Sybille Bammer of Austria became a part of tennis history Sunday when she defeated Marion Bartoli of France 7-6 (3), 0-6, 6-4 to advance into the quarterfinals of the US Open. According to The Bud Collins History of Tennis, An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book ($35.95, New Chapter Press, www.tennistomes.com), the 3-hour, 5-minute match is the longest women’s singles match in the history of the US Open – two minutes longer than the 2003 US Open semifinal between Jennifer Capriati and Justine Henin-Hardenne, won by Henin-Hardenne 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4).
Bammer, the mother of a seven-year-old daughter Tina, will next play No. 2 seed Jelena Jankovic. While a long-shot to win the title, the No. 30-ranked Bammer is looking to join a very exclusive club of five moms to win a major singles title. Moms to win a major singles title are as follows;
Dorothea Douglass Chambers – The British great won two of her Wimbledon titles after the birth of her first child (1910, 1911) and two more after the birth of her second child (1913, 1914).
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman – She was challenged by her father to win the U.S. Championship after she became a mom. In her first return appearance, she lost in the 1915 singles final to Molla Mallory, but she did turn the trick until 1919, when at 32 years old, she beat Marion Zinderstein Jessup 6-1, 6-2 to win her fourth U.S. title.
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Sarah Palfrey Cooke – This American star did not defend her 1941 U.S. title due to pregnancy (she was married to standout American player Elwood Cooke), but she won the 1945 U.S. title, beating Pauline Betz as a 33-year-old mother.
Margaret Court – The Australian who was the most prolific winner of majors championships ever (62 titles in singles, doubles and mixed) actually played the 1971 Wimbledon women’s singles final while pregnant with her first child, son Daniel, losing to Evonne Goolagong. Court, however, returned to win the Australian, French and U.S. Opens in 1973.
Evonne Goolagong – The most recent of moms to win a major, Goolagong beat Chris Evert Lloyd in the 1980 Wimbledon final.
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Tarango Wins USTA Futures In Wisconsin
ELM GROVE, Wisconsin, August 10, 2008 – Unseeded Daniel Yoo of Korea won the singles title at the Time Warner Cable “Road Runner Pro Tennis Classic,” dominating No. 6 seed Ryan Young, of the United States, 6-2, 6-1. Both the singles and doubles final were completed during Sunday’s play.
Yoo won 10 of the last 11 games in the match as he used his retrieving style of play to wear Young down throughout the match. This is the first pro singles title of Yoo’s career.
In the doubles final, former U.S. Olympian Jeff Tarango combined with Edward Kelly, of the United States, to take the title over No. 3 seeds Raven Klaasen, of South Africa, and Ryan Young, of the United States, 6-3, 3-6, 11-9. Tarango and Kelly trailed 3-0 in the super tiebreak before storming back to win the match. This is the first professional title for Kelly and Tarango’s first title since winning the ATP Tour doubles event in Gstaad back in 2000.
The Time Warner Cable “Road Runner Pro Tennis Classic,” now in its second consecutive year, is part of the summer hard court swing on the USTA Pro Circuit that leads to the US Open. The tournament will feature 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. Players ranked as high as No. 200 in the world typically compete in futures-level events.
Futures level tournaments feature prize money ranging from $10,000 to $15,000, and are a stepping stone for future champions to move on to the ATP Tour. Participants from last year’s event including Carsten Ball and Michael Yani have since progressed on to ATP Tour and Challenger level tournaments. The USTA Futures of Milwaukee has featured numerous players who are top-ranked players in their country, as well as top-ranked NCAA and international junior players. For more information, please visit the official tournament website, www.skpromotions.com
With 96 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $75,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. More than 1,100 men and women from 79 countries competed on the USTA Pro Circuit in 2007 for nearly $3 million in prize money and valuable ATP and WTA Tour ranking points. Andre Agassi, James Blake, Lindsay Davenport, Mardy Fish, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova are among today’s top stars that began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. For more information, please visit procircuit.usta.com
Tarango Wins Again
ELM GROVE, Wisconsin, August 7, 2008 – Top seed Raven Klaasen, of South Africa, and No. 2 seed Yuichi Ito, of Japan, fell in the second round at the Time Warner Cable “Road Runner Pro Tennis Classic,” held at the Western Racquet Club from August 4-10. All second round singles matches and quarterfinal doubles matches were completed during Thursday’s play.
Klaasen lost the last eight games of the match as he fell to Hyung-Kwon Kim, of Korea, 6-4, 6-0. American Kaes Van’t Hof recorded one of the biggest wins of his career in upsetting Ito, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
No. 4 seed Tigran Martirosyan, of Armenia, continued his strong play on the USTA Pro Circuit this summer by defeating American qualifier Matthew Allare, 6-3, 6-4. In a match lasting well over three hours, No. 6 seed Ryan Young, of the United States, defeated American qualifier Nicolas Meister 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3. No. 7 seed Adam Thompson, of New Zealand, rallied from a break down in the final set to defeat American qualifier John Hoyes, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. Sheeva Parbhu was the third and final American to advance into the quarterfinals, defeating fellow American Connor Pollock, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.
In doubles, former top 10 doubles player Jeff Tarango advanced into the semifinals with fellow American Edward Kelly. The pair fought off three set points in the opening set as they defeated the American team of Matthew Allare and Justin Kronauge, 7-5, 6-7 (3), 10-3. Milwaukee native Jim Slonac narrowly lost his quarterfinal doubles match with American Brian Compton, failing to convert two match points in losing to the top seeded team of Dane Fernandez, of Australia, and Adam Thompson, of New Zealand, 6-4, 2-6, 13-11.
The singles quarterfinals and doubles semifinals will take place during Friday’s play. The feature afternoon match will take place at 3:00 p.m. and features Edward Kelly and Jeff Tarango, of the United States, taking on the top seeded team of Dane Fernandez, of Australia, and Adam Thompson, of New Zealand.
The Time Warner Cable “Road Runner Pro Tennis Classic,” now in its second consecutive year, is part of the summer hard court swing on the USTA Pro Circuit that leads to the US Open. The tournament will feature 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. Players ranked as high as No. 200 in the world typically compete in futures-level events.
Tickets for the Time Warner Cable “Road Runner Pro Tennis Classic” are available for $10 for any day throughout the tournament and can be purchased at the door. Weeklong tickets are also available at the door for $50. The tournament website, www.skpromotions.com, is also selling day pass tickets for $7, or weeklong tickets for $45.
Futures level tournaments feature prize money ranging from $10,000 to $15,000, and are a stepping stone for future champions to move on to the ATP Tour. Participants from last year’s event including Carsten Ball and Michael Yani have since progressed on to ATP Tour and Challenger level tournaments. The USTA Futures of Milwaukee has featured numerous players who are top-ranked players in their country, as well as top-ranked NCAA and international junior players. For more information, please visit the official tournament website, www.skpromotions.com
With 96 tournaments throughout the country and prize money ranging from $10,000 to $75,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. More than 1,100 men and women from 79 countries competed on the USTA Pro Circuit in 2007 for nearly $3 million in prize money and valuable ATP and WTA Tour ranking points. Andre Agassi, James Blake, Lindsay Davenport, Mardy Fish, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova are among today’s top stars that began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit. For more information, please visit procircuit.usta.com