(BEIJING, June 20) — Japan’s top tennis player Ai Sugiyama has been chosen to participate in the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the fourth time the veteran player has taken part in the world event.

Japanese player Ai Sugiyama (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The 32-year-old has been selected to compete in both the women’s singles and doubles tournament based on the WTA rankings, which were released on June 9.

She is ranked in 38th place in singles and third in the doubles. So far in her career, Sugiyama has won six singles titles and 36 doubles titles, including three Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, one with Frenchwoman, Julie Halard-Decugis, and two partnering Belgian, Kim Clijsters.

According to Kyodo News, Sugiyama has set a clear aim of doing as well at the Beijing Olympics as she can. She sees competing in the Olympics as a challenge and will help draw a happy conclusion her tennis career.

Sugiyama’s fellow Japanese doubles partner, 18-year-old Ayumi Morita, has also been selected to participate in women’s doubles this time. “I want to play a new style of doubles match with her (Morita’s) youthfulness,” said Sugiyama.

Sugiyama has never won an Olympic medal. Her best chance in Beijing is more likely to come in the doubles. She is in good form. Earlier in this year, with her Slovenian doubles partner, Kararina Srebotnik, they lifted their third team title together at Charleston, South Carolina at the Family Circle Cup.

(BEIJING, June 20) — Six more world-class tennis players have committed to coming to Beijing for the 2008 China Tennis Open in September.

Frenchman Richard Gasquet, ranked No. 9 in the world, and Spain’s Tommy Robredo, (nicknamed “Disco Tommy”,) join Australian World No. 6 Andy Roddick, “Stone Hand” Fernando Gonzalez of Chile (ranked 14) and Cypriot star Marcos Baghdatis, who all signed up in April.

Among the women, top Russian duo Svetlana Kuznetsova (world No. 4) and Anna Chakvetadze (ranked No. 8), runner-up of 2008 French Open, Dinara Safina and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, will also play alongside world’s top two players, French Open champion, Ana Ivanovic, and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, and Hungarian No. 1, Agnes Szavay.

Their participation was announced at an official press conference held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing on June 18, 2008.

In total, 12 players will participate in the 2008 China Open. Out of the seven women players, six are in the top 10 of the WTA ranking list. Three of the five men’s players, are ranked in the top ten of the ATP list.

Roddick, Gasquet, Hantuchova and Ivanovic are participating in the China Open for the first time. Others are the “old friends” of the tournament — Gonzalez, Baghdatis, Jankovic, Szavay and Kuznetsova have all won past titles at the Beijing event which runs September 20 -28.

(BEIJING, June 18) — Former World No 1 tennis player Lindsay Davenport withdrew from the Eastbourne International on Tuesday (June 17) due to a knee injury, raising doubts about her participation in the Wimbledon Championships which starts next week (June 23 – July 6.)

The 31-year-old American veteran has won three Grand Slam singles titles: the 1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon Championships, and Australian Open in 2000, and was a singles Olympic gold medalist in Atlanta in 1996.

She took a break from competition in late 2006 and missed much of 2007 to have a baby but returned to the WTA Tour in August last year.

Although season began brightly as she won the first WTA tournament of the year, the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, and a further trophy in Memphis, Tennessee in March, Davenport has played only seven tournaments in 2008.

She was knocked out of the Australian Open in straight sets by eventual champion Maria Sharapova, and pulled out of the French Open five days before the tournament began for undisclosed personal reasons.

“I’m very disappointed to be unable to compete at Eastbourne but I unfortunately injured my right knee in practice over the weekend and have been unable to recover in time,” said Davenport. “I look forward to it getting better and resting and, of course, being able to play next week at Wimbledon,” she added.

The Wimbledon Championships is Davenport’s favorite tournament — she has participated twelve times and besides her 1999 singles title victory, she has reached two further finals and two semifinals.

She has also stated her aim to compete in the Beijing 2008 OIympic Games.

(BEIJING, June 19) — The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has announced the seeded players for the 2008 Wimbledon Championships which take place June 23 — July 6.

Roger Federer (Photo by Thomas Starke/Bongarts/Getty Images)

The Wimbledon Championships are considered to be the most coveted prize in tennis — and is the last major title ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The top 32 players are seeded separately in the men’s and women’s singles.

World men’s No 1 Roger Federer is unsurprisingly the top seed at Wimbledon 2008. The Swiss player has won twelve Grand Slam singles titles, including the last five at Wimbledon.

His adept volley and strong ground strokes make Federer the World’s top player on grass. Last week he extended his victory streak to 58 matches on grass at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

Rafael Nadal (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

In last year’s Wimbledon final, Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in a five set thriller — but the Spaniard, seeded No 2 at Wimbledon this year, easily beat Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 to lift the French Open for the fourth consecutive time in early June – a sign, say many commentators, that it could be time for Nadal to replace Federer as World No 1.

Nadal is predominantly a clay court specialist but last week he won the Queen’s Club Championships in London on grass, where he defeated 2008 Australian Open champion and Wimbledon No. 3 seed, Novak Djokovic, 7-6, 7-5.

In the women’s singles seeding, current No 1 player Ana Ivanovic is the top seed. She won the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in this year’s Australian Open.

Ana Ivanovic (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The 19-year-old Serbian is an attacking baseline player noted for her powerful, deep forehand strokes. However, she is more suited to clay courts. Last year she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon but was defeated by Venus Williams, the three-time former Wimbledon champion 6-2, 6-4.

Jelena Jankovic (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Fellow Serbian Jelena Jankovic is seeded second but was knocked out in the fourth round to Marion Bartoli of France, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 last year.

Russian trio Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva are seeded third to fifth, but defending Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, is only ranked seventh, a place below her sister, Serena.

The draw will be held on Friday, June 21, at Wimbledon.

(BEIJING, June 18) — Former World No 1 tennis player Amelie Mauresmo beat fellow French No 6 seed Alize Cornet in three sets in the first round at the International Women’s Open in Eastbourne, England.

Mauresmo’s career has been going backwards due to severe injuries. She has fallen down to No 30 in the Sony Ericsson Women’s Tour Association (WTA) rankings in the first half of the year.

The opening set was easily won by Mauresmo who held three out of five break points to win the set 6-1.

However, 18-year-old Cornet rallied in the second set, which she won 6-4 to level the contest. Both players held their own service games five times each in the third set, until Mauresmo finally broke her younger opponent’s service game to win the deciding set, 7-5.

Afterwards, the 2006 Wimbledon champion was satisfied with her opening round performance: “I made a good start today. My aggression dipped a bit in the second set but then in the third I began to play more aggressively again and things evened out.”

The match lasted one hour and fifty-five minutes and Mauresmo served three aces and won four break points.

Mauresmo is a good grass court player and says she feels at home playing on this surface. “I really love the grass,” she added. “Playing on it feels natural to me, and it suits my game.”

She was runner-up at Eastbourne last year when she was beaten in the final by the recently-retired Belgian player, Justine Henin.

Mauresmo will face former world No 1 doubles player, Samantha Stosur of Australia in the second round, who defeated home favorite Katie O’Brien of England, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round.

The Sony Ericsson WTA International Women’s Open at Eastbourne runs between June 16 – 22 and is a traditional warm up event for the All-England championships at Wimbledon.

(BEIJING, June 17) — Defending champion Ivan Ljubicic and No 2 seed Richard Gasquet enjoyed straight sets victories in the opening round of the men’s singles at the Ordina Open at Autotron Rosmalen, Netherlands – the last tune-up tournament before the Wimbledon Championships in England.

Fourth seed, Ljubicic beat Dutch favorite Robin Haase 6-3, 7-6(7-5) to progress. Although the crowd was behind Haase, Ljubicic served eight aces with his powerful service play and he won the match in one hour and seventeen minutes.

Last year, the Croatian player beat another Dutch player, Peter Wessels, in the final at Autoron and will now face Serbian teenager Viktor Troicki in the second round, who defeated Denis Gremelmayr of Germany, 6-3 7-5 to set up the tie.

Frenchman Gasquet beat Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-2, 7-6(3) in a match lasting one hour and thirty-three minutes, and served seven aces. He will now meet fellow Frenchman Marc Gicquel in the next round who defeated Dutchman, Matwe Middelkoop 6-4, 6-1.

In a previous clash at 2006 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon Gasquet came out on top, but Gicquel was a finalist for 2007 in Lyon, but lost to another Frenchman, Sebastien Grosjean, the current World No 4.

The Ordina Open is staged June 15 – 21 and is the only international grass court tennis tournament in the Netherlands.

(BEIJING, June 16) — Top seed Rafael Nadal shattered the dreams of Novak Djokovic to claim the Artois Championships in west London.

The Spaniard defeated his opponent in the traditional pre-Wimbledon event by 7-6(6), 7-5 in a thrilling two set final, which lasted two hours and fifteen minutes.

This victory is Nadal’s fifth men’s singles title of the season and the 28th tournament win of the world No 2’s career.

It was also the 12th meeting between Nadal and Djokovic – with Nadal having won eight of the previous 11 meetings.

It was not an easy match for Nadal, though. With impressive shots from both players, the first set eventually went to a tie-break. Djokovic lost finally 6-8 due to unforced errors. .

In the second set, the Australian Open champion let off his frustration by throwing his racquet to the ground, but it did not help as Nadal wrapped up the second set 7-5 to seal the match.

Nadal was delighted to add the trophy to recent victories at the Hamburg Masters in Germany and the French Open title.

“To win a very traditional tournament here in London, at Queen’s, where the best players of the world have been in the past for me is very nice,” said Nadal.

Djokovic felt his missed opportunities in both sets: “I should have been a little bit more aggressive and maybe I would get positive outcome. But, you know, it was a great achievement, so I’m happy in general.”

At the medal ceremony, Nadal added: “The tournament here was very, very tough. I can’t imagine I would be here with the title before the tournament.”

Nadal is expected to improve his condition ahead of the All-England Championships at Wimbledon which starts on June 23.

BERLIN, June 15 (Xinhua) — World number one Roger Federer emerged as the winner for the fifth time at the Halle ATP tournament on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Swiss star defeated Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-4 to notch his 59th consecutive win on grass.

Federer, who takes the Halle event as a grass-court warm-up for Wimbledon Open later this month, where he will seek to win a sixth consecutive title, has won here every year since 2003, except last year when he did not compete.

(BEIJING, June 16) — “I have played some fantastic tennis this week,” said Roger Federer. Yes, he did. On June 15, he beat Philipp Kohlschreiber from Germany to win the men’s singles final at the Halle Open. The victory extends his winning streak on grass to 59 matches before the Wimbledon Championships this year, which start on June 23.

This was the fifth time the grasscourt king has won the Halle Open in Germany. The victory also marked his second title this season and the 55th title in his tennis career.

In just one hour and thirteen minutes, Federer took the two sets easily 6-3, 6-4, without dropping even a single service game. “This is the first for me,” he said.

It only took a week for Federer to get over from his crushing defeat at the 2008 French Open. This time Federer once again proved his dominance on grass and showed he is ready for next week’s Wimbledon, the third grand slam tournament of the year, where he will be defending his title. “I have thought about [the streak ending] but it is not on my mind when I have break points against me. I want to continue the streak and hope it goes on,” Federer said.

WELLINGTON, June 16 (Xinhua) — New Zealand tennis number one Marina Erakovic played her way into the Olympic team for Beijing, the New Zealand Olympic Committee announced on Monday.

New Zealand will send its youngest-ever Top 100 tennis player to Beijing 2008 after Olympic selectors named her to the Olympic team on Monday.

Erakovic, 20, is a rising star on the international tennis circuit and has moved from a world ranking of 160 to 64 in just months.

New Zealand top 16 selection criteria is tough and while Erakovic has not yet met this standard, Olympic selectors believedher rapid improvements will continue and a favorable draw at Beijing could see her finish within the top 16.

As Erakovic has rocketed up the rankings, she’s recorded some significant wins, including beating world number 13, Vera Zvonareva, in January 2008. With Wimbledon this week, her place inthe ranking could rise.

The selectors made a recommendation to the New Zealand Olympic Committee board that the selection be considered favorably. The board decision to select Erakovic was unanimous.

Only four other tennis players have competed for New Zealand at Olympic level, including Anthony Wilding who won bronze at Stockholm in 1912.

Final selections to the New Zealand Olympic Team will be made in the next three weeks with nominations expected for rowing, cycling, shooting and equestrian.

Beach Volleyball continue to seek IF qualification and Men’s basketball will have their final qualification event on July 20. Squads for Men’s and Women’s Hockey, Football and Women’s Basketball will be named by June 30.