Tennis News

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FEDERER FENDS OFF ACASUSO

World number one Roger Federer held off a challenge in the second set to defeat Jose Acasuso 6-3 7-5 at the Cincinnati Masters in what was an ideal second-round workout for the Swiss.

Despite Acasuso's relentless attack, it was Federer's all-round game of both defence and attack that saw him triumph in one hour and 10 minutes to earn a tie with David Ferrer.

The game went with serve with Federer cruising on his own delivery - with seven aces in the first four games alone - and it appeared a matter of time before the top seed broke through after playing his opponent around the court.

The Argentinian finally succumbed in the eighth game and the Swiss was imperious, serving out to take the first set.

Federer was gliding through his service games until the sixth when Acasuso had break point for a 4-2 lead but he put the ball into the net and then lost his control, smashing his racket against the ground, as his opponent held.

The match went with serve although in the ninth game a wild shot by Acasuso gave Federer three break points.

The 26-year-old saved them all, then successfully challenged a double-fault ruling before forcing Federer to put the ball into the net.

Federer levelled at 5-5 and then brought up break point by defending from the net as Acasuso attempted to go down the line rather than cross court before the world number 51 went wide for the Swiss to claim a vital break.

The 28-year-old then held to love to complete a win which was never really threatened.

Federer told Sky Sports Xtra: I am very happy, happy to have made the transition from Montreal."

On Ferrer he added: "He is one of the best return players in the game.

"I will have to be careful even though I have a good record against him."

Novak Djokovic was first on Centre Court today and the fourth seed prevailed in a close match against Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.

The pair were closely matched with Djokovic taking the first set 7-5 on the tie-break before he won the second set 6-4 after crucially converting one of his four break points.

The 22-year-old was especially effective on his first serve.

Seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was today's major casualty, going down 7-6 (14-12) 6-2 to qualifier Chris Guccione.

Paul-Henri Matthieu edged out Ivo Karlovic who could not reproduce the form which saw him beat Gael Monfils in the previous round.

The Frenchman triumphed 7-6 (11-9) 6-4 after taking advantage of his one break of serve.

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, of Spain, beat Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 6-3.

Rafael Nadal was made to work for his win over Italy's Andreas Seppi, who forced tie-breaks in both sets of the Spaniard's 7-6(4) 7-6(3) win.

 

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BONDARENKO UPSETS VENUS

Venus Williams has crashed out of the Rodgers Cup in Toronto after a shock 1-6 7-5 6-4 defeat by qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko in the second round.

It all seemed to be going to plan for the number three seed, who had a bye in the first round, when she made light work of the first set.

But Bondarenko broke in the first game of the second and, although Williams broke straight back, the Ukrainian went on to level the match.

Bondarenko broke the five-time Wimbledon champion's serve again in the ninth game of the third set and held on to beat the elder Williams sister for the first time in three meetings.

In the day's other second-round clash, Austria's Samantha Stosur ousted sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in a commanding, if unexpected, 6-4 6-3 win.

In the first round, Kim Clijsters, playing the second tournament of her comeback, saw off Briton Elena Baltacha 6-3 6-4.

The former world number one, who reached the last eight in Cincinnati last week, proved too good for the qualifier.

The Belgian told her Twitter feed: "I played OK tonight, struggled a bit with my rhythm which is normal when I haven't played for two and a half years."

Clijsters will now play Victoria Azarenka, who eased past Shuai Peng 6-3 6-3.

Ana Ivanovic fought back after losing the first set to see off qualifier Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6 6-3 6-2 in just under two hours.

The number 11 seed got off to a poor start but eventually got into her stride to secure herself a second-round meeting with Lucie Safarova, who beat Kaia Kanepi in straight sets 6-4 7-6 (7/3).

Number 16 seed and last year's runner-up Dominika Cibulkova is safely through after she dispatched Sara Errani 6-4 6-2.

Elena Vesnina's service struggles contributed to her crashing out of the tournament 6-3 6-2 to China's Jie Zheng.

The Russian hit eight double faults and only won 33 per cent of points on her serve.

Elsewhere in the first round, Alla Kudryavtseva beat Julie Coin 2-6 6-1 7-6 (8/6) and Shahar Peer saw off Monica Niculescu 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7/4).

Alisa Kleybanova beat Aleksandra Wozniak 6-4 6-4 and 12th seed Flavia Pennetta dispatched Maria Kirilenko by the same score.

 

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SHARAPOVA LOOMS LARGE

Unseeded Maria Sharapova continued her fine form in the Rogers Cup after dumping seventh seed Vera Zvonareva out of the competition to move into the last eight.

Sharapova looks a dangerous prospect in the draw and now has her sights on 14th-seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarter-final.

Sharapova made light work of Zvonareva to win 6-2 7-6(3), while Poland's Radwanska enjoyed a regulation 7-5 6-3 win over qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko.

Serena Williams eased through the third round in Toronto with a simple win over Alona Bondarenko.

The second seed raced through the first set 6-1 before taking the second 6-4 to steam to victory.

Williams is firm favourite to lift the title with top seed Dinara Safina and her sister Venus already out of the competition.

Czech Lucie Safarova awaits in the next stage after she progressed with a 7-6(3) 6-4 triumph over Jie Zheng.

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva also made it through but had to overcome the loss of the second set to Shahar Peer of Israel.

The Russian raced through the first set 6-1 against the world number 68 but then fell apart to lose the second by the same margin.

The decider was far closer, Dementieva eventually winning 6-4 to claim a hard-fought victory after appearing on course for an easy win.

Austrian Samantha Stosur, Dementieva's next opponent, had an easier ride in beating Virginie Razzano 6-3 6-1.

Alisa Kleybanova plays fifth seed Jelena Jankovic in the remaining quarter-final after the Serb ousted Kim Clijsters 1-6 6-3 7-5.

 

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MURRAY ROLLS PAST ALMAGRO

Defending champion Andy Murray moved into the third round of the Cincinnati Masters with a 7-6 (7/3) 6-2 victory over Nicolas Almagro.

The 22-year-old was pushed in the first set as his Spanish opponent produced some fierce hitting but it was the world number two who reacted better to a rain delay and booked a place in the third round against Radek Stepanek.

Murray won the Rogers Cup title in Montreal on Sunday, and leapfrogged Rafael Nadal into the world's top two, with only Roger Federer now ahead of him.

He had played Almagro just once before, the Spaniard victorious that time, and the match began with serves dominant - Murray taking his first three games to love.

Almagro - at 23 a year older than his British opponent - was combining ferocious drives with subtlety when required, and a fine serve out wide gave the Spaniard a 5-4 lead, forcing Murray to serve to stay in the set.

Almagro produced a wonderful angled shot to take a 15-0 lead but then had a couple of unforced errors as Murray levelled at 5-5.

However, with Almagro one point away from a 6-5 lead, play was suspended because of rain before returning after a short delay.

The Spaniard promptly went ahead to force Murray to serve to stay in the set again. He saved a set point as three unanswerable serves brought the match level at 6-6 and into a tie-break.

Almagro put a shot just wide and Murray took a 3-0 lead as his opponent put a shot into the net. From that stage Murray was always one step ahead and he served out to take the first set.

Murray broke Almagro in the second game of the second set and a ferocious passing shot saw the Scot take a 3-0 lead.

The Spaniard's serve started to fall apart but he battled back after Murray failed to capitalise on a break point to hold.

The match then continued on serve and, despite a couple of massive forehands from Almagro, Murray took a 5-2 lead.

A cross-court return saw Murray move to match point which he squandered, but the mistake was reciprocated by Almagro to bring up the Scot's second match point.

The pair traded wild shots and in the end Almagro went long to tie up the second set and overall victory.

Murray told Sky Sports Xtra: "He served great in the first set, he was up at 72-75% on the first serve which is a big serve.

"The second serve is very solid as well so I struggled a bit, the conditions were quick.

"Once I hung in in the first set I felt a lot better on the second."

On meeting Stepanek, Murray added: "He's a tricky player, he serves and volleys a lot and if I return well I've got a good chance.

"He tries to mix things up, he's a very different player to a lot of the guys on the tour.

"You've got to stay focused against him because he tries a few mind games. So I'll try and deal with that."

 

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SAFINA CRASHES OUT IN TORONTO

World number one Dinara Safina suffered a shock defeat by France's Aravane Rezai at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

The Russian won the first set 6-3 but her French opponent hit back to take the next two sets 6-2 6-4.

Top seed Safina was severely hampered by her serve, producing 17 double faults to give the world number 39 victory.

It follows the shock defeat of third seed Venus Williams by Kateryna Bondarenko.

Williams' sister Serena, the event's second seed, easily beat qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 6-2 and fourth seed Elena Dementieva had a regulation 6-3 6-2 win over Japan's Ai Sugiyama.

Jelena Jankovic, ranked fifth, beat Patty Schnyder with a hard-fought 7-5 6-4 victory.

Seventh seed Vera Zvonareva beat Roberta Vinci 6-3 6-3 but number eight seed Caroline Wozniacki went crashing out to Jie Zheng, the Chinese woman winning 7-5 6-3.

A similar fate befell ninth seed Victoria Azarenka, who went down 5-7 6-4 1-6 at the hands of Kim Clijsters, and 11th seed Ana Ivanovic who came out second best in a two-hour plus contest with qualifier Lucie Safarova.

Yet another seed, this time Dominika Cibulkova, the number 16, was defeated in three sets by Alisa Kleybanova, while Virginie Razzano made light work of the number 12 Flavia Pennetta and Shahar Peer ousted Francesca Schiavone.

Agnieszka Radwanska demolished Agnes Szavay 6-1 6-1 and the unseeded Maria Sharapova continued her good form to see off Sybille Bammer 6-3 7-6(5).

Alona Bondarenko gave up only three games on the way to a commanding win over Alla Kudryavtsevza.

 

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MURRAY BREEZES PAST STEPANEK

Andy Murray stepped up a gear to sweep aside 16th seed Radek Stepanek and move closer to a potential semi-final showdown with Roger Federer in the Cincinnati Masters.

The 22-year-old Scot produced a thoroughly convincing display to triumph 6-4 6-1 over the tricky Czech and set up a last-eight clash with Frenchman Julien Benneteau.

And Murray will have been delighted with the manner of his performance in contrast to rival Federer, who was forced to come from a set down to squeeze into the last eight past David Ferrer.

Murray had immediately wrested the advantage over an opponent recently returned from a knee injury, breaking the Czech in his first service game to ease into a 2-0 lead.

Murray's accurate shot-making saw him sail through the first set until he came to serve for the set at 5-3, when Stepanek took more risks and was rewarded when a well-judged sliced backhand down the line earned him the break back.

But Murray hit straight back in the following game, breaking his opponent with an audacious deep lob and, after saving a break point in his opening service game, returning strongly to fashion a 2-0 lead.

As Stepanek faded, the Scot proceeded to hammer home his advantage. Two big returns sandwiched a Stepanek double-fault as Murray double-broke to love for a 4-0 lead.

After saving two break points on his own serve, Murray moved within one game of a convincing win, although gutsy Stepanek delayed the inevitable by saving four match points to reduce the deficit to 5-1.

Murray duly served out for victory and will next fancy his chances against world number 53 Benneteau, whom he beat in four sets in their only previous meeting at Wimbledon in 2006.

Murray told Sky Sports Xtra: "I played one bad game on my serve at 5-3 in the first set. I was up 30-0 then missed maybe five first serves in a row and let him back into the match.

"I hit him with a couple of big returns in the next game to break him. It's so windy out here. We couldn't seem to put the ball away and it's swirling. So I'm just happy I managed to win pretty quickly.

"I just need to keep the run going as long as possible because sometimes it's tough to get your confidence really high. I've been playing well so far and will try to keep it going."

 

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FEDERER FIGHTS BACK

World number one Roger Federer came from one set down to claim victory over David Ferrer and move into the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters.

The number one seed surprisingly lost the first set but he rallied to complete a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory in Ohio and maintain his 100% record against his Spanish opponent.

The Swiss enjoyed more success on his service points although the pair were closer matched than the scoreline suggests.

Andy Murray eased through 6-4 6-1 against Radek Stepanek and will face Julien Benneteau who edged a hard-fought clash with Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Garcia-Lopez, at 53 ranked two places above his opponent, took the first set 6-4 before his French rival hit back to take the second by the same score.

Benneteau then took the deciding tie-break to reach the last eight in a gruelling match lasting more than three hours.

The Frenchman had more success on his serve producing six aces to his rival's four with Garcia-Lopez guilty of five double faults.

 

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MURRAY ROLLS PAST ALMAGRO

Defending champion Andy Murray moved into the third round of the Cincinnati Masters with a 7-6 (7/3) 6-2 victory over Nicolas Almagro.

The 22-year-old was pushed in the first set as his Spanish opponent produced some fierce hitting but it was the world number two who reacted better to a rain delay and booked a place in the third round against Radek Stepanek.

Murray won the Rogers Cup title in Montreal on Sunday, and leapfrogged Rafael Nadal into the world's top two, with only Roger Federer now ahead of him.

He had played Almagro just once before, the Spaniard victorious that time, and the match began with serves dominant - Murray taking his first three games to love.

Almagro - at 23 a year older than his British opponent - was combining ferocious drives with subtlety when required, and a fine serve out wide gave the Spaniard a 5-4 lead, forcing Murray to serve to stay in the set.

Almagro produced a wonderful angled shot to take a 15-0 lead but then had a couple of unforced errors as Murray levelled at 5-5.

However, with Almagro one point away from a 6-5 lead, play was suspended because of rain before returning after a short delay.

The Spaniard promptly went ahead to force Murray to serve to stay in the set again. He saved a set point as three unanswerable serves brought the match level at 6-6 and into a tie-break.

Almagro put a shot just wide and Murray took a 3-0 lead as his opponent put a shot into the net. From that stage Murray was always one step ahead and he served out to take the first set.

Murray broke Almagro in the second game of the second set and a ferocious passing shot saw the Scot take a 3-0 lead.

The Spaniard's serve started to fall apart but he battled back after Murray failed to capitalise on a break point to hold.

The match then continued on serve and, despite a couple of massive forehands from Almagro, Murray took a 5-2 lead.

A cross-court return saw Murray move to match point which he squandered, but the mistake was reciprocated by Almagro to bring up the Scot's second match point.

The pair traded wild shots and in the end Almagro went long to tie up the second set and overall victory.

Murray told Sky Sports Xtra: "He served great in the first set, he was up at 72-75% on the first serve which is a big serve.

"The second serve is very solid as well so I struggled a bit, the conditions were quick.

"Once I hung in in the first set I felt a lot better on the second."

On meeting Stepanek, Murray added: "He's a tricky player, he serves and volleys a lot and if I return well I've got a good chance.

"He tries to mix things up, he's a very different player to a lot of the guys on the tour.

"You've got to stay focused against him because he tries a few mind games. So I'll try and deal with that."

 

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SAFINA CRASHES OUT IN TORONTO

World number one Dinara Safina suffered a shock defeat by France's Aravane Rezai at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

The Russian won the first set 6-3 but her French opponent hit back to take the next two sets 6-2 6-4.

Top seed Safina was severely hampered by her serve, producing 17 double faults to give the world number 39 victory.

It follows the shock defeat of third seed Venus Williams by Kateryna Bondarenko.

Williams' sister Serena, the event's second seed, easily beat qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 6-2 and fourth seed Elena Dementieva had a regulation 6-3 6-2 win over Japan's Ai Sugiyama.

Jelena Jankovic, ranked fifth, beat Patty Schnyder with a hard-fought 7-5 6-4 victory.

Seventh seed Vera Zvonareva beat Roberta Vinci 6-3 6-3 but number eight seed Caroline Wozniacki went crashing out to Jie Zheng, the Chinese woman winning 7-5 6-3.

A similar fate befell ninth seed Victoria Azarenka, who went down 5-7 6-4 1-6 at the hands of Kim Clijsters, and 11th seed Ana Ivanovic who came out second best in a two-hour plus contest with qualifier Lucie Safarova.

Yet another seed, this time Dominika Cibulkova, the number 16, was defeated in three sets by Alisa Kleybanova, while Virginie Razzano made light work of the number 12 Flavia Pennetta and Shahar Peer ousted Francesca Schiavone.

Agnieszka Radwanska demolished Agnes Szavay 6-1 6-1 and the unseeded Maria Sharapova continued her good form to see off Sybille Bammer 6-3 7-6(5).

Alona Bondarenko gave up only three games on the way to a commanding win over Alla Kudryavtsevza.

 

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SHARAPOVA LOOMS LARGE

Unseeded Maria Sharapova continued her fine form in the Rogers Cup after dumping seventh seed Vera Zvonareva out of the competition to move into the last eight.

Sharapova looks a dangerous prospect in the draw and now has her sights on 14th-seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarter-final.

Sharapova made light work of Zvonareva to win 6-2 7-6(3), while Poland's Radwanska enjoyed a regulation 7-5 6-3 win over qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko.

Serena Williams eased through the third round in Toronto with a simple win over Alona Bondarenko.

The second seed raced through the first set 6-1 before taking the second 6-4 to steam to victory.

Williams is firm favourite to lift the title with top seed Dinara Safina and her sister Venus already out of the competition.

Czech Lucie Safarova awaits in the next stage after she progressed with a 7-6(3) 6-4 triumph over Jie Zheng.

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva also made it through but had to overcome the loss of the second set to Shahar Peer of Israel.

The Russian raced through the first set 6-1 against the world number 68 but then fell apart to lose the second by the same margin.

The decider was far closer, Dementieva eventually winning 6-4 to claim a hard-fought victory after appearing on course for an easy win.

Austrian Samantha Stosur, Dementieva's next opponent, had an easier ride in beating Virginie Razzano 6-3 6-1.

Alisa Kleybanova plays fifth seed Jelena Jankovic in the remaining quarter-final after the Serb ousted Kim Clijsters 1-6 6-3 7-5.

 

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MURRAY BREEZES PAST STEPANEK

Andy Murray stepped up a gear to sweep aside 16th seed Radek Stepanek and move closer to a potential semi-final showdown with Roger Federer in the Cincinnati Masters.

The 22-year-old Scot produced a thoroughly convincing display to triumph 6-4 6-1 over the tricky Czech and set up a last-eight clash with Frenchman Julien Benneteau.

And Murray will have been delighted with the manner of his performance in contrast to rival Federer, who was forced to come from a set down to squeeze into the last eight past David Ferrer.

Murray had immediately wrested the advantage over an opponent recently returned from a knee injury, breaking the Czech in his first service game to ease into a 2-0 lead.

Murray's accurate shot-making saw him sail through the first set until he came to serve for the set at 5-3, when Stepanek took more risks and was rewarded when a well-judged sliced backhand down the line earned him the break back.

But Murray hit straight back in the following game, breaking his opponent with an audacious deep lob and, after saving a break point in his opening service game, returning strongly to fashion a 2-0 lead.

As Stepanek faded, the Scot proceeded to hammer home his advantage. Two big returns sandwiched a Stepanek double-fault as Murray double-broke to love for a 4-0 lead.

After saving two break points on his own serve, Murray moved within one game of a convincing win, although gutsy Stepanek delayed the inevitable by saving four match points to reduce the deficit to 5-1.

Murray duly served out for victory and will next fancy his chances against world number 53 Benneteau, whom he beat in four sets in their only previous meeting at Wimbledon in 2006.

Murray told Sky Sports Xtra: "I played one bad game on my serve at 5-3 in the first set. I was up 30-0 then missed maybe five first serves in a row and let him back into the match.

"I hit him with a couple of big returns in the next game to break him. It's so windy out here. We couldn't seem to put the ball away and it's swirling. So I'm just happy I managed to win pretty quickly.

"I just need to keep the run going as long as possible because sometimes it's tough to get your confidence really high. I've been playing well so far and will try to keep it going."

 

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MURRAY BOOKS PLACE IN TOUR FINALS

Andy Murray has become the third singles player to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London in November after reaching the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters.

The Scot, who this week rose to number two in the world, will take on France's Julien Benneteau tonight as he bids to retain his title.

World number one Roger Federer and Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal had already qualified for the eight-man event, which takes place at the O2 Arena from November 22-29.

Murray beat Federer in the group stages on his debut last year when the tournament was held in Shanghai before losing to Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed the best season of his career so far, winning five titles, including his fourth Masters title in Montreal last week, and reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals.

He said: "It's great (to qualify). Obviously with it being in the UK this year, it's big for me.

"I think qualifying is a goal for all the players. I think it shows you've had a very solid year and I look forward to playing."

Murray, who will seek his first grand slam crown when the US Open begins on August 31, believes he could be battling Federer for the world number one spot when the players take to the court at the O2.

"I think there could be a battle for the number one in the world," he said. "That's what everybody hopes for.

"This year the Tour is very tough and it's tight at the top. Hopefully that's what we'll get to see."

 

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DEMENTIEVA INTO LAST FOUR

Russia's Elena Dementieva dropped the first set but fought back to claim a place in the Rogers Cup semi-finals at the expense of Sam Stosur.

Stosur went in front after taking the opener on a tie-break, however Dementieva's performance improved and the world number five levelled the match before completing a 6-7 (3/7) 6-1 6-3 victory.

There were eight breaks of serve in the opening set - four to each player - but Dementieva only relinquished serve once more in the match as she booked a showdown with either Czech player Lucie Safarova or American Serena Williams.

 

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WILLIAMS CRUISES INTO SEMIS

Serena Williams continued to steamroller the opposition at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, easing her way into the semi-finals.

Williams, favourite to lift the trophy in the absence of sister Venus and ousted number one seed Dinara Safina, brushed Czech Lucie Safarova aside 6-3 6-2 in under an hour to reach the final four.

Second seed Williams will now face Russian Elena Dementieva, ranked fourth in the tournament.

Dementieva dropped the first set but fought back to claim a semi-final berth at the expense of Sam Stosur.

Stosur went in front after taking the opener on a tie-break, however Dementieva's performance improved and the world number five levelled the match before completing a (3)6-7 6-1 6-3 victory.

There were eight breaks of serve in the opening set - four to each player - but Dementieva only relinquished serve once more in the match as she closed out the win.

There was a surprise result in the other half of the draw, where unseeded Alisa Kleybanova bested fifth seed Jelena Jankovic.

The Russian defeated her Serbian opponent (6)6-7 7-6(7) 6-2 to book a meeting with Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova continued her ominous form, despite coming into the event unseeded, to despatch 14th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 7-6(5).

After coasting the first set, Sharapova initially fell a break behind in the second but rallied to first draw level then close out the tie-break.

 

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MURRAY HANDED FEDERER LESSON

Defending champion Andy Murray crashed out of the Cincinnati Masters after being given a tennis master class by rival Roger Federer in the semi-final.

Federer won 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) to set-up a final against Novak Djokovic, who upset the odds to defeat Rafael Nadal.

Murray failed to get his game together in a first set which lasted just 30 minutes and while he provided stiffer resistance in the second set, failing to take two set points, Federer was in excellent form.

The Scot had come from behind in four of his six victories over Federer but was unable to unsettle the Swiss ace this time.

It was a faultless performance from Federer, who was pleased to have closed the game out against the Briton.

"Matches against Andy have been similar when I win the first set and then lose my edge in the second set and it is hard to get back into the match," Federer told Sky Sports Xtra.

"Today I was able to close him out even though it was very tight to the end. I deserve it and went after my shots. I was not scare or worried to go after them and so I am very happy. It all paid off.

"I was able to raise my game and I hope I can go all the way tomorrow."

 

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MURRAY KEEN TO FEATURE IN DAVIS CUP

Andy Murray has pledged his commitment to Great Britain's Davis Cup team ahead of next month's crucial tie against Poland.

Should Britain lose the match at Liverpool's Echo Arena, they will be relegated to Group II of the Euro/Africa Zone, which includes the likes of Monaco, Egypt, Lithuania and Ireland.

That is a horrifying prospect for Britain, who were condemned to the play-off against Poland after being thrashed 4-1 by Ukraine in Glasgow but have aspirations of reaching the elite World Group.

Murray withdrew from the Ukraine match with a virus, and previously his commitment to Davis Cup has been questioned, which the Scot has described as "unfair".

Without Murray, captain John Lloyd has accepted Britain will continue to struggle, but Murray intends to be in Liverpool for the three-day match which starts on September 18.

Murray insisted: "I always want to play Davis Cup if it's possible and if I feel fresh and 100% fit I will be there and try to help the team because we are not in the best position right now."

The tie follows the US Open in New York, which begins on August 31 and is the tournament where Murray made his grand slam breakthrough 12 months ago, reaching the final.

This year he hopes to go one better and win his first major, having again gone close at Wimbledon where he reached the semi-finals.

"That's my goal - to win a grand slam and try my best to do it," Murray told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

"But it's a very tough thing to do. Winning tournaments is the most important. I am feeling more and more confident."

Roger Federer beat Murray in the Flushing Meadows final last year - and after losing four straight matches to Murray since that triumph, Federer sank the British number one in the Cincinnati Masters semi-finals on Saturday.

Murray believes he has a grasp on what it takes to win one of his sport's top prizes.

"I needed to get better to win a slam," he said. "I got to the final and I was not good enough."

By climbing to second place in the world rankings, Murray has raised his profile and in turn expectations of him have also shot up.

He is thrilled to have overtaken Rafael Nadal, with only Federer now in front of him.

"I think it's a very, very good achievement with the quality of players around just now," Murray said.

"I believe that Federer and Nadal are the two best players ever so to be in front of one of them is great."

 

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NADIA PETROVA OUT OF PILOT PEN

Anna Chakvetadze sprung the first major surprise in the first round of the Pilot Pen tournament in Connecticut, ousting fourth seed Nadia Petrova.

Petrova started in the most emphatic fashion, taking the first set against her unseeded Russian compatriot 6-0.

But Chakvetadze hit back to take the next two sets, 7-6(4) 6-4 to progress.

Sybille Bammer is also through in the women's draw, beating Spain's Anabel Medina Garragues 7-5 6-4, as is Alona Bondarenko, who saw off Meghann Shaughnessy 4-6 6-3 7-5.

In the men's first round American Taylor Dent surprised Ivan Ljubicic to make the next stage.

Dent, the world number 202 eased his way past the Croat 6-3 6-4.

Paul Capdeville beat Jarko Nieminen 7-5 6-3, Leonardo Mayer bested Denis Istomin 6-2 6-4 and Florent Serra 6-3 6-3.

Janko Tipsarevic is through after Fabio Fognini forced retirement and Marc Gicquel is through having cruised past Martin Vassallo Arguello.

 

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ELENA DEMENTIEVA TAKES ROGERS CUP

Elena Dementieva held her nerve in an error-strewn Rogers Cup final to defeat fellow Russian Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-3 in Toronto.

Sharapova was playing in her first final since coming back from a 10-month lay-off due to a shoulder injury, but struggled with her service to concede the first set.

The three-time Grand Slam winner could not find any rhythm sending down nine double faults in an opening set during which she was broken in four of her five service games.

Fourth seed Dementieva, who had raced out to a 4-1 lead, was hardly much better herself as she twice was broken to give Sharapova some hope at 5-4.

It was, however, not much of a surprise when Sharapova passed up the chance to go level on her own serve, as she was broken to hand Dementieva the first set.

Dementieva had beaten favourite Serena Williams in their semi-final to book her place in today's final and she started to show signs of that form in the second set as both players traded service games.

Dementieva led 3-2 in the set when she got the decisive break on Sharapova, who was now serving better, but it was not enough as Dementieva held her nerve to win on her third match point.

The victory was Dementieva's third WTA Tour title of the year.

 

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FEDERER OVERPOWERS DJOKOVIC

Roger Federer claimed his third Cincinnati Masters title with a 6-1 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.

Federer, who beat defending champion Andy Murray 6-2 7-6 (10/8) in the semi-finals, confirmed his status as heavy favourite for the US Open with an outstanding performance.

It was his 16th Masters Series title - his first as a father - and apart from Djokovic's fightback early in the second set he was never troubled.

The world number one and defending Wimbledon, French and US Open champion took his total career prize money to US dollars 50million with today's triumph.

Federer, seeking to become the fourth player to win at least three titles in Cincinnati in the Open era, hardly broke sweat as he put Djokovic to the sword in the opening set.

However, he encountered far stiffer resistance early in the second set as Djokovic raced into a 3-0 lead, breaking in the second game.

But the Swiss halted the fightback dead in its tracks by rattling off three successive winning games to level 3-3.

At 5-5 Djokovic was refusing to raise the white flag but was clearly running out of ideas, producing a poorly executed drop-shot to give his opponent advantage and then the game when he fired long.

Serving for the match, Federer did not drop a single point to complete the perfect warm-up for the US Open which begins a week tomorrow.

"The whole week has been great to me. Congratulations to Novak, he had a great tournament," Federer told Sky Sports.

"I had twin girls a month ago. It's been an unbelievable summer for me - in my personal life and on the tennis court.

"I couldn't be more happy right now. I didn't know if I'd be able to play here because of Myla and Charlene.

"Thanks to them coming earlier - it was good timing! I look forward to coming back here next year."

 

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DAVYDENKO SURVIVES TEST

The top two seeds in the men's draw at the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven progressed into the third round today - although it was far from easy for Nikolay Davydenko.

The number one seed was pushed all the way by American Robbie Kendrick in the first set, needing a marathon tie-break to move ahead.

He finally won it 12-10, before breaking in game eight of the second set to seal a 7-6 (12/10) 6-3 win.

Things were a little easier for second seed Fernando Verdasco, who cruised to a 6-0 6-3 win over Paul Capdeville.

His fellow Spaniard, and third seed, Tommy Robredo became the highest-profile casualty so far when he was beaten 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7/5) by Jose Acasuso.

Robredo seemed set for a comfortable night when he claimed the first set with a pair of breaks but Acasuso secured the crucial break in the second before a seesaw third set went to a tie-break, which the Argentinian won.

Elsewhere, there were wins for the seventh and eighth seeds, Igor Andreev and Victor Hanescu - the latter needing three sets to get past Janko Tipsarevic - but ninth seed Nicolas Almagro was downed by Bjorn Phau of Germany.

Jurgen Melzer progressed when his opponent, Pablo Cuevas, withdrew, while Igor Kunitsyn and Fabrice Santoro were also second-round winners.

Twelfth and 13th seeds Philipp Petzschner and Andreas Beck lost to Frederico Gil and Simone Bolelli respectively, while Yen-hsun Lu saw off Andreas Seppi and Leonardo Mayer beat Olivier Rochus.

In the women's draw, there second-round wins for Amelie Mauresmo and Anna Chakvetadze.

Eighth-seeded Frenchwoman Mauresmo strolled past Alona Bondarenko 6-1 6-1, while the Russian saw off Sybille Bammer 4-6 6-4 7-5.

Third seed Flavia Pennetta was in first-round action, beating Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-1 6-2, while sixth seed Marion Bartoli and Samantha Stosur also reached the second round.