Luxilon on Tour

The unknown Roger Federer

Saturday, May 31st, 2008

I think it’s about time I gave the most famous of our users a little mention. I get so used to him just cruising through the draws that I just get into the habit of not paying too much attention to his almost inevitable victories. “Oh, Roger won today? So what else is new?” Somehow his success gets to be expected rather than cause any great excitement. We only pay attention when we are shocked by a loss. Something like the World Trade Center. We look up to it when we first come face to face with it - but if we see it every day we cease to be amazed and just expect it to be there towering above everything around it tomorrow and the day after that and…. It’s only when it isn’t that we are stunned into attention.

But it seems that Roger (Alu Power Rough and Wilson Natural Gut) is becoming aware of the lack of recognition and is taking matters into his own hands.

As well as putting his initials on his shoes and clothing, he is now getting the word out by way of a little extra publicity on his racquets.

Good on yer, Rog, you’re an agent’s and sponsor’s dream!

By the way, he won today against Mario Ancic of Croatia 6-3 6-4 6-2. But you had assumed that already, hadn’t you…?

David Ferrer of Spain had to work a little harder than Roger today to earn a win over Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. It took 5 sets and a comeback from 2 sets to 1 down to overcome the feisty little Ozzie 6-2 3-6 3-6 6-3 6-4.

But it was Katerina Srebotnik of Slovenia (Alu Power 125) who caused the upset of the tournament so far by ending Serena William’s hopes of taking the title with a convincing straight sets win - 6-4 6-4 over teh 5th seeded player. Seeded 27, she was not given much of a chance to win but played a brilliant match and throughly deserved her victory. She will meet Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in the 4th round.

Unseeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia (Alu Power 125) also earned her place in the 4th round with an ‘against-the-odds’ win over the 29th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain. She won the first set 6-1 but narrowly missed taking the match in straight sets as a result of losing a tie-break 7-6(5). She kept her composure to win the 3rd set 7-5 for the chance to play Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in the 4th round.

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Luxilon beats the rain

Friday, May 30th, 2008

Players using Luxilon over the past couple of days have certainly had an edge over the competition. Luxilon strings are totally impervious to direct rain and moisture as well as the variations in temperature and humidity that have been a feature of Paris weather this week.

Flavia Pennetta of Italy (Alu Power 125) had a solid win over Tatiana Perebiynis of the Ukraine 6-3 6-2 to advance to the 2nd round.

Dmitry Tursunov of Russia (Ace and Supersense) beat Daniel Brands of Germany without dropping a set: 6-2 6-4 7-5. He will play Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain in the 2nd round.

Anna Chakvetadze of Russia (Alu Power 125) advanced to the 2nd round with a win over Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain who has struggled to recover from an injury 18 months ago but is now back to her best form. Anna is the 6th seed in this tournament and in spite of losing a close 2nd set, dominated in the third to take the match 6-3 5-7 6-1.

Bethanie Mattek of the USA (Alu Power Rough) had a tough win over countrywoman Madison Brengle 6-3 2-6 6-4.

David Ferrer of Spain (Original 130) seeded 5 in this event, beat Steve Darcis of Belgium (Alu Power 125) in straight sets, 6-3 6-4 6-4 to advance to the 2nd round.

Alisa Kleybanova of Russia (Alu Power 125) did not allow her opponent Tamarine Tanasugarn any chance in their 1st round match and closed it out in just over 1 hour with a score of 6-3 6-0.

Olga Govortsova of Belarus (Alu Power 125) beat Yuliana Fedak of the Ukraine 7-5 2-6 6-3. She will play Ai Sugiyama of Japan in the 2nd round.

Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea of Romania (Alu Power 125) earned her place in the 2nd round after Anne Kremer of Luxembourg retired in the 2nd set after failing to win a game. The final score: 6-0 3-0.

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Rainy days and Mondays…

Monday, May 26th, 2008

If you are you old enough to remember ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’ always getting the Carpenters down, you will appreciate just how miserable Rainy Mondays are..!

And so it was at Roland Garros today.

Even though the quality of photo images taken in gloom and drizzle are spectacularly dismal, the tennis can still be spectacular thanks to clay’s natural ability to soak up wetness and allow play to continue - it least as long as it doesn’t get as heavy as it did later on in the day when all play was suspended and our soggy photographer was finally able to calll it a day.

But, Simone Bolelli of Italy (Original 130) had a good day. He beat local hero and 17th seed Marcos Baghdatis in straight, convincing, sets 6-2 6-4 6-2.

And Michael Llodra of France (Alu Power 125) was also not doing any complaining - he beat countryman Olivier Patience 3-6 7-6(1) 6-3 7-5.

Finally, top seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland (Alu Power 125 Rough/Wlson Natural Gut) survived his first challenge of the event in the form of the highly-regarded Sam Querrey of the United States. The score was 6-4 6-4 6-3.

We are hoping for a little more sunshine tomorrow.

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A day of hope and regret as a newcomer beats the odds and a legend plays his last match.

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Schwank is not a name that many tennis buffs have heard of. But today, Eduardo Schwank of Argentina (Alu Power 125) let the crowds and the media know that he had arrived. After 2 minutes short of 4 hours and a gruelling 5-set match, he defeated clay court expert and 16th seed, Carlos Moya (full name Carlos Moya Llompart for all you trivia lovers) of Spain 7-6(4) 6-2 6-7(1) 4-6 6-3.

Eduardo had to qualify for the main draw of the event and had already played 3 tough matches to earn his place in the first round. And this was his first ever 5-set match in a competitive event. Not surprisingly, he was feeling the pain - and had to call the trainer at 5-3 in the 5th set because of worsening cramps…

…but he managed to battle on for one final game to take the match.

I think he was quite pleased…

Eduardo was not expected to make much impression on the experienced Moya - a former French Open champion and world number one. Qualifiers are not expected to do this well. To see a 2-0 set lead leveled at 2-2 and to come back and win the match takes real mental courage. Eduardo showed both his ability and determination on the court today - even if he did have to step on a few toes in the process!

Eduardo was very nearly not able to play in the event - or in any event, ever - after a fire started in his hotel in Bordeaux, France where he was playing a Challenger just 2 weeks ago. He escaped but the fire wrecked the hotel and Eduardo was left with 2 racquets that he had taken to be strung, a pair of shoes and shorts and a t-shirt. He even lost his prize money from his last event in Rome. He had to borrow clothes from some friends to continue the event - which he won to earn a much needed 12,000 euros - with which to replace his clothes, laptop and tennis equipment. He also lost his passport in the blaze - but is in no hurry to leave Paris after today’s win!

It was also a good day for three women who made it through the qualifying rounds and won their first round main draw matches today:

Selima Sfar of Tunisia (Alu Power 125/Timo 110) beat Stephanie Dubois of Canada (Alu Touch) 7-5 6-2.

Anastasya Yakimova of Belarus (Alu Power 125) beat Su-Wei Hsieh of Taipei in a very tight 3-setter 6-7(4) 7-5 6-4.

And Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic (Alu Power 125) had a very good win against 15th seeded Nicole Vaidisova also of the Czech Republic 7-6(2) 6-1 (Radek Stepanek is becoming the ‘kiss of death’ for his fiancees! See yesterdays post…). Sorry, no picture… Manuela, our photographer at the French Open and my dear wife, thinks I am getting to be far too interested in seeing pictures of Iveta..! I have tried to explain that it is strictly for professional reasons but…

So, quickly to a male player…. Not wishing to be outdone by his countryman Eduardo Schwank, Juan Martin Del Potro, also kept the Argentinian flag flying and advanced to the second round after beating Josselin Ouanna of France 6-3 6-2 6-3

And now I can return to the women…. Mathilde Johansson of France (Alu Power 125) also won against her countrywoman Camille Pin (Alu Power 125) in 3 sets 6-4 4-6 6-2.

Klara Zakopalova (formerly Koukalova - which I can remember a lot better…) of the Czech Republic (Alu Power 125) was another winner in 3 sets today over Virginie Razzano of France 4-6 6-3 6-2

But the most poignant moment of the day - and probably of the tournament - was the final match of the career of Gustavo Kuerten of Brasil (Alu Power 125 Ice Blue). Guga holds a special place in the hearts of tennis fans - not only because of the skill and exuberance that he has always displayed on the court but because he is just a truly ‘nice’ person (not a word I use very often - especially in respect of professional tennis players…). He also holds a very special place in the history of Luxilon! It was his totally unexpected win at the French Open of 1998 and his excitement at the string that he credited with his ability to win the event that really brought Luxilon to prominence on the professional circuit where it quickly became the string of choice for a great many players - and remains by far the most popular string on the pro tour today (see our report of player stringing at the 2007 US Open and the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.)

Guga lost his match today to Paul-Henri Matthieu of France. Paul-Henri showed considerable class by refusing to come out onto the court after his win for a celebratory acknowledgment of his victory before a cheering crowd. Instead he left the arena to his opponent and quietly left the stadium.

It was not an unexpected loss. Guga has been suffering significant pain from a hip condition since his third French Open triumph in 2001. Rest and finally surgery did not result in a cure and his mobility and his game suffered. But the crowd was not about to let him leave his favorite place in the world of tennis without chanting his name and waving Brazilian flags throughout the match and wildly applauding when he was presented with a special award after the match - a cross-section of the Roland Garros ‘Terre Battu’ by Christian Bimes - President of the French Tennis Federation.

But in spite of his obvious pain and restricted movement, Guga still managed to show some flashes of his former brilliance - bringing applause from the crowd and a smile of satisfaction to his face. And that is how we will remember him - running down every ball and returning shots for winners that lesser players would have watched go by…

… never giving up on a point and, above all, treating us to that warm, genuine smile of pure pleasure that reflected his joy to be playing the game that he loves. A smile that appeared both in victory and in defeat.

Guga, you have been a great ambassador for our strings and for the game. We at Luxilon wish you a happy, rewarding and well-deserved retirement…

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Final round of French Open Qualifying - and the winners are…

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

Today was the deciding round of quallies - when the best of the bunch gain a coveted place in the main draw of the French Open for a chance for a little cash, maybe a little glory and a lot of those all-important ranking points….

Bethany Mattek of the USA (Alu Power 125 Rough) rallied after losing the second set to Oxana Lyhubtsova of the Ukraine to take the third set 6-1 and earn her place in the main draw - where she will meet countrywoman Madison Brengle.

In spite of suffering a bad fall midway through the match, Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus (Alu Power 125) won her match in straight sets despite a determined challenge from her opponent Julia Geoerges of Germany. The final score was 6-4 6-3. SHe will meet Su-Wei Hsieh of Taipei in the first round of the main draw.

Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic (Alu Power 125) delighted her fans by winning her match against Sandra Martinovic of Bosnia Herzogovina. Despite losing the first set 7-5, she came back to win the second and third sets decisively 6-1 6-1 to take the match. In the first round of the main draw, she will meet Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic - the current girlfriend of Radek Stepanek (also of the Czech Republic) who was engaged to Martina Hingis for a while last year. Thought you might like a little gossip….
Other Luxilon players also earning a place in the main draw were:

Selima Sfar of Tunisia (Alu Power 125/Timo 11) - plays Stephanie Dubois of Canada
Roko Karanusic of Croatia (Alu Power 125) - plays Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina
Paul Capdeville of Chile (Alu Power 125) - plays Mischa Zverev of Germany

Roger Federer (Alu Power 125 Rough/Wilson Natural Gut) opens his challenge for the French Open trophy tomorrow with a match against Sam Querrey of the USA. He is seeded 1 in the event.

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It’s Quallie time at the French Open

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

The Quallies (rounds of the qualifying event) are those boring matches that occur before the real event begins and that are hidden away in unused corners of the grounds to give novice umpires a chance to learn the ropes and a few successful novice, no-name players a chance to gain a place in the real event.

At least, that’s the view of the uninformed or uneducated who, as a result, miss the opportunity of watching some first-class, exciting tennis between some of the best players in the world playing their life out to earn one of the few spots available into the main draw - reserved for the very best of the very best.

And it’s usually just a few dollars, euros or pounds to get in - and often free. And you get to see players ranked around 100 in the world who play a game of tennis that is indistinguishable from practically any of the competitors in the main draw. This is where all of the up-and-coming stars of the game earn their place in the top ranks of the sport. And you can be sure that these young men and women will be leaving their hearts and intestines out there on the courts. Their whole future career is hanging on how well they do in quallies. They will either break into the highest level of the sport or sink quickly into obscurity.

That’s what’s at stake and that’s why anyone who enjoys a great game of tennis should be out there soaking it up.

So, for those of you who know your tennis, and for those that want to, here are a few highlights of the day’s quallies - and the opportunity to meet a few upcoming Luxilon stars:

Kristina Barrois of Germany (Alu Power 125) came out on top against fellow Luxilon player Katie O’Brien of Great Britain (Alu Power 125). Kristina won a very tough three-setter in the first round over Sunitha Rao of India.

© Manuela Davies - doubleXposure.com

Katie, seeded 10 in the event, had reached the 2nd round after having to meet - and beat - fellow Brit Melanie South.

Two other Luxilon players - Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain (Alu Power 125) and newcomer Tobias Kemke of Germany (Original 130 and 138) also had to battle it out today.

Ramirez Hidalgo, the much more experienced player of the two, got the better of his young opponent and will play Scoville Jenkins of the USA in the 3rd round.

Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus (Alu Power 125) also had to play a fellow coutrywoman - Ekaterina Dzehalevich (Alu Power 125) and again it was the more experienced player, Yakimova, that won the match to advance to the next round.

Constantinos Econimidis of Greece (Alu Power 125) was the most unfortunate of the Luxilon players today.

Not only did he not advance to the next round, but he had to be carried off the court on a stretcher after damaging his Achilles tendon with the score at just 2-1 in the first set. We are hoping that he makes a complete and speedy recovery.

Iveta Benasova of the Czech Republic (Alu Power 125) attracted a large crowd to her match where she beat Greta Arn of Hungary (Alu Power 125). Iveta is a great player but, judging by the preponderance of young men who inevitably watch her matches, I think that her obvious attractiveness also plays a part in her popularity (and maybe there is the hope that one day, she will lose what little there is of her skirt when lunging for a ball…). Her first round match against the also talented and attractive Viktoriya Kutuzova of the Ukraine probably attracted more Parisien young men than a Federer/Nadal final..! And for all you guys, she plays the third match on Court 15 tomorrow. Better be there early to get a seat..!

Selima Sfar of Tunisia (Alu Power 125/Timo 110) continued her winning ways by beating Hana Sromova of the Czech Republic (XP) and will play Tetiana Luzhanska of the Ukraine in the third round.

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Archive for May, 2008

The unknown Roger Federer

Luxilon beats the rain

Rainy days and Mondays…

A day of hope and regret as a newcomer beats the odds and a legend plays his last match.

Final round of French Open Qualifying - and the winners are…

It’s Quallie time at the French Open

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