Mischa Zverev of Germany beat Spain’s Tommy Robredo 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Open 13.
French players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra joined Zverev in the next round. Llodra edged Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 7-6 (6), 6-4, and in two all-French matchups, Tsonga defeated Josselin Ouanna 7-6 (9), 6-4 and Benneteau beat Florent Serra 6-4, 6-4.
Zverev converted both breakpoint chances in the third set to build a commanding 5-0 lead while the fourth-seeded Robredo wasted three opportunities.
PHOTO: AFP
The German left-hander believed in his chances despite starting the season with five straight losses.
Also on Wednesday, Belgian qualifier Yannick Mertens beat Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic 7-6 (8), 6-1, to set up a second-round match with Guillaume Rufin, who outlasted fellow Frenchman Laurent Recouderc 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2).
■MEMPHIS ATP-WTA
AP, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
Top seed Andy Roddick snapped a three-match losing streak to fellow American James Blake with a 6-3, 4-6. 7-6 (3) victory in the first round of the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships on Wednesday night.
Roddick, the defending champion, was the only one of the top four seeds in the tournament to make it out of the first round. No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco lost on Tuesday night.
Third-seed Radek Stepanek and Tommy Haas, the fourth seed, lost earlier on Wednesday.
Haas of Germany lost to Belgium’s Xavier Malisse 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Stepanek lost to Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-6 (5), 7-5.
In other matches, Americans sixth-seeded John Isner and Sam Querrey, seeded eighth, won their matches. Isner was pushed to three sets by Jarkko Nieminen of Finland in a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4 victory, while Querrey beat fellow American Rajeev Ram 6-2, 6-3.
In the Cellular South Cup, the women’s draw of the tournament, top-seeded Maria Sharapova was an easy winner in her second-round match, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US 6-1, 6-1.
Second-seeded Melanie Oudin of the US defeated countrywoman Lilia Osterloh 6-2, 6-1, and No. 3 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia and Petra Kvitova, the fifth seed, also won.
Kanepi dropped the first set to Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic before rallying for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory. Kvitova of the Czech Republic was a straight-set winner over Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands, 6-4, 7-5.
Seventh-seeded Vania King of the US lost to qualifier Sophia Arvidsson of Sweden 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
■DUBAI
AP, DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Shahar Peer upset top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championships on Wednesday, a year after she was refused a visa to play in the tournament by the government.
The Israeli had never previously taken a set off Wozniacki, the US Open runner-up, in three previous matches, including at last month’s Australian Open.
Also, second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova was eliminated when she lost to compatriot and qualifier Regina Kulikova 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Defending champion Venus Williams moved on with another labored win, 7-5, 6-0 over Olga Govortsova of Belarus, and last weekend’s Pattaya champion, Vera Zvonareva, defeated sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-2.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
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
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