By Craig Filazzola, WSOE Sports Director
The biggest story of this year’s U.S. Open continues tonight when 17-year-old Melanie Oudin faces #9 seeded Caroline Wozniacki. The match can be seen on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Contact Information:
Craig Filazzola
WSOE Sports Director
cfilazzola@elon.edu
By Craig Filazzola, WSOE Sports Director
Courtesy of: si.com
Do you know when Brooklyn Decker’s birthday is? Not many do.
On Monday’s Dan Patrick Show, Patrick interviewed Andy Roddick’s wife and thought it was her birthday. After she said it wasn’t, Patrick said that Wikipedia noted her birthday to be that day. Decker, a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, corrected Patrick and said her birthday was April 12.
For some reason, Wikipedia and various Web sites have displayed her birthdate as August 3, 1987. “I don’t know where that came from,” Decker said on the radio show. The year is correct but not the day, a mistake that isn’t often made.
Wikipedia has usually been reliable when it comes to birthdates of public figures. It got this one wrong and so did others. Thehollywoodgossip.com. is virtually the only site that gives her correct birthdate.
Decker, 22, has been married to Roddick for nearly four months. People.com says that two years ago Roddick saw her photos in Sports Illustrated’s 2007 swimsuit edition and asked his agent to contact her. They ended up meeting that year and got engaged in March of 2008.
Contact Information:
Craig Filazzola
WSOE Sports Director
cfilazzola@elon.edu
By Craig Filazzola, WSOE Sports Director
Courtesy of: wimbledon.org
Can we now say that Roger Federer is the best tennis player of all-time? There will still be some debate but not much.
Even though rival Rafael Nadal couldn’t compete in Wimbledon due to injury, Federer (pictured right) still had difficulty winning the tournament final on Sunday. His opponent Andy Roddick played one of the best matches of his life. With both players on their games, the match was simply an instant classic. In the end, Federer outdueled Roddick, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14.
Federer will be 28 years old in August. Courtesy of: wimbledon.feellondon.co.uk
Here are some notes on Sunday’s match.
- The match needed a Wimbledon-record 77 games
- The last set required a Wimbledon-record 30 games
- Federer launched a career-high 50 aces and 107 winners
- Roddick posted 27 aces and 74 winners
Federer’s 15 Grand Slam victories:
- Australian Open: 3
- French Open: 1
- Wimbledon: 6
- U.S. Open: 5
Federer’s overall Grand Slam records:
- 15 Grand Slam titles
- 20 Grand Slam finals (lost all 5 to Nadal)
- 10 consecutive finals
- 21 consecutive semi-finals
The U.S. Open is this year’s final Grand Slam, which will begin on August 31. Federer has won the tournament in the last five years.
Contact Information:
Craig Filazzola
WSOE Sports Director
cfilazzola@elon.edu
By Craig Filazzola, WSOE Sports Director
Melanie Oudin was downed in straight sets in Monday’s fourth round to 11th ranked Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 5-7. Despite the loss, the 17-year-old still found plenty of success.
Melanie Oudin, courtesy of: flickr.com
Oudin (pronounced OO-dan) drew a lot of attention when she upset sixth ranked and former number one Jelena Jankovic 6-7, 7-5, 6-2 on Saturday in round three. Coming into this tournament, she lost her only two grand slam matches. Those first round exits came in the 2008 U.S. Open and 2009 Australian Open.
The native from Marietta, Georgia made a strong Wimbledon debut, posting a 3-1 record. She was the youngest American to advance to the women’s fourth round at Wimbledon since 1993 when Jennifer Capriati made the quarterfinals.
Oudin has won two ITF Women’s Circuit singles titles this year, tallying three for her two-year career. Her career record in singles is 69-36.
Radwanska will play Venus Williams in the quarterfinals.
Contact Information:
Craig Filazzola
WSOE Sports Director
cfilazzola@elon.edu
Courtesy of: http://www.zimbio.com
By Craig Filazzola, WSOE Sports Director
The former WTA player never achieved a Grand Slam victory but has made an upset off the court. Anna Kournikova has spent the last few years reaching out in charitable events, gradually changing her image from a bikini model to a motivational speaker.
Over the years, Kournikova drew a lot of attention with her various bikini photo shoots. Many people considered her as one of the hottest female athletes in recent years. In 2002, she received ESPN’s award for Hottest Female Athlete. From 2003 to 2008, she did photo shoots for Maxim and was on the magazine’s cover three times. She was also in Sports Illustrated’s 2004 Swimsuit Issue.
Kournikova made her WTA Tour debut in October of 1995. The following year was special for her. At the age of 15, Kournikova won two professional titles in the ITF Women’s Circuit: Midland-USA and Rockford-USA. Later that year she made her first Grand Slam appearance in the U.S. Open and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year. She had potential to be a very good tennis player, but it wouldn’t end up that way.
Courtesy of: http://images.starpulse.com
She never managed to win another title, losing four singles finals. She always came up empty in the Sony Ericssion WTA Tour. The best grand slam finish she had was in 1997 where she advanced to the semi-finals of Wimbledon. Her highest career ranking was eighth in November of 2000. The 2001 Australian Open saw her second best grand slam tournament, reaching the quarterfinals.
The only tennis success Kournikova found was in doubles with Martina Hingis. Their best year was 1999. They won the Australian Open, were ranked number one and named the WTA Doubles Team of the Year. The duo also won the 2002 Australian Open.
For Kournikova’s doubles career, she posted a 200-71 record with a .738 winning percentage and brought home 16 titles. This was much better than her 209-129 singles record, a .618 winning percentage without a title. Her WTA Tour career ended in 2003.
Courtesy of: http://www.zimbio.com
In 2004, Kournikova learned about the Boys and Girls Club of America, never mentioned it publicly and has been working for them since. As the years progressed, she made more contributions to its numerous events. The 28-year-old also works for the Cartoon Network. Her goal is to educate and motivate kids to participate in sports exercise.
She still does modeling but not as much as she used to. She even plays tennis with former greats on the World Team Tennis.
It has been a steady transition for Kournikova to become someone kids can learn from. Time will tell if this changes her reputation, but for now, she will continue to encourage kids to get involved in activities, exercise and healthy lifestyles.
Contact Information:
Craig Filazzola
WSOE Sports Director
cfilazzola@elon.edu
Courtesy of: http://french.open-tennis.com
The Winners:
Men’s Singles: Roger Federer
This was his fourth consecutive appearance in the French Open finals. Unlike the previous times, Federer (pictured right) came home with the title and didn’t face the “King of Clay,” Rafael Nadal. He has advanced to at least the semi-finals in the last 20 Grand Slam tournaments. What’s even more impressive is that he has appeared in 15 of the last 16 Grand Slam finals, winning ten of them. He has won 14 career grand slams and will turn 28 on August 8, only three days after I turn 21.
Surprises:
Men’s Singles: Robin Soderling
Who expected him to beat Nadal in the fourth round? Who expected him to participate in the men’s finals? The 24-year-old was one win away from achieving his first career grand slam. Even though he lost, at least he can say something Federer can’t: he beat Nadal in the French Open.
Courtesy of: http://tennisinfoblog.com
Sharapova (pictured left) wasn’t supposed to be a threat at all. Ranked 102nd, she has seen limited action this year after having surgery on her right shoulder last August. The French Open was designed to prepare her for Wimbledon, but she had a lot more success than anticipated. The 22-year-old Russian upset 11th-seeded Nadia Petrova in the second round. In the quarterfinals, the 5’3” Cibulkova defeated the 6’2” Sharapova in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2.
Courtesy of: http://www.sonyinsider.com
Disappointments:
Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal
It would have been too much to ask for a fifth consecutive French Open victory, but nobody thought he would be out as early as the fourth round. His streak of consecutive matches won at the open was snapped at 31.
Women’s Singles: Venus Williams
She fell in the third round 0-6, 4-6 to Agnes Szavay. She didn’t play well in the match. Williams has won Wimbledon four times, including the last two, but the next one will indicate if age is interfering with her game. The oldest of the Williams sisters turns 29 on June 17.
Contact Information:
Craig Filazzola
WSOE Sports Director
cfilazzola@elon.edu
