Radwanska, Craybas to meet in Pattaya finale

Pattaya City, Thailand (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and seventh-seeded American Jill Craybas were Saturday's semifinal winners at the $170,000 Pattaya Women's Open.

The 18-year-old Radwanska dismantled helpless Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-1, 6-1, while the 33-year-old Craybas handled Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-0 on the hardcourt at Dusit Resort.

Radwanska will appear in her second career final. She titled in Stockholm in her first-ever title match last year. Craybas will also appear in her second WTA final. She titled in Tokyo in her only other title bout, back in 2002.

The Australian Open quarterfinalist Radwanska is 1-0 lifetime against Craybas, with the victory coming in three sets on a grass court last year at Eastbourne.

Sunday's winner will collect $25,650.

Strong-serving Sharapova wins Australian Open title

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Russian Maria Sharapova used strong serving to capture her third Grand Slam title, beating Serbian Ana Ivanovic, 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday to win the 2008 Australian Open.

The fifth-seeded Sharapova won 24 of her last 26 service points in the battle of 20-year-olds. Incredibly, she won 24 of 27 points on her first serve for the match.

"This is just incredible," Sharapova said to the crowd at Rod Laver Arena after the match. "If someone had told me in the middle of last year that I'd be standing on this stage in front of all you guys with the big one I'd probably say forget it."

Sharapova, who didn't lose a set over these two weeks, had also won Wimbledon in 2004 and the U.S. Open in 2006. She lost the 2007 Australian Open final to American Serena Williams.

Sharapova said the last year has been a trying one since her coach's mother passed away. Sharapova said she also got inspiration for the match from a text message earlier on Saturday from Hall of Famer Billie Jean King, the 1968 Australian Open champion.

"Champions take chances and pressure is a privilege," Sharapova described the text message as saying. "I think as an athlete, that's what Ana and I, and everyone that plays wants to achieve. We all want to take our chances and I'm just so fortunate I took mine today."

It was a sparkling week for Sharapova, as she topped No.1 seed Justine Henin in the quarterfinals and third seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the semifinals. In all, Sharapova dropped just 24 games heading to the final, the fewest number of games surrendered leading to the title match since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario lost 23 and was the runner-up in 1995.

This was the second Grand Slam final appearance for the fourth-seeded Ivanovic, who lost to Henin in last year's French Open final.

"I'm very emotional and you guys make it very special for me," a tearful Ivanovic said to the fans after the match. "I really look forward to seeing all of you next year."

By reaching the final, Ivanovic moved to a career-best No.2 in the world, surpassing Svetlana Kuznetsova. Sharapova remained fifth.

"Ana has a wonderful future ahead of her," Sharapova said. "She's a great young girl and I'm sure we're going to be playing many, many more times. Both of us are going to have many more chances."

Ivanovic was ahead 5-4 in the first set and up 30-0 in the ensuing game, but Sharapova won 12 of the final 14 points of the set.

Sharapova won 23 of 24 service points at one juncture in the second set until Ivanovic hit a return winner, but that was only to get within 40-15 in the eighth game. Sharapova then moved to a 5-3 lead on the next point when Ivanovic's return was well wide.

Sharapova caught the sideline with a powerful forehand return to move to match point and then hit a return long, unsuccessfully challenging the call. Ivanovic saved a second championship point, but on Sharapova's third try, Ivanovic hit a return wide and the Russian crumbled to her knees in elation.

Sharapova used a dominating serve in the opening set under the hot conditions with plus-100 degree court temperatures. The Russian broke Ivanovic's serve when a return went long to move to a 3-2 lead. Sharapova held at love again in the next game.

"When I was in Singapore a couple weeks ago it was so hot and humid out there," Sharapova said. "I got to practice there for about three days outdoors. It was great, because when I got out on the court today, I was like, 'This is a piece of cake.' Even though it's hot, it wasn't nearly as hot as it was over there."

After holding, Ivanovic finally secured a point on a Sharapova serve in the eighth game. Sharapova double faulted later in the game to face break point, but was fortunate when an Ivanovic backhand return went into the net. That put the game at deuce.

After a second deuce, Sharapova double faulted two consecutive times to send the break Ivanovic's way. The Serb then held serve for a 5-4 lead when Sharapova returned a ball into the net.

Sharapova was behind 0-30 in the next game, but rallied by winning the next four points to square the set. Ivanovic then saved one break point, but a long return gave Sharapova a 6-5 lead and a chance to serve out for the set. The powerful Russian did just that as Ivanovic reached for a forehand, but returned the ball wide.

"It's a little bit disappointing because I thought I had a lot of chances in that first set but didn't use them," Ivanovic said. "Still, it's a learning experience for me. I fought hard. I just felt a little bit let down with my forehand, made some big mistakes in crucial moments."

The first game of the second set went to deuce five times with Ivanovic saving a pair of break points before finally holding serve.

Sharapova had won 15 straight service points before Ivanovic stroked a forehand winner during the fourth game, but the Russian easily held to square the set at 2-2.

Ivanovic held at love to go ahead 3-2, but Sharapova held at love again and then broke the Serb when Ivanovic hit a return into the net. Sharapova pumped her fist, knowing her maiden Australian Open title was nearing.

Afterward, Sharapova wished her mother a happy birthday.

"With this big fat check, I'm going to send you a bunch of roses," Sharapova said. "So look out for those."

By beating Ivanovic for the third time in five career meetings, Sharapova captured the $1.2 million first-place prize for her 17th career title. Ivanovic, who settled for $600,000, was trying for her sixth lifetime championship.

This was the 17th straight Grand Slam that no woman has won back-to-back titles. The last person to achieve two major title runs in a row was Henin at the 2003 U.S. Open and 2004 Australian Open.

Nadal, upstart Tsonga reach Oz Open semis

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal and unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were a pair of quarterfinal winners Tuesday at the 2008 Australian Open.

Nadal prevailed in a tough first set on Day 9 on his way to a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 decision against 24th-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen. The match lasted 2 hours, 19 minutes, as Nadal landed in his first-ever Aussie Open semifinal by breaking Nieminen's serve six times, compared to only one break in eight break-point chances for the overmatched Finn.

"It's a good moment for me -- being my first semifinals on hardcourt at a Grand Slam," Nadal said.

The three-time French Open champion and two-time Wimbledon runner-up Nadal is now 4-0 lifetime against Nieminen.

Nadal's final four opponent here will be Tsonga, who erased 14th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-5, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6) to secure a berth in his first- ever Grand Slam semi. Tsonga is the first unseeded French semifinalist here since Nicolas Escude turned the trick 10 years ago.

The talented 22-year-old Tsonga advanced in 2 hours, 17 minutes, as he swatted eight aces and did not allow Youzhny to enjoy even one break-point opportunity at Melbourne Park. The 38th-ranked Frenchman broke his Russian counterpart four times and looks like he could really challenge Nadal in the round of four.

The hot Tsonga stunned his eighth-seeded countryman Richard Gasquet here in the fourth round and took out ninth-seeded Brit Andy Murray in the opening round last week.

On Wednesday, top-seeded Swiss superstar Roger Federer will meet 12th-seeded American James Blake and third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic will take on fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer to wrap up the quarterfinals. Federer is the reigning two-time and three-time overall Aussie Open champ.

The 12-time major titlist Federer is a flawless 7-0 lifetime versus Blake, including a couple of Grand Slam match wins at the U.S. Open. Ferrer is 3-2 all-time against Djokovic, with the players splitting four meetings in 2007.

Henin, Serena fall in Aussie quarters

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Justine Henin and defending champion Serena Williams both lost their quarterfinal matches Tuesday at the Australian Open.

In the marquee match of the day, fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova swatted 30 winners on her way to stunning the 2004 Melbourne titlist Henin 6-4, 6-0. Sharapova was last year's Aussie Open runner-up to the three-time champion Williams.

Sharapova dismissed Henin in 1 hour, 38 minutes. The big Russian needed 61 minutes to capture a tight first set, and then cruised in the second in eye-popping fashion.

The Russian recorded 19 more winners than her Belgian counterpart and broke Henin's serve five times, while losing her powerful serve only once throughout the bout.

"It's just incredible," Sharapova said. "I think it was one of the most consistent matches where I did all the things I wanted to do."

The seven-time major champion Henin was riding a 32-match overall winning streak, as she hadn't lost since the Wimbledon semifinals last July and was fresh off a title in Sydney. The diminutive Belgian beat Sharapova in the final at the season-ending Tour Championships back in November and was 6-2 all-time versus Sharapova heading into Tuesday.

"I knew she was in top form and I knew it was going to be tough, so I was ready to fight and give my best, but it wasn't good enough," Henin said after the disappointing setback at the hands of the two-time Grand Slam champ and former world No. 1 Sharapova.

In addition to her title here four years ago, Henin was the Aussie Open runner-up to France's Amelie Mauresmo in 2006.

Earlier Tuesday, third-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic shocked a seventh- seeded Williams 6-3, 6-4, as the American piled up 36 unforced errors on her way to defeat at Melbourne Park.

"My shots just weren't right," Williams said. "I didn't move the way I traditionally want to move, and I wasn't feeling 100 percent."

Jankovic moved on in 1 hour, 39 minutes with the help of a whopping seven service breaks and five double faults by Williams, who broke Jankovic on four occasions to no avail.

"I'm not going to sit here and make excuses," Williams added. "I lost because Jelena played better than me and I made too many errors. I think regardless, the match was on my racket, and I gave it away."

The 22-year-old Jankovic is now 3-2 lifetime against Williams, who was unseeded and ranked 81st in the world when she titled here last year for her eighth career Grand Slam championship.

Jankovic barely escaped the opening round here last week, as she was pushed to a 22-game third-set victory over rising Austrian Tamira Paszek.

The engaging Jankovic should have her hands full with Sharapova here in the semifinals. The Russian is 3-1 lifetime against the Serb, but Jankovic won their last meeting, in a final in Birmingham, in the middle of last season.

Williams also bowed out of the doubles draw here on Day 9, as a seventh-seeded Chinese tandem of Zi Yan and Jie Zheng came from behind to oust an all- Williams pairing of Serena and Venus, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The quarterfinals will conclude here on Wednesday, when fourth-seeded French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic of Serbia tangles with an eighth-seeded Venus Williams, the reigning Wimbledon champ, and ninth-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova takes on 29th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

Venus is a perfect 4-0 lifetime against Ivanovic, including wins at last year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open events. Hantuchova is 1-0 versus Radwanska, with the victory coming last year in Zurich.

Nadal eases into Aussie quarters; Davydenko out

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal easily moved into the Australian Open quarterfinals on Sunday when Paul-Henri Mathieu retired in the second set of their fourth-round match, but Nikolay Davydenko was among the upset victims as the first week of the year's first major concluded.

The second-seeded Nadal had built a 6-4, 3-0 lead when Mathieu called it quits for what appeared to be a calf problem. The 23rd-seeded Frenchman twice received treatment in the first set, then decided he couldn't continue after dropping serve twice in the second.

Nadal will next meet Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in the quarterfinals. Nieminen knocked off Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (11-9), 6-3. Kohlschreiber had eliminated sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick in his last match and was coming off a title in Auckland last week.

Nieminen, seeded 24th, saved a combined 11 set points between the second and third sets before advancing.

"Set points down, I saw myself winning," said Nieminen. "I was thinking really positive."

Davydenko, the fourth seed, was sent home by fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny. The 14th-seeded Youzhny won a tough first set and cruised the rest of the way in a 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-1 victory.

Youzhny has just one appearance past the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event, reaching the semis at the 2006 U.S. Open.

Up next for Youzhny will be Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who upended eighth- seeded countryman Richard Gasquet, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-3. Gasquet is the second top-10 ranked player Tsonga has beaten at this event, as he began the tournament with an upset victory over world No. 9 Andy Murray.

"It's good for me, because it's lot of confidence to beat a player like that," Tsonga said of beating Gasquet. "He's very good. And for me, it was a test, you know. When you beat somebody like this, you know you can beat a lot of guys."

Due to the rain on Saturday, a couple of third-round matches were pushed back to Sunday.

Fifth-seeded David Ferrer continued his strong run with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over American Vince Spadea. Ferrer's fourth-round opponent will be fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, as the 22nd seed upended 10th-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.

"It's going to be a special match. We know each other," said Ferrero. "We live in the same place. So we practice a lot of times together. We are so good friends."

Ferrer and Ferrero will play on Monday, as the fourth round concludes with four matches. The other three will include a trio of players who needed five sets to win in the third round.

Among those is top-seeded Roger Federer, who will take on 13th-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. The Swiss superstar escaped with a 10-8 fifth set victory over Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic on Saturday.

American James Blake also went the distance on Saturday, rallying from two sets down and a 1-4 deficit in the third set to beat France's Sebastien Grosjean. The 12th-seeded Blake will take on Croatia's Marin Cilic on Monday.

Crowd favorite Lleyton Hewitt will open the Monday night session after finishing his third-round marathon against Marcos Baghdatis just past 4:30 a.m. local time on Sunday morning. Hewitt, the 19th seed, needed four hours and 45 minutes to dispose of the 2006 Australian Open finalist, and will take on third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic on Monday.

Henin reaches quarterfinals at Aussie Open

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Top seed Justine Henin advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Sunday by winning her 32nd straight match, a straight-set victory over Taiwan's Su-Wei Hsieh.

Additionally, third-seeded Jelena Jankovic, fifth seed Maria Sharapova and defending champion Serena Williams, seeded seventh, also advanced to the quarterfinals.

Henin, the 2004 Australian Open champion and reigning French and U.S. Open titlist, had a relatively easy time, winning 6-2, 6-2. Hsieh, who had never advanced beyond the first round at Melbourne before this year's tournament, fought off match point twice in the second set.

But Henin was dominant -- winning 10 straight games after being down 2-1 in the first set -- and eventually closed out the win. She will face Sharapova, who breezed through her match with 11th seed Elena Dementieva, in the quarterfinals. The match, which Sharapova won 6-2, 6-0, took all of 62 minutes.

Henin is 6-2 all-time against Sharapova and she beat her Russian opponent in three sets in the 2007 Tour Championships final.

"I always know to beat her I have to be at my best. She's a real fighter," Henin said of Sharapova. "She never gives up. Very talented. She's a champion. So I know that against her I will have to be a hundred percent all the time."

Sharapova was the 2007 Aussie Open runner-up to Williams, who had slightly more trouble in defeating 12th-seeded Nicole Vaidisova, 6-3, 6-4. With the first set already in Williams' hands, each player had two games in the second set.

Williams broke Vaidisova in the fifth game to gain momentum, and took the sixth game for a 4-2 lead. Vaidisova, however, won the next two games, including a break of Williams' serve in the eighth game.

But as soon as Vaidisova stormed back, she unraveled. Williams won the ninth game as the Czech player served and double-faulted on break point. She continued to hit errant shots as Williams took the match. Vaidisova, a semifinalist in last year's Australian Open, committed 25 unforced errors in all.

Williams will face the third-seeded Jankovic in the quarterfinals. Jankovic ended the run of Australian Casey Dellacqua with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 triumph. Dellacqua had knocked off seeded players Patty Schnyder and Amelie Mauresmo in her two previous matches.

The four players remaining in the top half of the draw have combined for 17 Grand Slam titles. Only Jankovic, of the four, has yet to capture a major crown.

Williams has eight career Grand Slam titles, including Aussie Open crowns in 2003, 2005 and last year, while Sharapova has won a pair of majors. Henin is a seven-time Grand Slam champ and hasn't lost at all since the semifinals at Wimbledon last year.

"Now it's like another tournament is going to start. It's gonna be another level," Henin said. "Every match is so different. There were things pretty positive in my game. There are things I'll have to improve and really raise my level in the next matches."

Sunday's play also featured four third-round matches following Saturday's rain. Ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova beat Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-2, 6-3, and Nadia Petrova, the 14th seed, won the second-set tiebreak, 10-8, to take a 6-1, 7-6 win over Ekaterina Makarova.

Marta Domachowska upset 24th seed Na Li, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark needed three sets to oust Germany's Sabine Lisicki, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Fourth-round play will conclude Monday in the bottom half of the draw.

Venus Williams, seeded eighth, will meet Domachowska; fourth-seeded Ana Ivanovic will battle Wozniacki; Hantuchova will square off against Maria Kirilenko; and Petrova will face Agnieszka Radawanska, who eliminated second- seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round.

Youzhny shocks Nadal in Chennai final

Chennai, India (Sports Network) - Russian Mikhail Youzhny stunned top-seeded Rafael Nadal in straight sets to win the Chennai Open final on Sunday.
The fourth-seeded Youzhny blitzed Nadal from the outset and was never threatened in an easy 6-0, 6-1 victory.
It was the fourth career singles title for Youzhny, who is ranked 19th in the world. He won once last year at Rotterdam and was also a finalist twice in 2007.
Nadal, who had a banner 2007 campaign with six titles, was attempting to garner his 24th career crown. But, the Spaniard looked lost from the start and was clearly suffering the effects of his grueling four-hour semifinal win over fellow Spaniard Carlos Moya on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Youzhny upended Nadal for the fourth time in 10-career matchups and snapped a three-match skid against Nadal.

Garrigues retires injured in Hobart

Hobart, Australia (Sports Network) - Australian wild card Casey Dellacqua advanced at the Moorilla Hobart International tennis event Sunday when eight- seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues retired with of a lower back injury.
Dellacqua was leading 5-4 in the first set when the 34th-ranked Spaniard begged off.
In other first-round matches, Russia's Elena Vesnina dumped Japan's Akiko Morigami in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, while Greece's Eleni Daniilidou upended Pauline Parmentier of France, 6-3, 6-4.
Anna Chakvetadze beat Vasilisa Bardina in last year's all-Russian Hobart finale.

Mauresmo withdraws from Sydney International

Sydney, Australia (Sports Network) - Amelie Mauresmo withdrew from the Medibank International tennis event, a final Australian Open tune-up, with a left abductor strain.
Mauresmo is joined on the sidelines by China's Na Li, won triumphed at the Australian women's hardcourt Saturday in her first tournament back after a pesky rib injury. Li is out with a right knee injury.
Mauresmo won this tournament in 2000, and was a finalist in 2004.
Although injury news dominated the headlines here, first round play got underway with three matches. Austrian Sybille Bammer upended Russia's Nadia Petrova in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, while the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova edged Alicia Molik 7-6 (2), 7-6 (12-10) in a tight-knit affair.

Meanwhile, Virginie Razzano of France had an easy time of it with Austrian wild card Nicole Pratt, 6-2, 6-1.

The since-retired Kim Clijsters defeated Jelena Jankovic in last year's final here.

Federer, Ferrer advance to Masters Cup final

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Roger Federer and David Ferrer were semifinal winners Saturday at the Tennis Masters Cup and will play for the title of the lucrative season-ending event on Sunday.
The top-seeded Federer had a surprisingly easy match against nemesis Rafael Nadal, posting a 6-4, 6-1 triumph, while the sixth-seeded Ferrer cruised past American Andy Roddick, 6-1, 6-3.
Federer's 59-minute victory against Nadal was his most one-sided in the rivalry, which the Swiss star has recently dominated. The world No. 1 has captured five of the last seven matches with the Spanish sensation, losing only in the finale at the Monte Carlo Masters and French Open this spring.
"For me to beat him on hard court indoors is a great result," said Federer, who is now 6-8 lifetime against Nadal. "And the way I played today, I wish I could play every time like this against him. But it's not that easy."
Nadal had a few chances in the first set. He led 0-30 in the fifth game, but four straight aces gave Federer the game. Nadal had a break point in Federer's next service game, but was unable to convert.
The only time Federer had a chance to break in the first set came in the 10th game when he raced out to a 0-40 lead. Nadal staved off the first, but a Federer forehand winner wrapped up the set.
Federer then capitalized on the momentum and won the first 13 points of the second set on the way to a 3-0 lead. Nadal never recovered.
"I was really pleased with my performance for the last one and a half sets," said Federer, who was successful on 81 percent of his first serves during the match. "I was really pleased with my serving performance today. It was key to beating Rafa tonight."
Next up for Federer will be Ferrer, who is trying to become the first player to win the Masters Cup in his debut since fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja in 1998.
Ferrer, the only player to finish round-robin play undefeated, continued that trend with his rout of Roddick.
Roddick had back trouble early and called for the trainer down 4-1 in the first set. He was never able to kick it into gear and drilled just four aces.
Ferrer, seeded sixth this week, will try for his fourth title of 2007 and the sixth of his career. However, he has never beaten Federer in seven previous tries.
Federer won a pair of meetings this year, both on clay, at the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo and Hamburg.
"David has been the best player of the tournament," Federer remarked about his opponent in the final. "He's been beating unbelievable players along the way."
Federer will be trying for his 53rd career title and eighth this year.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion will finish the year at No. 1 for a fourth straight year. He is the reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Aussie Open and Masters Cup titlist. He defeated American James Blake in last year's finale in Shanghai and is seeking his fourth Masters Cup title in five years.
An undefeated champion, which at this point could only be Ferrer, would collect over $1.5 million.

Federer, Roddick post Day-4 wins in Shanghai

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - World No. 1 Swiss Roger Federer and former top-ranked American star Andy Roddick were Wednesday's Red Group round- robin winners at the exclusive $3.7 million Tennis Masters Cup. Roddick has already clinched a berth in Saturday's semifinals here.
The top-seeded Federer rebounded from a Monday loss against Fernando Gonzalez by whipping fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 6-3, while a fifth- seeded Roddick improved to 2-0 this week by handling a seventh-seeded Gonzalez 6-1, 6-4 on the hardcourt at Qi Zhong Stadium. Roddick moved to 7-3 lifetime versus the Australian Open runner-up Gonzalez.
Federer got past Davydenko in 1 hour, 26 minutes with the help of four service breaks, compared to two for the Russian, while Roddick doused "Gonzo" in 1 hour, 5 minutes by winning 21 more points (59-38) than his Chilean counterpart. The massive-serving American, who fired only four aces in the big win, also broke Gonzalez three times, while the Chilean failed to record one break in the setback.
The amazing Federer is now 16-1 all-time in his Masters Cup round-robin matches and 11-0 lifetime versus Davydenko, who succumbed to the super Swiss in this year's U.S. and French Open semifinals.
Roddick currently leads the Red Group here with his 2-0 record, while Federer and Gonzalez are 1-1 and Davydenko is 0-2 and out of contention for Saturday's semis.
Federer and Roddick will clash here on Friday, while Gonzalez will take on Davydenko on Day 6.
Sixth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer leads this week's Gold Group with a perfect 2-0 record, while second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal and eighth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet are both 1-1 and third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic has already been eliminated from semifinal contention at 0-2. Nadal is the reigning French Open champ and Wimbledon runner-up, while Djokovic was the U.S. Open runner-up to Federer in September.
The 12-time major champion Federer will finish the year at No. 1 for a fourth straight year. The sublime Swiss is the reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Aussie Open and Masters Cup titlist and French Open runner-up. He defeated American James Blake in last year's finale here in Shanghai and is seeking his fourth Masters Cup title in five years.
On Thursday, Nadal will face Djokovic and Ferrer will battle Gasquet to determine the semifinalists from the Gold Group.
The Masters Cup features round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semis. The lucrative final will be staged here on Sunday.
An undefeated champion, which at this point could only be Roddick or Ferrer, in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.

Nadal, Djokovic both lose at Masters Cup

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Two of the world's top-three players suffered round-robin losses on Tuesday, as Rafael Nadal succumbed to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer and Serbian Novak Djokovic gave way to Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the $3.7 million Tennis Masters Cup.
A sixth-seeded Ferrer secured a berth in Saturday's semifinals here by coming from behind to beat the second-seeded Nadal 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, while the eighth- seeded Gasquet whipped a third-seeded Djokovic 6-4, 6-2. Nadal is the reigning three-time French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up, while Djokovic was this year's U.S. Open runner-up.
Ferrer ran out to a 5-1 third-set lead against Nadal here on Day 3 and ultimately prevailed in 2 hours, 40 minutes. Ferrer managed to record one more service break than Nadal, as he piled up a whopping six en route to the big victory at this exclusive eight-player event.
The 25-year-old Ferrer has now won his last two matches against Nadal, with the other win coming in four-set come-from-behind fashion in the fourth round at the U.S. Open in September.
Ferrer stunned Djokovic here on Sunday.
Gasquet opened the evening by dousing Djokovic in 1 hour, 25 minutes, as the Frenchman piled up five breaks, compared to only two for his Serbian counterpart. Gasquet wound up winning 19 more points (64-45) than the struggling Djokovic.
Ferrer currently leads this week's Gold Group with a perfect 2-0 record, while Nadal and Gasquet are both 1-1 and Djokovic has been eliminated from semifinal contention at 0-2 on the indoor hardcourt here at Qi Zhong Stadium.
This week's Red Group features world No. 1 Roger Federer (0-1), fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko (0-1), fifth-seeded American Andy Roddick (1-0) and seventh-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who lost to Federer in this year's Australian Open finale, but stunned the supreme Swiss in round-robin action here on Monday. Federer had been a perfect 15-0 in his Masters Cup round-robin matches since 2002.
The 12-time major champion Federer will still finish the year at No. 1 for a fourth straight year. The super Swiss is the reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Aussie Open and Masters Cup titlist and French Open runner-up. He defeated American James Blake in last year's finale here in Shanghai and is seeking his fourth Masters Cup title in five years.
The Masters Cup features round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semifinals on Saturday. The lucrative final will be staged here on Sunday.
An undefeated champion in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.

Henin outlasts Sharapova in WTA Tour final

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Justine Henin of Belgium outlasted Russia's Maria Sharapova to win her the season-ending WTA Tour Sony Ericsson Championships.
The top-seeded Henin, who disposed of Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals, dropped the first set and was down 3-4 in the second before rebounding to take a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory in a battle that nearly lasted 3 1/2 hours, a record for a three-set final at this tourney.
Henin also won this title last year and secured her 10th singles crown of 2007. The last woman to win as many 10 titles in a single season was Martina Hingis, who won 12 times in 1997. The Belgian is also riding a 25-match winning streak, dating back to a semifinal loss to Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon.
Sharapova was the 2004 winner of this event and was gunning for just on her second title of 2007. Her lone victory of the year came in a U.S. Open tuneup this summer at the Acura Classic in San Diego. She also lost in the final at the Australian Open and reached the title match at the Wimbledon tuneup in Birmingham.
Meanwhile, Henin finished a brilliant season on a high note. She won her third straight French Open crown this year, captured her second U.S. Open title and had an astounding match record of 63-4 in 2007.
Henin now leads her all-time series with Sharapova 6-2 and collected $1 million for her win. Sharapova earned $500,000.

Nadal, Ferrer win Masters Cup openers

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal recovered from a shaky start to best Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the opening match at the Tennis Masters Cup on Sunday.
The French Open champion dropped the first set to Gasquet but steadied himself over the final two frames to win, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, on the indoor hardcourt at Shanghai's state-of-the-art Qi Zhong Stadium. Nadal, the World No. 2, has now beaten Gasquet four consecutive times in his career.
Later, David Ferrer upset Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the second Gold Group match, making it a perfect day for Spain. The underrated Ferrer doused Djokovic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Swiss great Roger Federer, who headlines the Red Group, is the defending champion here and starts his bid for a fourth Masters Cup title in five years on Monday.
The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer is joined in a very tough Red Group by No. 4 Russian Nikolay Davydenko, No. 5 American Andy Roddick and No. 7 Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
The 2007 Masters Cup features round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semifinals on Saturday, November 17. The lucrative finale will be staged on Sunday, November 18.
An undefeated champion in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.
The reigning Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open titlist Federer defeated American James Blake in last year's Masters Cup finale, giving him his third title in four years at this event. Federer is the only former champion in this year's exclusive eight-man field and 22-2 for his career at this tournament.
Federer beat Gonzalez in this year's Aussie Open final, topped Nadal in the Wimbledon title bout, bested Djokovic in the U.S. Open finale and lost to Nadal in the French Open championship match.

Semis are set at WTA Championships

Madrid, Spain (Sports Network) - Saturday's semifinals are now set at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, as top-seeded Belgian Justine Henin will meet fourth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic and sixth-seeded Maria Sharapova will take on her seventh-seeded fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze.
Friday's Sharapova-Ivanovic winner would not have to face the world No. 1 Henin here on Saturday, and it worked out for the 2004 Championships victor Sharapova, who dismantled her fellow 20-year-old Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 on the fourth and final day of round-robin play on the hardcourt at Recinto Ferial Casa de Campo.
Sharapova pasted Ivanovic in 1 hour, 10 minutes, as she recorded five service breaks, compared to zero for the overmatched Serb.
The Australian Open runner-up and former world No. 1 Sharapova was a perfect 3-0 in this week's four-player Red Group, while the French Open runner-up Ivanovic went 2-1. The group was rounded out by eighth-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova (1-2) and second-seeded U.S. Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia (0-3). Hantuchova took the place of Wimbledon champion Venus Williams (dizziness) in the exclusive eight-player field.
Henin captured this week's Yellow Group, at 3-0, followed by Chakvetadze (2-1), alternate Marion Bartoli of France (1-1) and third-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic (0-3). The Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli replaced an injured Serena Williams here on Thursday. The fifth-seeded Williams, this year's Australian Open champ, pulled out here with a left knee injury after losing to Chakvetadze, 6-4, retired, on Wednesday night.
In a pair of meaningless matches on Friday, Hantuchova handled the former U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova 7-6 (9-7), 6-0 and a 10th-ranked Bartoli was leading Jankovic 6-1, 1-0 when the Serbian retired due to an illness. The busy Jankovic led the WTA Tour with a whopping 72 match wins in 2007.
On Saturday, Henin will meet Ivanovic for a third time in their careers. The Belgian is a perfect 2-0 lifetime against the Serb, including a victory in this year's French Open finale. The amazing Henin leads the tour with nine titles already this season.
The other semi will pit Sharapova against Chakvetadze, for a sixth time. The two-time major titlist Sharapova is a flawless 5-0 all-time versus her compatriot, including three wins in as many tries this year. Sharapova beat Chakvetadze in this year's Aussie and French Open quarterfinals.
Prior to this event, the reigning U.S. and French Open titlist Henin had already clinched the year-end top-ranking for a second straight season and for the third time in five years and is currently riding a torrid 23-match winning streak.
The seven-time Grand Slam event titlist Henin defeated France's Amelie Mauresmo in last year's Championships finale here in Madrid, which will give way to Doha as the tournament's host city next year.
The winner of this $3 million event will collect $1 million, while the runner- up will claim $500,000.

Round-robin groups revealed for Tennis Masters Cup

Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - The two four-man groups for next week's season-ending Tennis Masters Cup were announced on Wednesday, as Swiss great Roger Federer will head up the Red Group, while powerful Spaniard Rafael Nadal spearheads the Gold Group. Federer is the defending champion.
The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer is joined in a very tough Red Group by No. 4 Russian Nikolay Davydenko, No. 5 American Andy Roddick and No. 7 Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, while the second-seeded Nadal is joined in the Gold quartet by No. 3 Serbian Novak Djokovic, No. 6 Spaniard David Ferrer and No. 8 Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Spain will be the only country with more than one participant this year (Nadal and Ferrer).
Round-robin play will commence Sunday on the indoor hardcourt at Shanghai's state-of-the-art Qi Zhong Stadium, with two matches on the docket. The French Open champion Nadal will open up against Gasquet, while the nightcap will pit Djokovic versus Ferrer.
The 2007 Masters Cup will feature round-robin action for the first six days, with the top-two players from each group advancing to the semifinals on Saturday, November 17. The lucrative finale will be staged on Sunday, November 18. An undefeated champion in Shanghai would collect over $1.5 million.
The reigning Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open titlist Federer defeated American James Blake in last year's Masters Cup finale, giving him his third title in four years at this event. Federer is the only former champion in this year's exclusive eight-man field and 22-2 for his career at this tournament.
Federer beat Gonzalez in this year's Aussie Open final, topped Nadal in the Wimbledon title bout, bested Djokovic in the U.S. Open finale and lost to Nadal in the French Open championship match.

Davenport reaches Bell Challenge final

Quebec City, QC (Sports Network) - American Lindsay Davenport continued her push to a second title this year, ousting second-seed Vera Zvonareva in three sets to reach the final of the $175,000 Bell Challenge.
Appearing in her third consecutive quarterfinal since returning to the WTA Tour in August after nearly a year out of action, Davenport, who won the Bali Open this year, dropped her first set of the tournament but still managed to beat the Russian Zvonareva, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3.
Davenport, who gave birth to her first child, Jagger Jonathan Leach, in June and returned to play in September, will square off against third-seeded Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko in the final.
Vakulenko overcame an injured right ankle to defeat American qualifier Julie Ditty, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. The 28-year-old Ditty made the first semifinal appearance of her WTA Tour career.

Nadal ends Baghdatis' run; Gasquet loses but reaches Masters Cup

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal rallied from a set down to beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in Saturday's opening semifinal match at the Paris Masters.
The second-seeded Nadal earned a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory to reach the final, where he will play Argentina's David Nalbandian, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over 10th- seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the day's second semifinal.
Not only did Nadal eliminate Baghdatis, but he also ended the Cypriot's run toward a possible berth in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup. Baghdatis needed to win this tournament and not have Gasquet reach the final to qualify for the elite eight-man tournament that starts November 11 in Shanghai.
Instead, Gasquet completed the field before even taking the court Saturday.
Baghdatis' setback turned out to be good for Gasquet, as Nalbandian needed just 68 minutes to move into his second straight Masters final. He beat Roger Federer for the Madrid Masters title last month, also toppling Nadal in the quarterfinals on his way to that crown.
Gasquet will be joined in the lucrative season-finale by Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick, David Ferrer and Fernando Gonzalez.
Nadal, meanwhile, is in position to claim his seventh title of 2007 and the 24th of his brilliant young career. The 21-year-old Spaniard has also won at Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Roland Garros and Stuttgart this year.
Sunday will mark his first final since capturing the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart in July. He had lost in the semifinals at the Montreal Masters, the second round of the Cincinnati Masters, the fourth round of the U.S. Open and, most recently, the quarterfinals at the Madrid Masters.
Nalbandian has become a giant killer of late.
After beating Nadal in the quarterfinals at Madrid, Nalbandian went on to knock off Djokovic in the semifinals and Federer in the title match. He became just the third player in ATP history to beat the world's top three players in the same event, joining the great Boris Becker, who did it in 1994, and Djokovic, who accomplished the feat at the Montreal Masters this year.
Nalbandian also beat Federer this week, eliminating the world's top-ranked player in the third round on Thursday.
The Madrid crown marked Nalbandian's only title of 2007 and the sixth of his career.
He is 1-0 lifetime against Nadal, with the 6-1, 6-2 rout of the Spanish lefty in Madrid the only previous meeting.
Sunday's winner will claim a first prize of $491,412, while the runner-up will pocket $245,706.

Davenport into semifinals at Bell Challenge

Quebec City, QC (Sports Network) - American Lindsay Davenport continued her push to a second title this year with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Frenchwoman Stephanie Foretz in the quarterfinals at the $175,000 Bell Challenge.
Appearing in her third consecutive quarterfinal since returning to the Tour in August after nearly a year out of action, Davenport continued to sweep away opponents. The new mother, having given birth to first child Jagger Jonathan Leach in June, has yet to lose a set in any of her three matches this week.
Davenport, a three-time Gland Slam champion, returned to play in September, winning the Bali Open and reaching the semifinals in the China Open. Her next opponent will be second-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva, a 6-2, 6-1 winner over fellow countrywoman and eighth seed Olga Poutchkova, the runner-up last year.
Third-seeded Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko gained her third career semifinal berth with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over fifth seed Olga Govortsova of Belarus.
Next up for Vakulenko will be qualifier Julie Ditty, a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victor over fellow American Vania King. The 28-year-old Ditty was already making the first quarterfinal appearance of her WTA Tour career.

Nadal advances to Paris semifinals

Paris, France (Sports Network) - Rafael Nadal was among the quarterfinal winners on Friday in the Paris Masters.
The second-seeded Nadal continued his quest for the title at the $2.45 million tournament with an easy 6-4, 6-2 victory over Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
Nadal has yet to lose a set during his two matches in his first appearance at this hard court event and is seeking to win his seventh title this season.
"It was an important match for me to be in the semifinals after the US Open," said Nadal. "Especially after Montreal. I'm so happy to come back and play one tournament like this. The last two matches have been very good, very good matches for me."
The Spaniard is the highest remaining seed after world No. 1 Roger Federer was defeated by Argentine David Nalbandian in the third round on Thursday.
Nalbandian followed up his surprising victory over the top-seeded Federer, with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 win over fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer on Friday. He is out of the Masters Cup race, but is on track to win his second straight Masters title.
Nalbandian will next face Frenchmen Richard Gasquet, who defeated Andy Murray of Great Britain, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.
The win kept Gasquet's Masters Cup hopes alive, but ended Murray's chance of playing in Shanghai.
Ferrer wasn't the only Spaniard toppled Friday as eighth-seeded Tommy Robredo was defeated, 6-4, 6-4, by Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who kept his slim chances of qualifying for the Masters Cup alive with the win.
Baghdatis, who will face Nadal on Saturday, is in the semifinals for his second consecutive event.