Posts tagged Ericsson
Azarenka drops Sharapova in Sony Ericsson title match
Apr 3rd
TENNIS
Azarenka drops Sharapova in Sony Ericsson title match
Swapping shrieks along with their shots, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka made rallies sound like a car alarm. Azarenka’s skills ultimately won out in a 6-1, 6-4 victory Saturday in the women’s championship match of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla.
The final pitted two of the most notorious grunters in tennis, and while both were noisy, the eighth-seeded Azarenka’s shots had more bang as she won nine straight games at one point. Sharapova, seeded 16th, committed 43 unforced errors, held serve only once and came up short with a late comeback bid.
But Sharapova, a three-time Grand Slam champion, is healthy again after battling a series of injuries, and the results are starting to show. She’s projected to climb next week to No. 9, the highest she has been ranked since early 2009.
While the women’s tournament was full of surprises, the men’s draw is down to the game’s top-ranked players. No. 1 Rafael Nadal will play for the championship today against No. 2 Novak Djokovic, 23-0 this year.
COLLEGES
UNLV baseball team succumbs to late comeback by Utah, 8-4
The UNLV baseball team lost to Utah 8-4 in the second game of a three-game Mountain West Conference series in Salt Lake City.
The Rebels (19-10, 2-6 MWC) took a 3-0 lead in the second inning on Travis Feiner’s RBI double and run-scoring singles from Cash Thomas and Trevor Kirk. But UNLV managed just one run the rest of the way — on a Rance Roundy RBI groundout in the fifth — and the Utes scored seven runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
Kirk finished 3-for-5 and also scored a run.
Also: The UNLV softball team split two games in its Pre-Conference Round-Up, losing to Seattle 16-8 and beating Loyola Marymount 6-2 at Eller Media Stadium.
In the opener, Seattle sped to a 13-0 lead, scoring two runs in the first inning, seven in the second and four in the third. UNLV (18-13) lost on the run rule after five innings.
Against Loyola Marymount, Amanda Oliveto threw a complete game, allowing seven hits and four walks while striking out seven. Kylie Wagner had a three-run homer in the fifth inning, and Tayler Aleman went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The UNLV women’s tennis team routed Colorado State 7-0 at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.
UNLV (13-4, 2-0 Mountain West Conference) swept the three doubles matches for the first point, then took all six singles matches in straight sets. Lucia Batta led the way with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Caitlin Fluegge at No. 1 singles.
The College of Southern Nevada baseball team swept Utah State-College of Eastern Utah 11-1 and 7-5 in Scenic West Athletic Conference action at Morse Stadium.
In the opener, Tyler Blair went 2-for-3 with two doubles and five RBIs for CSN (20-16, 9-11), and Colby Croft went 2-for-2 with a homer. Sam Wolff pitched four innings to get the win, allowing four hits and one walk, with five strikeouts.
Ray Daniels was 2-for-3 with a homer in the second game for CSN, and Duncan Satherlie had a two-run shot as the Coyotes won their eighth straight.
The CSN softball team (25-21, 18-14 SWAC) dropped a doubleheader to North Idaho College, losing 9-7 and 18-10 at the Russell Road Recreation Complex.
Larry Finch, who starred for the Memphis basketball team when it lost to Bill Walton-led UCLA in the 1973 NCAA title game and who went on to coach his alma mater for 11 years, died at age 60.
Memphis spokesman Lamar Chance said Finch died at Saint Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Finch suffered a debilitating stroke in 2002 at age 51. In October 2010, he was hospitalized for treatment of pneumonia.
MISCELLANEOUS
Wlodarczyk beats Palacios, retains WBC cruiserweight belt
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk of Poland retained his WBC cruiserweight title with a split decision over Francisco Palacios of Puerto Rico in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Two judges scored it 114-113 and 118-112 for Wlodarczyk, and the third had it 115-113 for Palacios.
Also: Marco Huck retained his WBO cruiserweight title for the sixth time with a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Ran Nakash of Israel in Halle, Germany.
Huck won with scores of 116-112, 118-110 and 118-110. The German champion improved to 32-1, and Nakash lost for the first time in 26 professional fights.
Hassan N’Dam successfully defended his interim WBA middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Giovanni Lorenzo in Le Cannet, France. The judges’ scores were 119-110, 119-109 and 116-110.
Rumors that Kimi Raikkonen was headed to NASCAR became reality when the former Formula One world champion signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports.
The Finn will make his NASCAR debut May 20 driving a KBM Toyota Tundra in the Camping World Trucks Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
England beat the U.S. women’s soccer team for the first time since 1988, handing the top-ranked Americans a 2-1 exhibition defeat in London.
Wayne Rooney’s hat trick kept Manchester United on track to win the English Premier League with a 4-2 comeback victory over West Ham in London, while the title hopes of Arsenal and defending champion Chelsea were hurt by draws.
Second-place Arsenal drew 0-0 with visiting Blackburn, and Chelsea, in third, needed a 33rd-minute header by Didier Drogba to escape with a 1-1 draw against Stoke.
The Minnesota Wild said defenseman Nick Schultz will miss the rest of the season with post-concussion symptoms.
India won cricket’s World Cup for the first time in 28 years with a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Mumbai, India.
From www.lvrj.com
Azarenka bests Sharapova for Sony Ericsson crown
Apr 3rd
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Swapping shrieks along with their shots, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka made rallies sound like a car alarm.
Sharapova was the soprano, Azarenka the alto, and their alternating arias could be heard on the beach across the street from the Sony Ericsson Open.
But Sharapova was flat and her opponent sharp. Azarenka swept nine consecutive games to take charge Saturday and won the tournament for the second time, beati ng Sharapova, 6-1, 6-4.
The final matched two of the most notorious grunters in tennis, and while both were noisy, Azarenka’s shots had more bang. Sharapova committed 43 unforced errors, held serve only once and came up short with a late comeback bid.
“I played real well the first set,” the No. 8-seeded Azarenka said. “Maria is such a great fighter, I knew she was going to fight to the end. She came up with great tennis at the end, and I had to hang in there. That’s what paid off.”
And who had the better shriek?
“I think mine is quieter,” Azarenka said.
Sharapova committed eight errors in the first game alone. She lined one especially unsightly serve into the concrete in front of the net. By the time she found her range, Azarenka led 4-love in the second set.
“It’s a little bit too late to pick up the pace when you’re down a set and 4-love,” Sharapova said. “I wish I picked it up earlier, obviously. She did many things better than I did today.”
While the women’s tournament was full of surprises, the men’s draw is down to the game’s top-ranked players. No. 1 Rafael Nadal will play for the championship today against No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who is 23-0 this year.
Sharapova lost in a final for the fourth time since her most recent title, at Strasbourg in May 2010. She’s 0-3 in finals at Key Biscayne, where she was also the runner-up in 2005 and 2006.
But the three-time Grand Slam champion is healthy again after battling a series of injuries, as the results are starting to show. She’s projected to climb next week to No. 9, the highest she has been ranked since early 2009.
“It means that I’m winning matches, and winning more of them,” she said. “It has been a long road to get here. It’s not over yet.”
Azarenka’s also on the rise, and projected to be ranked No. 6 next week, matching a career-best.
Alas, the 21-year-old Belarussian can’t play Key Biscayne every week. She also won the tournament in 2009, stopping Serena Williams in the final. The two titles are the biggest of her career, and she joked she’s planning to move to Miami from Minsk.
Serena and Venus Williams, who between them have won eight Key Biscayne titles, missed the tournament for health reasons. But Azarenka still faced a tough path to the final, beating No. 2 Kim Clijsters and No. 3 Vera Zvonareva in straight sets.
Through six rounds, Azarenka avoided the sort of emotional outbursts that derailed her in the past. She said that after losing in the third round at Dubai in February, she went home and reflected on the state of her game.
“I changed my mentality a little bit,” she said. “I’m enjoying myself so much on the court that there’s no room for me for frustration. I just don’t care if I lose — what I mean is not to create such a big drama out of it. If you lose the match, it’s not the end of the world.”
Before facing Sharapova, Azarenka suggested fans wear earplugs, and the two finalists went at it like a couple of “Aida” rejects. The screeching on one early exchange had spectators giggling before the point ended, but a grim Sharapova pretended not to notice the strident soundtrack.
“I don’t really think about it when I play,” she said. “It’s about thinking what I have to do.”
She had trouble there, with Azarenka hitting aggressively from the baseline to prevent Sharapova from finding her rhythm.
Sharapova broke serve to reach 1-all, but it was an hour before she won another game. She failed to convert 11 game points on her serve before holding for the only time to trail 4-2, and briefly steadied her strokes.
Pounding winners, she overcame two match points to break for 5-4.
“I didn’t feel like I was doing anything wrong,” Azarenka said. “She was just playing really good.”
But Sharapova was too erratic to sustain her rally — or the rallies. When she dumped a forehand into the net on the final point, Azarenka dropped her racket in disbelief and celebrated by spinning and dancing across the court.
And then the only noise came from the cheering crowd.
From www.heraldextra.com
The highlight of Marcelo Rios’ career: On this day in Sony Ericsson Open History
Mar 29th
The Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., is the biggest, most prestigious tennis tournament in the United States next to the US Open. Its history dates back to 1985 and is documented in pages in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). The following are events that happened in the history of the tournament – also previously called the Lipton Championships, the NASDAQ-100 Open and the Ericsson Open – as excerpted from the book from March 29.
1998 – Marcelo Rios of Chile clinches the world No. 1 ranking for the first time when he defeats Andre Agassi 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla. The victory for Rios sets off celebrations in Chile’s capital city of Santiago, where thousands for citizens take to the streets in jubilation, waving flags and singing songs celebrating Rios overtaking Pete Sampras as world No. 1. Says Rios of his accomplishment, “First of all, being the best player in the world for Chile is not normal. We have never had a champion be No. 1 in the world in tennis. I don’t know if we have had it in other sports, but I don’t think so. I think everybody is going to take it really good. I feel proud, being Chilean, to be the only one to be No. 1 in the world.” Writes Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times, “Marcelo Rios used his tennis racket like a magic wand, directing none other than Andre Agassi around the court at will Sunday. And, for his final trick, Rios made Pete Sampras’ No. 1 ranking disappear.”
1997 – Sixteen-year-old Martina Hingis needs only 43 minutes to defeat Monica Seles 6-2, 6-1 in the singles final of the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla.
1996 – Goran Ivanisevic benefits from a 48-minute rain delay while trailing Pete Sampras 6-1, 1-0 and comes from behind to defeat the world No. 2 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne. Says Ivanisevic, “I was thinking I was going to fly home tomorrow and then the rain came and saved me.”
From www.worldtennismagazine.com
Tennis, ESPN2 Serve Up Sony Ericsson Open Coverage
Mar 26th
Tweet Tennis, ESPN2 Serve Up Sony Ericsson Open Coverage ESPN3.com Also On Court, With CBS Televising The Finals On April 2-3 Mike Reynolds — Multichannel News, 3/26/2011 10:02:49 AM
Can anyone stop Nole?
That’s the question at the Sony Ericsson Open, as Novak Djokovic, fresh off a win at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last week and the holder of the Australian Open title, has recorded a 19-0 mark in 2011, the best start on the men’s side of the court since Ivan Lendl in 1986.
Tennis Channel and ESPN2 will detail the Serb’s progress, as well as that of world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Roger Federer, whom Djokovic dispatched in the aforementioned events, respectively, with their coverage from Miami.
Like Indian Wells, the Sony Ericsson Open, also includes the ladies in action, including top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, who won in the California desert last week, as the event stakes its claims to the moniker of tennis’ “fifth Grand Slam.”
Tennis and ESPN2 regained rights to the prestigious tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami via their deals with the ATP last November.
Starting on March 26, Tennis Channel will beginning serving up 52 hours of coverage from Miami, while broadband service ESPN3.com is also on court. Beginning on March 3, ESPN2 will get in the game with its presentation of the women’s and men’s quarterfinal and semifinal action. CBS will televise the finals on April 2 and 3, respectively.
Check out the cable network’s TV schedules below:
Tennis Channel
Date Time (ET) Event
Saturday, March 26 11 a.m.-midnight Second-Round, Third-Round
Sunday, March 27 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Third Round
Monday, March 28 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Third-Round, Round of 16
Tuesday, March 29 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Round of 16, Women’s Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 31 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Men’s Quarterfinals
Tennis Channel will also offer encore replays of the men’s and women’s singles semifinals:
Friday, April 1 – 1 a.m.-3 a.m.; 9 a.m.-11 a.m. (ET): women’s singles semifinals
Friday, April 1 – 11 p.m.-1 a.m.; Saturday, April 2 – 6:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. (ET): men’s singles semifinals
ESPN
Wednesday, March 30 1-5 p.m. Men’s + Women’s Quarterfinals ESPN2 + ESPN3.com
Wednesday, March 30 7-11 p.m. Men’s + Women’s Quarterfinals ESPN2 + ESPN3.com
Thursday, March 31 1-5 p.m. Women’s Semi #1 + Men’s Q-final ESPN2 + ESPN3.com
Thursday March 31 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (tape delay) Women’s Semifinal #2 ESPN2 + ESPN3.com
Friday, April 1 1-3 p.m Men’s Semifinal #1 ESPN2 + ESPN3.com
Friday April 1 7-9 p.m. Men’s Semifinal #2 ESPN2+ ESPN3.com
From www.multichannel.com
