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YEAR 2009
POMONA VALLEY HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER USTA PRO CLASSIC
LA
Women's Tennis Championships
LA Tennis Open, UCLA
Campus
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Jack Kramer
August 1, 1921 - September 12, 2009 |
TENNIS ICON JACK KRAMER
MEMORIALIZED
By Kelly Richards
LOS ANGELES, CA - The last live
professional tennis tournament he saw was the one he created, the Los
Angeles Open.
Jack Kramer, perhaps the man most responsible for shaping modern
professional tennis, died Saturday September 12 from cancer of the
connective tissues. He was 88.
A pioneer, Kramer took players from amateurs paid under the table to
pros paid prize money.
In 1947, he won Wimbledon. In ’46 and’47, back-to-back U.S.
Championships, the precursor to today’s U.S. Open. Kramer also held
seven other Grand Slam doubles titles.
Before he went into his last U.S Championship final, Kramer decided to
turn pro because, quite frankly, he said he needed the money. The tennis
world had to sit up and take notice after his city-to-city tournaments
attracted better and better players and more and more fans. That was the
beginning of the ATP, the American Tennis Professionals.
And, in a backhanded way, Kramer is also responsible for the WTA, the
Women’s Tennis Association. He never thought the “ladies” could attract
as big of crowds as the men and therefore should not earn as much.
That’s when another legend, Billie Jean King, defected and started the
Virginia Slims Tennis Tour.
Kramer also led the way in sports endorsements. Practically an entire
generation of tennis players cut their teeth on the ‘Wilson Kramer”
racket. Selling more than 30 million, it became the most popular racket
ever made. Earning 2.5 percent of the profits, Kramer eventually
renegotiated the deal with the sporting goods giant because he said he
was making more than the company president.
He used some of that money to buy the Jack Kramer Tennis Club in Rolling
Hills, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula near Los Angeles, where tennis
greats like Pete Sampras and Tracy Austin grew up playing.
Born in Las Vegas, Kramer knew how to play the odds and used that in his
tennis game. He played “percentage” tennis; making the shots he had the
best chance of winning. Kramer was also known for his aggressive serve
and volley game.
Five sons survive him. One son, Bob Kramer, still runs the yearly summer
tournament his father started at UCLA. |
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FORMER SOCAL RESIDENT BOCKO TAKES
OUT STANFORD’S KLAHN IN FINAL AT
POMONA VALLEY HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER USTA PRO CLASSIC
By Steve Pratt
CLAREMONT, CA. – Matej Bocko stayed back on the baseline
and waited for the exact times to strike in his straight-set
final win over Stanford sophomore Bradley Klahn on Sunday at the
Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center USTA Pro Classic.
The fifth-seeded Bocko, who spent some of his most formative
tennis-playing years as a junior in Southern California, now
resides in South Florida. He earned $1,300 for his 7-6 (4), 6-3
win over a frustrated Klahn, who came in unseeded and starts his
second year at Stanford on Monday.
“I really consider myself an American,” said Bocko, 25, after
the match with no hint of an Eastern European accent. “I still
have my working visa and am proud of my Slovakian citizenship
but it’s just that I’ve spent most of my time over here in the
States.”
MORE...
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2009 WTA Tour - LA WOMEN'S TENNIS
CHAMPIONSHIPS Held at the Home Depot Center, Carson, Ca.
Tournament
Coverage - Day 1 |
2 |
3
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5 |
6 | FINALS
Qualifying Draw
Main Singles Draw
Main Doubles Draw
www.latennischamps.com |
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Flavia Pannetta (ITA) |
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All Photos
by Adam Davis |
PENNETTA OF ITALY WINS LA
TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Kelly Richards
CARSON, CA - In the biggest win of her career, Italy’s
Flavia Pennetta took the 2009 Los Angeles Women’s Championship
at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California Sunday. She beat
Australia’s Samantha Stosur in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Stosur came out strong but started making mistakes midway
through the first set. With eight double faults, her usually
powerful serve failed to deliver. Pennetta seemed to even have
an answer for the Aussie’s wicked slice kicker, a serve that
sends her opponents scrambling to return.
“She was very hard to beat,” said Pennetta. “I was afraid of her
serve.”
By the end of the first set, the 14-ranked Italian was pushing
Stosur side to side with punishing ground strokes. Stosur just
couldn’t keep up.
“I think she got a pretty decent amount of first serves in. When
I got chances on second serves I wasn’t able to split the court
very well,” the 25-year-old said.
In the second, Pennetta was consistent and steady while Stosur
struggled with error after error.
“I didn’t put enough pressure on her,” said Stosur. “I think
that was the difference today.”
With 22 titles, Stosur is no stranger to the winner’s circle in
doubles. But she has yet to win a singles tournament. On the
other hand, the 27-year-old Italian has won seven, now eight,
WTA championships.
“Sure I’m disappointed,” Stosur said. “I would have loved to
have won my first title today, but it wasn’t meant to be. I
played a very good player today and she played a little better
than me. It’s certainly something I’m going to build on the rest
of the year.”
Italy has built its recent winning Fed Cup international team
around Pennetta, a key factor in a tennis renaissance there.
“Women’s tennis in Italy has improved a lot in the last three
years,” she said. “After we won the Fed Cup everything changed.
It’s pretty important now.”
This is the second time in as many years Pannetta has made it to
the finals. Last year she lost to Russia’s Dinara Safina. It was
a win that sent Safina on the road to her number one ranking.
"I enjoy to play this tournament,” she said. “I feel great here.
I'm completely focused here."
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Flavia
Pannetta (ITA) |
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Sam
Stosur (AUS) |
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DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP
In the doubles final, Chia-Jung
Chang of Taipei won her second consecutive LA doubles final this
time teaming with Zi Yan of China to beat Russia’s Maria
Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-0, 4-6, 10-7. The pair will
split $34,000 while the runners-up get $17,600.
Said Chuang: “This is the second year that I have won the
doubles title here (won with Yung-Jan Chan last year). I was
very happy that I could come back and win again. We had a very
good week even though this was our first time playing together.
We played very good all week and I hope we can play this good
next week in Cincinnati.”
Yan couldn’t remember a tournament where she’s played so many
close matches. All four of the pair’s wins came in super
tiebreakers. “Every match went to match tiebreaker so it was
very good experience for us,” Yan said. “This was my 16th
doubles title, but my first one in a long time (2008
Strasbourg). I am very happy to win another title.”
Tennis on TV - Tennis Channel
Monday, Aug. 10 9:30 PM (TAPE)
Tuesday, Aug. 11 1:00 PM (TAPE)
Wednesday, Aug. 12 10:00 PM (TAPE)
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2009 ATP Tour - LA TENNIS OPEN
held on the UCLA Campus
Tournament Coverage - Day
1
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3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
FINALS |
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Sam
Querrey (USA) - 2009 LA TENNIS OPEN CHAMPION |
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Bryan Brothers hold up 5 for 5-time Doubles Champions |
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Photos by
Adam Davis |
QUERREY GETS IT DONE
By Kelly Richards
Los Angeles - It was a true Southern California
celebration at the Los Angeles Tennis Open Sunday. Four of the
six finalists at the annual UCLA tournament were locals: Sam
Querrey from Thousand Oaks, Bob and Mike Bryan from Camarillo
and newcomer Carsten Ball from Newport Beach.
FULL STORY |
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