HCFoo's Tennis Blog at HCFOO.ASIA!: 2008-09-07

Sep 11, 2008

Red Hot Spanish Armada against US in Davis Cup Semifinals

Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario picked Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez for the best-of-five series against the Americans in the Davis Cup semifinals next week from Sept. 19-21 on clay at Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring.

Hot Spaniard #1
Many fans think Rafael Nadal is the hottest but I only love him as my favourite tennis player.

Hot Spaniard #2
He might look a bit sloppy here (Esther, thanks for Matt's pic) but wait till you click here.
Warning: Nudity inside.

Hot Spaniard #3
For me, Feliciano is the no. 1!

In the meanwhile, United States captain Patrick McEnroe had chosen Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey (replacing James Blake) and Mike and Bob Bryan.

“They’re a very compact team,” Sanchez Vicario said.

“All of the matches will be very complicated.”

Nicolas Almagro was listed as a reserve for Spain, while 16th-ranked Tommy Robredo was left off the team.

“Almagro is the player—after Nadal—who had obtained the best (clay) results among our tennis players up to Roland Garros,” Sanchez Vicario said.

“Robredo has also done well, but perhaps should have done something better to be in this group.”

Sanchez Vicario also added that Nadal may not be at the start of training Saturday. However Sanchez Vicario said Nadal is very enthusiastic about this tie.”

(Via Yahoo! Sports; Fernando Verdasco pic by Matt Fitzgerald, Rafael Nadal pic via New York mag)

Sep 10, 2008

Roger Federer on top of the world - poses with US Open Trophy

Roger Federer appears with his U.S. Open trophy during a photo op on the

observation deck of the Empire State Building.

We've seen Serena Williams hitting Times Square.

And as for Roger Federer there's no better place to pose with his 5th US Open trophy than at the top of the Empire State Building in the heart of New York City.

(Images via Getty Images for the USTA/AP Photo/Edouard H.R. Gluck)

Sep 9, 2008

Serena Williams hitting Times Square - poses with US Open trophy

What a come back for Serena Williams at the U.S. Open!

Serena not only just won her third U.S. Open title, she also regained the no.1 ranking after five years, beating Jelena Jankovic in the final at Flushing Meadows.

Here she is looking glamorous in a red dress, posing with her new trophy in New York's Times Square.

(Images via U.S. Open official website, tennisforum.com)

Celebrities spotted at the US Open men's final

Many celebrities were spotted at the men's final match between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. Enjoy the pictures.

Harry Connick Jr. sings "America the Beautiful" before the start of the men's final.

Harry Connick Jr. and Jill Goodacre

Gene Wilder and his wife Karen Boyer

Natalie Portman

Julianna Margulies and Keith Lieberthal

Anne Hathaway greets Star Jones

Donald Trump

Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend had a fight last night?

Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer and Marisol Thomas and Rob Thomas

Susan Crow and Tony Bennett

Jim Courier and partner

Regis Philbin and Joy Philbin

(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Roger Federer beats Murray to clinch 5th US Open, 13th major

The media and fans have been very cruel for the past month, saying ‘Federer is gone,’ ‘Federer will never win another Grand Slam', etc.

But now Roger Federer is back at his best, easily beat Andy Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 to win his fifth consecutive U.S. Open championship and 13th major title overall.

“I felt like I was invincible for a while again,” Federer said.

Federer is the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win this tournament that many times in a row. He also moved within one major championship of tying Pete Sampras’ career record of 14.

“One thing’s for sure,” said Federer, the only man in tennis history to win five consecutive titles at two of the Grand Slam tournaments. “I’m not going to stop at 13. That would be terrible.”

Federer struggled at times during a lackluster-only-for-him season. He lost in the semifinals at the Australian Open, and to nemesis Rafael Nadal in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon, meaning Federer was on the verge of his first year since 2002 without a major title. Plus, his record 4 1/2 -year reign at No. 1 ended when Nadal surpassed him last month.

“I had a couple of tough Grand Slams this year … so to take this one home is incredible,” Federer said after stretching his U.S. Open winning streak to 34 matches. “It means the world to me.”

But the sixth-seeded Murray upset Nadal in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows to reach his first Grand Slam final, and Federer had no trouble this time—even though he had lost two of his previous three matches against the Scotsman.

“I came up against, in my opinion, the best player ever to play the game,” said Murray, who tried to give Britain its first men’s major champion in 72 years. “He definitely set the record straight today.”

At 21, here’s how young Murray is: Back when Federer was winning his first U.S. Open title in 2004, Murray was just taking the U.S. Open junior trophy.

(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Sep 8, 2008

Dutch players are strong contenders at the Beijing Paralympic tennis event

I can't believe I didn't even write a single post about the Paralympic tennis event Beijing. Shame on me! The U.S. Open is not a good excuse not to write.

Did your local TV network show the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games last Saturday?

Well done to China for such a tremendous effort! Judging from the photos, it matches the quality of the Beijing Olympics last month. Even Hong Kong singer Andy Lau performed at this event!

Now emphasizing on the wheelchair tennis, it was first introduced at the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games as a demonstration sport and became a full-medal sport at the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona.

Shingo Kunieda of Japan

This year four-time gold medallist Esther Vergeer (Netherland) and Shingo Kunieda (Japan) head the entries for the wheelchair tennis event at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics on 8-15 September.

Esther Vergeer, a hot favourite, at the Great Wall of China.

Esther Vergeer will bid for her third successive gold medal in both singles and doubles in Beijing. The 26-year-old has remained unbeaten in the women's singles since 2003.

Her strongest challenges will come from Frenchwoman Florence Gravellier, Marie-Annick Sevenans of Belgium and Dong Fuli from China.

Robin Ammerlaan is the defending champion.

There is also a strong Dutch entry in the men's singles, with Robin Ammerlaan, defending his title, alongside Maikel Scheffers and Ronald Vink.

There will be six wheelchair tennis events. They include men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, and quad singles and doubles.

(Images via ITF Tennis website, Beijing Paralympic official website)

Serena Williams Wins US Open and Returns to No. 1

Fireworks go off before the women's singles finals between Serena Williams

and Jelena Jankovic.

Singer Anita Baker performs before the women's singles finals.

Serena Williams outlasted Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 in the women's singles final at the U.S Open today.

And there was this “added bonus,” as Williams termed it: She returns to the top of the rankings.

After winning the match point, Serena flung her racket straight up and jumped for joy, hopping and skipping and screaming and generally looking like someone who had just won her first U.S. Open title or earned her debut at No. 1 in the rankings.

As the women met at the net afterward, Williams felt compelled to say to Jankovic, “I’m sorry I got so excited.”

No apology necessary.

“Serena was a better player tonight,” Jankovic said. “She was just too good tonight.”

It was Williams’ first triumph at Flushing Meadows since 2002, and it guaranteed that the American will lead the rankings Monday for the first time since August 2003—the longest gap between stints at No. 1 for a woman.

Her previous Grand Slam title came in January 2007, at the Australian Open.