Madrid Open 2012: Roger Federer Beats Tomas Berdych For Title

2012 Madrid Open Results, Purse And More: Serena Williams Wins Big, Roger Federer Makes Impressive Comeback

There's one more huge clay court tournament before the French Open, but Roger Federer and Serena Williams look ready for Roland Garros after their performances in the 2012 Madrid Masters. Williams coasted through the women's final to win her second title of the year, while Federer pulled off an impressive comeback victory.

For his 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over Tomas Berdych, Federer took home €585,800 in prize money. Berdych won €287,225 for his efforts. The women were also paid extremely well; Williams won €631,000 while Victoria Azarenka took home €313,000.

Men's doubles winners Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski won €181,400, while women's doubles winners Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci took home €199,000.

You can check out the full men's and women's draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. Keep checking this StoryStream for more results and scores. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Roger Federer Wins Madrid Open, Will Smith's 'Men In Black' Suit

Madrid Open 2012 Scores: Roger Federer Beats Tomas Berdych In 3 Tight Sets

It wasn't easy, but Roger Federer held off Tomas Berdych to take the title in the last pre-French Open warmup.

Federer looked shaky early, falling 3-6 in the first set, but stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the second set. Berdych bounced back, holding serve to make it 5-3, but eventually fell 7-5. The Czech couldn't control his powerful serve, hitting three aces in a pivotal game down 4-3 in the deciding third set, but also double faulting twice, including once to give Federer the game.He won both of the final sets 7-5.

Rafael Nadal will always be the favorite on clay, but after he fell to Fernando Verdasco, the door was open for Federer to take the tournament. He needed two deciding games to pull out the victory, but it's a win on clay a week before the French Open, which isn't bad by anybody's standards.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. Keep checking this StoryStream for more results and scores. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Serena Williams Routs Victoria Azarenka In Madrid Open Final

Victoria Azarenka may be the world's top-ranked player, but Serena Williams had no trouble absolutely dismantling her to notch a victory in the Madrid Open final.

Williams, who took the 2011 season off due to illness, absolutely dominated a player who had looked unbeatable. Azarenka had won her last four tournaments, but Serena never struggled at all, breaking Azarenka's serve right off the bat and continuing to play strongly throughout the match. The match was over in just 64 minutes. She overpowered Azarenka with 13 aces.

Williams, who was ranked No. 9 in the world before the match, has won her last 13 matches on clay courts. With the French Open looming slightly over a week away, destroying the best player in the world on clay can't be a bad sign for Serena.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. Keep checking this StoryStream for more results and scores. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012: 3 Finals Take Place Sunday With Roger Federer, Serena Williams In Action

Three titles are on the line on Sunday in Madrid, as the Madrid Masters concludes. The men's doubles final kicks off the day's action, followed by the women's final. The men's final closes out the day.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and clay court ace Rafael Nadal were surprisingly claimed early in the tournament on the controversial blue clay. Roger Federer takes on Tomas Berdych in the final, with the latter gunning for his first ever Masters Series title. Federer won a Masters Series title earlier in the year, at Indian Wells.

That will follow the women's final between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, both the No. 1 seed in the tournament and the top ranked player in the world. Williams went through Maria Sharapova and surprising qualifier Lucie Hradecka in the previous two rounds to reach the final, while Azarenka went though Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska.

The first match of the day is the men's doubles final between Robert Lindstedt / Horia Tecau and Mariusz Fyrstenberg / Marcin Matkowski, a match that will not be televised in the United States. TV coverage starts at 7:30 a.m. ET on the Tennis Channel with the women's final. The men's final will be shown live afterwards, not before 10:30 a.m. ET.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. Keep checking this StoryStream for more results and scores. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012 Results: Roger Federer Will Face Tomas Berdych In Final

Following Saturday's play at the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open, the men's and women's final matches are now set. Who will take home the top prizes on the controversial blue clay in Madrid?

The men's final will be a refreshing matchup after favorites Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were both bounced out of the tournament in the quarterfinals.

No. 3 player Roger Federer will face off against No. 6 Tomas Berdych in the final. Federer had little trouble in his semifinal match against Janko Tipsarević, as he easily defeated his Serbian opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Berdych advanced to the championship match by defeating Juan Martin del Potro in two grueling sets, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6).

In the women's final, Victoria Azarenka will face Serena Williams.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. Keep checking this StoryStream for more results and scores. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012 Results: Victoria Azarenka Will Meet Serena Williams In Women's Final

The women's final has been set at the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open. The No. 1 women's tennis player, Victoria Azarenka, will face off against one of the most famous tennis players of this generation, the resurgent Serena Williams.

In the semifinals on Saturday, Azarenka eliminated No. 4 Agnieszka Radwańska with relative ease, needing two sets to advance 6-2, 6-4. On the other side of the bracket, Williams also defeated her opponent in straight sets. Heavy underdog Lucie Hradecká was eliminated after sets of 7-6 (7-5), 6-0. Williams blanked Hradecká in the second set and will be raring to go in the final against Azarenka.

In the men's singles semifinals, Tomas Berdych punched his ticket to the championship match by defeating Juan Martin del Potro in two grueling sets, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6). He will wait to see who prevails in the other semifinal match between No. 3 Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. Keep checking this StoryStream for more results and scores. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012 Day 7 Preview: Roger Federer Lone Top 5 Member Remaining

Clay isn't known as Roger Federer's surface, but he's the only top 5 ATP member still standing on the blue dirt in Madrid.

He is joined in the semifinal round by world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic, along with world No. 7 Tomas Berdych and world No. 11 Juan Martin Del Potro.

Tipsarevic defeated world No. 1 and the tournament's defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal round.

On the women's side, eight women remain. World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka survived a scare from 2011 French Open champion Li Na. Azarenka pulled through in three sets.

Her next match, which will be against world No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska is tilted heavily in Azarenka's favor. She has won the last four meetings. However, the only games Radwanska has dropped this season have been in her matches against Azarenka.

Then there's swinging' Serena Williams, who is looking to return to her consistent final-round appearances. Williams will face the Czech Republic's Lucia Hradecka. Hradecka disposed of both Petra Kvitova and Sam Stosur.

We'll see if Federer or any of the other top players are quoting Djokovic on Day 7.

From the AP:

"I want to forget this week as soon as possible and move on to the real clay courts," Djokovic said. "Here you can't predict the ball bounce or movement.They can do whatever they want, but I won't be here next year if this clay stays."

Madrid Open 2012 Day 6 Results: Maria Sharapova Surrenders To Serena Williams

Serena Williams shredded Maria Sharapova in their quarterfinal match.

The former world No. 1 defeated the world No. 2 in straight sets, dropping only four games along the way for a final score of 6-1, 6-3. Had Sharapova been able to stay in the tournament, she was on her way to possibly grabbing the world's top spot.

This is the seventh straight time Serena has dominated Sharapova. The win was also Williams' 11th on clay this season.

The No. 9-ranked WTA player will face either countrywoman Samantha Stosur or Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic.

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka also advanced to the semifinals.

Azarenka defeated 2011 French Open champion Li Na, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

While the women's side is still stacked with top players, the men's side only has Roger Federer remaining in the top 3. Both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (the world No. 1 and 2, respectively) expressed frustration toward the new playing surface at Madrid. Azarenka agreed with their criticism but not their timing.

From the AP:

''I do agree that it is very slippery. You feel unstable sometimes, actually, a lot of times,'' she said. ''But right now there is no point on talking about it. After the tournament all the players can get together and discuss it.''

Madrid Open 2012 Results: Novak Djokovic Upset, Roger Federer Advances

The 2012 Mutua Madrid Open has seen no shortage of drama before the finals have even arrived. After No. 2-ranked men's player Rafael Nadal was upset and took exception to the blue clay playing surface, the top men's player in the world also saw himself ushered out of the tournament in the quarterfinals.

Novak Djokovic was defeated in straight sets by No. 7 Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6, 6-3. In the other quarterfinal on Djokovic's side of the bracket, No. 3 Roger Federer became the only top five-ranked player to make it into the semifinals, as he defeated David Ferrer, 6-4, 6-4. Federer and Tipsarevic will play in one of the two semifinal matches. The other men's semifinal will pit Juan Martin del Potro against Tomas Berdych.

In the women's quarterfinals on Friday, No. 1 Victoria Azarenka needed three sets to dispatch Li Na, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. In a battle of former world No. 1s on the other side of the bracket, Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova to advance. The two women's semifinals matches will be Azarenka playing No. 4 Agnieszka Radwańska and Williams facing off against Lucie Hradecká.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012: Victoria Azarenka Faces Li Na; Federer And Ferrer Have A Showdown

It's a showdown for the women on Friday.

In a rematch of last year's semifinal, World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka and Li Na will face off in the quarterfinals. Then there's a battle between two former world No. 1's Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.

Sharapova advanced to the quarterfinal round after her opponent, Lucie Safarova, withdrew due to illness. As for Serena's advancing, she had to take down Caroline Wozniacki in three sets.

Sharapova is currently the world No. 2 and could reclaim the world's top spot if she raised the tournament trophy.

Spaniard David Ferrer will face the world No. 3 Roger Federer. Ferrer is ranked No. 6 in the world and is playing in his home country without the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Federer and Ferrer have faced 12 times. Federer has won every meeting.

World No. 1 NOvak Djokovic will face Janko Tipsarevic making the opening match of the night session is an all-Serb showdown.

Madrid Open 2012 Results: Rafael Nadal Loses, Angry At Blue Courts

Rafael Nadal was upset today, upset by a man named Fernando Verdasco, a man who has lost 14 straight matches.

But not only did Nadal lose, he threatened to never return to the tournament in Madrid.

Yes, the world's greatest Spaniard really was that upset, not just by his 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 loss, but by the color of the courts.

So yes, the world's top players are a bit frustrated by the un-traditional color of the clay.

From the AP:

"Being able to move is very important for me and if I can't move well, I can't hit the ball well either," said Nadal, the second seed and two-time Madrid champion. "If things don't change, this will be one less tournament on the calendar for me.

"This surface destabilizes the game. It is a completely different game and I don't want to take risks."

In other results, Federer and Ferrer as well as Djokovic and Tipsarevic will be meet in the quarterfinal round.

On the women's side, Serena Williams lost the opening set 6-1 before coming back to take down Caroline Wozniacki. Williams won the second and third set, 6-3, 6-2. Williams will face Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals. Sharapova's opponent withdrew from their match due to illness.

Madrid Open 2012: Day 5 Matches Full Of Household Names

The Madrid Open nears the weekend as the round of 16 (named the "1/8 Round" by the tournament's official website) gets under way today, as more and more participants offer their two cents on what's becoming the infamous blue court.

On the men's side, despite a number of close matches on Wednesday, nearly all of the usual suspects, and favorites, remain, as 12 of the world's top 16 players on the ATP World Tour Rankings still stand in the bracket.

Today, featured matches are Gael Monfils against Tomas Berdych, and Fernando Verdasco against Rafael Nadal. Other notable matches include Richard Gasquet against Roger Federer, and Fernando Verdasco facing top-seeded and defending champion Novak Djokovic.

If the favorites hold court, it will set up an incredibly appealing long weekend for tennis fans.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012 Scores: Rafael Nadal Advances, Petra Kvitova Upset On Day 4

The 2012 Madrid Open continues Thursday with second and third round men's and women's matches. No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal highlighted the early men's matches with an easy victory over Nikolay Davydenko. On the women's side, No. 3 Petra Kvitova was upset in straight sets by Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic.

Nadal improved to 11-0 on clay this year with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Davydenko. The Russian typically plays the superstar Spaniard incredibly tight, but Nadal dominated after winning the first game of the match off deuce. Davydenko was broken in the third and fifth games of the first set. He was broken two more times in the second set, as well. Nadal finished the match with six aces and 19 winners.

Kvitova, meanwhile, continues to struggle. She has yet to win a tournament this year, but entered this year's Madrid Open with high hopes as the defending champion and No. 3 seed. She was broken five times in the loss to Hradecka, however. Hradecka is currently ranked No. 105 in the world.

In other results, No. 8 Li Na beat No. 12 Angelique Kerber, 7-5, 6-4, in a hotly contested battle. On the men's side, No. 8 John Isner lost to Marin Cilic in straight tiebreaker sets and No. 4 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced to the third round over Viktor Troicki.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012: Day 4 Matches Headlined By Rafael Nadal, Victoria Azarenka, Roger Federer

The 2012 Mutua Madrid Open moves into Day 4 on Wednesday and there will be plenty of thrilling matches over the course of a packed day. Three of the top tennis players in the world will see action on Day 4 as they attempt to advance.

In Manolo Santana Stadium, Radek Stepanek will take on David Ferrer in an early afternoon match. Following that match, Nikolay Davydenko will go up against No. 2 ranked Rafael Nadal.

At night, also in Manolo Santana, top-ranked female player Victoria Azarenka will face off against Ana Ivanovic and Roger Federer will play against Milos Raonic.

Both Federer and Nadal will attempt to join top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the next round. Djokovic advanced on Day 3 by defeating Daniel Gimeno-Traver in three sets.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012 Scores: Novak Djokovic Needs 3 Sets To Advance Tuesday

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic was seemingly on his way to an easy victory Tuesday in the second round of the 2012 Madrid Open. He won the first set 6-2 over Daniel Gimeno-Traver, an unranked Spaniard with only one ATP Tour match win this year to his name.

Momentum completely left Djokovic's side of the court in the second set, however. The Serb held on his first serve, but was broken on his next two chances to suddenly find himself in a 4-1 hole. Gimeno-Traver looked much more at ease than the superstar, sending a forehand winner down the line to consummate a 6-2 win in the second set and put "upset" in the minds of spectators.

The two players held their serves in the final set, until Djokovic finally got the break he needed to take a 4-2 lead. The Spaniard could only hold from there, as he seemingly didn't have the legs to turn the tables yet again. Djokovic eventually won the third set 6-3 to advance to the Round of 16, where he will face the winner between Stanislas Wawrinka and Jurgen Melzer.

In other notable men's matches, No. 6 Tomas Berdych downed Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-3 to move on to the third round. No. 9 Gilles Simon needed three sets to finally take out Fabio Fognini of Italy. No. 12 Gael Monfils, Simon's fellow Frenchman, also went the distance before finally topping Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012 Scores: Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova Advance On Day 3

The top two seeds in the women's draw of the 2012 Madrid Open won their second round matches in straight sets on Tuesday to advance to the tournament's Round of 16. No. 1 Victoria Azarenka and No. 2 Maria Sharapova are still on track to meet in the finals for now.

Azarenka encountered a lot of trouble from Andrea Hlavackova in the second set of the match, however. After winning the first 6-3, Azarenka was broken in the 10th game of the next set. She went down 6-5 before double faulting in the 12th game to give Hlavackova a chance at set point. Azarenka regained her composure to win 10 of the final 12 points and take the second set 7-6 (2).

Sharapova had a relatively easier time against Klara Zakopalova, winning 6-4, 6-3 to advance Tuesday. She took a 4-1 lead in the first set recording two of her five break points in the first and fifth games. Zakopalova broke back, then held serve to push the set to 4-3. The players held from there, however. Sharapova took a 5-2 lead in the second set and forced match point before Zakopalova came back to break. Sharapova promptly broke back to take the set and the match when her opponent double faulted.

Azarenka will face No. 13 Ana Ivanovic in the next round, a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Nadia Petrova. Sharapova draws Lucie Safarova, who won 6-3, 6-4 over Carla Suarez-Navarro on Tuesday.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012: Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams In Action Tuesday

The 2012 Madrid Open has received more attention this year than it typically does, but it's unfortunately been for all of the wrong reasons. The blue courts aren't making many of the participants happy, but the color of the playing surface shouldn't affect the top tennis players in the world when they take the court on Tuesday.

On the men's side of the bracket, top-seeded Novak Djokovic is set to take on Daniel Gimeno-Traver in their second round matchup. The time is listed as "to be determined," but it's scheduled to be the fourth match on the court named after Manolo Santana.

Other ranked men scheduled to play later Tuesday include Tomas Berdych, Feliciano Lopez and Richard Gasquet with Juan Martin del Potro, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco and Gael Monfils already advancing in Tuesday's early morning matches.

Serena Williams will be the big match to watch Tuesday afternoon on the women's side of the bracket as she takes on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova after the Djokovic matchup. Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka advanced in one of Tuesday's early matches alongside fellow ranked competitors Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic.

You can check out the full men's and womens' draws at the official site of the 2012 Madrid Open. For more from the 2012 Madrid open, stay tuned to SB Nation's dedicated tennis hub.

Madrid Open 2012 Day 2 Results: Venus Williams Exits Early

The third time wasn't a charm for Venus Williams.

The former world No. 1 competed in her third tournament since an illness sidelined her at the end of the 2011 season. In her other two tournaments, Miami and Charleston, S.C., Williams made her way to the quarterfinal round.

Her run ended earlier than that on the blue courts of the Madrid Open today. Williams lost to 12th-seeded Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 6-1.

From the WTA:

"I'm very happy I could beat Venus. She's a great player, a great champion and has won so many Grand Slams," Kerber said. "I played very well from the first point, so I'm very happy about it. It means a lot to me to win against her."

While Williams is a seven-time Grand Slam champion, Kerber has had better results in recent tournaments. When Williams pulled out of the U.S. Open in September during the first round, Kerber made it all the way to the semifinals, her first. She's also won two titles, at Paris and Copenhagen, but told the WTA she likes all the surfaces.

"It doesn't matter to me where I play - blue clay, red clay, hardcourts," she said. "The blue clay is a little bit different though. It's very slippery and the balls bounce a little bit higher, but I feel good on it, and I'm in the third round now. I hope to continue like this."

The ATP Made A Mistake With Their Choice Of The Color Blue

Madrid Open 2012: Serena Williams, Nicolas Amalgro Advance On Day 2

Ninth-seeded Serena Williams bested Elena Vesnina in straight sets on Day 2 to advance to the second round of the 2012 Madrid Open. No. 11 Nicolas Amalgro struggled early against Santiago Giraldo in his first round match on the men's side, but eventually won in three sets.