A Real Racket
Men’s tennis action is well underway at the 2007 China Open: Yesterday world number four Nikolay Davydenko was knocked off by unseeded Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-4, the best showing yet for the unseeded Croatian dark horse as he advances into the quarter finals of China’s marquis tennis event. Cilic (pictured above on Xinhua.net) will play against wild-card seeded Nicolas Kiefer of Germany tonight in the final eight rounds of the tournament.
Other men’s players who have advanced include Fernando Gonzalez, who defeated fellow Chilean Paul Capdeville 6-2, 6-1 on Wednesday and faces off against South Korean sixth seed Lee Hyung-taik at 12.30pm today; followed by Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic versus Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus; and a match between Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn, who will face Tommy Robredo of Spain at around 7pm tonight.
The women’s portion is yet to come, and fans will get a chance to catch Chinese players Li Ting and Sun Tiantian, Maria Sharapova and 14-time Grand Slam Champion Serena Williams in action next week. CCTV will be televising the event.
Getting Tickets:
Regular tickets are fairly across the board price wise, but you can expect to pay from ￥20 for a ground pass, ￥50-￥100 for a normal day pass, but as the events get more heated and intense, the last days of each week are anywhere from ￥150-￥800. Tickets are half price for students. Either visit the piao.com website for specific date and time information, or you can order via the hotline at (86) 10-6417 7845. Also keep in mind- while the box tickets guarantee food and drink, it might be a good idea to bring snacks and a bottle of water or two with you.
Who’s Playing and When:
For who is playing, check out the updated schedules.
Getting There:
Take buses 610, 17, 946, 43, 813, 741 or 826 and get off at Zhaogongkou. If you prefer driving your own car, you can follow Third Ring road and turn south onto Zhaogongkou Bridge. Turn south at the intersection and continue for another half-a-kilometer. The Beijing Tennis Center will be on your right.
Update: Fernando Gonzalez of Chile defeated Spain's Tommy Robredo in the men's final of the China Open: 6-1 3-6 6-1
Further Update: Peng Shuai has defeated Martina Hingis to advance to the quarter finals of the women's tournament. The final will be held on Sunday.
Sources, Useful Links and Phone Numbers:
Piao.com: China Open 2007 Match Schedule
Piao.com: China Open 2007
Xinhuanet.com: Top seed Davydenko falls, Robredo through at China Open
Sina.com: Gonzalez beats Robredo to win China Open