Inside update

'Game Changers'

World's Best Player Pound-for-Pound

Definition of Sport

US Tennis and the Economy

Michael Duranceau

APS Tennis California

GP Tennis Academy Ky

Deguchi Elite Tennis, Tx

Zo-Fit Tennis, Va

Misa Tennis Academy

ITS Kids 10s - Quick Start

Nat.Jr Tennis & Learning

ITS Teaching Philosophy

ITS Swiss History

atpworldtour.com: May 6 2014 Madrid - Austrian qualifier Dominic Thiem recorded his biggest career win Tuesday, stunning World No. 3 Stanislas Wawrinka 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

Thiem, who has come through qualifying seven times this season, broke the reigning Australian Open champion in the final game to clinch his first victory over a Top 10 player. At 20 years and eight months, Thiem is currently the youngest player inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Thiem will play the winner between 15th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Spaniard Feliciano Lopez for a place in the quarter-finals.

Fifth seed David Ferrer came through a near three-hour battle against fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos for a place in the Mutua Madrid Open third round. Ferrer converted five of his 12 break point opportunities to beat the wild card entry 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-3 in two hours and 50 minutes.

Alexandr Dolgopolov knocked out No. 13 seed Fabio Fognini, who was runner-up to Martin Klizan at last week's BMW Open by FWU AG, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and five minutes at the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday. He won 18 of his 20 net approaches and hit 24 winners.

World No. 20 Ernests Gulbis kept his nerve to beat No. 21-ranked Jerzy Janowicz 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-2. Gulbis hit 18 aces to Janowicz’s 11 and proved to be stronger on second serve. 

Nicolas Almagro came through an epic three-set win over qualifier Andrey Golubev mid-afternoon, converting his 11th match point in a 6-3, 6-7(9), 6-4 victory over two hours and 31 minutes. Almagro, the 2010 semi-finalist, who has a 13-6 record on clay, will now play seventh seed and 2008 titlist Andy Murray, who is bidding to win his 10th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown.

Milos Raonic also opened his campaign on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Jeremy Chardy. Marin Cilic, a winner of two ATP World Tour titles this year, hit seven aces and lost just eight of his service points in a crushing 6-1, 6-1 victory over Joao Sousa in 54 minutes. Qualifier Igor Sijsling notched his first win in four meeting against Tommy Haas, the No. 14 seed, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 34 minutes.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer has decided to withdraw from the Mutua Madrid Open in order to support his wife, Mirka, in the time leading up to the birth of the couple’s third child. The Federers already have four-year-old twin girls, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, born on 23 July 2009. The Basel native played his last match three weeks ago in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, finishing runner-up to Stanislas Wawrinka.

wtatennis.com: May 6 2014 Madrid  - Li Na made short work of compatriot Zheng Jie with a 6-2, 6-3 win to reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

Li Na may have the Grand Slam titles and Chinese No.1 ranking, but head-to-head bragging rights back home belong to Zheng Jie, who had come out on top in four of the pair's seven matches to date.

Li set the tone for the match early on, bullying Zheng around the court as she went about building an early lead. Looking at home on the clay, Li even felt the confidence to mix up her tactics, punching away a forehand volley to wrap up the set after just 34 minutes. 

Zheng refused to wilt in the face of this pressure and was rewarded with a break at the start of the second set, her relentless scrambling forcing Li into playing one ball too many. However, her revival was short lived, Li regrouping to take the next five games before closing out with her first love service game of the match.

Maria Sharapova staged an 11th hour comeback to defeat Christina McHale and book her place in the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open. Sharapova saved her best tennis for when it mattered most reeling off five straight games from 1-4 down in the third set to snatch a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory from the jaws of defeat.