Fernando Verdasco defeated Novak Djokovic at the ATP Rome Masters quarterfinal match

World number two male tennis player, Novak Djokovic, faced a tough challenge against sixth seeded Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinal at the ATP Rome Masters on Friday. Fernando Verdasco made upset against Novak Djokovic by defeating his opponent 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4 in a 3hours and 18 minutes game. No doubt, it was a marathon game.

It was Verdasco’s second consecutive victory over the second-seeded Serbian from the Monte Carlo semi-finals two weeks ago. Fernando Verdasco is now trailing Djokovic 5-4 in career head-to-head after winning the match. He has moved into the semi final where he will face either seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or 13th seed David Ferrer. It will be interesting to see if he can make into the final second time.

It was a pathetic defeat for Novak Djokovic. He tried hard but could not win the match.

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Bangkok Post

Justine Henin will be taking preparation for French Open at Roland Garros

Justine Henin, who is the former world number one tennis player, is now focusing on Roland Garros that is scheduled to be held next month. It will not be an easy challenge for her to win this title fifth time as she was two years away from the clay court. Recently, she has beaten Julia Goerges of Germany in a competitive match in the first round of the Stuttgart WTA tournament on Wednesday. It was her first game on clay court since announcing her retirement in May 2008.

Justine Henin was suffering from broken finger. She wore a splint to protect her broken finger which she suffered in training last week. She was playing in aggressive mood and took the control of the first set in 53 minutes after Julia Goerges forced a tie-breaker.

Despite Justine Henin’s two years break from clay court, she did not forget to show her dominant form once again as she took the control of the second set for 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 victory.

Before taking preparation to play in the French Open at Roland Garros on May 24, she will play in the WTA tournament in Madrid which will start on May 8, 2010. Let’s see if she can get anymore trophy or not.

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

Andy Murray gets recover from mental fatigue after a victory against Andreas Seppi

The good news is that Britain’s No 1 tennis player, Andy Murray, has got back his strength after getting victory against Andreas Seppi of Italy. His 6-2, 6-4 victory over the home favorite helped him to make his place at the ATP Rome Masters. Due to his poor performance, he was slipped from second seed to fifth seed in the world ranking.

Andy Murray started the year 2010 well and moved to the Australian Open final. Since then he has been going form less. He suffered two back-to-back defeats and suffering from mental illness due to this reason. He lost at the quarterfinal in Indian Wells and got early elimination from Miami and Monte Carlo.

Andy Murray lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-1 in Monaco. It prompted him to return to Barcelona to try to iron out the flaws which had crept him into the game. However, his recent victory has helped him to get recover from mental tiredness. Let’s see if he can continue his winning track.

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Telegraph.co.uk

Andy Murray is hoping to make his comeback with Rome Masters

Scottish tennis player, Andy Murray, is now hopeful about his participation at the Rome Masters which is scheduled to start this week in Italy. To secure his place in this event, he will face home favorite, Andreas Seppi, who is now ranked 43.

However, Andy Murray is now suffering from frustration because of his two back-to-back defeats at the Masters level. Now, he wants to snap the negative trend with the performance in Rome.

Despite being defending champion of the Miami Masters, he was beaten by Mardy Fish in the second round of this event. Afterwards, he was beaten by Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. It will be interesting to see if he can remove his frustration and gets back his prime form.

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DNA

Andy Murray is hopeful about his comeback in the Rome Masters

The Rome Masters is knocking at the door. It is scheduled to start from April 30 to May 8, 2010 in Italy. This tournament will be played in clay court. Top ranked players around the world will take part in this prestigious tournament. Scottish tennis player, Andy Murray, is one of them. He is optimistic about his chance at the Rome Masters. However, his performance in international tournament is not good. The former world no.2 has lost his position because of two back-to-back defeats and slipped to no.5 position. Despite the fact, he is looking ahead. Ahead of the match against world no.47, Italian Andreas Seppi, Andy Murray is practicing hard round the clock. He is now giving all focus in his upcoming match.

Let’s see if he can make his place at the Rome Masters tournament.

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Little About

Roger Federer hopes to get his second title at the clay court

The current world number one Swiss tennis player, Roger Federer, is feeling good after making his enter to the clay-court season. He is taking preparation to play both singles and doubles at the Rome Masters this week. He will take a lot of confidence from his last year’s French Open victory, which was his record breaking Grand Slam title. Perhaps he will hope to repeat his performance in the clay court once again and try to win his second trophy in this venue.

Roger Federer is now feeling refresh. He is still considered as the top rival of Rafael Nadal in the clay court after the Spaniard’s dominant performance at last week’s Monte Carlo Masters. Fans are excitedly waiting to see if Roger Federer can keep his dominant form.

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swissinfo.ch

Lleyton Hewitt will play Davis Cup next month

After recovering from injury, the former world number one tennis player, Lleyton Hewitt, has confirmed that he will play in Davis Cup against Japan next month. He went under hip surgery in January that he sustained in the Australian Open. Injury forced him out from fourth round at the Australian Open which took place beginning of the year. Two-time Grand Slam champion played in the European court and lost to Taiwan 5-0 in March. He was knocked out of the Barcelona Open by Eduardo Schwank of Argentina on Wednesday. He also played the U.S. Clay court championships in Houston earlier this month.

Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald is happy as Lleyton Hewitt is back for Asia-Oceania zone second round clash. His presence will inspire the whole country. Hewitt is the most successful Davis Cup player with 39 wins in singles and doubles. I hope that he will continue his performance as long as possible.

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REUTERS

Jo Wilfried Tsonga has reached to the quarterfinal round in Barcelona Open

Jo Wilfried Tsonga is one of the promising tennis players in modern days. He is improving his seeds in the ATP ranking. May be, he will one of the leading tennis players in future. This 25 year-old-player is now showing his best form in Barcelona Open. Recently, he has made his place in the quarterfinal round of this tournament. He had defeated his opponent Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday. Now, Jo Wilfried Tsonga will face top ranked Dutch tennis player Thiemo de Bakker on Friday.

For the first time, Jo Wilfried Tsonga is playing the clay event. He will have a tough time to face the 21-year-old Thiemo de Bakker. Bakker is currently ranked 67^th in the world. It will be interesting to see if Jo Wilfried Tsonga can win this trophy.

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Sportskeeda

Sania Mirza has arrived in her husband’s country Pakistan

The wedding news of Indian tennis ace, Sania Mirza, and Pakistan cricket player, Shoaib Malik, was one of the hot topics in media for long time. A lot of controversies were created around them. But nothing could stop them from their marriage. At last, this couple got married. Now, they are now spending happy time. This sensational couple has caught the media attention again. Recently, they arrived at Karachi airport and they would take another flight to go to Islamabad. In Islamabad, they would be treated as state guests. They are expected to meet with the Indian High Commissioner and some other high officials in the capital city. For the first time, Sania Mirza has come to the metropolitan city. She feels great after arriving here in Pakistan.

Shoaib Malik will stay with his wife one week before traveling to West Indies to play in T20 World Cup 2010. Their arrival in Islamabad has created a happy moment in Pakistan.

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THE NEWS

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the the Conde de Godo tournament in Barcelona

The former world number one tennis star, Rafael Nadal, has been suffering from knee injury. Because of his knee injury, he has withdrawn from the Conde de Godo tournament in Barcelona. It has not been so long that he made his return to winning ways after winning in Monte Carlo. But tendonitis in his knee forced him out of the Barcelona competition. It seems that he needs rest for few more days. Last year, he could not play at Queens, Wimbledon or take part in the final match of the Davis Cup due to the same problems.

Spanish tennis star, Rafael Nadal, feels sorry because he can’t play in Barcelona. However, he will focus on recovering his knee so that he can take part Rome Masters, Madrid Masters and French Open.

Madrid Masters will start on May 9 and it will continue till May 16, 2010. On the other hand, French Open will be played in between May 23 and June 6, 2010.

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English.xinhuanet.com

Samantha Stosur won the Family Circle Cup trophy

Samantha Stosur of Australia got an easy victory against Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in the final match of Family Circle Cup. The 26-year-old player had defeated her opponent 6-0 6-3 to claim her first triumph on clay. However, it was her second career WTA title.

It took Samantha Stosur only 52 minutes to ensure her victory. She won the first set 6-0 in 18 minutes. After that, she took the lead of the second set with 5-3 before finishing out the match.

Samantha Stosur earns $107,000 as the first-place prize money. This victory would propel the 11^th ranked Stosur back into the top 10.

Vera Zvonareva could not play well in the final match. She tried hard to make her come back in the second round but failed. However, she moved into the final round as her opponent Caroline Wozniacki was forced to take retirement due to an ankle injury.

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BBC

Caroline Wozniacki took retirement from semi-final after suffering by ankle injury

It is very pathetic to see the top-seeded female tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki, to take retirement from her semi-final match against Caroline Wozniacki at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. Caroline Wozniacki was troubled by an injured ankle. She was forced to take retirement for her ankle injury.

Caroline Wozniacki suffered the injury while she slid for a drop shot and her foot caught on the clay surface. She was trailing by 4-2 in the first set. She made her return after undergoing treatment. But she could not stay longer. After Zvonareva took the control of the match 5-2, Wozniacki retired after a double faulted at 15-15.

Final match will be played between Zvonareva and Samantha Stosur. Samantha Stosur defeated Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3, 7-6 (2).

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PRESS ASSOCIATION

Caroline Wozniacki advanced into the semi-final round of the WTA Family Circle Cup

Top seeded tennis player Caroline Wozniacki is now performing well in the WTA Family Circle Cup. She is now much closer from the title. Recently, she advanced into the semi-final round of this tournament. She had beaten Nadia Petrova of Russia in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to secure her place in the semi-final round. Now, she will face seventh-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva to get ticket into the final round. Vera Zvonareva defeated American Melanie Oudin 7-5, 6-2.

However, second seeded Jelena Jankovic received an upset defeat in the quarterfinal round. She was beaten by Daniela Hantuchova 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Jankovic won the first set but she could not continue her dominant. As a result, Daniela Hantuchova won the match and reached to the semi-final berth.

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AFP

Jelena Jankovic defeated Edina Gallovits in Family Circle Cup

Jelena Jankovic moved up to the third round of the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament. To secure her position in the next round, she had to defeat the unseeded player Edina Gallovits of Romania 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the green clay at Family Circle Tennis Center on Tuesday. She achieved her victory in two hours with the help of five service breaks.

Jelena Jankovic of Serbia is currently the second-seeded female tennis player. She got a tough win against Edina Gallovits. She beat her opponent despite losing the first set. Jankovic won the last two sets that helped her to get this victory.

Jelena Jankovic won the Charleston champion in 2007. If she can win the title then she will get $700,000 as prize money.

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TSN

Serena Williams will make her return from injury at the Italian Open

The world number one female tennis player, Serena Williams, is expected to make her return from a knee injury. She is now hopeful about her join at the Italian Open, which will kick off in the next month. She will be at the Italian Open from 2^nd May to 8^th May 2010. She obtained a wild card to take part in this competition. It is going to be her first appearance in any tournament since winning the Australian Open in January 2010. After that, she had to suffer a major knee injury. Injury did not allow her to play in any tournament.

Italian Open will start from 3^rd May. It will be interesting to see if Serena Williams can make her successful return from injury.

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guardian.co.uk

Will Sania Mirza make partner with Pakistan tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq?

No doubt, Sania Mirza has become the most searched topics on net this year. People from both countries are searching about her. Her impending marriage with Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik has given her much media publicity. You should know that this sports star couple has been surrounded by a lot of controversy. People are curious to know more about them. The latest news of Sania Mirza is that she may partner young Pakistani player Aisam-ul-Haq in mixed-doubles matches.

Aisam-ul-Haq is confident about his improvement and makes partnership with Sania Mirza. He has been performing well in mixed double events in the recent past. He could be playing with Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza if he improves his ranking. When he was asked about Sania Mirza’s wedding with Shoaib Malik he said that he was happy for this couple and he wished them luck.

Some news paper or media reported that Sania Mirza will play for Pakistan in the future.

Senator Dilawar Abbas, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) chief, said he would request Sania to take up Pakistan nationality and represent the country in future. However, it has been confirmed by the All India Tennis Association (AITA) that Sania Mirza would continue to represent India at the international level. Let us see what will happen next.

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DailyIndia.com

Lleyton Hewitt made surprise by early return from knee injury

Defending champion Lleyton Hewitt, who has surprised by his rapid recovery from hip and minor knee injury, will begin the defense of his US Clay Court Championship singles title on Friday morning. He made his return just 10 weeks after a second hip operation. However, The Bahamas-based Australian player did not think that he will make his return soon. His early return from injury has emerged him also used his layoff to undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. Before opening his title defense, he will have to face either American Mardy Fish or Irish qualifier Conor Niland in a first round on Thursday.

It seems that knee tendonitis is a common injury in tennis game. Like other players on the ATP Tour, including Rafael Nadal, Hewitt has been troubled by knee tendonitis for a couple of years now.

Lleyton Hewitt made partnership with Coach Nathan Healey to play in a doubles warm up match this morning. This pair defeated James Cerretani and Adil Shamasdin 7-5, 7-5. It has been proved that Lleyton Hewitt is totally fit. Now, this fourth seeded male tennis player will be eyeing for his second consecutive success in this tournament. Let us see if he can do it or not.

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ABC Grandstand Sport

Wayne Odesnik got victory against Jerzy Janowicz

American professional male tennis player Wayne Odesnik has defeated Jerzy Janowicz of Poland in two straight sets 6-3, 6-4 at the US Clay Court Championship. It was Wayne Odesnik’s first game since pleading guilty to importing a human-growth hormone.

Because of taking HGH into Australia, Wayne Odesnik was fined 7,200 dollars and could be banned by the ATP Tour. ATP Tour runs men’s professional tennis.

Odesnik refused to talk when he was asked about HGH scandal on Monday. He said that he wants to keep the focus on his tennis for the moment.

The losing player, Jerzy Janowicz, said that he was disappointed that the American was allowed to play in Houston.

As a fan of tennis game, it made me surprise. How an alleged player can take part in any international game. I hope that Wayne Odesnik will be banned as soon as possible. Otherwise, his scandal can contaminate the tennis game.

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AFP

Injured Wayne Rooney will make surprise call in Manchester United against Bayern Munich

It will be expected that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will make his early return from injury before his club will take preparation for next match against Bayern Munich. I can see only less that he has less possibility to make his shock return for Manchester United. He hurt his ankle in last week’s first leg match in Champions League against Chelsea and expected to be out for at least two or three weeks. However, various reports have confirmed that Rooney responded well to treatment and will be included in the squad. Everything depends on his fitness. May be Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will include him in the squad if he comes through a training session today.

No doubt, Wayne Rooney return in his club is very important now. Manchester United is now lost to the match 2-1. Now, they will trail Chelsea by two points with five games left at hand.

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guardian.co.uk

Kim Clijsters won the Sony Ericsson Open 2010

Venus Williams had been beaten by Kim Clijsters in a competitive final match of the Sony Ericsson Open 2010 on Saturday. Belgian contestant Kim Clijsters defeated her opponent in two straight sets 6-2, 6-1. This defeat came as an upset for American contestant Venus Williams. She could not win the title despite playing in the home ground. Elder sister of Serena Williams could not make any strong protest against Clijsters.

However, Kim Clijsters won 17 consecutive points in the second set. It was her first victory in any big tournament since 2005.

Andy Roddick of America got his second Biscayne title against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic on Sunday in ATP tournament.

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The Seattle Times

Sania Mirza and Shoaib Mallik wedding controversy: What is waiting next?

Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza, has caught the media attention with her wedding along with Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Mallik. According to different media publicity, it is reported that she will try knot with Shoaib Mallik 15^th of this month. Where these stars from two different countries are trying to stay together forever there controversies comes as an obstacle. I think you already know the controversy. Shoaib Mallik will have to fight with Ayesha for legal issue. The question is if Sania Mirza is the first wife of Shoaib Mallik. Or, is Shoaib Mallik going to marry the second time?

This controversy comes after a noted family, Siddiquis, from Hyderabad have made it clear that they will take legal steps if Shoaib Mallik tries to marry Sania Mirza. From their speech, it has been cleared that Shoaib Mallik married their daughter, Ayesha. They are ready to show ‘Nikahnama’ as prove.

Sania’s parents and Mallik’s parents have denied all the controversies. They said that all these are baseless. Shoaib Mallik is also ready to take up any test to prove that he is not guilty. Let us see if Saina and Shoaib will tie their knot at the end. What will happen to Ayesha?

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andhracafe.com