Not so good news to report this weekend. The Boston Lobsters lost their semifinal playoff match in Sacramento on Friday to the New York Sportimes 25-7. Martina, unfortunately, lost all three of her matches - in singles, she lost to Martina Hingis 5-2; in doubles, Martina & Kristen Schlukebir lost to Hingis & Jennifer Hopkins 5-2; and in the mixed, Martina & Johan Landsberg lost to Hingis & Rajeev Ram 5-2. Looks like having Hingis back made all the difference for the Sportimes who had lost their previous two Hingis-less encounters with the Lobsters.
Nevertheless, I think it is safe to say it was a successful season for the Lobsters who were a new team, back for the first time since 1978. To have made the playoffs is a great achievement. Well done, team - Martina, Daja Bedanova, Kristen Schlukebir, Thomas Blake, Johan Landsberg, Jonathan Chu, James Blake and coach Anne Smith. Team owner, Bahar Uttam, who worked so hard to bring the Lobsters back to WTT says he's "virtually sure" Martina will return next year so that is definitely something to look forward to. Make sure you check out this excellent piece by Bud Collins in the Boston Globe.
And a few links. First a few articles on Friday's match: WTT Press Release, The Sacramento Bee, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald. And two photos: Photo One, Photo Two.
I'm not sure what Martina's next event is going to be. Per this nice article by Mic Huber in her hometown newspaper, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, she will likely be heading to the Czech Republic next. Thanks to Marilyn for alerting me to this article. Martina is also committed to playing the Womens Tennis Classic in Mill Valley, California next month, October 14-16 - an exhibition event organized by Rosie Casals which will also feature Tracy Austin, Jana Novotna, Caroline Vis, Wayne Ferreira & Rick Leach. For a few articles, click on the following links: Bay Area Business Woman, the Marin Independent Journal. You can also visit the official event website here.
And finally, this is slightly off-topic but I thought it deserved a mention. Liezel Huber, an opponent of Martina's on court, occasional doubles partner and a good friend, has set up a charity called "Liezel's Cause" to help out the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Liezel has been off the tour since July following a knee injury and is currently undergoing rehab after surgery. For an article from 'The Sunday Tribune,' click here and click here for one from 'The Houston Chronicle'.
Nevertheless, I think it is safe to say it was a successful season for the Lobsters who were a new team, back for the first time since 1978. To have made the playoffs is a great achievement. Well done, team - Martina, Daja Bedanova, Kristen Schlukebir, Thomas Blake, Johan Landsberg, Jonathan Chu, James Blake and coach Anne Smith. Team owner, Bahar Uttam, who worked so hard to bring the Lobsters back to WTT says he's "virtually sure" Martina will return next year so that is definitely something to look forward to. Make sure you check out this excellent piece by Bud Collins in the Boston Globe.
And a few links. First a few articles on Friday's match: WTT Press Release, The Sacramento Bee, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald. And two photos: Photo One, Photo Two.
I'm not sure what Martina's next event is going to be. Per this nice article by Mic Huber in her hometown newspaper, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, she will likely be heading to the Czech Republic next. Thanks to Marilyn for alerting me to this article. Martina is also committed to playing the Womens Tennis Classic in Mill Valley, California next month, October 14-16 - an exhibition event organized by Rosie Casals which will also feature Tracy Austin, Jana Novotna, Caroline Vis, Wayne Ferreira & Rick Leach. For a few articles, click on the following links: Bay Area Business Woman, the Marin Independent Journal. You can also visit the official event website here.
And finally, this is slightly off-topic but I thought it deserved a mention. Liezel Huber, an opponent of Martina's on court, occasional doubles partner and a good friend, has set up a charity called "Liezel's Cause" to help out the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Liezel has been off the tour since July following a knee injury and is currently undergoing rehab after surgery. For an article from 'The Sunday Tribune,' click here and click here for one from 'The Houston Chronicle'.
