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NEO Sports Live French Open Day 14. Watch French Open  Live & Exclusive on NEO Sports  live streaming official yoytube channel - www.youtube.com/neosports. Court Philippe Chatrier @ Starts at 2.30 pm IST

Murray makes comfortable start at French Open

PARIS - Fourth seed Andy Murray had little trouble moving through the first round of the French Open on Tuesday, beating Roland Garros debutant Tatsuma Ito 6-1 7-5 6-0.

Murray, who reached the semi-finals here last year where he lost to eventual winner Rafa Nadal, served well and never gave his Japanese opponent a chance.

As Ito tired, Murray won the fifth game of the final set to love then produced a winning serve to seal the sixth game and finish the match in one hour 35 minutes.

The Scot, who was watched by coach Ivan Lendl, will play Finn Jarko Nieminen in the second round.

Andy Murray of Britain returns the ball to Tatsuma Ito of Japan during the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris May 29, 2012.

( Agencies)

Nadal beats Djokovic to regain Rome title

Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with the trophy after winning his men's singles final match against Novak Djokovic (R) of Serbia at the Rome Masters tennis tournament in Rome, May 21, 2012.

ROME - Rafa Nadal enjoyed the perfect fillip ahead of his French Open defence by downing world number one Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3 in the delayed Rome Masters final on Monday, saving his most impressive display of the tournament to last.

Beaten surprisingly early on Madrid's blue clay earlier this month, the 25-year-old Spaniard has been back to his destructive best on the red dirt at the Foro Italico and blew away his one-time bogeyman.

Both players refused to budge an inch in a brutal 76-minute opener but Serb Djokovic, who memorably beat Nadal in straight sets in last year's final, faded and the match ended in anti-climax when he double-faulted to gift Nadal a record sixth Rome title.

"I am happy that I won in Rome without losing a set against the best players in the world like (Tomas) Berdych and (David) Ferrer and Djokovic," Nadal said.

"I will have this trophy in my bedroom. It is a dream. I have confidence I am playing well and this comes when I play at the right level. Hopefully I will keep playing like this."

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their men's singles final match at the Rome Masters tennis tournament in Rome, May 21, 2012.

Six-times French Open champion Nadal's victory means he will rise back to second in the world rankings after being overtaken by Roger Federer last week - a significant move ahead of Roland Garros where he will now definitely be in the opposite half of the draw to Djokovic.

The match, the 32nd between the pair, had been postponed by rain on Sunday, but both players came out firing in front of a healthy crowd as the sun finally returned.

Nadal went immediately on the attack, carving out two break points in Djokovic's opening service game only for the elastic-limbed Serb's defences to dig him out of trouble.

Djokovic suffered with a couple of bad bounces as he served to stay in the match and the deflated 25-year-old double-faulted to end the contest and hand Nadal a 21st Masters Series title to move ahead of the record of 20 he shared with Federer.

"I think that the match today was quite close, even if he won in straight sets," Djokovic said. "If you don't use the opportunities against Rafa he gets momentum.

"But I go to Paris with confidence."

With the French Open and Wimbledon looming, Nadal has also regained his old supremacy over the man who took his No 1 ranking last year and who had beaten him seven times in a row before the sequence ended in Monte Carlo last month.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to Rafael Nadal of Spain during their final match at the Rome Masters tennis tournament, May 21, 2012.

Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with the trophy after winning his men's singles final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the Rome Masters tennis tournament in Rome, May 21, 2012.

(Agencies)

Murray eases through in Monte Carlo

MONTE CARLO - World number four Andy Murray enjoyed a confident start to his claycourt season when he thrashed Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-0 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the Monte Carlo Masters third round.

The Scot, who made the semi-finals here last year, broke serve in the first game and never looked back, wrapping up a straightforward 67-minute victory when Troicki sent a backhand wide.

Andy Murray of Britain returns the ball to Viktor Troicki of Serbia during their men's singles tennis match at the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco April 17, 2012.

"It was very good, getting off to a good start in the match," Murray told a news conference.

"Sometimes it's close, tight, first set, first match on clay, kind of anything can happen. You can start rushing. It's very easy on the clay to start rushing and making mistakes but because I got ahead I didn't need to do that."

Third seed Murray, who received a first-round bye, looked in fine form as he unsettled Troicki with some exquisite drop shots and played his usual tight defensive game to deny his opponent any chance to come back.

"I moved well. I was sliding pretty well on the court. Normally that's the thing that takes time to get used to... For me that's a good sign on the clay, whether I'm playing well or not," the Briton said.

Troicki took only five points on Murray's serve and never threatened the Scot who will take on Frenchman Julien Benneteau or Austrian 15th seed Juergen Melzer for a place in the quarter-finals.

Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, the 13th seed and 2010 finalist, battled past Croatia's Ivan Dodig 3-6 6-3 6-1 to set up a third-round clash with Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the fourth seed.

Tsonga pleased the crowd, who sang in celebration of his 27th birthday after he defeated German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2 6-4.

"Verdasco is far from being a present," Tsonga said.

"But on the other hand, it's a gift because I'm going to confront one of the best players on clay court.

"It's always good to play against the top players on clay because you can get used to the high quality of their game and you will not be surprised when you play them in major events."

Argentine Juan Monaco's fine run of form ended abruptly after he was forced to retire with a sprained ankle.

The 11th seed, who triumphed at the U.S. Claycourt Championships on Sunday, collapsed to the ground after he rolled his ankle while chasing down a Robin Haase shot at full stretch.

Monaco tried to continue after taking an injury time out to strap his ankle but quit while leading 5-7 6-0 3-2.

Tenth seed Feliciano Lopez succumbed to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1 6-4.

Japan's Kei Nishikori, the 12th seed, took advantage of a rain interruption to recover from a break down in the second set and beat Spaniard Albert Ramos 6-2 7-5.

A general view of the Monte Carlo Country Club during a men's singles tennis match between Andy Murray of Britain and Viktor Troicki of Serbia in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco April 17, 2012.

(Agencies)

Karşıyaka SK HD Image and Wallpapers Gallery

* Karşıyaka Spor Kulübü (Karşıyaka Sports Club), commonly referred to as Karşıyaka is a sports club located in İzmir. They are currently playing in the Turkish 1.League football. The "SK" refers to the sports club, as this club has several other sports branches on-going - basketball (which won the Turkish championship title in 1987, won the President Cup same year by beating Beşiktaş and made it to the finals two other times), volleyball, handball, tennis, swimming, sailing (twice under-21 world champions), billiards, bowling, and motorcycling.

Federer wins Dubai Open ATP for the fifth time

Roger Federer of Switzerland lifts his trophy after winning his men's singles final match against Andy Murray (R) of Britain during the Dubai Tennis Championships March 3, 2012.

DUBAI - Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer won the Dubai Open ATP for the fifth time after defeating Scotsman Andy Murray 7-5, 6-4 Saturday.

For 30-year-old Federer, the current number three in the ATP lists, it was the 72nd title in his career. The Swiss dominated in first service points in particular, scoring a success rate of 75 percent against Murray's 66 percent.

Murray, 24, currently ranked number four, improved his game during the second set and led 4-3 against Federer, but the Swiss multi-Grand Slam champion showed nerves and brought the victory home after scoring a second match point after one hour and 36 minutes on the Dubai hard court.

For Federer, Saturday's victory was a healing of his 2011 defeat, when he lost the Dubai final against the current ATP leader Novak Djokovic from Serbia. This year, Djokovic lost the semifinal against finalist Murray.

Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with his trophy after winning his men's singles final match against Andy Murray of Britain during the Dubai Tennis Championships March 3, 2012.

(Agencies)

Radwanska targets Olympic glory after Dubai win

Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland kisses her trophy after winning her women's singles final match against Julia Goerges of Germany at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships February 25, 2012.

DUBAI - Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska is targeting Olympic gold in London this year after winning an eighth WTA singles title in Dubai on Saturday.

The Olympics tournament will be held on Wimbledon's grasscourts and the 22-year-old believes they will suit her game far more than in Beijing four years ago when she lost in the second round.

"The Olympics are always a very important event for everyone," Radwanska told reporters after clinching the Dubai Tennis Championships with a 7-5 6-4 victory over Germany's Julia Goerges.

"It's going to be a tough season, because we're going to change the surface a couple of times in a very short time.

"I'm ready for it. The Olympics are on grass, so it's going to be a little bit different. I like grass, so I just hope I can play better than in the last Olympics."

The five-times Grand Slam quarter-finalist has started 2012 in sparkling form and will move up to fifth in the world rankings when the new standings are released on Monday.

She reached the last eight at January's Australian Open and was a semi-finalist in her two other tournaments this year, but lost all three of those matches to top-ranked Victoria Azarenka.

"I'm five, but it's still far from being number one," said Radwanska. "It looks pretty actually close, but it's still far. I'm just trying to go on court and enjoy my tennis and win the matches.

"In women's tennis everything can change pretty fast, like we see every week the rankings are a little bit different.

"Everything can happen, so I'm just going to try playing my best tennis every match, every tournament, and we will see."

(Agencies)

Federer beats Davydenko to book Del Potro final

Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts after a matchpoint against Nikolay Davydenko of Russia during their semi final men's singles tennis match at the World Indoor Tournament in Rotterdam, the Netherlands February 18, 2012.

ROTTERDAM - Top seed Roger Federer battled past Russian Nikolay Davydenko in an entertaining 4-6 6-3 6-4 triumph on Saturday to reach the World Indoor Tournament final.

The Swiss former world number one now faces third seed Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina who brushed aside second-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-1 in Saturday's first semi-final.

Federer, who has admitted struggling with the surface and his rhythm, recovered after losing the first set having been broken in the ninth game and early in the second set.

Davydenko dominated from the baseline using his powerful forehand but dropped his serve in the sixth game of the second with Federer taking four straight games to force a decider.

Davydenko wasted four break points in the third set while Federer, whose serve was never convicning, failed to take six chances before finally breaking to love to settle the match.

"We often played big matches and today again," said Federer. "It is good so see him performing so well again."

Asked about his previous showdowns with Del Potro ahead of Sunday's final, the Swiss added: "He beat me in the 2009 US Open final in a tough five setter, while our last match at the Australian Open was my 1,000th match on the tour."

(china daily)

Isner stuns Federer, holders Spain in control

Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts after losing his Davis Cup tennis match against John Isner of the U.S. in Fribourg February 10, 2012.

MADRID - John Isner shocked Roger Federer in four sets to secure a 2-0 lead for the United States away to Switzerland in Davis Cup World Group action on Friday while holders Spain carved out the same advantage over Kazakhstan in their first-round tie.

Big-serving Isner beat Federer 4-6 6-3 7-6 6-2 to end his opponent's 15-match unbeaten run in Davis Cup singles rubbers and described it as the greatest win of his life.

He had lost his two previous meetings with the Swiss, both on hardcourts, but this time the 17th-ranked Isner spoiled a rare Davis Cup appearance by the 16-times grand slam singles champion with a clinical performance on clay in Fribourg.

John Isner of the U.S. reacts during his Davis Cup tennis match against Switzerland's Roger Federer in Fribourg, February 10, 2012.

"It's one of the greatest wins of my life, no that's wrong, it's the greatest win of my life," said Isner at courtside after the two-hour 39-minute contest.

Mardy Fish had earlier edged Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2 4-6 4-6 6-1 9-7 as Switzerland's bid to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2004 got off to the worst possible start against the team that beat them in the 1992 final.

"The mission was to go out there and not allow an artist a canvas to work with," US captain Jim Courier said of Isner's victory.

The winners of the tie will play away in the last eight against Canada or France who were playing later on Friday.

Spain began the defence of their title with Nicolas Almagro, their number one in the absence of Rafa Nadal and David Ferrer, and Juan Carlos Ferrero winning in contrasting fashion.

Almagro, had a fairly comfortable 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-1 victory over stubborn Kazakh Andrey Golubev while Ferrero returned to the Davis Cup with a thrilling 6-1 4-6 7-6 4-6 6-4 win over Mikhail Kukushkin in a gruelling four hour 28 minute contest.

Packed Calendar

Last year's runners-up Argentina took a 2-0 lead against Germany after David Nalbandian and Juan Monaco saw off Florian Mayer and Philipp Petzschner respectively on Bamberg's indoor clay court.

Monaco dismissed Petzschner 6-3 6-3 6-3 as the U.S. Open doubles champion committed 47 unforced errors in a disappointing performance before Mayer lost 2-6 6-0 6-1 7-6 to Nalbandian.

In Hyogo, Japan's Go Soeda, the world number 90, came from two sets down to upset 55th-ranked Ivan Dodig 6-7 3-6 6-4 6-3 7-5 and open a 1-0 lead over Croatia.

Ivo Karlovic then levelled for the 2005 champions with a 6-4 6-4 6-3 success against Kei Nishikori.

Serbia, the 2010 winners who are without world number one Novak Djokovic, are 2-0 up at home to Sweden thanks to a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory for Janko Tipsarevic over Filip Prpic and Viktor Troicki's 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-3 triumph over Michael Ryderstedt.

Austria hold a 2-0 advantage over Russia after Juergen Melzer fought off Igor Kunitsyn in five sets and Andreas Haider-Maurer beat Alex Bogomolov in four in Wiener Neustadt.

Czech Republic also have a 2-0 lead over Italy thanks to Radek Stepanek's battling 4-6 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-3 win over Andreas Seppi and Tomas Berdych's 6-3 4-6 7-5 6-2 victory against Simone Bolelli.

Packed Calendar

Spain captain Alex Corretja was unable to call on any of the four players who beat Argentina in last year's final as Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco all joined Nadal in stepping aside.

World number two Nadal, who has never lost on clay in 16 Davis Cup singles rubbers, blamed the packed calendar for his decision to opt out this year and Corretja drafted Ferrero back into the team after an absence of more than two years.

The former world number one, who turns 32 on Sunday and is now ranked 48th, did not disappoint the typically raucous Spanish fans but had to come back from a break down in the deciding set against the 61st-ranked Kukushkin.

"I tried to stay in the match by keeping my calm and attacking more," said Ferrero, who needed strapping on his right thigh after the third-set tiebreak.

"I did not expect such a long match but in the end I made the effort and I think it was worth it," the 2003 French Open champion said in a television interview. "Winning a point for Spain in the Davis Cup is always very emotional."

(china daily)

Federer, Nadal out of Qatar Open

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after his semi-final match against Gael Monfils of France during the ATP Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha January 6, 2012.

DOHA - Frenchman Gael Monfil supset top seeded Rafael Nadal, while defending champion Roger Federer pulled out of the Qatar Open for back injury on Friday.

Monfils will face third-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsongain in an all- French finale here on Saturday. Doha serves as a tune-up for the first Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open, which will commence January 16 in Melbourne.

The former world No. 1 Nadal succumbed to a fourth-seeded Monfils 6-3, 6-4 on the hardcourt.

Monfils ended a five-match losing streak versus the 10-time major champion Nadal. After dropping the opening set on Friday, Nadal appeared to be back in the match against Monfils as he held a 4-1 lead in the stanza.

But the Frenchman shocked onlookers by taking five straight games to pull off the upset in 1 hour, 35 minutes. Monfils won 16- of-21 points to go from 1-4 down to 5-4 up.

Nadal is the reigning French Open champion, was last year's Wimbledon and US Open runner-up, and was a Doha finalist two years ago.

Monfils was the Doha runner-up back in 2006. The powerful Nadal and Monfils met for a 10th time, as Nadal still comfortably leads the lifetime series, 8-2.

The Frenchman, however, was a quarterfinal victor here in Doha two years ago. The 25-year-old Monfils will now appear in his 16th career final (4-11), seeking only a fifth title.

He was 1-1 in a pair of finals last year, including a big victory in Stockholm. Tsonga received a walkover into the final when the second-seeded former No. 1 Federer exited the draw on Day 5 with back spasms.

Federer said he expects to be ready for the Aussie Open. "For Australia, I'm optimistic, just because it's not very good but it isn't crazy bad," Federer said.

"I have had bad backs in the past. This is definitely not very good; otherwise I would be playing. But I feel without play and the right treatment, I will get through it in the next few days."

This marks only the second time that the 30-year-old Federer has withdrawn during an event because of injury.

The 16-time major champion Federer is a three-time Doha titlist, including a victory over Russian Nikolay Davydenkoin last year's finale.

The 26-year-old Tsonga will appear in his 13th career ATP World Tour final, seeking an eighth championship. He went 2-4 in his 2011 title tilts.

Tsonga and Monfils will meet for a fourth time, with Tsonga leading their all-time series 2-1, all on hardcourts.

The winner of this 1.24 million dollar tournament will claim 175,380 dollars.

(Xinhua)

Clijsters eases into semis, Kanepi upsets Petkovic

Kim Clijsters of Belgium challenges a line call during her match against Iveta Benesova of Czech Republic at the Brisbane International tennis tournament Jan 5, 2012.

Benesova had beaten top seed Stosur in the second round on Wednesday and was targeting the Australian Open champion in their quarter-final to achieve a special double of beating grand slam champions on successive days.

The 28-year-old Belgian refused to let that happen by racing to a 5-1 lead in the first set and then, after tightening up a little to allow the Czech to narrow the gap, serving out 6-3.

Clisjters made short work of the second set, with Benesova holding her first service game before the four-times grand slam champion raced through winning the next five games to again have a 5-1 lead.

Bensova finally held her serve again in the seventh game but it only delayed the inevitable and Clijsters served out in just under 80 minutes.

Andrea Petkovic of Germany hits a return to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during their match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament, Jan 5, 2012.

Estonia's Kaia Kanepi earlier provided the upset of the quarter-finals when she beat second seed and world number 10 Andrea Petkovic 6-1 7-6.

The hard-hitting Kanepi had been cruising to victory but needed five match points to seal the win as her German opponent offered some late resistance.

Petkovic had been hampered by a back injury throughout the match but was able to increase the pressure when the 26-year-old was serving for the match at 5-4 and eventually forced a tie-break.

Despite having an opportunity to finish off the match on three further occasions, Kanepi finally managed to seal the win 9-7 in the tie-break after one hour, 40 minutes to set up a semi-final against Francesca Schiavone.

Third seed Schiavone had earlier ground down former world number one Jelena Jankovic 5-7 7-6 6-3 in a drawn-out quarter-final that lasted almost three hours as both players squandered numerous match point opportunities.

Jankovic wasted two match points in the second set while 2010 French Open champion Schiavone also squandered two match points of her own in the third.

Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova had a walkover into the semi-finals after Serena Williams withdrew on Wednesday with an ankle injury that she sustained in her second round victory over Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski.

Kaia Kanepi of Estonia reacts after winning her match against Andrea Petkovic of Germany at the Brisbane International tennis tournament, Jan 5, 2012.

In the men's draw, second seed Gilles Simon started sluggishly but managed to overcome Santiago Giraldo 7-6 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

Simon, who beat American Ryan Sweeting and Australia's James Duckworth in the first two rounds, is building nicely for the Australian Open later this month in Melbourne, something the Frenchman was pleased with.

"I've already played three good matches so it's good preparation for Melbourne," Simon said.

"I'm feeling good, I'm moving better and better everyday."

(Agencies)

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI HD IMAGE AND WALLPAPERS GALLERY

Caroline Wozniacki (born 11 July 1990) is a Danish professional tennis player. She is the current world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 7 November 2011, she has held this position for 56 weeks. She is the first Scandinavian woman to hold the top ranking position and 20th overall.

Caroline Wozniacki and Dominika Cibulkova - Crazy Dance Show

Tennis exhibition Tennis Classic 2011 in Bratislava. Crazy Dance from Caroline Wozniacki and Dominika Cibulkova...

Ivanovic celebrates birthday with Bali high

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia returns the ball during the final tennis match against Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain at the Bali Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, sunday, Nov 6, 2011. Ivanovic beat Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-0.

BALI, Indonesia - Ana Ivanovic celebrated her 24th birthday by successfully defending her Tournament of Champions title with a comfortable 6-3 6-0 victory over Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues on Sunday.

The victory was the Serb's 11th singles title but first since winning the event last year. Her previous best results in 2011 were achieved with semi-final appearances in Birmingham and Carlsbad.

The Spaniard was seeking her third title of the season following victories in Estoril and Palermo, and had enjoyed an easier route to the final after her previous two opponents this week retired from their matches.

Marion Bartoli suffered an ankle injury and quit after holding two match points and Sabine Lisicki failed to complete the third set of their semi-final due to a back problem.

"I feel great," Ivanovic told reporters. "I think I played an impeccable match today. I didn't do much wrong and really stayed so focussed and even sat at her chair (at a change of ends)."

Ivanovic, who was granted a wild card into the tournament, won all three of her matches in straight sets and did not face a break point in the final.

Although Medina Garrigues defended well and engaged her Serbian opponent in many long rallies, it was Ivanovic who always found the killer shot, producing a number of spectacular winners.

Ivanovic broke just once in the first set, to lead 2-0, but she also held four break points to lead 4-0 before Medina Garrigues managed to haul herself into the match.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia returns the ball during the final tennis match against Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain at the Bali Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, sunday, Nov 6, 2011. Ivanovic beat Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-0.

The second set was a rout, however, as Ivanovic surrendered just seven points on her way to her convincing victory.

Remarkably, Ivanovic went into the match concerned about her ability to perform.

"My shoulder was actually scary," Ivanovic admitted. "Yesterday it started to feel really sore. I did some autographs after the match and I couldn't even sign.

"I really tried to keep points short and take pace off my serve and it really worked well. I'm very proud of the way I played and the way I handled myself."

Medina Garrigues felt she was helpless as Ivanovic played at such a high level, and believes her opponent is capable of regaining the number one ranking she held briefly in 2008.

"I don't feel good about the way I played today, but Ana was playing so good I couldn't do too much," said Medina Garrigues.

"She didn't feel the pressure and was playing good, solid.

"I think she can be number one again. She has unbelievable tennis. It's difficult, but she was already number one.

"It's going to be tough but she has the game, the technique and the physical strength."

Following a three-year run in Bali, the tournament will move to Sofia, Bulgaria for three more years from 2012.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia holds her champion trophy at the award ceremony after defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain in their Bali Tournament of Champions tennis final match in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Nov 6, 2011.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia holds her champion trophy at the award ceremony after defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain in their Bali Tournament of Champions tennis final match in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Nov 6, 2011.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in traditional Balinese outfit holds her Championship trophy after winning the final tennis match at the Bali Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov 6, 2011.

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in traditional Balinese outfit holds her Championship trophy after winning the final tennis match at the Bali Tournament of Champions in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Sunday, Nov 6, 2011.

(Agencies)

Home 'advantage' matters

Peng Shuai of China returns a shot against Flavia Pennetta of Italy during their first-round singles match at the China Open at the National Tennis Center in Beijing on Monday. Pennetta won 7-6 (6), 7-5.

Zheng Jie is the only Chinese player to reach the second round of Open

BEIJING - Playing at home is not always an advantage as it can often result in more pressure and distractions.

After China's top player Li Na was knocked out on Sunday due to, in her words, a lack of confidence and increasing pressure from outside, China's world No 15, Peng Shuai, also suffered a first-round exit at the China Open on Monday, leaving Zheng Jie as the only Chinese player to reach the second round.

After bouncing back from being a set down to oust Italian Brianti Alberta 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, Zheng put her victory down to her mental strength and support from the home audience. Meanwhile, Peng was eliminated by Flavia Pennetta of Italy 7-6 (6), 7-5.

"Chinese players have to take up more pressure on their home courts, because there are more expectations now," said 28-year-old Zheng. "Also, I am not satisfied with my performance today. It's always hard to play the first game, and I was nervous.

"When I was behind 0-4 in the third set, I thought victory was slipping away, but I told myself not to give up," she said. "To play professional tennis with my physical attributes, I must have something others don't have, which is the determination to hold on until the last minute, and play with a full effort no matter what the circumstances."

Home 'advantage' matters

Zheng said the encouragement of the fans also gave her a lot of confidence, though she blew one match point after hearing a fan shout the ball was out.

"I heard someone shout 'out' at match point, and the umpire said it was not her, but someone in the audience," she said. "The fervent cheers from the audience provide motivation, but they also can increase the pressure.

"Of course, players want to have a quiet environment to play, that's the best, but we can't control the audience, what we can do is adjust our mindsets," said Zheng. "From another perspective, the fans are supporting me. If we try to look at it like that when on court we can put ourselves at ease."

Zheng also revealed she may partner Peng in the women's doubles at the London Olympics.

"I hope we have the chance to play together, but we have to check with our teams," Zheng said. "Peng played well in singles this year, and I also want to lift my single's ranking fast; therefore we need to find out how can we practice doubles together while not affecting our singles form.

"I think we have an 80 percent chance of playing at the Olympics together," she said.

In another match on Monday, world No1 Caroline Wozniacki ousted Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 3-6, 6-0, 7-5.

(China Daily)

Murray, girlfriend spotted at London fashion week

British model and actress Rosie Huntington Whiteley (L), celebrity photographer Mario Testino (2nd L), British tennis player Andy Murray (2nd R) and Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears watch the presentation of the Burberry Prorsum 2012 Spring/Summer collection during London Fashion Week, Sept 19, 2011.

British actress Sienna Miller (L), celebrity photographer Mario Testino (2nd L), British tennis player Andy Murray (2nd R) and his girlfriend Kim Sears watch the presentation of the Burberry Prorsum 2012 Spring/Summer collection during London Fashion Week, Sept 19, 2011.

British tennis player Andy Murray and his girlfriend Kim Sears arrive for the Burberry fashion show, during London Fashion Week, at Kensington Gardens, London, Sept 19, 2011.

(Agencies)