Safina upsets her way to German title

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BERLIN -- Dinara Safina won the German Open on Sunday by beating ninth-ranked Elena Dementieva 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, the third top-10 player she knocked off en route to the title. The 17th-ranked Safina also recorded wins against No. 1 Justine Henin and No. 6 Serena Williams at the clay-court event. The 22-year-old Russian overcame a slow start and dropped the first set -- just like in her two other upsets -- before her shots began to find the lines. Safina took home US$197,000 for the win on Mother's Day. "My mother can buy anything she wants," said Safina, whose mother watched from the stands. "She can walk into any store and I will pay for it." The tournament's strong field included six of the world's top seven players, but failed to produce a French Open favourite after a rash of upsets. The Grand Slam tournament starts May 25. "You can put me on the list if you want too," Safina said. "But I don't know if I can keep playing like this. This week I played so good, starting with Justine, just so good." Now she will fly to Rome on Monday, where the top players will play again. "I can be the happiest person in the world, but I have to come down fast," Safina said. Safina, the sister of two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin, has beaten top-10 players 11 times. She won her sixth title and first this year. "She had a great week," Dementieva said. "Every year she gets better and moves closer to the top 10."

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Canadian Nestor falls in doubles at Rome

THE CANADIAN PRESS ROME -- Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic lost the Rome Masters doubles final after a lengthy tiebreaker Sunday, falling 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 to American twins Bob and Mike Bryan. It was the second championship loss at the elite Masters level for the second seeds, who also lost in the Indian Wells final last March. "We were playing well as a team, it was a couple of shots here and there in the final that made the difference," said Nestor."We like our form now. We won some important matches this week which we would not have done a few weeks before. "We had lost some tough three-setters and we won them this week. Things are turning around and hopefully we just need to build on them." In singles play, Novak Djokovic won the 10th title of his career, rallying to defeat unseeded Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Nestor and Zimonjic joined forces after the U.S. Open last year and took the first set with a late break. They failed to hold the momentum in the second as the Americans recovered with a break in the final game. The tiebreaker third was a lottery. Nestor and Zimonjic were unable to capitalize on a 4-1 lead, with the Bryans making up the gap and taking a 5-4 advantage. They rebounded to go up 8-7 only to lose the contest three points later when the top seeds converted their first match point. The Bryans now look ready for the French Open after also winning a trophy in Barcelona last week on clay. They won their first Rome title after runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2007. The teams next head to Hamburg for another Masters Series event, the last major tuneup before the May 25 start of the French Open. Nestor and Zimonjic hadn't won a match since Indian Wells, falling in subsequent opening matches in Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona before Rome. "The difference was we had two double-faults and they had none," said Nestor. "Other than that it was pretty even. "Every point was close, it went back and forth. They're the best and you have to go for it. Unfortunately it didn't work out." The third-ranked Djokovic, meanwhile, won the Australian Open in January for his first Grand Slam title, then captured the Masters Series event in Indian Wells, Calif., in March. "This is one of the best tournaments I've won," the Serb said in fluent Italian after receiving the winner's trophy from four-time Rome champion Gabriela Sabatini. Djokovic's third victory of 2008 will move him within 310 points of No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the ATP rankings. Djokovic acknowledged he is a contender to become No. 1. "I hope so. But I don't want to think about No. 1 yet," he said. "I know a lot of people will start talking now about me being one of the best players. Let's see. I'm taking it as it comes." Djokovic improved to 8-1 on clay this season and 25-5 overall. At the Monte Carlo Masters last month, Djokovic withdrew from his semifinal match with top-ranked Roger Federer due to strep throat. He showed no signs of weakness this week, although many other players did. Both Djokovic and Wawrinka advanced to the final when their semifinal opponents quit. First, Andy Roddick pulled out with a back problem against Wawrinka, then Radek Stepanek quit with apparent heat stroke against Djokovic. Djokovic's quarter-final opponent, Nicolas Almagro, also withdrew with a wrist problem. Djokovic did not face a seeded player all week, registering wins against Steve Darcis and Igor Andreev in his opening two matches. Despite the loss, Wawrinka will move to 10th when the new rankings come out Monday. With Federer, it will mark the first time two Swiss players have been in the top 10. The 22-year-old Wawrinka was the French Open junior champion in 2003.

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Henin withdraws from Italian Open, fined

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ROME -- Top-ranked Justine Henin has withdrawn from next week's Italian Open, citing fatigue. She will be fined US$20,000 for a late withdrawal, the WTA Tour said on Friday. On Thursday, Henin lost to Dinara Safina 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in the third round of the German Open. That loss followed a 6-2, 6-0 drubbing by Serena Williams at the Sony Ericsson Open last month, the worst for a No. 1 player in nine years. Maria Sharapova also beat her in straight sets at the Australian Open. Henin returned in Berlin from a month off with a knee injury hoping to restore her confidence in time to win a fifth French Open title in June. Gisela Dulko of Argentina will replace Henin in the Rome draw when the tournament gets under way Monday.

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Safina ends Serena's German win streak

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BERLIN -- Dinara Safina ended Serena Williams's 17-match winning streak with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory on Friday to reach the German Open semifinals. The 17th-ranked Russian kept pressuring Williams' backhand, the same tactic that worked a day earlier in an upset of top-ranked Justine Henin of Belgium. Both players held serve throughout the final set, before Williams let a 4-3 lead in the tiebreaker slip away. The American sent a forehand long and wide to end the two-hour match. Williams, chasing a fourth straight title, appeared poised to improve on a 21-1 record this year without trouble until Safina's hard shots began to land in the second set. Williams was the 10th top-10 victim for the 22-year-old Safina, the sister of two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin. After a 2007 slump, the Russian said a win last month against Lindsay Davenport at the Sony Ericsson Open restored her belief in her ability to beat the top players. Safina broke twice to start the second set, whipping a shot past Williams at the net to take a 4-0 lead. She will face Victoria Azarenka in Saturday's semifinal, after the 18-year-old Belarusian ousted 15th-seeded Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 7-6 (2), 6-2.

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Rome Masters: Djokovic, Blake advance

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ROME -- Third-ranked Novak Djokovic showed no signs of illness, cruising past Steve Darcis 6-4, 6-0 on Wednesday in his opening match at the Rome Masters. At the recent Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic pulled out of his semifinal match against top-ranked Roger Federer after falling behind 6-3, 3-2. Tests revealed he had strep throat. "I finished with my medication yesterday," Djokovic said. "So, hopefully, now I'll get better in the future." James Blake held off Andreas Seppi of Italy 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1 before a partisan crowd. "A lot of times, Americans have trouble on clay, but the older I get the more I learn and my clay-court game is starting to come together," Blake said. Against the 49th-ranked Darcis, Djokovic broke at love in the final game of the first set, then rolled through the second. "I feel good. I'm satisfied with the way I played today," the Serb said in fluent Italian. "The first match is always tough. "I feel at home in Italy. I like playing here." Fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko defeated wild-card Mario Ancic 6-2, 6-2, and Fernando Gonzalez -- last year's finalist -- dispatched qualifier Evgeny Korolev 6-3, 6-2. In other second-round play, two seeded players were upset. Coming off a runner-up performance in the Barcelona Open, fifth-seeded David Ferrer lost 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to Radek Stepanek. Seventh-seeded David Nalbandian lost to clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro upset 6-4, 7-5. Also, qualifier Luis Horna eliminated Jose Acasuso 6-3, 7-6 (1). Later, Rafael Nadal opened his bid for a fourth straight title against 2001 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. The top eight seeds had first-round byes in this clay-court warmup for the French Open, which begins May 25. Djokovic led 18-11 in winners and had 18 unforced errors, with Darcis committing 31. In January, Djokovic won the Australian Open for his first Grand Slam title. "The Australian Open changed my life," Djokovic said. "Now I want to become No. 1 this year." Blake struggled with his forehand -- committing 33 errors on that side -- but his one-handed backhand worked well. A backhand passing shot up the line broke Seppi's serve for a 3-1 lead in the third set, and he cruised from there. "In the third set, I really started to find my game," Blake said. "A lot of shots I was missing starting going in." Blake, 28, reached his first career clay-court final last month in Houston, losing to Marcel Granollers. Nalbandian saved seven match points before finally surrendering a forehand into the net. Nalbandian was the runner-up to Carlos Moya in the 2004 final, and reached the semifinals in 2006, losing to Roger Federer.

Rome Masters: Qualifier upsets Gasquet

German teen upsets Peer in Germany

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BERLIN -- Teenager Sabine Lisicki upset 14th-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel 7-5, 6-1 Monday in the first round of the German Open. The 18-year-old German trailed 4-3 in the first set before taking over the clay-court match at the French Open warm-up tournament. "I love to play in Berlin and I desperately wanted to play well," said Lisicki, who reached the third round at the Australian Open. "Of course such a victory stimulates me and gives me self-confidence." Tenth-seeded Agnes Szavay of Hungary advanced to the second round when Milagros Sequera of Venezuela retired while trailing 6-2, 3-0, and 2006 champion Nadia Petrova of Russia beat Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (2). Aravane Razai of France advanced on a walkover when former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo of France, the 2001 and '04 champion, withdrew because of a rib injury. American Serena Williams enters the German Open exuding confidence, something Justine Henin of Belgium badly needs to regain at one of her favourite tournaments. Williams's 15-match winning streak includes a 6-2, 6-0 win over Henin at the Sony Ericsson Open in March. That was the top-ranked player's last match before a knee injury, and it followed a 6-4, 6-0 loss to Russian Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open. The German Open, however, has been the place Henin tanks up on confidence before she heads to Roland Garros, where she has won four French Open titles. "I love this tournament. The German Open has really been good to me -- I've won it three times," Henin said. "If I'm going to get my confidence back, it's probably here. I really needed these few weeks off to make tennis my priority again." The weeks off left Henin thinking about the end of her career ahead of her 26th birthday on June 1. "It will come in two, three, four, five years. It's hard to say," Henin said. "Motivation is the most important thing now. I'm an athlete, but as a woman, I have to find balance in my life." The German Open has drawn six of the world's top seven players, with Sharapova being the only exception. "It's a very strong field," said defending champion Ana Ivanovic. "It's very exciting for all of us." Like Henin, the 20-year-old Serb calls the German Open a pivotal event in her career. Ranked 15th when she won last year, she has climbed to No. 2 in the world. "This was the tournament that made me. I found my game here," Ivanovic said. "The pressure will be on me this time, but I'm not used to defending a title much, so I really want to learn about that." Williams has a 19-1 record this year and her 31st career title at the Family Circle Cup last month ended a drought on clay dating back to the 2002 French Open win. "I feel like Rafael Nadal on clay. I love clay," the eight-time Grand Slam champion joked in reference to the second-ranked Spaniard, who has won 103 of his last 104 matches on the surface. Williams also attributes her three titles this year to making tennis her priority again. "I'm really healthy. I'm just focused. I'm practising more," Williams said. "I think it's all coming together."

Sharapova, pulls out of German Open

Rome Masters: Qualifier upsets Gasquet

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ROME -- The Rome Masters began with an upset Monday when ninth-seeded Richard Gasquet was beaten by Peruvian qualifier Luis Horna 6-4, 6-1 in the first match on centre court. The match was even until the 111th-ranked Horna broke Gasquet late in the first set. The top French player then unravelled, missing 15 forehands and committing 27 unforced errors overall. "After losing the first set, I lost all my confidence," Gasquet said. "I played my worst match of the year." The match lasted exactly one hour, and ended under light rain at the Foro Italico. Also, Steve Darcis of Belgium beat former No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-5, 7-6 (5) to set up a meeting with current No. 3 Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Igor Andreev of Russia defeated Lee Hyung-taik of South Korea 6-4, 7-5, and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic beat Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Last year, Gasquet finished in the top 10 for the first time, won a career-high 49 matches and posted his best Grand Slam performance by reaching the Wimbledon semifinals. This year, he is the only player in the top 10 yet to reach a quarter-final match. "I'm either way high or way low, and now I'm very low," Gasquet said, adding that he is not enjoying the sport right now. "It's really difficult on the court. I need to win some matches and have fun." Horna beat Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Mischa Zverev of Germany in qualifying. "I knew he was capable, just today anyone could have beaten me," Gasquet said. Wild card Marat Safin of Russia was to play Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland later Monday and Guillermo Canas of Argentina was to meet Italian wild card Gianluca Naso with a matchup against top-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland at stake. Federer leads a field featuring the top nine players in the rankings, including three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain. Nadal is off to another perfect start to the clay-court season, winning back-to-back titles at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open. The top eight seeded players have first-round byes in this tuneup for the French Open. The second Grand Slam of the tennis season begins May 25.

Federer storms past Nalbandian