Soccer Sports News & Betting

Kevin Anderson defeated 2010 finalist Andreas Haider-Maurer of Austria 6-4, 6-4 Monday in the opening round of the Erste Bank Open.

The sixth-seeded South African relied on his serve, breaking Haider-Maurer once in each set. He closed out the win with his 10th ace.

Anderson won his first career title in Johannesburg this season. He will next play Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who defeated the 73rd-ranked Ryan Sweeting 6-4, 6-2.

Baghdatis, who reached the final in Kuala Lumpur this month, had 10 aces and broke the Americans serve four times.

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Top-seeded Gael Monfils won his first title of the year Sunday after defeating Jarkko Nieminen 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in the Stockholm Open final.

The win is 25-year-old Monfils fourth title on the ATP tour and he said he was surprised to win his first tournament since picking up a knee injury.

“After Bangkok I havent practiced that much, mostly been in rehab for my knee,” he told local news agency TT after the game. “The key today was that I managed to keep up my concentration.”

The 10th-ranked Monfils won 38 of 54 first serve points against the Finn.

Both players came into the match with poor results in finals and appeared nervous at the start of the match. Nieminen became the first player to hold serve in the fifth game.

Nieminen, who played his third Stockholm Open final at the Royal Tennis Hall, played attacking tennis to win the second set but Monfils rolled through the decider.

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Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and three-time major winner Maria Sharapova lead two round-robin groups for the WTA Championships this week as Turkeys biggest city hosts the event for the first time.

Wozniacki is joined in the red group by Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska. Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, French Open champion Li Na and U.S. Open winner Samantha Stosur are in the white group.

Each player meets the other three players in their group, and the top two in each pool move into the semifinals. The final is on Sunday.

“I think we all know what to expect going into the groups,” Sharapova said. “Its the top eight girls of the year. Youre going to get a tough group either way and a tough opponent. I think its just a matter of being ready from the first round on.”

Thirteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams failed to qualify for the tournament, as did her sister Venus.

Wozniacki, who has won six titles this year but has yet to win a major, said she was preparing for tough matches.

“Im going in there just hoping to play my best tennis and well see what happens,” she said.

Play begins Tuesday at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul, which will host the $5 million event through 2013. Qatar hosted the tournament for the last three years.

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Top-seeded Gael Monfils beat No. 6 Milos Raonic 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to set up a Stockholm final against Jarkko Nieminen.

The 10th-ranked Monfils converted three of nine break points against the hard-serving Canadian as he looks for his first title of the year.

Nieminen beat American player James Blake 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-2 to reach his third Stockholm Open final.

Blake, who beat 15th-ranked Juan Martin Del Potro before getting a walkover into the semifinals after David Nalbandian pulled out with an injury, double-faulted seven times and struggled with his serve throughout.

Nieminen converted three of his five break points in the third set, giving the 73rd-ranked Finn a third chance to win his first title at the Royal Tennis Hall.

In his 12 Stockholm Open appearances, he has reached the semifinals five times, and was a finalist in 2001 and 2006.

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Defending champion Vicktor Troicki and top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic advanced to the Kremlin Cup final with straight-sets victories on Saturday to set up the first ever all-Serbian final on the ATP Tour.

Tipsarevic beat three-time Kremlin Cup winner Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 7-5, while Troicki defeated French qualifier Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-4 in the first mens semifinal.

“This year Serbian tennis has been amazing and having an all-Serbian final just proves that Serbia as a nation has great tennis players,” Tipsarevic said. “We dont just have [top-ranked Novak] Djokovic, we also have other good players.”

In the womens semifinals, Dominika Cibulkova beat Elena Vesnina 6-0, 6-2 to continue her chase for a first WTA title, while Kaia Kanepi will be going for her second after rallying to eliminate Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3.

Tipsarevic, who won his first career title in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in September, saved three break points in the sixth game of the second set and three more in the 10th before he broke the Russian in the next game and aced the match out.

“He [Tipsarevic] was better on the base line. I tried to attack but made many mistakes,” said Davydenko, who is still suffering from to play against the world No. 14 with an injury and have a chance to take a set. I guess I could have lost quicker. I still cannot serve at full strength.”

Troicki, seeded second, broke in the ninth game in each set and sealed the victory against Chardy with an ace.

“I was lucky enough that I stayed focused on key moments of the match,” Troicki said. “I broke him two times when it was 40-all. He was a top-30 player before and obviously is coming back now. I had to play my best tennis to beat him today.”

“Its not easy to play against a friend because he knows my game and I know his game,” Tipsarevic said of Sundays match. “But we are both professionals and for one, two or three hours on the court tomorrow we are going to be rivals. And may the best man win.”

The eighth-seeded Cibulkova reaches her second straight final after losing to Petra Kvitova in Linz, Austria, on Sunday.

The 20th-ranked Slovak, winless in three WTA final appearances, dominated her 64th-ranked Russian opponent, scoring seven break points and taking it on the first match point when Vesnina smashed the ball into the net.

“I started very well and was playing too fast for her and thats why she [Vesnina] was making mistakes,” Cibulkova said.

Vesnina had advanced to her first semifinal at the home event after Marion Bartoli of France withdrew with a viral illness from their quarterfinal match on Friday.

“A day off hasnt helped me,” Vesnina said. “A couple of close games in the first set but I played with no confidence.”

After trading sets, the 43rd-ranked Kanepi jumped out to a 5-2 lead before Safarova saved two match points on her way to breaking the Estonian.

Safarova had to fend off two more match points on her ensuing serve but eventually netted a forehand to hand Kanepi the match.

“Its a bit unexpected that Im in the final but I believed in that,” Kanepi said. “When I went to Tokyo two weeks ago, I though why not can I win this tournament, and I made it to quarterfinals. And when I came here, I said the same.”

Kanepi beat top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the third round in Tokyo, but lost to her in Beijing the next week.

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Dominika Cibulkova advanced to her second straight semifinal Friday, rallying to beat top seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup.

In the quarterfinals, Kaia Kanepi upset sixth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-2 to set up a semifinal clash with Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, who ousted another Russian, Vera Dushevina, 6-4, 6-4.

Earlier, Marion Bartoli of France withdrew from the quarterfinals with an illness, handing Polands Agnieszka Radwanska a spot in the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul.

In the mens quarterfinals, defending champion Viktor Troicki of Serbia rallied from 0-4 down in the third set and prevailed in a tiebreaker to eliminate American Alex Bogomolov Jr. 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (1), while three-time winner Nikolay Davydenko of Russia advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Germanys Michael Berrer.

Kanepi won four consecutive games to move a set up in the match. In the second set, the 43rd-ranked Estonian endured eight deuces on her serve in the sixth game, which lasted 12 minutes. She then fought off five break points and went on to win.

“I fought my best today, but I didnt attack her,” said Kuznetsova. “This is not my game and I understood it but couldnt change it.”

Kanepi, making her debut at the event, agreed with the two-time Grand Slam winner.

“Normally a player can play attacking tennis when the other allows him,” Kanepi said.

Safarova, at No. 8 the only seeded womens player to reach the semis, broke Dushevina decisively in the third game of the second set.

Cibulkova, who was runner-up in Linz, Austria, last week, played with her right leg bandaged after she aggravated a knee injury in the previous match. Bo Zvonareva to treat her shoulder and Cibulkova to have her leg massaged and retaped.

The 20th-ranked Slovak trailed 5-3 in the second set but rallied to break the fifth-ranked Zvonareva in the 10th game and stay in the match. Cibulkova said she lost the first set because she was not aggressive enough on her second serve.

“In the second set I just said, OK, come on, you have to play 100 percent and also to go for second serve. And you have nothing to lose. And it just paid off,” Cibulkova said.

Serving in the tenth game of the third set, the Russian raced ahead 40-love but could not finish and finally returned wide and long to lose the game and the match.

“You cannot go 50-50, you should decide at the right time,” Zvonareva said. “Maybe I should have retired, because Im to play next week in Istanbul and then be back here for the Fed Cup.”

Zvonareva said that she had played a good match but because of the pain in her shoulder caused by an old injury and concerns about her upcoming matches she had trouble maintaining concentration.

The third-seeded Bartoli, who has not dropped a set in six matches, was scheduled to play Elena Vesnina of Russia in the first quarterfinal but pulled out because of a viral illness.

“I think just my whole body needed a break,” Bartoli said. “I really was trying til the end but yesterday during my match I already felt not very good.

“I still have a bit of energy left, so it was enough [to play], but early this mornin I couldnt even warm up,” she said.

Vesnina said it was the first time she had advanced by a walkover at this stage of a tournament.

“Its really sad when you are not feeling good, not very healthy,” Vesnina said. “I saw her match yesterday, and she was playing really well.”

The 64th-ranked Russian will play Cibulkova in the semifinals.

Bartoli won her seventh career title in Osaka last weekend and needed to win the title in Moscow to secure the last open spot for next weeks WTA Championships.

With Bartolis withdrawal, Radwanska qualifies directly for the event for the first time, despite losing in the second round in Moscow. She was a substitute in 2008 and 2009.

Bartoli will travel to Istanbul and will be the first alternate.

In early mens quarterfinals, 133rd-ranked Jeremy Chardy of France landed 11 aces to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 6-3 and make it to the semifinals for the first time since winning his first title in Stuttgart, Germany, in July 2009.

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Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Luxembourg Open.

She will play sixth-seeded Julia Goerges on Saturday after the German advanced when Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia withdrew with a hip injury while trailing 5-2.

In other quarterfinals, Monica Niculescu of Romania defeated lucky loser Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4, and Anne Keothavong of Britain beat Bibiane Schoofs of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-2.

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Tennis agent Ken Meyerson, who represented Grand Slam winners Andy Roddick, Chris Evert and Justine Henin, has died. He was 48.

Meyerson died Wednesday night at his home in Florida, according to a statement by his agency, Lagardere Unlimited. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Meyerson had been president of Lagarderes tennis division since 2009.

“Ken was a very hard worker and was always determined to do his best, both for his clients and for the company,” agency chairman Arnaud Lagardere said in the statement. “His clients were his extended family and there was nothing he wouldnt, or couldnt, accomplish on their behalf. Ken is, and will remain, an inspiration to all of our agents.”

Before joining Lagardere, Meyerson was president of BEST Tennis from 2006-09. During a nearly 25-year career in tennis that began in 1987, Meyerson also worked with ProServ, one of the earliest sports management firms, and the SFX Sports Group.

As news of his death spread, Meyerson was being honored by a number of agents and players, including American players Mardy Fish and John Isner.

Roddick tweeted: “I love you and miss you. I will be forever grateful for your faith & loyalty. You will forever be my brother. As always thanks Meyerson.”

Meyerson is survived by his wife, Claudia, and daughters Charlotte and Emily.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

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Gael Monfils of France was the only seeded player to advance during a day of upsets in the second round of the Stockholm Open on Thursday.

The top-seeded Monfils beat Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4 and will next face fifth-seeded South African Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals.

Unseeded Argentine David Nalbandian took the most emphatic victory of the day, beating seventh-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-1, 6-1. He will next face American James Blake, who beat second-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, on Wednesday.

Jarkko Nieminen of Finland upset third-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-3, 6-4 in the second round, while fourth-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela also exited.

Nieminen set himself up for a quarterfinal against Tobias Kamke of Germany, who won his second-round match against countryman Sebastian Rieschick 6-3, 6-1.

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria beat Chela 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 and will play the sixth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada in the quarterfinals.

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After four consecutive years of rain-postponed mens finals, the U.S. Open is looking into changing its schedule as soon as next year and could become the first Grand Slam tennis tournament to switch permanently to a Monday finish.

Tournament director Jim Curley told the Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday that the U.S. Tennis Association started discussions last month with broadcaster CBS about finding a way to heed top players calls for a day off between the mens semifinals and final.

Currently, the U.S. Open is the only major tournament that schedules those matches on consecutive days, Saturday and Sunday.

Roger Federer, whose record 16 Grand Slam titles include five at the U.S. Open, was among those who said during this years tournament that its time to rethink the schedule. He called Wednesdays word of possible changes “the right move for our sport.”

One proposal under consideration would add a 15th day to the tournament, shifting the mens final from Sunday to Monday, and the womens final from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. That also would give the women a day to rest between their semifinals and final.

The USTA also is considering keeping the mens title match in its traditional Sunday afternoon spot, but moving their semifinals to Friday.

The USTA board of directors has approved exploring various scheduling options.

“Were just getting into this process,” Curley said, “and right now, everything is on the table.”

The U.S. Open, played at Flushing Meadows in New York, has boasted what it calls “Super Saturday” since 1984, with two mens semifinals and the womens final all played on that day, followed by the mens final Sunday. Wimbledon, the French Open and Australian Open follow another pattern: womens semifinals Thursday, mens semifinals Friday, womens final Saturday, mens final Sunday.

“The sport has become much more physical over the years, to the point where players feel very strongly that they need to have a day between the semis and the final,” Curley said. “While the players are an integral part of the U.S. Open, its one aspect we need to take into consideration, along with onsite fans, TV viewers, corporate sponsors, television partners, both domestic and international. Its a Rubiks Cube, since so many variables need to be taken into consideration.”

Changes might result in the under the present format, tickets are sold fo and a change in TV rights fees received by the USTA.

“Its fair to say that this type of change would have a negative financial impact on the USTA, and thats another reason why were being very thoughtful in this process. Were talking about millions of dollars,” Curley said.

He acknowledged such losses “would have to have an impact” on any future plans to add a roof to the tournament facility.

CBS has aired the U.S. Open since 1968, and its current contract runs through 2014. CBS Sports spokeswoman Jen Sabatelle confirmed the network has been approached about a change.

“We have an ongoing dialogue with the USTA. They have been great partners, and we will work with them to come up with a schedule that makes sense for all parties,” she said.

Curley said he hasnt talked about a potential schedule switch with the International Tennis Federation, which oversees the Grand Slam tournaments, because “the USTA, not the ITF, runs the U.S. Open.”

While calling the scheduling issue a priority for the U.S. Open, Curley said he doesnt know when there will be a final decision. It would need to come by April, at the latest, if theres going to be a change in 2012, when the tournament is supposed to run from Monday, Aug. 27, to Sunday, Sept. 9.

“It might not happen in 12. It might happen in 13. I just want to be clear that the goal is to get this done,” Curley said.

In a statement emailed to the AP by his agent, Federer said: “Its good news that theyre reviewing the U.S. Open schedule. Its the right move for our sport. I am pleased that the USTA is listening to the players, and I am very encouraged with these developments.”

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