Serbian duo reign at pacific life open

Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic delivered a sparkling Serbian double on Sunday, their convincing victories at the Pacific Life Open reaffirming their nation’s arrival on the tennis map. Djokovic, the third-ranked player in the world, had already become a national hero with his triumph at the Australian Open, where Ivanovic finished runner-up in her second Grand Slam final. On Sunday, third-seeded Djokovic downed unseeded American Mardy Fish 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to win the first of the prestigious ATP Masters Series events of the year. Ivanovic, the top seed in the WTA portion of the 5.7 milliondollar tournament, defeated second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3 to lift the women’s trophy. For good measure, thirdseeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic made it to the women’s semi-finals, and Nenad Zimonjic was a doubles finalist. One wag quipped that Indian Wells should be renamed Serbian Wells. “This is something I think that we absolutely deserve,” Djokovic said. “We’ve been working very hard to throughout all of our lives, and this is just a crown for our work, and it’s paying off.” He said he hoped his success and that of his compatriots on the tennis courts would buoy a country that is now in some turmoil. “Considering the fact that our country is in a very difficult position, they are struggling economically and in politics as well, I just try to help my country as much as I can,” said Djokovic, who said he didn’t want to comment on the “Kosovo is Serbia” banner displayed by some fans in an upper deck of the stadium seats. The black banner was on view during Ivanovic’s match but had been taken down for Djokovic’s - at the request of tournament organizers. Kosovo’s ethnic Albaniandominated parliament unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on February 17. Most Serbs consider the southern territory the cradle of their nation’s history, culture and religion. Ivanovic, 20, said: “I don’t know much about politics, and I don’t get involved in that area,” she said. “You know, when I’m out here playing, I just want to represent my country in the best possible way. “Whatever’s happening, you know, it’s tough, but still, it’s very hard for me to say anything about it.”

Sania 31st in WTA rankings

Sania Mirza’s commendable run at last week’s Pacific Life Open that ended in the fourth round has helped the Indian ace gain a spot to be 31st in the latest WTA rankings issued on Monday. Sania, who battled a wrist injury through her fourthround loss to Slovak Daniela Hantuchova in the USD 2.1 million event, now has 917 ranking points. The Hyderabadi star has also gained three places in her doubles rankings, moving up to 22nd with 1830 points after the semifinal appearance in the Pacific Life Open. Sania and her American partner Bethanie Mattek had lost to the Chinese pair of Zi Yan and Jie Zheng in the lastfour stage.

Fish stunned Federer at Pacific Life Open

Mardy Fish pulled off a whale of an upset, stunning world No. 1 Roger Federer 6-3, 6-2 to reach the final of the ATP Masters Series Pacific Life Open on Saturday. Fish next faces Australian open champion Novak Djokovic, who ousted defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic, the third seed, turned the tables on the second-seeded Spaniard, who beat him in the final here last year. Fish, ranked 98th in the world, needed just 63 minutes to roll past the Swiss superstar, who mustered just one break point and couldn’t convert it. The defeat leaves Federer still searching for his first tournament victory of 2008, the first time since 2000 that the 12-time Grand Slam champion has gone so far into a season without a title. Fish sent a shock through the stadium-court crowd with his first break of Federer in the second game. He held for 3-0 and never looked back, taking the opening set in 39 minutes. The American opened the second set with a break — firing a stinging service return on break point — and broke again in the fifth game for a 4-1 lead. Federer fended off two match points against his own serve in the seventh game, but Fish took a 40-0 lead in the next game to give himself three more chances, and claimed the unlikely triumph when Federer netted a forehand. Fish had lost all five of his previous encounters with Federer, winning just one set in the process. “I’ve had a great record against him, always controlled matches against him,’’ Federer said. “Today was different. He played great today, so congratulations. Fantastic.’’ Fish became the lowest-ranked player to beat Federer since then 101stranked Richard Gasquet of france beat him at Monte Carlo in 2005. However, Federer said that was misleading, since Fish has been ranked as high as 17th in the world in March of 2004. “We all know how good Mardy can be,’’ Federer said. While Fish had to battle through five tough rounds to reach the semifinals, Federer enjoyed a first round bye and then advanced from the quarters on a walkover when his scheduled opponent, German Tommy Haas, withdrew with a sinus infection. “I was a bit deflated yesderday,’’ Federer said. “I was ready to play against Tommy. But that’s not an excuse. Mardy played incredible.’’

Sania bows out of pacific life open

Troubled by a painful wrist, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza fell 6-1 7-6 (4) to defending champion Daniela Hantuchova in the pre-quarterfinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Hyderabadi’s failure to cash in on a handful of game points set the players apart in the first set. Sania was a trifle defensive on the big points, which cost her dear. The striking Indian was up 40-0 on two of her service games (second and fourth) and 15-40 on the Slovakian’s serve in two other games of the set, but conceded the advantage in each of those games. In the second set, Sania started going for more and with greater consistency, but hurt her wrist at 3-2 when she played two forehands late. There on it was a struggle for the Indian with her forehand and serve against an opponent, who gives little away. Sania missed a couple of game points and the chance totake a 5-3 lead. The elegant Slovakian then broke in the 11th game, when her opponent double faulted, but dropped serve in the next game as the set drifted into tie-break. Hantuchova blasted out a 4-0 lead, but Sania reduced the margin to 4-5. That was as much as the Indian could manage against the title holder. There’s considerable swelling on Sania’s right wrist. The India number one will see how she feels on the morrow before deciding if she will take the court for her doubles quarterfinals. Sania and American Bethanie Mattek are scheduled to take on the second-seeded pair from Taipei — Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang. Sania, who has lost to Hantuchova in their two career meetings, said she had been struggling with a sore wrist all week at Indian Wells. “I’ve actually had it for a few days now since we’ve been playing in the wind,’’ the 21-year-old from Hyderabad added. “In the wind, you’re hitting it all over the place and your wrist takes a lot of pressure. I play a lot with my wrist, on my forehand especially. Right now it’s very, very painful and I’m going to get an MRI (scan) in the next couple of days.’’ “Usually it doesn’t get this sore, so I’m a little worried right now. It gets sore and then it gets OK when I ice it,’’ Sania said.