[Big Al]

SAP Open Boasts Long Line Of Great Champions
The SAP Open is the second oldest men’s professional tennis tournament in the United States, first held in 1889. In its 120-year history, the tournament has seen great champions such as Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and more recently, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick.

Draw Size: S-32 D-16 Surface: Indoor Hard Prize Money: $ 531,000

World No. 7 Andy Roddick will make his ninth appearance at the SAP Open and is targetting his fourth title, after lifting the trophy in 2004 (d. Fish), 2005 (d. Saulnier) and 2008 (d. Stepanek). The American, who has a 28-5 event record, opens his campaign against a qualifier.
Radek Stepanek will look to reach his third final in three appearances. The Czech player finished runner-up to Andy Roddick in 2008 and won the singles (d. Fish) and doubles titles last year.
World No. 12 Fernando Verdasco will make his debut at the SAP Open in 2010. The Spaniard, seeded second, opens his campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu.
Tommy Haas, 31, will make his seventh appearance in San Jose and will look to improve on a lone semi-final effort (2005 – l. to Roddick). The German begins against wild card Devin Britton.

Official Site:
http://secure-us.imr...com/index2.html
Singles Draw and Results:
http://secure-us.imr...010/424/mds.pdf
Daily Order of Play:
http://secure-us.imr...2010/424/op.pdf

This post has been edited by Big Al: 07 February 2010 - 10:36 PM

[Big Al]

San Jose QFs For Three Americans; Berankis Makes History
by ATP Staff
| 11.02.2010
It was a great day for the host nation at the SAP Open in San Jose on Thursday as three Americans advanced to the quarter-finals of the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tournament.
No. 1 seed Andy Roddick was in fine form in the evening session as he defeated Argentinian Leonardo Mayer, 6-3, 6-2, in 74 minutes. The three-time former champion didn't face a break point all match and won 87 per cent of first serve points, notching his 30th match win in San Jose and reaching the quarter-finals there for the eighth time.
"Tonight I was able to move the ball around a bit more," Roddick said. "That just comes with getting a match in, feeling a bit more comfortable.
"It was a good match-up for me… I was able to take his time away a little bit, but I didn't know much about him coming in."
Roddick now faces No. 5-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, whom he defeated in three sets en route to the Brisbane title last month.
"It's going to be a tough match," Roddick said. "He's especially good indoors when he can get a clean swing of the ball and everything's comfortable. We had a tough one earlier this year in Brisbane. He's one of those guys that can just come out and beat you. It could be very telling in how far one of us goes."
Seventh-seeded American Sam Querrey booked his place in the last eight, saving all four break points faced on serve to defeat countryman Taylor Dent 6-4, 6-4 in 66 minutes. Querrey's serve was particularly strong on Thursday, getting 82 per cent of his first deliveries in.
"That's probably my highest first serve percentage [ever]," Querrey said. "Usually I'm around the 60s - so I served well today, thought I returned really well and thought I did a great job with hitting passing shots."
The 22-year-old Querrey enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2009, compiling a personal-best 41-23 mark and one title in five finals before suffering a right arm injury in a freak accident last September in Bangkok. He went 0-3 on his return this season before posting his first match win since the US Open this week against Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili.
"I've been working a lot on fitness, looking at coming to the net when I can and really try to dominate the point," Querrey added. "I feel like my net game's much better; I've been playing great doubles lately and that's helping my singles."
Querrey next plays 31-year-old Michael Russell, who joined his countryman in the quarter-finals by posting a 6-4, 7-5 win over Belgian Xavier Malisse. Although Russell reached the fourth round on his Roland Garros debut in 2001 – where he held match point against Gustavo Kuerten before falling to the eventual champion in five sets – he had never advanced to a tour-level quarter-final prior to Thursday.
Russell, who finished the 2009 season as the oldest American in the year-end Top 100 after a successful Challenger campaign that saw him win three titles in six finals, said: "I work hard, I love the game and I always check my ego at the door, and if I’m playing a Future, Challenger or ATP event I always feel the same out there."
Playing the last match for the second night in a row, No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco overcame an early break in the first set to defeat German Benjamin Becker, 7-5, 6-2.
Verdasco's next opponent is qualifier Ricardas Berankis, who became the first Lithuanian-born player to reach the quarter-finals of an ATP World Tour tournament as he defeated German Bjorn Phau 7-6(5), 6-3.

The 19-year-old Berankis, who was the No. 1 junior in the world in 2007, capturing the US Open junior title, ended the match with a 130 mph ace.
Berankis trailed 1-4 in the first set tie-break before rallying to win six of the last seven points. In the second set, he was broken in the opening game and trailed 1-3 before closing the match with the last five games.
"It feels awesome; I'm very excited," said Berankis. "It's never over until it's over - he was leading all the time but somehow I managed to win.
"I didn't serve in the start that well - he had many opportunities to break me and he did it. But I increased the percentage of serves in the tie-break and second set. I think the serve and forehand was the key today."

This post has been edited by Big Al: 12 February 2010 - 12:22 PM

[Big Al]

Friday, 12 February

Singles - Quarter-finals
[1] A Roddick (USA) d [5] T Berdych (CZE) 76(5) 76(5)
[2] F Verdasco (ESP) d [Q] R Berankis (LTU) 63 76(5)
D Istomin (UZB) d [6] P Kohlschreiber (GER) 61 16 63
[7] S Querrey (USA) d M Russell (USA) 64 63


Doubles - Quarter-finals
[2] E Butorac (USA) / R Ram (USA) d C Ball (AUS) / S Huss (AUS) 76(3) 67(8) 10-5

[Big Al]

Istomin's First SF; Roddick, Verdasco, Querrey Win
by ATP Staff
12.02.2010

The Top 2 seeds are through to the semi-finals of the SAP Open in San Jose, with top seed Andy Roddick and No. 2 Fernando Verdasco both posting tight, two-set victories. Denis Istomin is also through to his first-ever tour-level semi-final.
Three-time former champion Roddick had his hands full with Tomas Berdych for the second time this season. Having beaten the Czech en route to the Brisbane title last month, No. 7-ranked Roddick needed two tie-breaks to defeat the No. 5 seed on Friday, 7-6(5), 7-6(5).
"It's tough - he sits the ball so had and flat," Roddick said of Berdych. "It keeps you a little bit off-balance. A lot of the time you feel like you're just scrapping and clawing and trying to hang on in some points.
"He forced me to play well tonight. I thought he played a good match - his percentages were great on his first serve and he was hitting the ball well from the baseline. I was fortunate to get through that in two [sets]."
Roddick has now reached the San Jose semi-finals or better in each of the past seven years, and eight times overall (31-5 at the event). The 27-year-old next plays No. 7 seed Sam Querrey, who defeated fellow American Michael Russell, 6-4, 6-3 in the last quarter-final on Friday evening.

No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco scored a 6-3, 7-6(5) win over Lithuanian newcomer Ricardas Berankis to reach his first semi-final of the season.
No. 255-ranked Berankis, aged 19 and the first man from his country to reach an ATP World Tour singles semi-final, put up a great fight against the 11th-ranked Verdasco. Despite not giving the Spaniard a single break point opportunity in the second set, Berankis was unable to force a deciding set as Verdasco's experience paid dividends in the second-set tie-break.

"I never saw [Berankis] play before today, and what I saw he's very good. He serves well, and from the baseline has a good forehand and backhand - I didn't see any big weaknesses."

Verdasco now meets unseeded Uzbek Denis Istomin, who will be making his own personal history on Saturday as he competes in his first tour-level semi-final.
World No. 96 Istomin, who defeated American rising star Ryan Harrison and No. 4 seed Tommy Haas en route to the quarter-finals, overcame a mid-match lapse to oust German No. 6 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in one hour, 37 minutes.
"I'm so happy - the first time in my career I play a semi-final," said Istomin, the first Uzbek man to rank in the ATP World Tour's Top 100. "Today I played so well - I think it's the best match I played of my life."
This will be the first meeting between Verdasco and Istomin.

[Big Al]

Saturday, 13 February

Singles - Semi-finals
[1] A Roddick (USA) d [7] S Querrey (USA) 26 76(5) 76(4)
[2] F Verdasco (ESP) d D Istomin (UZB) 63 26 64

Doubles - Semi-finals
M Fish (USA) / S Querrey (USA) d [2] E Butorac (USA) / R Ram (USA) 76(5) 64
B Becker (GER) / L Mayer (ARG) d D Istomin (UZB) / D Sela (ISR) 61 76(4)

[Big Al]

Roddick, Verdasco To Battle For San Jose Title

by ATP Staff
13.02.2010

The Top 2 seeds will go head-to-head in the SAP Open final in San Jose following wins on Saturday by Andy Roddick and Fernando Verdasco.
No. 1 seed and three-time former champion Roddick didn't hold a break point in the entire match against No. 7-seeded fellow American Sam Querrey. But in the end that didn't matter as he won the key points to score a 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) victory.
Querrey burst out of the blocks, firing seven aces, winning 93 per cent of points on his first serve and breaking Roddick's serve twice to race through the first set.
Another 14 aces (32 over the match) and just one point dropped on his first delivery kept the six-foot-six Querrey on the verge of victory in the second, but Roddick stepped up, not giving his compatriot a single break point either as they headed into a tie-break.
Roddick held his nerve to force a deciding set and saved both break points he faced early in the third. At 5-all Querrey slumped to 0-30 on his serve but he managed to hold for the 16th time from 16 attempts, going the entire match without giving Roddick a chance to break.
In the subsequent tie-break Querrey a 4-3 lead with two serves to come, but Roddick snatched the next four points to score a hard-fought victory in just on two hours.
"I didn't come out ready to play today and Sam came out and played great," said Roddick. "He served great the whole match - I didn't feel I had much of a chance in my first serve returns.
"I wasn't close to breaking him until parts of the third; my whole goal in the second set was the hold on and get it to a [tie] breaker. A match can turn real fast; you don't have to play the best of it for the whole time. You can swing a match in a couple of minutes; I felt that's what I was able to do tonight."
"It's a little tough to lose when you don't give up a break point but that's what happens, especially against a player like Andy on a fast indoor court," said Querrey.

No. 2 seed Verdasco will play his 10th ATP World Tour singles final on Sunday and second on American soil after a three-set win over Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin.
The No. 11-ranked, 26-year-old Spaniard recovered from a mid-match lapse to subdue the first-time semi-finalist, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in one hour, 43 minutes. Despite serving six double faults Verdasco's overall first-serve percentage was superior to Istomin's (72 per cent to 61 per cent).
Over the entire match Verdasco won just three points more than Istomin (75 to 72).
"He's a tough player; he's dangerous," said Verdasco. "I think both of us were a little bit up and down during the match.
"If I'm honest I didn't expect to be in the final here. After the Australian Open I took 10 days off to recover then I practised for three days in LA with a new racquet. So I'm really happy that I'm in the final."
"I had a good week, making my first semi-final," said Istomin. "I played well today also; I tried to fight against a guy who's around the Top 10. I need more matches like this to get more experience but it gives me confidence to know I can compete at this level."

This post has been edited by Big Al: 14 February 2010 - 12:15 PM

[liam_valid]

does anyone know of a live feed for this? i fancy watchinh but pesky sky arent covering it, showing the none event from rotterdam today instead

[NorthernLight]

There are probably a few live feeds for this, of which this is one:

http://atdhe.net/

Don't think that the match starts until about 11pm uk time though..

[liam_valid]

cheers!!! yeah im a nighthawk anyway NL!!

[Big Al]

Cheers NL, should be a good final . I used to watch on channelsurfing.net , they have a feed for most tournies but Ive had problems with viruses and spyware so stopped going there.