Mark Woodforde

Boris Becker and Ivan Lendl had to go to tiebreakers to win their second-round matches in the Seiko Super tournament today. The second-seeded Becker outlasted Ryuso Tsujino, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), despite Tsujino's nine aces. Lendl, the third seed, beat Mark Woodforde, 6-2, 7-6 (11-9). Stefan Edberg, the top seed, breezed past American Todd Woodbridge, 6-3, 6-1, on the fast artificial surface at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Bob and Mike Bryan, the identical twins from Camarillo, won their 11th major tennis title Saturday, defeating eighth-seeded Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (2), in the Wimbledon men's doubles final. It was the second Wimbledon championship for the twins, who tied Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde with 11 titles at Grand Slam-level events. "This is as special as it gets," Mike Bryan said. "To equal the Woodies, a team that we idolized, the greatest team in our mind, is unbelievable.

What can you do when someone serves 34 aces against you? "You either laugh or cry," said Mark Woodforde, who was talking about getting dusted off by Goran Ivanisevic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, Wednesday at Wimbledon. Ivanisevic's fastest serve was clocked at 129 m.p.h. in the second-round match on Centre Court. Woodforde felt pretty helpless against Ivanisevic's serves. "I could not get my racket out to it," Woodforde said. "He out-cannonballed me.

It happens almost never at a tennis tournament that the doubles winners get interviewed on national TV and have their gear snatched up to be sent immediately to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., while the singles finalists are still going on about their business. But that's how Sunday afternoon went for the 32-year-old Bryan twins, Mike and Bob. They are now the winningest men's doubles pairing after a 6-7 (6), 6-2, 10-7 victory over Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherland Antilles in the doubles final of the Farmers Classic at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

Mark Woodforde survived Richard Krajicek's 120-m.p.h. serves and a three-set battle in 110-degree heat Saturday, advancing to the Los Angeles Open final with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory. Woodforde reached his first final of the year and will play either No. 2 Boris Becker or No. 6 Jason Stoltenberg in today's championship on the UCLA campus. "Reaching a final is fantastic," said Woodforde, an Australian ranked 53rd in the world in singles, but known primarily for his doubles success.

It happens almost never at a tennis tournament that the doubles winners get interviewed on national TV and have their gear snatched up to be sent immediately to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., while the singles finalists are still going on about their business. But that's how Sunday afternoon went for the 32-year-old Bryan twins, Mike and Bob. They are now the winningest men's doubles pairing after a 6-7 (6), 6-2, 10-7 victory over Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherland Antilles in the doubles final of the Farmers Classic at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

The second loudest pop of the day at the Volvo/Los Angeles tournament, right behind any serve of your choice by Richard Krajicek, came from Aaron Krickstein's foot Saturday night. Krickstein was helped from the court, left the L.A. Tennis Center stadium in a wheelchair and was taken to the UCLA Medical Center, where X-rays showed he fractured bone in his left foot during the first set of his semifinal against Mark Woodforde.

Richard Krajicek dropped his racket and stood staring at his hand in disbelief. Sweat poured down his red, contorted face. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Not at the Los Angeles Open, in which Krajicek had not lost in the last two years. But here he was, staring at the hand that, unbelievably, had just failed him. It had gripped his racket, which had sent the ball flying across the court, where it landed beyond the opposite baseline to set up break point for Mark Woodforde, 40-15.

It began as an odd blend of sports and politics. The Davis Cup teams of the United States and Australia assembled here Thursday on the steps of the Capitol with a U.S. senator acting as master of ceremonies, cracking stale jokes. Not long into the draw ceremony for today's Davis Cup semifinal, Todd Martin upstaged Sen. John Breaux (D.-La.), fainting dead away during the politician's opening remarks.

James Blake is enthusiastic about tennis. He is full of plans on how to move his ranking up from 115 so that he won't have to rely on tournament directors to give him a wild card into the main draw. Blake, who once reached No. 4 in the world, needed that wild card to get into the Farmers Classic tournament that begins Monday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. And if being enthusiastic about the game doesn't seem news bulletin material, it is a big change from when most tennis fans last noticed Blake.

Mark Woodforde isn't stalking Bob and Mike Bryan. It just seems that way. Woodforde is modest and his face reddens a little as he speaks of his record-setting doubles play, of the 61 titles he and his fellow Australian Todd Woodbridge won during 10 years of playing together until they retired in 2000. Woodforde is in L.A. to do some work for the Tennis Channel but mostly to be around if the Bryan twins from Camarillo win the doubles title Sunday at the Farmers Classic tournament at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

James Blake is enthusiastic about tennis. He is full of plans on how to move his ranking up from 115 so that he won't have to rely on tournament directors to give him a wild card into the main draw. Blake, who once reached No. 4 in the world, needed that wild card to get into the Farmers Classic tournament that begins Monday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. And if being enthusiastic about the game doesn't seem news bulletin material, it is a big change from when most tennis fans last noticed Blake.

Bob and Mike Bryan, the music-making, arm-punching, chest-bumping doubles team from Camarillo, won their 61st career doubles title Sunday in Madrid, beating Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, 6-3, 6-4. With the victory, the 31-year-old Bryans are tied with Australians Paul Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the most career doubles titles. "It's something we've been kind of focusing on for the last couple of years," Mike Bryan said from Spain on Sunday night. "As we were getting close to the record, it was kind of a nervous feeling.

It began as an odd blend of sports and politics. The Davis Cup teams of the United States and Australia assembled here Thursday on the steps of the Capitol with a U.S. senator acting as master of ceremonies, cracking stale jokes. Not long into the draw ceremony for today's Davis Cup semifinal, Todd Martin upstaged Sen. John Breaux (D.-La.), fainting dead away during the politician's opening remarks.

Andre Agassi, needing all the luck he can find at this precarious stage of his career, stumbled upon two huge breaks Friday in the U.S. Open. The first came when No. 3 Yevgeny Kafelnikov was swept out of his path by Australian Mark Woodforde in a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) upset before Agassi stepped on court. The second arrived in the form of a gift from Romanian Adrian Voinea, who patted balls like a practice partner and served like a hacker to hand Agassi a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 victory in 80 minutes.

Mark Woodforde survived Richard Krajicek's 120-m.p.h. serves and a three-set battle in 110-degree heat Saturday, advancing to the Los Angeles Open final with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory. Woodforde reached his first final of the year and will play either No. 2 Boris Becker or No. 6 Jason Stoltenberg in today's championship on the UCLA campus. "Reaching a final is fantastic," said Woodforde, an Australian ranked 53rd in the world in singles, but known primarily for his doubles success.

Tim Mayotte has become the Bill Buckner of tennis, which, if you think about it, might actually be a bit unfair to Buckner. As much as Buckner, then with the Boston Red Sox, is seemingly forever identified with his unfortunate error in Game 6 of the World Series last fall--his gaffe was merely a low point in an otherwise outstanding and long career. Mayotte, on the other hand, is regarded as the fall guy, the reason the U.S.

Andre Agassi, needing all the luck he can find at this precarious stage of his career, stumbled upon two huge breaks Friday in the U.S. Open. The first came when No. 3 Yevgeny Kafelnikov was swept out of his path by Australian Mark Woodforde in a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) upset before Agassi stepped on court. The second arrived in the form of a gift from Romanian Adrian Voinea, who patted balls like a practice partner and served like a hacker to hand Agassi a 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 victory in 80 minutes.

Richard Krajicek dropped his racket and stood staring at his hand in disbelief. Sweat poured down his red, contorted face. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Not at the Los Angeles Open, in which Krajicek had not lost in the last two years. But here he was, staring at the hand that, unbelievably, had just failed him. It had gripped his racket, which had sent the ball flying across the court, where it landed beyond the opposite baseline to set up break point for Mark Woodforde, 40-15.

The second loudest pop of the day at the Volvo/Los Angeles tournament, right behind any serve of your choice by Richard Krajicek, came from Aaron Krickstein's foot Saturday night. Krickstein was helped from the court, left the L.A. Tennis Center stadium in a wheelchair and was taken to the UCLA Medical Center, where X-rays showed he fractured bone in his left foot during the first set of his semifinal against Mark Woodforde.