US loses to defending champ Russia in semifinal at Fed Cup

No Serena. No Venus. No Lindsay. And no spot in the Fed Cup final for the United States.

Defending champion Russia advanced to its fourth Fed Cup final in five years, clinching its semifinal match when Vera Zvonareva rallied to defeat Vania King 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday. The Russians will face five-time champion Spain in the Fed Cup final in September.

Venus Williams was injured, Serena Williams previously said she would pull out and Lindsay Davenport withdrew from a recent tournament because of the flu.

"I was disappointed," U.S. captain Zina Garrison said of the withdrawals. "But everyone has their schedule. On the other hand, I'm very proud of these young girls. They did what they had to do. They came here and showed that they did have a future."

Garrison, who led the United States to four Fed Cup semifinals, is stepping down after five years as captain. Mary Joe Fernandez will take over next year.

Russia had an unbeatable 3-0 lead before Ahsha Rolle scored the first point for the Americans, defeating Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-4. King paired with Liezel Huber to beat Vesnina and Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the doubles.

In Beijing, Spain defeated China 4-1 in the other World Group semifinals.

Nuria Llagostera Vives defeated Peng Shuai 6-4, 6-4 to assure the five-time Fed Cup champion its first berth in the final since 2002.

Russia took a 2-0 lead Saturday after Anna Chakvetadze and Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated King and Rolle, respectively. On Sunday, Zvonareva substituted for Kuznetsova, who was originally drawn to play.

The 14th-ranked Zvonareva had three break points in the second game of the first set but King saved each one and forced the Russian to make errors.

The 115th-ranked King broke Zvonareva at love for a 5-4 lead and served out the set.

But Zvonareva evened the match, breaking the American in the sixth game of the second set.

King fought for every point in the decider and had a break point in the second game and one more after Zvonareva broke her at love in the third game.

But the Russian served hard on key points and broke in the seventh game before winning the match on her serve.

"There were just one or two points in the second and the third sets that really could have changed the match around," said King, who lost 6-4, 7-5 to Chakvetadze on Saturday opener.

"It's obviously very frustrating for me to be so close two straight days," King said.

Zvonareva has improved to 4-2 in the Fed Cup after the fourth straight win. King is 3-4.

"She was playing great," Zvonareva said. "I knew it would be a tough match but it's so nice to be back on the team and bring it a decisive point."

Zvonareva last played for Russia in the final against France in 2004. She paired with Anastasia Myskina to win the decisive doubles match, earning Russia its first Fed Cup title.

The United States has won a record 17 Fed Cup titles, the last in 2000.

King had praise for Garrison's run, despite a lack of titles.

"I think Zina has done a terrific job as Fed Cup captain," King said, who played all her Fed Cup matches under Garrison. "She really brought all the teams together. We stayed as a family on and off the court."

Russia has won three titles in the last four years and is unbeaten at home since hosting France in 2003.

Roddick puts US in Davis Cup semis

Andy Roddick was handed the large American flag and then just stood there. He wasn't going on a victory lap until his teammates joined him.

Roddick's Davis Cup dominance led the United States to the title last year and his victory Sunday eliminated France and clinched a spot in the semifinals against Spain. But Roddick clearly cherishes the camaraderie of this close-knit bunch.

The same can't be said for France. Not after its top player, Richard Gasquet, begged out of a matchup with Roddick with his country facing elimination.

Behind a blistering serve, Roddick defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 for the deciding victory in the best-of-five quarterfinal. Roddick's second singles victory in three days secured the Americans' sixth straight Davis Cup win, including last year's final over Russia.

"It's nice to get rewarded for all the rough losses that we had, and I've been a part of a lot of big losses for us in Davis Cup," said Roddick, who improved to 29-9 in the competition. "You've got to try to keep an even keel when things are going your way, but obviously it's been fun having won the last six."

A day after a loss by the No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan kept France's hopes alive, Roddick was never threatened in giving the Americans an insurmountable 3-1 lead. While he was held to 17 aces, he lost only 13 points on his serve to improve to 10-0 in clinching situations for the U.S.

"I think everyone makes a big deal about the 10-0 thing," Roddick said. "I have to be up 2-1 in order to clinch, so I've been put in good positions a lot of times."

Roddick fittingly wrapped up the win with an ace down the middle. He then circled the court while passing the flag among the Bryans and James Blake, who later beat Richard Gasquet in the meaningless finale 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4 to give the U.S. a 4-1 win.

"I don't know why it is, I don't know what brings us all together, but we just have a good time," Blake said.

In other quarterfinals, Russia eliminated the Czech Republic 3-2, and Argentina ousted Sweden 4-1. Spain advanced Saturday and went on to defeat Germany 4-1.

Argentina will host Russia in one semifinal, while the U.S. will visit Spain and Rafael Nadal Sept. 19-21, which almost certainly will be on red clay.

"I know it's not convenient for us. I know we're not going to be the favorites," Roddick said. "But I know we're going to go and we're going to try. The thing about this team is we don't play when it's convenient. That's probably different from some of the other countries."

Roddick was referring to Nadal, who skipped last year's quarterfinal against the U.S. held here. But Gasquet's puzzling behavior could also apply.

Already without Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who flew back to Paris on Wednesday after an MRI exam revealed a cartilage tear in his right knee, Gasquet didn't hit the court until France was eliminated.

Gasquet, ranked No. 10, skipped Friday's singles with a blister on his right hand and a sore left knee. And even though Gasquet shocked Roddick in last year's Wimbledon quarterfinals, Gasquet told French captain Guy Forget he didn't want to play Roddick.

"He felt Roddick was playing too good for him and he had probably no chance," Forget said.

Gasquet said he thought the 12th-ranked Mathieu, who wasted two match points before losing to Blake on Friday, had the better shot to beat Roddick.

"Paul-Henri was in better shape than me," Gasquet said. "I hadn't played on the court."

But the 12th-ranked Mathieu proved no match for Roddick. He broke Mathieu five times and won in just more than 90 minutes. He had 30 aces in a straight-sets win over Michael Llodra on Friday and never faced a break point against Mathieu.

"I did not have a broken leg or an arm, so I'm going to go to the court and give it my best," Mathieu said. "But Andy was too good for me today."

Roddick wasn't broken in two matches on the quick, indoor hard-court suited to his style. It continued an exceptional month for Roddick in which he beat the tour's top three players — Roger Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Winning 36 of 41 points on his first serve, the result may not have been much different if Gasquet was his opponent.

"I don't think it would have mattered, the way I played today," Roddick said.

The loss, the fourth straight time France has bowed out in the quarterfinals, left questions about whether Forget will select the temperamental Gasquet again.

"Even the way he talks about himself and his game, you feel like he's not really confident," Forget said.

U.S. captain Patrick McEnroe faces no such concerns. It marked a record 10th straight time Roddick, Blake and the Bryans have played together. And despite having to face Spain on clay, a surface that always has frustrated Americans, they'll all gather again in September.

"I've been very lucky as the captain of this team," McEnroe said. "A lot of people say, 'Hey you think these guys are still going to want to play?' To me it was never a question, because these guys just love it. They're so committed."

In Moscow, Russia reached the Davis Cup semifinals for the fourth consecutive year, eliminating the Czech Republic when injured Tomas Berdych quit during the fifth set against Nikolay Davydenko. Russia won the Davis Cup in 2002 and 2006 and was runner-up to the U.S. last year.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Argentines ousted Sweden behind David Nalbandian's five-set victory over Robin Soderling. This was Argentina's 12th straight Davis Cup victory at home since 1998.

At Bremen, Germany, Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat Michael Berrer, and Nicolas Kiefer averted a German shutout by downing Feliciano Lopez.

Spaniard takes out Blake at US Clay Court Championship

Marcel Granollers-Pujol upset top-seeded James Blake 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 on Sunday in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship for his first tour title.

The seventh-seeded Spaniard came back from 3-0 down in the third set, turning back the American who at one point won 18 of 19 points.

But Granollers-Pujol, No. 84 in the world, would not go away and Blake, the world's eighth-ranked player, missed a chance to win his first clay-court title. He lost in the quarterfinals two years ago, the semifinals last year and reached the final this year.

The Spaniard won it when Blake hit a backhand long. After the match, Granollers-Pujol turned to his coach and screamed as he squatted and clenched his fists.

"I feel very, very good," the 22-year-old Barcelona resident said. "It's my best day of my life, I think. I'm very happy for this."

He served for the match a first time up 5-4 but netted an easy backhand volley at 30-all that would have taken him to match point. Blake closed out the game to break.

Up 30-love on his own serve, Blake missed a backhand passing shot after the Spaniard approached the net. Blake lost the next three points to drop his serve and only managed one point when Granollers-Pujol served for the match.

Afterward, he and his coach leaped into the River Oaks Country Club pool in celebration.

The match was stopped for about 20 minutes early in the second set when a spectator collapsed and paramedics came to treat him and wheel him out on a gurney. Because of the break, the players were allowed a warm-up before resuming play.

When Granollers-Pujol was down 3-0 in the final set, the Spaniard didn't crater. He held and broke Blake in a game that had four deuces. He got the break after Blake chased down a deft dropshot, returned it up the line before Granollers-Pujol hit a crosscourt backhand passing shot that the American could only touch with his frame.

"When I made 3-2, I think I come back very, very good and with more power." the Spaniard said.

Blake said he was going for a little too much with his shots when he was up 3-0

"And maybe I started thinking that the finish line was in sight," Blake said. "He made me hit the extra ball every single time."

Blake was despondent that he let the match slip away.

"Right now, I'm very upset about it, very disappointed," the No. 2 American said. "But hopefully in a day or two I'll think about the fact that at least I made it to the finals of my first clay-court tournament and had chances to win it."

The Spaniard said he tried not to think about having lost his serve when he was up 5-4.

"I miss an easy volley, but I come back good and finally I can win the match," he said.

Granollers-Pujol, unlike most other Spanish players, hits little topspin on his backhand and meets the ball tight to his body. The ball has little if any spin.

"It's definitely different looking but it's very effective and, I think, his better wing," Blake said. "He doesn't miss it much at all and he can kind of put wherever he wants to. It doesn't matter what it looks like, he gets the job done."

Blake lauded the Spaniard's play.

"He played well, fought hard and competed very well all week," he said. "I wish I could have played better (in the final) and executed a little better."

Blake has been here before this year. Blake lost to 18-year-old Kei Nishikori of Japan in three sets in Delray Beach, Fla., in February. It was the teen's first career final.

"It's tough because I'm really happy for (Granollers-Pujol)," Blake said. "This is now the second time this year I've kind of made a young player's day. It's tough being on the receiving end of it."

Sharapova wins on clay

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Maria Sharapova has won a tournament on clay for the first time.

She beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 7-6 (7), 6-3 in the final of the Bausch & Lomb Championships on Sunday.

The top-seeded Sharapova overcame five double-faults and 33 unforced errors to become the first player on the WTA Tour to capture three titles in 2008. She also won the Australian Open and at Doha.

Top-ranked Federer wins 1st title of season at Estoril Open

Roger Federer ended a long drought with his first title of the year, and it took a leg injury to his opponent to ensure victory for the world's top-ranked player.

Federer captured his 54th career title Sunday, winning the Estoril Open when second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko retired with a left leg injury while trailing 7-6 (5), 1-2.

"I think it's the first time in my life I play a final and someone gave up," Federer said. "I guess if you put yourself in the position so many times it's going to happen eventually, but you don't hope for it."

Federer returned to his winning ways in his fifth tournament of the season. It had been eight years since Federer had needed so many events to reach a final. He won despite windy conditions and the fact that he was playing on his most challenging surface.

"It's great to win a title again, and to straightaway win my first clay-court tournament of the season gives me great confidence going into Monte Carlo," the 26-year-old Swiss star said. "I guess now, if you get better conditions, (I'll) play so much better.

"Two months ago when I didn't have enough matches and because of my sickness everything looked a little more up in the air," said Federer, who has battled mononucleosis.

Davydenko, who is ranked fourth in the world, broke Federer's serve to start the second set before pulling out of the match.

"I was running to the left and I felt some stretched muscles and (it was) painful," said Davydenko, who had received 3 minutes of medical attention at the close of the first set. "Maybe I can finish match but I don't want to lose 6-2. I have the Masters tournament coming up, so what can you do? It's really tough."

Davydenko, who fell to 0-12 against Federer, said his opponent was as tough as ever.

"He had good control, he kept the same (play) as before," the Russian said. "I don't see anything different between (the) last matches and now."

Federer added Estoril to his schedule in a bid to boost his chances of winning the French Open. The 12-time Grand Slam winner also recruited clay-court specialist Jose Higueras as coach to help win the only major championship missing from his collection.

Federer leveled his record in clay-court finals at 7-7 on a day on which cold and intermittent rain left both players reacting rather than dictating the play.

"Today was just the toughest conditions. You can't chase the line any more at all, you just try to keep the ball in play," Federer said. "It's just not easy to play aggressive tennis, it's more of a waiting game."

Maria Kirilenko beat Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-2 to win the women's crown — her third career title.

The second-seeded Russian broke Benesova's serve five times, helped by the Czech's five double faults. It was the third straight tournament in which Benesova lost in the final.

Kuznetsova to lead Russia against US in Fed Cup semis

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Svetlana Kuznetsova will lead defending champion Russia against the United States in the Fed Cup semifinals next weekend.

Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev also Wednesday named Anna Chakvetadze, Dinara Safina and Elena Vesnina for the match, which will be held April 26-27 on clay at the Luzhniki indoor arena — where Russia beat the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup quarterfinals last weekend.

The United States has yet to name its team.

Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova will skip the match as part of what Tarpishchev has said was an agreement with Kuznetsova.

Sharapova made her Fed Cup debut in the first round against Israel in February.

The United States has won the Fed Cup title for a record 17 times, and is 4-2 against three-time champion Russia.

Serena Williams tops Vera Zvonereva to win Family Circle Cup

Serena Williams captured the Family Circle Cup title Sunday, defeating Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 for her first clay court title since the 2002 French Open.

Williams' third title of the year was expected to lift her to No. 6 in the rankings. She won earlier in Bangalore and Miami. She is 19-1 in matches this year after winning her 31st career title on the green clay here on a breezy, overcast afternoon.

"I feel like I have some momentum behind me and I just want to keep going," said the fifth-seeded Williams, who won $197,000 and a crystal cup at the $1.3 million tournament. "I definitely look at everyone as my clay court competition."

Unlike earlier matches at the Family Circle, Williams started strong, winning the first set and scattering 10 aces during the match.

"I just wanted to get that first set under my belt, and thank God I did because I lost the second," said Williams, who anticipated long day against the ninth-seeded Russian. "I've played her a few times, so I really know her game and she's a real fighter and she never stops."

Williams improved to 5-1 against Zvonareva, who should rise to No. 14 in the rankings by making the finals.

In the third set, Zvonareva broke Williams in the third game — the final point on Williams' second double-fault of the day.

But Williams broke back in the next game, then held serve at love in the next.

"She never made a mistake when I was up," Zvonareva said. "I think I could have done a little better job about holding my serve, which I wasn't able to do."

Williams then broke Zvonareva a second time, taking advantage of two consecutive double-faults.

"She always puts pressure on you, so you always have to go for a bigger serve and eventually your serve percentage goes down," said Zvonareva, who ended with eight double-faults. "I accepted I would have some double-faults today and I knew it was going to happen when I was coming into the match. It's just too bad to have two of them in a row."

It was Williams' fifth appearance in Charleston, but her first title. She was runner-up to Justine Henin in 2003.

US names teenager to Fed Cup squad

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Teenager Madison Brengle and former South African player Liezel Huber could appear for the star-deprived U.S. team in the Fed Cup semifinals against Russia.

Brengle, an 18-year-old right-hander from Dover, Del., was one of the four players chosen Wednesday to represent the Americans next weekend in the best-of-five series.

Huber, Vania King and Ahsha Rolle also were chosen to face Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Dinara Safina and Elena Vesnina on indoor clay in Moscow.

Huber, the No. 1 doubles player in the world, spent four years on the South African Fed Cup team. She became a U.S. citizen last July and will be making her debut for the American squad.

Previous U.S. teams have included Serena and Venus Williams, as well as Lindsay Davenport

Seventh-ranked Venus Williams pulled out of the Fed Cup last week because she's dealing with a medical issue. The six-time Grand Slam champion said she hopes to be back as soon as possible, and wants to play at next month's French Open.

Serena Williams also said she would skip the Fed Cup, but the Americans were still expected to have former top-ranked player Davenport on the team. However, on Saturday, she withdrew from the semifinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships with a fever.

"This is a great opportunity for some fresh, new faces to gain experience with the guidance of a respected veteran like Liezel," U.S. Fed Cup captain Zina Garrison said. "Vania, Ahsha and Madison have a bright future and represent the next generation of Fed Cup competition."

In the other semifinal series, China will host Spain on indoor hard courts in Beijing.

Brengle is ranked 253rd by the WTA, and lost to Rolle in the first round of last month's Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif. In January, Brengle lost in the first round at the Australian Open. In the girls tournament, she reached the third round.

Last year, Brengle earned her only main-draw win on the WTA Tour when she beat Flavia Pennetta of Italy in the first round of the East West Bank Classic in Carson, Calif.

She also lost in the first round of the Australian Open and the U.S. Open in 2007.

Kuznetsova, who won the 2004 U.S. Open, was named to Russia's team instead of Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova.

Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev has said the decision was made together with both Kuznetsova and Sharapova, who have decided to share time on the team.

Sharapova made her Fed Cup debut in the first round against Israel in February.

China will be represented by Peng Shuai, Zheng Jie, Yan Zi and Sun Tian-Tian, while Spain uses Nuria Llagostera Vives, Carla Suarez-Navarro, Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez and Arantxa Parra-Santonja.

China will be playing in the Fed Cup semifinals for the first time.

In the World Group playoffs, it's: Italy vs. Ukraine; Japan vs. France; Argentina vs. Germany; and Israel vs. Czech Republic.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo was named to lead France.

(This version CORRECTS Brengle's age to 18)

Top-ranked Federer tries out new coach

Roger Federer, stuck in a slump, said he will work with coach Jose Higueras at the Estoril Open in Portugal this week.

"I am excited as I have asked Jose Higueras, one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in the world of tennis, to join me," the top-ranked player said on his Web site Monday. "We are going to spend the week together to see if we could make a good team."

Federer begins the European clay-court season at Estoril having failed to reach a final in four tournaments this year.

Higueras is a clay-court specialist who coached a teenage Michael Chang to the 1989 French Open title. The Spaniard reached two semifinals at Roland Garros as a player and also has coached Americans Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Robby Ginepri.

"It is a test period, but it is not just something for the clay-court season," Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, told The Associated Press. "Roger is not looking to hire coaches just for specific surfaces. This is something he is testing out to replace the arrangement he had with Tony Roche."

Federer has worked without a coach since splitting with Roche last May. He is off to his worst start to a season since 2000, due in part to a stomach virus and mononucleosis.

The 26-year-old Swiss star plays 80th-ranked Olivier Rochus of Belgium in the first round at Estoril on Tuesday. Federer is scheduled to play Masters Series events on clay at Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg, Germany, before attempting to win his first French Open title.

Top-ranked Federer wins 1st title of season at Estoril Open

Roger Federer ended a long drought with his first title of the year, and it took a leg injury to his opponent to ensure victory for the world's top-ranked player.

Federer captured his 54th career title Sunday, winning the Estoril Open when second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko retired with a left leg injury while trailing 7-6 (5), 1-2.

"I think it's the first time in my life I play a final and someone gave up," Federer said. "I guess if you put yourself in the position so many times it's going to happen eventually, but you don't hope for it."

Federer returned to his winning ways in his fifth tournament of the season. It had been eight years since Federer had needed so many events to reach a final. He won despite windy conditions and the fact that he was playing on his most challenging surface.

"It's great to win a title again, and to straightaway win my first clay-court tournament of the season gives me great confidence going into Monte Carlo," the 26-year-old Swiss star said. "I guess now, if you get better conditions, (I'll) play so much better.

"Two months ago when I didn't have enough matches and because of my sickness everything looked a little more up in the air," said Federer, who has battled mononucleosis.

Davydenko, who is ranked fourth in the world, broke Federer's serve to start the second set before pulling out of the match.

"I was running to the left and I felt some stretched muscles and (it was) painful," said Davydenko, who had received 3 minutes of medical attention at the close of the first set. "Maybe I can finish match but I don't want to lose 6-2. I have the Masters tournament coming up, so what can you do? It's really tough."

Davydenko, who fell to 0-12 against Federer, said his opponent was as tough as ever.

"He had good control, he kept the same (play) as before," the Russian said. "I don't see anything different between (the) last matches and now."

Federer added Estoril to his schedule in a bid to boost his chances of winning the French Open. The 12-time Grand Slam winner also recruited clay-court specialist Jose Higueras as coach to help win the only major championship missing from his collection.

Federer leveled his record in clay-court finals at 7-7 on a day on which cold and intermittent rain left both players reacting rather than dictating the play.

"Today was just the toughest conditions. You can't chase the line any more at all, you just try to keep the ball in play," Federer said. "It's just not easy to play aggressive tennis, it's more of a waiting game."

Maria Kirilenko beat Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-2 to win the women's crown — her third career title.

The second-seeded Russian broke Benesova's serve five times, helped by the Czech's five double faults. It was the third straight tournament in which Benesova lost in the final.

Spaniard takes out Blake at US Clay Court Championship

Marcel Granollers-Pujol upset top-seeded James Blake 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 on Sunday in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship for his first tour title.

The seventh-seeded Spaniard came back from 3-0 down in the third set, turning back the American who at one point won 18 of 19 points.

But Granollers-Pujol, No. 84 in the world, would not go away and Blake, the world's eighth-ranked player, missed a chance to win his first clay-court title. He lost in the quarterfinals two years ago, the semifinals last year and reached the final this year.

The Spaniard won it when Blake hit a backhand long. After the match, Granollers-Pujol turned to his coach and screamed as he squatted and clenched his fists.

"I feel very, very good," the 22-year-old Barcelona resident said. "It's my best day of my life, I think. I'm very happy for this."

He served for the match a first time up 5-4 but netted an easy backhand volley at 30-all that would have taken him to match point. Blake closed out the game to break.

Up 30-love on his own serve, Blake missed a backhand passing shot after the Spaniard approached the net. Blake lost the next three points to drop his serve and only managed one point when Granollers-Pujol served for the match.

Afterward, he and his coach leaped into the River Oaks Country Club pool in celebration.

The match was stopped for about 20 minutes early in the second set when a spectator collapsed and paramedics came to treat him and wheel him out on a gurney. Because of the break, the players were allowed a warm-up before resuming play.

When Granollers-Pujol was down 3-0 in the final set, the Spaniard didn't crater. He held and broke Blake in a game that had four deuces. He got the break after Blake chased down a deft dropshot, returned it up the line before Granollers-Pujol hit a crosscourt backhand passing shot that the American could only touch with his frame.

"When I made 3-2, I think I come back very, very good and with more power." the Spaniard said.

Blake said he was going for a little too much with his shots when he was up 3-0

"And maybe I started thinking that the finish line was in sight," Blake said. "He made me hit the extra ball every single time."

Blake was despondent that he let the match slip away.

"Right now, I'm very upset about it, very disappointed," the No. 2 American said. "But hopefully in a day or two I'll think about the fact that at least I made it to the finals of my first clay-court tournament and had chances to win it."

The Spaniard said he tried not to think about having lost his serve when he was up 5-4.

"I miss an easy volley, but I come back good and finally I can win the match," he said.

Granollers-Pujol, unlike most other Spanish players, hits little topspin on his backhand and meets the ball tight to his body. The ball has little if any spin.

"It's definitely different looking but it's very effective and, I think, his better wing," Blake said. "He doesn't miss it much at all and he can kind of put wherever he wants to. It doesn't matter what it looks like, he gets the job done."

Blake lauded the Spaniard's play.

"He played well, fought hard and competed very well all week," he said. "I wish I could have played better (in the final) and executed a little better."

Blake has been here before this year. Blake lost to 18-year-old Kei Nishikori of Japan in three sets in Delray Beach, Fla., in February. It was the teen's first career final.

"It's tough because I'm really happy for (Granollers-Pujol)," Blake said. "This is now the second time this year I've kind of made a young player's day. It's tough being on the receiving end of it."

US names teenager to Fed Cup squad

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Teenager Madison Brengle and former South African player Liezel Huber could appear for the star-deprived U.S. team in the Fed Cup semifinals against Russia.

Brengle, an 18-year-old right-hander from Dover, Del., was one of the four players chosen Wednesday to represent the Americans next weekend in the best-of-five series.

Huber, Vania King and Ahsha Rolle also were chosen to face Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Dinara Safina and Elena Vesnina on indoor clay in Moscow.

Huber, the No. 1 doubles player in the world, spent four years on the South African Fed Cup team. She became a U.S. citizen last July and will be making her debut for the American squad.

Previous U.S. teams have included Serena and Venus Williams, as well as Lindsay Davenport

Seventh-ranked Venus Williams pulled out of the Fed Cup last week because she's dealing with a medical issue. The six-time Grand Slam champion said she hopes to be back as soon as possible, and wants to play at next month's French Open.

Serena Williams also said she would skip the Fed Cup, but the Americans were still expected to have former top-ranked player Davenport on the team. However, on Saturday, she withdrew from the semifinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships with a fever.

"This is a great opportunity for some fresh, new faces to gain experience with the guidance of a respected veteran like Liezel," U.S. Fed Cup captain Zina Garrison said. "Vania, Ahsha and Madison have a bright future and represent the next generation of Fed Cup competition."

In the other semifinal series, China will host Spain on indoor hard courts in Beijing.

Brengle is ranked 253rd by the WTA, and lost to Rolle in the first round of last month's Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif. In January, Brengle lost in the first round at the Australian Open. In the girls tournament, she reached the third round.

Last year, Brengle earned her only main-draw win on the WTA Tour when she beat Flavia Pennetta of Italy in the first round of the East West Bank Classic in Carson, Calif.

She also lost in the first round of the Australian Open and the U.S. Open in 2007.

Kuznetsova, who won the 2004 U.S. Open, was named to Russia's team instead of Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova.

Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev has said the decision was made together with both Kuznetsova and Sharapova, who have decided to share time on the team.

Sharapova made her Fed Cup debut in the first round against Israel in February.

China will be represented by Peng Shuai, Zheng Jie, Yan Zi and Sun Tian-Tian, while Spain uses Nuria Llagostera Vives, Carla Suarez-Navarro, Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez and Arantxa Parra-Santonja.

China will be playing in the Fed Cup semifinals for the first time.

In the World Group playoffs, it's: Italy vs. Ukraine; Japan vs. France; Argentina vs. Germany; and Israel vs. Czech Republic.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo was named to lead France.

(This version CORRECTS Brengle's age to 18)

Sharapova wins on clay

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Maria Sharapova has won a tournament on clay for the first time.

She beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 7-6 (7), 6-3 in the final of the Bausch & Lomb Championships on Sunday.

The top-seeded Sharapova overcame five double-faults and 33 unforced errors to become the first player on the WTA Tour to capture three titles in 2008. She also won the Australian Open and at Doha.

Venus Williams takes indefinite hiatus

Six-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams will be sidelined indefinitely, though she did not say why she will be out of action.

"I've just been having some issues that I need to resolve, so I'm working on that at the moment and I'm hoping to be back playing as soon as possible," Williams said Tuesday at the Bausch & Lomb Championships. "I'm not going to get any further into it, but of course I love the sport."

Williams said last week she was dealing with a medical issue when she announced her withdrawal from the Bausch & Lomb tournament. She played last week in the Sony Ericsson Open, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.

Williams will not play for the United States in the Fed Cup semifinal against Russia on April 26-27, but did not rule out any other tournaments and said she still wants to play in the French Open beginning in late May.

"Of course I want to be there (in France)," Williams said. "I don't want to be at home watching on TV. Watching this week will be enough on TV, so hopefully not too many more weeks."

McEnroe hired for player development

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Patrick McEnroe took on a new job Wednesday: saving U.S. tennis.

The Davis Cup captain and former top-30 player was hired to oversee player development for the U.S. Tennis Association. The goal is to reverse the recent decline in American fortunes on the men's and women's tours.

"The world has caught up in some ways. But that's OK," McEnroe said. "My job is really going to be to work within the tennis community, to find those elite players that we think can become champions, to give them that pathway, to give them the opportunities to become great players."

McEnroe also received a three-year contract extension as Davis Cup coach. Last year, he led the Americans to their first title since 1995.

While Europe, Asia and South America have had increasing success in developing top-100 players, the grooming of talent in the United States has stalled. In 2007, for the only the second time in 20 years, no American made the singles finals at the U.S. Open.

There are nine U.S. women and eight men in the top 100.

The situation is especially bleak on the women's side, where only one American younger than 26 — Ashley Harkleroad — is in the top 100 compared to five American men.

"It's a new world," said Arlen Kantarian, the USTA's CEO for professional tennis. "We recognize the reality, and we're committed to change."

The USTA will increase spending on player development by 50 percent next year, Kantarian said. The association is creating a champions advisory board and coaches commission to help with talent identification, program development and coaching.

McEnroe's title in his newly created position is general manager of elite player development for the U.S. Tennis Association. He'll report to Kantarian.

McEnroe will oversee the USTA's national coaches and the USTA Training Centers in Boca Raton, Fla., and Carson, Calif.

"There are great academies out there, there are great parents out there, there are great coaches out there," he said. "My goal with this role with the USTA is to bring everybody together to try to do this as a team. We're going to give our top prospects the best that we can in coaching, training facilities, environment and resources."