Olympic Games – Tenis Rules..

The tennis competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be held in accordance with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Rules of Tennis 2008, the Olympic Tennis Event 2008 Regulations and the Olympic Charter, in force at the time of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.Pursuant to the Olympic Charter, ITF assumes the responsibility for the technical control and direction of Tennis in the Olympic Games.

Draw Ceremony

The Draw shall be conducted in public by ITF; it will take place on Thursday, August 7, 2008.

Appointment of Jury

ITF shall appoint eight persons to form the Jury of Appeal, of which no more than two members shall be from the same country (region). The Jury shall settle any on-site disputes with respect to any ruling given by

ITF, the Referee (where such ruling can be appealed) or any other person and with respect to an incident that maybe takes place during the Olympic tennis competition.

Appointment of Referees/Umpires

The Referee and Assistant Referees for the Olympic Games will be appointed by ITF. The Chief of Umpires and the Assistant Chiefs of Umpires will be appointed by ITF. Twenty (20) Chair Umpires and 120 Line Umpires will be selected by ITF.

Blake loses to Kiefer at Rogers Cup in Toronto

Kiefer dispatched Blake 6-1, 6-2. He said the win wasn’t quite as straight-forward as it looked.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “Maybe it looks easy, but I also have to play (at a) very high level.”

Olympus US Open Series

The Olympus US Open Series is the six-week summer tennis season linking 10 major ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments to the US Open.  Since its inception in 2004, the Olympus US Open Series has doubled television viewership and increased attendance, while generating new corporate partnerships for the sport.  In 2007, the Olympus US Open Series — including the US Open — generated a record 1.7 million attendees, 121 million TV viewers and over 32 million website visits making it the strongest summertime property in sports.

Oudin wins again in Roehampton; first Grade 1 for Rufin

Guillaume Rufin (FRA) and Melanie Oudin (USA) boosted their confidence ahead of Wimbledon past week claiming the Grade 1 Roehampton titles on Friday.

For Oudin the win marked her third victory in four tournaments this year, with all her wins coming at Grade 1 level. The American has now won seven tournaments within the last year, six of them Grade 1s, and with the world number one and Roland Garros champion Simona Halep not competing at Wimbledon, Oudin must be the firm favourite.

A feature of Oudin’s play this year has been how easily she has won most of her matches; before Roehampton she had lost just four sets in her 16 matches in 2008. True to form, she eased past her first four opponents last week without dropping more than four games in any match. In the semis she faced a stronger challenge from 14th seed Lesley Kerkhove (NED), who took the first set 61 before Oudin hit back and won the next two relatively easily, 62 61. Oudin’s final opponent was unseeded Laura Robson, one of the future hopes of British tennis. The 14-year-old had beaten 11th seed Mallory Burdette (USA) for the loss of just one game in the second round, and knocked out sixth seed Johanna Konta in the following round. In the semis Robson defeated another up and coming young player, 15-year-old French girl Kristina Mladenovic. British hopes of a home victory were raised briefly when Robson took the first set of the final 75, but Oudin gradually regained control of the match and took the next two sets 62 62.

Guillaume Rufin headed into Roehampton with a grass court title already under his belt this year, having won the Grade 2 Gerry Weber Open the previous week. The Frenchman has been gradually making his way up the rankings, but the grass court season seems to be representing a real breakthrough for him.

Rufin benefited from an early exodus of the seeds from his quarter of the draw. With top seed Tsung-Hua Yang (TPE), fifth seed Ryan Harrison (USA), ninth seed Peerakit Siributwong (THA) and 14th seed Alexandre Folie (BEL) all losing in the first round, Rufin had a straightforward path through to the semifinals. There he faced his first seeded opponent, 13th seed Bradley Klahn of the USA. Klahn had defeated Rufin in a nailbiting third-set tie-break in the semis of the Grade 1 Nottinghill tournament in Australia in January, but the unseeded player took his revenge this time around with a 63 64 win.

His final opponent was another British player, qualifier Daniel Smethurst. Like Rufin, Smethurst took advantage of the early departure of several top seeds and made his way to the final beating no-one ranked higher than 15th seed Christopher Rungkat (INA). Like his compatriot Laura Robson in the girls’ final, Smethurst got off to a quick start and had his chances in the first set before losing it 75. The second set was all Rufin as he pulled away to record a 75 62 victory and claim his first Grade 1 title.

ITF

17-year old wins first pro title

Wichita, Kansas, USA, was the venue for the Via Christi Pro Tennis Classic, a $10,000 event on the ITF Women’s Circuit.

17-year old Lauren Embree won her first singles title when she defeated 18-year old Jamie Hampton. Played before 200 enthuastic spectators, Lauren triumphed 63 64 in a match lasting 1 hour 32 minutes. This final also marked the second time that both players had appeared in a singles final on the ITF Women’s Circuit.

In the doubles event, Christina McHale and Sloane Stephens teamed up to win their first doubles title together. This was Christina’s second doubles title of her career and a first for Sloane.

After assisting the tournament director over the past few years, Nick Taylor, the current world number 3 ranked quad wheelchair player, assumed the role of Tournament Director for the first time.

ITF

Taylor Dent Receives Wild Card

2002 Champion Returns to Newport

NEWPORT, RI — The International Tennis Hall of Fame announced today that 2002 Newport Champion Taylor Dent has received a wild card to play in the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, scheduled for July 7-13. This is the second wild card given out for the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, the first awarded last week to Prakash Amritraj of India.

Dent will be making his fourth appearance in Newport, having captured his first ATP title on the Hall of Fame’s legendary grass courts by defeating James Blake 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. The 27-year-old Dent is rebounding from an injury, having been limited in play during the 2006 tennis season due to a reoccurring back problem, which ultimately led to back surgery in March 2007.

“Taylor called today and said he is feeling great and ready to play.”

said Mark Stenning, the Hall of Fame’s Chief Executive Officer and Tournament Director.

“As a former champion, we look forward to welcoming Taylor back to Newport. In addition, we’re glad he is healthy and ready to compete.”

In 2005, Dent reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 21 and holds four career singles titles: Newport (2002); Memphis, Bangkok, and Moscow (2003). The American is known for his incredibly powerful and fast serve, and a game tailored for the grass court surface.

Taylor Dent turned pro in 1998 and is the son of former Australian tennis great Phil Dent. Taylor and his father made history after his first win in Newport by becoming the first father-son duo to win ATP titles in the Open Era (since 1968).

The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, played for the Van Alen Cup, will be held July 7-13 and will feature the top men in professional tennis competing in the only ATP pro event played on grass in North America.

U rock! Venus..

The all-Williams battle took a while to get into gear, but once it did, the fans on Centre Court were treated to some gripping stuff. Serena broke her elder sister before most spectators were even settled into their seats and the early exchanges were dominated by service until the eighth game. Venus finally carved out her first break point as Serena lost her rhythm, but she fired down a big serve to take it back to deuce. An incredible rally followed on the next point, which Venus dominated and won at the net before sending down an incredibly deep return on the next service to level matters at 4-4.

The rallies got longer as the end of the first set approached and break points were exchanged and saved. And then in the 12th game, Venus stepped up. Two great returns made it 0-30 on her sister’s service, and though Serena battled back to 30-30, Venus pounced on two second serves to take the first set 7-5.

The second set began with a Venus serve clocked at 129 mph – the fastest ever recorded at the Championships – and then a fascinating game ensued, which lasted 14 minutes. Serena earned any number of break points and howled in frustration every time an unforced error or a Venus winner put paid to her hopes. At the end of a backhand rally Serena finally converted a break point to lead 2-1, but her psychological advantage was wiped out in a matter of seconds as Venus broke straight back.

The elder sister again began to dominate on service, causing her younger sibling to bounce her racquet off the turf in frustration. Serena, nevertheless, served strongly until Venus once again seized the day at precisely the right moment. She pummelled the ball on to her sister’s backhand then devoured a drop that fell too deep. At 15-40, Serena earned herself a stay of execution with an ace, but a backhand that drifted out handed Venus the title, 7-5, 6-4.

The crowd – deprived of what surely would have been an epic third set – were left wanting more and their wish was granted as there was just enough time to fit the ladies’ doubles final in at the end of the day. The sister act broke in the third game of the opening set against No. 16 seeds Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur and never looked back, running out 6-2, 6-2 winners. This was the third Wimbledon doubles title for the Williams sisters after 2000 (when Venus also won the singles) and 2002 (when Serena defeated Venus in the singles final).