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  • هفته نخست رقابت*هاي تنيس باشگاه*هاي برتر ايران با صدرنشيني تيم البرز گاز كيش خاتمه يافت.

    در اين دوره از پيكارها كه با حضور هشت تيم برگزار مي*شود، تيم البرز گاز جمعه شب با نتيجه ‪ ۵‬بر صفر هيئت تنيس كرمانشاه را شكست داد و در صدر جدول رده بندي قرار گرفت.

    در ساير ديدارها، تيم گاز خوزستان در ورزشگاه شهيد كشوري تهران با نتيجه ‪ ۴‬بر يك مقابل تيم مزرعه گل خادم تهران به برتري رسيد و تيم شهيد پازوكي تهران با نتيجه ‪ ۳‬بر ‪ ۲‬از سد تيم نيك ورزش مشهد گذشت.

    بازي تيم*هاي سيمين سپاهان اصفهان و دانشگاه آزاد اسلامي به علت آماده نبودن قرارداد بازيكنان دانشگاه آزاد اسلامي به هفته آينده موكول شد.

    "اشكان شكوفي" تنيس باز صاحب نام ايران اخيرا به تيم دانشگاه آزاد اسلامي ملحق شده است تا با پيراهن اين تيم در ليگ برتر تنيس حضور يابد.

    Comment


    • A cheerleading coach at the prep school founded by tennis star Andre Agassi has been arrested in an undercover prostitution sting.

      Las Vegas police said Friday that 36-year-old Esperanza Brooks was arrested Wednesday night in a Las Vegas restaurant after agreeing to deliver three prostitutes and drugs to undercover detectives at a hotel-casino.

      Brooks was a cheerleading coach, but not a faculty member at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a charter school for at-risk students founded by Agassi in 2001, school spokesman Rob Powers said.

      Powers said the school learned of the arrest Friday and was cooperating with police.

      "Obviously, we're very concerned and the well-being of the students is our chief concern," Powers said, adding that Brooks passed a background check requested by the school.

      Police said they have no information indicating any of the school's 500 students were involved in prostitution. They said the investigation arose from a tip saying a cheerleading coach at the school also was a madam.

      Brooks, a woman believed to be her business partner, Rashena Rashel Kemp, and three other women were arrested in the sting, police said.

      Brooks was booked into Clark County jail and charged with 14 counts of prostitution-related charges. Kemp, 30, faces three counts of conspiracy to commit pandering and conspiracy to live off the earnings of a prostitute.

      Tiffany Alvord, Rachael Alexander and Rachel Wall, each believed to be prostitutes working for Brooks, were booked on one count of soliciting for the purpose of prostitution. Wall was charged with possession of cocaine, police said. None of the women were minors, police said.

      Agassi is not involved in the daily operations of the school, which is overseen by his Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation.

      Comment


      • Novak Djokovic received a tennis lesson courtesy of Rafael Nadal in the French Open semifinals.

        "From every match, I learn something new," said Djokovic, who lost Friday to Nadal, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2. "Especially this tournament -- it's one of the four biggest tournaments in tennis, and it brought me a lot of positive things. I can always learn something new out of the Grand Slam."

        The 20-year-old Serb, touted as a future champion because of his all-around game, reached the semifinals at a major event for the first time. He held his own against Nadal for a set, but the Spaniard's typically dogged play eventually deflated Djokovic.

        After Nadal made a mad dash to swat a running forehand winner and break for a 4-3 lead in the second set, Djokovic sat in his chair and crossed himself, as if in tribute to his opponent.

        Djokovic has climbed from 16th to sixth in the rankings since the start of the year, but he knows there's still a gap between him and the top two players -- No. 2 Nadal and No. 1 Roger Federer.

        "So far I did incredible results for my age," Djokovic said. "But I say what is realistic: They are the two best players in the world right now. On every surface, they are the biggest favorites to win the title. And I think everybody knows that.

        "But I will work hard to try to one day be best in the world."

        Djokovic led a Serb surge at Roland Garros. The nation had three Grand Slam semifinalists for the first time, with Ana Ivanovic playing in the women's final Saturday, and Jelena Jankovic also making the women's final four.

        DOUBLES CHAMPS

        Alicia Molik of Australia capped a comeback when she and Mara Santangelo of Italy won their first French Open doubles title Friday, beating Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama 7-6 (5), 6-4.

        Molik's other Grand Slam title came in doubles in the 2005 Australian Open with Svetlana Kuznetsova. Molik missed the first several months of 2006 with an inner ear infection.

        "It has obviously been a long journey for me, back from an injury," Molik said. "And it's moments like these that you really pinch yourself and realize why you put in those long hours of practice, and why you work so hard and diligently.

        "So I think it's a great achievement for both of us."

        Molik and Santangelo were seeded 17th.

        THREE'S ENOUGH

        Three-time French Open champion Justine Henin says three sets for women are enough.

        Men play best-of-five sets at Grand Slam events, and women play best-of-three.

        "I think women's tennis is good like it is now," Henin said. "And physically, you know, we're not maybe that strong. It will be also tough. And I'm not quite sure it would be good for tennis. You wouldn't see a very good level in a very long match."

        LAST OF THE AMERICANS

        Two Americans have reached French Open finals -- both in junior doubles.

        Kellen Damico of the United States and Jonathan Eysseric of France will play for the boys' doubles title. Alexa Glatch of the United States and Sorana Cirstea of Romania are in the girls' doubles finals.

        In the main draw, American men went 0-for-9 -- the first time in at least 40 years that no U.S. men reached the second round at Roland Garros. The last American woman, Serena Williams, lost in the quarterfinals.

        Comment


        • Justine Henin sat in her chair during a changeover, opened an envelope and pulled out a note from her coach bearing the word "Allez" -- French for "Let's go."

          When it comes to the French Open, Henin is fluent.

          The Belgian claimed her third consecutive Roland Garros title and fourth overall Saturday, taking advantage of 19-year-old Ana Ivanovic's nervous play to win 6-1, 6-2.

          Henin closed out the victory with a forehand volley, then flipped away her racket, buried her head in her hands, leaned on the net and exhaled.

          "It's surreal to win for the third time in a row," Henin said. "I am struggling to take it in."

          She became the first woman since Monica Seles in 1990-92 to win three consecutive Roland Garros titles, and only the second since 1937.

          "Justine is really at home here," said her brother, Thomas. "This is really her home terrain."

          Henin, whose mother died in 1994, only recently re-established a connection with her estranged father and siblings. Her sister and two brothers attended the match, and she said she talks daily with her father, who watched on TV.

          "It has been a huge step in my life in the last few months, and I was glad I could give them this victory, because everyone suffered a lot from the situation in the last few years," Henin said. "And today, finally, we are united in this joy and we can share this moment, and it's great. And I feel so happy that I can offer that to them."

          Henin's camp also includes her longtime coach, Carlos Rodriguez. He said she opened two notes suggesting tactics and offering encouragement during the match, and another note when it ended.

          "What I'm saying with the note is, 'This is what you have done to get to this stage. Now continue,"' Rodriguez said. "It's simple."

          Ivanovic, a Serb playing in her first Grand Slam final, started well before her play deteriorated. The first sign of trouble came when she awkwardly hit a serve 10 feet long, prompting groans from the crowd. She double-faulted to fall behind 3-1, and the mistakes came in flurries after that.

          Ivanovic struggled in particular with her serve.

          "All of a sudden I started getting nervous, and my ball toss was going everywhere," she said. "I didn't think about moving well or where I should play, and she could use that. ...

          "I was thinking more about the occasion than about my game. That's what I was afraid of."

          Ivanovic committed 26 unforced errors to 13 for Henin and double-faulted five times.

          On Sunday, top-ranked Roger Federer will bid for the only Grand Slam championship to elude him when he plays Rafael Nadal, who will try to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81 to win three consecutive French Open titles.

          Federer is seeking his fourth consecutive major title, something last accomplished by Rod Laver in 1969.

          The women's final was tight at the start. Henin trailed in each of the first four games, which took 24 minutes, but after taking a 3-1 lead she won 18 of the next 22 points.

          "She gave me a lot of points," Henin said, "and I just had to be very solid."

          Pumping her fist after nearly every point she won, Henin kept up the pressure in the second set with her vast repertoire, which ranged from delicate backhands to overhead smashes.

          Ivanovic never overcame her nerves, framing consecutive shots during one rally in the final game. Henin aggressively closed out the victory two points later, belting a forehand into the corner and charging forward to finish off the tournament with a volley.

          "She didn't give me much of a window," Ivanovic said. "She has been there before and has won Grand Slams. She knew how to deal with the nerves, and for me obviously it was the first time.

          "I guess I can use this as experience. Next time in that situation, I'll probably know how to deal with it better."

          Henin won the French Open for the first time in 2003 and now has six Grand Slam titles, moving ahead of Venus Williams and Martina Hingis. Among active women she trails only Serena Williams, who has won eight.

          Henin beat Serena Williams this week in the quarterfinals.

          She has won all four of her French Open finals in straight sets, never losing more than eight games. She has reached the final of the past five majors she has played, but she missed this year's Australian Open because she was separating from her husband.

          "I had some very tough times at the start of the year," she said. "I hung in there these last few months. And now I've found an immense pleasure on the court once more."

          Henin extended her Open era record winning streak of 35 consecutive sets at Roland Garros. She became the first top-seeded woman to win the title since Steffi Graf in 1996.

          The Belgian became the fifth woman since 1925 to win the French four times. Chris Evert leads with seven titles.

          The next challenge for Henin: winning her first Wimbledon title next month to complete a career Grand Slam.

          "We are going to enjoy this as much as possible," Rodriguez said. "But in a few days, we're going to be back to work."

          Henin won $1.34 million, equal to the men's champion. Ivanovic, the first player to represent Serbia in a major final, received $670,000.

          Comment


          • تنيسورهاي البرز گاز كيش در صدر


            هفته اول ليگ برتر تنيس ايران با صدرنشيني تيم البرز گاز كيش همراه بود.



            در ديدار نخست اين هفته تيم مزرعه گل خادم با نتيجه چهار بر يك مغلوب تيم تازه شكل گرفته گاز خوزستان شد.

            در ادامه هيئت تنيس كرمانشاه پنج بر صفر مقابل مهمان خود البرز گاز كيش تن به شكست داد.

            در سومين و آخرين بازي اين هفته شهيد پازوكي در زمين خود سه بر دو از سد نيك ورزش مشهد گذشت.

            با توجه به نتايج به دست آمده تيم هاي البرز گاز كيش، گاز خوزستان و شهيد پازوكي به ترتيب در رده هاي اول تا سوم جدول رده بندي قرار گرفتند.

            رقابت تيم هاي دانشگاه آزاد و سيمين سپاهان به دليل عدم تكميل قرارداد نفرات دانشگاه به هفته بعد موكول شد
            .
            نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران


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            • در ديدار نهايي اوپن پاريس

              فدرر: درس خوبي به نادال مي*دهم



              تنيسور سوئيسي در آستانه ديدار نهايي روز يكشنبه مقابل رافائل نادال گفت: بايد درس خوبي به اين اسپانيايي بدهم.



              به نقل از يورو اسپورت، راجر فدرر گفت: بعد از مسابقات هامبورگ بدون مربي بازي كرده*ام. اينگونه خيلي راحت شدم.

              وي ادامه داد: با تمام وجودم مقابل نادال بازي مي كنم. تا كنون قهرماني در پاريس را تجربه نكرده ام. قصد دارم هر طور شده، به اين مهم دست پيدا كنم.

              فدرر عنوان كرد: بازي نادال را مي*شناسم. مطبوعات از من خواسته*اند بگويم او مثل برادرم است تا جنجال از بين برود؛ ولي واقعيت اين است كه او مثل برادر من نيست. بايد درس خوبي به اين اسپانيايي بدهم.

              وي اظهار داشت: نادال فراموش كرده بهترين تنيسور جهان هستم. هر چه تلاش *كند، نمي*تواند به من برسد. كسب اين افتخارات در فدراسيون تنيس جهاني اتفاقي نيست و روش خاص خودش را دارد.
              ديدار نهايي تنيس آزاد پاريس فردا برگزار مي*شود.
              نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران


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              • با غلبه بر ايوانكوويچ

                هنين براي سومين بار قهرمان پاريس شد


                زن شماره يك تنيس حرفه*اي جهان با غلبه بر آنا ايوانكوويچ، براي سومين بار فاتح پاريس شد.



                به نقل از يورو اسپرت، جاستين هنين كه منتظر بود در يك فينال انتقامي با ماريا شاراپوآ ديدار كند، با نتايج 6 بر 2 و 6 بر يك قاطعانه از سد ايوانوويچ گذشت و به سومين قهرماني ارزشمند خود در جايزه بزرگ پاريس دست پيدا كرد.

                وي به توصيه راجر فدرر، همتاي خود در تنيس حرفه*اي مردان، نيمي از مبلغ 5/3 ميليون پوندي جايزه خود را به كودكان بيمارستان سرطاني و عقب*افتاده مركز پاريس هديه كرد.

                او گفت: وقتي يك دختر كوچك بودم، هيچوقت نمي*دانستم روزي به چنين جايگاهي مي رسم. پس ثروت خود را به دخترهاي كوچكي هديه مي*كنم كه نمي دانند فردا زنده هستند يا خير.
                نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران


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                • Ana Ivanovic's shaky nerves left her frustrated and angry and unable to keep up with Justine Henin in the French Open final.

                  "I guess I can use this as experience," said the 19-year-old Ivanovic, a first-time Grand Slam finalist. "And next time I'll be in that situation, I will probably know how to deal with it better."

                  Ivanovic lost 6-1, 6-2 Saturday. She started well but was hit by the yips serving at 1-0, 40-love.

                  Her ball toss became erratic, and she hit a serve 10 feet long, prompting groans from the crowd. She double-faulted to fall behind 3-1, and a flurry of errors followed, with many shots sailing several feet long as she lost eight games in a row.

                  "I all of a sudden started feeling nervous, and my ball toss was going everywhere," Ivanovic said. "I couldn't really control it. So I start to think more about that instead of my game. ... I was a little bit angry with myself, because I knew I could perform better. It was frustrating for me to see that happening, because I was expecting a good match, and tough match, and I was really hoping it could be much closer."

                  The match lasted only 65 minutes. Ivanovic committed 26 unforced errors, twice Henin's total, and double-faulted five times.

                  Ivanovic had the consolation of becoming the first player to represent Serbia in a major final. She defeated No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the semifinals.

                  "I had an amazing two weeks here, and I played some really good tennis," Ivanovic said. "I beat a few top players, so that gave me a lot of confidence."

                  DOUBLE TROUBLE

                  Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor finally won the French Open men's doubles title, and now they need a win at Wimbledon to complete a career Grand Slam.

                  The No. 6-seeded Knowles and Nestor beat No. 9 Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 Saturday.

                  Runners-up at Roland Garros in 2002, Knowles and Nestor added a third major to their titles from the 2002 Australian Open and 2004 U.S. Open.

                  "Our whole career we've strived to win the French Open, Wimbledon -- all the Grand Slams," Nestor said. "We've got three out of four, and there's no reason why we can't get four out of four at Wimbledon. We're playing great."

                  Knowles collapsed to the court on his back following match point and rose covered in clay to hug Nestor.

                  The 35-year-old Knowles, from the Bahamas, has won 45 doubles titles in his career. The 34-year-old Nestor, who is Canadian, has 47.

                  A U.S. WIN

                  The United States averted a shutout at the French Open thanks to a familiar name: John McEnroe.

                  He and Anders Jarryd of Sweden won the over-45 doubles title Saturday by beating Peter McNamara of Australia and Victor Pecci of Paraguay, 6-1, 6-3.

                  The other remaining U.S. players competing at Roland Garros -- both in junior doubles -- lost in finals.

                  No. 2-seeded Kellen Damico of the United States and Jonathan Eysseric of France were beaten on the boys' side by unseeded Thomas Fabbiano of Italy and Andrei Karatchenia of Belarus, 6-4, 6-0.

                  Unseeded Alexa Glatch of the United States and Sorana Cirstea of Romania lost in the girls' final to No. 3 Ksenia Milevskaya of Belarus and Urszula Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-4.

                  LONDON BEATS PARIS

                  Still seeking his first French Open title, Roger Federer prefers the atmosphere at Wimbledon to Roland Garros.

                  "Here, sometimes, the problem is that the VIPs only come for one or two matches a day," Federer said Saturday. "Center court in Wimbledon is always full."

                  The Philippe Chatrier center court at Roland Garros was only half full when Federer's semifinal match began Friday.

                  "That's the problem, because the VIPs take all the seats around the court." Federer said. "I'm not saying here is not good, but you have to hope the VIPs come as well, or the sponsors."

                  JUSTINE ON TOP

                  French Open champion Justine Henin will remain No. 1 in next week's WTA Tour rankings, a position she has held for 68 weeks over four different stints.

                  On Saturday, Henin won her third consecutive French Open title, her fourth overall and her sixth Grand Slam title by beating Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2.

                  Maria Sharapova, who lost to Ivanovic in the semifinals, will remain No. 2 next week. Jelena Jankovic, beaten by Henin in the semifinals, will climb to No. 3 -- the highest ranking ever for a Serb.

                  Ivanovic climbs one spot to No. 6.

                  "I have ambitions to win Grand Slams and reach No. 1," the 19-year-old Serb said.

                  Associated Press Writer Jenny Barchfield in Paris contributed to this report.

                  Comment


                  • Roger Federer's bid to complete a career Grand Slam was foiled again Sunday by nemesis Rafael Nadal at the French Open.

                    Nadal earned his third Roland Garros title in a row, saving 16 of 17 break points to beat Federer 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

                    "I am very happy," Nadal said during the trophy ceremony. "But I am really sad for Roger. He is a friend and I know he is a great champion, whether he wins or loses."

                    For the third consecutive year in Paris, the top-ranked Federer sought to become the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam events. Nadal defeated him in the semifinals in 2005 and in the final last year.

                    "Of course I'm a bit sad, a bit disappointed," Federer said. "I hope to one day win it."

                    The latest loss also spoiled Federer's bid to win a fourth consecutive major title, something last done by Rod Laver in 1969.

                    With a sequence of brilliant shots, Federer won many of the highlight-reel rallies, but squandered chances doomed him. He failed to convert his first 11 break-point chances, putting pressure on his own serve by repeatedly allowing Nadal to hold.

                    While losing serve only once, Nadal broke four times in 10 chances. He had 27 unforced errors to 59 for Federer.

                    Rooting for history, the crowd was pro-Federer and occasionally chanted "Ro-ger! Ro-ger!" But when Federer's final shot landed long, fans roared for Nadal as he collapsed on his back to the clay in jubilation.

                    "It's a dream for me," Nadal said. "I worked very hard to be the best."

                    For Federer, the story was all too familiar: Since the beginning of 2005, he's 4-7 against Nadal and 199-7 against everyone else. He fell to 1-6 lifetime against Nadal on clay.

                    The second-ranked Nadal made a little history of his own, becoming the second man since 1914 to win the tournament three consecutive times, and the first since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81. Still only 21, Nadal improved to 21-0 at Roland Garros and 34-0 in best-of-five-set matches on clay.

                    On the warmest day of the tournament, spectators in the sun were fanning themselves from the outset, and both players began to look weary in the pivotal third set. But the dogged Nadal kept chasing down shots all over the court, sprinting after one drop shot and flicking a winner nearly three hours into the match.

                    Nadal relentlessly probed his opponent's weaker side, sometimes forcing Federer to hit half a dozen backhands in a rally. But Federer's usually formidable forehand may have hurt him more -- the shot misfired several times on potential put-aways and sailed long.

                    "I could not do what I wanted to do from the back of the court," Federer said. "I was always trailing. It was not easy."

                    Federer repeatedly had chances to take command. In the first set Nadal fell behind on his serve 15-40 twice and love-40 once, but each time the Spaniard rallied to hold.

                    Federer took a 3-2 lead but became dispirited when he failed to convert five break points in the next game, and Nadal won five consecutive games.

                    Federer broke for the only time to go ahead 4-3 lead in the second set. Even then he needed five set-point opportunities before he closed out the set to pull even.

                    It was the only set Nadal lost in the tournament, and he bounced back quickly, breaking in the second game of the third set en route to a 3-0 lead. Nadal broke again for a 2-1 lead in the fourth set when Federer dumped a weary shot in the net, and the Spaniard never wavered from there.

                    In the final two sets, Nadal faced only one break point, saving it with a big forehand.

                    He won $1.34 million, while Federer received $670,000 -- small consolation for a player who has dominated the other major events, winning Wimbledon four times and the U.S. Open and Australian Open three times each, all since 2003.

                    Comment



                    • با غلبه بر فدرر

                      نادال قهرمان تنيس فرانسه شد


                      رافائل نادال اسپانيايي سومين جام قهرماني در اوپن فرانسه را با غلبه بر راجر فدرر سوئيسي، بالاي سر برد.



                      به نقل از رويترز، وي كه پيش از اين 3 بار فدرر را شكست داده بود، سعي داشت انتقام شكست در هامبورگ را از وي بگيرد.

                      تنيسور سوئيسي كه تلاش مي*كرد براي اولين بار تنها جام نگرفته خود را تصاحب كند، در حسرت آن ماند؛ اما در رنگينك جهاني و با وجود اين همه افتخارات كوچك و بزرگ، فدرر همچنان در صدر ايستاد و نادال در رتبه دوم قرار گرفته است.

                      نادال در ست نخست با پيروزي 6 بر 3، لرزه بر اندام همتاي سوئيس خود انداخت؛ ولي 6 بر 4 شكست خورد. كار به ست چهارم كشيد تا نادال دومين تنيسوري باشد كه تاكنون 3 بار اوپن فرانسه را بالاي سر برده است.

                      رافائل نادال گفت: خيلي خوشحالم؛ اما براي فدرر بسيار ناراحتم. او دوست خوب من است و اميدوارم اين شكست در روحيه او تاثيري نگذاشته باشد.

                      نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران


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                      • رنكينگ جهاني تنيس در ويمبلدون تغيير مي*كند


                        فدراسيون جهاني تنيس قصد دارد رنگينگ جهاني اين رشته را بر طبق نتايج كسب شده در پاريس و ويمبلدون تغيير دهد.



                        به نقل از يورواسپرت، پس از قهرماني رافائل نادال، تنيسور اسپانيايي و شكست فدرر سوئيسي، اين فدراسيون تصميم گرفت رنكينگ جهاني را تغيير دهد.

                        بر اين اساس احتمال سقوط راجر فدرر از جمع 10تنيسور مطرح جهان، در صورت حذف در مرحله اول جدي است. اگر نادال فقط به مرحله دوم هم برسد، به رتبه نخست رنكينگ دست پيدا خواهد كرد.

                        طبق دستور فدراسيون جهاني، جدول زنان بر اساس رقابت*هاي ويمبلدون تغييري نخواهد داشت و جاستين هنين، همچنان در صدر جدول خواهد بود.
                        نه غزه نه لبنان جانم فدای ایران


                        صادق هدايت؛ بوف کور

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                        • Anastasia Myskina and Paradorn Srichaphan withdrew from Wimbledon on Tuesday because of injuries.

                          Myskina, the 2004 French Open champion, has lost seven straight matches since injuring a toe on her left foot in August. She missed the Australian Open after surgery on her toe, and lost in the first round at the French Open.

                          Jie Zheng of China and Romina Oprandi of Italy also withdrew with injuries.

                          The three women will be replaced by Catalina Castano of Colombia, Melinda Czink of Hungary and Anna Smashnova of Israel.

                          Paradorn withdrew because of a right wrist injury that may require surgery. He also withdrew from the French Open and lost in the first round of the Australian Open.

                          The Thai player was replaced by Davide Sanguinetti of Italy.

                          Wimbledon starts June 25.

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                          • Despite being hit in the eye by a serve, Nikolay Davydenko defeated Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-2 Tuesday in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open.

                            The third-ranked Russian, the top-seeded player after Roger Federer's withdrawal, was leading 5-2 in the final set when Melzer's serve bounced into his left eye. Davydenko's eye swelled slightly as he finished the match.

                            "If my eye gets swollen and blue, I have to seriously consider if I can play," said Davydenko, who lost to Federer in the French Open semifinals last week. "I want to be 100 percent OK with my eye to play."

                            Davydenko, who lost in his last two Halle appearances in 2003 and 2004, adjusted the tension on his racket strings in the middle of the match.

                            "I was surprised that I was getting better control after the racket change, and think I now have a good chance to win some more matches on grass," the Russian said.

                            In other matches, qualifier Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi upset fifth-seeded Richard Gasquet of France 7-6 (, 6-4.

                            Andrei Pavel of Romania advanced by beating Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-3, 7-6 (5), Florian Mayer of Germany defeated Michael Kohlmann of Germany 7-6 (4), 7-5, and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland beat Kristof Vliegen of Belgium 6-3, 6-1.

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                            • Guillermo Coria, once the No. 3-ranked tennis player in the world, is suing a New Jersey supplement manufacturer, claiming its steroid-contaminated vitamins led to a positive drug test and a suspension that cost him millions.

                              In a trial set to begin Monday in New Jersey Superior Court in New Brunswick, N.J., Coria will seek to clear his name and will ask a jury to award him in excess of $10 million for lost prize money and endorsements, his lawyers said.

                              "Guillermo was suspended at the time when he was rising to the top of the world in tennis ... when he was really most valuable," attorney Will Nystrom said Tuesday.

                              He said Coria was 19 when he was suspended in July 2001 after he had a positive urine test for steroids while playing at a tournament in Barcelona, Spain.

                              Nystrom said the only supplement Coria was taking then was a multivitamin made by Universal Nutrition of New Brunswick.

                              The Argentine player's family had the multivitamins tested by a lab, which found them to be contaminated with steroids. That led the governing authority for men's tennis, the Association of Tennis Professionals, to reduce his suspension from two years to the seven months that had already passed.

                              Coria then had to battle back in the rankings.

                              "He grew up in a village in Argentina. He was named after (tennis great) Guillermo Villas. His father was a tennis coach and he's been playing tennis all his life," Nystrom said.

                              Now 25, Coria worked his way back up in the sport and was ranked in the Top 10 in 2003, 2004 and 2005, his lawyer said. Injuries have since kept Coria out of the Top 100, and he didn't play in the just-concluded French Open.

                              Since the lawsuit was filed in 2003, Universal Nutrition has admitted in court that it made steroid-containing products and multivitamins on the same machines on the same day at its factory, Nystrom said.

                              A spokesman for Universal Nutrition did not immediately return calls seeking comment. The company also does business under the name Universal Protein Supplement Corp., according to Coria's lawyers.

                              As a result of his suspension, his lawyer said Coria lost bonuses he could have earned based on his ranking and tournament performances under endorsement contracts he had with Prince, a maker of tennis rackets, and Adidas, the sneaker and apparel manufacturer.

                              Nystrom said Coria also missed out on endorsements from companies outside the sports world, including ones that pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to have tennis players wear patches with corporate logos on their shirts.

                              Coria, who is from Venado Tuerto, about 200 miles west of Buenos Aires, plans to attend the trial with his wife and parents. It should last about 10 days.

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                              • Andy Roddick lost only four points on his serve Tuesday, beating Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the third round of the Queen's Club grass-court championships.

                                The American has lost just one match in his past four appearances at the Wimbledon warm-up event, winning three straight titles before losing to James Blake in the 2006 semifinals.

                                "That felt really good out there today," Roddick said. "Looking at the draw, there's probably him and Ivo Karlovic as the two guys you don't want to see in the first round."

                                Roddick served 12 aces and converted his only break-point opportunity in the opening set to lead 4-3 after a backhand error by Stepanek.

                                In the second set, Roddick again set up break point at 3-3 with a forehand pass, but slipped when Stepanek wrong-footed him with a volley at the net. Roddick eventually broke at 4-4 when Stepanek made two straight backhand errors.

                                Stepanek twice wanted to challenge a point, but the electronic line-calling system being used on grass for the first time -- Hawk-Eye -- was unavailable because of a power problem.

                                Roddick had no sympathy for his opponent's frustration.

                                "It's a machine," he said. "Machines break, right? If it's working, you use it. If it's not, tough stuff."

                                In the first round, Karlovic beat ninth-seeded Mardy Fish of the United States 6-3, 6-4 behind 19 aces.

                                Croatian wild card Marin Cilic defeated Tim Henman of Britain 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4 for his first ATP Tour victory since July 2006. Henman has won only once on the tour this year.

                                Also, Sebastien Grosjean of France beat Michael Berrer of Germany 6-4, 6-2, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France beat Kristian Pless of Denmark 7-6 (2), 6-0.

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