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Henin scales through the first hurdle.  She beat Chakvetadze 6-1, 7-6(4).

Up Next, Shriekapova vs. Hantuchova . . . I'm tipping Hantuchova to go through.

ORDER OF PLAY

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

From 18.00hrs
1. Henin vs. Chakvetadze
2. Sharapova vs. Hantuchova (NB 20.00hrs)
3. Kuznetsova vs. Ivanovic

Sony Ericsson Championships
Madrid, Spain
November 6-11, 2007
Prize Money: $3,000,000
Draw: 8M/4D
Surface: Hardcourt/Indoors

The Sony Ericsson Championships is a tennis tournament played annually at the end of the season for the top-ranked players on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour.

The round robin stage of this year's tournament will be conducted between Tuesday and Friday, with each player meeting the other three combatants in their group. After these 12 matches have taken place, the Top 2 performers from each group will advance to Saturday's semifinals (the No.1 performer in each Group taking on No.2), with the final scheduled to take place on Sunday afternoon. The victor of this clash will take home the winner's purse of $1,000,000, while the runner-up receives $500,000.

In the Yellow Group, we have:

¹Justine Henin
³Jelena Jankovic
⁵Serena Williams
⁷Anna Chakvetadze

Red Group:

²Svetlana Kuznetsova
⁴Ana Ivanovic
⁶Maria Sharapova
⁸Daniela Hantuchova

Henin will surely qualify from the yellow group, who follows I can't say - Anna, if she doesn't get too emotional, could just be the spoiler.

In the Red group, I can't even predict.

I hope he can ccontinue in this present form at least throughout next year.

He's taken the second set 6- 0.

Nadal is on the verge of loss his first match in Paris. He's a set down and also a break down in the second set.

https://img212.imageshack.us/img212/7616/nadal15ia0.jpg   https://img337.imageshack.us/img337/3816/bandy04qa9.jpg

Will Nalbandian do the double - beat the number one and two in the same tournament for a second time?

I see him winning in straight sets again.

Injury has made Gasquet look less a contender. His one-handed backhand is such a beauty. He plays Bandy next.

Gonzo has claimed one of d two remaining spots for Shanghai. Baghdatis has a slimmer chance than Gasquet in qualifying.

Nalbandian beat Federer 6-4, 7-6(3) to record his second straight victory against the world number one in three weeks to progress to the quarter-finals. It's 8-8 between the two now.

Other Results:

Robredo - Canas 7-5, 7-5
Baghdatis - Davydenko 6-2, 6-2
Murray - Santoro 6-4, 6-2
Nadal - Wawrinka 6-4, 6-3
Gasquet - Blake 6-4, 6-4
Ferrer - Berdych 6-4, 6-2

Third Round Fixtures:

Roger Federer (SUI) vs. David Nalbandian (ARG)
Tomas Berdych (CZE) vs. David Ferrer (ESP)
Fabrice Santoro (FRA) vs. Andrew Murray (GBR)
Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs. James Blake (USA)
Tommy Robredo (ESP) vs. Guillermo Canas (ARG)
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) vs. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) vs. Tommy Haas (GER)
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) vs. Rafael Nadal (ESP)


Too bad Djoko had to bow out so soon, he's given Murray some hope.

I wonder how the draw was made, how come the number two and three ranked players ain't in the same half? Federer's half is fully loaded. Seeing him reach the final would be a miracle.

Here are some interesting anticipated third round clashes:

Federer vs. Nalbandian

Djokovic vs. Murray

Men's DRAW:

Roger Federer (SUI) - Bye 01
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)  vs.  Ivo Karlovic (CRO)
David Nalbandian (ARG)  vs.  Nicolas Almagro (ESP)
Carlos Moya (ESP) - Bye 02
Tomas Berdych (CZE) - Bye 03
Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)  vs.  Mario Ancic (CRO)
Dimitry Tursunov (RUS)  vs.  Mardy Fish (USA)
David Ferrer (ESP) - Bye 04
Novak Djokovic (SRB) - Bye 05
Fabrice Santoro (FRA)  vs.  Albert Montanes (ESP)
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)  vs.  Juan Monaco (ARG)
Andrew Murray (GBR) - Bye 06
Richard Gasquet (FRA) - Bye 07
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)  vs.  Sébastien Grosjean (FRA)
Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS)  vs.  Nicolas Mahut (FRA)
James Blake (USA) - Bye 08
**********
Tommy Robredo (ESP) - Bye 09 
Gilles Simon (FRA)  vs.  Potito Starace (ITA)
Andreas Seppi (ITA)  vs.  Sam Querrey (USA)
Guillermo Canas (ARG) - Bye 10 
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) - Bye 11
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)  vs.  Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
Juan Marin Del Potro (ARG)  vs.  Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) - Bye 12
Fernando Gonzalez (CHL) - Bye 13
Arnaud Clément (FRA)  vs.  Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)  vs.  Vincent Spadea (USA)
Tommy Haas (DEU) - Bye 14
Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) - Bye 15
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)  vs.  Nicolas Kiefer (DEU)
Jurgen Melzer (AUT)  vs.  Filippo Volandri (ITA)
Rafael Nadal (ESP) - Bye 16

Paris, France
October 28-November 4, 2007
€2,082,500 / 48 Draw
Carpet - Indoor

Seeds:  ¹Roger Federer, ²Rafael Nadal, ³Novak Djokovic, ⁴Nikolay Davydenko, ⁵David Ferrer, ⁶James Blake, [b]7[/b]Fernando Gonzalez, ⁸Tommy Robredo, ⁹Tommy Haas, ¹⁰Richard Gasquet, ¹¹Guillermo Canas, ¹²Tomas Berdych, ¹³Ivan Ljubicic, ¹⁴Carlos Moya, ¹⁵Andrew Murray, ¹⁶Juan Ignacio Chela

David, yea. . .they were really lucky.

On the other hand, it's good Benitez remains Pool's manager.

What an unfair result!

See: The Bermuda Triangle

Naija moves up 4 places in the latest FIFA ranking. Mexico drops two places below.

Argentina is the top ranked team at the moment, followed by Brazil and Italy

Source

I see you're always lurking around somewhere.

It's interesting to know Wawrinka holds David's number.  Wawrinka actually leads 4-2

It's a pity Nalbandian lost to Wawrinka. His chances of qualifying for Shanghai looks bleak now.  Even Roger wasn't impressive in his opening game, like he usually says the first round matches are usually the most difficult. Let's see how he fares against Del Potro.

Didn't know Roddick was playing? I've been too busy of late.

Which other three players have a good chance of qualifying for Shanghai?

Nalbandian wins a masters' tournament, only to lose in the first round of another tournament barely three days later!
Well, considering the fact that he played more matches than any other player at the Madrid Masters, he can be excused. 

Isn't tennis interesting?

BTW, where's viee?

Nalbandian tops Federer 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 to complete his miraculous comeback.

https://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4094/fednalbandianlo7.jpg  https://img153.imageshack.us/img153/1345/nalbandian04du9.jpg

Federer has confirmed his date with Nalbandian in the final. He beat Kiefer 6-4, 6-4.

If that happens, he would have beaten the top three ranked players in the same tournament, a feat only Djokovic has achieved in the Open Era.

I hope it doesn't happen.

Exactly, what a leap! As a finalist, he has 350pts already. I hope he stays fit for the rest of the season. We want more competition at the top.

If only NFA had acted promptly

May his gentle soul rest in peace!

Nalbandian continues his impressive run by beating Djokovic in straight sets (6-4, 7-6(4)) to book a date with either Federer or Keifer in the final.

Not even a prophet could have predicted David thrashing Rafa this way. Let's see how he fares against the Djoker.

Federer meets Kiefer in the other SF.

QF Results:

Djokovic - Ancic 7-6, 6-2
Nalbandian - Nadal 6-1, 6-2
Federer - Lopez 7-6, 6-4
Kiefer - Gonzalez 7-6, 6-2

Right on time David, I was beginning to think I'm the only tennis fan left in this forum. 

Nadal's win over Murray on home soil overshadowed Federer's revenge over Canas yesterday.  It's still a talking point though - a sweet revenge.

Seems your namesake has finally awoken, he loses concentration too easily though.  Good to see him playing good tennis once again.  Has he got a chance against Nadal in the QFs?

The Rejuvenated Ancic vs. Struggling Djoker QF match is also a promising encounter. 

Gonzo meets Keifer, who beat the aceamaster while Fed faces the other spanish lefty in the other QF matches.

My expected SF fixtures: Fed - Gonzo and Rafa - Djoko

Other Third Round Results:

González  bt.  Monaco 6-4, 6-2
Djokovic  bt.  Ferrero 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Ancic  bt.  Mathieu 6-4, 6-3
Kiefer  bt.  Karlovic 7-6, 7-6
Nalbandian bt.  Del Potro 6-2, 6-4
López  bt.  Koubek 7-6, 6-1

Other Second Round Results:

Canas  bt. Calleri 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, meets Federer next
Koubek  bt.  Ljubicic 6-3, 6-7, 7-5
Lopez  bt.  Ferrer 7-6, 7-5
Karlovic  bt.  Hernandez 7-5, 6-2
Nalbandian  bt.  Berdych 4-6, 6-4, 7-6
Ferrero  bt.  Moya 7-6, 6-4
Mathieu  bt.  Gasquet 7-6, 7-5
Ancic  bt.  Blake 6-3, 6-4
Djokovic  bt.  Verdasco 6-7, 6-3, 6-3
Kiefer  bt.  Youzhny 6-1, 6-3
Del Potro  bt.  Robredo 6-7, 6-4, 6-3
Nadal  bt.  Baghdatis 6-4, 6-4, meets Murray in the third round

Today's Order of Play (Oct 18)

Third Round Fixtures:
10:00 Gonzalez  vs.  Monaco
11:30 Djokovic vs Ferrero
13:00 Federer R.  vs Canas G.
13:00 Ancic M.  vs Mathieu P.
15:00 Karlovic I.  vs Kiefer N.
16:00 Del Potro J.  vs Nalbandian D.
19:00 Murray A.  vs Nadal R.
21:00 Koubek S.  vs Lopez F.

Today's Results (Oct 16)

Other First Round Results:
Kiefer bt. Wawrinka 7-5, 6-3
Almagro bt. Santoro 6-4, 6-4
Karlovic bt. Safin 6-3, 6-4
Nalbandian bt. Clement 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
Calleri bt. Tursunov 3-6, 7-6, 6-4
Ferrero bt. Falla 6-4, 7-5
Mathieu bt. Fish 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

Some Second Round Results:
Monaco bt. Haas  6-4, 7-5
Federer bt. Ginepri 7-6, 6-4
Murray bt. Chela 6-1, 6-3

Fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko pulled out with a right elbow injury he sustained during a title run last week in Moscow.

Today's Order of Play

10:00 Kiefer N. vs Wawrinka S.
10:00 Almagro N. vs Santoro F.
12:00 Karlovic I. vs Safin M.
12:00 Clément A. vs Nalbandian D.
14:00 Tursunov D. vs Calleri A.
14:00 Ferrero J. vs Falla A.
16:00 Mathieu P. vs Fish M.
18:00 Haas T. vs Monaco J.
19:00 Federer R. vs Ginepri R.
21:00 Chela J. vs Murray A.

Some First Round Results:

Ginepri bt. Melzer 2-6, 7-6, 6-4,  faces Federer next.
Monaco bt. Andreev 6-7, 6-0, 6-4,  faces Haas next.
Koubek bt. Nieminen 6-3, 3-6, 6-4,  faces Ljubicic next.
Del Potro bt. Starace 7-5, 6-1,  faces Robredo next.
Ancic bt. Gicquel 6-4, 6-2,  faces Blake next.
Murray bt. Stepanek 6-4, 6-1,  faces Chela next.
Baghdatis bt. Pavel 6-3, 4-6, 6-1,  faces Nadal next
Lopez bt. Volandri 6-3, 6-2,  faces compatriot Ferrer next.
Verdasco bt. Montanes 6-1, 6-1,  faces Djokovic next.

Main Draw Singles:

Roger Federer (SUI) - Bye 01
Robby Ginepri (USA) vs. Jurgen Melzer (AUT)
Dimitry Tursunov (RUS) vs. Agustin Calleri (ARG)
Guillermo Canas (ARG) - Bye 13
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) - Bye 12
Stefan Koubek (AUT) vs. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)
Filippo Volandri (ITA) vs. Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
David Ferrer (ESP) - Bye 07
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) - Bye 04
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) vs. Marat Safin (RUS)
Nicolas Kiefer (GER) vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) - Bye 16
Tommy Haas (GER) - Bye 11
Juan Monaco (ARG) vs. Igor Andreev (RUS)
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) vs. Fabrice Santoro (FRA)
Fernando Gonzalez (CHL) - Bye 05
--------------
James Blake (USA) - Bye 06
Marc Gicquel (FRA) vs. Mario Ancic (CRO)
Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) vs. Mardy Fish (USA)
Richard Gasquet (FRA) - Bye 10
Carlos Moya (ESP) vs. Bye 14
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) vs. Alejandro Falla (COL)
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs. Albert Montanes (ESP)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) - Bye 03
Tommy Robredo (ESP) - Bye 08
Juan Marin Del Potro (ARG) vs. Potito Starace (ITA)
Arnaud Clément (FRA) vs. David Nalbandian (ARG)
Tomas Berdych (CZE) - Bye 09
Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) - Bye 15
Andrew Murray (GBR) vs. Radek Stepanek (CZE)
Andrei Pavel (ROU) vs. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
Rafael Nadal (ESP) - Bye 02