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LINZ, Austria — Day two of main draw play saw a few surprises as qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands took out No. 7 seed Tamira Paszek, Petra Martic sent off Sorana Cirstea, and qualifier Kirsten Flipkens defeated Alize Cornet. (Gallery below)
Two time champion Ana Ivanovic, world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, and crowd favorite Sabine Lisicki will all be in action on Wednesday to round off the first round of play, so check back tomorrow for more photos of the ladies!
Our photographer Rick Gleijm caught all the on-court action from the singles play today, including Hantuchova, Goerges, Paszek, Petkovic, Burdette, Pervak, Mattek-Sands and Cornet. Don’t forget to check out all our galleries from Linz on the homepage!
Full Results: Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Singles – First Round
(5) Julia Goerges (GER) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 64 76(5)
(Q) Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. (7) Tamira Paszek (AUT) 62 64
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 63 64
Simona Halep (ROU) d. (Q) Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 30 ret. (right shoulder injury)
Romina Oprandi (SUI) d. Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) 62 61
Petra Martic (CRO) d. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 64 63
(Q) Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) d. Alizé Cornet (FRA) 64 63
(Q) Mallory Burdette (USA) d. (LL) Ksenia Pervak (KAZ) 63 64
(LL) Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) d. (LL) Catalina Castaño (COL) 60 64
(WC) Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 76(3) 62
Doubles – First Round
(1) Groenefeld/Peschke (GER/CZE) d. Dzehalevich/Kalashnikova (BLR/GEO) 62 62
Jugic-Salkic/Klemenschits (BIH/AUT) d. Castaño/Hrdinova (COL/CZE) 63 64
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So far, the year 2012 has been pretty kind to tennis star, Andy Murray. The 25-year-old Scotland native and London resident started the year off by winning the Brisbane International, reached his fifth straight Grand Slam at the Australian Open and won the first British male singles gold medal since 1908 when he played in the London Olympics.
Unfortunately, his awesome winning streak ended once he reached Japan. Here’s how Andy Murray’s matches went down at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo this past week.
First Round: Murray vs. Karlovic
Andy Murray had a great start in defending his championship title as he beat Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic in straight sets in the first round of the Rakuten Open.
Ivo Karlovic, who received an entry into the event after Gael Monfils had to drop out due to a knee injury, had never beaten Murray in a match. However, he put up a good fight in the first set with each player holding their serves and leveling the set at 6-6 to force a tiebreaker. Murray eventually won two straight points to seal it.
Both players held their serves in the next set and Karlovic even led the set for a while. The Croatian player couldn’t continue his momentum, however and Murray won the second set as well.
Murray executed brilliant serves during this match, hitting nine aces without a single double fault. In the second round, Murray faced off with Lukas Lacko from Slovakia.
Second Round: Murray vs. Lacko
The defending Rakuten champion trounced Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko in the second round of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. Murray won in straight sets of 6-1 and 6-2, and needed only 57 minutes to register this win.
Murray started off flawlessly, grabbing the first five games to obtain a 5-0 lead. Lacko held his serve in the next set to reduce the lead to 5-1. Murray hit three aces but committed a couple of double faults in the first set. However, he had a high conversion rate and returned Lacko’s serves brilliantly, which led to a fairly easy win.
Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka challenged Murray in the third round of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championship.
Third Round: Murray vs. Wawrinka
Andy Murray beat Swiss tennis star, Stanislas Wawrinka, in a three-set match at the Rakuten Open 2012. Seeded top in this event, Andy Murray was able to win the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in a little under two hours.
This match saw numerous long rallies and longer games. Fortunately, Murray started off well and he rode the momentum into the final set. Murray faced the Canadian number one seed, Milos Raonic, in the fourth round of the championship.
Fourth Round: Murray vs. Raonic
The Olympic gold medallist lost to Milos Raonic after a three-set battle at 6-3, 6-7, 7-6. In this 2 hour and 46 minute thriller, Raonic gave a first-rate performance and struck early to win the opening set.
Murray managed to drag the second set into a tiebreaker and bagged the second set. But the two players had another tiebreaker in the third round and Raonic, clearly the better player this match, beat Murray in a surprise victory.
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LINZ, Austria — Monday at the Generali Ladies Linz saw the end of qualifications while the doubles draw kicked it into high gear with Daniela Hantuchova, Sorana Cirstea and Julia Goerges all winning their respective matches with their partners. (Gallery below)
The wildcard doubles team of Andrea Petkovic/Romina Oprandi lost a heartbreaker in the third set tiebreak when they were defeated by the No. 4 seeded team of Vera Dushevina and Alicja Rosolska.
Americans Mallory Burdette and Bethanie Mattek-Sands each survived their singles qualifying final round matches for a place in the main draw, as did Kirsten Flipkens and Lesia Tsurenko. Irina-Camelia Begu received a ‘Lucky Loser’ slot in the main draw as Anna Tatishvili pulled out with a viral illness. She will take on another lucky loser, Catalina Castano, as No. 3 seed Dominika Cibulkova pulled out with a recurring shoulder injury.
Unfortunately, Monday also saw Sofia Arvidsson take out No. 4 seed Lucie Safarova who struggled with her serve hitting 12 double faults for the match. Slumping German Mona Barthel fell victim to a nearly identical statistic as she served 11 double faults with a first serve percentage at a low 38.
Full Results from Monday, October 8, 2012
Singles – First Round
Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. (4) Lucie Safarova (CZE) 36 62 75
Lucie Hradecka (CZE) d. Sílvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) 63 76(5)
Kiki Bertens (NED) d. Mona Barthel (GER) 76(3) 16 61
Doubles – First Round
(2) Goerges/Zahlavova Strycova (GER/CZE) d. Birnerova/Cornet (CZE/FRA) 64 46 105
Camerin/Halep (ITA/ROU) d. (3) Grandin/Uhlirova (RSA/CZE) 64 ret.
(4) Dushevina/Rosolska (RUS/POL) d. (WC) Oprandi/Petkovic (SUI/GER) 63 46 107
Hantuchova/Martic (SVK/CRO) d. Cadantu/Savinykh (ROU/RUS) 64 63
Cirstea/Paszek (ROU/AUT) d. (WC) Haas/Mayr-Achleitner (AUT/AUT) 64 63
Singles Qualifying – Final Round
Mallory Burdette (USA) d. (1) Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 64 61
(2) Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) d. (7) Jana Cepelova (SVK) 57 62 63
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. (5) Ksenia Pervak (KAZ) 76(7) 75
(6) Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) d. Catalina Castaño (COL) 36 61 63
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LINZ, Austria — Generali Ladies Linz No. 6 seed Yanina Wickmayer and No. 8 seed Sabine Lisicki took time out of their busy schedules on Monday to participate in a Kids’ Day Press Conference.
Our photographer Rick Gleijm was given an exclusive invite to capture all the excitement and giggles as school children of all ages asked their favorite players challenging and inspiring questions. Afterward, the ladies stayed to sign autographs and even posed with a life-size bumblebee!
Wickmayer will open her campaign on Tuesday against American qualifier Mallory Burdette who recently turned professional, while Lisicki will face wildcard Patricia Mayr-Achleitner on Wednesday.
Enjoy the full gallery below from Kids’ Day with Lisicki and Wickmayer!
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LINZ, Austria — Day two of qualifications at the Generali Ladies Linz saw Americans Mallory Burdette and Bethanie Mattek-Sands survive through to the finals, as did top two seeds Irina-Camelia Begu and Kirsten Flipkens.
The final round of qualifications and the first round of both singles and doubles kicks off on Monday and will feature Andrea Petkovic, Julia Goerges, Sorana Cirstea, Daniela Hantuchova and Lucie Safarova.
And speaking of Dani and Lucie, they were both spotted practicing on Sunday at the indoor court in TipsArena where the tournament is played. Luckily, our trusty photographer Rick Gleijm was on hand to catch all the action! Full gallery below.
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LINZ, Austria — Looking casual and relaxed, Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova and German Mona Barthel were on hand for the draw ceremony of this year’s Generali Ladies Linz tournament on Sunday. Participating with them were tournament director Sandra Reichel, tournament ambassador Barbara Schett and Radisson hotel manager Peter Haidvogl, where the draw ceremony took place.
Hantuchova has been handed a tough first round opponent in the form of No. 5 seed Julia Goerges, while Barthel lucked out in receiving world No. 60 Kiki Bertens.
Other notable first round matchups include No. 1 seed Victoria Azarenka against Arantxa Rus, No. 2 seed Ana Ivanovic against Monica Niculescu, Sorana Cirstea against Petra Martic, No. 8 seed Sabine Lisicki against wildcard Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, No. 3 seed Dominika Cibulkova against Anna Tatishvili, and wildcard Andrea Petkovic against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
Check out the draw ceremony photo gallery below by our photographer Rick Gleijm who is in Linz all week.
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LINZ, Austria — Situated in the northern central part of Austria, the Generali Ladies Linz WTA tournament kicked off its first day of qualifications Saturday.
The International level WTA tournament boasts an accomplished list of past champions, including Petra Kvitova, Lindsay Davenport, Nadia Petrova, Justine Henin, Amélie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova. Tw0-time Ana Ivanovic is also entered into this year’s tournament, as is first time entrant and world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.
Day one of qualification was already full of drama as the top three seeds were each taken to three-sets, with the sole casualty begin No. 3 seed Anne Keothavong.  No. 1 seed Irina-Camelia Begu ousted a continually slumping Aravane Rezai, while new American pro Mallory Burdette easily handed Kristyna Pliskova a first round exit in under one hour.
Catch some of the highlights below from photographer Rick Gleijm, and make sure to check back all week as we’ll be covering both Linz this week and the WTA Luxembourg tournament next week.
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Swiss Roger Federer celebrated his record-breaking 161st week as men’s tennis world number one with a bang by winning his first round match against Dannish Kristian Pless, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, in ninety minutes.
In the first set, both players held  their respective serves and pushed the opening set to a tiebreaker. Relying on his experience, Federer handily won the tiebreaker, 7-2, and the first set 7-6. Pless bounced back in the second set and broke Federer’s serve in the fourth game, and went on to win the next five games to even the score. Federer’s variety of shots was no match for Pless as the Swiss won the third set, 7-6, and advanced into the second round.
Federer earlier paid tribute to guy whose record he had just broken, Jimmy Connors.”Well of course he still has the record for the most titles which I don’t think will be ever be eclipsed,” said Federer.”He is one of the all time great players. He played for such a long time which allowed him to get so many titles, but to stay fit through all this time with his intensity is quite remarkable”, added the Swiss ace.
As for his Dannish opponent, Roger has this to say: “The guy [Pless] played very well. I knew it was going to be tough and I’m just happy I’m through, really”. Losing my first set of the year doesn’t matter much. The way I came through, I’m really pleased about it.”

Written by Randy “Sky” Walker
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection, (www.rogerfedererbook.com ), the popular U.S.-published biography of three-time Australian Open and five-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, is now available for sale to fans in Australia on the eve of the 2008 Australian Open.
The book was written by Rene Stauffer, the esteemed Swiss tennis journalist who has covered Federer since the budding tennis champion was a 15-year-old. The book chronicles Federer’s life as tempermental junior player, through his early struggles on the ATP Tour and his break-through win at Wimbledon in 2003 concluding with his 10th Grand Slam title last year at the Australian Open. The book also focuses on his values, how he has been marketed, his relationship with the media as well as his numerous charitable pursuits.
Published by New Chapter Press, the book has met with many positive reviews from the international media. The Toronto Globe and Mail called the book “excellent” while Britain’s Daily Telegraph called it “an intimate and insightful portrait.” Wrote Tennis.com of the book; “It’s accessible and sketches out his career development very logically. At the same time, it throws in enough about his personality and the rest of his life to flesh out the tale without turning it into it a flabby puff-piece.”
Other positive reviews have included Charlie Bricker of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, who wrote, “It’s a virtual encyclopedia of Federer’s career. There’s material in there I’ve not seen anywhere else. Fantastic.” Wrote leading tennis website Tennisreportersnet, “It could have easily been called the Encyclopedia Federer.”
The Roger Federer Story is not an authorized book by the Federer family, but has been well-received by his inner circle. The Wimbledon champ’s mother, Lynette Federer, uses the book as an encyclopedia on her son’s career. “It’s useful for me, because I often am asked about things and I don’t know for sure without checking,” she told Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger. “Now, I will always know where I can look them up.”
Stauffer is one of the world’s leading tennis journalists and the highly-respected tennis correspondent for Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger and Sonntags-Zeitung. A sports writer since 1981, Stauffer worked for the Swiss newspapers Blick and Sport, before joining Tages-Anzeiger in 1993. After first writing about Federer in 1996, Stauffer has traveled the world covering Federer and his many triumphs.
“When I first saw Roger Federer play tennis when he was a 15-year-old, I didn’t think that I would even write his name in my newspaper, let alone a book about him,” said Stauffer, who opens the book with his “Encounter with a 15-year-old” chapter when on Sept. 11, 1996, he first came upon Federer at the World Youth Cup tennis event in Zurich. “I am very happy I wrote this book, since a lot of readers told me that they find it very entertaining and educational about Roger and his career.”
John Reed Books is the distributor of the book in Australia. Websites where the book is available in Australia include www.seekbooks.com.au , www.angusrobertson.com.au , and www.bookworm.com.au
For more information on the book – and for purchasing information and links – go to www.rogerfedererbook.com .  Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.newchapterpressmedia.com ) is an independent publisher of books that is part of the Independent Publishers Group (IPG).