Tennis Equipment : Wilson BLX Six.One Tour

Roger Federer's Six.One Tour gets updated with Wilson's BLX technology. Wilson has woven Basalt fibers in the construction of the racquet for what it calls the most advanced composites in the industry. On court the BLX version of the Six.One Tour picks up where the KFactor version left off.

With a very similar spec, the differences between the two are subtle. The playtesters found the power level and control pretty much identical to the KFactor version with the main difference coming in feel. With Basalt in the construction, the BLX Six. One Tour is designed to resist vibration and offer a cleaner feel.

Compared to the KFactor version, the Six.One Tour BLX feels slightly more dampened. As with previous versions, the racquet is incredibly solid from all areas of the court. The racquet's mass offers excellent plow through on everything from groundstrokes to serves.

At net, there is a high level of control thanks to the solid response and solid bite from the stringbed. All in all an excellent choice for the advanced 5.0+ level player seeking the ultimate in control.

Head Size: 90 sq. in. / 580.64 sq. cm.
Length: 27 inches / 68.58 cm
Strung Weight: 12.5oz / 354.37g
Balance: 9 pts HL
Composition: Karophite Black / Basalt
Power Level: Low Swing Speed: Fast
String Tension: 50-60 pounds
Player Using this Racquet: Roger Federer

Sharapova gets engaged to Lakers' guard Vujacic

Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova got engaged to her boyfriend, Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, after he proposed on Tuesday night at his Manhattan Beach, Calif. home. The two had been dating for nearly a year. TMZ was the first to report the news.
 
Sharapova's agent has since confirmed it to CNBC's Darren Rovell. Sharapova and Vujacic first went public with their relationship last November when they were seen cuddling at a U2 concert in Los Angeles. Since then, the relationship has become the fodder of tabloids and paparazzi, as the athletes have been photographed together in Los Angeles and Italy, where they vacationed.

Federer wins Stockholm Open, to ties with Sampras 64 career titles

 
STOCKHOLM (AP)—Roger Federer beat Germany’s Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-3 to win the Stockholm Open on Sunday and match Pete Sampras’ total of 64 career titles. Since 1968, only Jimmy Connors (109), Ivan Lendl (94) and John McEnroe (77) have won more singles tournaments than Federer and Sampras.

“It’s amazing that I’m there where Pete’s ended his career on,” Federer said. “You never know when it’s your last one. That’s why you want to savor every tournament victory.” In beating the 47th-ranked Mayer at Royal Tennis Hall, Federer won his third title of the year. The unseeded German broke serve in the seventh game before Federer started spraying winners to take the set.

Federer showed glimpses of his best form in the second set, mixing power and finesse and ending the match in 63 minutes. By KEITH MOORE, Associated Press Writer

Federer cruise Soderling to reach Semifinal ATP Shanghai Open 2010

Roger Federer thumped old foe Robin Soderling 6-1 6-1 in the Shanghai Masters last eight to book a semi-final match with Novak Djokovic. The Swiss master was rarely tested by the Swedish fifth seed, who endured a forgettable afternoon against the man he upset in the French Open earlier this year.
 
Federer's win was not quite up the standard of his 6-4 6-4 7-5 victory over Soderling at the US Open last month, but in truth it did not have to be as his opponent suffered with the heavier conditions in Shanghai and his timing. The pair split the opening two games of the match before Federer won the next 10 as Soderling began to bleed games with worrying regularity.

Soderling eases into Malaysian Open quarterfinals

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (AP) —Top-seeded Robin Soderling breezed past Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-0, 6-1 Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Malaysian Open. The fifth-ranked Swede dominated the match with his blistering serves and accurate shots to set up a meeting with Andrey Golubev.

Golubev edged Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-6 (4). Soderling dropped only eight points in the 22-minute first set. Roger-Vasselin got on the board in the second set when he held serve to lead 1-0. Third-seeded Tomas Berdych defeated Denis Istomin 6-4, 6-3, and David Ferrer of ousted Yuki Bhambri 6-2, 6-2.