Remembering - 2012 Australian Open

2012 Australian Open

The defending singles champions going into the first Grand Slam tournament of  the London Olympic Year were Novak Djokovic, who had defeated Andy Murray in straight sets, and Kim Clijsters who had triumphed over Li Na after surrendering the opening set.

Djokovic entered the Australian Open as top seed, having won the 2011 Wimbledon and US Open titles, both over Rafael Nadal, the Spanish player taking the second seed spot in the draw.

Caroline Wozniacki was women’s top seed, with reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová second seed.

Day 1 saw Australian teenager Bernard Tomic lose the first two sets on Rod Laver Arena, before fighting back to defeat 22nd seed and 2009 semi finalist Fernando Verdasco in five.

Other seeds to depart on the opening day were men Juan Monaco (25), Ivan Ljubicic (28), Jürgen Melzer (31), and women Flavia Pennetta (19), Lucie Safarova (24) and Yanina Wickmayer (28).

Australians were disappointed when the first round was completed on Day 2, as sixth seed Samantha Stosur, who had a few months earlier conquered Serena Williams in the 2011 US Open final, fell to Romanian Sorana Cîrstea.

Joining Stosur on the sidelines was men’s 29th seed Radek Stepanek.

Francesca Schiavone won Roland Garros in 2010 and was a finalist there in 2011, but the 10th seed exited Melbourne Park in 2012 in the second round, along with several other seeds on Days 3 and 4.

Prominent names included Andy Roddick (15), who was ousted at night by Lleyton Hewitt, who’d been granted entry via a wildcard. Hewitt lost the opening set, but won sets two and three before the American retired.

Melbourne also said farewell in singles in the second round to Peng Shuai (16), Petra Cetkovská (32), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (15), Dominika Cibulková (17), Roberta Vinci (23), Kaia Kanepi (25) and Nadia Petrova (29).

Male seeds to leave were Mardy Fish (8), Gilles Simon (12), Viktor Troicki (19), Marcel Granollers (26), and Alex Bogomolov Jr. (32).

The top four seeds in both the men’s and women’s draws cruised into the round of sixteen, none dropping a set. Federer had the toughest task, winning his match with Karlović 7-6(6) 7-5 6-3.

Those expected to reach the fourth round but failing, were Janko Tipsarević (9), Alexandr Dolgopolov (13), Gaël Monfils (14), John Isner (16), Vera Zvonareva (7) and Marion Bartoli (9).

The round of sixteen saw the last of the Australians in singles - Tomic never in the contest against Federer, and Hewitt similarly ill equipped to cope with the defending champion, although he did sneak a set off Djokovic.

Clijsters (11) defeated Li Na (5), in a repeat of the 2011 final result. This one also went the distance and again the Belgian lost the opening set.

Unseeded Ekaterina Makarova caused a major upset, sending Serena Williams (12) packing, losing just five games in the destruction.

Kei Nishikori (24) knocked out 2008 finalist and sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five sets.

Quarter finalists were:

Novak Djokovic (1) (Serbia) v David Ferrer (5) (Spain)

Andy Murray (4) (Great Britain) v Kei Nishikori (24) (Japan)

Juan Martin del Potro (11) (Argentina) v Roger Federer (3) (Switzerland) 

Tomáš Berdych (7) (Czech Republic) v Rafael Nadal (2) (Spain)

Caroline Wozniacki (1) (Denmark) v Kim Clijsters (11) (Belgium) 

Victoria Azarenka (3) (Belarus) v Agnieszka Radwanska (8) (Poland)

Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) v Maria Sharapova (4) (Russia)

Sara Errani (Italy) v Petra Kvitová (2) (Czech Republic)

The unseeded women’s quarter finalists were eliminated by the reigning Wimbledon finalists in straight sets, and accordingly Kvitová would meet Sharapova in one semi final. The top seed was knocked out by the defending champion, while the only quarter final to last the distance was a curious match.

Radwanska played a brilliant tie break 7-0 but Azarenka turned it around immediately to take the next sets 6-0 6-2.

The semi finals were both three setters, and quality clashes - Sharapova gaining some revenge for her Wimbledon loss by defeating Kvitová, and Azarenka preventing Clijsters from repeating her 2011 success.

The final unfortunately didn’t live up to the level of the semis and Victoria Azarenka dominated Maria Sharapova to win her first Grand Slam title 6-3 6-0.

Men’s quarters:

The men’s 2011 finalists set up a return clash, but in a semi final, after Djokovic disposed of Ferrer, and Murray dismissed Nishikori, each in straight sets.

Federer and Nadal ensured that the semis would feature the top four seeds, after they waved goodbye to del Potro and Berdych respectively.

Djokovic was in danger of missing the final when he lost the third set tie break and Murray led two sets to one. However, the top seed rallied and he won the crowd pleaser 7-5 in the fifth.

Federer won the opening set in a tie break, but Nadal switched gears to book a place in the final with a four set victory.

Djokovic v Nadal for the third straight Grand Slam tournament.

I am one of the lucky ones to have had a seat in Rod Laver Arena for the almost six hours of amazing competition between the two best in men’s tennis.

Nadal struck the first blow by taking the opening set 7-5, and we wondered whether Djokovic could come back, considering the five set struggle that he had survived with Murray.

After the Serb captured the next sets 6-4 6-2, it was question marks over Nadal’s capacity to turn around the momentum and win this in five.

The fourth set went to a tie break, Nadal managed to snatch it and the final was going to a fifth set.

Novak Djokovic 7-5, and he won what was one of the greatest matches I’ve witnessed. Certainly one of the best I’ve seen live.

Not because of its length - there have been several as long which have put me to sleep - this was edge of the seat stuff from start to finish, and credit goes to both combatants.

2012 would see Nadal win Roland Garros, Federer win Wimbledon and Murray win the US Open.

Sharapova won Roland Garros and Serena Williams won both Wimbledon and the US Open.

Remembering - 1987 Wimbledon

1987 WIMBLEDON 

Defending singles champions coming into Wimbledon 1987 were Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova.

Becker in 1986 had won his second title (both in succession) by defeating Ivan Lendl in straight sets. In attempting a three peat, he was still only 19.

Navratilova in 1986 won her seventh title, and fifth in a row, with victory over Hana Mandlikova in two sets.

Navratilova was top seed in 1987, and was hoping for better luck after losing in finals of both the Australian Open (to Mandlikova) and Roland Garros (to Steffi Graf).

Three Maleeva sisters from Bulgaria reached the top ten in their careers, and two were in the main draw of Wimbledon 1987. 

Katerina, seeded 14, lost in the first round to Gigi Fernandez, and Manuela, seeded 7, lost in the second round to Diane Balestrat.

Other seeded players to fall in the second round included Barbara Potter (13), ousted by 15 year old Mary Joe Fernandez. Fernandez made the round of sixteen, and later in her career would be a two time major finalist.

Apart from Balestrat, the quarter finals were populated by those seeded to reach that point:

Martina Navratilova (1) (USA) v Diane Balestrat (Australia)

Chris Evert (3) (USA) v Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (8) (Germany)

Pam Shriver (5) (USA) v Helena Sukova (4) (Czechoslovakia)

Gabriela Sabatini (6) (Argentina) v Steffi Graf (2) (Germany)

In perhaps the women’s match of the tournament, Pam Shriver rallied from a set down to defeat Helena Sukova in an epic 4-6 7-6 10-8.

Graf also dropped her first set before destroying Sabatini in the second and third to set up a semi final with Shriver.

Navratilova and Evert had easy wins and their semi final would be the 52nd clash between the pair.

Navratilova scored her 33rd win over Evert in the semi final, though it took three sets to achieve it. Graf took Shriver to the cleaners, surrendering just two games in reaching her second straight Grand Slam final, and first at Wimbledon.

The Wimbledon queen had too much experience and class on grass for Graf in the final, winning for the eighth time, and sixth straight year 7-5 6-3.

Stefan Edberg had won the Australian Open, defeating Pat Cash, and Ivan Lendl defeated Mats Wilander to win Roland Garros.

No seeds exited from the men’s singles main draw in the first round, but there were a couple of names that would in later years come to the fore. Thomas Muster and Andre Agassi were unseeded and both lost. It was Agassi’s third main draw showing at a major, but he would proceed to win his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon five years on. Muster would win Roland Garros eight years later, but would only play Wimbledon three more times, losing in the opening round on each occasion. He loved the clay but hated the grass.

Becker’s hopes for a third successive Wimbledon were dashed in round two, when Australian Peter Doohan crashed the top seeds party in four sets. In that section, American 15th seed David Pate also left.

Guy Forget knocked out 6th seed and fellow Frenchman Yannick Noah, while 16th seed Kevin Curren lost to Johan Kriek, both players born in South Africa but naturalised Americans.

The third round saw the departure of Tim Mayotte (10), Miloslav Mecir (5), Brad Gilbert (12) and Joakim Nystrom (13)

No surprises in the round of sixteen, leaving the quarter finals:

Slobodan Zivojinovic (Yugoslavia) v Jimmy Connors (7) (USA)

Mats Wilander (3) (Sweden) v Pat Cash (11) (Australia)

Anders Järryd (Sweden) v Stefan Edberg (4) (Sweden)

Henri Leconte (9) (France) v Ivan Lendl (2) (Czechoslovakia)

Veteran Connors set up a semi final against Cash, 12 years his junior, both players winning their quarter finals in three sets.

The all Swedish clash resulted in Edberg coming from a set down to oust Järryd, and Lendl progressed after his victory over Leconte, two tie breaks included.

The serve volley game worked perfectly for Cash in his semi, with Connors powerless to prevent the Australian from speeding into his second major final of the year 6-4 6-4 6-1.

Edberg’s serve volley approach wasn’t as effective, and he lost out to Lendl, the French Open champ prevailing in four tight sets.

In his thirteenth Grand Slam final, Ivan Lendl missed out for the eighth time, losing to Pat Cash. The 11th seed, in his first Wimbledon final, triumphed 7-6(5) 6-2 7-5.

Remembering - 2000 US Open

2000 US Open

My first experience of a Grand Slam tournament outside of Melbourne occurred in the Sydney Olympic year of 2000, so indeed it was a significant sporting year for an Australian.

I planned a month trip to the United States, my first time in North America, and the initial two weeks would be based in Manhattan. The tennis part of the excursion was the most expensive, because I joined a tour where accommodation was five star, and tickets I chose were premium. I had saved up to enjoy the final major of 2000 the best way I could.

Unlike for the Australian Open, I didn’t purchase tickets through the tour operator for every session. That would require a second mortgage ! I secured a seat for the Labour Day Weekend and for the semi finals and finals.

Other days and nights I would either purchase tickets depending on the schedule, or watch on television in the less expensive hotel where I was housed on the non tour days and nights.

The travel to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens was by bus on the tour days and nights, or by the NYC Subway at other times.

Defending singles champions were Andre Agassi and Serena Williams.

The year to date had seen Agassi follow up his 1999 US Open win by defeating Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the Australian Open, Gustavo Kuerten win his second title at Roland Garros, triumphing over Magnus Norman, and Pete Sampras won an epic Wimbledon final against Patrick Rafter.

Lindsay Davenport conquered Martina Hingis in Australia to win her third Grand Slam title, Mary Pierce overcame Conchita Martinez in Paris for her maiden Grand Slam trophy, and Venus Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport at Wimbledon to also claim a first major title.

So could the US Open provide a fourth different player in either or both singles events to win a 2000 Grand Slam tournament ?

It wouldn’t be second seed Kuerten, as he was dumped by big serving Australian qualifier Wayne Arthurs in the opening round in the first big upset. Arthurs continued to the fourth round, knocking out two fellow Aussies before Thomas Johansson finally ended his run.

Philippoussis, the 15th seed and 1998 finalist, lost in the second round, as did Lapentti (16) and Squillari (13), but the biggest name to go was Agassi, losing to Frenchman Arnaud Clement.

Roger Federer was playing his first main draw US Open, and after coming back from a two set deficit in his first round, he made it through to the third, only to lose to Juan Carlos Ferrero. That round also was the exit point for four seeds - Kafelnikov (5), Corretja (8), Pioline (10) and Henman (11).

The round of sixteen saw the departure of two of the three Swedish players remaining, both seeds - Enqvist (7) and Norman (3) - leaving quarter finalists:

Arnaud Clément (France) v Lleyton Hewitt (9) (Australia)

Pete Sampras (4) (USA) v Richard Krajicek (Netherlands)

Marat Safin (6) (Russia) v Nicolas Kiefer (14) (Germany)

Todd Martin (USA) v Thomas Johansson (Sweden)

The New York crowd was happy to watch both Americans play their way into the semi finals with four set victories, and they were joined by Lleyton Hewitt after a straight sets win over Clément, and Safin who took four to beat Kiefer.

I was of course hoping for Hewitt to upset someone who I regard as the best male player I’ve seen, but Pete Sampras won the important points in a three set match not as straightforward as it sounds. Two tiebreakers were required, and Hewitt demonstrated the type of tennis which would a year later take him to the winners trophy.

The other semi final could have set up an all American final, but Russia spoiled that party, as Marat Safin also used two tie breakers in his three set win over Todd Martin.

The Russian demonstrated to the world in no uncertain terms that he was something special when he demolished Pete Sampras 6-4 6-3 6-3 in the final, capturing his first Grand Slam tournament trophy. At just 20, the potential for a long career at the top of tennis was huge for Safin.

Interestingly, his record didn’t fulfil expectations. After New York 2000, apart from three finals in Australia, where he won his second and final major in 2005, the output included just three semi finals and a quarter final at the other majors.

Five first round losses and nine in second rounds was not the sort of return the talent deserved to generate.

The top five seeds in the women’s singles included the winners of the first three majors, but top seed was Martina Hingis, while defending champion Serena Williams was fifth seed.

Of the seeds, only France’s Julie Halard-Decugis (16) failed to hurdle the first round, and Belgium’s Dominique Van Roost (14) lost her second round to an American Lilia Osterloh.

The earliest big name to fall was Conchita Martinez. The seventh seed exited in the third round, courtesy of Russian teenager Elena Dementieva. Not so much of an upset, as Elena a few weeks later picked up a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in singles.

Amanda Coetzer (13) and Anna Kournikova (12) were sent packing with Martinez before the round of sixteen, where fourth seed Mary Pierce was the high profile casualty, forced to retire after dropping the first set to German Anke Huber (10).

Quarter finalists were:

Martina Hingis (1) (Switzerland) v Monica Seles (6) (USA)

Venus Williams (3) (USA) v Natalie Tauziat (8) (France)

Elena Dementieva v Anke Huber (10) (Germany)

Serena Williams (5) (USA) v Lindsay Davenport (2) (USA)

The top three seeds made it into the semis, together with Dementieva.

Venus Williams lost the opening set to Hingis, but finished well to make the final with a three set victory.

 Lindsay Davenport won the first set easily against Dementieva, but was taken to a tie break in the second before closing it out and setting up a repeat of the Wimbledon final with Venus.

The Williams sisters had won 1 major each coming into the US Open, but Venus edged ahead, defeating Lindsay Davenport 6-4 7-5 in the final, and in the process becoming the only player, male or female, to win more than one Grand Slam singles title for 2000.

Not only that, Venus won gold later in the month in the Sydney Olympics, both singles, and doubles with sister Serena.

So in my first overseas Grand Slam experience, I saw Venus Williams capture her first of two US Opens, and Marat Safin win his first major.

I also saw Lleyton Hewitt win the Men’s Doubles crown, partnering Max Mirnyi.

Julie Halard-Decugis and Ai Sugiyama were Women’s Doubles Champions.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Jared Palmer won the Mixed Doubles.

An Unwelcome Break

The COVID-19 virus has hit the sporting world, in a small way directly, but the fear of what its impact may eventually be has led to extreme caution.

It has seen dumping of the 2020 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, and now has extended to a suspension of the ATP and ITF Tours until and including 20 April this year.

While not yet official, it is likely that the WTA will follow suit.

Already, the Volvo Car Open in Charleston, scheduled for 6-12 April, has been dropped, and the Miami Open, which includes both ATP Masters 1000 and WTA Premier Mandatory events, is not proceeding on 23 March.

The impact is clearly severe, financially and from a reputation perspective. A city may never recover and be able to host one of the affected tournaments again.

And of course spectators are losers - although refunds are assured, the process takes time and at the end of the day there is no tennis.

The players are obviously affected - their year long planned schedules have been shot to bits, and no one can confidently predict a recommencement date, given changing knowledge of the virus, and decisions of those in power.

Rankings are an issue - weekly points from 2019 tournaments are dropped from a players total, while no replacements are available.  This leads to an unfair representation - those who were successful in tournaments last year, which are not being played in this period of suspension, will be hit hard. Others, who faired worse in those same tournaments, are not so badly harmed.

As an example, before Indian Wells, Bianca Andreescu was ranked #6, Angelique Kerber #21 and Milos Raonic #30.

Just as a result of that tournament not being played, the rankings changed to #11, #39 and #47 respectively.

So, for a Grand Slam tournament, the next being Roland Garros, should it be played:

Bianca Andreescu would have been seeded to play a quarter final, but now would be seeded for the round of sixteen.

Angelique Kerber would have been seeded for the third round, but now would be unseeded.

Milos Raonic would have been seeded for the the third round, but now would be unseeded.

This issue also relates to direct entry into tournaments, also dependent on rankings.

My suggested solution is to use protected rankings for now, based on pre Indian Wells rankings. Use these for determining direct entry into tournaments, and for setting seeds, when the respective tours recommence.

Hopefully the recommencement will be soon and tennis may be once again enjoyed by spectators world wide.

Svitolina and Kenin win Monterrey and Lyon

Titles decided in Lyon and Monterrey.

2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Greenset, in Lyon, France, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This is the first running of the tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.

Final result

Sofia Kenin (1) defeated Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-2 4-6 6-4

This was the second title for Kenin this year, following her Australian Open triumph. Her fifth overall title from six finals takes Kenin to a career high ranking of #4.

Friedsam contested her second final, her first since Linz in October 2015. She moves up 30 places to #106.

2020 Abierto GNP Seguros - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Deco-Turf, in Monterrey, Mexico, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

Garbiñe Muguruza (2) who defeated Victoria Azarenka (5) 6-1 3-1 (retired)

Final result

Elina Svitolina (1) defeated Marie Bouzkova (9) 7-5 4-6 6-4

After a poor start to 2020, Svitolina won her 14th title from 17 finals. She moves up two spots to #5.

Bouzkova contested her first WTA Tour final, and moved up 10 places to a career high of #47.

Semis in Lyon and Monterrey

Semi final day in Lyon and Monterrey.

2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Greenset, in Lyon, France, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This is the first running of the tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.

Semi final results  

Sofia Kenin (1) defeated Alison Van Uytvanck (5) 7-6(5) 6-7(2) 7-6(2)

Anna-Lena Friedsam defeated wildcard Daria Kasatkina (7) 6-3 3-6 6-2 

and will play Sofia Kenin in the final.

2020 Abierto GNP Seguros - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Deco-Turf, in Monterrey, Mexico, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

Garbiñe Muguruza (2) who defeated Victoria Azarenka (5) 6-1 3-1 (retired)

Semi final results 

Elina Svitolina (1) defeated Arantxa Rus 6-0 6-1

Marie Bouzkova (9) defeated Johanna Konta (2) 6-3 6-4

and will play Elina Svitolina in the final.

Davis Cup qualifiers - Day 2

Day two of the Davis Cup qualifiers.

Six nations have already qualified for the 2020 Davis Cup Finals in Madrid in November. 

2019 winners Spain, runners up Canada, semi finalists Russia and Great Britain, and 2020 wildcards France and Serbia.

24 nations compete over the next two days, 6-7 March 2020, for the remaining 12 spots in the Finals.

Croatia (seeded 1) v India at Dom Sportova, Zagreb, Croatia

- Rohan Bopanna / Leander Paes (India) defeated Mate Pavic / Franko Skugor (Croatia) 6-3 6-7(9) 7-5

- Marin Cilic (Croatia) defeated Sumit Nagal (India) 6-0 6-1 CROATIA won the tie 3-1

Hungary v Belgium (2) at Fonix Hall, Debrecen, Hungary 

- Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen (Belgium) defeated Attila Balazs / Marton Fucsovics (Hungary) 3-6 6-1 6-4

- Attila Balazs (Hungary) defeated Kimmer Coppejans (Belgium) 6-3 6-0

- Marton Fucsovics (Hungary) defeated Ruben Bemelmans (Belgium) 6-7(7) 6-4 6-2 HUNGARY won the tie 3-2

Colombia v Argentina (3) at Palacio de los Deportes, Bogotá, Colombia 

- Juan Sebastian Cabal / Robert Farah (Colombia) defeated Maximo Gonzalez / Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) 6-3 6-7(3) 7-5

- Daniel Elahi Galan Riveros (Colombia) defeated Juan Ignacio Londero (Argentina) 6-3 6-4 COLOMBIA won the tie 3-1

USA (4) v Uzbekistan at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, USA

- Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan (USA) defeated Sanjar Fayziev / Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 6-3 6-4 

- Tommy Paul (USA) defeated Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 6-3 6-0 USA won the tie 4-0

Australia (5) v Brazil at Memorial Drive Tennis Club, Adelaide, Australia

- Marcelo Demoliner / Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves (Brazil) defeated James Duckworth / John Peers (Australia) 5-7 7-5 7-6(6)

- John Millman (Australia) defeated Thiago Monteiro (Brazil) 6-7(6) 7-6(3) 7-6(3) AUSTRALIA won the tie 3-1

Italy (6) v Korea at Circolo Tennis Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy 

- Simone Bolelli / Fabio Fognini (Italy) defeated Nam Ji Sung / Song Min-Kyu (Korea) 6-3 6-1

- Stefano Travaglia (Italy) defeated Chung Yunseong (Korea) 6-0 6-1 ITALY won the tie 4-0

Germany (7) v Belarus at Castello Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

- Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies (Germany) defeated Ilya Ivashka / Andrei Vasilevski (Belarus) 6-4 7-6(5)

- Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) defeated Egor Gerasimov (Belarus) 6-3 6-2

- Dominik Koepfer (Germany) defeated Daniil Ostapenkov (Belarus) 6-0 6-2 GERMANY won the tie 4-1

Kazakhstan (8) v Netherlands at National Tennis Center, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan 

- Andrey Golubev / Aleksandr Nedovyesov (Kazakhstan) defeated Robin Haase / Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) 6-3 6-3

- Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) defeated Robin Haase (Netherlands) 7-6(4) 6-1 KAZAKHSTAN won the tie 3-1

Slovakia v Czech Republic (9) at AXA Arena STC, Bratislava, Slovakia 

- Filip Polasek / Igor Zelenay (Slovakia) defeated Jonas Forejtek / Zdenek Kolar (Czech Republic) 6-4 6-4

- Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) defeated Andrej Martin (Slovakia) 4-6 7-5 7-5 CZECH REPUBLIC won the tie 3-1

Austria (10) v Uruguay at Steiermarkhalle Schwarzlsee, Premstätten, Austria 

- Oliver Marach / Jurgen Melzer (Austria) defeated Ariel Behar / Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) 4-6 6-3 7-5

- Dennis Novak (Austria) defeated Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) 2-6 6-3 6-4 AUSTRIA won the tie 3-1

Japan (11) v Ecuador at Bourbon Beans Dome, Miki, Japan 

- Gonzalo Escobar / Diego Hidalgo (Ecuador) defeated Ben McLachlan / Yasutaka Uchiyama (Japan) 7-6(3) 6-3 JAPAN won the tie 3-0

Sweden (12) v Chile at The Royal Tennis Hall (Kungliga Tennishallen), Stockholm, Sweden

- Markus Eriksson / Robert Lindstedt (Sweden) defeated Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera / Alejandro Tabilo (Chile) 6-4 6-4

- Mikael Ymer (Sweden) defeated Alejandro Tabilo (Chile) 3-6 7-5 6-3 SWEDEN won the tie 3-1

WTA - Monterrey quarter finals

Quarter final day in Monterrey.

2020 Abierto GNP Seguros - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Deco-Turf, in Monterrey, Mexico, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

Garbiñe Muguruza (2) who defeated Victoria Azarenka (5) 6-1 3-1 (retired)

Quarter final results 

- Elina Svitolina (1) defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4 7-5

- Arantxa Rus defeated Rebecca Peterson (6) 6-1 6-1

- Marie Bouzkova (9) defeated Wang Yafan (8) 6-2 7-5

- Johanna Konta (2) defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-7(6) 6-3 7-6(7)

Semi final match ups 

Elina Svitolina (1) v Arantxa Rus

Marie Bouzkova (9) v Johanna Konta (2)

WTA - Lyon quarter finals

Quarter final day in Lyon.

2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Greenset, in Lyon, France, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This is the first running of the tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.

Quarter final results  

- Sofia Kenin (1) defeated Oceane Dodin 6-1 6-7(5) 6-2

- Alison Van Uytvanck (5) defeated Caroline Garcia (3) 6-2 6-2

- Wildcard Daria Kasatkina (7) defeated Camila Giorgi 6-2 4-6 6-2

- Anna-Lena Friedsam defeated Viktoria Kuzmova (8) 3-6 7-6(4) 6-2

Semi final match ups 

Sofia Kenin (1) v Alison Van Uytvanck (5)

Wildcard Daria Kasatkina (7) v Anna-Lena Friedsam

Davis Cup qualifiers - Day 1

Day one of the Davis Cup qualifiers.

Six nations have already qualified for the 2020 Davis Cup Finals in Madrid in November. 

2019 winners Spain, runners up Canada, semi finalists Russia and Great Britain, and 2020 wildcards France and Serbia.

24 nations compete over the next two days, 6-7 March 2020, for the remaining 12 spots in the Finals.

Croatia (seeded 1) v India at Dom Sportova, Zagreb, Croatia

- Borna Gojo (Croatia) defeated Prajnesh Gunneswaran (India) 3-6 6-4 6-2

- Marin Cilic (Croatia) defeated Ramkumar Ramanathan (India) 7-6(8) 7-6(8)

Hungary v Belgium (2) at Fonix Hall, Debrecen, Hungary 

- Ruben Bemelmans (Belgium) defeated Attila Balazs (Hungary) 5-7 7-6(4) 6-4

- Marton Fucsovics (Hungary) defeated Kimmer Coppejans (Belgium) 6-2 5-7 6-4

Colombia v Argentina (3) at Palacio de los Deportes, Bogotá, Colombia 

- Daniel Elahi Galan Riveros (Colombia) defeated Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) 6-1 6-4

- Juan Ignacio Londero (Argentina) defeated Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-7(6) 6-3 6-2

USA (4) v Uzbekistan at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, USA

- Reilly Opelka (USA) defeated Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 6-2 7-5

- Taylor Fritz (USA) defeated Sanjar Fayziev (Uzbekistan) 6-1 6-2

Australia (5) v Brazil at Memorial Drive Tennis Club, Adelaide, Australia

- Jordan Thompson (Australia) defeated Thiago Monteiro (Brazil) 6-4 6-4

- John Millman (Australia) defeated Thiago Seyboth Wild (Brazil) 4-6 7-6(0) 6-2

Italy (6) v Korea at Circolo Tennis Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy 

- Fabio Fognini (Italy) defeated Lee Duckhee (Korea) 6-0 6-3

- Gianluca Mager (Italy) defeated Nam Ji Sung (Korea) 6-3 7-5

Germany (7) v Belarus at Castello Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

- Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany) defeated Ilya Ivashka (Belarus) 6-4 6-4

- Egor Gerasimov (Belarus) defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) 4-6 7-5 7-6(3)

Kazakhstan (8) v Netherlands at National Tennis Center, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan 

- Robin Haase (Netherlands) defeated Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 6-4 6-7(2) 6-3

- Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) defeated Tallon Griekspoor (Netherlands) 7-6(4) 7-6(4)

Slovakia v Czech Republic (9) at AXA Arena STC, Bratislava, Slovakia 

- Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) defeated Jozef Kovalik (Slovakia) 6-3 7-5

- Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) defeated Andrej Martin (Slovakia) 6-4 6-4

Austria (10) v Uruguay at Steiermarkhalle Schwarzlsee, Premstätten, Austria 

- Dennis Novak (Austria) defeated Martin Cuevas (Uruguay) 6-2 6-4

- Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) defeated Jurij Rodionov 6-7(7) 6-3 7-6(5)

Japan (11) v Ecuador at Bourbon Beans Dome, Miki, Japan 

- Emilio Gomez (Ecuador) defeated Go Soeda (Japan) 7-5 7-6(3)

- Roberto Quiroz (Ecuador) defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama (Japan) 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(8)

Sweden (12) v Chile at The Royal Tennis Hall (Kungliga Tennishallen), Stockholm, Sweden

- Mikael Ymer (Sweden) defeated Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera (Chile) 6-2 6-3

- Alejandro Tabilo (Chile) defeated Elias Ymer (Sweden) 6-4 6-3

WTA - Monterrey second round complete

Second round complete and quarter finals set in Monterrey.

2020 Abierto GNP Seguros - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Deco-Turf, in Monterrey, Mexico, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

Garbiñe Muguruza (2) who defeated Victoria Azarenka (5) 6-1 3-1 (retired)

Second round results 

- Elina Svitolina (1) defeated qualifier Olga Govortsova 6-3 6-4

- Arantxa Rus defeated Lauren Davis (10) 7-5 6-0

- Anastasia Potapova defeated Tamara Zidansek 1-6 7-6(3) 6-1

- Johanna Konta (2) defeated Tatjana Maria 7-6(4) 6-3

Quarter final match ups 

Elina Svitolina (1) v Leylah Fernandez 

Arantxa Rus v Rebecca Peterson (6)

Wang Yafan (8) v Marie Bouzkova (9)

Anastasia Potapova v Johanna Konta (2)

WTA - Lyon second round complete

Second round complete and quarter finals set in Lyon.

2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Greenset, in Lyon, France, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This is the first running of the tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.

Second round results 

- Sofia Kenin (1) defeated qualifier Jaqueline Cristian 6-7(5) 7-5 6-4

- Wildcard Daria Kasatkina (7) defeated qualifier Irina Bara 6-3 6-2

- Viktoria Kuzmova (8) defeated Tereza Martincova 6-4 4-6 6-4

- Anna-Lena Friedsam defeated Kristina Mladenovic (2) 6-3 6-3

Quarter final match ups 

Sofia Kenin (1) v Oceane Dodin

Caroline Garcia (3) v Alison Van Uytvanck (5)

Wildcard Daria Kasatkina (7) v Camila Giorgi 

Viktoria Kuzmova (8) v Anna-Lena Friedsam

Davis Cup Qualifiers

Six nations have already qualified for the 2020 Davis Cup Finals in Madrid in November. 

2019 winners Spain, runners up Canada, semi finalists Russia and Great Britain, and 2020 wildcards France and Serbia.

24 nations compete over the next two days, 6-7 March 2020, for the remaining 12 spots in the Finals.

Croatia (seeded 1) v India at Dom Sportova, Zagreb, Croatia

Hungary v Belgium (2) at Fonix Hall, Debrecen, Hungary 

Colombia v Argentina (3) at Palacio de los Deportes, Bogotá, Colombia 

USA (4) v Uzbekistan at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, USA

Australia (5) v Brazil at Memorial Drive Tennis Club, Adelaide, Australia

Italy (6) v Korea at Circolo Tennis Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy 

Germany (7) v Belarus at Castello Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

Kazakhstan (8) v Netherlands at National Tennis Center, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan 

Slovakia v Czech Republic (9) at AXA Arena STC, Bratislava, Slovakia 

Austria (10) v Uruguay at Steiermarkhalle Schwarzlsee, Premstätten, Austria 

Japan (11) v Ecuador at Bourbon Beans Dome, Miki, Japan 

Sweden (12) v Chile at The Royal Tennis Hall (Kungliga Tennishallen), Stockholm, Sweden

WTA - Monterrey second round commenced

Second round commenced in Monterrey.

2020 Abierto GNP Seguros - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Deco-Turf, in Monterrey, Mexico, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

Garbiñe Muguruza (2) who defeated Victoria Azarenka (5) 6-1 3-1 (retired)

Second round results 

- Leylah Fernandez defeated wildcard Sloane Stephens (5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3

- Rebecca Peterson (6) defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6(2) 7-5

- Wang Yafan (8) defeated lucky loser Astra Sharma 7-6(5) 4-6 6-3

- Marie Bouzkova (9) defeated qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4 6-1

WTA - Lyon second round commenced

First round complete and second round commenced in Lyon.

2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Greenset, in Lyon, France, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This is the first running of the tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.

First round results 

- Sofia Kenin (1) defeated Vitalia Diatchenko 6-4 6-3

- Oceane Dodin defeated Mandy Minella 6-4 6-4

Second round results 

- Oceane Dodin received a walkover from Jil Teichmann (6) 

- Caroline Garcia (3) defeated Ysaline Bonaventure 7-5 6-2

- Alison Van Uytvanck (5) defeated Viktoriya Tomova 3-6 6-4 7-6(2)

- Camila Giorgi defeated Alizé Cornet (4) 4-6 7-6(5) 6-2

WTA - Monterrey first round complete

First round complete in Monterrey.

2020 Abierto GNP Seguros - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Deco-Turf, in Monterrey, Mexico, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

Garbiñe Muguruza (2) who defeated Victoria Azarenka (5) 6-1 3-1 (retired)

First round results 

- Lauren Davis (10) defeated qualifier Nadia Podoroska 6-0 6-3

- Arantxa Rus defeated lucky loser Varvara Flink 4-3 (retired)

- Kateryna Bondarenko defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo 4-6 6-0 6-2

- Tatjana Maria defeated Heather Watson 7-6(4) 3-6 7-5

- Elina Svitolina (1) defeated Danka Kovinic 6-3 6-2

- Leylah Fernandez defeated qualifier Stefanie Voegele 7-6(5) 6-2

- Tamara Zidansek defeated Victoria Azarenka (7) 6-2 6-2

- Johanna Konta (2) defeated wildcard Kim Clijsters 6-3 7-5

- Anastasia Potapova defeated qualifier Giulia Gatto-Monticone 6-4 4-6 6-4

WTA - Lyon first round almost complete

First round almost complete in Lyon.

2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Greenset, in Lyon, France, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This is the first running of the tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.

Paula Badosa, a late withdrawal after the main draw was published, was replaced by lucky loser Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove due to a thigh injury.

First round results 

- Jil Teichmann (6) defeated wildcard Clara Burel 6-4 6-3

- Viktoriya Tomova defeated qualifier Magdalena Frech 7-5 6-7(5) 6-4

- Camila Giorgi defeated Vera Lapko 6-3 6-4

- Tereza Martincova defeated Ana Bogdan 6-3 4-6 6-3

- Kristina Mladenovic (2) defeated wildcard Chloe Paquet 1-6 6-2 6-4

- Wildcard Daria Kasatkina (7) defeated Pauline Parmentier 6-2 6-4

- Viktoria Kuzmova (8) defeated lucky loser Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove 6-2 2-6 6-2

WTA - Monterrey first round commenced

First round commenced in Monterrey.

2020 Abierto GNP Seguros - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Deco-Turf, in Monterrey, Mexico, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

Garbiñe Muguruza (2) who defeated Victoria Azarenka (5) 6-1 3-1 (retired)

Zarina Diyas was a late withdrawal after the main draw was published, and was replaced by lucky loser Kristina Kucova, due to a wrist injury 

First round results 

- Marie Bouzkova (9) defeated lucky loser Kristina Kucova 6-4 6-2

- Rebecca Peterson (6) defeated Kateryna Kozlova 3-6 7-6(1) 6-4

- Qualifier Olga Govortsova defeated lucky loser Caroline Dolehide 3-6 6-2 6-1

- Wang Yafan (8) defeated qualifier Lara Arruabarrena 6-4 6-4

- Lucky loser Astra Sharma defeated Nina Stojanovic 6-4 6-4

- Qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova defeated wildcard Venus Williams 4-6 6-3 6-2

- Wildcard Sloane Stephens (5) defeated wildcard Emma Navarro 6-4 5-7 6-1