Tipsarevic to meet Youzhny in Kremlin Cup final

By LEONID CHIZHOV, Associated Press Writer Oct 24, 1:25 pm EDT

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MOSCOW (AP)—Janko Tipsarevic will play Mikhail Youzhny and Francesca Schiavone will meet Olga Govortsova in the final of the Kremlin Cup, after all four players posted straight-set victories Saturday.

Tipsarevic advanced to his first final by beating Ukrainian qualifier Illya Marchenko 6-1, 6-4, while Youzhny beat Kazakh qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 6-1.

Schiavone defeated Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-4, 6-0 to make her second straight final, while Govortsova ousted Alisa Kleybanova of Russia 6-2, 6-1 to reach her second career final.

Tipsarevich broke decisively in the seventh game of the second set.

“I tried to change the rhythm and tempo in the match,” the Serb said. “I got a huge boost and confidence in my game once I made the first break. … I have no experience of playing in the final—this is my first one. So, I will play it point by point, like any other match.”

Youzhny, the 2004 runner-up from Russia, dominated after an exchange of breaks early in the first set.

Schiavone is 1-10 in WTA Tour finals, winning at the Gastein Ladies in 2007. The 24th-ranked Italian lost to Samantha Stosur last week in the final at Osaka, Japan.

Schiavone, the 2005 runner-up, broke Bondarenko decisively in the 10th game of the first set and dominated the second set to reach her third final this season.

“I was more aggressive today,” Schiavone said. “At 5-2 she played too good, very good but then I was pushing and took my chance. I think I played better today.”

Schiavone is now 4-2 against Bondarenko, who won her only title by beating the Italian in the Luxembourg final in 2006.

After an exchange of breaks, unheralded Govortsova broke Kleybanova two more times in the first set. The 67th-ranked Belarusian was 4-1 up in the second when Kleybanova called for a doctor to have her right shoulder and back massaged.

“It was tough struggle in every game, though the score looks so impressive,” Govortsova said. “I’m happy with my play here.”

Govortsova, who is 1-1 against Schiavone, said she would have to play aggressively to beat the her.

“Schiavone always plays good here because she plays passively with many slices and drop shots,” Govortsova said.

The 20th edition of the Kremlin Cup has a weakened women’s draw because seven of the world’s top players had qualified for the Doha Championships before the Moscow tournament and opted to skip it.

Updated Oct 24, 1:25 pm EDT
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61 Comments

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  1. mad
    61. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 11:23pm EDT

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    JP - Everyone say's ---- LOL ! or LMAO or other stuff !!!!!! But YOU are one of the few people that can really make me do it in real life. THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!
  2. mad
    60. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 11:18pm EDT

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    Jp - lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  3. mad
    59. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 9:50pm EDT

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    A lot of people will say TENNIS is just a GAME !!! How wrong they are. It changed my life.
  4. mad
    58. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 9:42pm EDT

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    The funniest thing to happen to me was - I walked into a all black bar with one of my friends - trying to hide -you know why. A black person as the DJ. - Yelled --- McEnroe in the house - lets hear it for the Mac!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He went on and on - I worked with him at the time - but you know how I felt .
  5. mad
    57. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 9:32pm EDT

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    One thing that made me fit in where I lived was becoming a Tennis star. When they saw me in the front page of the city paper and on the radio ( big city - not one of the the majors like LA or NY but big enough ) All of a sudden I put their school on the map and they liked that. Next thing I was getting high fives from people that used to chase me around ? GO FIGURE???????????
  6. mad
    56. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 9:20pm EDT

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    To back up what I say - Rodney King was on - PCP - not saying what the cops did was right !!! But is your poster child for your - FACTS - a person on - PCP - ? GOOD START !!!!!!!! LOL !!!!!!
  7. mad
    55. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 9:08pm EDT

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    Paco that was yesterday and yesterday is gone !!!!!!! LOL !!!!!!!! LOOK what they've done for us lately !!!!!LOL As - JP - said read the evening news? Blacks and Spaniards make up most of the crime in the US. OH BUY THE WAY -THAT'S A FACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know you will say their a product of their environment. But there are a lot of whites that have it just as bad now and don't turn to crime like they do - WHY - Where just not as mean - ( MY OPINION ONLY ) or is it ? Plus do you mean to tell me if we let - what ever race you are to take over you would give the country back to the the Indians? LMAO!!!!! You would keep it for your SELF !!! YOU KNOW IT AS I DO !!!!!!!!!!!!! So don't play Mr. Inasit with me !!!!!!!! --- --------------------Don't call me - IGNORANT - until you have read the years of facts and done the research to back up what they say. Anyone can write a book and call it a FACT !!!! Is it so or are they just trying to make money? ------------ I have NO problem going back and forth with YOU on this-------- Lets just not do it when good tennis is going on ? I'm 50, you would be surprised some of the facts I know - Most of the time I just make a quick statement on line and that gets me in trouble - cause I don't like to type -LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!
  8. mad
    54. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 8:03pm EDT

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    Paco - where you at? STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YA I went into a all black or Hispanic hood and called a group of 10 of them (@#$% or spic ) and said the wrong thing at the wrong time. The people the did that to me were recans!!!!!!!!!! There were some blacks - when I was 12 - I was out throwing a ball with my recan friend when 3 black kids at least 4 to 5 years older than me came down the walk - wanted my money - had none so they beat us with their pop bottles that they were taking to get the deposit back for. But it was OK ! LOL When they came back down the walk me and my bud were up in my bedroom window with my BB gun and shot the F out of them. CO2. GUN LOL!!!!!!!!!!! That's life in the hood no matter what color you are. You can read all you want - it will do you no good in the hood. You can say the panthers were set up to protect the black man, and all they did was go after the KKK? I KNOW YOU CAN SAY FOR A FACT - NO black man ever would hurt a white person out of spite? Back then or now. Even if they had nothing to do with slavery and came from Italy in 1909 like we did??????????????
  9. paco
    53. Posted by paco Sun Oct 25 10:50am EDT

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    Mad I agree that not all White people are the same but you support a lot of stereotypes and your post always make you sound more like the kind of people we are talking about. If you really got kicked in the head by some Black people then it probably was over something you said and not your skin color. Judging by your post if you spoke that way in public you would put yourself in danger.
  10. Scott J
    51. Posted by Scott J Sun Oct 25 8:35am EDT

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    btw,i need to correct myself,this is not fran's first title....it's her first premiere(formerly tier 1)event crown. it's just too bad this couldn't happen for her earlier as i've always felt she was just too good not to have one of these. of course facing some of the opponents she has in those finals didn't help her cause much. anyway,what a great year it's been for the italians...with everything surrounding flavia,fed cup, and now fran,they have had the strongest presence on the tour since i began following tennis.

    and so this is the "bozo" you spoke with so much disdain for alice e.,so how's this for you? you insinuate she's a worthless player last week and now she's won a huge title. forgive me for being childish but i can only say....HAHA!
  11. johnp
    50. Posted by johnp Sun Oct 25 4:35am EDT

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    Mad(49)...You and I piss one another off from fime to time but I think that we have more in common than differences. Same with my wife. At least I don't have to see your face(or get put out of the house),....laughing hard!!!
  12. mad
    49. Posted by mad Sun Oct 25 2:58am EDT

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    JP your right on a lot of points - I don't know all the facts. It would takes many years to read all that, even then who do do you know those are facts or just someones opinion? One thing I do know is - When your getting punch and kicked in the head cause your white in the wrong neighborhood - That is not the evening news that's a FACT !!!! Third thing your right on is time to stick to tennis - this is not the site for the other. The only point I was trying to make is the white man can not and should not be judged by the evening news either - not all white people are what you read about. I have good friends of all colors and have dated girls of all colors - my mom didn't like it so much. That's what I'm talking about - even people in the same family can and do think differently.
  13. johnp
    48. Posted by johnp Sat Oct 24 11:56pm EDT

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    Jayblowinup....Let me suggest hat t would be more appropriate if you changed your name to jayblowinyou.

    I also suggest you stop posting here and check out ineedbrains.com.; and take a couple of choice posters from this site with you. You can easily identify them because they make ignorant posts just like you.
  14. johnp
    47. Posted by johnp Sat Oct 24 11:44pm EDT

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    Mad(28)...Your assessment of my response to you in post 21 and 22 is way off base. You need to re-read both. I will go out on a limb and say that it would be best if you stick to commenting on tennis. Whenever you post in regards to your knowledge of other cultures, your personal experiences have become what you feel to be facts about all in that culture.

    There are a lot of people who make judgements of others based upon limited or lack of knowledge...a WHOLE LOT OF LACK.

    Don't let the evening news be your bible.
  15. pete'sbest14
    46. Posted by pete'sbest14 Sat Oct 24 8:21pm EDT

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    #46 Just Me
    Total clarity! I love it~Thank you for speaking to the heart of the issue.
    And the nice thing is you are pulling for Mikhail to win the Kremlin Cup and I am pulling for Janko. Neither is upset with the other regarding a favorite in this particular contest & more importantly why should there be any problem with that? You quite obviously see the wisdom of harmony vs hostility~
    An excellently cerebral post~
  16. Just Me
    45. Posted by Just Me Sat Oct 24 7:33pm EDT

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    It is nice to see Mikhail play for the Kremlin Cup. It should be an excellent final. Again, there seems to be abusive and inappropriate comments on this tennis blog that have nothing to do with tennis. My suggestion is to not respond back to people who are trouble minded and full of hate and hostilities. The unmentioned posters have an axe to grind with everyone. This is someone who has nothing pleasant to say nor contributes to the tennis dialogue. We will never solve this problem if we all don't stick to the subject at hand and not get pulled into mindless conversation.
  17. paco
    44. Posted by paco Sat Oct 24 6:22pm EDT

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    Mad to avoid sounding ignorant talk what you know PLZ. The Black Panthers was fromed to PROTECT Black people from the KKK. Second, Black gangs were formed to protect Black people from police brutality. Now when you talk about gangs I hope you know that the MOB was the first gang which was led by Italians. I thought you said you were Italian too you must be Italian American. There is no need to talk about who has been worse and more destructive in the United States where we all live. History shows plain as day that Whites conquered the Indians and enslaved Blacks. Accept the truth and move on and quit trying to bring up some minnie organization like the Black Panthers lol. People always wonder why some Black people keep talking about the past is because White people like you try to make it sound like it didn't happen. How would would a Nazi sound saying the Jews had a club and they took out a few of our soldiers. Who started it MAD? What is wrong with fighting back after you have been victimized? Have you ever heard of Rodney King
  18. pete'sbest14
    43. Posted by pete'sbest14 Sat Oct 24 6:05pm EDT

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    I really like Tipsarevic too! Have watched him play when they would televise his matches.
    He's certainly fleet of foot & I am wishing him victory in the final of the Kremlin Cup!
    He's the lone survivor of the Serbian players standing in any tournament right now..Go get it Janko!!!
  19. AM Q.
    42. Posted by AM Q. Sat Oct 24 2:40pm EDT

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    All the luck to Tipsarevich... i really like him and the way he plays!!
  20. Scott J
    41. Posted by Scott J Sat Oct 24 12:19pm EDT

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    good for frannie. using her agility around the court and her impeccable variety and net play. let's cross our fingers she can get her first title.
  21. Sampras
    40. Posted by Sampras Sat Oct 24 5:09am EDT

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    Mental Lena
  22. pete'sbest14
    39. Posted by pete'sbest14 Sat Oct 24 1:33am EDT

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    # 31 NightWing:
    I totally agree.
    I wanted you to know that I think your comments (congratulating) the opposition was one of the nicest (now there's a word we don't hear much any more) and most genuine I've ever read.
    It was very genteel & I'm sure very much appreciated by all who read it~
    It takes a very generous heart & spirit to be truly magnanimous~beautifully done NW.
  23. Truthsayer
    38. Posted by Truthsayer Sat Oct 24 12:13am EDT

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    Jankovic pulled it off by "one match".lol.......Maxwell Smart style.........well, the names are set and only 2 more days 2 go!.........I am so glad Round Robin on TTC. yea!
  24. Scott J
    37. Posted by Scott J Fri Oct 23 9:27pm EDT

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    ANYWAY...

    go frannie...hope you can make it two finals in a row!!
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