Federer withdraws from Stockholm Open

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Roger Federer has withdrawn from next week's Stockholm Open saying he needs to rest before starting his quest to reclaim the top spot in the world rankings.

Federer said in a statement on his website Wednesday that he had been playing catch-up all year after being diagnosed with mononucleosis at the start of 2008.

"I feel fortunate to be healthy again, but I want to remain at the top of the game for many more years to come and go after the No. 1 ranking again," Federer said. "In order to do that, I need to get a proper rest and get strong again so that I am 100 per cent fit for the remainder of the year or next year. At this point, I am not sure when I will be ready to play again, but I hope to be back at some point before the end of the year."

Federer apologized to fans who had hoped to see him play in the tournament, which starts Monday at Stockholm's Royal Tennis Hall.

The second-ranked Federer lost the No. 1 spot to Rafael Nadal this year after the Spaniard beat his Swiss rival in both the French Open and Wimbledon final.

Stockholm Open officials confirmed Federer had withdrawn from the tournament on Wednesday.

"We are very sad and disappointed," tournament director Per Hjertquist said. "We're looking for a replacement. But who can replace Federer?"

He said Nadal had already declined an invitation to play in Stockholm, leaving No. 7 David Nalbandian as the top-ranked player at the tournament.

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Roddick, Wozniak on to Japan quarters

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TOKYO -- Spain's David Ferrer and American Andy Roddick lived up to their No. 1 and No. 2 seedings Thursday by progressing to the quarter-finals of the Japan Open while Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak won her second-round match in straight sets.

Ferrer recovered from a slow start to defeat Japanese wild-card Takao Suzuki 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, while Roddick downed No. 14 seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria 7-6 (2), 6-2.

Wozniak, the No. 8 seed from Blainville, Que., defeated Ryoko Fuda of Japan 6-1, 6-1 in women's play.

Ferrer will next meet fifth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, who defeated Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6-1, 6-3.

The draw opened up for Roddick, as his likely quarter-final opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired from his third-round match with a reported abdominal strain. The Frenchman, who reached the Australian Open final this year and won the ATP tournament in Bangkok last weekend, was leading 7-5, 1-2 when he was forced out. Viktor Troicki of Serbia will meet Roddick.

Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic defeated Tommy Robredo of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-2 and will face No. 3 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the quarter-finals. Gonzalez defeated American Amer Delic 6-4, 7-6 (4).

The other quarter-final will be between Frenchman Richard Gasquet and German veteran Rainer Schuettler. The fourth-seeded Gasquet crushed Japanese Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-2, while Schuettler, the No. 12 seed, lost an epic second-set tiebreak before recovering to edge eight-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-7 (12), 6-4.

Ferrer broke Suzuki to go up 3-1 in the second set and said that was the key to winning the third-round match.

"It was a tough match, Takao surprised me," said Ferrer. "He was very focused but when I broke him in the second set I got more focused, then the third set was easier for me."

Ferrer coasted through the final set and won with an ace to wrap up the match in one hour 56 minutes.

Ferrer, currently No. 5 in the world rankings, defeated Gasquet in the final of the Japan Open last year.

He is coming off an opening-round exit in Beijing last week.

Roddick is coming off a victory at the China Open on Sunday. He needed three tiebreakers to defeat Ivo Minar in his opening match here Wednesday.

His third-round match against Melzer was much faster.

"I played OK," said Roddick. "Jurgen had a few calls go against him in the second set which is unfortunate, but I'm glad I didn't have to spend too much time on the court."

Roddick broke Melzer to go up 2-1 in the second set. His return appeared to be long and Melzer was given a code violation for an audible obscenity after protesting.

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Federer to play in Kooyong invitational

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Roger Federer will join former Australian Open champion Marat Safin and 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis in the eight-man Kooyong invitational tournament the week before the season's first Grand Slam in January.

Federer missed this year's Kooyong event this year with a stomach virus, and lost in the semifinals at the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic. Federer went on to lose his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard beat him in the French Open and Wimbledon finals.

Safin won the Australian Open in 2005. Others confirmed to play at Kooyong -- the former home of the Australian Open before it moved to Melbourne Park -- from Jan. 14 to 17 are Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, American James Blake, Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and Latvian Ernests Gulbis.

The eighth player will be named later, said tournament director Colin Stubs.

The tournament attracts top players by offering guaranteed matches in the round-robin format ahead of the Australian Open rather than the risk of elimination in other lead-up tournaments. Stubs said Thursday he believes Nadal plans to rest the week before the Australian Open, which runs from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1.

"At the moment Nadal is probably going to do that although he's got a fairly good reason, he's got some bad knee problems and he doesn't want to extend himself physically a week before a Grand Slam, which is fair enough," said Stubs.

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Serena shocked and shelled in Stuttgart

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

STUTTGART, Germany -- Serena Williams suffered a stunning collapse after sweeping the first set and lost 0-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Li Na in the second round of the Porsche Grand Prix on Wednesday.

Williams will now also lose the No. 1 spot when the new rankings come out Monday and will be overtaken by Jelena Jankovic, WTA officials said.

The American gained the top spot when she beat Jankovic in the final of the U.S. Open three weeks ago.

Earlier, Patty Schnyder beat Svetlana Kuznetsova for the first time in more than three years and advanced to the second round of the Porsche Grand Prix with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory over the fifth-seeded Russian on Wednesday.

Schnyder now has a 3-5 record against Kuznetsova, whom she last beat at the German Open in Berlin in May 2005. Kuznetsova had won their last three matches.

"I played a great match, it was a real fight," the Swiss left-hander said. "There were lots of winners and break points. She defended the baseline very well, it was very tough."

Schnyder broke serve for a 6-5 lead in the final set and clinched the win when Kuznetsova sent a backhand slightly wide.

The 11th-ranked Swiss is seeking her second title of the year after winning in Bali. Schnyder has 11 career titles.

Kuznetsova was coming off a runner-up finish at the China Open, her fifth final defeat of the year, with no titles in 2008. She was No. 2 in the world one year ago.

The Russian has had three semifinal appearances in Stuttgart, while Schnyder had one, in 2006.

Seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva also advanced to the second round by beating Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-2.

Zvonareva won the Olympic bronze medal in Beijing and then also won the tournament in Guangzhou, her second title of the year.

"First match indoors, it was difficult to play my best tennis," the Russian said.

Hantuchova, a 25-year-old Slovak, was runner-up in Stuttgart in 2002.

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Venus wins return to Porsche G.P.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STUTTGART, Germany -- Venus Williams made a successful return to the Porsche Grand Prix after 10 years, advancing to the second round by beating Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-1, 6-2 Tuesday. "She hit some great shots but my experience helped me," said the sixth-seeded Williams, who made it into the second round in 1998 in her only previous appearance in Stuttgart. Williams needed four set points to close out the first set, committing a double-fault on one. She then broke serve for 1-0 at love to start the second. Up two breaks to lead 4-1, Williams allowed the German one more game and hit a forehand winner on her second match point. Williams next plays qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko, who rallied to upset 15th-ranked Flavia Pennetta 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Eight-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska swept past Sandra Zahlavova 6-3, 6-2. Another qualifier advanced when Tsvetana Pironkova beat teenager Alize Cornet of France 6-2, 6-1. The Bulgarian next plays third-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia, who had a bye into the second round, along with the tournament's other top three players -- Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva. Marion Bartoli of France advanced by beating Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-1, and Victoria Azarenka wasted a 5-2 lead before overcoming Agnes Szavay 7-5, 6-3 to set up a second-round contest against Radwanska. The indoor tournament has brought together eight of the top 10 players in the world, with only Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova missing. Serena Williams, who regained the No. 1 ranking after winning the U.S. Open, plays Wednesday against China's Li Na. Williams' closest rival to finish the year as No. 1 is Jankovic, who trails by 21 points. Jankovic, who won the China Open on Sunday, will not play until Thursday, when she meets Alona Bondarenko, Kateryna's sister.

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Japanese teen advances in Tokyo

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TOKYO -- Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori returned to the tournament where he made his debut last year, beating American Robert Kendrick 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-2 Tuesday to reach the second round of the Japan Open.

Nishikori, who is ranked 84th and advanced to the fourth round of the U.S. Open, will next meet Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Wednesday.

Top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain, the defending champion, has a first-round bye along with second-seeded American Andy Roddick.

Nishikori defeated James Blake at Delray Beach, Fla., in February to win his first ATP singles title. He ousted Ferrer in the third round of the U.S. Open before falling to Juan Martin del Potro.

Nishikori lost in the first round in Japan last year. The 18-year-old Japanese said his experience in the past year has made him a better player.

"It's a huge relief to win here in Japan," he said. "Last year, I was very nervous and couldn't play my game. This year I was nervous too but was able to settle down and I think that's a result of the confidence I've built up in the last year."

Nishikori has given the men's game a boost in Japan. Until his win this year, the country had not had a winner in men's singles on the ATP Tour since Shuzo Matsuoka won in South Korea in 1992.

In the women's bracket, 17-year-old Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova knocked out third-seeded Zheng Jie of China 6-1, 6-2, while Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic eliminated fourth-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the second round against Japanese qualifier Rika Fujiwara. Zakopalova will take on Poland's Marta Domachowska.

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark rallied from a set down to defeat Gisela Dulko of Argentina 4-6, 6-0, 6-3. Wozniacki's next opponent will be Japanese wild card Ayumi Morita.

Israel's Shahar Peer, seeded sixth, defeated Japan's Kimiko Krumm Date 6-3, 6-1. The 38-year-old Date, who made her comeback to pro tennis this year, won this tournament four times in the 1990s.

Nishikori took control when he broke Kendrick with a crosscourt forehand to go ahead 3-2 in the third set. He won won when Kendrick's return in the final game was long.

"He's got a very good serve," Nishikori said. "I knew I just had to wait for a chance and finally I got it in the third set and was able to break him."

In other first-round matches, Croatia's Roko Karanusic defeated Japanese qualifier Hiroki Kondo 6-2, 6-2. Karanusic will next play No. 9 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.

Wayne Odesnik of the U.S. downed compatriot Kevin Kim 6-4, 6-3 to set up a match with Serbia's Viktor Troicki. Jesse Levine of the U.S. rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 win over Thailand's Danai Udomchoke. Levine will face Ferrer in the second round.

Na wins Porsche Grand Prix opener

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STUTTGART, Germany -- Li Na of China beat Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2 Monday in the first match of the Porsche Grand Prix. Li next faces nine-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who had a first-round bye. Williams is playing for the first time since defeating Jelena Jankovic in the U.S. Open final three weeks ago and regaining the No. 1 ranking. "The U.S. Open is not the end of the year," Williams said. "I hope to do well in the last tournaments of the year." She lost in the Stuttgart quarter-finals last year to Svetlana Kuznetsova, and she could run into the Russian again at the same stage this week. Venus Williams is seeded sixth and is in the opposite half of the draw, meaning the sisters cannot meet until the final. The two are also playing doubles. They won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing. Jankovic also had a first-round bye, as did Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva. Dementieva will play Sybille Bammer of Austria in the second round. Jankovic meets Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine, who stopped Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 7-6 (5), 6-1. Bammer downed German wild card Tatjana Malek 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 from a break down in the final set and saved two match points. Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova are the only top-10 players missing from the indoor tournament. Last year's winner, Justine Henin, has retired.

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