Tennis News

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SAFINA SCRAMBLES THROUGH

World number one Dinara Safina has reached the third round of the Cincinnati Open but only after narrowly avoiding a shock defeat against Roberta Vinci.

The Russian had to pick herself up off the floor against an opponent ranked 45 places below her in the world and eventually scrambled through with a 2-6 7-5 6-4 victory.

Safina started poorly and was spraying the ball everywhere in the match's early stages, Vinci taking advantage to lead by a set and 3-0.

After being pegged back to 3-3 in the second set, Vinci broke to lead 5-4 but, serving for the match, her nerve failed her.

The Italian could not serve out and Safina fought back to snatch the set before recovering from a break down in the decider.

There was better news for another Italian, 14th seed Flavia Pennetta, who followed up her tournament win in Los Angeles last weekend with a 6-2 6-3 first-round victory over Japan's Ayumi Morita.

Also in the first round, Daniela Hantuchova recovered from a slow start to beat Italy's Sara Errani 3-6 6-3 6-1 in a match that lasted more than two-and-a-half hours.

Later on Tuesday, third seed Venus Williams plays Olga Govortsova of Belarus for a place in the third round.

 

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VENUS THROUGH IN CINCINNATI

Venus Williams made easy progress into the third round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati.

The world number three, who was a losing finalist last time out at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford in California, had no problems against Olga Govortsova as she came through comfortably 6-2 6-2.

World number one and top seed Dinara Safina came through her match against Roberta Vinci of Italy 2-6 7-5 6-4, but fellow Russian and 10th seed Nadia Petrova was not so lucky.

Petrova, ranked 10th in the world, lost in straight sets to Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-2 6-3.

Sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was given a tough test by Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic but eventually emerged victorious 6-3 6-7 (2/7) 7-6 (7/4) in a match which lasted two hours and 18 minutes.

Thirteenth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland made short work of Japan's Ai Sugiyama, prevailing 6-2 6-1 and Flavia Pennetta, 14th seed in Ohio and winner of the tour event in Los Angeles at the weekend, overcame Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita 6-2 6-3.

Fifteenth seed Dominika Cibulkova tumbled out in the first round to Peng Shuai 6-2 6-1 while Agnes Szavay and Alisa Kleybanova are both through to the second round thanks to victories over Urszula Radwanska and Aravane Rezai.

 

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MURRAY LOOKS TO GO A LONG WAY

Andy Murray is hoping for an extended run at the Rogers Cup in Montreal as he steps up his preparations for the US Open.

The world number three cruised into the third round of the hard court tournament with a 6-4 6-2 win over Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday in his first match since losing to Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

The Scot wrapped up victory in his first meeting with the Frenchman in one hour 34 minutes to set up a third-round match with Juan Carlos Ferrero or Gael Monfils.

Service breaks in the opening games of each set paved the way for the Scot.

"I was looking forward to it (getting back playing after a long lay-off)," he said on Sky Sports Xtra.

"The one thing I wanted from this tournament was to play a lot of matches, three of four to get back into the swing of things."

Murray will be hoping to go one better than his runner-up finish last year when the US Open begins on August 31.

And the Scot got his build-up off to the best possible start yesterday when a cross-court backhand which Chardy could only return wide handed him a break.

He passed up more break chances at 4-2 ahead but they did not prove costly as a love service game saw him take the set 6-4.

Two more breaks followed in the second set as Chardy found Murray too strong.

"I just had to try and stay solid and force him into some errors," said Murray afterwards.

Murray could move up to second in the rankings, ahead of Rafael Nadal, if the Spaniard loses his second-round game and the Scot makes the last four.

That prospect, though, is not at the forefront of his mind.

He added: "I want to try and improve my ranking as much as possible and when I've got the opportunity I would like to do it, but it's kind of in the back of my mind. I'm not thinking about it too much.

"Rafa's missed three months of the tour. If I do overtake him it's not like I've been playing so much better than him."

 

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RODDICK GETS THE BREAKS

American Andy Roddick had to dig deep to see off the challenge of Fernando Verdasco to progress to the quarter-finals of the Montreal Masters.

The world number five required two tie-breaks to see off his 10th-ranked opponent, eventually prevailing 7-6 (7/2) 4-6 7-6 (7/5).

In a match that lasted two hours and 37 minutes, Roddick's normally impenetrable serve was broken twice, first in the 10th game of the second set to pull Verdasco level in the match, and again when Roddick was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third.

Roddick held his nerve in the subsequent tie-break, however, to set up a last-eight encounter with world number four Novak Djokovic at the outdoor hard-court event.

The Serbian had earlier become the first player to qualify for the quarter-finals when he ousted Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, ranked 29th, 6-3 6-4.

Sixth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro also progressed as he defeated Victor Hanescu of Romania 3-6 6-3 6-4.

 

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BAMMER HAMMERS WILLIAMS

Sybille Bammer caused a shock on Thursday by knocking world number two Serena Williams out of the Western & Southern Financial Open in Cincinnati.

The 29-year-old Austrian, who put out 13th seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round, secured a 7-5 6-4 win and will now face fifth seed Jelena Jankovic in the quarter-finals.

The Serb eliminated ninth seed Victoria Azarenka 7-5 7-6 (7/4).

It was a bad day all round for the Williams sisters, as third seed Venus lost to in-form Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (7/2) 6-4. The Italian is up against Daniela Hantuchova next after the Slovakian upset seventh seed Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (8/6) 0-6 7-6 (7/5).

Wild card entrant Kim Clijsters, playing in her first tournament for more than two years after taking time out from the sport, is also into the last eight after knocking out sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 4-6 6-2.

Clijsters will now face world number one Dinara Safina in the quarter-finals after the Russian beat Chinese player Peng Shuai 6-3 6-4.

The final last-eight clash will feature fourth seed Elena Dementieva against eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki after they won their third-round clashes against Sorana Cirstea and Melinda Czink respectively.

 

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VENUS OUT AFTER DISMAL DISPLAY

Venus Williams admitted she was not able to find any form as she lost 7-6 (7/2) 6-4 to Flavia Pennetta in the third round of the Cincinnati Open.

The five-time Wimbledon winner made a string of unforced errors and struggled with her serve as she went out of the Western & Southern Financial Group Open to the 14th-seeded Italian.

Williams, seeded third at the event, acknowledged it was a poor performance and that she made it easy for her opponent.

"I wasn't able to get control of my ball today," she said.

"After a while, it was obvious to see she was just keeping the ball in play and waiting for me to self-destruct."

Pennetta went into the match on the back of winning the LA Championships on Sunday and she feels her success this week has given her a mental boost.

"My confidence now - it's perfect, you know," she said.

"It's always (perfect) when you win a lot of matches like this. You believe more in yourself. When I got on the court today, I was just believing in myself."

Kim Clijsters, meanwhile, continued to impress on her comeback as she beat French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 4-6 6-2.

The 26-year-old Belgian former world number one is back in the game after a two-year absence.

And, while she struggled with her serve at times and lost the second set, she finished on a high against the sixth seed.

"My mindset was really good," she said.

"I feel really good after this match. It's not that I feel tired or drained or anything, just a few little aches and pains from getting back into playing matches."

She added: "There are patches where my level is really good then I have a few dips."

 

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MURRAY RACES PAST FERRERO

Andy Murray's bid to climb to second place in the world rankings continued apace with a comprehensive straight-sets win over Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Montreal Masters.

The Scot rarely look troubled in testing hot conditions as he raced to a 6-1 6-3 victory against the former world number one to book his place in the quarter-finals.

Murray broke in the first Ferrero service game of the match and forced a second in the sixth before wrapping up the opening set with a thumping ace.

Former world number one Ferrero, who beat Gael Monfils to reach the last-16 stage, received more of the same punishment at the start of the second set, Murray converting his second break point chance before holding the rest of the way to take victory in one hour and 17 minutes.

"I've had two good wins and I knew it would be tough but I played well," Murray told Sky Sports.

"This is my best surface. I can swing more freely at the ball as it sits up at a nice height. I felt confident.

"I'm hitting the ball really well from the back of the court."

Murray's victory sets up a last-eight encounter with Nikolay Davydenko after he beat Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (7/2) 7-5.

 

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FEDERER SINKS WAWRINKA

World number one Roger Federer completed a mouth-watering quarter-final line-up at the Rogers Cup with a straight-sets win over fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in Montreal on Thursday.

Federer, playing in his first tour event since regaining his Wimbledon crown and becoming a dad to twin daughters, came through 6-3 7-6 and will next face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, also ensuring that the last eight is occupied by the top eight seeds.

Frenchman Tsonga, seeded seventh, proved too good for compatriot Gilles Simon and prevailed in straight sets, 6-3 6-3.

Rafael Nadal completed the first full match of his comeback from a knee injury lay-off to beat German Philipp Petzschner 6-2 6-3.

The Majorcan's first match ended prematurely on Wednesday, with David Ferrer limping off with a leg injury in their second-round clash after seven games of the first set.

Nadal will next face sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro, who defeated Victor Hanescu of Romania 3-6 6-3 6-4.

American Andy Roddick had to dig deep to see off the challenge of Fernando Verdasco to progress to the quarter-finals.

The world number five required two tie-breaks to see off his 10th-ranked opponent, eventually prevailing 7-6 (7/2) 4-6 7-6 (7/5).

In a match that lasted two hours and 37 minutes, Roddick's normally impenetrable serve was broken twice, first in the 10th game of the second set to pull Verdasco level in the match, and again when Roddick was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third.

Roddick held his nerve in the subsequent tie-break, however, to set up a last-eight encounter with world number four Novak Djokovic at the outdoor hard-court event.

The Serbian had earlier become the first player to qualify for the quarter-finals when he ousted Russia's Mikhail Youzhny, ranked 29th, 6-3 6-4.

Andy Murray's bid to climb to second place in the world rankings continued apace with a comprehensive straight-sets win over Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The Scot rarely looked troubled in testing, hot conditions as he raced to a 6-1 6-3 against the former world number one to book his place in the quarter-finals.

Murray broke in the first Ferrero service game of the match and forced a second break in the sixth before wrapping up the opening set with a thumping ace.

Former world number one Ferrero, who beat Gael Monfils to reach the last-16 stage, received more of the same punishment at the start of the second set, Murray converting his second break-point chance before holding the rest of the way to take victory in one hour and 17 minutes. Murray will now face Nikolay Davydenko in the last eight after the Russian beat Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 7-6 (7/2) 7-5.

 

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MURRAY EYES RANKINGS CLIMB

Andy Murray will become the new world number two if he beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga today.

Defeat for Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, means the British star has a chance to leapfrog the reigning Australian Open champion in the ATP rankings by beating Tsonga.

If he does beat the Frenchman, Murray will become the first player other than Nadal and Roger Federer to be ranked in the world's top two since July 2005 when Lleyton Hewitt held the second spot.

Murray moved into the last four with a 6-2 6-4 win over Nikolay Davydenko on Friday, while Nadal went down 7-6 6-1 to Juan Martin Del Potro.

Russian Davydenko came into the contest on a 12-match winning streak, but that run came to an abrupt end as the current world number three claimed victory in one hour and 21 minutes.

This is the first tournament Murray has played since losing to Andy Roddick in the semi-finals at Wimbledon at the start of July and the Scot feels he is benefiting from the time off.

"A lot of the higher-ranked players took a break after Wimbledon and I think you need that," Murray told Sky Sports.

"It's tough to just keep playing week-in, week-out and I think all of us came in fresh and pretty hungry.

"I said at the start of the week there might be some surprises but that shows how much I know about tennis."

The quarter-final line-up in Montreal featured the top eight players in the world.

Frenchman Tsonga did upset the odds though, with victory over world number one Roger Federer in a thrilling contest.

The seventh seed looked down and out when he trailed 5-1 in the deciding set, but battled back to win 7-6 (7/5) 1-6 7-6 (7/3) in two hours and 19 minutes.

Earlier, Murray capitalised on the catalogue of errors made by Davydenko to record a comfortable win despite not being at his best.

He converted all four of his break points against the Russian, the last in the final game of the match when Davydenko went long with yet another unforced error.

The Scot dropped his serve once in the opening set, but that was to prove the only impact his opponent made.

# Murray plays Tsonga at 2000 BST on Saturday and you can follow the match with our live point-by-point updates.

 

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NADAL SUFFERS MONTREAL SETBACK

Rafael Nadal's stay in Montreal ended earlier than he would have hoped as Juan Martin Del Potro eliminated him at the quarter-final stage of the Rogers Cup on Friday night.

Nadal was playing in his first tournament after more than two months on the sidelines with a knee injury, during which time he has seen Roger Federer snatch away both his Wimbledon crown and his status as world number one.

His 7-6 (7/5) 6-1 defeat to Del Potro means things could get even worse for Nadal - he will lost his number two ranking to Andy Murray if the Briton wins his semi-final on Saturday.

The Argentinian Del Potro, seeded sixth, spurned a first opportunity to take the opening set at 5-4 when he dumped a backhand into the net. However, he was not to be denied and prevailed in the tie-break.

He claimed two breaks to go 3-0 up in the second set and took it 6-1 by claiming a third break of the Spaniard's serve, the match ending as Nadal, looking a shadow of his usual self and clearly still some way short of his 'A' game, sent a two-handed forehand wide.

Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick will be Del Potro's semi-final opponent after he beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-6 (7/4).

 

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MONTREAL MAGIC FOR MURRAY

Andy Murray moved into the final of the Rogers Cup and leapt up to second in the world rankings after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Montreal.

Murray, who now sits above Rafael Nadal and behind only Roger Federer in the world pecking order, was too strong for the Frenchman, who beat Federer in the last eight.

Tsonga pushed him hard but the Scot always seemed to have something in reserve at the key moments as he claimed a 6-4 7-6 (10/8) victory.

Murray will now meet Juan Martin Del Potro in Sunday's final after the Argentine edged out Andy Roddick 4-6 6-2 7-5, fighting back from match point down.

A tight start was broken open when an outrageous netcord helped Murray to break for a 3-1 lead.

Tsonga threatened an immediate response but wasted three break points as Murray held on.

Murray served for the set at 5-3 but was unable to get the job done as Tsonga hit back to frustrate the Scot.

But he then wasted all his hard work by gifting Murray two break point chances with Murray taking the second - and the set - with a winning cross-court forehand.

Tsonga improved on serve in the second set but he continued to make little impression on the Murray delivery.

Last year's US Open runner-up cranked up the pressure in the eighth game but could not convert either of two break point opportunities.

It went to a tie-break with Tsonga claiming a mini-break for a 3-2 lead which he then squandered by netting a drop shot.

Another mini-break gave him a 5-4 lead and the chance to serve out the set. But again Murray hit back and although he had to save a set point, a netted backhand from Tsonga gave Murray his first match point which the Frenchman staved off with a clever drop volley, lob volley combination.

Tsonga wasted another set point before Murray clinched the match with a wonderful return which his opponent could not scoop back over the net.

Murray failed afterwards to hide his delight at rising to number two in the world.

He told Sky Sports: "To get past Rafa is incredible. Roger and Rafa have shared the one and two ranking for the last five years. They are so consistent and I didn't know if I was ever going to get there.

"Just one more to go now."

Murray was pleased with his victory over Tsonga, whose powerful game makes him a dangerous opponent.

He added: "It's difficult to play him, he dictates everything.

"He hits huge forehands, drop shots and has good feel.

"You just try to stay solid and he came up with a few errors at the end."

In the second semi, Del Potro responded well to losing the first set, claiming a break in the first game in the second en route to levelling the match.

Roddick had match point on the Del Potro serve at 5-4 in the decider but sent a forehand return wide, and the South American seized the initiative to come back and win the match.

 

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JANKOVIC SINKS SAFINA

Jelena Jankovic toppled world number one Dinara Safina to claim her second WTA Tour title of the season in Cincinnati.

The fifth seed capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Safina to claim the Western and Southern Financial Group Open, winning the final 6-4 6-2.

After Jankovic had taken the first set courtesy of the only break of serve, the Serb gave her fans a scare when she called for the trainer.

However, although Safina tried to dig deep and hit back, her serve was letting her down - she would finish the match having won only 42 per cent of points behind her own delivery.

Jankovic broke the Safina serve three times in the second set as she pressed on for a victory which leaves her in good shape ahead of the US Open, which begins on August 31.

 

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MURRAY CLAIMS MONTREAL TITLE

Andy Murray fought back brilliantly to beat big-hitting Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro in the final of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

The Scot looked set for defeat after Del Potro took the first set, the first Murray had lost all week.

Del Potro continued to look formidable, and his heavy forehands were proving devastating, but his level dropped once Murray won the second set tie-break, and the man who will be confirmed as the new world number two on Monday completed a 6-7 (4/7) 7-6 (7/3) 6-1 victory.

It gave him a fifth title of 2009, matching Rafael Nadal for most tournament victories.

Twelve months ago there might have been tension between the pair, following an incident in Rome where Murray accused Del Potro of insulting his mother, Judy.

However, they resolved their differences after Murray beat Del Potro in the US Open quarter-finals last September, so this was simply a showdown between two outstanding hardcourt players, and it proved a memorable occasion.

Del Potro had knocked out Nadal in the quarter-finals, proving too strong for the Spaniard who was playing competitively for the first time since relinquishing his French Open title in Paris back in early June.

He had then eliminated Andy Roddick in the last four, to stretch his winning streak to 10 matches, after winning in Washington DC last week.

Del Potro took the first set on a tie-break, after neither player dropped serve. He claimed a vital mini-break on the ninth point of the tie-break, and served out.

Murray broke the Del Potro serve in the opening game of the second set, but the advantage did not last long. Del Potro broke back immediately, and then held serve.

The way he swatted away a difficult cross-court forehand to win the fifth game of the set was indicative of his confidence. But the set remained on serve, and it was not so easy to sway Murray away.

Another tie-break loomed and, after an early exchange of mini-breaks, Murray took charge of it to level the match.

With Del Potro struggling physically, Murray dominated the opening four games of the deciding set, winning each of them, before Del Potro, who had looked a beaten man, hit back briefly by breaking Murray to 15.

The fightback was short-lived though, as Murray won the next two games to complete a fine victory, and improve his record against Del Potro to four wins in five meetings.

Murray moves on to Cincinnati this week with his game looking in good shape ahead of the US Open which begins on August 31.

Del Potro, meanwhile, was left to reflect on what might have been.

He said: "I felt I had my chances in the second-set tie-break and I didn't take them.

"Andy is a good player. I think he's a very good winner of this tournament."

"I'd never played a final in a Masters - this tournament and everything, it's so good for me and for my future. I'm very happy to be in the final. I lost, but I'm happy."

 

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MURRAY HITTING GRAND SLAM STRIDE

In-form Andy Murray rates his chances of going one better than last year at the forthcoming US Open but insists defending his Cincinnati Masters title this week is foremost in his mind at the moment.

Murray enjoyed a fantastic week in Montreal, winning the Rogers Cup with a come-from-behind victory over Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday's final while also overtaking Rafael Nadal to become world number two.

The 22-year-old Scot won in Cincinnati last year en route to his best performance in a Grand Slam event to date, reaching the final of the US Open at Flushing Meadows only to lose to world number one Roger Federer.

A repeat this week in Ohio would tee Murray up beautifully for New York, and with Nadal still regaining fitness following a knee injury, he knows he will be among the favourites to win his first major title.

"I feel like I've got a good chance of doing well at the US Open, but each week is a different week, and I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself. I'll just focus on Cincinnati," Murray told the ATP website.

Murray considered breaking the duopoly of Federer and Nadal a bigger achievement than winning in Montreal, though he clearly enjoyed his success in Canada.

"I've won a couple of Masters now, so it still feels great, but the number two - maybe because it's something different - that means maybe a little bit more, but winning a tournament here is still great," he added.

Murray fought back brilliantly to beat big-hitting Argentinian Del Potro.

The Scot looked set for defeat after Del Potro took the first set, the first Murray had lost all week.

Del Potro continued to look formidable, and his heavy forehands were proving devastating, but his level dropped once Murray won the second set tie-break, and the man from Dunblane completed a 6-7 (7/4) 7-6 (7/3) 6-1 victory.

"He was just making it really tough because of the way that he was playing and serving, and he was always giving himself a chance," said Murray.

"I had to keep fighting and believing in myself, and that was enough in the end."

Del Potro added: "I have never played a final in the Masters series, and the crowd and this tournament and everything, it's so good for me and for my future. I'm very happy to be in the final.

"I lost, but I'm happy. I don't have to think in the past and now see the future."

 

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WOE FOR ROBREDO AND MONFILS

Seeded pair Tommy Robredo and Gael Monfils were the early casualties at the Cincinnati Masters on Monday, both men falling in the opening round.

Number 13 seed Monfils, of France, was beaten 6-4 6-7(5) 7-6(2) by unseeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in a lenghty clash in Ohio.

Spaniard Robredo, meanwhile, was seeded 15th but looked completely out of sorts against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy as he fell 6-3 7-5.

Ninth seed Gilles Simon cruised into the second round against Wayne Odesnik, winning 6-3 6-2 while Marin Cilic, the 14th seed, beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3 6-4.

Qualifier Ivan Ljubicic produced an impressive win over Frenchman Florent Serra. The Croat lost the first set 6-4 but took the following two to win 4-6 6-3 6-4.

Russian Igor Andreev beat Nicolas Kiefer 6-1 7-5, while Benjamin Becker strolled past Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-3 6-3 and Israel's Dudi Sela retired hurt against Nicolas Almagro.

Viktor Troicki was also forced to concede, handing 16th seed Radek Stepanek the win, while Marat Safin saw off American Robby Ginepri 7-5 7-6(2).

Jose Acasuso made light work of qualifier Lukasz Kubot 6-4 6-3, Paul-Henri Mathieu recovered to defeat Mischa Zverez 6-7(4) 7-5 6-3 and David Ferrer completed an impressive win over Stanislas Wawrinka to claim a 7-5 6-2 triumph.

 

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JANKOVIC HAS PLENTY OF POSITIVES

When Jelena Jankovic was crowned last year's season-ending world number one, her achievement, far from being feted, was held up as all that is wrong about the current state of play on the WTA Tour.

For all her consistency, Jankovic had never won a Grand Slam tournament, and had become the first player in open era history to end the year on top despite failing to secure one of the four majors.

With the Williams sisters increasingly picking and choosing their events and the recent retirements of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, Jankovic's success was seen in many quarters as one earned by default.

Jankovic's form early in 2009 seemed to lend succour to that suggestion. Starting the year as top seed in the Australian Open, she was beaten by former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli in the fourth round.

She lost in the first round at Indian Wells to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the fourth round of the French Open to Sorana Cirstea, and, most shockingly of all, the third round of Wimbledon to qualifier Melanie Oudin.

Jankovic's ranking tumbled to world number five and, along with her fellow out-of-form Serb Ana Ivanovic, her name suddenly stopped getting mentioned when it came to potential saviours of the ailing WTA Tour.

This week, however, there is renewed hope that Jankovic will be able to return to challenge the very best in the game after she ended her year title drought - with the exception of a low-key win in Marbella - with victory in Cincinnati.

Having saved four match points to see off Elena Dementieva in the semi-finals, Jankovic outlasted current world number one Dinara Safina in the final to finally mark her overdue return to form.

"This result will give me a lot of confidence going into Toronto and the US Open which is most important," said Jankovic. "I finished last year as number one in the world but the last big tournament I had won was last year.

"I hadn't been playing very well this first half of the season and I told myself now was the time for coming back. I'm moving very well and my game is coming back. I'm out there with a smile on my face. It's nice to be back."

Jankovic's return to top form would be timely for a tour which still struggles with the concept that Safina is number one in the world despite being brushed aside so emphatically in the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

Comebacks by the likes of Kim Clijsters and to a lesser extent Jelena Dokic have provided the major talking-points this year so perhaps it is appropriate that Jankovic should launch her own return without ever really having been away.

"Last year I did some different training and added some muscle to my body," Jankovic added. "It made me so much slower and harder for me to move. Then I had some other problems with my mother's health.

"It was difficult for me to concentrate. But now I have re-adjusted the way I train. I started thinking more positive and eating right as well. You have to take care of these little things to have energy and feel good.

"I love competing out there. That is what I missed - being in those kinds of situations in front of big crowds and having support and being in tough situations. Now my smile is back and I'm having fun and I love being out there."

 

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MURRAY FIT FOR TITLE DEFENCE

Andy Murray insists he will definitely be fit to defend his Cincinnati Masters title this week.

Murray enjoyed a fantastic week in Montreal, winning the Rogers Cup with a come-from-behind victory over Juan Martin Del Potro in Sunday's final, while also overtaking Rafael Nadal to become world number two.

There was some concern that Murray, who won in Cincinnati last year, would not be able to take part this week after he was seen clutching his hip during the presentation ceremony.

However, the Scot claims he will have no problems in taking to the courts.

"I'm stiff, I think," he said. "It was a pretty intense match and first tournament on hardcourts for so long.

"The hardcourts are the most brutal on your body.

"I'm just a little bit stiff just now. I plan on going to Cincinnati tomorrow to try to defend my title."

Murray's triumph in Cincinnati last year set him up perfectly for the US Open and his best-ever performance in a grand slam event to date, reaching the final only to lose to world number one Roger Federer.

The 22-year-old is hoping for a repeat performance this week and insists his mind is not on Flushing Meadows where he will be hoping to go one better this time around.

"Obviously to win this tournament is great," he added. "The US Open is still a couple of weeks away so I'll focus on Cincinnati and try and play well again there."

Murray admits breaking the duopoly of Federer and Nadal means more to him than his Montreal victory.

"I love winning tournaments," said Murray. "It's great. Every player will tell you the same thing.

"But I've never been to number two in the world before. It's something that I've never done. That's new to me.

"I'll enjoy that for the next couple of days."

Murray fought back brilliantly to beat Del Potro after the big-hitting Argentinian took the first set.

The man from Dunblane recovered from dropping his first set of the week to take the match 6-7 (4/7) 7-6 (7/3) 6-1.

And Murray feels his experience shone through after Del Potro, playing in his first Masters final, started to flag.

"The thing that's tough with with him, because of his height, he's obviously got a big serve," said Murray. "He hits the ball so clean from the back of the court that he makes it very, very tough for you and you end up doing quite a lot of running.

"He obviously was tired (in the third set), and I just made a lot of returns which I hadn't really been doing.

"His serve slowed down a little bit, and I made more returns.

"I served well at the beginning of the third set to make sure I stayed ahead, and that was really the only difference."

 

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FRENCH PAIR LOSE IN TORONTO


Toronto's Rodgers Cup lost two seeds on the opening day as French pair Amelie Mauresmo and Marion Bartoli both crashed out.

Number 13 seed Bartoli crashed out in straight sets, with Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko taking a 6-4 6-3 win, while Mauresmo, seeded 15, went down 6-2 3-6 1-6 Italy's Francesca Schiavone.

The other seed in action, number 14 Agnieszka Radwanska progressed with a 6-3 6-3 win over Carla Suarez Navarro.

Meanwhile, Russia's Maria Sharapova overcame compatriot Nadia Petrova 6-3 6-4.

Elsewhere in the first round Aravane Rezai beat Alize Cornet 6-4 7-5, Swiss Patty Schneider eased past Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2 6-1 and Ai Sugiyama bested Iveta Benesova 6-3 6-4.

Kateryna Bondarenko is through after seeing off fellow qualifier Yanina Wickmayer, Agnes Szavay beat Valerie Tetreault and Roberta Vinci cruised past Stephanie Dubois 6-1 6-2.

Sybille Bammer and Samantha Stosur are also through after winning their opening matches against Anna Chakvetadze and Heidi El Tabakh respectively.

 

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WHO'S GOT THEIR EYE IN?

There's little doubt that electronic line calling in tennis has been well received by fans and, in the main, the players.

But how good are the competitors at using the challenge system that the Hawk-eye technology now provides?

Roger Federer was an early critic of Hawk-eye and soon became well known for his erroneous challenges. But is that reputation fair? And is Dinara Safina's position as world number one reflected in her ability to challenge calls?

Given the US Open is just around the corner and that controversy at the 2004 tournament was largely responsible for the system being introduced, I decided to find out, using the available statistics during the first half of the season (that's up to and including Wimbledon).

The WTA Tour were most helpful and provided stats for all their tournaments which used the system in 2009. The ATP Tour could not do the same but I was still able to gain a similar-sized sample by using the stats from the Grand Slams - Australian Open and Wimbledon - where the men play best-of-five sets to the women's three.

Starting with the men and it seems Federer's reputation isn't particularly valid these days.

Looking at the world's top 10, he's easily punching his weight with a success rate of 36 per cent - which compares favourably with the tour average of 31.

With Nikolay Davydenko ignored for statistical purposes (he made just two challenges, an unreliable sample), Federer's accuracy puts him fourth of the nine remaining top-10ers.

But it's Novak Djokovic who has his eye in most when it comes to challenging - 13 out of his 28 challenges were correct - a success rate of 46 per cent.

And for those of you wondering where Andy Murray's game can improve, his percentage of 25 gives you an answer.

Outside the top 10, of those players who had at least 10 challenges, Robin Soderling led the way with the Swede correctly calling exactly half of his 10.

And the worst? That dubious honour falls to Michael Llodra. Not once in seven challenges did the decision go his way.

The table below shows how well the world's top 10 performed on the Hawk-eye system:

 

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HEWITT SEES OFF TOUGH SODERLING

Lleyton Hewitt saved two match points on the way to a battling victory over Robin Soderling at the Cincinnati Masters on Tuesday, while Fernando Verdasco and Fernando Gonzalez were also first-round casualties.

Hewitt dropped the first set to the French Open finalist but came through a lengthy second-set tie-break before wrapping up a 3-6 7-6 (10/8) 6-4 victory over 12th seed Soderling.

Verdasco, seeded 11th, was a potential fourth-round opponent for new world number two and defending champion Andy Murray but he fell at the first hurdle, 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (7/4) to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Tenth seed Gonzalez lasted only one set against Tomas Berdych, which he lost 6-4, before retiring with a knee injury.

Qualifiers Mikhail Youzhny and Chris Guccione both made progress, the Russian beating Victor Hanescu 7-5 6-2 while Australian Guccione battled past Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5 2-6 6-3.

Austria's Jurgen Melzer needed nearly three hours to see off Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 5-7 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (9/7) in another tight match.

Meanwhile, Italy's Andreas Seppi guaranteed a second-round meeting with second seed Rafael Nadal thanks to a 3-6 6-4 6-1 victory over Jan Hernych.

Igor Kunitsyn got the better of American James Blake in a tough encounter which ended 7-6 (7/5) 6-7 (5/7) 6-4 to the Russian and qualifier Simone Bolelli, of Italy, exited at the hands of Philipp Petzschner.

In the day's final first-round match, America's John Isner edged out German Tommy Haas 7-6 (7/5) 5-7 7-6 (7/3).

In the second round, David Ferrer ousted 14th seed Marin Cilic 7-6 (7/4) 6-4 and Gilles Simon, seeded nine, saw off Igor Andreev 7-6 (7/5) 6-7 (6/8) 6-1.