Tennis Capsules: Glatch to face Pennetta in Fed Cup opener

REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy — Flavia Pennetta can settle her score with American Alexa Glatch in the opening match of the Fed Cup final.

Italy meets the United States on a slow red clay court in the best-of-five series beginning Saturday at the Rocco Polimeni club.

Glatch routed Pennetta 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the French Open. That’s been the only blemish on a career year for Pennetta, who won back-to-back titles in Palermo, Sicily, and Los Angeles en route to becoming the first female Italian player to reach the top 10 in August.

"I really didn’t play well the first time and she had nothing to lose," said the now 11th-ranked Pennetta on Friday. "Hopefully it will go better this time. I’m going to get together a better game plan with Corrado (Barazzutti, the Italy captain)."

Glatch acknowledged that "it’s going be a lot different than last time."

Francesca Schiavone, will face U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin in the second singles on Saturday. Schiavone and the 18-year-old Oudin have also met once before, with the Italian routing the youngster 6-1, 6-1 last year in Indian Wells, Calif.

Oudin, who also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon this year, burst into the spotlight with her U.S. Open run. She said the last meeting with Schiavone felt like it took place "three years ago."

"She was very experienced and she handled me pretty easily. But I think I’ve improved a lot since then," Oudin said. "She’s been playing amazing as well. We’ve both had good years, so I think it’s going to be a really good match tomorrow."

The 16th-ranked Schiavone has tended to save her best performances for Fed Cup, when she came from a set down to defeat Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals. Lately, Schiavone has also played well on tour — winning a $1 million title in Moscow and reaching the final in Osaka, Japan, last month.

"(Oudin) has matured and improved a lot since then," Schiavone said. "I saw her at the U.S. Open and I have a lot of respect for her. I’m going to have to use my experience and physical strength to do my best."

Reverse singles are set for Sunday, plus a possible decisive doubles match featuring Liezel Huber and Vania King of the United States against Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

The combination of rankings, clay courts and experience makes Italy a clear favorite, but the hosts are under pressure playing at home.

"I always think the home country feels the pressure a lot more," U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez said. "In a final, there’s an added dimension. I think when you play for your country, it’s a different sort of tension, sort of nerves. It’s hard to describe, but you definitely feel it a lot more."

Italy is playing its third final in four years, having upset Justine Henin and Belgium to take the 2006 title. The U.S. has won a record 17 Fed Cups but none since 2000.

"We’re taking it very seriously to try to bring it back home, that’s our goal," Fernandez said. "It would be a thrill, because it has been a very long time."

Ruling on Serena’s U.S. Open tirade expected soon

REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy — A ruling on Serena Williams’ U.S. Open tirade is expected in the next two weeks.

"It’s in the hands of the Grand Slam administrator, who I believe has now completed his investigation and will be making a ruling within the next two weeks," United States Tennis Association President Lucy Garvin told The Associated Press on Friday. "That’s what we have been told — that Serena would hear, we would hear."

The Grand Slam administrator is Bill Babcock.

Williams was fined $10,000 after her profanity-laced outburst at a lineswoman during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in September, and she could face a more severe penalty in the coming weeks.

"We really have not gone down that path of making a judgment as to what would be right or wrong at this point," Garvin said. "She was defaulted out of the singles and she has apologized sincerely. So we’ll just have to see what the Grand Slam administrator comes to the Grand Slam committee chairs with. I think Serena is very anxious to hear."

Speaking before the Fed Cup final between the United States and Italy that starts Saturday, Garvin said she has discussed Andre Agassi’s recent drug revelations with some board members, but that "nothing official" has been decided.

"It definitely was surprising to all of us," Garvin said. "Andre is a very open individual now — he’s older, he’s matured, he’s been a wonderful ambassador the sport. I’m not sure of his reasoning as to why he felt he wanted to disclose that, but that’s his personal business and he chose to do it."

In his book "Open," which goes on sale Monday, the eight-time Grand Slam champion said he used crystal meth in 1997 and failed a drug test — a result he says was thrown out after he lied by saying he unwittingly took the substance.

"Back in that time we didn’t have the anti-doping set up like the ITF has it setup now," Garvin said.

Serena and Venus Williams opted not to play the Fed Cup final after meeting in the championship match of the season-ending WTA Tour championships last weekend. Garvin suggested the schedule is too tough on the top players.

"It is (upsetting), and this is something that has happened in Davis Cup also," she said. "After Wimbledon we played a Davis Cup match and Andy (Roddick) was not able to play. But we have to understand that. The schedules are very taxing. At all times we should be looking at the schedule and seeing if we can improve it, and talking with the ITF as to what could be done to make it easier for the players."

Without the Williams sisters, 18-year-old Melanie Oudin — the surprise U.S. Open quarterfinalist — is the top singles player for the Americans this weekend.

Oudin was asked about Williams’ outburst.

"I’m a player as well and when you’re on the court playing, emotions are going crazy and anything can happen," Oudin said. "I have no idea how she was feeling that day, but I heard she apologized and I think that was definitely the right thing to do."

-- Andrew Dampf

Djokovic, Stepanek gain Swiss Indoor semifinals

BASEL, Switzerland — Novak Djokovic reached the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors on Friday with a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Stanislas Wawrinka.

The second-seeded Djokovic trailed by a set and a service break before rallying against the sixth-seeded Swiss.

The 22-year-old Serb had to work hard for this win, a day after breezing past Jan Hernych 6-0, 6-0 — his first double bagel in an elite tournament.

"It was more than a test," Djokovic said. "I was managing to hold on. He was controlling the match most of the time up to the end of the second set."

Djokovic will play fifth-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic on Saturday.

Stepanek converted all four of his break points as he rallied to beat fourth-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Djokovic reached the semifinals for the 14th time in 20 tournaments this year, and extended his ATP Tour-leading win total to 69.

Wawrinka broke Djokovic’s serve in the eighth game of the opening set, and then for a 4-3 lead in the second.

But Djokovic struck back immediately and took an early lead in the tiebreaker. Wawrinka sent a backhand long on the first set point he faced.

Djokovic led 4-0 in the deciding set and closed out the win, his sixth straight over Wawrinka.

Stepanek stayed in contention for a place at the ATP Tour finals in London this month, but the loss hurt Cilic’s chances. The 21-year-old Cilic likely has to win the Paris Masters next week to qualify for the eight-player lineup.

Swiss wild card Marco Chiudinelli advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Richard Gasquet of France, who was hampered by a shoulder injury.

The 28-year-old Chiudinelli will play the first semifinal of his injury-blighted career — and could come up against childhood rival Roger Federer.

Federer, the three-time defending champion, faced Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev in the later match.

-- Graham Dunbar

Wickmayer withdraws in Bali after year suspension

NUSA DUA, Indonesia — U.S. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer voluntarily withdrew from the ongoing Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions on Friday after receiving a one-year suspension by a Belgian anti-doping tribunal.

The 20-year-old Wickmayer was suspended Thursday for failing to report her whereabouts to anti-doping officials three times. She has denied any wrongdoing and said on her Web site she plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Stacey Allaster, WTA Tour chief executive, declined to comment specifically on Wickmayer’s case, but said the Belgian was handling the matter professionally.

"Yanina can appeal the decision to the court of arbitration for sport," Allaster said.

"Beginning in 2009, WADA (the World Anti-Doping Association) mandated that all international Olympic sports federations and the national anti-doping agencies were required to implement the whereabouts program," Allaster said.

The International Tennis Federation is a founding member of WADA.

"It is a fundamental principle that all of us in tennis share that we want to have a fair and clean sport for all players," Allaster said.

Wickmayer had no comment.

"Because it’s an ongoing matter, it’s in her best interest to let the matter sit," Allaster said. "The decision’s been made, and now she’ll deal with it with her legal advisers going forward."

The Belgian anti-doping tribunal said in a statement Thursday that Wickmayer’s failure to live up to anti-doping rules required the minimum one-year suspension, which was "reasonable and justified."

The tribunal also suspended men’s player Xavier Malisse for breaking the whereabouts rule twice and missing a doping test.

Wickmayer, ranked 18th in the world, has enjoyed a breakthrough year. She reached the semis at the U.S. Open despite being unseeded and having never passed the second round at any previous Grand Slam.

She won her first two tour titles at Estoril in May and Linz last month, earning her a spot in this week’s season-ending champions event on the resort island of Bali. She won her first round-robin match against Kimiko Date-Krumm, and was favored to reach this weekend’s semifinals.

First alternate Vera Dushevina of Russia takes the third-seeded Wickmayer’s place in the draw and meets Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues in round-robin play later Friday.

Martinez Sanchez defeats Stosur in Indonesia

NUSA DUA, Indonesia — Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez upset second-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-6 (4), 7-5 Friday to reach the semifinals of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions.

Martinez Sanchez will face Aravane Rezai of France.

Top-seeded Marion Bartoli of France defeated Shahar Peer of Israel, 6-3, 6-2. Bartoli will play Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan, who advanced to the semifinals when Yanina Wickmayer withdrew because of a one-year doping suspension.

Wickmayer is accused of failing to report her whereabouts to drug-testing officials three times. The Belgian player said on her Web site she plans to appeal.

Sabine Lisicki of Germany defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-4. Vera Dushevina of Russia, who replaced Wickmayer in Group C, edged Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 2-6, 6-1, 7-5.

The top 10 women who won a WTA Tour event this season but didn’t qualify for last week’s WTA championships are participating in the round-robin tournament.

Murray and Youzhny gain Valencia semifinals

VALENCIA, Spain — Top-seeded Andrew Murray has reached the semifinals of the Valencia Open 500, beating Albert Montanes of Spain 6-4, 6-2.

Also on Friday, fifth-seeded Gilles Simon of France lost 6-4, 6-4 to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.

Murray broke Montanes in the first game and again in the ninth to help clinch the set before racing to a 4-0 lead in the second and securing a semifinal spot. The Scot is playing in his first tournament after a six-week injury layoff and had not competed since a Davis Cup tie in September.

Murray will next play the winner of the match between Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Robredo.

Youzhny saved 11 break points in reaching his fifth semifinal of the year.

Djokovic calls for meetings to adress ATP schedule

BASEL, Switzerland — Novak Djokovic has called for "crucial" meetings to address the heavy playing schedule faced by top tennis players.

The third-ranked Serb said Friday that more players were getting injured because of the demands of a long season.

Djokovic said players should have up to two months rest before preparing for the Australian Open in January.

He spoke at the Swiss Indoors tournament. U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro pulled out of the tournament because of a wrist injury.

Leading players and ATP tour officials will gather at the Paris Masters next week. The season-ending finals in London starts on Nov. 22.

Gasquet faces cocaine-kiss hearing next week

BASEL, Switzerland — Tennis player Richard Gasquet will go before the highest court in sports Tuesday for what he says was a cocaine-tainted kiss in a nightclub.

The World Anti-Doping Agency and International Tennis Federation have asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland to ban him for one to two years.

Gasquet failed a drug test after pulling out injured from a tournament in Florida in March and was suspended. The Frenchman says his positive test resulted from a kiss he gave a woman.

An independent tribunal called by the ITF ruled he was not to blame. He was cleared to play again after serving just 2½ months. A verdict by the top sports court is expected before the end of the year.