Young Haitian-American Tennis Phenom Victoria Duval Takes off Her Shades

When I first saw Vicky Duval play tennis in her first-round U.S. Open qualifying match last week, I was curious. Who was this young, Haitian-American 17-year-old with the sporty shades who was beating up on the No. 4 seed in the tournament, Teliana Pereira of Brazil? Duval was fast around the court, and she pushed Pereira around with her attacking groundstrokes. I sensed that she was a real competitor. When... 

US Open Qualifiers to Watch for This Week

It was make-or-break day on Friday, August 23, Day 4 of the U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament. Thirty-two men and 32 women battled on the bubble for the final 17 spots in their respective draws (one additional spot in each draw is available as a result of Mardy Fish and Maria Sharapova withdrawing).  A spot in the main draw would also guarantee a first-round U.S. Open check for $23,000 which is... 

What Roger Federer Can Take Away from Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati

Roger Federer’s face openly communicated the disappointment and frustration he felt after losing to Rafael Nadal Friday in the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open (5-7, 6-4, 6-3). He shook hands with Nadal and exchanged a perfunctory congratulation before quickly exiting the court. Federer, at age 32, is probably at the low point of his career in terms of confidence in his game.   He... 

Milos Raonic Tops Pospisil 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), Makes History and Rogers Cup Final

Much of Montreal was abuzz Saturday with talk of the all-Canadian semifinal at the Rogers Cup and the guarantee of a Canadian finalist in Canada’s Open for the first time since 1958.  The actors in this drama were Milos Raonic of Ontario and Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver.  The young players have had a long history through the junior ranks.  Head-to-head, Pospisil has the better record,... 

Nadal Earns Semifinal Showdown with Djokovic at Rogers Cup in Montreal

On a particularly pleasant summer’s eve at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both won their quarterfinal matches in straight sets, setting up a highly anticipated Saturday semifinal showdown. Djokovic played a near flawless match against the No. 9 player in the world, Richard Gasquet, needing only 51 minutes to complete a 6-1, 6-2 performance. His dominance of a player... 

Marion Bartoli: Queen of the Island of Misfit Toys at Wimbledon

If you were Marion Bartoli two weeks ago, would you have dared imagine that you would be playing in the Wimbledon final in a fortnight?   In your wildest dreams, were you holding the Venus Rosewater Dish without having lost a set in six matches?  With heavyweights such as Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka standing in the way, such thoughts would have constituted... 

Murray Dominates Federer, Finally Breaks Through at Wimbledon for Olympic Gold

It wasn’t a Major; it wasn’t the Wimbledon Championships; and it may be a lesser note in the tennis history books. However, it was a huge day in tennis for Andy Murray at the Olympics today, as he finally came through on the big stage, defeating the great Roger Federer in straight sets (6-2, 6-1, 6-4) to win Olympic gold for Great Britain.    With this victory, Murray, the... 

Andy Roddick’s 32nd Career Title: 5 Takeaways from BB&T Atlanta Open 2012

“Hotlanta” lived up to its name this past week at the 2012 BB&T Atlanta Open.  Sticky, humid weather and a barrage of T-Storms and rain delays challenged the field of mostly home-grown American players.  The lead story line, of course, was Andy Roddick winning his 32nd career title over Gilles Muller of Luxembourg at the same site where he won his first title 11 years ago. ... 

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