Fourth-seeded Radek Stepanek won his second ATP title this year, rallying to beat fifth-seeded American Mardy Fish 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the SAP Open on Sunday.
Afterward as he celebrated, Stepanek donned a San Jose Sharks jersey and paraded around the court. He dropped to the ground briefly for a mini-version of the worm dance he has become known for, then jumped to his feet and held his arms in the air as the crowd applauded.
A day after rallying from a set down to beat last year’s champion, Andy Roddick, in the semi-finals, Stepanek was forced to do the same against Fish while becoming the first Czech player to win the San Jose event since Ivan Lendl in 1983.
Stepanek got some help from his 27-year-old opponent. Fish lost 10 straight points during one stretch in the third set, nine by unforced error.
The turning point of the match came in the second set when Stepanek held serve to go up 5-4 then broke Fish to even the match and force a third set. Prior to that Fish had been broken just once in 45 service games.
■OPEN GDF SUEZ
AFP, PARIS
France’s Amelie Mauresmo capped her stunning resurgence in form this week with a 7-6 (9/7), 2-6, 6-4 victory over Russian third seed Elena Dementieva in the final of the WTA Paris Open on Sunday.
It was the former No. 1’s first tournament win since Antwerp, Belgium, in February 2007 and her third victory over a top 10 player in a week after she defeated Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarter-finals and Jelena Jankovic in the last four.
Dementieva slumped to just her second defeat this year, having won tournaments in Auckland and Sydney before losing to eventual champion Serena Williams in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
Mauresmo has slipped to No. 24 in the world after a succession of injury problems but looked back to her best as she captured her third Paris Open title.
■DUBAI CHAMPIONSHIPS
AP, DUBAI
Alisa Kleybanova rallied to beat Anna Lapushchenkova 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in an all-Russian match on Sunday in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Kleybanova, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, will next face former top-ranked player Ana Ivanovic, who had a bye in the first round.
Ivanovic has slipped to No. 8 in the WTA rankings, but she recently started training with a new coach — Craig Kardon.
Seeded players Zheng Jie and Kaia Kanepi also advanced to the second round. The 13th-seeded Zheng defeated Anastasia Rodionova of Russia 6-1, 6-1, and the 16th-seeded Kanepi beat Tamira Paszek of Austria 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia beat Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-2, 6-4 and Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine 6-2, 6-3.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or