Ai Sugiyama announces retirement

Japanese tennis player Ai Sugiyama announced her her retirement after this season during a press conference in Narita, Tokyo yesterday.

The former world no.8 singles and no.1 doubles player played her last US Open recently, in which she lost in straight sets to Samantha Stosur.

(Image by Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images)

Serena Williams bagels Dinara Safina; wins 10th Grand Slam title

After a gruelling match between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco last night, today's women's singles final is such a disappointment.

I'm disappointed because Dinara Safina let Serena Williams dominated from the start till the end to win 6-0, 6-3 in the Australian Open final.

This is Serena's 10th Grand Slam title and her fourth Australian championship — and this also means her return to the no. 1 ranking!

Serena and her sis Venus also won their eighth Grand Slam women’s doubles title yesterday, beating Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-3.


What a way for her to start the new year!

(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Ai Sugiyama, Rendy Lu Yen-Hsun bow out at Aussie Open

Now, China's Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai are Asia's last hopes after Ai Sugiyama and Rendy Lu Yen-Hsun failed to convert their 3rd round matches into victory.

Veteran Sugiyama, playing in her 60th Grand Slam (!) put up a brave fight on centre court against Jelena Jankovic before losing 4-6, 4-6.

Sugiyama said the heat affected her, but doesn't know why as she usually handles it well.

Asked if she was happy with her performance, she said: "Yes and no."

"My expectation was a little bit higher. I don't know why but I couldn't breathe properly today, somehow it was very shallow and I had cramping towards the end."

"It's strange because normally I'm good at playing in the heat. I usually like it but today I wasn't feeling great."

Sugiyama called a medical time-out in the second set, telling officials she was having trouble breathing as trainers placed bags of ice on her legs.

She said she would consult a doctor but believes it was only minor dehydration.

On the men's singles, Rendy who had his biggest win against David Nalbandian on Wednesday, was brought crashing back to earth by Tommy Robredo 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.

Rendy missed the chance to play against Andy Roddick in the fourth round.

Asian hopes now rest with Zheng and Peng.

They play their third round matches today with Zheng Jie having the easier task up against Kateryna Bondarenko.

Peng Shuai will face world no. 2 Serena Williams in a match that I hope will be an upset.


(Via AFP; Images by Franck Robichon/Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images)

Sania Mirza crashes out; Ai Sugiyama to meet Jelena Jankovic

India's Sania Mirza crashed out of the Australian Open on Wednesday after losing to Russia's Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-2.

However she expressed that she was just happy to be back after recovering from a serious wrist injury.

The 22-year-old vowed to bounce back as she works to once again to match her career-high of 27.

"I'm just happy to be back and doing what I love doing, playing tennis and competing," Sania said.

"There was a big crowd out there and I haven't played like that for six months.

"Of course I'm disappointed at losing but I will try and take positives from this.

"I will try and get into the top 30, of course, but the last five or six months have taught me to live for the moment so I don't want to get ahead of myself."

On her game against Petrova, she conceded she was simply outclassed by a better player.

"When you're playing the world number 10 you expect her to raise her game under pressure and that is exactly what she did," she said of her opponent.

"I was a break up and I played a decent match but I still have a lot to work on.

"There are no excuses. I could blame it on a lack of match practice time, or on playing the world number 10. I had a sore stomach as well," she added.

"But at the end of the day I have to give her credit."

Japanese 26th seed Ai Sugiyama secured a tough match-up in the third round against world no. 1 Jelena Jankovic after defeated Nathalie Dechy 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.

(Via AFP; Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Chinese stars Zheng Jie & Peng Shuai shine at Australian Open

Chinese tennis stars Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai shine for Asia on the second day of the Australian Open, but regional hopes were dented as Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn bowed out.

Perhaps Zheng is Asia’s best hopes after her fellow countryman Li Na bowed out of the tournament due to injury.

“It was tough out there, hot and windy, so it wasn’t comfortable but it was a good win,” Zheng said after defeated Camille Pin 6-3, 6-3.

Along with Peng, she joins Japan’s Ai Sugiyama, India’s Sania Mirza and Taiwan’s Rendy Lu Yen-Hsun in the next round.

Also through is Chan Yung-jan, who won an all-Taiwanese battle against Hsieh Su-Wei 6-3, 6-3.

Japan’s Ayumi Morita was a first-round casualty, losing to Germany’s Tatjana Malek 7-6 (4), 6-2 as she joined Nishikori and Tamarine on an early departure.

Peng battled past Italian Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (4), 6-1 but fellow Chinese Meng Yuan failed to repeat her success last year against Serena Williams who revenged with the score 6-3, 6-2.

There were high expectations for Nishikori but he was unable to overcome Austria’s Jurgen Melzer which resulted him to lost 5-7, 2-6, 1-6.

There were also similar hopes for the experienced Tamarine after her successful at the Wimbledon last year where she reached the quarterfinal. But she lost focus against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, losing in straight sets 7-5, 6-3.

(Via jakartaglobe.com; Images via sports.sina.com, nikkansports.com)

Rendy Lu, Ai Sugiyama & Sania Mirza keep Asian hopes alive

Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama and India's Sania Mirza carried Asian hopes into the Australian Open second round on Monday.

However it was curtains down for comeback queen Kimiko Date Krumm.

In the men's singles, Taiwan's Rendy Lu Yen-Hsun also made it through to the second round with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci.

Rendy gets support from his fans at court 18.

With the strong crowd behind her, Sugiyama who is playing her 60th Grand Slam, battled past Canada's Stephanie Dubois 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) to continue her solid start to the season after making the semis in Sydney last week.

Some disturbing scenes from Sugiyama's court.

Thankfully Sugiyama doesn't dress like her supporters.

Ranked 26 here, the 33-year-old said she was encouraged by the start she has had to her 17th season on tour.

"I'm definitely very happy with the start I've had to the year," she said.

"My training has been good and I'm starting to play well.

"I started good today and won the first seven games in a row but then she got her rhythm and started hitting it deeper, and I struggled a bit."

Joining Sugiyama in round two is Sania who has suffered with injuries after a breakthrough 2005 when she reached the US Open fourth round.

Bad girl Sania sticks out her tongue.

Sania's signature move on court.

The 22-year-old went through a surgery on her right wrist in April ruining her 2008 season. She made brief comebacks before bowing out of the Beijing Olympics in tears.

Now she is back, hitting the ball harder than ever and hungry for success.

"It was a great way to begin after such a long break," Sania said after beating Poland's Marta Domachowska 6-1, 6-4.

"I've not played a match in almost six months now ... I'm just happy to have come through."

Aside from Sugiyama, Mirza and Lu, hopes for regional success lie with China's Zheng Jie and Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn.

Taiwan's Chan Yung-jan and Hsieh Su-Wei are also in the draw but have been drawn to face each other in the first round on Tuesday.

And of course there are also high expectations for Japan's Kei Nishikori who is scheduled to face Jurgen Melzer in the first round.

(Via channelnewsasia.com; Images via Yahoo! Sports, Rendy Lu's photos by Zahirah)

Love is in the air for Kei Nishikori and Ai Fukuhara (updated)

Here's another love story in tennis!

A Japanese gossip weekly magazine reported that Kei Nishikori is dating Japanese table tennis star, Ai Fukuhara.

The 20-year old Fukuhara is best remembered as the flag bearer for the Japanese national team at the recent Beijing Olympics.

According to bunny from MTF, the young couple were seen holding hands in the fashionable Harajuku area in Tokyo while Kei was on holiday in Tokyo earlier this month.

Picture credit to this site.

Apparently, they met at the Beijing Olympics, but only started dating recently after Kei came back to Japan this time.

During the Olympics, Ai Sugiyama was sharing the same flat with Fukuhara in the athletes village, and Kei was in the same flat with table tennis player Shun Muzutani. It is said that Sugiyama was the one who introduced the younger Ai to Kei.

After the Olympics Ai was spotted at the AIG Open.

According to bunny who read in Sugiyama's blog around October, Sugiyama has became good friends of Fukuhara since the Olympics.

Fukuhara is 20 and is one year older than Kei.

Fukuhara is very huge in Japan and every of her move has been followed by the press ever since she emerged as a table tennis wonder kid when she was about 10!

However, Kei's management declined the romance and has only said that they are good friends.

If the romance is indeed true then they will have to endure a long distance relationship because Kei will have to go back to the US and while Ai-chan (whom Fukuhara is affectionately called in Japan) will be in Germany to play at the German Open.

(Via menstennisforums.com; Images via sina.com, nikkansports.com )

Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis begins this week

The women tennis players were at the main draw and did a press conference for the Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis 2008 held at Hotel Grand Pacific Le Daiba on September 15, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan.


The main draw of the tournament is to be held at Ariake Colosseum from September 16 to September 21.

Here are some pretty pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Left to right: Amelie Mauresmo, Daniela Hantuchova, Ai Sugiyama and Ana Ivanovic.

Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva.

Jelena Jankovic and Dominika Cibulkova

Alize Cornet works her locks.

Elena Dementieva can work it better and sexier.

But Daniela Hantucova is the most natural among the girls.

(Images via www.toray-ppo.co.jp, zimbio.com)

Kei Nishikori, Ai Sugiyama: The Japanese tennis team at Beijing Olympics

Together with Ayumi Morita (picture nowhere to be found), Kei Nishikori (錦織圭) and Ai Sugiyama form the Japanese tennis team at the Beijing Olympics (オリンピック) 2008.

Tennis veteran Sugiyama will face tough opponent Daniela Hantucova, the 10th seed in the first round, while Morita will be facing New Zelander Marina Erakovic.

In the men's single draw, Japanese tennis prince Kei Nishikori, the 124th-ranked wildcard entrant Kei Nishikori (JPN) is drawn to face 34th-ranked, Wimbledon 2008 semifinalist, Rainer Schuettler in the first round.

(Images via nikkansports.com)