Tennis: James Blake loses bronze medal match

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BEIJING -- Novak Djokovic’s serve was too much for James Blake, and the Serbian beat the American here Saturday for the men’s singles bronze medal in Olympic tennis.

Djokovic, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, won, 6-3, 7-6 (4), and celebrated afterward by parading with the Serbian flag, then tossing towels and wrist bands from his bag into the crowd of adoring fans. Finally, he even tossed a racket he had smashed in anger during the match, and he followed that up by tossing a perfectly good one into the crowd too.

Blake, who had made his run to the semifinals by getting past Roger Federer and then losing a long three-setter to Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez in Friday’s semifinals, got just one look at a break point, at 0-1 of the second set, and Djokovic saved that with a huge ace.

In the second set tiebreaker, they stayed on serve until Blake netted a backhand after a long rally. That gave Djokovic a 5-4 lead and two serves, and the predictable happened. He won both points, including forcing Blake to hit wide on a backhand deep in his corner with the Serb charging on match point.

Earlier Saturday, Sunday’s women’s final was set when Elena Dementieva of Russia beat Vera Zvonareva of Russia, 6-3, 7-6 (3), and another Russian, Dinara Safina, Marat Safin’s sister, took out China’s Li Na, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

That gold medal match will be played at 2 p.m. Beijing time, followed by the men’s gold medal match, with Rafael Nadal of Spain facing Gonzalez.

The Williams sisters of the United States, Venus and Serena, clinched at least a medal when they won their women’s doubles semifinal over the Bondarenko sisters of the Ukraine, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. If the Williamses win, it will be their second Olympic doubles gold medal, the first in Sydney in 2000.

-- Bill Dwyre