TENNIS in DEPTH.

The former world number one failed to maintain his winning streak in Germany as local wildcard Cedrik-Marcel Stebe claimed a surprise 6-3 6-2 victory on the Hamburg clay. Stebe, a 20-year-old left-hander, reached the quarter-finals in Stuttgart last week and he will now play 11th seed Nikolay Davydenko in round two. Another German wildcard, Tobias Kamke, was also victorious on Tuesday after he beat seventh-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 6-1 6-4 in the second round. While his countrymen advanced, German Davis Cup player Philipp Petzschner was upset by qualifier Marsel Ilhan of Turkey, then stunned reporters with bizarre answers to questions about the match. Asked to comment on Ilhan’s unexpected 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-5) victory, Petzschner replied: “I hope that HSV reaches the Europa League this season.” Petzschner has been under fire for a lacklustre performance in Germany’s Davis Cup loss to France and for three straight first-round losses.

Elsewhere, Finn Jarkko Nieminen beat 10th-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3 1-6 6-4, fifth-seeded Gilles Simon cruised past Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-2 6-1 and Fabio Fognini beat Victor Crivoi of Romania 6-1 7-5. Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, Juan Monaco of Argentina and Spaniards Pablo Andujar and Daniel Gimeno-Traver also progressed from the first round

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Blake had lost his only two previous meetings against the young Latvian and was immediately in trouble when he conceded the opening set. But the 31-year-old rallied, either side of a rain delay, to triumph 5-7 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 and set up a second-round meeting with compatriot and third seed John Isner.

Fellow American Michael Russell also won through after he brushed aside teenage wildcard Donald Young 6-0 6-3, but the news was not so good for other local hopefuls Alex Bogomolov jnr and Ryan Sweeting. Seventh seed Bogomolov was bundled out by Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 6-3 7-6 (8/6), while Sweeting lost a hard-fought three-setter against India’s eighth seed Somdev Devvarman 6-4 3-6 6-4. Japan’s Tatsuma Ito claimed his first ATP Tour win by beating Michael Berrer 7-6 (8/6) 6-4.

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Rory McIlroy has terminally split with his long-time girlfriend Holly Sweeney and embarked on a relationship with world tennis No 1 Caroline Wozniacki. A statement released by the Co Down star’s management company, International Sports Management, last night confirmed the end of the young golf star’s relationship with his former childhood sweetheart.

It said: “Rory McIlroy’s long-time relationship with Holly Sweeney came to an amicable end before the Open Championship.” The young golfer, who is widely tipped to be the next Tiger Woods, made two visits to Wimbledon to watch tennis following his US Open triumph four weeks ago. However, he is believed to have met Wozniacki at the World Heavyweight title boxing match between David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg on July 2. The following day, Wozniacki wrote on her Twitter account: “Fantastic fight! Also met Rory McIlory, who was sitting just behind me:) Really down to earth great guy:)”

McIlroy has previously admitted that he made a mistake when he broke off his relationship with his childhood sweetheart at the start of the season to concentrate on his golf. She was pictured at his side during homecoming celebrations following his triumphant win at the US Open this summer and has been the subject of much media coverage since his astonishing victory. ”I realised pretty quickly that I had made a mistake, and I had to do a lot of begging and grovelling to get her back,” he said at the time. “She is fantastic.” The pair had been going steady since they were teenagers and she was also a shoulder to cry on at Augusta National in April, when McIlroy’s management team flew her out for the final day of the Masters. ”She takes my mind off golf… and having her there made Sunday night a lot easier, having someone there you really know,” he said in the aftermath of his traumatic loss in Augusta. The couple lived together with their two dogs at McIlroy’s 13-acre Co Down hideaway.

But speculation about his relationship with the young tennis star, labelled “a county club couple made in heaven” in one internet blog site, has been rife since the pair were spotted having an intimate dinner together at a London restaurant earlier this month. Tongues were also set wagging by their followers on their mutual Twitter sites with a flirty exchange of tweets, including a cheeky birthday greeting McIlroy sent the tennis player on her 21st birthday last Monday, in which he tweeted: “You’re getting old.” She replied: “At least now you will be able to buy me a drink in the US” and “Not only in Hamburg”, a few hours later.

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A mouthwatering clash between Germany and No. 2 seed Czech Republic is arguably the pick of the World Group first round ties. Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who has led her side into this year’s final, will have to be at her very best if the Czechs are to overcome the up-and-coming Germans.

The other three seeds were all handed home ties: Russia against Spain, Italy versus Ukraine and, notably, Belgium against Serbia. The latter could see Kim Clijsters and Yanina Wickmayer taking on Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.

In World Group II, Australia and Switzerland were drawn to meet just as they were in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group play-off draw earlier this week, and Victoria Azarenka’s Belarus face a tricky away trip to USA.

Having thrashed Argentina in the postponed World Group II play-off earleir in the day, Japan were rewarded with a home clash against Slovenia next year. France, who are making their first appearance in World Group II have a tough draw against Slovak Republic, who have the likes of Dominika Cibulkova and Daniela Hantuchova in their ranks.

World Group Draw.

RUSSIA v Spain

BELGIUM* v Serbia

ITALY v Ukraine

Germany v CZECH REPUBLIC

World Group II Draw.

USA* v Belarus

JAPAN v Slovenia

SLOVAK REPUBLIC v France

Switzerland v AUSTRALIA

Nations with choice of ground are listed first. Seeded nations are in capitals. Asterisk (*) denotes choice of ground determined by lot.

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The eighth season of the Olympus US Open Series, the six-week North American summer tennis season that links 10 ATP World Tour and WTA summer tournaments to the US Open,will launch on Monday with the Atlanta Tennis Championships. Since its inception in 2004, the six-week Olympus US Open Series has more than doubled television viewership and increased event attendance, while generating new corporate partnerships for the sport.

Throughout the summer, the Series will feature nearly 200 live television hours on ESPN2, Tennis Channel and CBS Sports, highlighted by back-to-back men’s and women’s finals on Sundays on ESPN2 and select finals on CBS Sports. The Olympus US Open Series premieres Friday, July 22, from the Atlanta Tennis Championships with two hours on Tennis Channel, followed by four hours on ESPN2. An additional seven hours of coverage on both networks will follow over the weekend, with the finals airing live on Sunday on ESPN2 beginning at 3 p.m. ET.

More than 200 of the game’s top players will compete during the Series for $40 million in prize money. Additionally, through the Olympus US Open Series Bonus Challenge, the USTA will offer up to an additional $2.6 million in bonus prize money at the US Open to the top three men’s and top three women’s singles finishers in the Olympus US Open Series. The Olympus US Open Series Bonus Challenge has resulted in the largest paychecks in tennis history for men ($2.4 million– Roger Federer, 2007) and women ($2.2 million– Kim Clijsters, 2005 and 2010). For 2011, both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn a record $1.8 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.8 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series.

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World No. 5 Soderling, appearing in his third straight Bastad final, earned 250 South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings points and €72,600 in prize money, with victory in just 69 minutes. It was his fourth ATP World Tour title of the season. He is now 10-10 overall in title matches. The start of pair’s 14th meeting was delayed due to rain, but at 4:33 p.m. local time, action got underway on Centre Court. Soderling broke Ferrer to 15 in the first game and to 30 in the seventh game, before he clinched the 30-minute opener when Ferrer hit a backhand return into the net. Soderling lost five points on his serve and hit three aces in the first set.

Soderling could have taken a 5-0 second-set lead, but Ferrer saved three break points before securing his fifth game point. The Spaniard, who beat Nicolas Almagro for the 2007 title, broke Soderling to 15 in the next game. But Soderling regained his composure to break serve for a fifth time in the match. An ace, followed by a forehand winner earned Soderling his 38th match win of the year. The 26-year-old Soderling lost just 13 games in four matches at the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament this week. In 2009, he beat Juan Monaco for the title and was runner-up to Almagro last year.

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The International Tennis Federation writes on its website:

‘A player is eligible to compete in the Olympic Tennis Event provided they are in good standing with their National Association and the ITF, and have made themselves available for selection to represent their country in Davis Cup or Fed Cup for two of the following years – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 – provided one of those years is 2011 or 2012.’

A Martina Hingis-Roger Federer pairing would be the story in tennis going into the Olympics. Not only would it be a fascinating trans-era partnership, it would also almost certainly be an incredibly successful one. Hingis and Federer are widely considered to be two of the greatest tactical minds of the Open Era, both with incredible creativity and touch. Hingis and Federer have each won over a dozen grand slam titles, with Hingis having won five in singles, nine in women’s doubles, and one in mixed, and all 16 of Federer’s coming in singles. The success of a Hingis-Federer pairing isn’t entirely conjecture, either. In January of 2001, before Federer had won a single title at the ATP level, Hingis and Federer paired to win the Hopman Cup for Switzerland. Their mixed doubles play was especially impressive, losing only 10 games in six sets of live rubber action before conceding a dead rubber in the final to the American team of Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill.

Coming from a country that had never produced any great champions before they came along, Hingis and Federer have often been compared to one another. With both being Swiss finesse players, the connections are easy, and more importantly, fair. But while questions about other players often irritate tennis players, both Hingis and Federer have always seem greatly pleased be asked about the other. Aside from the obvious on-court reasons for them to play together, it’s clear that Hingis and Federer also share a great deal of respect and admiration for one another (if not a closeness that allowed for Roger to ask Martina about London directly).

“At the time, mixing with her, playing in doubles with her, was a privilege for me,” Federer said of Hingis in 2008. ”Roger is the most talented and the most complete player on the tour,” Hingis said of Federer in 2004.

The partnership is far from a done deal, clearly. But from her uncharacteristic nervousness and evasiveness when the topic was broached, it’s clear that Hingis is taking Federer’s offer very, very seriously.

…posted from info from ‘The Daily Forehand’

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