Bartoli out of Stanford; Capitals lose heartbreaker

Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli withdrew from next
week's Bank of the West Classic because of a hamstring
strain. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   The Bank of the West Classic lost another big name.
   Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli announced Thursday that she has withdrawn from next week's tournament at Stanford because of a hamstring strain.
   Bartoli, 28, of France has played in the Bank of the West Classic every year since 2003, winning the title in 2009 and reaching the final in 2008 and 2011.
   "It's one of my favorite tournaments," the seventh-ranked Bartoli told the Associated Press.
   Second-ranked Maria Sharapova pulled out of the Bank of the West Classic earlier this week with a left hip injury, and Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki opted out last week because of a wrist problem.
   Headlining the Bank of the West Classic are Wimbledon semifinalists Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and Kristen Flipkens of Belgium and 2011 U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur.
   Former Stanford stars Mallory Burdette and Nicole Gibbs have received wild cards.
   Capitals lose heartbreaker -- In a roller-coaster match, the visiting Sacramento Capitals lost to the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers 20-19 in a Supertiebreaker. All the more galling for Sacramento, ex-Capital Vania King played a key role for Springfield.
   The Capitals have lost six straight matches after winning their first three. They likely must win their five remaining regular-season matches to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.
   Sacramento's Olga Govortsova and Megan Moulton-Levy served for the match at 19-17 in women's doubles, but King and Alisa Kleybanova broke serve to tie the set 4-4. That forced a tiebreaker, which the Springfield duo won 5-1 to send the match to a Supertiebreaker.
   King and Kleybanova prevailed 7-2 as Springfield improved to 6-3 and remained tied for first place with Orange County in the Western Conference.
   King, a two-time Grand Slam champion in women's doubles, played all of part of the past three seasons for Sacramento after being named the 2009 WTT Female MVP for Springfield.
   Kleybanova, who reached No. 20 in the world in singles in 2011, returned to competition in May after battling Hodgkin's lymphoma for two years. 
   Sacramento trailed 10-5 after men's doubles and mixed doubles but rallied in men's singles and women's singles to lead 15-14. Ryan Sweeting won in singles for the first time in six attempts, beating Rik de Voest 5-3, and Govortsova routed Kleybanova 5-1.

SPRINGFIELD 20, CAPITALS 19 (Supertiebreaker)

In Springfield, Mo.

   Men's doubles -- Jean Julien-Rojer and Rik de Voest (Springfield) def. Mark Knowles and Ryan Sweeting, 5-2.
   Mixed doubles -- Alisa Kleybanova and Rojer (Springfield) def. Olga Govortsova and Sweeting, 5-3.
   Men's singles -- Sweeting (Capitals) def. de Voest, 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Govortsova (Capitals) def. Kleybanova, 5-1.
   Women's doubles -- Kleybanova and Vania King (Springfield) def. Govortsova and Megan Moulton-Levy, 5-4.
   Supertiebreaker -- Kleybanova and King (Springfield) def. Govortsova and Moulton-Levy, 7-2.