Venus to return vs. Serena

MILAN - Venus Williams plans to make her comeback in an exhibition match against her sister Serena in Colombia on Wednesday after being forced to pull out of the U.S. Open because of an immune system disease. Venus tells the Gazzetta dello Sport that she has changed her diet to fill it with vegetables after being diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain. The Williams sisters will play Italian pair Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta in another exhibition match in Milan on Dec. 3. The 103rd-ranked Venus tells the Gazzetta, which is sponsoring the Milan match, that she's practicing and training in the gym.

Fish thrilled to make ATP Finals

When it comes to the ATP World Tour Finals, Mardy Fish is quick to admit he's simply happy to be there. "I'm sort of taking the approach of, 'Kind of excited to be a part of this thing,'" said Fish, who will be making his debut at the season-ending tournament for the top eight men in tennis a few weeks before his 30th birthday. "I know well enough that you can't take it for granted," the American said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters. "There's no guarantee that anyone's going to be back here doing this thing again, and so I'm going to take it all in." Fish, who was born in Minnesota and now lives in California, will face 10-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal when play begins Sunday in London. Fish's other opponents in round-robin play will be Roger Federer, owner of a record 16 major singles titles, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. "There's really not too many holes there — apart from me, I think," Fish said with a chuckle. "I still don't feel like I really belong in that group. But I'll take it. I'll enjoy it for sure." The tournament's other four-man group includes No. 1 Novak Djokovic — who won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open this season — along with Andy Murray, David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych. Fish is ranked No. 8; he reached his career-best of No. 7 in August. Before this season, he never had been better than 16th. He went 43-22 in 2011, with one title and two runner-up finishes, and reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time before losing there to Nadal. After years of playing in the shadow of former No. 1 Andy Roddick, Fish emerged as the highest-ranked American for the first time. And so the sort of question that's been posed to Roddick regularly over the past decade or so was put to Fish on Tuesday: How bleak is it for U.S. tennis at the moment? Eight years have passed since the last time an American man won a Grand Slam singles championship, Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open. "I think we're in great shape," Fish replied. He then rattled off the names of various players, including his pal Roddick, who Fish said "can still beat anyone on any given day." Fish also mentioned Ryan Harrison and Donald Young ("Two guys that'll be around for a long time"), John Isner ("Starting to figure it out, it seems like; he's a top-10 player for sure") and Sam Querrey. Fish, though, is the one responsible for continuing the 25-year streak of having at least one American man in the tour's season-closing event. He concedes that he's not 100 percent fit, because of what he called a "small" left leg injury, and he knows that playing Federer and Nadal means dealing with "two of the best players of all time ... which sounds pretty daunting." Add in Tsonga, and Fish's combined career record against his three round-robin opponents is 2-14. Not that Fish is ready to concede a thing. "I've had a lot of top-10 wins in my career, and top-five wins, so, I mean, it's not out of the realm of possibilities to get to the semis and beyond for me. I feel like that. And I'm sure everybody will feel like that going in," he said. "These guys are all the best of the best." For the first time in his career, Fish is part of the group.

Kvitova wins player of year

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has been honored as the WTA's player of the year for 2011. The 21-year-old Kvitova went 60-13 with six singles titles, including at the season-ending tour championships, and rose from No. 34 to No. 2 in the rankings. She helped the Czech Republic win the Fed Cup and won more than $5 million in prize money. In the awards announced Monday, Kvitova also won for most improved player and sportsmanship. Sabine Lisicki of Belgium was honored as comeback player of the year, Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania was the newcomer of the year, and the top-ranked pairing of Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik won for doubles team of the year.

Qualifying

PARIS (AP) -Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mardy Fish filled out the last qualifying berths for the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday. All three earned their spots for the elite London tournament after Berdych beat Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 7-5, 6-4 in the third round of the Paris Masters. Tipsarevic needed to win the title in Paris to qualify for the season-ending event, which starts on Nov. 20. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and David Ferrer had already qualified. "It's just amazing," Berdych said of qualifying for the tour finals for the second year in a row. "I had a great season last year with the final of Wimbledon and semifinal in Paris and other results ... but now I'm sitting in the position that I made it again." Tsonga knew he had secured qualification before even stepping on court to defeat Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3, 6-4. "That helped me to be more relaxed when I started the match," Tsonga said. "I'm just really happy to go there. At the beginning of the year I didn't play really well and I didn't expect to be there at the end of the season." Tsonga's win over Federer in the Wimbledon quarterfinals before losing in the next round to Djokovic, the eventual champion, gave him confidence after an average start to the season. "When I was playing well at Wimbledon, I believed already I could make it because I knew I would get back to an acceptable ranking," Tsonga said. Fish was forced to retire at the Paris Masters while leading 6-1, 6-7 (6), 2-1 against Juan Monaco of Argentina because of a hamstring injury, but he still plans to go to London. "There's no doubt about that, even if it's torn, I'm still going to play and still try to play," said Fish, who is enjoying his best season after breaking into the top 10 in the rankings for the first time. "The next two weeks are arguably the most important of my whole career. I'd just love to be close to 100 percent at the end of the year. We'll do everything we can to get there. I'll ice it five, six times a day; electric stimulate it, ultrasound, all that stuff." Federer wasn't surprised by the look of the field. "For me, that was somewhat logical after the (U.S.) Open that that was going to be the eight," Federer said. "Anything else would have surprised me. They have had the best season so far, all these players, and I think it's going to be an exciting world tour finals."

Bryans top year-end doubles ranking for 7th time

LONDON (AP) -American twins Bob and Mike Bryan will finish the year ranked as the No. 1 ATP doubles pair for a record seventh time. The 33-year-old Bryans' first-round win at the Valencia Open on Wednesday means they cannot be overtaken by No. 2-ranked pair Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic. Since 2003, the Bryans have only twice failed to finish No. 1 - in 2004 and 2008. This year, they have won seven titles, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon. They've won an Open-era record 74 titles. The twins have been ranked No. 1 in the individual doubles rankings for 265 weeks and will overtake John McEnroe's record of 270 on Dec. 12. Bob said of McEnroe that "he's such a legend and to achieve something like this won't truly set in for a while."

Djokovic, Murray, Ferrer win

PARIS (AP) -Novak Djokovic rallied from a set down to beat fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the Paris Masters quarterfinals on Thursday. Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer of Spain and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France also advanced. The top-ranked Djokovic looked a pale shadow of the player who dominated the first half of the season, making 44 unforced errors compared to 28 winners. "It's obvious that I'm still not playing in the form that I had in the last 10 months," said Djokovic, who returned to action last week in Basel after a six-week injury layoff. "It takes a little bit of time to get into the rhythm." Djokovic dropped serve twice to lose the first set to Troicki. But he broke for a 4-2 lead in the second, and leveled the match when Troicki sent a bakchand wide. The Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion then raced to a 4-0 lead in the final set. Djokovic will next play Tsonga. Murray routed Andy Roddick 6-2, 6-2 and will next face 2005 champion Berdych, who beat Janko Tipsarevic 7-5, 6-4. The second-seeded Murray improved his record to 17-0 since the U.S. Open and has won 27 of his last 28 matches since mid-August. Murray outclassed Roddick, hitting 27 winners compared to only four for the American. He broke Roddick twice in each set, taking the first with a crosscourt forehand winner before clinching victory with an ace. "I started the match well, which against him is always important, because he plays his best when he's ahead," Murray said. "Because I broke him earlier, I was able to dictate a lot of what happened out there." Roddick received a warning from the chair umpire at 2-0 in the second set after smashing his racket out of frustration. Roddick will finish the season outside the top 10 for the first time since 2001. "I just need to get in better shape as far as movement, and kind of catch up a little bit," Roddick said. The fifth-seeded Berdych trailed 5-1 in the first set and 4-1 in the second, but fought back both times to clinch his spot in the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals. His victory meant Tsonga and Mardy Fish also secured spots in the season-ending tournament in London, with Tipsarevic missing out. Tipsarevic made two double-faults in a row to set up match point for Berdych. Federer downed Richard Gasquet of France 6-2, 6-4 to next meet Juan Monaco of Argentina. The third-seeded Swiss broke serve twice in the first set and took a 4-3 lead in the second on a double-fault from Gasquet before clinching victory with a forehand winner. Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Ferrer ousted Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 6-2, and the sixth-seeded Tsonga defeated Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3, 6-4. Ferrer will take on American John Isner, who beat Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-4, 6-2. A double-fault from Seppi gave Tsonga a 2-0 lead and the Frenchman took the first set with a forehand winner. The 2008 champion then broke for a 4-3 lead in the second, winning the match when Seppi netted a forehand. Fish was leading 6-1, 6-7 (6), 2-1 against Monaco when a left hamstring injury forced him to retire. Fish received treatment in the final set but was forced to quit after playing one more point. "I started feeling it probably late in the second set," Fish said. "It went from sort of tightness and an uncomfortable feeling to, in that last game that I served, a lot more pain, a lot sharper." The injury was a recurrence of his hamstring problem from the Swiss Indoors in Basel last week, but Fish still plans to play in the tour finals in London.

Djokovic denies money key for playing in Paris

PARIS (AP) -Novak Djokovic denied his participation in the Paris Masters was linked to a $1.6 million bonus. The ATP bonus pool is split among the world's top dozen players at the end of the year, and No. 1-ranked Djokovic would have lost his entire share if he had not played in Paris, thus missing the last two Masters events. "It was really somehow funny for me to see how people are coming up with that story," Djokovic said on Wednesday. "I even heard that I would get on the court and play a game just to get this money. I mean, this is ridiculous. "I want to play well here. I want to get as far as possible, and then London (for next week's tour finals), which is the most important tournament in this part of the year for all of us." Nevertheless, he protected his bonus by stepping on court on Wednesday then winning his opening match against Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-4, 6-3 in the second round. Doubts about his participation emerged when Djokovic was treated twice for shoulder pain last Saturday while losing in the Basel semifinals, only his fourth defeat this year. "I really wanted to come because I played at Basel a couple of matches, but I need more matches before London," Djokovic said. "I'm definitely intending to finish the season strong. Maybe I'm physically paying for the long season that I had, and the unfortunate injury after the U.S. Open, the Davis Cup, and everything. So I think everything is kind of catching up with me now." Djokovic stood to earn $2 million from the ATP bonus pool if he'd played in all eight Masters tournaments, but he lost $400,000 when he didn't appear in Shanghai last month because of injury. He would have lost all of it if he hadn't played in Paris. Djokovic has won five of the Masters events this year, plus three of the four majors: Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. But injuries have marred the end of his season. Before Basel, trouble in the same shoulder prompted his retirement in the Cincinnati Masters final in August against Andy Murray. In the Davis Cup semifinals, Djokovic also suffered a back injury that sidelined him for six weeks. "If I know that I'm physically good enough, in good condition to be competing, I will compete," he said. "If I don't, I will not compete. It's as simple as that."

Ivanovic wins Tournament of Champions

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) -Ana Ivanovic successfully defended her WTA Tournament of Champions title with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Anabel Medina-Garigues on Sunday. The Serb gained momentum against her Spanish opponent early and was untroubled throughout in winning her first final since the same event last year. "I feel great. Very unexpected, actually," said Ivanovic. "I think I played an impeccable match today. Really I didn't do much wrong." Medina-Garigues praised her opponent's poise in the final. "In the middle of the second set I started thinking a little because I saw her, she didn't feel, I didn't feel that she felt the pressure, and she was playing very good, solid, no mistakes, hitting very hard the ball, serving good, so I think she was the player who had to win the match," Medina-Garigues said. Ivanovic celebrated her 24th birthday with the $210,000 prize and is now setting her sights on a better start to next season. "I think next year is going to be big, and I really want to sort of play tournaments that I'm ready for and really go and take my chances because you know I think especially the first half of the year I have nothing to defend and I can take my opportunities and hopefully keep the level and break the top 10," said Ivanovic. "That would be the first step, first goal, and then take it from there." Nadia Petrova of Russia took third place by defeating Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0. Hantuchova filled in for Sabine Lisicki, who had to pull out with a back injury.

Czechs win first Fed Cup title in 23 years

MOSCOW (AP) -The Czech Republic won its first Fed Cup title in 23 years on Sunday after Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke beat Maria Kirilenko and Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-2 in the decisive doubles match to secure a 3-2 win over Russia in the final. It was the sixth title in the competition for the Czechs but their first since 1988, when it competed as Czechoslovakia and beat the Soviet Union 2-1 in the final. The victory also caps a breakthrough season for second-ranked Petra Kvitova, who won both of her singles matches for the Czechs. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova then beat Czech No.2 Lucie Safarova to set up the decisive doubles. "Petra won two points, but we needed one more," Czech captain Petr Pala said. "I'm glad we've managed to (get) the third one. We all won it because victory is made of small pieces you have to put together. It's team work." Russia captain Shamil Tarpischev also praised Kvitova. "The Czechs won thanks to Kvitova's superb play," Tarpischev said. "She was just great." The Russian pair broke early for a 4-2 lead, but the Czechs won four consecutive games to take the first set and then jumped to a 5-2 lead in the second. The Russians saved three match points on Vesnina's serve before she sent a shot wide on the fourth. "The Czechs played unbelievably well, they dominated the game and left us no chance," Vesnina said. "It was tough to get something going today, but we fought until the very end." Earlier on Sunday, Kvitova rallied to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova then replaced Kirilenko and kept the Russians' hopes alive by beating Safarova 6-2, 6-4. Pavlyuchenkova won five consecutive games in the first set and broke decisively in the fifth game of the second to serve out the match at love, closing it with an ace. Pavlyuchenkova also helped Russia get out of the first round against France in February, when she won the first reverse singles to start Russia's comeback from 2-0 down. In their first ever meeting, Kvitova and Kuznetsova traded breaks three times in the first set before the Czech, 5-4 down on her serve in the 10th game, saved a set point before netting a backhand to go 1-0 down in the match. But the Wimbledon champion won five consecutive games in the second set and, trailing 3-0 in the decider, went on to win the rest of the games and close the match with a backhand winner on her second match point. "I wasn't playing my tennis in the first set, making too many mistakes, while Svetlana moved and returned very well," Kvitova said. Kvitova, who made 19 unforced errors, said she had forced herself to begin playing cross-court shots instead of her favorite flat drives in the second set and it paid off. "It was tough to come back into the match in the second set, " Kvitova said. "In the third set I was 3-0 down and I didn't think I could still win. I managed to come back on Svetlana's (Kuznetsova) serve and it was a very important moment in the match." Kvitova remained unbeaten in six Fed Cup matches this season. The victory was her 12th in a row after winning back-to-back titles in Linz, Austria, and the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul last weekend. "She (Kvitova) began to play much better after she fell behind 3-0 in the third set," Kuznetsova said. "I was just unlucky on some points. The difference between us today was that she had played so many such matches this season, while I rarely had such intriguing matches." Kvitova won six titles this season and moved to No. 2 in the rankings. "I played well today, but she was just a bit better on key moments," Kuznetsova said. Russia was without its top players. Maria Sharapova has an ankle injury and wasn't selected for the final, while Vera Zvonareva was forced to pull out on Friday because of shoulder injury. Tarpischev said Zvonareva's late injury forced him to make some emergency decisions and call up Kirilenko, who was already on vacation. Russia has won the Fed Cup title four times since 2004 and was unbeaten at home in 10 ties since losing to France in the semifinals in 2003.

Kvitova to face Kirilenko in Fed Cup final opener

MOSCOW (AP) -Maria Kirilenko was surprisingly picked by Russia to face Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in the opening singles of the Fed Cup final on Saturday. Kirilenko, whose Fed Cup experience was limited to two matches five years ago, was tagged as Russia's No. 2 by captain Shamil Tarpischev in Friday's draw. Two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia's No. 1, takes on Lucie Safarova in the second singles. Earlier, Vera Zvonareva, who was expected to lead the home side on an indoor hard-court at Olympic Stadium, was forced to pull out because of the shoulder injury that has been troubling her for the last two weeks. "Of course Zvonareva's absence is a big loss for us," Tarpischev said. "We would have been much stronger with her. But it was clear that in her current form and without her serve she would have been the weakest one on the team." Kvitova said it will not be easy to beat Russia even without Zvonareva. "I think they are still strong. It (the final) is still wide open, 50-50," she said. Kvitova has had a remarkable season. The Czech started the year ranked outside the top 30 but won Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam title and beat Victoria Azarenka in the WTA Championships final in Istanbul on Sunday to claim her sixth title this year and move up to No. 2 in the rankings. She has a 9-4 win-loss record in the Fed Cup, winning all four singles in two ties this season, and insisted she was not tired after the long season. "I will play 100 percent for sure and actually I'm not tired," Kvitova said. Kirilenko beat Kvitova the two times they played on the WTA tour in 2009, but both have moved up in the rankings considerably since then. "A Fed Cup match differs from the one in a tournament and she (Kirilenko) will have no advantage that she had won (before)," Kvitova said. Kirilenko said though she expected Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to be nominated to play in the opening singles, she will be motivated on Saturday. "When you know that it's the last tournament in the season you always want to play your best," Kirilenko said. In another surprise move, Tarpischev name doubles specialist Elena Vesnina to substitute for Zvonareva in the doubles. "The choice (of Vesnina) was purely tactical," Tarpischev said. "A tie is played in two days, and the second day is always really complicated. But why I've made this choice, you'd better ask me tomorrow." Kuznetsova has an impressive 21-7 Fed Cup record, and was 2-1 against Safarova, who has won only five of her 13 matches in the Fed Cup. In Sunday's reverse singles, Kvitova is set to play Kuznetsova, then Kirilenko takes on Safarova. In the doubles, Vesnina will partner Pavlyuchenkova against the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke. Russia has won the Fed Cup title four times since 2003. The Czechs are five-time winners, but their last final appearance was in 1988 when, as Czechoslovakia, they beat the Soviet Union 2-1.

Swiss opt for indoor clay to face US in Davis Cup

BASEL, Switzerland - Switzerland has chosen to host the United States on an indoor clay court at Fribourg in the 2012 Davis Cup. The Swiss tennis federation says the first-round series will be played Feb. 10-12 at the 7,200-capacity Forum Fribourg arena. Switzerland's biggest indoor arenas in Geneva and Zurich were unavailable to stage the match. The Swiss team did not say whether Roger Federer will play in the series, scheduled two weeks after the Australian Open. Federer has not played in the first round of the Davis Cup since 2004. The teams last met in 2009 in the first round, when the Americans won 4-1 in Birmingham, Ala.

Djokovic beats Baghdatis

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) -Novak Djokovic fought back from losing the first set to beat Marcos Baghdatis 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the Swiss Indoors quarterfinals on Friday. The top-ranked Djokovic stayed on course to meet hometown favorite Roger Federer in the final for a third straight year, after the defending champion beat Andy Roddick of the United States 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic had his serve broken twice early on before recovering to seal a victory that took his record against Baghdatis to 6-0, and raised his 2011 record to 67-3. "I started slowly, no life on the court, and he took his chances," said Djokovic, playing his first tournament after a six-week break to heal a back injury. "My body is still getting used to this competition mode. I have to stay patient." The U.S. Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open champion will play 32nd-ranked Kei Nishikori of Japan in Saturday's semifinals. Nishikori beat Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a match that featured 13 breaks of serve. Federer will play his 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal-winning doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka. The Swiss No. 2 eased past Florian Mayer of Germany 6-2, 6-2. In beating Roddick at Basel for the fourth time, Federer improved to 21-2 against the 2003 U.S. Open winner. He cruised to victory after breaking Roddick's serve to lead 5-3 in the first set. "It's great to get those big momentum shifts going sometimes. It was a good performance from my side," said Federer, who also is returning after six weeks off. Roddick's pay check this week raised his career tournament earnings over $20 million. Djokovic came to Basel having not played since Sept. 18, and was pushed to three sets for the second time in three matches. "It's nothing I didn't expect, but I'm winning matches and that is what matters most," Djokovic said. The 59th-ranked Baghdatis broke the top-seeded Serb's serve, and struck six aces in dominating the first set. Djokovic broke through for a 4-2 lead in the second after the Cypriot double-faulted. Djokovic commanded the rest of the match, sealing victory in exactly one hour less than Nishikori's two-hour, 39-minute effort. Neither Nishikori nor 113th-ranked Kukushkin could land half of their first serves, however the 21-year-old Japanese took his first match-point chance with just his second ace. With his three victories in Basel, Nishikori will rise to a career-best ranking and highest by a Japanese man. He had been No. 30 after reaching the Shanghai Masters semifinals last month. "It's a great feeling. A great experience for me," said Nishikori, who lost his only meeting with Djokovic at the 2010 French Open. "(Novak) is playing on a different level. I am going to try to be more aggressive than usual."

Nadal pulls out of Paris to focus on ATP finals

MADRID - Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Paris Masters to focus on the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals and Davis Cup final. The second-ranked Nadal says on his Facebook page the decision to pull out of next week's event at Bercy was necessary "to prepare well for the end of this season and also for 2012." The Spaniard has not played since losing to the 23rd-ranked Florian Mayer in the second round in Shanghai three weeks ago. Nadal is one of five players already qualified for the season-ending Nov. 20-27 tournament in London, which features the year's top eight players. The French Open champion also is expected to play for Spain against Argentina in the Dec. 2-4 Davis Cup final.

Big finish

MOSCOW (AP) -Petra Kvitova will have a chance to cap her remarkable season by leading the Czech Republic to its first Fed Cup win in 23 years this weekend against a Russia team struggling with injuries. Kvitova is coming off her first WTA Championships title that lifted her to No. 2 in the world rankings, and is expected to play singles along with Lucie Safarova for the Czech team. "I know that I'm No. 1 and there will be pressure on me," Kvitova said at a news conference on Wednesday. "But still we have a great team and hopefully we will get three points. We will do our best this weekend." Kvitova started the year ranked outside the top 30 but won Wimbledon for her first Grand Slam title and beat Victoria Azarenka in the WTA Championships final in Istanbul on Sunday. Russia, meanwhile, is still trying to determine who will be its No. 1 singles player, as seventh-ranked Vera Zvonareva has inflammation in her right shoulder which could jeopardize her participation in the final. Russia also has Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Maria Kirilenko in the team. Zvonareva suffered from pain in her shoulder and was close to retire before losing on the same court in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup two weeks ago. In Istanbul last week, the Russian won only one of her four matches. "First of all, one's serve suffers from such an injury," Russia captain Shamil Tarpischev said. "But it's useless to play against the Czechs without a solid serve. You have to hold your serve first. And Kvitova will hold hers." Tarpischev said doctors are working with Zvonareva but "we will have to wait for the outcome." Tarpischev hopes that a slow hard court at the Olympic indoor stadium will benefit his team and slow down Kvitova's speedy game. "It will be easier to cope with her (Kvitova's) speed and vary the height of the ball's bounce," Tarpischev said. "The task will be not only to try to overplay her with the power of the shot but beat her tactically as well. If we are able to do this then not only Zvonareva can beat Kvitova." The Czechs might have one more advantage - both Kvitova and Safarova are left-handers. "I think it's always an advantage in tennis and that's the main reason why they (Kvitova and Safarova) are here," Czech captain Petr Pala said. "And hopefully it's going to work again." Kvitova won all four of her singles matches this year as the Czechs beat Slovakia and Belgium on the way to the final. But Tarpischev called up a couple of Russian lefties to practice with the team. "We were considered to be the favorites for this tie by midseason, but now chances of both teams are even," Tarpischev said. "Now we feel no pressure and it makes our task easier." A four-time champion, Russia is back on home turf for the final of the competition for the first time since routing Italy 4-0 here in 2007 for its third crown. The Czechs are five-time winners, but their last final appearance was in 1988 when Czechoslovakia beat the Soviet Union 2-1. Russia is unbeaten at home in 10 ties since losing to eventual champion France in the semifinals in 2003. "But obviously we came (here) not like underdogs, we came to win and we are going to do everything to achieve it," Pala said.

Melzer to skip 2 tourneys because of ailing back

VIENNA - Jurgen Melzer has pulled out of the Swiss Indoors in Basel and Paris Masters because of a back injury, ending his singles season and raising doubts if he can play doubles at next month's season-ending ATP Finals in London. Melzer's manager, Ronnie Leitgeb, told the Austria Press Agency on Monday that it's "a very difficult decision to probably end the season here, but it's his only chance to recover 100 percent." Leitgeb said Melzer would probably not recover in time for the Nov. 20-27 London event. Melzer was ranked a career-high eighth in April but has dropped to 26th. He lost to South Africa's Kevin Anderson on Thursday in the quarterfinals in Vienna, a tournament he had won the past two years.

Davydenko beats 5th-seeded Simon in Valencia

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) -Nikolay Davydenko beat fifth-seeded Gilles Simon 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Monday in the first round of the Valencia Open, denting the Frenchman's hopes of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals. Davydenko mostly controlled the match at the City of Arts and Sciences despite dropping the second set, but the 36th-ranked Russian rallied in the decisive set with a forehand winner for a break point and 2-1 lead. Davydenko saved a break point through a drop shot in the sixth game before breaking Simon for the fourth time in the match to secure a second victory in seven meetings against the 12th-ranked Simon. Simon trails eighth-ranked American Mardy Fish by 720 points with only the Paris Masters to play before the season-ending tour finals in London. Only the top eight qualify for the Nov. 20-27 tournament in London. Davydenko will next face French player Nicolas Mahut, who ousted Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 (5), 6-2. In Monday's late match, Vasek Pospisil of Canada needed more than two hours to beat John Isner of the United States 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9). Isner bounced back from a shaky first set to hit nine of his 19 aces in the second, but Pospisil outlasted the hard-serving American in the third-set tiebreaker. Italian player Fabio Fognini also advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over wild card Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Defending champion David Ferrer is seeded No. 1 in Valencia, and begins his defense on Tuesday against fellow Spanish player Fernando Verdasco. French players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils are also in first-round action at the Agora complex on Tuesday.

Safin running for parliament

CHENGDU, China - Former top-ranked tennis player Marat Safin says he's running for the Russian parliament. The 31-year-old Safin is up for election to the State Duma on Dec. 4. He could join other Russian sports stars, including gold medal-winning gymnast Svetlana Khorkina, in the lower house of the parliament. Speaking at an ATP Champions Tour event in Chengdu, Safin says he has "a lot to bring and a lot of ideas about things and what to do. I am very committed to it." Safin adds he might be the "best-looking guy in the Duma, but that's only because all the other guys are over 60."

Top-seeds Tsonga, Del Potro into semis in Vienna

VIENNA (AP) -Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame an error-prone start to beat Xavier Malisse 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 on Friday and reach his eighth semifinal of the season at the Erste Bank Open. Tsonga will play qualifier Daniel Brands of Germany, while No. 2 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina and No. 6 Kevin Anderson of South Africa will meet in the other semifinal. The ninth-ranked Tsonga, who is chasing a place at next month's ATP finals, was broken in the opening game and produced a string of unusual mistakes before the Frenchman finally found his rhythm toward the end of the second set. "I lost concentration but tried to stay calm," Tsonga said. "I tried my best and did what was most important - fighting and winning." Tsonga earned his first break points early in the third set and immediately used one for his only break of the Belgian's serve in the match. Earlier Friday, Anderson defeated two-time defending champion Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-3, 6-3. Anderson, who is ranked 32nd, served 11 aces and broke the third-seeded Melzer three times. "I have to admit that the better player won today," said Melzer, who did not get a break point. "I had no idea where he was going to serve. We had maybe five rallies in the whole match so I could not find any rhythm." Anderson, who won his maiden title in his native Johannesburg in February, will play his third semifinal of the season. The 15th-ranked Del Potro beat Tommy Haas of Germany 6-2, 6-4 to reach his first semifinal since winning his ninth career title in Estoril, Portugal, in April. "My form is slowly coming back, it's getting better every day," said Del Potro, who conceded just seven points on serve in the entire match. "I am serving better now than in 2009 but I am still working on my game." Del Potro said that beating the experienced Haas, who won the event in 2001, was "important for my confidence ... The Davis Cup (final against Spain) is on my mind every day but the important thing now is this tournament and the next match." Brands beat Belgium's Steve Darcis 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first semifinal of the season. The German double-faulted on match point and then was broken while leading 5-2 but closed out the match in his next service game.

Bogomolov Jr. advances at St. Petersburg Open

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the United States and Marin Cilic of Croatia both won three-set matches to advance to the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Open on Thursday, while eighth-seeded local favorite Dmitry Tursunov was eliminated in straight sets in the second round. The seventh-seeded Bogomolov Jr. beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, while fourth-seeded Cilic rallied to oust Somdev Devvarman of India 5-7, 6-1, 6-3. Tursunov lost to Potito Starace of Italy 6-2, 6-4. In his second consecutive quarterfinal appearance in two weeks, Bogomolov Jr. will play Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic, who recovered to beat Israeli wildcard Dudi Sela 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. Later, second-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, who won his second career title in Moscow last Sunday, advanced to the quarterfinals of the event for the third time after Michael Berrer of Germany retired with an illness when trailing 6-3, 2-0. "I knew it was going to be a tricky match because Berrer is a very good indoor player," Tipsarevic said. "It's never nice to win this way but I feel that even though it was 6-3, I did a lot of running in the first set." Tipsarevic will next play Starace. The 53rd-ranked Starace broke Tursunov two times in the first set and in the fifth game of the second. Tursunov saved three match points at 5-4 before earning his only break point of the match, but the Italian served two winners and closed the match with a backhand volley. "He (Starace) served well today while I rarely hit (the ball) with the center of my racket," Tursunov said. "I started to play more or less only at the end of the match when I've realized that it was time to go out of the court. The way I've played today, I could have lost not only to him." The 84th-ranked Devvarman broke in the 11th game of the first set, but the 24th-ranked Cilic, who is looking for his first title this season, won five consecutive games in the second set and broke twice in the decider to advance. Cilic will next face Andreas Seppi of Italy who rallied to beat Igor Andreev of Russia 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Bogomolov Jr. is making his debut at a second consecutive event in Russia after reaching the quarterfinals at the Kremlin Cup last week. He said earlier this week that he plans to represent Russia in the Davis Cup. Kohlschreiber won three games in a row and saved a match point as he fought back from 5-2 down to level at 5-all. But serving at 6-5 down and 30-all, the unseeded German returned wide and then double faulted on match point. "It was a good match," Bogomolov Jr. said. "He (Kohlschreiber) was playing much better by the end of the match. He received perfectly when I was serving for the match at 5-3 up and broke me. I was lucky when he double faulted on second match point. I'm happy that I will play in the next round."

Cibulkova wins first WTA title

MOSCOW - Top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic beat defending champion Viktor Troicki 6-4, 6-2 in the first all-Serb ATP final to win the Kremlin Cup on Sunday, and Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia won her first career WTA title, rallying to beat Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 for the women's crown. Tipsarevic, who won his first career title in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this season, broke Troicki twice in the second set and served for the match at love. Not waiting for Tipsarevic to come to the net to shake hands, Troicki jumped over the net and embraced his friend. Later they broke tradition and held a joint news conference. "This is like at the Davis Cup," Tipsarevic said. Both players said it was not easy to face each other in a final. "It was pretty strange at the beginning," Troicki said. "It was first all-Serb final on ATP or WTA tours. We both tried to play our best tennis, but Janko was much better today and he deserved to win. We were friends before and will stay friends after the match." Tipsarevic also struggled to find his focus against his countryman. "It was tough, especially at the beginning of the match," Tipsarevic said. "None of us was really hitting the ball — we were running and just pushing the ball back to the other guy. I was more mentally strong on important moments in the first set, which was really tight, and then I showed my real game in the second set." The eighth-seeded Cibulkova is the first women's player to win a maiden title in Moscow since the tournament started in 1994. The 20th-ranked Slovak had advanced to the final in three previous tournaments — including last week in Linz, Austria, where she lost to Petra Kvitova. "This is the first time I've won my title, this is kind of my premiere," Cibulkova said. "I've played great tennis through the whole of the week." Kanepi broke Cibulkova in the fourth game of the first set to go 4-1 up and was close to breaking her again at 5-all in the second to serve for the match, but she smashed a volley wide in front of an empty court. The Slovak then dominated the tiebreaker to stay in the match. She broke decisively in the 11th game of the third set and sealed the win on her first match point when Kanepi returned wide. "I was just playing too defensive in the first set," Cibulkova said. "In the second set I said, 'Hey, come on, you have nothing to lose.' And I started to go more on forehand and to be more aggressive and that's why I won." Cibulkova upset top-seeded local favorite Vera Zvonareva in the second round. The 43rd-ranked Kanepi was making her debut at the event and beat two seeded players — 2009 champion Francesca Schiavone and two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova — to reach her first final this season. She won her first title in Palermo, Italy, last season. "Definitely I'm disappointed but I'm staying positive about my game," Kanepi said.

Azarenka wins Luxembourg Open

LUXEMBOURG (AP) -Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won the Luxembourg Open on Sunday, beating unheralded Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-2, 6-2. The No. 3-ranked Azarenka won the tournament without losing a set all week, and had no problems against a player who was in her first WTA Tour final. It was the 22-year-old Azarenka's eighth career title. The 34th-ranked Niculescu has spent most of her career on the ITF circuit but is enjoying her best month ever.

WTA expresses condolences over Turkey quake

ISTANBUL (AP) -Players at the WTA Championships in Istanbul lent their support Monday to those affected by Turkey's devastating earthquake. Sunday's quake happened in eastern Turkey, far from the tournament location in the west. Women's Tennis Association officials briefed the eight elite players on the 7.2-magnitude quake near the border with Iran. About 270 people were confirmed dead by Monday afternoon, and the toll was expected to rise. Second-ranked Maria Sharapova said she was saddened by the news, adding that she has received many phone calls and e-mails expressing concern. "I think it gives us an opportunity to sit down and say, 'We're very, very lucky and fortunate to be doing what we're doing,"' Sharapova said. "These things that happen around the world, you just never know where it can happen. I mean, this was only a few hours from here." Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki arrived in Istanbul on Thursday and said she wanted to pass along condolences on behalf of all the players. "All our thoughts are with everyone affected, and of course it's never nice when something like this happens," said Wozniacki, whose profile in Turkey has risen since she signed a commercial deal with a Turkish airline last year. "I definitely got a few messages yesterday and just asking if everything was OK, and if we're all OK here." The season-ending WTA Championships is being held at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul, which will host the $5 million event through 2013. It starts on Tuesday and the final will be played on Sunday. Qatar hosted the tournament for the last three years. At the draw ceremony on Sunday, CEO Stacey Allaster spoke on behalf of players and tennis officials. "We will do whatever we can to support the people of Turkey in some small way through the power of sport," Allaster said.

Wozniacki, Sharapova headline WTA Championships

ISTANBUL - Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and three-time major winner Maria Sharapova lead two round-robin groups for the WTA Championships this week as Turkey's biggest city hosts the event for the first time. Wozniacki is joined in the red group by Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska. Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, French Open champion Li Na and U.S. Open winner Samantha Stosur are in the white group. Each player meets the other three players in their group, and the top two in each pool move into the semifinals. The final is on Sunday.

Falconi, McHale may be next American tennis stars

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) - American tennis players Irina Falconi and Christina McHale will be playing for medals at the Pan American Games on Friday, and it might not be long before they'll be contending at a Grand Slam. The promising duo already made an impression at this year's U.S. Open, making it to the third round, and their game has been improving at such a pace that they might soon become the next stars in American tennis. "They are certainly part of the future of American women's tennis," U.S. coach Tom Gullikson said. "They've really had a breakout year. They've played a lot of matches and competed well. They really elevated their game." Falconi defeated 192nd-ranked Florencia Molinero of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 Thursday to reach the final in Guadalajara, while McHale was upset by 264th-ranked Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the semifinals and will play for the bronze. Both matches are Friday. McHale was the tournament's top seeded player, while Falconi was No. 2. The duo will also play for the gold in the doubles final. "I'm super thrilled to have an opportunity to get two gold medals for my country," Falconi said. "This is huge for me." Against Puig, McHale was angered with an apparent missed call that went against her when she was down 4-2 in the tiebreaker, but wasn't blaming the loss on that. "I definitely think it was an important call but I'm not going to say that's the reason why I lost," McHale said. "She served very well and I didn't serve very well." A couple of double-faults late in the game also were costly to McHale. "It happens. It's part of the game. Nothing I can do now," she said. "We have doubles now. We are going to get ready and hopefully we are going to get the gold." The 19-year-old McHale is ranked No. 42, the second-highest rank for an American behind No. 14 Serena Williams. The 21-year-old Falconi is fourth among U.S. players at No. 77. The youngsters are having the best year of their careers, and both are thrilled with their chances of continuing to improve and becoming top contenders next season. "We've gained a lot of experience," McHale said. "I think next year we can continue with that and hopefully the results will come. As long we keep working hard, it will happen." Falconi said this season has been a "huge step from last year," and she wants to keep her momentum going. "By this time next year, if I'm top 40 in the world, top 50 in the world, it means we defended all of our points that we got this year," Falconi said. "It would be really impressive." McHale defeated No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in Cincinnati in August, and at the U.S. Open she beat ninth-ranked Marion Bartoli of France in the second round before losing to 29th-ranked Maria Kirilenko of Russia in the third. She said she feels she has what it takes to start contending for titles more often. "I don't set ranking goals, but obviously I want to continue doing well at the Grand Slams and the bigger tournaments," McHale said. "Playing more and more matches on the tour, getting the experience, will help a lot." Gullikson said McHale already knows what she needs to improve on to reach the next level. "One of the things she can probably do better is moving forward and maybe taking a few more balls on the rise," Gullikson said. "Maybe finishing a few more points at the net. "To win titles you have to win five, six matches in a row. Right now she is winning two or three matches a week, which is great, but every match you win, the next opponent is going to be a little bit tougher, ranked higher, more experienced, so it's hard to string five or six together in a row. It comes with time, with discipline." McHale is from Teaneck, N.J., but her family moved to Hong Kong when she was 3 years old because of her father's job. She stayed there until she was 8, and it's where she began playing tennis. Falconi, who lives in Georgia but was born in Portoviejo, Ecuador, moved from 1,054th in the world in 2006 to 217th at the end of last year. Her highest ranking was 73rd, earlier this year. In the second round of the U.S. Open, Falconi had her biggest career victory, rallying to beat 15th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia on center court. She then lost to 18th-ranked Sabine Lisicki in the third round. It was only her second U.S. Open appearance. "She is never going to overpower anybody," Gullikson said. "So she's got to outplay, outcompete and outsmart everybody. She's done a great job getting to where she is right now, and she's done that relatively quickly. She just needs to play against the big players in the big venues like she did at the U.S. Open. "Against Cibulkova, on center court, a lot of players would just freeze up like a deer in the headlights, but she embraced the moment." Her goal for next year is to make the Olympic team for the 2012 London Games. In the long term, all she can think about is becoming the No. 1 player in the world. "Why not?" Falconi asked. --- Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni

Zvonareva upset, Bartoli withdraws at Kremlin Cup

MOSCOW (AP) -Dominika Cibulkova advanced to her second straight semifinal Friday, rallying to upset top-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup. In later quarterfinals, Kaia Kanepi upset sixth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-2 to set up a semifinal clash with Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, who ousted another Russian, Vera Dushevina, 6-4, 6-4. Earlier, Marion Bartoli of France withdrew from the quarterfinals with an illness, handing Agnieszka Radwanska a spot in the season-ending WTA finals. In the men's quarterfinals, defending champion Viktor Troicki of Serbia rallied from 4-love down in the third set and prevailed in a tiebreaker to eliminate Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the United States 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (1), while three-time winner here Nikolay Davydenko advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Michael Berrer of Germany. Kanepi won four consecutive games to go a set up in the match. In the second set, the 43rd-ranked Estonian endured eight deuces on her serve in the sixth game, which lasted for 12 minutes. She then fought off five break points and went on to win. "I fought my best today, but I didn't attack her," said Kuznetsova. "This is not my game and I understood it but couldn't change it." Kanepi, who is making her debut at the event, agreed with the two-time Grand Slam winner. "Normally a player can play attacking tennis when the other allows him," Kanepi said. Safarova, at No. 8 the only seeded player to survive into the semis in the women's draw, broke Dushevina decisively in the third game of the second set. Cibulkova, who was runner-up in Linz, Austria, last week, played with her right leg bandaged after she aggravated a knee injury in the previous match. Both players took medical timeouts in the third set - Zvonareva to treat her shoulder and Cibulkova to have her leg massaged and retaped. The 20th-ranked Slovak rallied from 5-3 down in the second set to break the fifth-ranked Zvonareva in the 10th game and stay in the match. Cibulkova said she lost the first set because she was not aggressive enough on her second serve. "In the second set I just said, OK, come on, you have to play 100 percent and also to go for second serve. And you have nothing to lose. And it just paid off," Cibulkova said. Serving in the tenth game of the third set, the Russian raced to 40-love up but could not finish and finally returned wide and long to lose the game and the match. "You cannot go 50-50, you should decide at the right time," Zvonareva said. "Maybe I should have retired, because I'm to play next week in Istanbul and then be back here for the Fed Cup." Zvonareva said that she had played a good match but because of the pain in her shoulder caused by an old injury and concerns about her upcoming matches she could maintain concentration. The third-seeded Bartoli, who has not dropped a set in six matches, was scheduled to play Elena Vesnina of Russia in the first quarterfinal but pulled out because of a viral illness. "I think just my whole body needed a break," Bartoli said. "I really was trying till the end but yesterday during my match I already felt not very good. "I still have a bit of energy left, so it was enough (to play), but early this morning I had so much pain in my whole body, on my neck - I couldn't even warm up," she said. Vesnina said it was the first time she had advanced by a walkover at this stage of a tournament. "It's really sad when you are not feeling good, not very healthy," Vesnina said. "I saw her match yesterday, and she was playing really well." The 64th-ranked Russian will play Cibulkova in the semifinals. Bartoli won her seventh career title in Osaka last weekend and needed to win the title in Moscow to secure the last open spot for next week's WTA Championships in Istanbul. With Bartoli's withdrawal, Radwanska qualifies directly for the event for the first time, despite losing in the second round in Moscow. She was a substitute in 2008 and 2009. Bartoli will travel to Istanbul and will be the first alternate. In early men's quarterfinals, the 133rd-ranked Jeremy Chardy of France landed 11 aces to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 6-3 and make it to the semifinals for the first time since winning his maiden title in Stuttgart, Germany in July 2009.

Top tennis agent Meyerson dies at 48

Tennis agent Ken Meyerson, who represented Grand Slam winners Andy Roddick, Chris Evert and Justine Henin, has died. He was 48. Meyerson died Wednesday night at his home in Florida, according to a statement by his agency, Lagardere Unlimited. The cause of death was not immediately known. Meyerson had been president of Lagardere's tennis division since 2009. "Ken was a very hard worker and was always determined to do his best, both for his clients and for the company," agency chairman Arnaud Lagardere said in the statement. "His clients were his extended family and there was nothing he wouldn't, or couldn't, accomplish on their behalf. Ken is, and will remain, an inspiration to all of our agents." Before joining Lagardere, Meyerson was president of BEST Tennis from 2006-09. During a nearly 25-year career in tennis that began in 1987, Meyerson also worked with ProServ, one of the earliest sports management firms, and the SFX Sports Group. As news of his death spread, Meyerson was being honored by a number of agents and players, including American players Mardy Fish and John Isner. Roddick tweeted: "I love you and miss you. I will be forever grateful for your faith & loyalty. You will forever be my brother. As always `thanks Meyerson."' Meyerson is survived by his wife, Claudia, and daughters Charlotte and Emily. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Nalbandian advances at Swedish Open

STOCKHOLM (AP) -David Nalbandian dropped the first set before going on to beat Xavier Malisse of Belgium 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3) in the first round of the Stockholm Open on Tuesday. The Argentine will next face Ivan Dodig of Croatia, who beat Adrian Mannarino of France 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5). South Africa's Kevin Anderson also needed tiebreakers to win against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 (1), 7-6 (4), and will face German veteran Tommy Haas in the second round. Jarkko Nieminen, who reached the final of the competition in 2009, beat Romania's Marcus Copil 6-3, 7-6 (4) to set up a second round match-up with Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.

Kvitova beats Cibulkova to win Generali Ladies

LINZ, Austria - Top-seeded Petra Kvitova beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday to win the Generali Ladies for her first title since Wimbledon in June. The fourth-ranked Kvitova had struggled since winning her first major at the All England Club, but she found her form while denying the seventh-seeded Slovak her first WTA Tour title. Kvitova broke Cibulkova's serve six times to win her fifth title of the season — and sixth overall — in just under 90 minutes. "This was a great preparation for (the WTA Championships in) Istanbul," said Kvitova, who was a late entry into the Linz tournament. Only top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki's six wins this season tops Kvitova, who improved to 4-0 against Cibulkova. "I am just working on my tennis to get better and better," Kvitova said. Kvitova broke Cibulkova in the opening game and again with the first set tied at four games apiece. She eased through the second set to become the first Czech winner since Jana Novotna in 1998, who also won Wimbledon that same year. Cibulkova was appearing in her first final since Montreal in 2008 and dropped to 0-3 in WTA finals. "It was a great week for me," she said. "It feels good that I finally got into a final again." No. 23 Cibulkova and 16th-ranked Peng Shuai are the only players in the top 30 without a WTA title.

Djokovic to finish year at No. 1 after Nadal loss

LONDON - Novak Djokovic will finish the year as the top-ranked player in the world. The ATP says the Serb clinched the year-end top spot after No. 2 Rafael Nadal lost in the third round at the Shanghai Masters on Thursday. Nadal's loss to Florian Mayer ensured that Djokovic cannot be overtaken before the end of the year. The 24-year-old Djokovic becomes the first player other than Roger Federer or Nadal to finish a year as No. 1 since Andy Roddick of the United States in 2003. Djokovic has been No. 1 since winning Wimbledon in July. He's won 10 titles this year, including his second Australian Open and first U.S. Open.

Nadal to skip Queen's next year due to tax laws

SHANGHAI - Rafael Nadal says he will not play the traditional Wimbledon warmup event at Queen's Club next year, citing stringent British tax laws. Nadal says he can "lose money" when he plays at a tournament in Britain because of the tax laws. But the No. 2-ranked Spaniard says he will play Wimbledon and next month's ATP World Tour finals in London. Overseas athletes are taxed on prize money and appearance fees in Britain, and also on a proportion of their worldwide endorsement earnings. Instead of playing at Queen's next year, Nadal decided to accept an invitation to enter the grass-court tournament held the same week in Halle, Germany. Nadal has played at Queen's in five of the past six years, winning in 2008. He missed the 2009 tournament because of a knee injury.

Kvitova, Jankovic reach semifinals in Austria

LINZ, Austria - Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova eased past Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-2 Friday to reach her seventh semifinal of the season at the Generali Ladies. The top-seeded Kvitova will play Jelena Jankovic for a place in Sunday's final. The third-seeded Serb defeated Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina 6-2, 6-4. Kvitova, a winner of four events this season and ranked a career-high fourth, took a 4-0 lead against Hantuchova. "I have enjoyed every match so far here and I am starting to play really well," Kvitova said. "That's important with (the WTA Championships in) Istanbul and the Fed Cup (final) coming up." Jankovic trailed 1-2 in the opening set against Rodina before winning seven straight games. Jankovic, seeking her first title of the season, lost serve once in the second set but broke again at 4-4 and closed out the victory with a love game. Also, Dominika Cibulkova rallied to beat Anastasia Rodionova 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-1 to reach her third WTA semifinal of the season. Cibulkova will play Lucie Safarova, who defeated Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-2.

Nadal falls to Mayer in Shanghai Masters

SHANGHAI (AP) -Rafael Nadal was ousted in the third round of the Shanghai Masters by Germany's Florian Mayer, 7-6 (5), 6-3. The 15th-seeded German ran down a drop shot and flicked it past Nadal at the net to break the top-seeded Spaniard for the second time and win the match. Nadal lost in the third round in Shanghai for the second straight year. Last year, he fell to Austria's Jurgen Melzer, just a few weeks after winning his first U.S. Open title. It's only the second time in 16 tournaments this year that Nadal has failed to make the quarterfinals. He fell in the second round of the Canadian Open to Croatia's Ivan Dodig in August.

Serena to open 2012 season at Brisbane

BRISBANE, Australia - Serena Williams will open her 2012 season for the first time at the Brisbane International tournament, a warmup for the Australian Open. Both U.S. Open finalists will be in the field for the event that begins Jan. 1. Samantha Stosur, who was already confirmed for the tournament, defeated Williams 6-2, 6-3 to earn her first Grand Slam title. "I've never been to Brisbane (but I've) heard great things about it," Williams said in a statement. The Brisbane International has been elevated to WTA Premier level tournament. Williams has five Australian Open titles among her 13 Grand Slam wins. "It's brand new so all that is going to be really exciting and it will help me with my seeding going into the Australian Open too, so that would be good," she said. Former top-ranked players Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and Ana Ivanovic also are in the field. Clijsters, the reigning Australian Open champion, will be returning to the WTA Tour after being sidelined by a torn abdominal muscle that prevented her defending her U.S. Open title.

Players' meeting not imminent

SHANGHAI - Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal have cast doubt on whether the top men's tennis players will be able to sit down with each another this week, or perhaps anytime soon, to discuss their grievances with the ATP Tour. Murray and Nadal have been among the most vocal in advocating changes to the packed tennis calendar. Murray said last month the top players would meet during the Shanghai Masters this week to discuss the best way to present their concerns to tour officials, adding that a strike was not out of the question. On Tuesday, however, he said the players would try to get together by the end of the year, though he acknowledged that this may also be difficult to organize. Nadal also said "it's not the right time to talk about that."

Sampras wins CTCA Championships

SURPRISE, Ariz. - Pete Sampras won the CTCA Championships for his third Champions Series victory of the year, beating Jim Courier 8-7 (4) on Saturday night. Sampras increased his lead in the series standings to 300 points over Courier after six of 12 events. Sampras advanced to the final with a 6-3 victory over Michael Chang, while Courier topped Mats Wilander 6-3 in the first semifinal.

Top-ranked Djokovic pulls out of Shanghai Masters

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -Top-ranked Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Shanghai Masters because of a back muscle injury, further delaying his return to competition. Djokovic says he has not yet recovered from the injury he sustained in winning the U.S. Open and which he aggravated while playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup semifinals against Argentina. Djokovic says "I did another check this week and the results are not good. I need to continue my rehabilitation." The tournament in Shanghai starts Monday. Djokovic has already pulled out of the China Open in Beijing.

Berdych, Cilic in China Open final

BEIJING - Tomas Berdych upset top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 Saturday to set up a China Open final against Marin Cilic. In the women's draw, Agnieszka Radwanska will be seeking her second title in two weeks when she takes on Andrea Petkovic in Sunday's final. Tsonga had looked to reach consecutive finals, after winning the Moselle Open last month, but the Frenchman's baseline drives too often went long against Berdych. Despite taking the second set, he seemed to lose focus in the third as Berdych broke him twice to set up the win. "The chance was here. I'm happy to take this chance to be in the final," said the third-seeded Berdych, who progressed to his first final of the season. A win on Sunday would be a major boost toward the Czech's hopes of securing one of four remaining spots at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London. "This match could really change my season from a good season to a really good season," Berdych said. Cilic for his part continued his recent run of good form with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ivan Ljubicic. The two big-hitting Croats combined for 22 aces. Winning against the player who beat him in the first round at Wimbledon was a confidence boost, he said. "That means a lot, that I can beat those guys and my tennis is at a good level and on a level that's high enough to play against those guys and beat them," Cilic said. Radwanska, the winner of last week's Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, beat Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-4, to improve her career record against the Italian to 3-1. Petkovic downed Monica Niculescu 6-2, 6-0. The Polish player has won her four previous meetings with Petkovic, including twice this year. But Radwanska said she wasn't expecting an easy time on Sunday. "It's always very tough and very tight against Andrea," the 11th-seeded Radwanska said. "She's playing very well, very consistent. I think I'll have to play even better than today to beat her tomorrow." Petkovic said she drew confidence from her increasingly steady performances, having reached the quarterfinals at each of this year's Australian, French and U.S. Opens. The win marked her first victory in three meetings with Niculescu. "I was really satisfied with the intensity and the focus I managed to have with each and every point, and I think that made the difference today," she said.

Brother: Ex- No. 1 Dinara Safina retires

MOSCOW - Marat Safin says former top-ranked tennis player Dinara Safina, his younger sister, has retired from tennis. Safin told the Russian sports agency R-Sport that the 25-year-old Safina considers her decision "as a next step in her life." Safin is a two-time Grand Slam tournament winner now retired. Safina turned pro in 2001 and won 12 titles on the WTA Tour. She first became No. 1 on April 20, 2009, and spent 26 weeks at the top of the rankings. She injured her back early in 2010 and dropped out of top 20 by the end of the year. In May, Safina took an indefinite break from tennis in hopes of recovering from chronic back pain.

Tsonga, Wozniacki into quarterfinals at China Open

BEIJING (AP) -Top-seeded players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Caroline Wozniacki both advanced to the quarterfinals at the China Open on Thursday. Tsonga beat Chinese qualifier Zheng Ze 6-3, 6-4 and Wozniacki defeated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-3, 7-6 (3). "It was not easy today, and I'm happy to win, of course, even if I was supposed to win," Tsonga said. The Frenchman, who won a tournament at home in Metz last month, is competing for one of the four remaining spots at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London. In the next round, he will face Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, who beat Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-4. "I think he's a great player," Ferrero said of Tsonga. "He's in a good shape. He's been playing very good tennis most of the season on the hard courts, and of course he's one of the favorites to win the tournament." Also in Friday's quarterfinals, Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic will face Fernando Verdasco of Spain, Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia will meet Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, and Kevin Anderson of South Africa will play Marin Cilic of Croatia. In the women's tournament, Wozniacki rebounded from last week's loss to Kanepi at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. "I knew it was going to be a tough match," the top-ranked Dane said. "I'm really happy to get this win and get my revenge." Wozniacki will next face Flavia Pennetta of Italy, who defeated Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Also, second-seeded Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the tournament because of a right foot injury, giving 13th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia a walkover win. Azarenka, who lost in doubles on Wednesday, said her foot has been bothering her since Tokyo. "I'm not sure about recovery time but I will consult my doctor," the fourth-ranked Azarenka said. In other quarterfinal matches, Pavlyuchenkova will face Andrea Petkovic of Germany and Monica Niculescu of Romania will take on Maria Kirilenko of Russia.

Banned Serb tennis player denies match-fixing

BELGRADE, Serbia - The Serbian tennis player who received a life ban for attempting to fix matches denied the accusations and said Tuesday he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Tennis Integrity Unit found 659th-ranked David Savic guilty Saturday and fined him $100,000 for three violations of the sport's international anti-corruption program. The 26-year-old Savic said in a written statement that he was set up by a "current top player" who told the TIU that Savic asked him to fix a match in exchange for money. "That is an absolute lie," Savic said. In the statement, Savic said that he was friends with the unidentified top player during their junior days, and that he has not spoken or contacted him in the past 11 years. He said that he could not reveal the name of the player because a judge ordered the TIU ruling be kept confidential. "I was obviously chosen as a scapegoat," Savic said. "Without any concrete evidence, I became a drastic example for other players." Savic is the second tennis player to get a lifetime ban. In May, Austrian player Daniel Koellerer was banned for match-fixing. Savic reached a career best 363rd in the rankings in 2009 and never played above the challenger circuit. The anti-corruption hearing was held on Sept. 12 in London and details will not be made public, the TIU said. The TIU has been set up on behalf of the International Tennis Federation and the ATP and WTA Tours. Koellerer, a former Davis Cup player who once ranked 55th, is fighting his ban that resulted from violations between October 2009 and July 2010. Five Italians were among lower-ranked players sanctioned by the ATP in recent years for betting on matches — receiving suspensions ranging from six weeks to nine months between 2007-08. French player Mathieu Montcourt also was banned for two months in 2008. Russian player Nikolay Davydenko was cleared in 2008 of any wrongdoing following an investigation by the ATP into suspicious betting patterns surrounding his match against 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello the previous year.

Tsonga, Wozniacki advance at China Open in Beijing

BEIJING - Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki advanced Tuesday at the China Open. Tsonga reached the second round by edging Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-6 (7), 7-5, and Wozniacki cruised past Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 6-2, 6-3. Tsonga finished the match with nine aces and improved to 3-0 against Dimitrov. He will face Chinese qualifier Zhang Ze, who beat Li Zhe 6-1, 6-3. "I didn't move really well, didn't hit the ball really good, but I was on the court with my head," said the seventh-ranked Frenchman, who won his first career match in Beijing in 2004. "The China Open is the story of my life." Wozniacki was never threatened against Gajdosova, who committed eight double-faults and had 19 unforced errors. The Dane will meet Kaia Kanepi, who defeated Wozniacki last week in the third round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. "The next match is a new match and we both start at zero-zero," Wozniacki said. "I go out there and find out what I have and hopefully it will be enough." Third-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia defeated Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, and Maria Kirilenko of Russia stopped U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur 7-5, 1-6, 7-5. "I got more aggressive in the third set," said Zvonareva, who will face unseeded Ana Ivanovic. "I wasn't waiting for her to make mistakes any more and started playing my game." Also advancing were Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Flavia Pennetta, Virginie Razzano, Marion Bartoli and Carla Suarez Navarro. Other winners on the men's side included Albert Montanes, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Mikhail Youzhny, Fabio Fognini, Marcel Granollers, Ivan Ljubicic and Thomas Berdych.

Radwanska beats Zvonareva in Pan Pacific final

TOKYO - Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska overpowered Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday to win the Pan Pacific Open for her second title of the year. The ninth-seeded Radwanska was down 2-0 at Ariake Colosseum but stormed back to win the first set on the back of Zvonareva's 22 unforced errors. "I was a little bit nervous at first," Radwanska said. "Those first two games went by so fast, I was just trying to do my best. I'm just happy that I woke up quickly and won the first set." Zvonareva overcame a 5-1 deficit against Petra Kvitova on Friday in the semifinals, but couldn't stage another turnaround in the final. Radwanska broke Zvonareva twice to take a 5-2 lead. Zvonareva held to win the eighth game but Radwanska closed out the first set with a forehand to the corner that Zvonareva hit long. The fourth-seeded Russian struggled with her serve, double faulting five times. She broke Radwanska to win the sixth game of the second set to make it 4-2, but any chance of a comeback was dashed when Radwanska broke back in the next game. "I felt like I started out well and then something happened," Zvonareva said. "It was not me on the court anymore. I will think about it and try to figure out what happened but it's one of those things that can happen to anyone." Radwanska won her first singles title in three years when she beat Zvonareva in Carlsbad, Calif., in August. The Polish star also beat the Russian player in the third round at the Rogers Cup in Toronto the week after Carlsbad. With the tournament victory, Radwanska still has a chance to reach the WTA Championships in Turkey. "Before here, I didn't have really big chances because I was around 14th," Radwanska said. "I just knew that I had to play really well here and in Beijing just to have a chance. Now, for sure my chances are much bigger to go so I will fight to the end." The top eight singles players qualify for the WTA Championships. Radwanska is projected to move up to 12th in the rankings after her victory. In the doubles final, Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond of the United States beat Italy's Flavia Pennetta and Argentina's Gisela Dulko 7-6 (4), 0-6, 10-6.

Murray denies Young first title

BANGKOK - Fourth-ranked Andy Murray claimed his 19th career title in beating American Donald Young 6-2, 6-0 in the final of the Thailand Open on Sunday. The top-seeded Briton was in complete control throughout the 48-minute match, exploiting the lack of experience and unforced errors from his 55th-ranked opponent. Young was playing in his first tour final. Murray opened the match at Impact Arena by jumping out to a double break lead of 4-0. Young finally got on the board to make it 5-1 but lost the first set when Murray hit an overhead smash winner. The second set featured more one-way traffic with Murray extending his advantage, while his American opponent's game was marred by unforced errors, winning only three from 27 points in the set. "I just played really well," Murray said. "Towards the end of the first set, he started playing well. But after that I hardly made any mistakes. I felt like I was moving well. It was difficult for him to hit any clean winners. He had to work hard for a lot of points." Despite the one-sided score, Young was pleased to have reached the final. "I had been in the semi before or reached the fourth round in a Grand Slam but nothing was like being in the final. I beat some high-caliber players. I won four matches," Young said. The 22-year-old American credited Murray with setting the tempo of the match. "He played well as you saw. I couldn't do much. It showed in the score," Young said. "Great playing from him. I was unable to play my best. I couldn't play my game while he successfully did that. He took me out of my game." In the doubles final, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan and Oliver Marach of Austria beat Germans Michael Kolhmann and Alexander Waske 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).

Dokic reunites with father after 8 years

MELBOURNE, Australia - Australian tennis player Jelena Dokic says she has reconciled with her father and former coach, Damir, after an eight-year rift. Dokic, 28, who was ranked as high as No. 4 as a teenager during her peak, split with her father after a series of embarrassing public indiscretions. She went on to accuse him of years of humiliation and abuse as her coach. In a statement released Wednesday, Jelena Dokic visited Damir in Serbia "to finally put an end to our disagreement." She said her father was very receptive to the meeting and "I believe he has changed greatly. He understands that I am my own person who makes my own decisions."

Almagro into Malaysian Open quarterfinals

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -Kei Nishikori of Japan ousted top-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Malaysian Open. The eight-seeded Nishikori will next face Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, who advanced after Nikolay Davydenko of Russia retired with a left hip injury just four games into their match. The third-seeded Tipsarevic was leading 3-1. "I don't know what the injury is exactly yet," Davydenko said. "I'm a bit scared as I've never had anything like it before. I will still go to Beijing, maybe wait a few days and see what the pain is like." Serbia's Viktor Troicki also cruised into the semifinals by beating Dmitry Tursunov of Russia 6-4, 6-4. The second-seeded Troicki failed to serve out the match at 5-2 in the second set but held on for victory at Putra Stadium. Troicki is looking for his first title of the year after losing the final in Sydney in January. He will face Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who defeated fourth-seeded Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Djokovic pulls out of China Open

BEIJING - Top-ranked Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the China Open because of a back injury. Tournament organizers said the defending champion withdrew because the latest medical checks show the injury he sustained while winning the U.S. Open has not yet healed. The tournament in Beijing starts on Monday. It is not yet clear whether the 24-year-old Serb will also skip the Shanghai Masters that starts in two weeks. Djokovic has said the partial rupture of a back muscle that forced him to quit his Davis Cup semifinal match against Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro is not serious, but requires rest.

Djokovic on a roll since cutting out pizza, bread

LONDON (AP) -Ever since eliminating pizza from his diet, Novak Djokovic has been on a roll. Djokovic has been boasting all season about how he has more energy on the tennis court since starting a gluten-free diet, cutting out pizza and bread from his daily life. But the top-ranked Serb has been reluctant to discuss his new regimen in any detail, preferring to let his game do the talking. The man with the answers is Igor Cetojevic, a Serbian doctor and nutritionist who began working with Djokovic at the end of last year. "I checked him to see what is going on, gave some advice and therapy," Cetojevic told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "He started to follow them. He started to sleep properly for the first time in his life." It actually seems as if it was as easy as that. Djokovic had won only one Grand Slam title heading into 2011. He now has four after winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, while compiling an amazing 64-3 record this year - with two of those losses coming from injury retirements, including in a Davis Cup match to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina last Sunday. For the past couple of years, Djokovic had been firmly entrenched as the No. 3 player in the world behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Although he was consistently going deep into the majors, Djokovic's lone big title came at the 2008 Australian Open. Otherwise, he was losing early or even pulling out of matches because he wasn't in good enough shape. When things started to change, Djokovic hushed up, declining to talk about his new training routine. "I can't talk about it," Djokovic said at the French Open, "because it's private." Last month, about two weeks before the start of the U.S. Open, Djokovic again demurred when asked about the diet. "I cannot tell you everything," said Djokovic, who grew up at his parents' pizza parlor on Mt. Kopaonik in southern Serbia. "There are things that I keep for myself." But the science behind the decision to essentially cut wheat, barley and rye out of Djokovic's diet isn't all that secret. Cetojevic said he used a SCIO bio-feedback machine - basically attaching some wires to a person and connecting them to a computer - to study the effects that food has on Djokovic's body. He saw that the gluten was "through the roof," and knew he needed to do something about it. "We can see most reactions in the body so we can eliminate the bad guys and put good guys in," Cetojevic explained, keeping it as simple as can be. Cetojevic said the details behind the program can be complicated and he isn't surprised when Djokovic evades questions about the diet. "He's not a medical doctor," said Cetojevic, adding that even he found it difficult to explain to people what was going on. "He cannot talk about that." The idea of working with Djokovic came about two years ago, long before Cetojevic had ever met the tennis star. And it started because of his wife, a holistic therapist from the United States. "I saw Nole playing some match against (Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga in Australia," Cetojevic said. "My wife told me, 'This guy has some allergy.' I said, 'I don't think so. Something else is there.' "She told me, 'Help him. He's your countryman,"' Cetojevic said with a laugh. Cetojevic made some calls to people who knew Djokovic and left the message that he might be able to help. "Time passed, and one day they called me," said Cetojevic, who flew to Split, Croatia, to meet Djokovic for the first time as he played in the Davis Cup quarterfinals against Croatia in July 2010. It was there that the lessons started, and they involved more than just nutrition. "I started teaching Nole simple things, like avoid talking on the telephone and eating because you're ignoring your food," said Cetojevic, who also studied traditional Chinese medicine and magnetotherapy. "He started responding very well. Started to kind of eat well, not have weak stomach, vomiting after meals. "Slowly, slowly he started to build up. I started to observe how he behaves." The new ideas, including blessing his food before eating in order to have an "emotional, spiritual connection with food," were not completely accepted by some in Djokovic's camp, Cetojevic said, especially after the player started losing weight. But once the results started coming and the weight came back, Cetojevic was hired full time. "In Chinese medicine, confidence is in the stomach," Cetojevic said. Even Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1, said he doesn't really understand what it is about the gluten-free diet that has made Djokovic so tough to beat. "I don't even know what that all means," Federer said last month at the U.S. Open. "I eat healthy, and I think that's what people should do, too, if they have the options." But believing in it, and putting it into effect, is really what matters. And Djokovic has done just that. Cetojevic sat in the players' box at Rod Laver Arena as Djokovic beat Andy Murray to win his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Djokovic then ran his winning streak to 43 straight matches before losing to Federer in the French Open semifinals. A few weeks later, Djokovic beat defending champion Nadal to win his first Wimbledon title. It was Djokovic's desire to win Wimbledon that initially endeared him to Cetojevic. "When he was a very small boy, he played at home with this little empty pot and on a little chair he stepped on it and said, 'Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon champion.' He was already visualizing what he wants to be," Cetojevic said. "That pure will to succeed touched me." And after that win, right after Djokovic pulled a few blades of grass from the manicured lawn at the All England Club to physically taste his victory, Cetojevic knew his job was complete. "I stopped after Wimbledon because that was our goal," said Cetojevic, who returned to his practice in Cyprus. "We had our target."

Li says dip in form related to mental toughness

BEIJING - French Open champion Li Na says her dip in form since winning at Roland Garros is because she cannot stay mentally tough. Li, who became the first Asian to win a Grand Slam singles title in June, says all the women on tour have the same problem, while the men can stay stronger all season. Li says "all the active women tennis players have the same situation of ups and downs in the competitions, almost everyone," adding that "women cannot have the same mentality of men, who expect to win every competition." Li also reached the Australian Open final, but she lost in the second round at Wimbledon and in the first round at the U.S. Open.

Former No. 1 Muster to retire again at age 44

VIENNA - Former world No. 1 Thomas Muster will retire from full-time tennis following next month's Erste Bank Open tournament in his native Austria. Muster, who turns 44 early next month, made his comeback to professional tennis in 2010 after 11 years away. "You should not drag it along forever," Muster said Wednesday. "I wanted to relive competitive tennis again and I've really enjoyed it." Muster is ranked 847th after winning two matches in 18 tournaments on the lower-tier Challenger tour. He has lost both his main-draw matches at the ATP level. "Vienna will definitely be my last appearance in an ATP event," said the Austrian, who was No. 1 for six weeks in 1996. "Maybe I play a few Challengers next year, but that will be it." Tournament director Herwig Straka has confirmed that Muster will be awarded a wild card for the Erste Bank Open, beginning Oct. 22. Muster first played in the Vienna event 27 years ago, reaching the final three times but failing to win the tournament. "I've made good progress this year but my age is counting," Muster said. "For me, I know what's still possible if I put even more effort into it. But I have a family and also would get to my physical limits one day." Muster became the only Austrian to win a Grand Slam event when he lifted the French Open trophy in 1995. He is his country's most successful player with 44 career titles. He never formally retired from professional tennis but said in 1999 he would "go on a holiday." By then, Muster had already staged a remarkable comeback. His career was almost ruined when he severely damaged his left knee in a car accident before the final of the 1989 Key Biscayne tournament. He was back on tour less than six months later.

Mayer beats Andujar to win Nastase Tiriac Trophy

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) -Second-seeded Florian Mayer of Germany beat Spain's Pablo Andujar 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the Nastase Tiriac Trophy on Sunday. Mayer needed just over an hour to defeat the fourth-seeded Andujar. The Spaniard made a determined start and broke in the 4th game to lead 3-1, but Mayer immediately broke back for 3-2 before holding his serve to level the scores at 3-3. But Andujar lost his way thereafter, winning only one more game in the match. With Mayer leading 5-0 in the final set, Andujar managed to salvage a game on his service, before losing the match.

Tired Federer to skip Shanghai Masters

World number three Roger Federer has pulled out of next month's Shanghai Masters to rest and recover after a grueling summer, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said on Friday. "After consultation with my team, I've unfortunately decided to pull out of the Shanghai Masters in order to take some necessary time to rest and recuperate after a long summer," the Swiss maestro was quoted as saying on the ATP website (www.atpworldtour.com). "I have some nagging injuries that I need to address and I look forward to returning to the ATP World Tour as soon as possible." The 16-times grand slam champion suffered a five-set loss to U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows before arriving in Australia to aid Switzerland's return to the Davis Cup World Group. "I have very fond memories of Shanghai so I will miss this amazing tournament and all my loyal Chinese fans, but I look forward to returning to China next fall," said Federer.

Tour is no grind for resurgent Sharapova

TAIPEI - You will not find Maria Sharapova moaning about crowded schedules after a year in which the Russian has returned to within sight of the summit of women's tennis. The world number two has some sympathy for the top male players who have made rumblings about possible strike action over what they see as a too punishing calendar but after having her career knocked sideways by injury she is clearly happy to be globe-trotting again and winning tournaments. "I really missed doing what I've done since I was four years old and I really felt that there is so much more in me that I could bring to the court," the 24-year-old told Reuters in Taipei where she will play an exhibition match against fellow Russian and world No.4 Vera Zvonareva on Thursday. "(The schedule) is so much better than it was years ago," she added, when asked about the demands on the serving shoulder that needed major surgery in 2008 and kept her out of the game for 10 months, in which time she dropped to 126 in the world. "We finish two or three weeks before the men do. You can say that's nothing but it's huge in our sport, it gives us more time to take a breather whereas before after the season you could maybe take a week off. Now you can take two weeks off and not feel guilty about it." Sharapova, who returned to the top 10 in March after reaching the final in Miami, was a semi-finalist at the French Open and runner-up at Wimbledon and recently won her 24th career title in Cincinnati. While she did suffer bouts of illness early in the season she has crucially remained injury free this year -- a major factor in her rise up the rankings. Now she is looking forward with renewed optimism. "That's what drives me, that's the reason why today I find myself in that position and a position also to even do better," she said. "I'd love to win Wimbledon again, that's always a goal of mine, the French Open is one that I haven't won but I feel like with every year I compete I play better at the French Open. "I have many goals and that's what's drives me to keep getting better." With no dominant force in the women's game this year, the path does seem open for Sharapova to add to her three grand slam titles, although the depth of the field makes it tricky. Three of the four grand slam titles went to first-timers this year and Sharapova dismissed any suggestion that it was evidence of a lack of top quality. "A few years ago you would come into a tournament in the first few rounds and people were saying 'well women's tennis you're winning first rounds 6-0 6-1,' and now it's kind of like 'well why are the first few matches so tough'," she said. While Sharapova probably does not want the year to end, Zvonareva was less enthused about the calendar. She said the current WTA schedule was "quite tight" and said players would like to have more flexibility and choice over which tournaments they could play in. "With this kind of schedule we have to play every single weekend and sometimes you feel good but sometimes you don't feel good but you still push yourself hard and at the end of the day you could get sick or get injured," she told Reuters. She said players want more discussion on the issue, though there were different views with some players wanting to play more and some less. "We have to find some solution where we can find the right balance, because right now it's a little bit too busy for us. We travel too much, but on the other hand we get a lot of opportunities to play, so we have to think about it and we're working on it and we're trying to find the right balance." Next stop on the Tour for Sharapova and Zvonareva is the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo starting on Sept 25.

Tsonga stops French qualifier at Moselle Open

METZ, France - Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated French qualifier Mathieu Rodrigues 6-3, 6-4 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Moselle Open. He'll face Nicolas Mahut, who outlasted 2003 champion Arnaud Clement 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in an all-French encounter. Second-seeded Richard Gasquet cruised past Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-2, 6-1. He'll play Gilles Muller of Luxembourg. Sixth-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium defeated Igor Kunitsyn of Russia 6-4, 6-2, and will meet third-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine. Dutch qualifier Igor Sijsling defeated seventh-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 7-5. Sijsling had 10 aces and broke Kohlschreiber once in each set.

Gajdosova reaches quarterfinals at Guangzhou Open

GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -Defending champion Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia advanced to the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Open by beating Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 Wednesday. Top-seeded Maria Kirilenko also advanced, defeating Iryna Bremond of France 6-3, 6-1. Zheng Jie, the last Chinese player in the tournament, moved into the next round by beating Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand 6-3, 7-5, while Zhao Yijing of China lost to Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.

Top-seeded Schiavone out in 1st round in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -Top-seeded Francesca Schiavone lost to Vera Dushevina 7-6 (4), 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Korea Open. The eighth-ranked Italian lost to Dushevina for the third time in four meetings. Second-seeded Marion Bartoli advanced at the Olympic Park by beating Nuria Llagostera-Vives of Spain 6-2, 6-2. Three other seeded players also advanced. No. 3 Julia Goerges of Germany defeated Yunka Sema of Japan 6-1, 6-1, Polona Hercog of Slovenia eliminated Zuzana Kucova of Slovakia 6-0, 6-2, and Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania defeated Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-3. Also, eighth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia lost to Galena Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-4, while 2009 champion Kimiko Date-Krumm lost to Vania King of the United States 6-2, 6-2.

Zahlavova Strycova earns first WTA title

QUEBEC CITY - Barbora Zahlavova Strycova rallied to beat Marina Erakovic 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 on Sunday in the Bell Challenge final. It was the first singles title for the native of the Czech Republic. In the doubles final, Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears of the United States beat American Jamie Hampton and Georgia's Anna Tatishvili 6-1, 3-6, 10-6.

Pervak wins 1st title at Tashkent Open

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan - Top-seeded Ksenia Pervak of Russia won her maiden WTA title on Saturday, beating Eva Birnerova 6-3, 6-1 in the final of the Tashkent Open. After Birnerova had rallied in the first set from 3-0 down to tie, Pervak responded by winning the next three games to take a 1-0 lead. She won four consecutive games in the second set, serving for the match at love and wrapping up the victory with an ace. The 52nd-ranked Pervak has not dropped a set on the way to her second final of the season. She lost to Vera Zvonareva in the final at Baku in July and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. Birnerova of the Czech Republic, who mostly plays on the ITF circuit, competed in her first career WTA tour final.

Top-seeded Hantuchova ousted at Bell Challenge

QUEBEC CITY - Top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia lost 6-4, 6-4 to unseeded Marina Erakovic of New Zealand in a Bell Challenge quarterfinal on Friday night. In other matches, Michaella Krajicek of Netherlands defeated No. 4-seeded Rebecca Marino of Canada 6-1, 6-3 and No. 3-seeded Tamira Paszek of Austria downed Britain's Heather Watson 6-4, 7-6 (5). In the late match, sixth-seeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova topped fellow Czech Andrea Hlavackova 6-3, 7-5.

Without Djokovic, Serbia trails Argentina 2-0

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -In the absence of the top-ranked Novak Djokovic, David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro won their opening singles Friday to clinch a commanding 2-0 lead for Argentina over defending champion Serbia in the Davis Cup semifinals. Djokovic pulled out of the opening singles against Nalbandian because of back pain, four days after beating Rafael Nadal in the U.S Open final, and was replaced by Troicki who lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Friday. In the other singles match Friday, Del Potro beat Janko Tipsarevic 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Argentina needs one more point to reach its first final since 2008. The doubles are played Saturday.

Hantuchova advances in Bell Challenge

QUEBEC CITY - Top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-0, 2-6, 6-4 in the first round of the Bell Challenge on Tuesday. No. 2 seed Lucie Safarova, No. 3 Tamira Paszek, No. 5 Sofia Arvidsson and No. 6 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova also advanced in the $220,000 WTA tournament. But No. 8 seed Anna Tatishvili of Georgia lost 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to French qualifier Julie Coin. Safarova routed American Jill Craybas 6-2, 6-1, and Paszek edged American Ashley Weinhold 6-0, 4-6, 6-2. Arvidsson beat Russia's Elena Bovina 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, and Strycova topped China's Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-2. Also Tuesday, Croatia's Mirjana Lucic beat Jamie Hampton of the United States 6-4, 6-2, and American Melanie Oudin lost 6-1, 6-3 to Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic.

Djokovic sets money mark with more than $10.5M

NEW YORK - Novak Djokovic's 64-2 record in 2011 has earned him a record amount of prize money. Djokovic's U.S. Open championship — his third Grand Slam title of the year — pushed his earnings past $10.6 million, more than anyone ever took home during a full season of men's tennis, according to the ATP World Tour. The only other men to come close were Rafael Nadal in 2010 and Roger Federer in 2007; they completed those years with a little less than $10.2 million. By beating Nadal in the U.S. Open final Monday night, Djokovic got a check for $2.3 million: $1.8 million for winning the tournament, plus a $500,000 bonus for finishing second in the U.S. Open Series Standings, which takes into account results at hard-court tuneup tournaments.

Federer will play vs. Aussies in Davis Cup

SYDNEY - Switzerland's team manager has confirmed No. 3 ranked Roger Federer will arrive in Australia on Wednesday for the Davis Cup tennis tie against Australia starting Friday. Federer will have little time to recuperate from his five-set loss to Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open semifinals. Manager Daniel Monnin was reluctant to talk about Federer at the Switzerland team's news conference Tuesday, but said Federer would be in Sydney for the World Group playoff. Stanislas Wawrinka, who lost in the second round at Flushing Meadows, said he has a leg injury but was hopeful of being fit to play.

Raymond-Huber win US Open doubles title

NEW YORK - Lisa Raymond surpassed Billie Jean King as the oldest Grand Slam women's doubles champion Sunday, teaming with Liezel Huber for a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) victory over defending champions Vania King and Yaroslava Shedova in the U.S. Open final. The 38-year-old Raymond won her third U.S. Open doubles championship, the last coming in 2005, when she teamed with Sam Stosur, who defeated Serena Williams for the singles title later Sunday. Billie Jean King was 36 when she won her 16th women's Grand Slam doubles title in 1980 at the U.S. Open. Raymond and Huber saved match point trailing 5-4 in the second set, then got to the third-set tiebreaker. Not surprisingly, Raymond was crediting experience for the comeback. "They were the defending champs and they have two Grand Slams and they've done well, but we have years and years and years of being in finals of Slams, winning the championships, being down breaks in the third set to win or lose a slam," Raymond said. "We relied on our experience and sticking together." After winning a point in the third-set tiebreaker to go ahead 6-2, Huber started celebrating, thinking they had won. Two points later, they actually did, and Huber, who teamed with Nadia Petrova last year, avenged a loss to the King-Shedova team in the 2010 final. The win will propel Huber back to No. 1 in the doubles rankings, a place she's held for 147 weeks, but not since October 2010.

Serena slammed at Open

NEW YORK - Already being outplayed by Sam Stosur in the U.S. Open final, the last thing Serena Williams needed was to lose a game for yelling during a point. That's exactly what happened early in the second set, leading to an argument between Williams and the chair umpire, a scene less ugly than — but reminiscent of — the American's tirade two years ago at the same tournament. In the end, Stosur beat Williams, pulling off a 6-2, 6-3 upset Sunday for her first Grand Slam title. Stosur became the first Australian woman to win a major championship since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980. But the highlight of Stosur's career is likely to be remembered for 13-time major champion Williams' latest dispute with an official at Flushing Meadows. Down one set and facing a break point in the first game of the second, Williams hit a forehand and shouted, "Come on!" as Stosur was swinging at the ball.   Slideshow  

Djokovic rallies past Federer

NEW YORK - Facing two match points against a beloved player whose name is already in the history books, Novak Djokovic clenched his jaw and flashed an ever-so-slight glimpse of a smile. Might as well go down swinging, right? So, he went for it. He turned violently on a 108 mph serve from Roger Federer for a cross-court winner that barely nicked the line. The fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium, ready to explode for a Federer victory, instead found themselves taking a cue from Djokovic — who raised his hands, asking for a little love. About 10 minutes later, those same fans were dancing with Djoko as he boogied at center court to celebrate an epic U.S. Open semifinal win — one in which he dug out of a two-set hole, then saved two match points against Federer for the second straight year. Top-seeded Djokovic won 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 Saturday to improve to 63-2 on the year. This was only his second career comeback from two sets down. Next, he'll face Andy Murray or defending champion Rafael Nadal, who played in the second semifinal, as Djokovic tries to become only the fifth man to win three Grand Slam titles in a year since the start of the Open era. "It was definitely the biggest win of this year, one of the biggest wins of the career under the circumstances," Djokovic said. "Roger was in control, playing better. I switched gears and played much better over three sets."   Slideshow