Tennis
Davydenko wins Hypo Group International in Austria for 3rd time POERTSCHACH, Austria (AP) – Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko won the Hypo Group International for a third time, beating defending champion Juan Monaco 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 Saturday.
Davydenko won his 13th ATP Tour title overall and second of the season after winning the Masters Series event in Miami last month. The fourth-ranked Russian also won this tournament, a clay-court tuneup for the French Open, in 2005 and 2006.
“I was tired but played tactically very well,” Davydenko said. “I made him run from one side to the other and that worked out great in the first and third set.”
The second-seeded Argentine, who beat Davydenko in the quarterfinals here last year, said he gained a lot of confidence despite losing the final.
“Nikolay is a world-class player, so it was always going to be hard to beat him,” said Monaco, who saved three match points in Friday’s semifinal match against Ivan Ljubicic. “It was the best preparation for the French Open. I am ready to do well there.”
Davydenko was in command of the first set after breaking Monaco in the opening game. Monaco looked vulnerable from the baseline, hitting 14 unforced errors. The 15th-ranked Argentine got treatment for a blister on the middle finger of his right hand.
“I got injured during warm-up. It hampered me in the first set, but it is no excuse for losing the match and it is no problem for Paris either,” Monaco said.
Davydenko added another break to close out the set, and then was treated for a left thigh injury.
In the second set, Davydenko appeared hampered by his injury and Monaco found his rhythm, using three breaks to level the match.
“I lost concentration because I was thinking about my leg,” said Davydenko, who added that he did not consider quitting the match.
“No, I wouldn’t do that in a final. Maybe in a first or a second round, but not when I am playing for the title. Then it doesn’t matter which tournament is up next week.”
Davydenko said he will get further treatment on his thigh before he plays Thomas Johansson of Sweden in the first round of the French Open.
Davydenko raised his game again in the decider and dominated the match from the baseline. He wrapped up the victory with a backhand winner on his second match point.
Medina Garrigues takes Strasbourg for 3rd time
STRASBOURG, France – Anabel Medina Garrigues rallied to defend her Strasbourg International title, beating Katarina Srebotnik 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-0 to win the clay-court tournament for the third time.
The sixth-seeded Spaniard overcame a slow start, beating the fifth-seeded Slovenian after the match was interrupted by rain halfway through.
Medina Garrigues faced eight break points in the first set, and Srebotnik broke her twice to take early control.
Both players lost serve three times in the second, but Medina Garrigues held her nerve in the tiebreaker. She then totally dominated the decider with Srebotnik winning only 33 percent of first-serve points and breaking three straight times.
Medina Garrigues, who also won here in 2005, has eight career titles. It was her first since winning Strasbourg last year.
Sweden captures 4th World Team Cup
DUESSELDORF, Germany – Sweden won the World Team Cup for the fourth time, capturing the doubles to beat Russia 2-1.
With the best-of-three series at 1-1, Robin Soderling and Robert Lindstedt edged Mikhail Youzhny and Dmitry Tursunov 4-6, 7-6 (5), 11-9 after saving a match point at 9-8 in the match tiebreaker.
Sweden also won the title in 1988, 1991 and 1995. Russia has never won it.
Soderling maintained his unbeaten record this week, winning all eight matches he played in singles and doubles. He is only the third player in the 31-year history of the event to achieve the feat, following John McEnroe of the United States in 1984 and Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez in 2003.
Soderling began by overwhelming Youzhny 6-3, 6-1 in just 63 minutes, before Igor Andreev rallied to beat Thomas Johansson 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to level the series.
Soderling broke to lead 4-2 in the first set when Youzhny hit a forehand long. He broke for a 2-1 advantage in the second set. Another forehand error then gave Soderling a further break for 4-1, and he broke again in the final game.
In the second match, Johansson sped to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. But Andreev’s speed and powerful forehand began to turn the match, and a break for 3-1 was enough to secure the second set.
Gilles Simon is Casablanca champ
CASABLANCA, Morocco – Gilles Simon defeated fifth-seeded Julien Benneteau 7-5, 6-2 in an all-French clay-court final to clinch his third career title.
The 23-year-old Simon served cleanly throughout, with 85 percent of first-serve points won and no double faults. He also broke Benneteau’s serve four times.
Simon’s other titles came last year in Marseille, France, and Bucharest, Romania.
Copyright Associated Press 2008