Tsonga beats Del Potro in Vienna final

Vienna: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rallied from a set and a break down to beat Juan Martin Del Potro 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday in the final of the Erste Bank Open, claiming his second title of the season and seventh overall.

The top-seeded Tsonga will officially move past Mardy Fish to No. 7 in the 2011 points list on Monday. The top eight will qualify for the season-ending ATP finals in London next month.

"It was a special win," the ninth-ranked Frenchman said. "I was supposed to win some points here and I did it ... For now it's good, but I will have to play well next week (in Valencia) so I will stay focused."

AP Photo

Tsonga had lost all three previous matches against Del Potro but recovered strongly after falling a break down in the second set to win four straight games.

"It was an amazing match. At the beginning it was really tight," Tsonga said. "I was a bit down after losing that tie-breaker but I didn't give away any easy points afterward."

The second-seeded Del Potro, who is now 9-4 in career finals, is still waiting for his first victory at an indoor event. The Argentine will climb to 11th on the points list, leaving him with a slim chance of reaching the London event.

"I was close, had my chances but did not take them. In the important moments, Jo played much better than me," Del Potro said. "After that re-break he played more aggressive, served unbelievable. It was really a different match after that moment."

Both players held serve in the opening set until the tie-breaker. Tsonga was 0-40 down in his opening service game but used four aces to hold. He then missed three chances to break Del Potro's serve at 4-4.

In the tie-breaker, Tsonga handed Del Potro a first set point by double-faulting at 5-5 and then hit a forehand long in the next rally.

Del Potro used his first break ball to go 2-1 up in the second set but Tsonga won five of the next six games and closed out the set with an ace.

"After that I was more relaxed," Tsonga said. "I think he had difficulties physically to continue to play aggressively. That made it easier for me to be in the court and be more aggressive."

Del Potro hit a forehand wide on the only break point in the final set before Tsonga wrapped up victory with an approach shot that wrong-footed the 2009 US Open champion.

It was the 12th ATP final this season that featured the top two seeds, but only the fifth time the No. 1 actually won the title.

A farewell ceremony was held at the end of the final for former No. 1 Thomas Muster of Austria, who played his last match on the ATP circuit on Tuesday. The celebrations included an appearance by 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.

"It was special that Thomas and Goran were there," Tsonga said. "Goran was one of my favorite players when I was young. He did a lot of entertainment on the court too and it was just amazing to be there with him."

Source: Thestar

Wozniacki not the best player in the world, says Wilander

STANBUL: Caroline Wozniacki will top the WTA rankings for the second consecutive year but that does not make her the best tennis player in the world, according to former men’s number one Mats Wilander.       

The 21-year-old Dane failed to reach the semi-finals at the WTA Championships in Istanbul, after winning only one of her round robin matches. She continued her poor record at the biggest events and Wilander believes Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is the natural heir to the throne.       

“The ranking is the result of not necessarily being the best player in the world it’s the result of being the most consistent player in the world,” Swede Wilander, who is working at the season-ending championships for TV channel Eurosport, said in an interview at the Sinan Erdem Arena.       

“That’s what it reflects. She’s certainly not the best player in the world at her best, but at her worst she’s probably the best player in the world compared to the others.       

“Her range is very narrow, very even.

“But is she playing to be the number one in the world, to win lots of matches and make a lot of money or is she playing to win grand slams. I guess you’ll have to ask her that.”       

Wozniacki’s lack of success at the grand slams where her CV shows just one final, at the US Open in 2009, has raised many questions about her validity at the top.       

Wilander, who won seven in his glittering career, questioned whether she has the mentality to triumph at the majors.       

“The thing is we know she can win small tournaments, what we don’t know is if mentally she can win the big ones,” Wilander said of the Dane who has 18 WTA titles to her name.       

“We know Wozniacki has the head to be consistent but we don’t know if she’s got the head to wrap her thoughts around winning a Grand Slam. Her game is not there just yet.”       

Wilander said the fact that Wozniacki can receive on-court coaching from father Piotr during regular Tour events but not in the Grand Slams was also a telling factor.       

“To be honest, the mistake that she is doing is that she is getting different treatment on the WTA Tour than she does at the Grand Slams because of the on-court coaching,” he said. “You have to look at the obvious reasons.       

“I’m not in favour of it for her because she seems lost compared to when she’s getting coached.”       

Wilander believes Kvitova, who is breathing down her neck in the rankings after reaching the WTA Championships final at her first attempt, already has the weapons to grab top spot and start racking up Slams.       

“Absolutely,” Wilander said. “Kvitova is going to be inconsistent because of the way she plays but mentally she is very consistent.

“She always looks for a way out and looks to come forward and be aggressive, she is happy to go to the net and make her opponents miss.       

“She is very natural in figuring out what she needs to do with her game.

“Unlike Caroline she’s already proved she can raise her game to win a Slam.” — Reuters

Indian Formula One Grand Prix

Vettel cruises to win inaugural Indian GP

RED Bull’s double world champion Sebastian Vettel ran away with the inaugural Indian Formula One Grand Prix yesterday for his 11th victory in 17 races this season.

On a dusty and bittersweet afternoon at the new Buddh International Circuit, the 24-year-old German led every lap of the race after starting from pole position. He also set the fastest lap right at the finish.       

As if those landmarks were not enough, Vettel also set a record for the most laps led in a single season by any driver, leapfrogging Britain’s 1992 champion Nigel Mansell in the statisticians’ lists.

Both championships have already been won by Vettel and his team.       

Thirst quencher: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel of Germany drinking champagne from his trophy after chalking his 11th win in 17 races this season. — Reuters

Britain’s Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, consolidated his grip on second place overall by finishing 8.4s behind the German, while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso took third place a further 15.8s adrift.       

“Yes boys, we did it,” shouted Vettel after cricket great Sachin Tendulkar brought down the chequered flag. “First Indian Grand Prix, great job.”       

Vettel now has 374 points with two races remaining, McLaren’s Button 240, Alonso 227 and Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber – who finished fourth after starting on the front row – 221.       

The champion celebrated on the podium by drinking champagne from the gleaming silver trophy after being joined in celebration by Red Bull technical head Adrian Newey but struck a more sombre mood afterwards.       

Red-hot: Grid girls making their way to the track prior to the start of the race. — AFP

The afternoon may not have been a thriller but, coming at the end of a grim month for motorsport with two high-profile race fatalities on successive weekends, that was almost a relief.       

Teams and drivers held a minute’s silence, standing stock still on the grid with just the hum of generators, before the race in memory of double Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon and MotoGP showman Marco Simoncelli.

Button, a friend and rival of Wheldon’s early in their careers in Britain, dedicated the race to them while Vettel paid his own tribute.

Tied up: Acrobats performing at the Buddh International Circuit. — Reuters

“I have mixed feelings,” the German added. “I am very, very happy. The first GP in India and I’m very proud to be the first winner. But looking back at the last weekends, we lost two of our mates.”        

McLaren’s 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Felipe Massa again collided, their sixth on-track clash of the season. The Brazilian was handed a drive through penalty for causing the collision and later retired with a broken front suspension.

Hamilton, who had qualified in second place but had a three place grid penalty after ignoring warning flags in practice, finished seventh behind the Mercedes pairing of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. — Reuters

Source: Thestar

BADMINTON FRENCH OPEN 2011

PETALING JAYA: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei will return home from Europe with a very big smile today.

Top seed Chong Wei disposed of Kenichi Tago 21-16, 21-11 in the men’s singles final of the French Open in Paris yesterday – extending his unbeaten run against the Japanese – to nick an amazing seventh title of the year.

The Malaysian has won all his seven previous matches against Kenichi.

It was also Chong Wei’s 11th individual tournament and 11th final appearance this year – a record that will be quite impossible for others to emulate.

A day earlier, Chong Wei had shown more fire in his game to overcome a psychological barrier against China’s rising star Chen Long.

Having lost twice to Chen Long in the finals of the Japan and Denmark Opens, Chong Wei turned the tables on the 22-year-old with a well-deserved 23-21, 17-21, 21-15 win.

National coach Tey Seu Bock commended Chong Wei for making a quick rebound after the disappointment in Denmark just a week ago.

“His most significant win was over Chen Long (in the semi-finals). He is certainly a strong-willed player,” said Seu Bock in a telephone interview yesterday.

“He lost a lot of energy against Chen Long but yet, today, he was able to return to court and play his game against Tago.

“Yes, there were moments when he made some uncharacteristic mistakes but he quickly made up for it.”

Seu Bock said that Chong Wei was almost back at his best after a demoralising loss to Lin Dan in the final of the Word Championships in Wembley in August.

“I think his confidence is almost 80% back. He has been struggling to get his game going after the defeat at the world meet,” said Seu Bock.

“It is not easy to reach the final of every tournament. Expectations are high on him and he has to deliver all the time.

“That could be mentally tiring but he has defied all the odds and I have nothing but respect for him.”

WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011

Kvitova downs Azarenka to win the US$1.75mil jackpot

ISTANBUL: Petra Kvitova provided further proof that she is the rising force in women’s tennis when she beat Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win the WTA Championships yesterday.

The 21-year-old Czech, who shot to fame by winning Wimbledon this year, produced a display of power and skill to finally overpower the gritty Azarenka and claim the US$1.75mil jackpot after remaining undefeated at the year-ending event which featured the world’s top eight women tennis players.

Victory also confirmed Kvitova at a career-high second in the WTA rankings after ending 2010 in 34th spot and she will enter the new year with No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in her sights.       

Solid form: Petra Kvitova returns the ball to Victoria Azarenka during the WTA Championship final in Istanbul. Kvitova won 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. —AFP

Left-handed Kvitova’s free-flowing game took her into a 5-0 lead in the opening set inside the Sinan Erdem Dome but she lost the next five games as the errors began to stack up.       

She finally edged the opening set on a fifth set point but Azarenka, who could also have taken the number two ranking with victory, refused to be cowed by her opponent’s superior firepower and kept her nose front to win the second set.       

Azarenka had three break points at the start of the third set but could not convert any of them and it was to prove a pivotal moment as Kvitova regained control to take the title on her debut at the showpiece tournament.

● VIENNA: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bounced back from a set behind and a service break down to beat Juan Martin del Potro for the first time and win the Vienna ATP tournament yesterday.

The Frenchman’s 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 win also kept him on course for a place in the season-ending World Tour Finals in London next month, moving him to seventh place in the 2011 rankings ahead of Mardy Fish.

Top-seeded Tsonga crashed 25 aces on his way to a first win in four meetings over the former US Open champion, who has been fighting his way back to form after being plagued by a wrist injury last year.

“That was really tough,” said Tsonga. “Juan Martin played very well.

“I lost a little motivation after losing the first set but fortunately I got it back quickly.”

Neither player managed to break serve in the first set and, having fought back from a break point down in the tiebreak, Tsonga then served a double fault to hand Del Potro the opportunity.

The Argentine duly took it when Tsonga over-hit a forehand.

Del Potro appeared to be heading for a win when he broke in the third game of the second set, but Tsonga replied in the next game in what appeared to be the turning point of the match.

The Frenchman broke again in the sixth game when, having missed one break point, he was handed another by a Del Potro double fault and gleefully seized it with a stunning forehand drive down the line.

In the third set, the 26-year-old served nine aces and broke in the seventh game to claim his second ATP title of the year following his win in Metz. — Reuters

Source: Thestar

Kvitova, Azarenka the future of tennis

The centre court of Istanbul has given rise to two players who I believe will be the future of women's tennis - Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka.

They could begin their domination next season, or it might be a little later, but it will happen within the next three years.

Caroline Wozniacki remains the world number one player but she has again reminded us of her flaws. Kvitova and Azarenka though have developed aggressive games despite two different styles.

Wozniacki is finishing number one for the second time in a row so we must show her respect because it is a great achievement.

She's getting results because of her perfect physical training and because she's a true professional in the way she prepares her matches: she thinks her game plans out perfectly with the help of her father who is also very professional; she understands the ranking system and schedule of the WTA; and finally she also has an amazing fighting spirit.

However, Kvitova owns unique abilities. She plays faster than anyone and can be absolutely unplayable when she's moving forward with good footwork. The result of any given match basically only depends on her.

Her fitness and her state of confidence play a key part in her success or failure. When she's moving with the explosiveness and frequency needed for a high risk game and when she remains inside of the court and puts all her body into the ball with the belief she's going to win, then she can beat anybody.

Azarenka on the other hand has a totally different style of game and mentality.

Yes she's an offensive player, but she's also plays the percentages. Contrary to Petra, she's not the one making all the winners and the errors.

Her style reminds me of Rafael Nadal's. Victoria hits the ball very hard and puts a lot of energy into each shot. She uses top spin a lot which pushes her opponents backward and she can play very fast because she takes the ball early. She doesn't miss much because of her top spin and because she hits into safe areas.

Her defensive game is one of the best in the world because she is a real athlete.

As I write this we are at the semi-final stage of the WTA Championship but whatever happens in the rest of the tournament, Kvitova and Azarenka are without doubt the duo that we will often see in semi-finals and finals of the Grand Slams in the years to come.

Source: Eurosports

Tennis-Tsonga and Del Potro to meet in Vienna final

VIENNA Oct 29 (Reuters) - Top seeds Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin del Potro set up a mouth-watering final at the Vienna Open after winning their semi-finals on Saturday to keep up their chances of qualifying for the season-ending World Tour finals next month.

"I have not done well at the Masters events and the Grand Slams so this win is important for me," said Del Potro, after battling to a 6-4 3-6 6-4 win over South African Kevin Anderson to aim for his third title of the year after Delray and Estoril.

The 23-year-old Argentine, a former U.S. Open champion, is gradually fighting back to his top form after missing much of 2010 with a wrist injury.

"I don't know if I am playing at my best but I am working hard I want to end the season well and start 2012 on a good note."

Del Potro was made to work hard against rising Anderson, firing 18 aces against the South African's 17.

Tsonga, the top seed and world number nine, looked to be cruising to victory over German qualifier Daniel Brands after two early breaks saw him clinch the first set 6-2.

Brands, ranked 182nd in the world, improved his serve and rushed to the net at every opportunity in the second set to hold serve, save two Tsonga break points at 4-4 and then lead 6-5.

But the Frenchman kept his cool and was lucky to get a point off the German's serve and grab the tiebreak at the first opportunity. (Writing by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Dave Thompson)

Source: AF.REUTERS