TENNIS in DEPTH.

Fourth seed Marion Bartoli served a staggering 10 double faults but prevailed in an error-strewn match against Klara Zakopalova. The Frenchwoman could convert only six of her 21 break points but enjoyed more success on her serve as she won 6-2 2-6 6-1.

Li Na had a good workout as she continues her preparation for the US Open as she beat Maria Kirilenko in the second round of the New Haven Open. Both women produced five aces and three double faults but the Chinese player, seeded sixth at Flushing Meadows, had more success on her serve as she beat the Russian 6-4 7-6 (7/4) in a tussle lasting a little over an hour and three quarters.  Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, seeded eighth, eased through 6-2 6-4 against Roberta Vinci although the Russian produced five double faults. Anabel Medina Garrigues edged a hard-fought match against Elena Vesnina 6-2 7-6 (7/5).

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Christina McHale, Wozniacki’s Cincinnati conqueror last week, continued her good form as she downed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-2.

Caroline Wozniacki eased into the third round of the New Haven Open as play continued after the earlier evacuation following the after shocks of the earthquake that has hit the east coast. Play was suspended for two hours during the match between Russia’s Elena Vesnina and Serbian former world number one Jelena Jankovic. During the break stands were checked for any structural damage but after getting the all-clear, the match resumed with Vesnina triumphing in three sets. Wozniacki was then on court as she looked for confidence-boosting results following recent early losses in Toronto and Cincinnati with the US Open, for which she is seeded first, just days away. The Dane took advantage of her break points against Slovenia’s Polona Hercog, winning four out of five, to cruise through 6-3 6-0.

Third seed Francesca Schiavone also enjoyed a straight-sets victory, beating Monica Niculescu 6-2 6-1. However, fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska went out, beaten by Petra Cetkovska. The Czech won 6-4 5-7 6-3.

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Serena Williams has been seeded 28th at the US Open, which is sticking with its policy of following the world rankings instead of taking into account players’ past performances. Williams has won 13 Grand Slam titles and is the bookies favourite to add a 14th in New York, where she has won three times. The former world number one also recently won consecutive hard-court tournaments in Stanford and Toronto. The American is currently ranked 29th, up from 175th in July, a few weeks after she returned to the tour following nearly a year off because of a series of health problems.

Big sister Venus, who has only played in 5 tournaments in the past 12 months due to a series of injuries and ilnesses, is ranked outside of the top 32, and if she plays will enter the tournament as just another player.

Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki is seeded one, despite never having won a Grand Slam and with just one final to her name – a defeat at Flushing Meadows to Kim Clijsters two years ago. Russian Vera Zvonareva is seeded two. Two-time reigning US Open champion Clijsters, currently ranked third in the world, will miss the tournament with a stomach muscle injury.

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This Father’s Day, Philips will showcase the contribution Australia’s sporting elite make to their families both on and off the sporting field with the Philips Sports Dad of the Year award. In its third year, the Philips Sports Dad of the Year will highlight 10 elite athletes across a broad range of sporting fields, giving insights into how they juggle fatherhood with their sporting commitments. All entrants have the opportunity to win special prizes for their own father this Father’s Day and the winning Philips Sports Dad of the Year will win $5000 to donate to their charity of choice.

This year’s competition has some of the biggest names in Australian sport, including two time Grand Slam tennis champion Lleyton Hewitt, and Olympian and world champion swimmer Michael Klim. The NRL representatives trying to emulate the awards inaugural winner John Skandalis’ include NSW State of Origin skipper Paul Gallen, Dragons Grand Final hero Dean Young and Queensland Origin prop Ben Hannant. Representing the AFL’s hopes is Hawthorn premiership winning captain Sam Mitchell, Collingwood premiership winning skipper Nick Maxwell and Sydney Swans sharpshooter Ryan O’Keefe. Representing the round ball code is Socceroos World Cup star Jason Culina, while Wallabies excitement machine Mark Gerrard will carry rugby union’s hopes.

Hewitt lost in straight sets to Blaz Kavic at the Winston-Salem Open on Monday and is still troubled by the foot injury that required surgery earlier in the season. He has been forced to withdraw from the US Open.

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Marion Bartoli enjoyed a winning start to her campaign at the WTA New Haven when she beat Anastasia Rodionova 6-1 6-4 in Connecticut. The Frenchwoman accepted a wildcard into the tournament as she looks for more preparation before the US Open which starts in a week’s time. She said: “It was important for me to get some more matches before the Open. ”We can practice as much as we want, there are lots of practice courts.”

Fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska had a dominant 6-1 6-2 victory over Ekaterina Makarova. Radwanska will now play in-form Petra Cetkovska, who beat the Pole at Wimbledon, after the Czech qualifier beat Ayumi Morita 6-2 6-2. Eighth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova came from a set and 4-2 down to beat Vera Dushevina 3-6 6-4 6-3. Next up for Pavlyuchenkova is top-20 newcomer, Italy’s Roberta Vinci, who survived nine aces from Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic to grind out a 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory. Christina McHale, who beat world number one Caroline Wozniacki last week, followed that up with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova. Polona Hercog edged Nadia Petrova 7-5 7-5 in a close match.

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In the latest ATP Ranking List as of Monday, August 22, Nole has increased his lead over his rivals. He is at no.1 with 13,920 points, 420 more than last week as a result of reaching Cincinnati Masters final (last year he lost in quarter-finals). Novak has 2,500 points more than Nadal and 5,540 more than Federer. Cincinnati champion Andy Murray is fourth with 6,535 points, followed by Spaniard David Ferrer who climbed one spot. The last Grand Slam of the season, US Open, begins on Monday, August 29. Nole will defend final and 1200 points

A sore shoulder forced world no.1 Novak Djokovic to retire in the second set on Sunday, giving fourth-seeded Andy Murray a 6-4, 3-0 win in the finals of the Western & Southern Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. Nole was off his game against Murray, who took advantage of it. The top-seeded Serb was broken in the opening game of the match. He fought back in the sixth game to level the score, but the Brit broke once again winning a fantastic 42-shots rally. It was the crucial moment for Andy to take the set in which Novak made 20 unforced errors. The 24-year-old Belgrade native called the trainer and got his shoulder treated between the sets. It was obvious from the very first point that he was struggling with a shoulder injury. Three games were played in the second set. Murray converted his chances in the first and third games for 3-0 lead when the world’s top ranked player decided to pull out. ”I just could not serve. I served an average 90 miles per hour the first serve, and I could not play forehands,” said Nole. “I could have maybe played another couple of games, but what for? I cannot beat a player like Murray today with one stroke. There is no good loss, that’s for sure. But the good thing is that there is a week, eight days before the start of the US Open. So I think that’s enough time for me to get ready.”

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Sharapova overcame a first-set letdown on Sunday, rallying to beat Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 for the championship of the Western & Southern Open. The fourth-seeded Russian survived a match full of service breaks—16 in all, seven in the final set alone—for her second title of the season. Sharapova’s best moments came in the tiebreaker, when she won the last five points to even the match. “That’s pretty much it, putting five points together that were well-played,” she said. Such stretches were rare in a ragged match that lasted 2 hours, 49 minutes and had a pair of brief rain delays. The 14th-ranked Jankovic extended her streak of 17 months without a singles title. She won in Cincinnati in 2009, but hasn’t gotten a championship since Indian Wells on March 21 last year. “This match could have gone either way,” she said. “I had my chances. It showed the match is not over until you shake the hand.”

Jankovic shook hands and then sat in her chair after the match, biting a white towel while staring straight ahead, thinking about what had just happened. The match ended when her baseline forehand sailed wide. Despite the loss, Jankovic was upbeat. She came to Cincinnati feeling rusty and lacking confidence after playing few matches lately and having little success. “I’m pretty unpredictable,” she said. “If somebody told me I was going to play a final here, I would right away sign the paper.”

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Andy Murray wins when Djokovic retires. It will go on the books as the second defeat of the season for world number one Novak Djokovic. Murray claims his second Western & Southern Open crown in Cincinnati.

The Scot broke his opponent’s serve twice in the first set against a fatigued Djokovic whose record for the season dropped to 57-2. He was forced to retire when trailing 6-4 3-0. The reason for Djokovic’s withdrawal was initially unclear although he had received treatment at the end of the first set for an upper arm problem.

Djokovic talked about feeling exhausted in Cincinnati, coming off his record fifth Masters series title in Montreal last week. He said his serving shoulder had bothered him for about the last 10 days, but he’d been able to manage the soreness and keep winning. On Sunday, he couldn’t go on.

“There is no good loss, that’s for sure,” said Djokovic, now 57-2 on the season. “The good thing is there’s a week, eight days to the start of the Open. “I’m confident I can recover and be ready for the U.S. Open.” He was completely off his game against the fourth-seeded Murray, won the first set 6-4 and was ahead 3-0 in the second when Djokovic decided just before the rain came that he couldn’t continue. Djokovic got his shoulder treated after he lost the first set, grimacing at one point. With his serve registering only in double-digits and his forehand limited by the pain, Djokovic realized he couldn’t compete. He said he would have retired even if the rain had temporarily stopped the match. “I could have maybe played another couple of games, but what for?” he said. “I cannot beat a player like Murray today with one stroke.” It was Murray’s second title this season. The 24-year-old Scotsman also won at the Queen’s Club. He lost his other final match to Djokovic at the Australian Open. Djokovic felt worn-down heading into the final, the strain of all those recent matches catching up with him. He said his loathing for losing was pulling him through matches. It wasn’t enough on Sunday.

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