Andy Roddick - Beijing
A-Rod earned his third title this season (San Jose, Dubai) when he struggled to beat Israel's Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 in Beijing. Afterwards, the American baller donated $25,000 of his winnings to the Chinese Tennis Association to help with the earthquake recovery in the Sichuan Province:
I would really like to contribute a part of my prize money to those families affected, to those who lost everything they had, suffered painful injuries or lost loved ones in the earthquake. It’s my great honor to be in Beijing to work with CTA to assist those kids who are in need. It is an athlete's privilege and responsibility to give back.Great moment - kudos to you A-Rod!
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Bangkok
Unbelievably, Jo-Willy earned his very first ATP title in Bangkok when he defeated top seed Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-4 in a rematch of the Aussie Open final where the Serb earned his maiden Grand Slam trophy (karmic brothers maybe?). If he can keep his injury woes at bay, this winning run should boost his confidence and make the Frenchie a big threat the remainder of the season and beyond.
Jelena Jankovic - Beijing
In a battle of mental midgets, JJ avenged her loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova in Tokyo, routing the Russian baller 6-3, 6-2 and earning her second title this year. The Serb stopped a run of four straight hard court losses to Sveta and continues her run towards the WTA Penthouse. I suppose whomever is left standing after everyone else implodes will win titles this fall - how entertaining.
Maria Kirilenko - Seoul
The Russian didn't let the fashionable bloomers she was working here stop a run to the title. Maria, the top seed, stopped a three-match losing streak by defeating Aussie Samantha Stosur 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 in Seoul earning her third Tier IV title of the season (Estoril, Barcelona). So when is Maria going to step up and take her game to the next level? Winning is winning for sure, but it makes me think the 21-year old is destined to be a second-rate baller in a (sometimes) pretty dress.
(images via Getty)
Congrats to Andy,great to see him holding a thorpy again.
ReplyDeleteNice he donated to the China earthquake fund too,Andy's such a great,caring guy.Love him!
It was a great gesture from A-Rod...and it shows that these athletes, who can live in pretty insular worlds, are aware of what's going on outside the lines and in these countries they mostly just 'pass through.'
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