My heartfelt condolences to Jelena Jankovic for the passing of her beloved grandma. The night before her second round match, her grandmother had passed away back home in Serbia. Her heart and mind was simply not at the US Open after the hearbreaking news. As a result, she lost to Yaroslava Shvedova, 3-6, 7-6, 6-7. “I was very sad and emotionally I was really not on court,” Jankovic said.
“I really tried my best to be there and to try to play, but it was really hard."
“You could see I was not happy on the court. I was really suffering. I tried to think about my tennis, but I felt like I was so late and so slow.”
Jankovic planned to fly to Serbia today to join her mother, who left New York on Wednesday to return home. Jankovic said she didn’t know many details after talking on the phone with her mother. “I couldn’t really speak,” she said.
“I was just crying.”
“When you are sad, when you are down, you’re not the same person,” she said.
“You don’t move as well. You don’t hit the ball as well. My head wasn’t really there. I just was so—it was like a shadow of myself."
“But, you know, what can you do? Life goes on and I have to try to stay hopefully positive as much as I can, get through this.”
Anyway, kudos to Shvedova for advancing to the third round after a gutsy effort against Jankovic. (Via AP)
I just came back from a special Majlis Berbuka Puasa (break fast for Muslims) organised by the nice people at IMG/Malaysian Open.
According to the Tournament Director Nick Freyer, the event is just three weeks away and everything is in perfect order including court installation.
During the "Makan" function, he took the opportunity to welcome Starbucks Coffee, Krispy Kreme, Gatorade and Eau Claire as Official Suppliers to the Malaysian Open.
This is my appetizer...
Personally I'm happy with this announcement because I'm entitled for a 20% discount (I'm working under the Mother company of Starbucks Coffee and Krispy Kreme)! :D
I was told that during the tournament, Starbucks Chill Patrol, a newly launched mobile coffee van will be parked on-site (at the front entrance of the Putra Stadium).
IMG staff, media and sponsors pose for a family photo...
If you still haven't get your tickets to the Malaysian Open, it's available through TicketPro or via their Hotline: +603 7880 7999. You can also purchase tickets through TicketPro outlets.
(Via IMG)
To celebrate Rafael Nadal's return to the Grand Slam, here's a bunch of photos of him during the first round match against Richard Gasquet at the US Open.
And not forgetting a couple of shirtless photos too during changeover break.
(Images Julian Finney/Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Those who are curious about Rafael Nadal's knee probably have the answer now.
He's indeed okay and he can play well too!
Kicking off his US Open campaign, Nadal encountered no apparent trouble in winning the first round 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 over Richard Gasquet.
Maybe you might say Gasquest wasn't a fit opponent...
It's probably too early to predict Nadal's road to final but one thing for sure, Nadal said he has never felt so fresh.
Nadal's rival, Roger Federer, who is bidding for a 6th consecutive US Open championship—and 3rd Grand Slam title in a row this year— has no problem in overcoming Simon Greul with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory.
Waiting for Federer next is two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt, who defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Venus Williams may have a wide patches of white tape on her left knee but still, she can easily overcome Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-2.
Kim Clijsters continues to play by knocking off no. 14-seeded Marion Bartoli 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
With over a billion Indians following her every move on the tour, Sania Mirza displayed horrible tennis after being bageled twice by Flavia Pennetta.
Other seeded women sent home included Samantha Stosur, in a shocking defeat to Vania King, who won 7-5, 6-4; former world no.1 Amelie Mauresmo, who lost to Aleksandra Wozniak; Agnieszka Radwanska, who was defeated by Maria Kirilenko; and Anabel Medina Garrigues.
There were no men's seeded losers today.
Marat Safin and Fabrice Santoro said goodbye to Grand Slam tennis with first round exits.
Both of them are retiring at the end of the season.
Safin, the 2000 US Open champion, lost to Jurgen Melzer 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 while Santoro, appearing in his record 69th major tournament, was beaten by Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
US Open men's singles results from New York on Thursday (prefix denotes seeding)
1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Simon Greul (Germany) 6-3 7-5 7-5
9-Gilles Simon (France) beat Daniel Gimeno (Spain) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-3
18-David Ferrer (Spain) beat Alberto Martin (Spain) 7-5 5-7 6-3 6-3
Philipp Petzschner (Germany) beat Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) 7-6(3) 6-7(6) 6-4 4-6 6-3
6-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) beat Juan Monaco (Argentina) 6-3 6-3 6-1
Robby Ginepri (US) beat Andrei Pavel (Romania) 5-7 6-2 6-4 6-0
Daniel Koellerer (Austria) beat Rui Machado (Portugal) 6-2 6-4 2-6 6-2
32-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) beat Steve Darcis (Belgium) 6-2 6-4 2-6 7-6(8)
Jose Acasuso (Argentina) beat Marcos Daniel (Brazil) 6-2 6-4 6-3
3-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Richard Gasquet (France) 6-2 6-2 6-3
Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) beat Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan) 6-4 6-2 6-3
Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) beat Chris Guccione (Australia) 6-4 7-6(4) 6-0
24-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Fabrice Santoro (France) 6-4 6-3 6-3
Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) beat Michael Llodra (France) 6-3 6-4 6-4
Juergen Melzer (Austria) beat Marat Safin (Russia) 1-6 6-4 6-3 6-4
Andreas Beck (Germany) beat Evgeny Korolev (Russia) 6-3 6-4 2-6 2-6 6-4
13-Gael Monfils (France) beat Jeremy Chardy (France) 6-1 6-4 6-3
US Open women's singles second round results from New York on Thursday (prefix denotes seeding)
2-Serena Williams (USA) beat Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-1 6-1
Vania King (US) beat 15-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 7-5 6-4
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) beat Angelique Kerber (Germany)
Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat 14-Marion Bartoli (France) 5-7 6-1 6-2
26-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) 6-4 6-4
8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-1
Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat 12-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) 6-4 2-6 6-4
3-Venus Williams (US) beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) 6-4 6-2
Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat 20-Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-1 6-3
7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Anna Chakvetadze (Russia) 3-6 6-1 6-1
Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) beat Chang Kai-Chen (Taiwan) 4-6 6-2 6-2
31-Elena Vesnina (Russia) beat Jill Craybas (US) 7-6(6) 6-1
18-Li Na (China) beat Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal) 6-1 6-3
Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) beat 17-Amelie Mauresmo (France) 6-4 6-0
10-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat Sania Mirza (India) 6-0 6-0
(Via AP, TVNZ, US Open website)
My heartfelt condolences to Jelena Jankovic for the passing of her beloved grandma.
