Yang Tsung-Hua: Longines' new Ambassador gets "friendly" hug from sexy Taiwanese celeb Lin Chi Ling

Yang Tsung-Hua: *sweating*

I can honestly tell you that many guys would die to be in Yang Tsung-Hua's shoes.

Taiwanese top model cum actress, Lin Chi Ling who is also a Longines Ambassador, was in SOGO shopping complex yesterday together with the former junior no.1, now turned pro, Tsung-Hua for the luxury Swiss watchmaker promotional event.

Tsung-hua who aimed to break into the ATP top 200 this year is scheduled to train with Marin Cilic one week before the China Open (where he gets a wildcard) and with Andy Roddick during the off season end of this year.

Thanks to Elvis for the info!

(Via sports.yam.com)

Coming soon: Exclusive interview with Yang Tsung-hua

With the help from Elvis Dai and Esther, I managed to meet up with Yang Tsung-hua, 2008 Junior no.1 and French Open Junior Champion who is in town for Malaysia Futures events.

I'll try my best to post the interview, photos and video of Tsung-hua practicing on court with fellow compatriot Chen Ti.

While waiting for my post, here's a picture of Chen Ti (left), coach 陳南 (I think his English name is Lehn Man) and Yang Tsung-hua (yes, we asked him to pose shirtless for the fans).


(Photo credit should read HSFoo/HCFoo's Tennis Blog)

Gilles Simon survives Grigor Dimitrov scare in Marseille

Gilles Simon almost become the latest victim of the upcoming, cute-looking and abs-flaunting kid.

The Frenchman had to come back from 5-2 down in the last set to beat Grigor Dimitrov who is affectionately known as Grisha 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of the Open 13 yesterday.

"From the moment I broke back, I felt much better," Simon said.

"That hurt him physically and mentally, and I won the next games quite easily."

Well, Gilles, I don't think it's going to hurt Grisha in long term though.

Grisha who has just turned pro is certainly making his mark in the ATP tour this year.

Gosh, how I wish Yang Tsung Hua can achieve that too but it's not going to happen if he sticks with his current management. Tsung Hua already missed the opportunity of his lifetime by not taking IMG's offer.

Back to Grisha, I've just digged up a youtube of him showing middle finger to the chair umpire.

Boy, this kid sure have lotsa fire!

He reminds me of the young Roger who smashed his racquet right in front of the umpire.

(Images via downthelinetennis.com, Open 13 website)

Rendy Lu Yen-Hsun to miss Davis Cup tie against Kazakhstan

Taiwan's team without Rendy Lu.

Taiwan's top tennis player Rendy Lu Yen-Hsun, who reached a career-high 58 in the world rankings on Monday following a breakthrough performance at the Australian Open, will miss this weekend's Davis Cup tie against Kazakhstan because of an inflamed knee.

The announcement came as Taiwan's team for the Feb. 6-8 tie at Sinjhuang Gymnasium in Taipei County was introduced Tuesday.

Rendy suffered discomfort to his right knee during his stunning five-set upset of 10th seed David Nalbandian in the second round of the Australian Open, and further aggravated it last week during a Challenger series event in Heilbronn, Germany.

Doctors there suggested that Rendy remain in Germany to treat the knee rather than play in Taiwan’s 2009 Davis Cup opener to prevent the inflammation from growing worse and jeopardizing his participation in upcoming ATP Tour events.

Rendy will be missed against Kazakhstan, whose top three players -- Andrey Golubev, Mikhail Kukushkin and Yuri Schukin, all ranked in the world's top 200 -- played for Russia before changing their nationalities last year.

The Feb. 6-8 tie was made necessary because the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group 1 has nine teams entered this year. Taiwan and Kazakhstan were drawn to compete for the final spot in the official eight team draw, which begins competition in earnest March 6-8.

If Taiwan beats Kazakhstan this weekend, it will host India in March. A win over India and either Australia or Thailand in May would send Taiwan to the elusive World Group playoffs for the first time ever, a prospect Rendy would surely relish.

The oft-injured 25-year-old risked playing in Germany to try and cover ranking points he was about to lose, but the gamble did not pay off when the knee acted up during a second round 6-2, 6-0 loss to Karol Beck of Slovakia, said Thomas Lu Wei-Ru, Lu's older brother who helps manage his younger brother's affairs.

Not treating the injury now could have financial consequences. Rendy has already signed up to play at four ATP tournaments in the U.S. beginning Feb. 9, but will be fined by tennis’ organizing body, the ATP if he misses more than one of them due to injury, Rendy Wei-ru told the Central News Agency.

In Rendy's absence, Taiwan will likely depend on Wang Yeu-tzuoo and Chen Ti in the four singles matches played on Friday and Sunday. A pivotal doubles is played Saturday.

Wang, ranked as high as 85th in the world in 2006, is hoping to restart his career this weekend after being sidelined for most of 2008 with an assortment of ailments, the most serious a persistent wrist injury.

He has played in only five ATP Tour event qualifying tournaments since last year’s Australian Open, winning just one set in the five appearances.

Wang told the Central News Agency he spent most of 2008 conditioning his body and had only begun hitting balls in earnest at the end of November.

Asked if he was worried about his lack of match competition or that the wrist injury might still hamper him during the Davis Cup best-of-five set matches, Wang deadpanned, “I am worried about so many things that I've decided not to worry about any them.”

Wang, whose natural talent was in evidence when he reached the finals of the US Open boys singles at the age of 16 in 2001, felt he had recovered his basic skills and was physically fit.

“But confidence can only come from tournaments. There's no way you can get confidence from just practicing, It's not possible," said Wang, whose confidence and match toughness are likely to be challenged against Kazakhstan.

Chen Ti, who has remade his game, from his grip to his serve, in the last six weeks, will be testing how much he's absorbed.

Although the world No. 375 Chen is ranked below Kazakhstan's top three players, he said he was more confident than when he played Australia's Lleyton Hewitt in a Davis Cup tie last February.

"Last year when I played Hewitt, I was just hoping to play well."

"This year, I'm playing to win."

(Via taiwannews.com.tw; Image via sport.1-apple.com.tw)

The rest of the winners which I've missed last weekend

In Doha, Andy Murray defeated the other Andy, Mr. Roddick 6-4, 6-2 to win his first ATP title of the year, and ninth overall.

Fernando Verdasco failed to stop Radek Stepanek a.k.a. the Worm in Brisbane which resulted him to lost 6-3, 3-6, 4-6.

Verdasco also failed to win in the men's doubles final match. Marc Gicquel and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Verdasco and Mischa Zverev in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.

In the women's doubles Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Vania King won 3-6, 7-5, 10-5 over Poland pair Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosollska.

Somdev Devvarman who had beaten Carlos Moya and Ivo Karlovic earlier at the Chennai Open tournament, failed to convert the final match against Marin Cilic into a win. Cilic recorded a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory in two hours.

Somdev's achievement last week helped him to climb from 202 to a 154 in the ATP rankings. Way to go for this young man from India!

In the men's doubles, Eric Butorac and Rajeev Ram defeated Jean-Claude Scherrer and Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 to take the Chennai Open title.

ATP aside, in the ITF's China F1 Futures event, world's top-ranked junior Yang Tsung-hua who has just turned pro won both men's singles and doubles titles.

Yang who partnered with Lee Hsin-han thrashed Li Zhe and Wang Yu Jr. 6-0, 6-3. Then he defeated Zeng Shao-xuan6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in the men's final.

(Images via Yahoo! Sport, sports-1apple.com.tw)

Yang Tsung-Hua (楊宗樺) claims world's top junior in year-end rankings

Taiwan's Yang Tsung-hua (楊宗樺) became the country's first young tennis player to finish the year as the world's top-ranked junior, but now faces the even bigger challenge of converting that promise into a thriving pro career that has eluded many other highly-ranked juniors.

The 17-year-old, known for his powerful, though at times erratic first serve, secured the top spot thanks to the International Tennis Federation's rankings system for juniors that weighs both singles and doubles performances.

Yang, who captured this year's French Open junior singles title, trailed Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov and Australia's Bernard Tomic in the singles rankings, but made up the gap with outstanding doubles results in partnership with Taiwan's Hsieh Cheng-peng, including trophy-winning runs in the Australian Open and Wimbledon junior doubles.

After being ousted in the Orange Bowl's round of 16 by American Alexander Domijan, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, it was another reminder to Yang that one's ranking in today's fiercely competitive tennis world provides no guarantees for success.

It's a lesson Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun, who was ranked 8th in junior singles at the end of 2000, and Wang Yeu-Tzuoo, who finished 2001 ranked 5th, have learned the hard way.

Both have faced considerable obstacles in sustaining a professional career at the highest level, including litanies of injuries and funding shortages.

Also, for every Roger Federer (1998) , Andy Roddick (2000) and Richard Gasquet (2002), who turned their top junior singles rankings at year's end into outstanding pro careers, there have also been Arnaud di Pasquale (1997), Kristian Pless (1999) , Gilles Muller (2001) and Donald Young (2005) who have never fulfilled the promise of their top ranking.

Yang, who plans to turn pro next year and is already ranked 550th on the ATP Tour after playing in some lower level Futures events this year, will soon find out if he can make the successful leap to the pros that has eluded so many juniors.

(Via etaiwannews.com; Image via ITF)