American John Isner captured his third straight BB&T Atlanta Open championship on Sunday, defeating Cyprus’ Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 6-3 for his 10th career ATP World Tour title. “I kept getting stronger and stronger,” said Isner. “It was obvious that he was hurt on his second serve and volley. He’s not a serve and volley guy…
World number one Serena Williams has pulled out of next week’s Bank of the West Classic with a right elbow injury. “I’m disappointed to have to withdraw from Stanford, but I need to get my elbow back to 10%,” the three-time former champion said in a statement. “The tournament is one of my favorites and…
Top-seeded John Isner edged Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6(3), 7-6(7) to reach the BB&T Atlanta Open quarterfinals on Thursday, firing 33 aces to get past Stepanek in two tie-breakers and advance. “I played a pretty nervous match to be honest,” said Isner, who played his college tennis at the University of Georgia. “It’s my first match…
World number two Roger Federer has withdrawn from next month’s Rogers Cup, Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday. “I am disappointed that I won’t be playing in Montreal, because it’s a tournament and a city that I really enjoy and has incredible fans,” Federer said in a statement released by Tennis Canada. “I hope to be…
Longtime friends Mardy Fish & Andy Roddick are pairing up at the BB&T Atlanta Open this week, and the two Americans won their first-round match on Wednesday, downing the team of Yen-Hsen Lu & Jonathan Marray, 7-6(2), 6-4. “When you don’t play for that long, you don’t know what to expect,” said Roddick, who hasn’t…
Sixth-seed Steve Johnson advanced to the BB&T Atlanta Open Round of 16 on Tuesday, downing Slovakian Lukas Lacko 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-2. Johnson cruised in the opening set, breaking twice to win the first set in just 21 minutes. Lacko’s serve picked up in the second, holding in all of his service games to force the…
The latest research into the sport of tennis in the U.S. shows that overall tennis participation rose one percent to 17.9 million players, according to the Tennis Industry Association (TIA). The data also show growth in the number of youth tennis players, and indicate more than 14 million Americans, while not tennis players currently, express an…
German teenager Alex Zverev continued his run at the SkiStar Swedish Open on Friday, beating sixth-seed Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his second career ATP World Tour semifinal. Zverev converted seven of his nine break points to dominate the final two sets and win in two hours and 28 minutes. “He played…
Li Na gives birth to baby girl Former tennis player Li Na and her husband Dennis had their first child, Alisa, in June. Li Na retired from tennis last year due to recurring knee injuries, following a stellar career that saw her become the first Asian Grand…
The 12th season of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series, the five-week North American summer tennis season that links seven ATP World Tour and WTA summer hard court tournaments to the U.S. Open, launches next week with the men’s BB&T Atlanta Open. Since its inception in 2004, the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series has increased…