Mesh Tennis

Nicole Vaidisova and Kveta Peschke won the doubles to give The Czech Republic a 3:2 victory over Slovakia in the Fed Cup World Group II First Round tie in Brno.

The Czech tennis players, who were heavily-favored before the match, have clinched a spot only in the deciding doubles match. The Slovak team was only five points away from a win but it was Vaidisova who ended the tie with two aces and celebrated with all the people in Brno Exhibition Center.

Slovakia, who retained its World Group II place for 2008 by defeating Serbia in a 2007 Group II Play-off, will struggle for a stay in Group II again, while Czech Republic will fight for place in World Group I. sktoday

French Open organizers filed suit Friday in a bid to ban online gambling companies from offering bets on the Grand Slam tournament.

The complaint filed in courts in Liege in eastern Belgium and in Paris claims that Internet betting companies stain the reputation of the clay-court championship at Roland Garros.

“There is urgency to act because sporting ethic is at risk,” Jean-Francois Vilotte, director general of the French tennis federation, told The Associated Press. “It is an issue as important as the fight against doping.”

The issue of integrity in tennis came to the fore in August, when an online betting site - Betfair - voided all wagers on a match in Poland between fifth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko and 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello because of irregular betting patterns. Davydenko withdrew from the match in the third set, citing a foot injury.

The French federation is suing three companies - Betfair, Bwin and Ladbrokes - with a court injunction to stop them from taking bets on the French Open. It seeks a fine of $75,000 a day for any violations, said Vilotte’s lawyer, Jean-Louis Dupont.

Dupont said the federation’s case is built on two tenets: that the betting companies are tainting the reputation of the French Open and unfairly using the tournament as a way of making money. FOX

Top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile won the Movistar Open on Saturday night, beating Pablo Cuevas 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-2 in the semifinals after fellow finalist Juan Monaco injured his left ankle in the doubles final.

Monaco, expected to miss Argentina’s Davis Cup match against Britain next week, hit his left foot against a referee’s chair while trying to reach a ball and had to be carried off the court.

“I am always happy to win and I am normally prepared to do whatever it takes to win, but I am sorry Juan cannot play,” said Gonzalez, also the tournament winner in 2002 and 2004. “I feel sorry for the fans and especially for Juan.” Fox

A leg injury has prevented him from particpating in the upcoming round…

With the Spanish federation confirming that Ferrer must rest for ‘five to six days’ because of his strain, world number 37 Feliciano Lopez has been handed a call up into the team.

Therefore captain Emilio Sanchez’s Spanish side will be made up of Tommy Robredo, Fernando Verdasco, Nicolas Almagro and Lopez for the tie, which gets underway on Friday.

Peru will be led by world number 76 Luis Horna, in what is their first-ever match in the World Group - their three other players are all ranked outside of the top 250. ESS

Stung by series of controversies surrounding her, tennis sensation Sania Mirza has decided to give the Bangalore Open, India’s only WTA event, a miss. Sania, who is managed by Globosport, owned by her friend, mentor and doubles partner Mahesh Bhupathi, was apparently adviced by her manager to take this decision.

Sania has opted out of next month`s Bangalore open and has cited the petty controversies that have been dogging her for quite some time for the pullout.

“I am not playing in Bangalore open. I have been advised by my manager not to play (there) because a lot has been happening in the past few months,” Sania told reporters here today.

“Every time I have played in India, there has been some kind of problem. So we just thought it was better not to play this time,” she added.

Ever since her breakthrough 2005 season, Sania has been battling controversies ranging from her on court attire being dubbed indecent by Islamic fundamentalists to the recent flag controversy during the Hopman cup in December last year.

In fact, the off court furors had shaken the world number 29 to such an extent that she had contemplated giving up the game altogether a few weeks before last month`s Australian open.

“A lot has happened and I thought about a lot of things. Here I am giving everything for the country and to have to deal with this kind of attention just as I was preparing for a slam was bothersome”, Sania said. Zee News

The reigning Wimbledon women’s champion and World No. 6 Venus Williams became the second top-10 player after her younger sister Serena to confirm participation for the $600,000 Bangalore Open championship which gets underway at the KSLTA Stadium courts here on March 3. However, Indian ace Sania Mirza has decided not to play in the event.

Announcing Venus’ participation, C.S. Sunder Raju, the KSLTA Honorary Secretary and the Tournament Director, said: “The presence of the Williams sisters — Serena and Venus — both top-10 players, takes the Bangalore Open to a new plane and it also has two top-20 players now, Patty Schnyder and Sybille Bammer”.

Sunder said that barring Grand Slams, the Williams sisters seldom make an appearance together in any WTA Tour event.

Venus, in a press statement expressed her delight to play in Bangalore. “I am extremely excited about my first visit to India which has always fascinated me.

“I am looking forward to experience the Indian culture I have read about over the years. I congratulate KSLTA for upgrading the event to Tier II and creating an opportunity for me to play in Bangalore.”

Sunder also said that the new Tour experimentation rule of allowing on court coaching for the players during the mandatory break, would be in place at Bangalore Open. “In a way it adds to the quality of the event,” he said. The Hindu

Rain washed out all play on Sunday with the score 1-1, and Davenport quickly put the Americans ahead on Monday by defeating Julia Goerges 6-1, 6-2 in 46 minutes, then Fed Cup first-timer Harkleroad secured victory by downing Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 7-5, rallying from 4-1 down in the second set.

Both Germans were playing in their first tie.

Lisa Raymond and Davenport completed the tie by winning the doubles 6-2, 6-0 in 41 minutes from Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Tatjana Malek.

The U.S. will visit defending champion Russia from April 26-27 for their third semifinal in four years. Russia beat Israel 4-1 on Sunday.

The other semi features China against Spain. Fox

Pete Sampras will take on Marat Safin in an exhibition match on opening night of the SAP Open, an event that just might have slightly less intensity than their meeting in the final of the 2000 U.S. Open.

Safin also received a wild-card entry into the event Feb. 18-24 at HP Pavilion. Mercury News

Host United States, the tournament’s most successful country with 17 titles but without a championship since 2000, struggled to a 1-1 start with Germany as 19-year-old Sabine Lisicki upset US veteran Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 7-5.

Davenport, who took time off last year to have her first child, lost for only the third time in 28 Fed Cup singles matches but Ashley Harkleroad pulled the Americans level by defeating Tatiana Malek 6-1, 6-3. AFP

In the World Group’s other tie on Saturday, Italy, last year’s beaten finalists, slumped to 2-0 down against Spain in Naples.

Nuria Llagostera Vives enjoyed a 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-2 win over Francesca Schiavone before Anabel Medina Garrigues eased past Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-3. AFP