by XBot on Mon May 02, 2005 8:33 pm
<b>Federer to See More Clearly; Safina Announces Coach Sacking</b><br><br><B><IMG style="WIDTH: 136px; HEIGHT: 131px" height=197 alt="Andy Roddick, looking to make his mark on the European red clay; Tim Henman, working up to the monumental task of defending his semifinal points at Roland Garros; and Andre Agassi, playing singles against Father Time, all advanced with comfortable wins Monday on the opening day of play at the ATP Masters Series-Rome" hspace=5 src="http://www.tennis-x.com/images/players/roddick-rockets.jpg" width=193 align=left vspace=5 border=2>Roddick, Agassi, Henman Cruise in Openers at ATP Rome<BR><BR></B>Andy Roddick, looking to make his mark on the European red clay; Tim Henman, working up to the monumental task of defending his semifinal points at Roland Garros; and Andre Agassi, playing singles against Father Time, all advanced with comfortable wins Monday on the opening day of play at the ATP Masters Series-Rome.<BR><BR>The top-seeded Roddick continued his dominance of Greg Rusedski, eventually overcoming a flow of flailing unforced errors to subdue the net-charging Brit 6-4, 6-2 to set up a highly-anticipated meeting with unseeded and former Roland Garros champ Al Costa.<BR><BR>"I've beaten some good players on clay before, so I know I can play well on it," Roddick said. "It's just a matter of getting into the comfort zone. The first matches are always very uncomfortable and it's more difficult for me to get into that zone than it is on other surfaces."<BR> <BR>Henman, seeded No. 4, found less resistance than expected from unseeded and former Roland Garros champ Gustavo Kuerten, who is still feeling the effects of coming off a second hip surgery.<BR><BR>"In Kuerten I know I've knocked out a very good player," Henman said. "I think last year was a big breakthrough for me psychologically. I know I have to use my style (on the clay). I have to keep moving forward, using my volleys."<BR><BR>The No. 6-seeded Agassi found himself in a tight contest early on against local wildcard Alessio Di Mauro before taming his nerves and the Italian 7-5, 6-2. The win advances the American to a meeting with the hot-handed Frenchman Richard Gasquet.<BR><BR>"He's a very talented player and, like so many of the French, has such a nice backhand. It's great to watch him come through," said Agassi of Gasquet. "The match he played against Roger (Federer in Monte Carlo) was of a very high level and he's obviously playing well."<BR><BR>The other seeded winner Monday was (16) Thomas Johansson (d. F.Lopez), with two seeds upset in (10) Joachim Johansson (l. to (WC) Seppi) and (14) Nikolay Davydenko (l. to Verdasco). <BR><BR>Unseeded winners into the second round were Frenchmen Sebastien Grosjean (d. Carlsen) and the qualifier Gasquet (d. Srichaphan, bagel in the first), Spaniards Dave Ferrer (d. Saulnier), qualifier Nicolas Almagro (d. Andreev from a set down) and Costa (d. countryman Montanes), Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco (d. Soderling), Romanian qualifier Victor Hanescu (d. Melzer in three), Slovak Dominik Hrbaty (d. Mello), and Swiss qualifier Stanislas Wawrinka (d. Berdych). <BR><BR>On tap for Tuesday in Rome is (9) Guillermo "El Mago" Coria vs. Fernando "Gonzo" Gonzalez, Novak vs. (2) Safin, (5) Nadal vs. Youzhny, (7) Moya vs. (WC) "You Say" Potito Starace, Kiefer vs. Haas in an all-German, Fabrice "The Original Wizard" Santoro vs. (8) Nalbandian, Beck vs. (3) Gaudio, Volandri vs. El Aynaoui, Max "The Beast" Mirnyi vs. (WC) Sanguinetti, Llodra vs. Juan Ignacio "The Spitting Snake" Chela, Florian "Oscar" Mayer vs. Luis "Me So" Horna, (12) Ljubicic vs. Olivier "The Roach" Rochus, (LL) A.Martin vs. Rainer "Shine" Schuettler, (Q) Julien "United Colors of" Benneteau vs. (13) Robredo, (15) Stepanek vs. Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic, Pavel vs. (11) Canas, and Massu vs. (Q) Mathieu. <BR><BR><B>Seeded Sugiyama, Sprem Upset Monday at WTA Berlin<BR><BR></B>The seeded players went 0-2 on the opening day at the WTA stop in Berlin Monday, with China's Shuai Peng ousting No. 14 seed Ai Sugiyama in straight sets, and France's Virginie Razzano coming from a set down to defeat No. 16 Karolina Sprem 6-2 in the third.<BR><BR>Un-seeds into the second round were led by former slam champs Mary Pierce (d. Chakvetadze) and Conchita Martinez (d. (Q) Muller, bagel in the first).<BR><BR>Other unseeded players advancing were Venezuela's Maria Vento-Kabchi (d. Jidkova), Italy's Flavia Pennetta (d. (WC) Barna), Czechs Klara Koukalova (d. Marrero) and qualifier Kveta Peschke (d. (LL) Haynes), Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues (d. (Q) Panova), American Jill Craybas (d. (Q) Gehrlein from a set down), Bulgarian Maggie Maleeva (d. Douchevina), German Anna-Lena Groenefeld (d. Linetskaya), and Greece's Eleni Daniilidou (d. (Q) Bohmova from a set down, 7-6 in the third).<BR><BR>On court Tuesday in Berlin are Dulko vs. Hantuchova, Safina vs. Ivanovic, Clijsters vs. Fedak, Petrova vs. Koukalova, Peschke vs. Zvonareva, Chladkova vs. Schruff, Kloesel vs. Likhovtseva, Razzano vs. Craybas, Henin-Hardenne vs. Benesova, Randriantefy vs. Dechy, Shaughnessy vs. Prusova, Smashnova vs. Kostanic, Jankovic vs. Obziler, Zuluaga vs. Kirilenko, and Vento-Kabchi vs. Peng.<BR><BR>Waiting in the wings is Maria Sharapova, who received a first-round bye and can take No. 1 for the first time with the title in Berlin.<BR><BR>"I feel good on clay, it's a different game but it's fun," said Sharapova, who has never reached a WTA semifinal on the dirt, but knows her math. "It would be a big honor for me (to be No. 1). Of course, I am No. 2 and I know the next spot is No. 1. If it happens it is great. But I have time."<BR><BR><B>DAILY TENNIS-X E-NEWSLETTER<BR></B><I>Read what tennis industry insiders read each morning to get the latest news, insight and opinion on pro tennis. Get the Tennis-X Daily Dish in your e-mail in-box, even before it's posted on the web, by signing up for the net's most complete daily e-newsletter at <A href="http://www.tennis-x.com/subscribe.php" eudora="autourl">http://www.tennis-x.com/subscribe.php</A> <BR><BR></I><B>TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS<BR>Andy Roddick</B> entered the MS-Rome this week with 351 aces, two ahead of Sweden's <B>Joachim "The Jackhammer" Johansson</B>...<B>Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal </B>leads all players on tour in percentage of points won returning first serves, and on second serves, while he is No. 3 on tour in percentage of his own second-serve points won, behind <B>Roger Federer</B> and <B>Wayne Arthurs</B>...<B>Gael "Force" Monfils</B> won the Tunis Challenger last week, defeating <B>Fabrice "The Original Wizard" Santoro</B> 7-6 in the third in the all-French final, while Frenchman <B>Olivier "All We Need is Just a Little" Patience</B> won the Roma Challenger...Australian Open mixed doubles winner <B>Scott Draper</B> finishing tied for eighth last week at the South Australian PGA Championship: "Maybe by the US Open (in September) I could be retired from tennis and take up golf full-time. I certainly felt like I belonged and I felt like I had earned my spot. To finish Top 10 in any sort of PGA event was great."...After getting spanked in the Estoril semifinals by China's <B>Na Li</B>, <B>Dinara Safina</B> says she will be seeking out her old Russian coach who dumped her due to her lack of motivation: "Even before this tournament I was thinking of going back to my Russian coach...After the Australian Open, my Russian coach broke up with me because I wasn't listening to him. My agents offered me <B>Lars (Wahlgren)</B> and I said yes because I needed a coach...We are not working on what I need to improve. I need to work on my serve and my forehand and I need to work to improve but I'm not improving, I'm getting worse." You and <B>Marat</B> both, time to chip in for a shrink, get the family discount...<B>"Grinning" Greg Rusedski</B>, the beneficiary of a new contract with Dunlop, has yet to make it past the second round at a tour event through the first four months of 2005...What's up with <B>Andy Roddick</B> wearing the Reebok shoes with the new Lacoste gear? Doesn't The Alligator make tennis shows? Can't you paint an alligator on the Reeboks?...Hey <B>Lacoste</B>, time to update the website, get <B>Andy's</B> headshot in there among <B>Arnaud Clement</B> and company...<B>Pat Rafter</B> on fellow former No. 1 <B>Marcelo Rios</B>: "He was one guy you'd sort of be in an elevator of all places and say good day to and he'd just look at you. He was a strange cat."...<I>Fox Sports</I> reports that Nike and Bausch & Lomb have developed "performance enhancing" contacts called MaxSight, which are already becoming a hit amongst Major League Baseball players, and will be tried by <B>Roger Federer</B>. Like he needs them...<B>Jennifer Capriati</B> has committed to playing New Haven the week of Aug. 19...Worst headline Monday from <I>Fox Sports</I>: "American men will struggle on clay" Wow, thanks for the 411, what's tomorrows headline, "Spaniards real good on clay"?...<I>Ouch of the Day</I>: <B>Gene Scott</B>, publisher of <I>Tennis Week </I>magazine, on why <B>Andy Roddick</B> will always be limited: "He's a great kid, but in my opinion, he'll never learn to volley to the point where it's fun for him," Scott told <I>Fox Sports</I>. "He didn't learn it early. For <B>Pete Sampras</B> and the old Australians, it was part of their life -- like eating breakfast...His serve and forehand are tortured shots. His game isn't facile and fluid...(The question is) will he make it through (tournaments) without injuring himself? My worry is that he'll spend more time in the trainer's room than in the training room."<BR>
One loss to Gasquet and he decides he needs special contacts? 
