Serena, Venus advance to quarters

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Serena Williams smacked an ace with her final swing, then raised a fist and began to pogo.

One, two, three, four times she hopped, showing uncommon exuberance over reaching the quarter-finals in a tournament she dominates.

But survival is something to celebrate, and Williams barely made it out of the fourth round Monday at the Sony Ericsson Open.

The top-ranked Williams twice lost five games in a row but finished with a flourish and defied the tournament's upset trend by beating No. 17-seeded Zheng Jie 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

"I was just happy to get through it," Williams said, "because at one point I hit a ball into the bottom of the net and I thought, 'Wow, I haven't done this since I was a junior.' ... I wasn't playing great."

Also reaching the final eight was No. 5-seeded Venus Williams, who staged her own narrow escape to beat Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. The Williams sisters could renew their sibling rivalry in the semifinals Thursday.

"I haven't seen any of Venus' matches here, so I should try to catch up on a few of those," Serena said. "I know she had a tough match today, and I followed suit."

Serena is seeking a record sixth Key Biscayne title and her third in a row. Her reign was in danger when she fell behind love-2, 15-40 serving in the third set, but she rallied to take the lead, then swept the final eight points.

She won despite being broken six times and committing 43 unforced errors.

Venus' earlier match followed a similar script. She shanked overheads. She double-faulted three times in the final game.

She grimaced and frowned and dropped her racket as if she wanted nothing more to do with it.

But the elder Williams picked up her racket and her game when it mattered most.

"Fortunately I've had experiences like that before," Venus said. "I know how to get through it."

The sisters are the lone quarter-finalists ranked in the top seven. Among those eliminated Monday were Olympic champion Elena Dementieva and two-time Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo.

On the men's side, where there have been no big surprises, top-ranked Rafael Nadal reached the fourth round by beating qualifier Frederico Gil 7-5, 6-3. No. 4-seeded Andy Murray defeated Nicolas Massu 6-4, 6-4.

The Williams sisters were both playing for the third day in a row, and it showed, as both endured long ragged stretches.

Serena raced to a 5-love lead, then lost the next five games.

"I started out great, and then maybe my focus lost," she said. "I was at 5-all in the first set, which should never have been."

In the second set she led 5-4, then again lost five consecutive games. She appeared to lose interest early in the final set and during one span dropped 16 of 17 points while rarely putting a ball in play.

"I was just trying to get the rhythm," she said. "I had lost a lot of momentum."

Her sister endured similar difficulties and looked weary in the warm, sunny weather.

"I was hitting really well in the practice," Venus said. "I came out and things weren't going the way I imagined they would. But that's tennis."

After dropping the first set, Venus began to move better and won 11 of the next 13 games.

The No. 10-seeded Radwanska nearly overcame a 5-1 deficit in the third set. In the final game Venus fell behind love-40, but erased three break points that would have made the score 5-all.

"Oh, that's always fun," she said. "Every now and then, everybody has those kinds of matches. ... I just had a lot of errors. Just errors, errors."

The elder Williams finished with 40 unforced errors but also had 43 winners. She hit 11 aces, the last on the final point -- just like her sister.

While Serena has yet to scout Venus at Key Biscayne, the reverse is also true.

"We've kind of been on different time schedules, so I actually haven't seen her play yet," Venus said.

Venus is a three-time Key Biscayne champion but hasn't won the title since 2001 and hasn't been to a semifinal since 2005.

"I feel good. I feel confident," she said. "I've been playing very well in the last few months."

Her quarter-final opponent will be No. 26-seeded Iveta Benesova, who swept No. 19 Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-1.

The No. 4-seeded Dementieva lost to 18-year-old Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-4.

Wozniacki, the first Danish woman to crack the Top 20, has reached a career-high 12th in the rankings while benefiting from recent workouts in Las Vegas with Andre Agassi's former trainer, Gil Reyes.

"It feels amazing to me that I'm the No. 12 in the world," she said. "As a little girl growing up I was always watching everyone on TV, the top 20 players, and I wanted to be that girl as well."

Mauresmo was eliminated by unseeded Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-4.

Nestor Canada's top player, again

THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO -- Once again, Toronto's Daniel Nestor is Canada's top tennis player. Tennis Canada announced its 2008 Excellence Award winners Monday and the veteran left-hander was named Canada's player of the year for the sixth time, and the country's best doubles performer for the seventh straight year. Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., captured three awards on the women's side. She was named Canada's top female player, top singles player and most improved. Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., was named Canada's top male singles player, Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., was named the most improved player, and Ottawa's Edward Nguyen capture top junior male honours. Winnipeg's Lee Carter received the top wheelchair player award. Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic won five championship titles in eight final appearances in 2008, finishing the season as the world's top doubles team. They won the Wimbledon doubles title, making Nestor just the fourth player in tennis history during the Open Era to achieve a career Golden Slam, winning all four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal. Nestor also combined with Frederic Niemeyer of Sherbrooke, Que., to represent Canada in Davis Cup action. They're the country's top Davis Cup doubles team with a 10-1 record. Wozniak reached a career-high No. 34 on the world rankings, making her the fourth-highest ranked Canadian singles player all-time. She captured her first Tour title at Stanford in July becoming the first Canadian in 20 years to accomplish such a feat. En route to the title, she registered wins over three top-20 players, including American Serena Williams. She reached the semifinals of Tour events in Quebec City and Tokyo as well as the third round of the French Open. In August 2008, Wozniak was awarded the key to her hometown after becoming the first woman from the province to win a Tour title. She was also honoured with an award from the National Assembly in October in recognition of her accomplishments as a professional athlete. Dancevic captured the Surbiton Challenger in June, one of the key Wimbledon warm-up tournaments. Dancevic then went on to earn his biggest Grand Slam victory by defeating seventh-ranked David Nalbandian of Argentina in a first-round match at Wimbledon. He also reached the semifinals of the ATP event in Newport, R.I., and advanced to the second round of the 2008 Rogers Cup in Toronto, by defeating No. 24 Mario Ancic in the first round before losing to world No. 3 Novak Djokovic. Polansky moved up more than 125 spots in the ATP Tour rankings, reaching a career-best No. 214 by season's end. Nguyen became the first Canadian to win the singles title at Les Petits As in Tarbes, France, one of the most prestigious international titles for under-14 players. Marie-Eve Pelletier of Repentigny, Que., was named the top women's doubles player after compiling an '08 record of 31-24. Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount Que., was named top junior player. She won the singles title at the Eddie Herr International, Costa Rica Bowl and the All-Canadian junior championships. Bouchard also reached the singles semifinals at the Dunlop U-16 Orange Bowl. Carter finished the season ranked No. 17 in wheelchair singles and No. 39 in doubles. Saskatoon's Corey Blatchford was named Canada's most improved wheelchair tennis player. Blatchford improved his singles rankings 49 spots to finish the season at No. 46.

Venus advances to Sony quarters

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- American Venus Williams shanked overheads. She double-faulted three times in the final game. She grimaced and frowned and dropped her racket as if she wanted nothing more to do with it.

But Williams picked up her racket -- and her game when it mattered most, overcoming a sluggish start and wobbly finish Monday to beat Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 at the Sony Ericsson Open.

"Fortunately I've had experiences like that before," Williams said. "I know how to get through it."

Seeded fifth, Williams advanced to the quarterfinals and defied the upset trend that has eliminated six of the top-10 women. Among those ousted Monday were Olympic champion Elena Dementieva and two-time Grand Slam winner Amelie Mauresmo.

Williams and her sister Serena are the lone remaining players in the top seven. They could renew their rivalry in the semifinals Thursday.

On the men's side, where there have been no big surprises, top-ranked Rafael Nadal reached the fourth round by beating qualifier Frederico Gil 7-5, 6-3. Fourth-seeded Andy Murray defeated Nicolas Massu 6-4, 6-4.

Williams was playing for the third day in a row, and she looked weary in the warm, sunny weather.

"I was hitting really well in the practice," she said. "I came out and things weren't going the way I imagined they would. But that's tennis."

After dropping the first set, she began to move better and won 11 of the next 13 games.

The No. 10-seeded Radwanska nearly overcame a 5-1 deficit in the third set. In the final game Williams fell behind love-40, but erased three break points that would have made the score 5-all.

"Oh, that's always fun," Williams said. "Every now and then, everybody has those kinds of matches.

"I just had a lot of errors. Just errors, errors."

Williams finished with 40 unforced errors but also had 43 winners. She hit 11 aces, the last on the final point.

While Williams is a three-time Key Biscayne champion, she hasn't won the title since 2001 and hasn't been to a semifinal since 2005.

"I feel good. I feel confident," she said. "I've been playing very well in the last few months."

Her quarter-final opponent will be No. 26-seeded Iveta Benesova, who swept No. 19 Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-1.

The No. 4-seeded Dementieva lost to 18-year-old Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-4. Wozniacki, the first Danish woman to crack the top 20, has reached a career-high 12th in the rankings while being helped by recent workouts in Las Vegas with Andre Agassi's former trainer, Gil Reyes.

"It feels amazing to me that I'm the No. 12 in the world," she said. "As a little girl growing up I was always watching everyone on TV, the top 20 players, and I wanted to be that girl as well."

Mauresmo was eliminated by unseeded Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-4.

No. 4 Dementieva upset at Sony

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Caroline Wozniacki has become the latest upset winner at the Sony Ericsson Open.

The 18-year-old Dane beat No. 4-seeded Elena Dementieva 7-5, 6-4 on Monday to reach the quarter-finals. Dementieva was the sixth top-10 player eliminated.

Wozniacki last week was selected WTA Tour newcomer of the year for 2008. She took advantage of 45 unforced errors by Dementieva.

No. 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova avoided the wave of upsets by beating Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 6-1.

Five-time champion Serena Williams and three-time champion Venus Williams also had fourth-round matches scheduled Monday. They're the only players seeded in the top seven left in the women's draw.

Roddick moves on at Sony Open

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Andy Roddick missed his chance on Sunday to play Dwyane Wade in H-O-R-S-E. Roddick was too busy trying to beat Dmitry Tursunov in tennis.

Already off to the fastest start of his career this year, Roddick reached the fourth round at the Sony Ericsson Open by defeating Tursunov 7-6 (9), 6-2.

The match forced the cancellation of plans for Roddick and tennis buddy Mardy Fish to play H-O-R-S-E against Wade on the Miami Heat practice court following their workout Sunday.

"He can have his H-O-R-S-E title for another year," Roddick said. "It's disappointing, and it's something I really looked forward to."

His 25th victory this year -- most on the ATP Tour -- was considerable consolation. It didn't come easily: The No. 5-seeded Roddick erased two set points in the tiebreaker, one with an ace and the second when Tursunov netted a forehand, and won the final three points in a stressful 75-minute first set.

Roddick lost his temper early in the set when mist fell and umpire Cedric Mourier declined to stop play. After losing his serve, Roddick slammed down his racket, picked it up and threw it again.

"I basically was wondering how many more times we were going to play on a slippery court," Roddick said. "He said, 'Well, no one has fallen yet.' I said, 'Well, if that's a barometer, then we have a problem.' So I feel like my argument was just, but the way I went about it probably wasn't the best."

Roddick said he apologized to Mourier after the match.

Downtrodden U.S. tennis fortunes received a surprising boost when qualifier Taylor Dent upset No. 15 Tommy Robredo 7-5, 6-3. Dent, ranked 467th, is mounting a comeback from a back injury that plagued him for three years.

Dent next plays No. 2-seeded Roger Federer, who beat Nicolas Kiefer for the 11th consecutive time, 6-4, 6-1.

There were two upsets on the women's side, both involving last year's French Open finalists. No. 7-seeded Ana Ivanovic, the defending Roland Garros champion, lost to No. 25 Agnes Szavay 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. No. 2 Dinara Safina was beaten by unseeded Samantha Stosur 6-1, 6-4.

That left the women without three of their seven highest-seeded players. No. 3 Jelena Jankovic was eliminated Saturday night by Gisela Dulko.

.Roddick missed many chances in the first set to make his match shorter. With the No. 25-seeded Tursunov serving at 5-all, Roddick failed to convert five break-point chances and finally sailed a forehand long to lose the 22-point game. He also was unable to convert his first three set points in the tiebreaker.

Roddick said gusty wind and high humidity made conditions difficult, so he was content to keep the ball in play and wear Tursunov down with a series of long rallies.

"It's like a swamp out there today," Roddick said. "You're sweating a ton. I mean, you can wring out your shorts afterward. So I wanted to be sure to take advantage of that and make the points tough."

The match started at 11 a.m., and Roddick said he didn't know until afterward that his agent and trainer had scrubbed the H-O-R-S-E showdown because they feared he might be late.

"They said they had to make a call this morning," Roddick said. "Obviously Dwyane wasn't waiting around all day, and so my agent erred on the side of not making Mr. Wade wait."

Roddick, who often disparages his basketball skills, said Wade is his favourite athlete. Rescheduling their game wasn't an option because the Heat play at home Monday, then have a three-game trip starting at Dallas.

Said Roddick: "I don't know if I provide the necessary warmup for the Mavericks."

Roddick may decline Wade's offer

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI -- Andy Roddick says he'll likely be unable to accept Dwyane Wade's offer to play H-O-R-S-E.

The Miami Heat announced that Wade would play Roddick and fellow tennis pro Mardy Fish on the team's practice court following Sunday's workout. But a few hours later, Roddick said his next match in the Sony Ericsson Open will be the same day, likely preventing him from taking on Wade.

"I'm kind of mad," Roddick said after winning his opening match Friday night. "He's like my favourite athlete. So I'm just going to have to pull out -- of the tournament."

Roddick was joking: He's certain to show for his next match against Dmitry Tursunov.

still don't have a chance."

Glatch no match for Serena in Florida

By Steven Wine THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- On a sunny day in South Florida, the future of American women's tennis seldom looked so gloomy. The present's in good hands thanks to Serena and Venus Williams, but they were the lone remaining U.S. females at the Sony Ericsson Open with the second round not yet complete. Serena reached the third round by winning 6-2, 6-3 against 19-year-old Californian Alexa Glatch, who conceded her generation has yet to produce a player worthy of succeeding the Williams sisters. "There is a gap there right now," Glatch said. "You can't deny that. It's very tough out here." The showing at Key Biscayne by American women is hardly a surprise, because only four are ranked in the top 100, and the sisters are the lone U.S. players in the top 30. No American teenager is being heralded as a future Grand Slam champion, either, and former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said the situation is worrisome. "We don't really have anyone right now," Davenport said. "If you look at the rankings, with only Venus at 28 and Serena at 27, it's not a good state." The state of Serena's game is just fine, however. She needed only one swing to reassert her superiority at the tournament where she's most dominant, pulling a return winner crosscourt on the first point to make a quick impression on Glatch. "She just nailed it," Glatch said. "I don't think I even saw it. I was like, 'OK, here we go."' An hour later, there Glatch went. For the top-ranked Williams, the victory was the first step in her bid for a record sixth Key Biscayne title. Seeded players had first-round byes. Three American men were eliminated -- Sam Querrey, John Isner and Bobby Reynolds. Querrey was beaten by No. 32-seeded Feliciano Lopez 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-2; Isner lost to No. 11 David Ferrer 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; and Reynolds was defeated by No. 18 Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-2. No. 14 David Nalbandian lost to Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-3.

Wade playing Roddick in H-O-R-S-E

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat's practice court is hardly Andy Roddick's best surface -- especially when the opponent is Dwyane Wade.

Roddick and fellow tennis pro Mardy Fish will play Wade in H-O-R-S-E following the Heat's practice Sunday.

For Wade, victory should be a slam dunk. He's the NBA scoring leader, while Roddick always disparages his basketball abilities.

Roddick and Fish are in South Florida for the Sony Ericsson Open.

"Mardy's actually got a pretty good shot," fellow tennis pro James Blake said. "Hopefully the cameras will be rolling and you can watch Andy throw up a few bricks. ... If they're both together and they get about five extra letters, they might -- no, they still don't have a chance."

Dancevic falls to Djokovic at Sony

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Novak Djokovic eliminated Canadian Frank Dancevic from the Sony Ericsson Open on Friday. The third-seeded Serb, who won the tournament in 2007, beat the Niagara Falls, Ont., native 6-3, 6-2 in the second-round match. Meanwhile, Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva took advantage of her opponent's shaky serves to reach the third round. The No. 4-seeded Dementieva beat Anastasia Pivovarova 6-0, 3-6, 6-3. Dementieva broke serve eight times and was helped by Pivovarova's 11 double faults. The Safin family swept its second-round matches. No. 2 Dinara Safina beat Mathilde Johansson 6-1, 6-3, and her brother, No. 22 Marat Safin, defeated Oscar Hernandez 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. No. 13 James Blake broke serve in the final game of each set to defeat Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-4. On the women's side, former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuzentsova rallied to beat Tamira Paszek 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. Seeded players had first-round byes. No. 2 Roger Federer and No. 5 Andy Roddick were among those with matches scheduled later Friday.

Serena voted year's top WTA player

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Serena Williams has been voted the WTA Tour player of the year for the second time. Williams also received the award for 2002. She won the U.S. Open in September and ended last year ranked No. 1. Dinara Safina was selected most improved player for 2008, and Zheng Jie was chosen comeback player of the year. Top-ranked Cara Black and Liezel Huber were chosen doubles team of the year for the second time. Caroline Wozniacki was selected newcomer of the year. Ana Ivanovic was chosen humanitarian of the year for her work and contributions to UNICEF, and Elena Dementieva was honoured with the Karen Krantzcke sportsmanship award. Williams was the only winner not to attend a ceremony Thursday at the Sony Ericsson Open to honour the award winners. She released a statement through the WTA Tour. "Winning the player of the year award for the second time in my career is a great personal achievement," Williams said. "I feel great about my game and hope to win many more player of the year titles in the years to come."

Clijsters returns from retirement

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BREE, Belgium -- Kim Clijsters is returning to the tennis circuit after two years in retirement, saying she has regained the competitive hunger that took her to the No. 1 ranking.

"I still have that craving," the 25-year-old Belgian said Thursday. "I look forward to the challenge."

Clijsters, who retired in May 2007 to get married and start a family, announced her comeback at the tennis facility in Bree, Belgium, where she has been practising recently.

She said she has already asked for wild cards for WTA hard-court tournaments in Cincinnati and Toronto in August and the U.S. Open.

"I want to be back at my peak as soon as possible, but I know that is not logical to ask that," Clijsters said. "I will have to take it match by match."

Clijsters won the 2005 U.S. Open for her one Grand Slam title. She won 34 career titles overall and was runner-up in four Grand Slam finals.

Rising to the top at the same time as another Belgian who retired early, Justine Henin, Clijsters held the No. 1 singles ranking for 19 weeks.

"I am not coming back to lose in the first rounds," she said. "Otherwise I might as well go on holiday."

Clijsters returns at a time when the WTA tour is wide open and without a single player dominating the rankings.

"I am amazed how many players I don't even know," she said. "There are even many names I do not know how to pronounce."

Clijsters, who is married to U.S. basketball player Brian Lynch and gave birth to her daughter Jada last year, is convinced she has the maturity now to juggle marriage, motherhood and top tennis.

"Now I have the right balance and I feel good," she said.

Clijsters refused to commit herself beyond the U.S. Open, preferring to make an assessment at that stage.

"One year, two or three, it is far too early to start answering those questions," she said.

Flashing her disarming smile and with her blonde curls tied in a ponytail, Clijsters exuded the easygoing charm which made her a fan favourite around the world.

Her career was marred by a series of injuries, including to her hip and back.

"I know a lot, lot more about my body," Clijsters said, adding that she has an exercise regimen designed to prevent injuries.

Clijsters was already set to join Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and Tim Henman for a series of exhibition matches at Wimbledon on May 17 to test conditions under the new retractable roof on Centre Court.

She said it was while preparing for the Wimbledon exhibition that the competitive edge came back.

Soon, she was spotted at the training centre putting in long hours.

"I have never trained harder," she said.

Clijsters also is scheduled to play an exhibition June 14 against Michaella Krajicek in the Netherlands, along with two matches for the St. Louis Aces of World Team Tennis in July before making the big jump back to the WTA Tour.

Federer claims two big ATP awards

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Roger Federer has won the ATP World Tour's Stefan Edberg sportsmanship award for a record fifth consecutive year, and he was chosen the favourite player for the sixth year in a row in a poll of fans. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal was chosen player of the year, and Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic were selected doubles team of the year. James Blake won the Arthur Ashe humanitarian of the year award for his charitable efforts, and Rainer Schuettler was chosen comeback player of the year. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was chosen most improved, and Kei Nishikori won newcomer of the year. The awards were announced Wednesday at the start of the Sony Ericsson Open. "It's great to receive two more awards," Federer said. "It is always important for me to be a good sportsman on the court and give the right example for others to follow and hopefully inspire the next generation. "It also means the world to me to be the fans' favourite player for the sixth year in a row." Edberg won the sportsmanship award five times over eight years.

Scott sought tennis tours merger

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Outgoing WTA Tour chief Larry Scott says he began thinking about leaving tennis when his proposal for a merger with the men's tour was rejected last year. Scott will become Pac-10 Conference commissioner this summer after six years as chairman and chief executive officer of the WTA Tour. Long an advocate for merging the women's tour with the men, Scott met with the ATP board of directors in December to discuss his plan. "For a variety of reasons it wasn't accepted," he said Wednesday. "It's clear that tennis, for whatever reasons, isn't ready for that vision to be realized. "And then I realized, you know, I've done most of the major things that I could want to do. And if this coming together of the men's and women's tours is impossible right now, maybe it is a time to think about what else I could do that could be gratifying." Scott's departure on July 1 was announced Tuesday. With three small children, he said the amount of travel was another reason for his decision. "This Pac-10 opportunity really affords me the opportunity to sort of put away my passport for a little while," he said. Several top players said they were sorry to see Scott leave, and they praised his leadership in the growth of the sport. The women's tour says revenue has increased 250 per cent under Scott. "We're all sad," Venus Williams said. "He had a special vision and the personality and character and talents and abilities to carry it out. It takes someone special like him." Scott said his greatest achievement was equal prize money for men and women at the sport's 10 biggest events, including the four Grand Slam tournaments. He said he leaves the women's tour in good shape financially despite the recession. "All our major revenue contracts are long-term agreements that aren't coming up soon," he said. "We haven't lost any tournaments or title sponsors. I think women's tennis is holding its own extremely well compared to other sports." Speaking at the Sony Ericsson Open, Scott said he favours a merger of the tours because he believes both are hurt by differences in rules, branding and sponsorship. "The easier we make it for fans to follow tennis and understand, the more following there will be, and the stronger we'll be commercially," he said. "We would present the sport in a less fragmented way if it was together. "An example: This tournament, if you're a fan in Europe, you watch the men's matches on one channel, the women's matches on a different channel. That can't be the smartest way to present the sport."

Scott resigns as WTA Tour chief

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI -- Larry Scott will become the Pac-10 Conference commissioner on July 1 after six years as chairman and chief executive officer of the WTA Tour.

Scott will work with the tour board to select his successor, the tour said Tuesday.

"With women's professional tennis more popular than ever, the tour in the strongest business position in its history and a fantastic senior management team in place, now is the right time for me to embrace a new challenge," Scott said in a statement.

Scott became the CEO of the WTA in 2003, after having been ATP chief operating officer and president of ATP Properties. Under his watch, the WTA pushed for -- and got -- equal prize money for women at Wimbledon and the French Open.

Under Scott, the tour says it has seen a 500-per cent increase in sponsorship revenue, a 250-per cent increase in overall revenues, a 40-per cent increase in prize money and US$710 million in new stadium investments.

He helped the tour land the largest sponsorship deal in the history of women's sports with Sony Ericsson at $88 million over six years. The announcement of his resignation came on the eve of the start of the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne.

"Under Larry's leadership, the tour and our sport have grown over the past six years beyond anyone's wildest expectations," said Steve Simon, tournament board representative and chairman of the tournament council.

Scott helped the tour change its calendar and rules to shorten the season and lessen the strain on players, and it landed the largest deal ever for the year-end championships in Doha, Qatar in 2008-10. Innovations under Scott included electronic line calling, on-court coaching, pre-match players interviews, interviews with coaches during matches and a new doubles scoring format.

Clijsters may return to WTA Tour

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRUSSELS -- Former top-ranked tennis star Kim Clijsters will hold a news conference Thursday amid reports she is planning a return to the WTA Tour.

The 25-year-old Belgian, who retired two years ago, will "unveil her plans for 2009" at the tennis centre where she has been recently training.

The Het Belang van Limburg regional newspaper said she was set to enter top-level tournaments. The VTM television network said she may target the U.S. Open, where she won her only Grand Slam title in 2005, as the highlight of her season.

A spokeswoman for Clijsters did not return phone calls.

Though she no longer has a WTA ranking, Clijsters could receive wild cards for any tournament she wants to enter.

Clijsters retired from the WTA Tour in May 2007. She married pro basketball player Brian Lynch and gave birth to a daughter, Jada, in February 2008.

Fellow Belgian star Justine Henin retired last year while still ranked No. 1.

In her last competitive match two years ago, Clijsters lost in the Antwerp Diamond Games final to France's Amelie Mauresmo before a capacity crowd of 14,500 at the Sport Palace.

Clijsters recently announced she would play Steffi Graf on May 17 as part of a series of exhibition matches at Wimbledon to test out the conditions under the new retractable roof on Centre Court.

She is also scheduled to play a June 14 exhibition at the Ordina Open in Rosmalen against Michaella Krajicek, plus two matches for the St. Louis Aces in the World Team Tennis league this summer.

Clijsters reached four Grand Slam finals and won 34 singles titles overall. She won two Grand Slam doubles titles and held the No. 1 ranking for 19 weeks.

Zvonareva takes Indian Wells title

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Vera Zvonareva was the steadier player on a wind-swept afternoon at Indian Wells on Sunday, defeating defending champion Ana Ivanovic in the BNP Paribas title match.

With swirling gusts making the service toss difficult and even some routine shots extremely tricky, the 24-year-old Russian took a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over her Serbian opponent.

No. 6 Zvonareva added the crown to the doubles championship she won the previous day with teammate Victoria Azarenka, whom she had beaten in the singles semifinal.

Zvonareva joined Lindsay Davenport as the only women to win the singles and doubles title at Indian Wells in the same year. Davenport did it twice, in 1997 and 2000.

In the singles final this time, the wind swirled around the stadium in the 64 km/h range, with both players often tossing the ball to serve only to have to catch it and try again. Serving on the first point of the tiebreaker, Ivanovic tossed the ball up, it went sailing some three feet behind her, bounced on the court and kept bouncing away, swept off the court by the wind.

Ivanovic finally served and won the point, but a string of errors cost her the rest of the tiebreaker and plagued her in the second set.

Zvonareva, who won her ninth career singles title and second of the year, handled the conditions better. She made 23 unforced errors, half of Ivanovic's total. Ivanovic also had five double faults, Zvonareva one.

Those mistakes negated Ivanovic's winners -- she hit 29 to Zvonareva's five.

The victory evened Zvonareva's record against Ivanovic to 4-4.

No. 7 Ivanovic, the defending French Open champion who had two stints at No. 1 last year, was trying to become only the second woman to repeat as Indian Wells champion. Martina Navratilova won the desert event in 1990-91.

Nadal wins 2nd Indian Wells title

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Rafael Nadal was determined to overcome the tricky, swirling winds that made serving and even hitting routine shots tricky.

No. 1 Nadal powered his way to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Andy Murray on a gusty Sunday afternoon at the BNP Paribas Open to win his second Indian Wells title in three years.

Like Nadal, Vera Zvonareva was steadier in the wind than her finals opponent, beating defending champion Ana Ivanovic 7-6 (5), 6-2 to win the women's title.

Nadal's low, hard groundstrokes gave him an edge against No. 4 Murray, more of a counter-puncher whose game relies on pace and a mix of shots.

"The conditions today were really difficult. But I think I had a good strategy and played a really good match under this conditions," Nadal said. "Probably Andy didn't play his best because of the conditions, but I think I played a really complete match, moving very well.

"I never stopped the legs during the match and I think that was the key. Maybe I accepted the conditions a little bit better than him. Maybe I had a little bit more positive attitude than him."

The 22-year-old Spaniard rode his usual powerful forehands to the lopsided win over Murray, hitting 10 winners from that side to Murray's one. Nadal also was efficient at the net, winning eight of 11 points to Murray's 5-of-10.

With the wind making the service toss difficult, neither player served an ace.

Nadal explained his wind-play strategy.

"I tried to play inside the court, go to the net some, move all the time," he said. "It's important that you know you don't have to find the lines all the time, but hit the ball inside, not so close to the lines."

Murray said, "Rafa dealt with it well. He hit the ball cleaner and just seemed to get himself in better positions than I did. You want to be in the best position possible to hit each ball and I wasn't. That's why he managed to dictate most of the points."

Nadal added the championship to the Australian Open title he won earlier this year, and avenged a loss to Murray, a 21-year-old Scot, in the Rotterdam final.

Zvonareva added the singles trophy to the one she won in doubles with Victoria Azarenka a day earlier. Zvonareva had beaten Azarenka in their singles semifinal. No. 6 Zvonareva joined Lindsay Davenport as the only women to win the singles and doubles title at Indian Wells in the same year. Davenport did it twice, in 1997 and 2000.

In the singles final this time, the wind gusted around the stadium close to 65 km/h, with the players often tossing the ball to serve only to have to catch it and try again, and again.

Serving the first point of the tiebreaker, Ivanovic tossed the ball up, it went sailing some three feet behind her, bounced on the court and kept bouncing away, swept off the court by the wind.

Ivanovic finally served and won the point, but a string of errors cost her the rest of the tiebreaker and plagued her in the second set. She made 46 unforced errors in the match, double Zvonareva's total. Ivanovic also had five double faults, Zvonareva one.

Those mistakes negated Ivanovic's winners -- she hit 29 to Zvonareva's five..

"After a couple of games, I knew that the conditions were very difficult and it's not going to probably change and I have to fight for every point, have to adjust my game," Zvonareva said. "Even though I had some mistakes and some frustrating points with the wind, I was still trying to put as many balls as I can in the court, trying to concentrate."

Ivanovic said the conditions were the worst she's played in.

"It wasn't much about the game plan. It was just who can handle the conditions better, and who can stay probably mentally tougher through it," Ivanovic said.

"Today, she did. "Yeah, she played really well."

Federer ousted, Nadal moves on

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Rafael Nadal edged Andy Roddick 6-4, 7-6 (4) Saturday to move into the BNP Paribas final.

The top-ranked Nadal, constantly powering his forehand into the corner to Roddick's backhand, ended several long rallies by passing Roddick with a shot down the line when the American came to the net.

Nadal, the 2007 Indian Wells champion, improved to 5-2 against the seventh-ranked Roddick.

The 22-year-old Spaniard next will play Britain's Andy Murray, who beat Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 for his fourth straight victory over the former world No. 1.

Nadal finished with 17 forehand winners to Roddick's four. Nadal also was effective when he went to the net, winning 11 of 15 points to Roddick's 10 of 27.

Roddick still had a chance for an Indian Wells championship; shortly after his loss to Nadal, he joined American Mardy Fish to play for the men's doubles title against Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Andy Ram of Israel.

Murray, a 21-year-old Scot who's off to a 20-1 start this year, has won six of eight matches overall against the second-ranked Federer.

The 27-year-old Federer, whose four-year stint at No. 1 ended last year, made some outstanding shots against the fourth-ranked Murray, and some awful ones. Inconsistency remains his problem as he tries to fight his way back to the top.

The Swiss star made a whopping 32 unforced errors, including several by clanging what were routine shots off the frame of his racket. Murray, by contrast, was a model of consistency, scrambling back and forth to keep the ball in play and making just 15 unforced errors.

After Federer came back to win the second set, Murray broke service in the fourth game of the third to take control. Murray had a scary moment in that game when his feet slipped out from under him and he did the splits while trying to stop, turn and get to a shot behind him. He yelled in pain, but got up off the court a few seconds later and obviously wasn't hampered -- he won the next three points.

"I was worried for him, went down badly, screamed," Federer said. "I was happy to see that he got back up."

Said Murray: "Obviously a bit scared at first, then once I got up and ran around after a couple of points, I knew that it felt OK.".

Federer, who said he made "way too many errors today," obviously is impressed by Murray's ability.

"He's a great counterpuncher and reads the game really well," the Swiss star said. "He's got great feel, so he's very confident at the moment. He knows he doesn't need to play close to the lines because he knows he can cover the court really well.

"I think that calms him down mentally. I think that's why he's playing so well."

Murray doesn't mind being called a "counterpuncher."

"It's not just going for big, booming serves and huge forehands all the time," he said. "If I change the pace with the ball, mix it up, I'm playing the match how I want it to go.

"If I started trading big groundstrokes with someone like Federer, I think he likes that. I haven't done it against him and I don't do it against many people. That's my style, very rarely do I lose matches having let the other guy play his natural game."

Murray is trying for his third title of the young season. He won at both Dubai and Rotterdam.

.Vera Zvonareva of Russia, who defeated Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the women's semis, teamed with Azarenka to take the women's doubles title Saturday, beating Gisela Dulko and Shahar Peer 6-4, 3-6, 10-5.

Zvonareva will face defending champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia for the singles title. Both the men's and women's singles finals are Sunday.

Roddick easily handles Djokovic

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Andy Roddick beat defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-2 Friday to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

No. 7 Roddick's game was solid all-around against No. 3 Djokovic. The error-prone Serbian made 30 unforced errors, 18 more than his American opponent.

The semifinals appearance will be Roddick's third at Indian Wells. He lost to Lleyton Hewitt in 2005 and to Rafael Nadal in 2007.

Off to a career-best 23-3 start this season, Roddick next faces the winner of the quarterfinal between No. 1 Nadal and No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro.

Federer to skip Monte Carlo in April

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONACO -- Roger Federer is skipping the Monte Carlo Masters next month, while Rafael Nadal will be going for a record fifth straight title.

"Roger already told me some time ago that he had to renounce to play in our tournament because of a change in his clay season's schedule," tournament director Zljko Franulovic said Friday.

Federer, a three-time finalist in Monte Carlo, could still ask for a last-minute wild card if he changes his mind, Franulovic added.

The top-ranked Nadal has confirmed his participation in the April 11-19 clay-court tournament.

Nadal beat Federer 7-5, 7-5 in last year's final for his fourth straight Monte Carlo title.

"His only goal is to make history by achieving the unseen feat of winning (the tournament) five times in a row," Franulovic said.

Eight of the world's top 10 players are entered. Other than Federer, No. 7 Andy Roddick is the only one missing.

Murray moves on at Indian Wells

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Andy Murray ran his 2009 match string to 19-1 by grinding out a 7-5, 7-6(6) victory over error-prone Ivan Ljubicic in Thursday's quarterfinals at the BNP Paripas Open.

Murray, a 21-year-old Scot whose game appears to be getting better all the time, beat Ljubicic by simply keeping the ball in play. No. 4 Murray hit just 17 winners to 36 by his Croatian opponent, but made only 15 unforced errors to Ljubicic's 40.

The loss sullied Ljubicic's birthday; the oldest player remaining in the field, he turned 30.

Murray has won twice already this year, at Doha and Rotterdam.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a 17-year-old from Moscow who's beginning to look like the next Russian star, continued her run of upsets with a 7-6(8), 6-4 victory over No. 10 Agnieszka Radwanska. No. 42 Pavlyuchenkova, who knocked off No. 3 Jelena Jankovic in the second round, next faces defending champion Ana Ivanovic.

The semifinals appearance will be Pavlyuchenkova's first in a WTA event.

Ivanovic advanced when her opponent, Sybille Bammer, withdrew because of an injured left shoulder.

"I'm very disappointed because I was playing better and better. Two years ago, I beat Ana here, so it's frustrating for me," said Bammer, who hurt her shoulder in practice the previous day.

She said she will have an MRI and then rest "and hope I am fine for Miami."

Federer, Murray advance at Paribas

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Roger Federer ran his record against Fernando Gonzalez to 12-1 with a three-set victory Wednesday and moved into the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

Federer, his play spotty but good enough to continue his domination of his frequent foe, ousted Gonzalez 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

Andy Murray also advanced, extending his fine 2009 start to 18-1 when Tommy Robredo retired in the second set of their match because of a wrist injury.

Murray won the first set 6-2 and was up 3-0 in the second.

Later in the day at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, defending champion and No. 3 Novak Djokovic outlasted Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6).

Andy Roddick came back strong in the third set to beat David Ferrer 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3. Juan Martin del Potro defeated John Isner 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), and Ivan Ljubicic downed Igor Andreev 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4).

Federer, ranked No. 2 after losing his four-year hold on the top spot to Rafael Nadal last year, was inconsistent against No. 17 Gonzalez.

The Chilean fought his way back into the match in the second set, overcoming earlier frustration he had vented by slamming a racket onto the court -- three times -- and shattering it.

Federer, the tournament champion three consecutive years beginning in 2004, said he felt he finally was able to establish some rhythm in his game after playing mostly serve-and-return against his first two opponents.

"Today was a bit more baseline, even though I couldn't find his (Gonzalez's) backhand," Federer said. "If you don't find his backhand, the point is over quickly. He has such a massive forehand.

"I'm looking forward to playing against (Fernando) Verdasco. It's a good thing that I'm still in the tournament and facing an opponent who actually is going to extend the rallies a little bit."

Verdasco defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to earn the quarterfinal appearance against Federer.

Murray, ranked No. 4, said he anticipated a difficult test heading into his match against Robredo.

"I was expecting a tough match. I had lost to Tommy two previous times I played him," the 21-year-old Scot said.

"I knew I had to be on my game."

Murray said he was aware Robredo had a problem with his wrist, although he still seemed to be hitting the ball OK.

"But mentally, a wrist problem can be tough," Murray said. "I know because I've been through it. It's just the pain that's there and feeling like something might happen."

On the women's side, No. 6 Vera Zvonareva defeated No. 13 Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2.

Djokovic rolls on in Indian Wells

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Defending champion Novak Djokovic rolled to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Tommy Haas in their third-round match Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Open.

A 21-year-old Serb who also made the final two years ago, Djokovic served well and hit crisp, accurate groundstrokes to beat the 30-year-old Haas.

Djokovic served eight aces, double faulted once and made 10 unforced errors. Haas had once ace, double faulted six times and made 25 unforced errors.

Last year, Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and beat Mardy Fish in the championship match. Djokovic lost just one set the entire tournament, that against Fish.

Djokovic also didn't drop a set on his way to the final two years ago, but Nadal beat him 6-2, 7-5 for the title.

Ranked No. 3, Djokovic lost to Nadal and David Ferrer earlier this month in Davis Cup play.

Both those matches were on clay.

Djokovic won his last tournament, defeating Ferrer in their final in Dubai for his first title of the year.

American John Isner, a wild card, advanced with another upset, downing former No. 1 and current No. 24 Marat Safin 6-4, 6-4.

The 6-foot-9 Isner earlier eliminated ninth-seeded Gael Monfils 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4.

Dinara Safina, ranked No. 2 and the women's top seed, defeated Jill Craybas 7-5, 6-4. No. 6 Vera Zvonareva ousted Li Na 6-4, 6-4.

Federer, Murray closer to showdown

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Roger Federer and Andy Murray each took a step closer to a possible showdown in the semifinals with relatively routine victories during third-round matches Monday at the BNP Paribas Open. Federer, a three-time Indian Wells winner ranked No. 2 and trying for another shot against No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the title match, downed Ivo Karlovic 7-6(4), 6-3. Playing his first event since withdrawing from the Dubai tournament and the first round of Davis Cup because of back problems, Federer came up with big shots when needed against Karlovic. Down 3-1 in the tiebreaker, the Swiss star evened it with points on a volley past Karlovic, then a low, hard forehand that the Croatian couldn't handle. Karlovic, ranked No. 28, then made a series of unforced errors, including hitting a forehand long for the final point of the tiebreaker. Federer, who had said he was rusty coming into Indian Wells, looked considerably sharper in the second set, reeling off the hard, accurate groundstrokes that made him the world's top player for so long. The 21-year-old Murray, a Scot ranked No. 4 and off to a 17-1 start this season, overpowered Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3, 6-2. Murray served six aces, won 21 of 25 first-serve points and jumped on his French opponent's second serve to take 17 of 24 points. No. 17 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile made quick work of James Blake, needing only an hour and five minutes to beat the American 7-5, 6-1. No. 13 Blake made 35 unforced errors, 11 more than Gonzalez. Defending champion Ana Ivanovic, also last year's French Open winner who spent some three months atop the rankings, defeated Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-3 in their third-round match.

Nadal advances at Indian Wells

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Top-ranked Rafael Nadal needed just one hour, seven minutes to beat Michael Berrer of Germany, 6-2, 6-1 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday.

Nadal, enjoying his 30th consecutive week at No. 1, had a bye in the first round before overwhelming Berrer, a qualifier ranked No. 112 on the ATP Tour. Nadal lost just five points in seven service games and broke Berrer five times.

"I think I am playing well. I played a good match today," said the Spaniard, who will meet Dmitry Tursunov of Russia in the third round.

The 26th-ranked Tursunov struggled to a -6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 win over American qualifier Michael Russell.

Andy Roddick, the No. 7 seed, didn't play quite as well against Austrian qualifier Daniel Koellerer, but still managed a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win. Fellow American Sam Querrey won, too, 6-4, 6-3 over No. 18 Radek Stepanek.

Koellerer is getting a reputation for gamesmanship and Roddick said he "definitely tried everything in his power to get a win. I kind of knew going in that I'd have to stay focused and stay the course and not get caught up in the histrionics."

Earlier in the day, defending champion and third-seeded Novak Djokovic also advanced to the third round with a 7-5, 6-4 win against Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina.

Djokovic struggled at the start of the season, but is coming off a tournament title at Dubai last month.

"Winning Dubai meant a lot for my confidence level and for my game overall," he said. "I've changed my racquet. Probably that was the big reason for mental instability in certain stages at the start of the year. I was thinking about that more than my game. Luckily for me, it has changed.

"The quality is there. The game is there. The fitness is getting much better. It's just a mental ability to play the best tennis. My confidence has raised in the last month and a half. There is room for improvement, but I'm taking it step by step."

American Mardy Fish, last year's runner-up, lost to Jeremy Chardy of France, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1).

Fish, who beat Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian and Roger Federer en route to last year's final, had beaten Chardy two weeks ago at Delray Beach, Fla., where he won the title.

But he said Sunday he "really didn't think I played the big points very well. I just missed some shots I haven't missed in the past month. I've been playing some great tennis (recently), really hitting the ball well in practice and coming in here with more confidence than I've had coming into any tournament ever."

In the women's draw, top-seeded Dinara Safina, No. 4 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and unseeded American Jill Craybas all won their third-round matches.

Safina, who will move to the top of the WTA Tour rankings if she reaches the final round, beat Shuai Peng of China, 7-5, 6-4; Zvonareva, on track for a possible semifinal meeting with Safina, was a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Czech Petra Kvitova; and Wozniacki, Zvonareva's potential quarterfinals foe, beat Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Craybas, No. 102 in the WTA Tour rankings, ousted Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-3.

In other men's matches, No. 8 seed Juan Martin del Potro also moved into the third round with a 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1 win over American wild card Ryan Sweeting, but six-foot-nine John Isner, upset ninth-seeded Gael Monfils of France, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4.

Murray bounces back at Indian Wells

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Fourth-seeded Andy Murray advanced to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open with 7-5, 6-3 victory over Spain's Albert Montanes on Saturday.

Murray fell behind, 3-1 and 4-2, in the first set but won the final two games and the final three of the match to advance to a matchup with Paul-Henri Mathieu of France.

"I wanted to just give it 110 per cent," Murray said. "I saw that I wasn't going to play my best tennis and it would be dumb to think like that. I thought I moved great, the best I had moved in quite a while. I wasn't hitting the ball particularly well, but I moved well."

Elena Dementieva, the women's No. 3 seed, did not fare as well, losing to 24-year-old Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-1, in their second-round match.

Fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia opened defence of her title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus. Also, No. 7 seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland beat Samantha Stosur of Australia, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, to join younger sister Urszula Radwanska in the third round.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, the 11th seed, beat Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia, 7-5, 6-3.

Dementieva, who was playing in her seventh event of the year, said she will take a couple of much-needed days off and then get ready for the next tournament, at Miami.

"I just feel like I probably shouldn't (have) come here because ... I just needed to take some time off and get ready and recover. I just needed a much longer break to get ready to play at my best," she said. "It was a very short period of time (off) after Dubai. When it was time to start practice again I was just too tired. That probably was the worst match for a long time for me."

It was the best match ever for Cetkovska, a pro since 2000 with a career-best ranking of No. 49 last June. She had a win over then-No. 11 Marion Bartoli last year, but said she didn't expect to beat Dementieva.

"The key I think is that I was still playing and still trying to believe that I can do it and to play every point and we'll see what will happen," said Cetkovska, who lives in Paris. "I think there was something that I should try not to do, to let her be aggressive on me. So every single opportunity I had, even if I could make a mistake, it was to try to be aggressive before her."

Sharapova returns to Tour with loss

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Maria Sharapova made a tentative return from shoulder surgery Thursday, teaming with Elena Vesnina in a 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 loss to Ekaterina Makarova and Tatiana Poutchek in doubles play at the BNP Paribas Open. It was the first match in seven months for Sharapova, who was forced off the WTA Tour last August by a torn rotator cuff and underwent surgery on her right shoulder two months later. "It feels very good to be back," the 24-year-old Russian said. "I just wanted to test (the shoulder) out. I started training a couple of months ago. I just wanted to ... test it out in a match situation and get a little different scenery than the practice court and play in front of the crowd, so that was exciting. The main goal for here was just to get out there and be in that atmosphere again. "The hump I've got to get through right now is to put together two weeks of coming out to the court and playing two or three sets every day, and doing that for seven or eight days in a row. ... Right now I'm able to do maybe three days or four days and then I have to take it easy on the fifth." Sharapova was unsure where or when she would play again. "I'm done with setting a timetable for myself. Those days are over," she said. Earlier in the day, two-time tournament champion Lleyton Hewitt continued his own comeback from hip surgery by beating Jan Hernych 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the first round of the men's draw. Hewitt, once the top-ranked ATP Tour player in the world, won this event in 2002 and 2003 and lost to Roger Federer in the 2005 final. This year, however, the 28-year-old Australian is ranked No. 77 and still trying to regain his physical fitness after having surgery on his left hip last Aug. 16. "The ranking doesn't bother me at all," said Hewitt, who last year saw his streak of title-winning seasons end at 10 and finished out of the top 25 for the first time since his rookie season of 1998. "There's been a lot of travel the last few months and it hasn't been easy on the body," he said. "I wasn't sure what to expect out there (against Hernych). I knew when I decided to have it done that it was going to take quite some time to get as close as I'm going to get to 100 per cent." Hewitt advanced to a second-round meeting with 17th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, who beat him in the opening round of this year's Australian Open. In other first round men's matches, Igor Kunitsyn beat American Vince Spadea in straight sets and Marc Gicquel ousted Simone Bolelli to set up a match with No. 2 seed Roger Federer. In women's first round play, Sania Mirza rallied from a first-set loss to beat Mariya Koryttseva, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, and 17-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Marta Domachowska, 6-1, 6-3, to earn a second-round match against No. 2 seed Jelana Jankovic.

Federer says girlfriend is pregnant

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BASEL, Switzerland -- Roger Federer is going to be a father. The second-ranked Swiss tennis player said in a message posted Thursday on his website that girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec is pregnant with the couple's first child. "This is a dream come true for us," the 27-year-old Federer said. "We love children and we are looking forward to being parents for the first time. Mirka is feeling great and everything is going well." The baby is due sometime in the summer, he said. "We are so happy to be starting a family together," said Federer, who met Vavrinec at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The 13-time Grand Slam champion is in Indian Wells, California, for the Masters tournament, which starts Thursday. Federer, who lost to Rafael Nadal in five sets in the Australian Open final, pulled out of Switzerland's Davis Cup series against the United States and withdrew from the Dubai Tennis Championships because of an injured back, but he said it is better. "I arrived in Indian Wells earlier this week and I am eager to get back out on court," Federer said. "My back is feeling much better and I am ready to go." Federer is seeded second behind Nadal at Indian Wells, a tournament he won from 2004-06. He will open against either Marc Gicquel or Simone Bolelli.

Canada's Dubois ousted from Paribas

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Stephanie Dubois of Laval, Que., lost to American Alexa Glatch 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday.

Jelena Dokic lost to Jill Craybas of the United States, 6-4, 6-2.

The Australian Open quarter-finalist said she needs a break after six months away from home as she attempts to return to the highest levels of the sport.

Essentially out of tennis in 2007, Dokic played four WTA tournaments last year and won three titles on the ITF circuit. But the campaign is taking its toll.

She he said she is "having a hard time figuring out what to do on the court right now," and said she may have been mentally beaten before taking the court against Craybas.

"I'm really, really struggling mentally," said Dokic, 26. "I need to just settle down and get myself together again."

Dokic, who also represented Australia in the Fed Cup recently, said she could return for the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami starting March 25.

In other early first round matches Wednesday, Shahar Peer beat Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-2, 6-1, Nicole Vaidisova overcame Michaella Krajicek, 6-3, 6-4.

Sharapova returning this week

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- Maria Sharapova is returning to the WTA Tour this week for the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif., the three-time major champion announced on her website.

After missing the past two Grand Slam tournaments with a right shoulder injury -- last year's U.S. Open and this year's Australian Open -- Sharapova also pulled out of an indoor event in Paris and a hard-court tournament in Dubai.

"I am excited to be playing competitive tennis again," Sharapova wrote on her website. "The healing process takes time, and requires things to move more slowly than I would like, but I am taking things one step at a time. I look forward to playing at the BNP Paribas Open, it is definitely one of my favourite tournaments in the world."

Sharapova, who has won Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, will play in the doubles draw at Indian Wells -- her first doubles action in four years -- in addition to singles. She will team with fellow Russian Elena Vesnina.

The joint ATP-WTA-sanctioned BNP Paribas Open begins Wednesday.

Davis Cup: Canada falls to Ecuador

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO -- Frank Dancevic and Frederic Niemeyer both lost their singles matches Sunday as Ecuador defeated Canada 3-2 in a first round Davis Cup tie.

Dancevic, from Niagara Falls, Ont., fell 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-1 to Nicolas Lapentti in a match that lasted four and a half hours. Lapentti's win knotted the Americas Zone Group 1 tie at 2-2.

Giovanni Lapentti then beat Niemeyer of Deauville, Que., 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-3 to secure the win for Ecuador.

Canada had a 2-1 advantage heading into the final day of play after Dancevic was triumphant in his singles rubber on Friday and Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Niemeyer captured the doubles match on Saturday.

"It's probably the worst experience of my life right now ever playing a tennis match," Dancevic said after the loss. "I had two match points in the tie-break, I had the match in my hands. I wanted to win so badly and that's why it hurts so much."

Ecuador advanced to the second round against Peru in May with both teams playing for a chance to compete in a World Group playoff. Canada will face Uruguay in July to remain in Americas Zone Group I.

Nicolas Lapentti saved three break points in the first game of the match and broke Dancevic's second service game to give him the early advantage and first set 6-3.

Lapentti and Dancevic exchanged breaks to start the second set and then held serve steadily. It wasn't until the 12th game that Dancevic was able to break Lapentti again, converting his third set point to take it 7-5.

In the third, Dancevic was finally able to overcome Lapentti's serve in the tenth game on his fourth set point to take the set 6-4.

In the fourth, Dancevic took a medical time out while up 5-4 due to a leg cramp. The set eventually went into an intense tie-break at 6-6 with long rallies which winded both players. Dancevic had two match points to clinch the tie. But Lapentti used his heavy topspin forehand and strong serve to fight back and win the tie-break 8-6.

The fifth set was all Lapentti, who used his experience and mental toughness to oust Dancevic by a score of 6-1.

"I'm used to playing long matches in my career," said Lapentti after the victory. "I was strong mentally to stay in the match. Frank is a great player, but towards the end, experience counts and I had the stamina. I've been in this situation a thousand times."

Nadal not worried about Federer

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BENIDORM, Spain -- Top-ranked Rafael Nadal isn't worried about Roger Federer's ability to bounce back from an Australian Open defeat that saw him break down in tears during the trophy presentation.

Nadal said the two tennis stars haven't spoken since that emotional -- and slightly awkward -- moment following Nadal's victory last month over the second-ranked Swiss player.

With Rod Laver about to present the cup to Nadal, Federer stood on the court shedding tears after having missed his first chance to equal Pete Sampras's record 14 Grand Slam singles titles.

"I don't think there is too much to analyze. I'm not going to turn the whole thing into a movie just because of a single moment of emotion," Nadal said Sunday after beating third-ranked Novak Djokovic to help defending champion Spain overcome Serbia 4-1 in Davis Cup play.

"I haven't spoken with him because I haven't seen him."

After Federer choked up at the microphone at the Rod Laver Arena, Nadal told Federer he was the best player in history and that he would catch Sampras's record. Nadal said he didn't think his compliments had sounded condescending.

"Could they upset him? I sincerely don't think so. With all of the titles he's won over the years and all of those years at No. 1, can you say something else? I don't think so," Nadal said. "I believe I'm sincere and in the end we have a sufficiently good relationship that we don't get upset with each other when things come out in the press.

"If Federer told me I was the best, I would love it, I would be happy."

Nadal, who is 5-2 against Federer in championship matches at the majors, ended Federer's five-year reign at Wimbledon last year. Nadal then overtook Federer's No. 1 ranking, which he had occupied for a record 237 weeks, before becoming the first Spanish man to win at Australia.

Djokovic also believed Federer would bounce back to challenge Nadal for tennis's top ranking.

"For Federer it's a very big task because he's not used to having somebody else in front of him," Djokovic said through a translator. "And Rafa is in excellent form so it will be difficult with some of the other players like (Jo-Wilfred) Tsonga, (Andy) Murray and me also challenging."

Canadians take 2-1 Davis Cup lead

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO -- Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Frederic Niemeyer of Sherbrooke, Que., have put Canada in the driver's seat of its Davis Cup tie with Ecuador.

Nestor and Niemeyer defeated brothers Giovanni and Nicolas Lapentti 6-4, 6-3 in doubles Saturday at Rexall Centre. That gave Canada a 2-1 lead heading into the final two singles matches Sunday.

"Freddy was outstanding," said Nestor after the match. "We put a lot of pressure on them in every phase of the game."

As a result of the doubles victory, a singles win by either Niemeyer or Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., will give Canada the Americas Zone Group One victory.

Dancevic will take on Nicolas Lapentti in the first singles match Sunday before Niemeyer and Giovanni Lapenti square off in the final contest.

Nicolas Lapentti opened the series Friday night by topping Niemeyer 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(4) before Dancevic captured a 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 decision over Giovanni Lapentti to tie the series 1-1.

"Today I had to prove myself," said Niemeyer. "I came out fired up and ready to play."

Canada splits Davis Cup opener

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO -- Canada's Frank Dancevic left no room for error, beating Giovanni Lapentti of Ecuador 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 Friday on the opening day of the Davis Cup.

Earlier, Lapentti's brother Nicolas topped Frederic Niemeyer of Sherbrooke, Que., in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(4) as Ecuador and Canada finished the day tied at one in the the Americas Zone Group One matchup.

Dancevic produced few unforced errors, struck the ball cleanly and served with ease in his victory.

"I don't think there was a point where I wasn't going for the ball. I put a lot of pressure on him and I played my game," said Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont. "This is a special occasion, it's Davis Cup. I'm not just playing for myself, I'm playing for Canada and every match is very important in Davis Cup."

Ecuador struck first in the day's starting match as Nicolas Lapentti forced Niemeyer into tie breaks en route to his win.

"My big two weapons weren't working as well as they usually do, like my serve and forehand," said Niemeyer after the match. "I had a lot of chances, I had a lot of big points, but I didn't play any of them very well."

Lapentti's strong ground strokes, quick movement and ability to create spectacular angles from all over the court worked to his advantage to generate the first point for his team.

"Every point is important," said Nicolas Lapentti. "But it is always nice to win the first one."

The victory also secured Nicolas Lapentti the Ecuadorian Davis Cup record for most total wins and most singles wins, both of which he was tied for with Andres Guzman. Lapentti now boasts a 55-31 total win record and 37-15 total singles record.

Roddick helps lead USA comeback

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK -- Argentina, Russia and Croatia swept their singles to be on the verge of reaching the Davis Cup quarter-finals on Friday. Former champions the United States, Germany and France needed comebacks to even their ties, while all the drama in the politicized Sweden-Israel match at Malmo was on the court rather than off it. Also, Spain looked like starting its title defence in the blockbuster first-round tie with Serbia on Saturday after the strong winds that damaged the temporary stadium in Benidorm subsided to allow repairs. Argentina led the Netherlands 2-0, as did Russia over Romania, and Croatia against Chile. The Argentines, whose decade-long unbeaten run at home was ended by Spain in last year's final, were given a scare when Juan Ignacio Chela took nearly four hours to beat unheralded Jesse Huta Galung 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-2. Juan Monaco responded to the home side's shaky start by rubbing out Thiemo De Bakker 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (1). "Juan (Ignacio Chela's) win calmed my nerves and I was able to play solid tennis from the start," Monaco said. "I hope we can win the tie tomorrow in the doubles." Argentina should but not in front of its usual raucous crowd. After Juan Martin del Potro made himself unavailable and David Nalbandian withdrew sick, only about 1,500 attended the normally sold-out 14,000-seat Parque Roca Stadium. "I expected more people," Netherlands captain Jan Siemerink said. There was more than 2,000 in Sibiu to back Romania, but the Russians were too good. Marat Safin beat a spirited Victor Crivoi 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4 and Mikhail Youzhny, picked ahead of Dmitry Tursunov, handled a disappointing Victor Hanescu 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 only two months after losing to Hanescu in Doha. Romania won from 2-0 down when it last met Russia in 1997 but the odds are longer this time. Without Fernando Gonzalez, Chile proved no match for host Croatia in Porec. Mario Ancic beat former Olympic champion Nicolas Massu 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4), and Marin Cilic earned his first Cup win at the expense of Paul Capdeville 6-1, 6-2, 6-1. At Malmo, where city officials banned spectators in heavily guarded Baltic Hall in fear of protests against Israel, the players produced a thrilling opening day's play. First, Sweden's former Australian Open champ Thomas Johansson returned from injury to beat Harel Levy 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6, then Israel's Dudi Sela outlasted Andreas Vinciguerra 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 11-9 to level the tie. Johansson had been out of action since October because of a foot injury, and he committed 65 unforced errors. But he made the final break at 7-6 in the fifth and served out. "I'm completely exhausted. I emptied everything I had," Johansson said with his left foot wrapped in ice. Vinciguerra saved a match point at 5-4 in the fifth set but lost serve at 9-9 and Sela finally held to end their duel. Few protesters showed up, but thousands are expected on Saturday during the doubles. In Ostrava, an impressive-serving Jo-Wilfried Tsonga downed Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (1) for France to draw even with the Czech Republic after Tomas Berdych ruined Gilles Simon's Cup debut 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3. The tie between last year's quarter-finalists was even but Berdych still believed the Czechs will prevail. "They may have a better team but we're more experienced in Davis Cup," he said. In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Austria's hopes of a first win over its German host was set back when Philipp Kohlschreiber downed Austria No. 1 Jurgen Melzer 6-7 (4), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to even the tie at 1-1. It was Kohlschreiber's first win from sets down. Stefan Koubek beat Germany No. 1 Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 in the opener. In Birmingham, Alabama, Andy Roddick beat Marco Chiudinelli 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (5) for the United States to draw with Switzerland. Stanislas Wawrinka beat James Blake 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3) but admitted the Swiss were still the heavy underdogs without the injured Roger Federer. "It's going to be very difficult," Wawrinka said. "In the rankings, they are better, but I knew I needed to win the first match. It was very tough. It was a very important match for the rest of the weekend." Officials were waiting until Saturday to decide whether to start the Spain-Serbia tie after winds ripped out sections of seating, but if it gets the go-ahead, third-ranked Novak Djokovic will meet Spain's David Ferrer, followed by top-ranked Rafael Nadal against Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic.

Serena beats sister at MSG event

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- Serena Williams looked up at the rafters after beating her older sister Venus in the Billie Jean King Cup on Monday night. After a short trip to her courtside chair, she held her racquet up and waved to the crowd.

Yes, the world's No. 1 player enjoyed her first tennis tournament at Madison Square Garden very much.

Serena wore down Venus to win the one-night exhibition, finishing off the return of women's tennis to the Garden with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

The Williams sisters gave the crowd of 12,026 exactly what it wanted by advancing to the championship but Venus was never the same after she was broken in a marathon game in the first set.

Serena Williams won US$400,000 of the $1.2 million purse as women's tennis grabbed centre stage at MSG after a nine-year absence.

The Garden hosted the WTA season-ending championships every year but one from 1977-2000, but the marquee event hasn't been back since. After Roger Federer beat Pete Sampras in a riveting three-setter at MSG last year, four of the top seven women's players in the world agreed to stage their own exhibition at "the world's most famous arena."

Serena Williams shook off an early challenge from seventh-ranked Ana Ivanovic and won 6-3 in the second one-set semifinal after Venus advanced with a 6-4 victory over Jelena Jankovic in the one-night exhibition.

The sisters were tied at 4 with Venus serving when they engaged in easily the longest game of the night. After nine deuces, Venus dumped a backhand into the net on Serena's eighth break point of the game. Serena then held to take the first set and opened the second with another break as a weary Venus struggled with her serve.

Before the final, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, figure skaters Sarah Hughes and Nancy Kerrigan and race car driver Janet Guthrie participated in a tribute to Billie Jean King, who founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973.

"She has probably done more than any other woman in the world to empower women and educate men," Clinton said.

.The Williams sisters were clearly the star attraction for the crowd, which braved a winter snowstorm to catch the stars before they come back to the area this summer for the U.S. Open. Many of the fans filed out after Serena won the first set of the championship.

The first semifinal featured solid serving and erratic groundstrokes. Williams got the only break when the third-ranked Jankovic hit a backhand wide and won when the Serb belted a forehand long on match point after Williams failed to put away an overhead.

Serena Williams rallied from 15-40 down to hold serve in the third game of her semifinal, then broke Ivanovic to go up 3-1. Ivanovic earned two more break points in the seventh game but Williams rallied to take a 5-2 lead.

The Billie Jean King Cup was part of "Tennis Night in America," an effort by the U.S. Tennis Association to get youth registered for the sport. More than 750 tennis and community centres were signing up kids for spring and summer leagues.

All-Williams final at MSG event

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK -- Serena and Venus gave the crowd exactly what it wanted Monday night -- an all-Williams final for the return of women's tennis to Madison Square Garden. Serena Williams shook off an early challenge from Ana Ivanovic and won her one-set semifinal 6-3 to reach the Billie Jean King Cup championship after sister Venus advanced with a 6-4 victory over Jelena Jankovic in the one-night exhibition. Serena Williams rallied from 15-40 down to hold serve in the third game of the set then broke Ivanovic to go up 3-1. She trailed 15-40 in another service game before rallying to take a 5-2 lead. The players cleared the court after the second semifinal for a tribute to Billie Jean King featuring former U.S. President Bill Clinton as tennis returned to the Garden after a nine-year absence.

Virus keeps Murray from Davis Cup

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON -- Fourth-ranked Andy Murray will miss Britain's Davis Cup match against Ukraine this week because of a lingering virus. Murray said Monday he hasn't recovered from the illness that forced him to pull out of the quarter-finals of last week's Dubai Tennis Championships. He withdrew from the British team that will face Ukraine in the Europe/Africa Zone second-round match starting Friday at the Braehead Arena near Glasgow in Scotland. "Obviously, I'm very disappointed that I won't be playing in Glasgow this week, but the doctor has told me that I need complete rest for at least seven days, and I have to respect that," said Murray, who has won ATP titles in Doha and Rotterdam this season. "I hoped that pulling out of Dubai when I did would give me enough time to recover, but this virus has hit me harder than any illness I've had before and I still feel terrible." Britain's Davis Cup captain John Lloyd said he would consult with coach Paul Annacone on a replacement for Murray.

Fish fries Korolev in Delray final

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Mardy Fish became the first top seed in the 17-year history of the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships to win the title, beating Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday.

Fish endured a wind and a rain delay of about an hour, then converted his fifth match point to earn his third career tournament championship.

"Today was one of those matches where you just want to get off the court with a win," Fish said. "It was like I don't care what the score is, I don't care what it looks like, I just want to get off this court with a win."

Fish, who grew up in Vero Beach, and went high school for a year in nearby Boca Raton, considers the Delray Beach tournament home court advantage.

Heading into the match, Fish was 2-10 in career finals -- he won the 2003 Stockholm and 2006 Houston tournaments. He lost in the San Jose, Calif., final earlier this month.

"It's been well chronicled that I've had a lot of losses in finals," Fish said. "I'd certainly like to feel I'm a better player than three titles, but it is what it is.

"I'm happy to win this tournament. I love coming down here and my family were able to here -- my mom, my dad and my sister -- they're never able to travel. And it was nice to have (my wife) see how it feels for me to win it."

Korolev, who initially held a 5-3 lead in the match, said Fish was too strong and too experienced for him to contend with during the final.

He dedicated his weeklong success to his deceased nephew, Andy, the son of his brother and physiotherapist, Alexey.

"When he passed away I promised myself when I reached a final or win a tournament I dedicate it to him," said Korolev, close to tears. "All my wins go out to him. It's very emotional. He was two-and-a-half weeks old. I learned a couple of things from him; that you have to fight and how to appreciate every day that I've lived."

When the players returned to the court after the rain delay at 1-1 in the first set, the power hitting Korolev pulled ahead to a 5-3 lead.

"I'm the No. 1 seed, it started out rough in the first set and it starts creeping in your mind, am I going to break this thing or what?" said Fish of the 17-year curse of top seeds not winning it all at Delray Beach.

As it turned out, Korolev couldn't hold on to his advantage and lost the next four games to drop the first set.

In the second set, Fish immediately broke out to a 3-0 lead and held on to the service break throughout the remainder of the match.

Fish failed to close out the match in his first four match points -- two on Korolev's serve in the eighth game and two on his own serve in the final game.

Venus wins 41st career title

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ACAPULCO, Mexico -- Venus Williams beat defending champion Flavia Pennetta 6-1, 6-2 to win the Mexican Open title on Saturday.

The 62-minute victory earned the top-seeded Williams her 41st career singles title and second in two weeks. She won in Dubai last weekend, where she became the only active player to win 40 titles.

Overall, Williams has won four of her last five tournaments, including last year's WTA Championships, and 20 of her last 21 matches.

In the men's final, Nicolas Almagro of Spain defended his Mexican Open title, beating second-seeded Gael Monfills of France 6-4, 6-4.

Fourth-seeded Almagro, ranked 21st in the world, earned his fifth career title for beating the 10th-ranked Monfils.

Making her debut on Acapulco's clay, Williams won three consecutive three-set matches then lost only six games in her last two matches in extending her winning streak to 10.

"During the week I had very hard games, but luckily I produced my best game for my toughest opponent," Williams said.

She broke the second-seeded Pennetta four times in the final and saved the only break point she faced.

"I served very well, and I knew if do then it's difficult to break me," Williams said. "So I just tried to hold my serve and wait for her to make mistakes."

Pennetta was playing in her sixth successive final in Acapulco, but has won only in 2005 and 2008. Her tournament-best record dropped to 28-5.

"I hope to return next year and try and reach a seventh final," Pennetta said.

Fish faces Korolev in Delray final

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Mardy Fish advanced to the final of the Delray Beach International Championships with a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Jeremy Chardy on Saturday night.

Fish, the top seed, will try to become the first No. 1 seed to in the 17-year history of this tournament to take the title when he faces qualifier Evgeny Korolev on Sunday.

Korolev reached his first career final with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Christophe Rochus in Saturday's first semifinal match.

Fish was facing a break point to go behind 1-4 before taking control of the match.

"I've never seen him play," said the American, who served and volleyed Chardy off the court in winning 11 of the last 13 games. "I didn't know any of his patterns, ins and outs."

Fish is 2-10 in finals, including a loss at San Jose, Calif., earlier this month.

"I played great the second set," he said. "Even the game he won I had a game point."

Korolev is the second consecutive qualifier to secure a final berth at this tournament. Kei Nishikori won the championship but did not attempt to defend his title this year.

"I'm very happy I won," Korolev said. "Every tournament you play you hope to win it."

The 105th-ranked Korolev is the fourth qualifier to reach the Delray Beach championship. Besides Nishikori, Alex Calatrava was a finalist in 2000 and Andrew Ilie won the title in 1998.

"I just know that Nishikori was coming out of the quallies last year and I'll be happy to do the same thing," Korolev said.

Korolev, a first cousin of former player Anna Kournikova, is the first Russian to reach the Delray Beach final in the tournament's 17-year history.

Korolev dominated the 60th-ranked Rochus in the first set with his heavy groundstrokes, particularly off the forehand.

In the second set, Korolev jumped out to a 5-2 lead and served for the match at 5-3. Rochus took advantage of a brief letdown by Korolev to hold serve at love in the eighth game and to break in the ninth game, but couldn't push his way into a third set.

Djokovic dumps Ferrer in Dubai final

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Novak Djokovic won his first title of the season Saturday, beating David Ferrer of Spain 7-5, 6-3 in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The third-ranked Serb was playing in his first final this year. He won the Australian Open in 2008, and added the Masters Cup title at the end of last season. At this year's Australian Open, he retired against American Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals.