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain beat No. 3 Gisela Dulko of Argentina 6-1, 7-6 (4), and Edina Gallovits of Romania edged Sharon Fichman of Canada 7-5, 6-2.

In the semifinals, Williams will play Gallovits, and Suarez Navarro will face Hercog.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Nonda plays waiting gameBlake wins suspended first-round match over Dent

Djokovic, Youzhny reach final in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Defending champion Novak Djokovic edged unseeded Baghdatis 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 Friday to reach the final of the Dubai Championships.

Djokovick will play Mikhail Youzhny, who defeated Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 7-6 (4) to reach the Dubai final for the second time in four years.

Djokovic started slowly and had 10 double-faults. After losing the first set in a tiebreaker, he had to save break points in his first three service games.

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He saved 13 out of 16 break points in all, and conceded no chances in the third set.

"What can I say? I lost the match that I had in my hands," Baghdatis said. "I'm really frustrated now. But it's not easy. I didn't take any of the opportunities I had. I was feeling good on court, moving well."

Seventh-seeded Youzhny achieved the only break in his semifinal against unseeded Melzer in the 11th game.

"It was a tough match. It was really close," Youzhny said. "I think Jurgen played really well today. He was aggressive."

Youzhny said improving the quality of his serve in the tiebreaker proved to be the difference.

"During the match it was so-so, but in the tiebreak, I served really good," he said.

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Ronaldo aims for double gloryDjokovic to face Baghdatis in Dubai semifinal

Djokovic to face Baghdatis in Dubai semifinal

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Defending champion Novak Djokovic rallied past Ivan Ljubicic 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 Thursday to advance to the semifinals at the Dubai Championships.

Djokovic was down a set and 4-4 against former finalist Ivan Ljubicic, who had 14 aces. But Djokovic won the next eight games and will play Marcos Baghdatis.

"After losing the first set comfortably, I tried to hold my serve," Djokovic said. "I knew that at a certain point he's going to miss (a) couple of first serves, and that was my chance. "

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The unseeded Baghdatis defeated Michael Berrer 7-6 (5), 6-1. He had 11 aces and gave Berrer no break chances.

Jurgen Melzer overcame Marin Cilic 7-6 (8), 7-5 to reach the other semifinal. Melzer will face seventh-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, who defeated Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-4.

Cilic looked in control with a 4-1 lead in the second set but Melzer held serve and Cilic started making errors on a windy afternoon.

It marked the first time this year that Cilic did not reach the semifinals. He won titles in Chennai and Zagreb - including a win over Melzer in the semis. He also made it to his first Grand Slam semifinals at the Australian Open.

"Of course, it's a little bit disappointing. I think that I could go a little bit further," the sixth-seeded Cilic said. "I had my chance to make something and to win a few more matches. But also, the other guy played well. Melzer deserved it."

Melzer advanced to his second semifinal of the year.

"Well, to be honest, I think I was a little lucky to hold serve at 4-1," he said. "He played really fantastic from when he just started the match. But after that I mixed it up a little bit, played a little serve-and-volley and served better."

Tipsarevic, a day after upsetting Andy Murray, was never in contention against Youzhny. He was 0-for-3 in break-chance opportunities.

"I knew he would be a little tired after last night's tough match against Murray, so I just wanted to make him run a bit," Youzhny said. "The plan seems to have worked."

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Djokovic beats Garcia-Lopez in DubaiPep defends Henry handling

Blake wins suspended first-round match over Dent

DELRAY BEACH, Florida (AP) -Seventh-seeded James Blake needed only 40 seconds to close out a rain-delayed 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 first-round victory over fellow American Taylor Dent at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Wednesday.

The match started on Tuesday night and dragged past midnight before being suspended by rain with Blake leading 6-1, 3-6, 5-3, 40-40.

Blake secured his fourth match point with a backhand passing shot and then hit a service winner to end the match in less than one minute of play.

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"That was quick," Blake said. "It was what I was hoping for, but it's a different situation. It's tough mentally, but I'm through it and now I'm ready for more."

Blake, a two-time Delray Beach finalist, will face 364th-ranked Robin Haase of the Netherlands in the second round.

Rain continued to pour on Wednesday, and another eight other matches were postponed until Thursday.

Dent hoped a fresh start on Wednesday could help him turn things around. But it was over almost before it started.

"It's disappointing all the same to get fired up again and have that glimmer of hope and get it dashed like that," Dent said. "But I guess it would've been worse if it was like a 10 minute long game."

In another match completed Wednesday, 69th-ranked Leonardo Mayer of Argentina upset sixth-seeded Florian Mayer of Germany 6-4, 7-6 (4).

"I played a terrible match," Mayer said. "To be honest, I played really bad today. He deserved to win, he played his game and served well."

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Djokovic beats Garcia-Lopez in DubaiPrimera Division round-up

Nadal 'worried' about constant injuries

MADRID, Spain (AP) -Rafael Nadal "is worried" about his constant injuries although the former top-ranked player is confident of getting back to his best form, according to Spain's Davis Cup captain Albert Costa.

"He is worried about his physical state but he's working every day to get better," Costa said on Wednesday.

Nadal is sidelined for Spain's Davis Cup match against Switzerland next week after another serious knee injury forced him out of the Australian Open in January.

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Nadal has been plagued by injuries since November 2008, when tendinitis in his knees forced him to miss Spain's Davis Cup win over Argentina. The 23-year-old Nadal missed several months last summer to knee problems after the French Open, where he failed to lift the trophy for the first time in five years.

"Until last year at Roland Garros and the problems, he had achieved everything," Costa said. "It's normal, after 22 years and winning everything, to have some down time."

Four-time Grand Slam winner Manolo Santana believes Nadal will recover and be back to his best in time to defend his title at the Indian Wells tournament in California next month.

Nadal recovered to help Spain win a second straight Davis Cup in December, although he and top-ranked Roger Federer will both be missing from the March 5-7 best-of-five series.

Costa said there is "no limit" to his team even if it has a different makeup than usual with Nadal and Fernando Verdasco sidelined by injury, and Feliciano Lopez left out.

"That was my decision, that was a technical decision," Costa said. "I think (the others) also deserve a chance to represent Spain. You have to have alternatives so you're ready for any future tie also."

Former top-ranked player Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo and Marcel Granollers will represent Spain at the 11,000-capacity bullring in the northern city of Logrono.

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Nadal set for further tests on knee injuryValencia suffer Bruno blow

Djokovic beats Garcia-Lopez in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Third-seeded Andy Murray and defending champion Novak Djokovic advanced to the second round of the Dubai Championships on Monday.

Murray defeated Russia's Igor Kunitsyn 6-2, 6-3 at the $1.6 million tournament, while the second-seeded Djokovic beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-4, 6-4.

Murray got off to a nervous start and Kunitsyn kept it close in the first set, rallying from a 3-0 hole by holding serve and breaking Murray to make it 3-2. But the 22-year-old Briton won the next three games and took the set with a superb forehand.

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Kunitsyn started the second set well, breaking Murray in the first game, but the world's fourth-ranked player broke back immediately and then held his serve to go ahead 2-1. He broke Kunitsyn a second time in the sixth game and thwarted his attempts to recover.

Djokovic had just as little trouble with Garcia-Lopez, breaking him to go 2-0 up and eventually holding on until he double-faulted for set point.

The 22-year-old Serb quickly took a 5-0 lead in the second set before Garcia-Lopez fought back, breaking Djokovic twice in the seventh and ninth games to make it 5-4. But Garcia-Lopez failed to hold on to his serve when it mattered most, allowing Djokovic to take the second set 6-4 and with it the match.

"It was not pleasant coming from 5-Love to 5-4 and him serving to get back into the match, but it was all my fault. I think I lost focus," Djokovic said. "It's the first match outdoors since Australia, so still getting used to the conditions.

Djokovic is trying to defend a tournament title for the first time. He'll play fellow Serb Victor Troicki on Wednesday, after his 6-3, 6-4 win over Rainer Schuettler.

"It's a success that I am still trying to achieve, to defend my title," Djokovic said. "I haven't done it in my career so I am really hoping that it's going to be this week."

Djokovic, Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Marin Cilic are the only top 10 players in the field after No. 1-ranked Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament on Sunday due to a lung infection.

Also Monday, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus knocked out eighth-seeded Gilles Simon 7-6 (3), 6-4, while Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia defeated Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

Austrians Jurgen Melzer and Stefan Koubek advanced after both won in straight sets. Melzer beat Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-1, 7-5, and Koubek defeated Feliciano Lopez of Spain 7-6, 6-4.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Primera Liga round-upDjokovic, Youzhny advance; Llodra, Ljubicic lose

Sharapova cruises to Memphis championship

MEMPHIS, Tennessee - Top-seed Maria Sharapova breezed to a 6-2 6-1 victory over Swedish qualifier Sofia Arvidsson to easily win the Memphis Championships women's title Saturday.

The dominant Russian did not drop a set during the tournament as she won her 21st career title.

"I feel great. I came here for matches - I got five and I got the win, so it was a good week," Sharapova told reporters.

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"I served and returned well, two things that are very important indoors."

Arvidsson, who won at Memphis in 2006, lost nine successive games from 2-2 in the first set.

In the men's draw, U.S. Davis Cup team mates Sam Querrey and John Isner set up an all-American showdown with contrasting semi-final victories.

Eighth seed Querrey held off Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-3 6-4 after the sixth-seeded Isner beat German Philipp Petzschner 7-5 4-6 6-3.

The pair will face off Sunday before teaming up to represent the United States in a Davis Cup World Group tie against Serbia in Belgrade on March 5-7.

Querrey, who beat top seed and defending champion Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals, broke Gulbis in each set while saving all nine break point opportunities.

"I came up big on the break points," the world number 31 said. "I think I made a high percentage of first serves on most of them and I just kind of willed out that last game at 5-4."

World number 25 Isner converted three of 11 break points and smashed 13 aces to win his first meeting with Petzschner.

The tall American has a 12-1 record this year, which includes his first ATP tour title at Auckland in January.

"I had some chances early in the second to pull away a little bit, didn't do it," Isner said.

"It went to a third set and I told myself not to get rattled, which I didn't.

I knew that I still had my serve in my pocket - I'm going to hold serve, take my chances on the return game, and I like my chances in the third set no matter who I'm playing.

"I usually play pretty well in the third."

Copyright 2010 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Sharapova cruises to win in MemphisBougherra focused on football

Tsonga upset by Benneteau in Marseille semifinal

MARSEILLE, France (AP) -Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has lost 7-6 (11), 5-7, 7-6 (3) to fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau at the Open 13.

Tsonga served 23 aces to Benneteau's 13 on Saturday at the indoor tournament in Marseille, France.

Benneteau will play either 2009 finalist Michael Llodra of France or Mischa Zverev of Germany when he goes for his first career title in his fourth final.

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Benneteau has lost finals at Kitzbuhel and Casablanca on clay, and at Lyon's indoor tournament. He has won five doubles titles, including with Tsonga at last year's Shanghai Masters.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pires - Barca move down to FabZverev upsets Robredo at Open 13

Nalbandian pulls out in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -David Nalbandian pulled out of the Copa Telemex clay-court tournament Thursday with a leg injury he sustained during the second round.

Nalbandian - playing in his first tournament since hip surgery nine months ago - withdrew from his quarterfinal against fifth-seeded Albert Montanes with a right-leg abductor injury, giving the Spaniard a spot in the semifinals.

In second-round matches Thursday, sixth-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia defeated Marcel Granollers of Spain 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain beat Portugal's Frederico Gil 6-3, 6-0.

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Eighth-seeded Horacio Zeballos of Argentina overcame Spaniard Carlos Moya 6-4, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals.

Nalbandian's Web site quoted tournament director Martin Jaite as saying Nalbandian was retiring on the recommendation of doctors who conducted a series of tests on him.

Nalbandian said after Wednesday's victory over Spain's David Gimeno-Traver that his trainer had suggested he pull out of the match when he injured his leg in the second set. He said he probably would have pulled out had the event not been his home tournament.

"But I decided to play for the sake of people who have always supported me," Nalbandian said. "I took a risk but it went well."

The injury could leave Nalbandian out of the Argentine Davis Cup team that will play Sweden in Stockholm from March 5-7.

Nalbandian had hip surgery in May and had hoped to return in January for a tournament at Auckland, New Zealand, but he strained abdominal muscles while warming up for a match.

Nalbandian was a Wimbledon finalist in 2002, and reached the French Open semifinals in 2004 and 2006.

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Ferrer, Ferrero open with wins in Buenos AiresCazorla hit with injury blow

Zakopalova reaches quarterfinals in Bogota

BOGOTA (AP) -Seventh-seeded Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic reached the quarterfinals of the Copa Colsanitas with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Mariya Koryttseva of Ukraine on Thursday.

Pauline Parmentier of France defeated local wild card Catalina Castano 6-2, 6-4 in another second-round match, and Mariana Duque Marino of Colombia was a winner against Kristina Antoniychuk of Ukraine, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10).

Top-seeded Gisela Dulko of Argentina reached the quarterfinals on Wednesday and will face Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals Friday.

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Dulko, Errani advance to Bogota quarterfinalsJarosik completes Zaragoza move

Tables turned: Israel's Peer reaches Dubai semis

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Shahar Peer is proving unstoppable at the Dubai Championships one year after the Israeli was denied a chance to play in the tournament.

Peer beat a seeded player for the third time in four matches and advanced to the semifinals with a 7-5, 3-0 win over No. 8 seed and Australian Open semifinalist Li Na, who retired from the match because of back spasms.

The unseeded Peer has also beaten top seed Caroline Wozniacki and No. 13 Yanina Wickmayer. She will meet the winner of the late quarterfinal between defending champion Venus Williams and Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

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"I'm beating so many good players," said Peer. "It's really good, and I'm happy by the way I'm playing. I think I'm playing very, very good, and everything is coming together. So I just hope to keep going."

Last year, Dubai organizers were fined $300,000 by the WTA for not allowing Peer to play in the event. She was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates government, citing security reasons.

The other semifinal will feature Victoria Azarenka against Agnieska Radwanska.

Azarenka had little trouble rubbing out Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-3 for the second time in two months. Azarenka beat Zvonareva for the first time en route to the Australian Open quarterfinals and was even more impressive this time. Zvonareva, winner of seven straight matches including the Pattaya title, was broken six times, and fourth-seeded Azarenka saved seven of nine break points.

Seventh-seeded Radwanska pulled off a comeback against Russian qualifier Regina Kulikova, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours, 18 minutes. Kulikova, ranked No. 99, eliminated French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova a day before and showed no fear again, making Radwanska work hard to reach her first semifinals since October.

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No slowing Serena and Venus at Aussie OpenBusquets would prefer to play

Dulko, Errani advance to Bogota quarterfinals

BOGOTA (AP) -Top-seeded Gisela Dulko beat another familiar foe on the same stage in making the Copa Colsanitas quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The Argentine favorite topped Edina Gallovits of Romania 6-2, 7-5 in the second round, a year after beating Gallovits in the semifinals. On Tuesday, Dulko defeated Mathilde Johansson of France, whom she beat in the quarterfinals last year. Dulko lost in the final.

Third-seeded Sara Errani of Italy beat Silvia Soler Espinosa of Spain 6-3, 6-1 and sixth-seeded Sandra Zahlavova defeated Petra Cetkovska 6-2, 6-2 in an all-Czech match to avenge a defeat in last year's opening round.

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Copa del Rey round-upSara Errani of Italy advances in Colombia

Zverev upsets Robredo at Open 13

MARSEILLE, France (AP) -Mischa Zverev of Germany beat Spain's Tommy Robredo 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Open 13.

French players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra joined Zverev in the next round. Llodra edged Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 7-6 (6), 6-4, and in two all-French matchups, Tsonga topped Josselin Ouanna 7-6 (9), 6-4, and Benneteau beat Florent Serra 6-4, 6-4.

Zverev converted both breakpoint chances in the third set to build a commanding 5-0 lead, while the fourth-seeded Robredo wasted three opportunities.

The German left-hander believed in his chances despite starting the season with five straight losses.

"I felt like I had a chance, no matter what," Zverev said. "I just tried to mix it up and not give him too many easy balls."

Zverev had lost both of his previous meetings with Robredo.

"I know his game," Zverev said. "I can use my strokes against him and it worked out."

Defending champion and second-seeded Tsonga did not give any break chances to Ouanna, firing 19 aces to win a tight tiebreaker and take a 3-1 lead in the second set.

"It wasn't great tennis but I got the main thing (the victory)," Tsonga said. "Getting used to the lights and to the speed of the ball was a bit tough."

Meanwhile, Llodra hit a service winner to convert his third match point. The 2009 finalist broke Baghdatis in the previous game with a backhand return winner.

"It could have gone either way," Llodra said. "I tried to be more aggressive and I seized my chances."

The seventh-seeded Baghdatis had two set points in the tiebreaker but squandered them, allowing Llodra to take the opening set with a smash.

In another second-round match, the eighth-seeded Benneteau broke Serra at 4-4 in the second set and saved two break points in the next game to hold serve and clinch victory.

Benneteau relied on a strong serve, landing 76 percent of his first serves and slamming 11 aces.

Also Wednesday, Belgian qualifier Yannick Mertens beat Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic 7-6 (8), 6-1, to set up a second-round match with Guillaume Rufin, who outlasted fellow Frenchman Laurent Recouderc 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2).

Lucky loser Recouderc replaced Mikhail Youzhny as the sixth-seeded Russian had not recovered from the groin injury he sustained last Sunday in the final of the ABN Amro in Rotterdam.

Men: Federer looks sharp in Aussie Open victoryCopa del Rey round-up

Roddick headlines Atlantic City exhibition

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -Andy Roddick doesn't mind being the second-most famous person living in his house these days.

The tennis star has been overshadowed lately by his wife, model Brooklyn Decker, who is currently gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated's popular swimsuit issue, being featured on a 50-foot billboard in Times Square and has been doing the television talk show circuit.

"It's been a really cool process and she'll be the first to admit that it's been a complete whirlwind for her the last few weeks," said Roddick, who was participating in a conference call Tuesday to promote a tennis exhibition at Boardwalk Hall in April.

"I know she's really excited about it. I think it's better than it's her getting all the attention, because I don't look as good in a yellow bikini bottom."

Roddick has signed on to participate in the Caesars Tennis Classic that will take place April 10 and will feature an All-Star lineup of tennis greats such as Mats Wilander, Marat Safin and Ivan Lendl, who has not played competitive tennis since his retirement in 1994.

"I think we're all going to be curious to see how Ivan is hitting the ball," said Roddick, who has been battling a shoulder injury after losing to Marin Cilic in the semifinals of the Australian Open last month. "We haven't seen that in a while, so there will be a little bit of excitement over that. I grew up watching Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander when I was a kid, so when I heard of this opportunity, I couldn't wait to be a part of it. I think it's going to be a blast."

Venus Williams will also be a part of the event as the hostess, but it has not been determined whether she will play.

Joe Domenico, the senior vice president and general manager of Caesars Palace in Atlantic City, said that he was happy to bring competitive tennis back to Atlantic City, even if it is just an exhibition.

"Caesars has a great history in sports and we're just ecstatic to be bringing this event to Atlantic City," Domenico said. "It's just a dynamic event, having all these tennis greats together."

Roddick will face off against Safin in the event and Wilander will play Lendl.

"My shoulder is getting better from Australia," Roddick said. "It's not perfect though. It's a little bit of a battle for me right now. If we can use an exhibition like this to stay in shape, then I see the benefit of it physically. I'd rather have exhibitions like this in April, rather than cramming them all in during December. It's definitely a good way to stay in shape without the pressure and expectations of competition."

Roddick said he expects to make a run at a Grand Slam title this season.

"I don't think I can have two consecutive comeback years," Roddick laughed. "I definitely think this is the best shot I have of getting one of the Slam events, based on the conditions and the competition."

Roddick said that he's never been to Atlantic City, so that's another reason why he's excited about the event.

"Now, between tennis and blackjack, I just hope to break even," Roddick said.

Clijsters readies for Serena showdown

NEW YORK (AP) -Kim Clijsters is expecting a quieter New York showdown with Serena Williams this time around.

Clijsters will play Williams in the Billie Jean King Cup on March 1 at Madison Square Garden. It's a rematch of the U.S. Open semifinal, which featured Williams' infamous outburst at a line judge.

Clijsters said Tuesday in a conference call from Belgium that she's looking forward to the relaxed atmosphere of the exhibition, which highlights the three Grand Slam winners plus Venus Williams.

In the other one-set semifinal, Venus will face French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. The winners will play a three-set final.

Clijsters won the U.S. Open in just her third tournament back from retirement. She'll return to New York with her daughter, Jada, who will be celebrating her second birthday.

Ferrer, Ferrero open with wins in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -Top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain defeated German Simon Greul 6-2, 7-6 (3) in the first-round of the Copa Telmex on Tuesday.

Second-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero, also of Spain, beat Richard Mello of Brazil 6-1, 6-2 on the on the red clay in Argentina. Ferrero's victory came just two days after the former world No. 1 won the Brazil Open - also on his favorite clay-court surface - for his 13th ATP title.

Argentina's David Nalbandian beat Potito Starace of Italy 6-2, 7-6 (2). Nalbandian won the first set on Monday before torrential rain caused the remainder of the match to be completed Tuesday.

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It was Nalbandian's first match since having hip surgery in May. He had hoped to return in January for a tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, but strained abdominal muscles while warming up for a match.

"I'm happy to be able to play tennis again, to compete," Nalbandian said. "Being away from the circuit so long, it helped to play at home in Argentina. It helped to motivate me.

"I played very well considering it was my first match in so long," he added. "I hope it stays like this. I felt very good, but my body needs time to adjust to playing on tour."

Fourth-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina also advanced, defeating Poland's Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 7-6 (1), while No. 6 Igor Andreev of Russia beat Fabio Fognini of Italy 7-5, 7-6 (4) and No. 8 Horacio Zeballos of Argentina rallied past countryman Gaston Gaudio 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top-seeded Dulko wins in Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -Top-seeded Gisela Dulko of Argentina defeated Mathilde Johansson of France 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the Copa Colsanitas clay court tournament Tuesday.

Second-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain lost to Kristina Antoniychuk of Ukraine 6-1, 6-4. and fourth-seeded Polona Hercog of Slovenia was beaten by Catalina Castano of Colombia 7-5, 6-2.

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Fit-again, Nadal bullish about tour return

Rafa Nadal has shaken off the knee injury that forced him to abandon his Australian Open title defence last month and is confident of making a successful tour return at Indian Wells in March.

The world number three, who practised on an indoor court near his home in Mallorca on Monday, told Reuters the tendon had healed in his right knee and he was working to get back to the same level of fitness he reached at the start of the year.

"Right now, this week and these first few days back, it's a matter of taking things slowly," Nadal said in a courtside interview after his first training session of the month.

"I think things are progressing very well," added the 23-year-old Spaniard. "I have been working with the appropriate machines to help the tear heal as quickly as possible and also done a lot of physical work in the gym."

Nadal's latest injury setback forced him to withdraw from his quarter-final against Briton Andy Murray in Melbourne in January and he also pulled out of last week's Rotterdam event.

He said he was in solid mental shape and was planning to return to the tour to defend his title at the Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells, California where he also won in 2007.

"It's a tournament where I have almost always played well," Nadal said. "Let's see what happens.

"It's the first event I will have played for a month and a half and it's always more difficult to start like that. I am hoping to play well and build confidence for a strong start to the claycourt season."

Doubts have been raised over Nadal's ability to stay free of injury, in part due to a playing style which relies heavily on power and athleticism.

Nadal said he had no doubt he could coax his body back to peak fitness.

"I think I was there during the first month of the year," he said. "I think I am working well enough to get there again.

"That's sport. You never know when you start (your career) and when you finish."

PROLONGED BREAK
The six-times grand slam winner said he was not considering taking the kind of prolonged break that could help him permanently correct some of the physical problems that have plagued him in recent years.

"I am very content with what I am doing and I feel very lucky to be playing tennis," said Nadal.

"I am not planning right now to do anything else than dedicate my life to playing tennis."

Davis Cup champions Spain begin the defence of their title at home to Switzerland on March 5, the week before Indian Wells, but Nadal said he was unlikely to be available for the tie in Logrono.

 Slide show 

Nadal set for further tests on knee injurySergio sidelined for Depor

Sara Errani of Italy advances in Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -Third-seeded Sara Errani of Italy beat Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 6-0, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Copa Colsanitas.

Fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany also advanced Monday, beating Sharon Fichman of Canada 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the outdoor clay-court tournament. No. 6 seed Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic cruised past Russia's Alexandra Panova 6-3, 6-2.

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Juve pessimistic on CandrevaDementieva, Garbin into quarters at Open GDF Suez

Sharapova cruises to win in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) -Top-seeded Maria Sharapova routed America's Shenay Perry 6-0, 6-2 in the Cellular South Cup on Monday.

Sharapova used her strength to move Perry around the court and keep her off balance.

In the men's Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, No. 3 seed Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic outlasted South Africa's Kevin Anderson 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. Taylor Dent, who won the tournament in 2003, lost to German Philipp Petzschner 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

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On the women's side, No. 3 seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia beat Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-0, 6-4.

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King, Kvitova advance at Cellular South CupJarosik completes Zaragoza move

King, Kvitova advance at Cellular South Cup

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Seeded players Vania King and Petra Kvitova both won their opening matches Sunday night at the WTA Cellular South Cup.

Kvitova, the tournament's fifth seed from the Czech Republic, defeated France's Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-4, 6-0, while seventh-seeded King beat Germany's Kathrin Woerle 6-3, 6-4.

The 21-year-old King, No. 73 in the world rankings, was successful on 61 percent of her first serves in the 90-minute match with Woerle, ranked 124th.

Kvitova, No. 68, converted 60 percent of her first serves, including a handful of aces. The 19-year-old Kvitova won 92 percent of her first serve points.

Top seed Maria Sharapova of Russia opens play Monday against Shenay Perry.

Venus, SerenaВ reach third roundCazorla hit with injury blow

Federer says he has more drive than Nadal

ADDIS ABABA - World number one Roger Federer thinks he has more drive than rival Rafael Nadal and will make keeping the top ranking his main goal.

Talk of the 28-year-old emulating Rod Laver by sweeping all four grand slam titles this year has gotten louder since he won his 16th grand slam at the Australian Open last month.

"I'll try, that's for sure," Federer said. "But it's not even number one on my to-do list. I'll just try to defend my number one position."

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Federer said Nadal, who has been troubled with knee injuries, would be his biggest threat this year but that the Spaniard did not have the ambition to be No. 1.

"The first moment when I became number one in the world was six years ago now and it was a magical moment in my career," Federer said. "It was pretty special and I always wanted to get back there.

"Some people have that drive more than others who've been No. 1. Rafa doesn't seem like he cares as much for No. 1, or he doesn't show it."

Despite casting doubt on Nadal's motivation, the Swiss still sees him as his biggest threat. Injury forced the world number three out of the Australian Open.

"He had a good start to the season," Federer said. "What he's going through is very similar to what I went through last year. Just because you don't win a major they start picking on you. I'm convinced he will come back shortly."

The other players who could upset his shot at the grand slam this year were Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro and Nikolay Davydenko, Federer said, adding that he thought Briton Murray had "got Nadal's number a little bit".

"Davydenko has made his point and it will be interesting to see how long he can last because he's playing a lot of matches and he's not used to maybe winning that much," Federer said. "Players want to beat him even more now."

Federer was speaking to Reuters on a trip to Ethiopia to visit a school funded by his charity.

"Every season is different or special," he said. "Last year was the most emotional, the most special. Losing in Australia, coming back, winning Paris, Wimbledon, getting married, going through pregnancy, having the babies."

When asked if this season was going to be his best yet, Federer smiled: "Well, it's certainly on the right track."

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Bougherra focused on footballFederer’s Haiti charity match raises $600,000

Verdasco rallies to beat Roddick

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -Second-seeded Fernando Verdasco rallied to beat top-seeded Andy Roddick 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 Sunday in the SAP Open, earning his fourth career title.

Verdasco had lost 15 straight matches against top-10 players before breaking through against seventh-ranked Roddick. Verdasco became the first Spaniard to win a title in the Bay Area since Manuel Santana did it in 1964 in Berkeley.

This matchup lacked the high level of play and intensity of the last final between the top seeds in this tournament back in 2002, when top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt beat Andre Agassi 4-6, 7-6, 7-6. But there were a few tense moments in the final set when both players were dominating their serves.

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The servers lost only two points in the first five games of the final set with Roddick taking a 3-2 lead. Verdasco earned the only break point of the final set with a backhand cross-court winner at 30-all in the ninth game. Roddick then hit a forehand volley into the top of the net on the following point, giving Verdasco a 5-4 lead.

Verdasco lost the first two points on his service game, before winning the final four. His 141 mph ace made it 30-all and Roddick followed by hitting a forehand long off a 93 mph second serve. Verdasco then closed it out his 15th ace.

Verdasco had lost seven consecutive matches to Roddick. His only previous wins came when Roddick retired in a 2005 match and when Roddick overruled a linesman on what would have been his match point only to see Verdasco rally for the three-set win in Rome.

After breaking Verdasco's serve twice to win the opening set, Roddick seemed in control of the match. But Verdasco broke through for his first break in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead. He hit winners on the first two points, then was the beneficiary of a fortunate net-cord winner to earn three break-point chances, leading Roddick to throw his racket at the net.

Roddick erased one break opportunity before hitting a backhand wide to lose the game. He whacked a ball into the second deck, earning a code violation warning from the umpire.

The frustration only grew later in the set. Roddick blew four break-point chances in the following game, then took out his anger on the officials in the sixth game.

Roddick was upset at a ball that he thought should have been called out and yelled at the umpire, "You can't see if the ball is an inch out! ... It's not possible!"

After Verdasco held in that game for a 4-2 lead, Roddick screamed into his towel, "Make them all machines! All of them! Automated scorekeeper." Roddick held his tongue the rest of the match, often muttering to himself after his mistakes.

Roddick had won in his three previous trips to the final of this tournament but was unable to pull off his fourth despite having his swimsuit model wife, Brooklyn Decker, watching courtside on Valentine's Day.

In the doubles final, Americans Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey beat Benjamin Becker and Leonardo Mayer 7-6 (3), 7-5.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Copa del Rey round-upRoddick, Verdasco reach San Jose final

Lisicki wins in Dubai to set up meeting with Venus

DUBAI - German Sabine Lisicki defeated Taiwan's Chan Yung-jan 6-1 6-4 at the Dubai Championships on Sunday to line up a second-round clash with holder Venus Williams.

"I was very aggressive with my returns and hit some very good winners off her second serve and I think she got scared after that because I put pressure on her," Lisicki told reporters.

Three seeds were in action on the first day, with number 11 Marion Bartoli of France sweeping aside Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-2 6-0 and number 14 Francesca Schiavone of Italy beating Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-2 7-5.

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Australian Open semi-finalist and 16th seed Zheng Jie of China, who received medical attention during the match after feeling unwell, was upset 6-3 4-6 6-2 by Australian Alicia Molik.

The $2 million event has lost world number one Serena Williams and number two Dinara Safina to injury but still features 16 of the top 20, with Caroline Wozniacki the top seed and Svetlana Kuznetsova as second seed.

The tournament also includes Israel's Shahar Peer, who plays 13th seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium in her opening match.

Peer was refused entry to the country last year, resulting in a threat to remove the tournament from the schedule and an unprecedented $300,000 fine.

Copyright 2010 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Copa del Rey round-upSerena, Venus advance to Aussie Open quarters

Roddick, Verdasco reach San Jose final

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -Andy Roddick was outplayed for most of the night by Sam Querrey. But when the match got to the tiebreakers, Roddick took charge.

The top-seeded Roddick beat the seventh-seeded Querrey, 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), on Saturday night in a protracted semifinal at the SAP Open that featured a combined 53 aces.

Roddick reached the final of the event, which will be held on Sunday, for the fourth time. He will face Spain's Fernando Verdasco, who reached his first final since October by beating Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 earlier in the day.

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"I'm not going to say I wasn't fortunate or lucky," Roddick said. "Sam pretty much outplayed me the entire match. When I'm not hitting the ball as well, I use my serve to get me some points. I figured if I get to the tiebreak in the second set it could turn real quick."

Querrey, a San Francisco native, never faced a break point and had 32 aces.

"I played well the entire match," Querrey said. "It was just a couple of loose errors in the tiebreaks. I just kind of sprayed a couple."

Roddick held serve in 30 of 31 previous games, but was broken by Querrey twice in the first set. Querrey held serve in all but one game of the tournament.

"I was just sticking around," said Roddick, who improved to 13-1 on the year and won his 11th tiebreaker in 13 chances. "It seemed like Sam aced me every other point. I need to get a better look at those shots."

Roddick, who reached his 46th ATP World Tour final, has a seven-match winning streak against Verdasco and is 9-2 against him all-time.

The second-seeded Verdasco will attempt to become the first Spaniard to win a title in the Bay Area since Manuel Santana in 1964.

"I was not playing great in the first set, but I wasn't missing," Verdasco said. "We were both up and down and when it came to end of the match I tried to push harder, make good returns and send the ball deep. I hit two good forehands and he made a couple of mistakes. He's playing well this year and he's dangerous."

Istomin, enjoying a breakout season, beat a pair of seeded players to reach his first career ATP Tour semifinal. He reached the third round of the Australian Open.

"I've started the season well and I hope that leads to a good year," said the 23-year-old Istomin, who plays next in Marseille, France before playing in the Davis Cup. "Every match is an opportunity to improve. I can play with these guys. I can battle with these guys."

Verdasco reached his 10th ATP World Tour final, and his second on American soil. He won his third tour title in New Haven, Conn., last August. He becomes the first left-hander to reach the finals here since Greg Rusedski beat Andre Agassi in the 2001 championship match.

"If I was going to be honest with myself I did not expect to get to the final," Verdasco said. "After the Australian Open I took 10 days off to rest and only practiced three days in Los Angeles before coming up here."

Santana remains a pivotal figure in Spanish tennis and is the tournament director of the Masters Series in Madrid. Verdasco invited him to Wimbledon two years ago as an adviser.

"I never saw him play but everybody tells me he had talent," Verdasco said. "We've had a relationship for many years already."

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Sevilla gain Getafe advantageRoddick advances to San Jose semifinals

Roddick advances to San Jose semifinals

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -Top-seeded Andy Roddick beat No. 5 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) on Friday night to reach the SAP Open semifinals.

Roddick has won the San Jose stop three times and reached the semis in eight of his nine appearances in the tournament.

"He hits the ball so hard and so flat that it kind of keeps you off balance," Roddick said. "You feel like you're scrapping and clawing trying to hang on."

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There were moments the American star looked ready to throw his racket, but he managed to take control.

"I have a lot of experience in being hacked off and it played to my favor in dealing with the frustration," Roddick said. "He forced me to play well. He made one mistake in each of the tiebreaks and that was pretty much the difference."

Roddick and Berdych combined for 34 aces.

"I made no bones about the fact that I would have to work my way into this event," Roddick said. "You don't always have to feel comfortable to win a tennis match. There was not a rhythm to it and it was a matter of getting through it."

Roddick also said that a knee injury sustained earlier in the season that almost kept out of the tournament, "was an issue at this point."

Roddick will face No. 7 Sam Querrey, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Michael Russell.

In the other semifinal, second-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain will play Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin. Verdasco overcame a sore right hamstring to beat qualifier Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 7-6 (5), and Istomin beat sixth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.

"I've been getting treatment for it and that's all I can do," Verdasco said. "Since the first moment I played here it's feeling pretty good and even moreso now."

The 19-year-old Berankis became the first Lithuanian-born player to reach an ATP World Tour quarterfinal.

"He's going to be a good player," Verdasco said about the former top-ranked junior player. "He has a good serve and he's young."

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Roddick wins in straight sets at SAP OpenAtletico place one foot in final

Dementieva rues absence of Serena in Paris

PARIS - Russian Elena Dementieva lamented the absence of world number one Serena Williams after moving smoothly into the quarter-finals of the Paris Indoor Open on Wednesday.

"It's very disappointing for the tournament because she is a great player," Dementieva said after defeating 18-year-old compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-4.

"We have had some great matches. I always like to play against her. It is a great experience. But you saw her in Australia with all that taping on her leg and she still produced a great win.

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"So it is not surprising that she isn't here -- especially as she is always playing to win a tournament and pushing herself."

Williams defeated Justine Henin in the first grand slam of the year despite heavy strapping on her right thigh and left knee.

"I wasn't at 100 per cent today. I was a bit up and down but it is good to get a win," Dementieva added.

The 28-year-old, who reached the final last year, is the top seed in Paris following Williams's withdrawal.

Dimentieva will face the winner of Thursday's second round match between German Andrea Petkovic and France's Aravane Rezai,

Copyright 2010 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Ronaldo rues red card rulingSerena to face Clijsters in MSG exhibition

Roddick wins in straight sets at SAP Open

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -Top-seeded Andy Roddick beat qualifier Ryler DeHeart 6-1, 7-6 (1) Wednesday night in the first round of the SAP Open.

Roddick was playing his first match since the Australian Open, when he was hindered by a sore right shoulder in a five-set loss to Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals.

The shoulder didn't appear to bother Roddick against DeHeart, who was playing just his fourth match on the main tour.

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Roddick served 11 aces, reaching 146 mph on the radar gun. He rolled through an easy first set before rallying from 5-2 down in the second set to force a tiebreaker. Roddick won the first four points of the tiebreaker and advanced easily to the second round.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Roddick, Nadal advance to Aussie quartersCanales open to Prem move

Dementieva, Garbin into quarters at Open GDF Suez

PARIS (AP) -Top-seeded Elena Dementieva beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-4 in an all-Russian matchup to reach the quarterfinals of the Open GDF Suez on Wednesday along with Tathiana Garbin of Italy.

Dementieva, last year's runner-up to Amelie Mauresmo, broke Pavlyuchenkova's serve five times and overcame four double faults of her own. She next plays either fifth-seeded Aravane Rezai of France or Andrea Petkovic of Germany.

Garbin got the better of the eighth-seeded Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 and will face either the second-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy or Alisa Kleybanova of Russia in the last eight. They were playing their second round match later Wednesday.

In Wednesday's remaining first round matches, Croatian wild card Petra Martic upset the third-seeded Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, and Rezai defeated Evgeniya Rodina of Russia 6-4, 6-4.

Martic broke twice and dropped serve once. She will now play Hungary's Agnes Szavay. Wickmayer served 12 aces.

Oudin advances to 2nd round in ParisCopa del Rey round-up

Top 4 seeds advance into 2nd round at Pattaya Open

PATTAYA, Thailand (AP) -Third-seeded Vera Dushevina of Russia has beaten Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2 to advance into the Pattaya Open's second round.

Dushevina joined top-seeded and defending champion Vera Zvonareva of Russia, second-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany and fourth-seeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan in winning opening matches on Wednesday in Pattaya, Thailand. Dushevina will next face Alberta Brianti of Italy.

Fifth-seeded Sybille Bammer of Austria, the 2007 champion, fought off Marina Erakovic of New Zealand win 7-6 (8), 7-5.

Tatjana Malek of Germany toppled last year's runner-up, sixth-seeded Sania Mirza of India, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, while seventh-seeded Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan retired with an ankle injury while trailing Anastasia Rodionova of Australia 6-1, 1-0.

In a second-round match, Kazakhstan's Sesil Karatantcheva defeated eighth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany, 6-2, 6-1.

Oudin advances to 2nd round in ParisCopa del Rey round-up

Ferrero, Andreev finally post 2010 wins in Brazil

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil (AP) -Top-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero won his first match of the year in a two-hour struggle with Argentina's Eduardo Schwank 7-6 (4), 6-3 at the Brazil Open on Tuesday.

Ferrero, who'd made opening-round exits at Auckland and the Australian Open, had to break Schwank four times just to win the second set. The Argentine reached the quarterfinals last week at Santiago.

Ferrero, the 2007 runner-up, moved onto a second-round clash with another veteran, Chile's Nicolas Massu, the 2006 champion who took nearly three hours to beat Brazilian qualifier Rogerio Dutra Da Silva 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

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Thomaz Bellucci, fresh from his second career title on Sunday in Santiago, hit 10 aces in beating Brazilian countryman Thiago Alves 6-2, 7-5. Bellucci reached the Brazil Open final last year, and only tiredness may prevent a repeat.

Fourth-seeded Igor Andreev also posted his first win of 2010 after two defeats when he beat Potito Starace of Italy 6-2, 6-2. Andreev also finally won at his third attempt in the Brazil Open.

Fifth-seeded Victor Hanescu of Romania defeated Brazil's Joao Souza 7-6 (5), 6-4, while No. 6 Pablo Cuevas won 6-4, 6-3 against Filippo Volandri of Italy, and Juan Ignacio Chela, who has reached at least the quarterfinals three times, was pushed all the way by Peter Luczak of Australia to win 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4.

Seventh-seeded Horacio Zeballos retired with a hip injury while trailing Marcel Granollers of Spain 7-5, 3-0.

Other winners included qualifiers Rui Machado of Portugal and Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, as well as Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Italian Fabio Fognini.

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Federer wins 1st match in a struggleEdmilson arrives at Zaragoza

Djokovic, Youzhny advance; Llodra, Ljubicic lose

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -Top-seeded Novak Djokovic made a winning return to the tour when he advanced through the ABN Amro first round because Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine retired with a leg injury on Tuesday.

Djokovic was leading 6-2, 4-1 at the time.

The Serb was making his first tour appearance since losing in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

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He'll next face Switzerland's Marco Chiudinelli, who knocked out 2008 Rotterdam champion Michael Llodra of France 6-1, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6) in 2 hours, 37 minutes. Llodra fought back from 6-1 down in the final-set tiebreaker to level at 6-6 before Chiudinelli prevailed.

Another former champ, 2007 winner Mikhail Youzhny, beat Kazakh qualifier Andrey Golubev 1-6, 7-6 (0), 7-6 (5) in 2:19 without a single break. Golubev broke the sixth seed twice, both times in the first set, then Youzhny had to edge him in successive tiebreakers.

Seventh-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, a two-time Rotterdam finalist, was ousted by Julien Benneteau of France 6-3, 6-3.

Also, Turkish qualifier Marsel Ilhan beat Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-1, 6-4, and Dutch wild card Thiemo de Bakker defeated Czech lucky loser Jan Hajek 7-6 (5), 6-3.

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Tiago targets Atletico stayMen: Federer looks sharp in Aussie Open victory

Roddick’s wife on cover of SI swimsuit issue

NEW YORK - Model Brooklyn Decker landed the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover this year.

The 22-year-old wife of tennis star Andy Roddick said being chosen for the front is “the news of a lifetime.”

The cover photo of Decker smiling in a yellow bikini is a departure from the more sultry look that SI had gone for the past few years, she said. She compared it to covers from the 1980s or ’90s, when Elle Macpherson won her covers with a friendly, sun-loving look.

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SI keeps the cover photo a secret — even from the models — until less than 24 hours before it’s revealed. Decker said now the mad dash was on to find outfits for TV appearances that will come with the gig. (Her closet of swimsuits wasn’t right for winter, she joked.)

As for Roddick? He’s relieved the five-time SI Swimsuit model can check the cover-girl box and won’t be as nervous next February when the next edition comes out.

Decker says she is an avid sports fan, and, as a teenager in North Carolina, ran hurdles for the track team, played soccer and participated in competitive cheerleading. She has no great diet or exercise secret, she said, other than to be active and eat sensibly.

“I still don’t know the formula for the cover,” she added. “It’s luck, the perfect suit and perfect storm to get it.”

Decker said, though, that because Sports Illustrated encourages a natural look — less makeup, toned muscles, curvy shape — it’s easier to get a great photograph. “This celebrates the girls and their personalities. I think it’s why they get such beautiful pictures.”

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Roddick, Nadal advance to Aussie quarters

Oudin advances to 2nd round in Paris

PARIS (AP) -Melanie Oudin of the United States has beaten Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-3, 6-0 to reach the Open GDF Suez's second round.

Oudin, a U.S. Open quarterfinalist last year, next plays Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, who beat seventh-seeded Virginie Razzano of France 6-3, 7-6(3) at Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris on Tuesday.

In other matches, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia ousted Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-0; Andrea Petkovic of Germany defeated Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 7-5, 6-2; and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic topped Tamira Paszek of Austria 6-0, 6-3.

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Top-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia, last year's runner-up, and No. 2 Flavia Pennetta of Italy have byes into the second round. Dementieva plays Pavlyuchenkova.

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Jarosik completes Zaragoza moveSerena, Venus breeze into 2nd round of Aussie

Oudin gives U.S. spot in Fed Cup semis

LIEVIN, France (AP) -The United States secured a spot in the Fed Cup semifinals after teenager Melanie Oudin beat Julie Coin on Sunday to give the Americans a 3-0 lead over France.

Oudin defeated Coin 7-6 (3), 6-4 in just over two hours in the first reverse singles match.

The U.S. will next face either Russia or Serbia on April 24-25.

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The 18-year-old Oudin broke Coin in the fifth game of the second set and clinched the match when the Frenchwoman shanked a forehand.

Oudin had saved two break points at 5-5 in the first to force the tiebreaker, where she hit three straight winners to close out the set.

Alize Cornet had been scheduled to face Oudin but France captain Nicolas Escude decided to replace her with Coin after Cornet acknowledged she struggled with her nerves against Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the opening singles Saturday. Mattek-Sands rallied from 5-2 down in the first to win in straight sets, giving Cornet her sixth loss in six Fed Cup singles matches.

Both teams were missing their best players. Serena and Venus Williams skipped the event, while France played without Marion Bartoli, Aravane Rezai and Virginie Razzano.

The U.S. improved its record against France to 11-1 in Fed Cup play.

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Williams sisters, top Russians out of Fed CupRonaldo hit with two-match ban

Lendl returns to tennis for exhibition

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) -Ivan Lendl will play his first exhibition since he retired from tennis 16 years ago in a new Atlantic City event.

Organizers announced on Tuesday that the first Caesars Tennis Classic will be played on April 10 at Boardwalk Hall.

Lendl will play former nemesis Mats Wilander, while Andy Roddick will face recently retired Marat Safin. A third match will be announced later.

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Caesars says it will donate equipment to Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education. The group runs programs for 6,500 children in various cities, including Atlantic City, Camden and Philadelphia.

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Federer’s Haiti charity match raises $600,000City must up Gago bid

Serena to face Clijsters in MSG exhibition

NEW YORK (AP) -Get ready for the rematch: Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters will play each other in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden on March 1.

The semifinal at the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup will come less than six months after - and about a 10-mile (15-kilometer) drive from - their U.S. Open semifinal, which ended abruptly with Williams' outburst at a line judge.

Clijsters went on to win the tournament. Williams later was fined a record $82,500 and placed on two years of probation at Grand Slam events.

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The other semifinal on March 1 pits Williams' sister Venus against reigning French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. The one-day event will feature one-set semifinals and a three-set final and has $1.2 million in prize money.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Serena reaches Aussie final, will play HeninCanales open to Prem move