Masters Cup, Nov. 12-20

[Brinyi]

Masters to stay in Shanghai until 2008

Reuters - 14/03/2006

The Masters Cup will stay in Shanghai until at least 2008. A raft of withdrawals from last year's event, the first of what had been a three-year deal to host the tournament in the booming eastern Chinese city, has not dissuaded organisers from wanting to host it in 2008, China's Olympic year.

"It's known to all that the 2008 Olympic Games will be held in Beijing," Qiu Weichang, the deputy director of the Shanghai Administration of Sports, said in a statement Tuesday.

"We hope the Tennis Masters Cup can add to the prestige of the 'Sports Year' and we are fully confident that the Masters Cup in 2008 will be more successful than ever."

The tournament, which has a history going back to 1970 under various guises, was devised pitting the top eight players in the world against each other.

Shanghai also hosted the event in 2002 at the International Expo centre when Australian Lleyton Hewiit won, but there was a great deal of disappointment when a raft of top name withdrawals seriously weakened the field for its return last November.

Hewiit, Andy Roddick and Marat Safin all turned down the chance to play at the purpose-built Qi Zhong Tennis Centre because of injury or personal commitments, while Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi pulled out after the start.

MERCEDES PARTS

"We feel like we bought a Mercedes-Benz only to find 60 percent of the auto parts are no longer the original ones we paid for," an organiser said at last year's event.

Argentine David Nalbandian beat an injury hampered Roger Federer to break the world number one's two-year dominance of the tournament.

"It is very good news for tennis, and particularly for tennis in China, that the Tennis Masters Cup will remain in Shanghai," International Tennis Federation President Francesco Ricci Bitti said in a statement released by organisers.

"There will be many milestones for tennis in China over the next few years with the Olympic tennis event in Beijing and three more outstanding editions of the tournament season-ending championships in Shanghai."

Shanghai will join New York, Frankfurt and Hannover in hosting one of the versions of the year-end championship four times or more.

[Brinyi]

Ljubicic, Roddick qualify for Shanghai Masters

World number four Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia and fifth ranked American Andy Roddick have booked berths for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, the ATP has said.

The pair join the world's two top players, Swiss Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Spain, who have already secured a spot in the eight-man field in Shanghai scheduled for November 12-19.

In the complicated points race to qualify for the Masters, Ljubicic confirmed his place when Spaniard Tommy Robredo, the world number eight, lost his first round match at the St Petersburg Open in Russia on Tuesday.

Roddick was assured his place when Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, ranked 11th in the world, lost to Frenchman Arnaud Clement in Lyon on Tuesday.

However Robredo and Baghdatis are still in with a chance to qualify for one of the four remaining Masters berths, along with eight other players.

Ljubicic, 27, who has won titles in Chennai, Zagreb and Vienna this season, will be making his second consecutive appearance at the Masters.

Roddick was a semi-finalist in 2003 and 2004 when the Masters was held in Houston but skipped last year's event due to injury.

The 24-year-old Roddick is again facing injury after re-aggravating an injury to his right ankle in the Madrid Masters series last week.

Last year's Shanghai Masters was plagued by injuries as five top players withdrew from the tournament that eventually saw Argentina's David Nalbandian upset Federer.

[leelee]

What's complicated about it. The top 8 point getters are in.

[Brinyi]

I suppose what's complicated is updating who has clinched and who has been eliminated on a continuous basis. Who cares, anyway? Other than nerds like me.

[Brinyi]

Davydenko earns fifth spot

Nikolay Davydenko has booked the fifth ticket to Shanghai, leaving just three Masters Cup spots up for grabs at this week's Paris Masters, the ATP announced on Monday.

The U.S. Open semi-finalist secured his place despite a second-round exit after an injury scare at his home tournament in St. Petersburg last week.

Davydenko will join Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Ivan Ljubicic and Andy Roddick at the season-ending championship from November 12-19.

Seven players are left vying for the three remaining positions to fill the eight-man field at the Qi Zhong Stadium.

David Nalbandian, James Blake and Tommy Robredo hold on to the sixth, seventh, and eighth places on INDESIT ATP 2006 Race standings, with Fernando Gonzalez and Mario Ancic nipping at their heels.

Chile's Gonzalez, who this week joined Federer and Nadal as only the third player this season to make three consecutive ATP finals, has the best chance of qualifying at only eight points behind Robredo's 410 and nine points behind Blake's 411.

"I have a good chance to qualify for Shanghai, which I don't want to miss," said Gonzalez on the eve of Paris Masters. "It would be great to qualify for the Masters Cup."

In order to qualify automatically Gonzalez has to do better than Blake or Robredo and reach the quarter-finals.

Ancic, who won the St Petersburg Open this weekend, has a more difficult road at 387 points, though he could stand in Gonzalez' way with the two drawn to meet in the round of 16 in Paris.

"I am still in the race to qualify for Shanghai's Masters Cup, and next week it is all going to be decided," the Croatian No. 2 said. "I am sure it will be an exciting week."

If Ancic gets past Gonzalez, he then needs to at least reach the semi-finals and hope that Robredo can't advance past the second round forcing a points tie at 417, which would be decided by how the two players have done in the year's Grand Slam and Masters events.

Haas and Berdych also stand a long-shot of qualifying, with both needing to win the tournament.

Though he won the Paris Masters last year, Berdych has the least hope of earning a Shanghai berth, needing to reclaim his Paris title and watch as either Blake or Robredo pull outs of the tournament without finishing a match.

Marcos Baghdatis is 11th in the rankings, ahead of Haas and Berdych, but is not playing for the rest of the year.

In sixth position Nalbandian, the reigning Masters Cup champion, has virtually clinched his own place at only six points behind Davydenko.

[leelee]

Ooh, that Ancic-Gonzalez 4r match could be a fun one.

Today is a boring day in Paris. No seeded players. Only a bunch of the scrub Frenchies ranked around 50 winning matches.

[leelee]

Please put Ivan and Andrew in Roger's group so the King clinches year-end #3.

[Brinyi]

The word on the street is that an MRI has shown that Nadal's abs injury has completely healed and he has confirmed he will play.

[Brinyi]

Red Group

1 R. Federer
4 I Ljubicic
5 A Roddick
7 D. Nalbandian

Gold Group

2 R Nadal
3 N Davydenko
6 T Robredo
8 J Blake

[Brinyi]

Doubles

Red Group
1 B Bryan M Bryan
4 P Hanley K Ullyett
6 M Damm L Paes
7 J Erlich A Ram

Gold Group

2 J Bjorkman M Mirnyi
3 M Knowles D Nestor
5 F Santoro N Zimonjic
8 Team Poland

[Brinyi]

The singles is quite a bit like last year, with Roj, Ivan and Dave in the same group.

[leelee]

Yay, Kolya got in the easy group.

[freudo]

okay I am ofifcially confused about when play begins. Everyone but espn2 says Roger vs Nalbandian tonight in USA, varying timezones, but espn2 says Sunday night, which is Monday in Shanghai...can anyone set me right? I know the hour differences but can't make heads or tails out of when it begins!!!

[freudo]

sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnGuide

[janie]

Roger Federer on his Masters Cup round robin group: "This is one of the toughest Masters Cup I've played. It's open as everyone has something great in his game. I see danger written all over the event, that's why I had to be ready."

[Brinyi]

"Andy Roddick (audio) squandered two match points in the second set tie-break before he beat Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-1 in the pair’s opening round-robin match in the red group at Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai on Sunday."

[janie]

Great start for Andy Roddick (audio)!

[DBBN]

Great start for Hurley in the PC (geniuso)!

[DBBN]

But Roddick also inadvertently missed a cue, sitting done [sic] at one point in Ljubicic's courtside chair instead of his own during a changeover. He quickly realized his error and moved in time.

"Ivan should have told me to get out of his chair. But I'd been sitting in that chair every day during practice," explained the winner. "It was just a habit to migrate towards it.

"I didn't notice until Ivan sat down next to me and then I figured I should probably go to my own chair. I don't think I've ever done that before."

[Brinyi]

"When Tommy Robredo makes (the Masters Cup)," the outspoken Goran Ivanisevic said, "something's wrong."

[Brinyi]

Battling Blake upsets Nadal at Masters Cup
Mon Nov 13, 2006 9:22 AM EST

By Nick Mulvenney

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - James Blake showed he was not in Shanghai just to make up the numbers when he produced a quality performance to upset world number two Rafael Nadal 6-4 7-6 in his opening match at the Masters Cup on Monday.

The 26-year-old American, playing his first Masters Cup match, came back from a break down in the first set and recovered from a 4-0 deficit in the second to triumph 7-0 in a one-sided tiebreak.

Nadal, also making his debut in the event after missing last year's season-ender through injury, started both sets well but seemed rattled when Blake would not just lie down after being broken.

World number eight Blake matched the muscular Spaniard's forehand power and showed evidence of the work he has been doing on his backhand as they indulged the crowd with some thunderous rallies in the opening match of the Gold Group.

Both players had to save break points early in the first set but the French Open champion was the first to convert one, taking a 4-3 lead when his opponent went long.

There was nothing wrong with the New Yorker's range, however, when he fired a backhand winner to break back in the next game and he held serve with ease before breaking again to win the set when Nadal netted.

Nadal raced to a 4-0 lead at the start of the second set and it looked like the contest was headed for a third.

"He was playing great tennis and I lost momentum a bit after the first set," Blake said. "It's something I've been working on, not getting down on myself. I was 4-0 down but anything can happen."

It did.

After getting himself back in touch, Blake broke Nadal when the 20-year-old was serving for the set.

There was only one man in the ensuing tiebreak and Blake sealed his third victory over Nadal in three attempts with another superb forehand down the line winner.

The victory gives Blake every chance of reaching the semi-finals as one of the top two in the group.

World number three Nikolay Davydenko takes on another Masters Cup debutante in Spain's Tommy Robredo in the other Gold Group match later on Monday.

[Brinyi]

Doubles Round Robin
(2)Bjorkman/Mirnyi d (8)Team Poland 6-3, 6-4
(3)Knowles/Nestor d (5)Santoro/Zimonjic 6-3, 6-2

Interesting, both of the winning teams played like dung in Shanghai last year.

[Brinyi]

"Nikolay Davydenko battles his way to a 7-6 3-6 6-1 lead and get his Masters Cup campaign off to a winning start."

[leelee]

Kolya!

[leelee]

brinyi said:

"When Tommy Robredo makes (the Masters Cup)," the outspoken Goran Ivanisevic said, "something's wrong."

:rolleyes:

Like the days of Ferreira, and Berasategui winning 2 games were better.

Or, someone qualifying in 2001 because of just 1 tournament.

[DBBN]

leelee said:

Or, someone qualifying in 2001 because of just 1 tournament.

Zing!

Tommy won a Masters Series event. End.

[Brinyi]

"The problem is not the tennis. So the problem is a little bit confidence. Win one of the matches, all changes, no?"

-- R. Nadal

[leelee]

He says that after every loss not Federer, I believe.

[Brinyi]

I believe you're right. He would be well advised to carry that kind of consistency onto the court.

[leelee]

Rafa only bringing bery bad in court.