two hotels: one reaches up, one reaches out

A tale of two cities: On one end, Shanghai, who’s ready to step out of Beijing’s architectural shadow with some record-breaking structures of its own. The showcase: the completion, after 14 (!) years, of the Shanghai World Financial Center — standing at 1,600 feet as the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the world. The Park Hyatt Shanghai has taken up shop in the 79th through 93rd floors of the 101-story skyscraper, just in time to welcome fans eager for another Roger/Rafa bout at the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup.

And down South, on Brazil’s Emerald Coast, the Ponta Dos Ganchos Resort is debuting five luxury seafront bungalows via an auction to benefit Instituto Guga Kuerten. The four new Emerald Villa Bungalows (2,455 sq. ft.) and one Special Emerald Villa Bungalow (3,210 sq. ft.), opening in the first week of December, feature dry saunas and jacuzzis with sea views, personal spa areas with massage tatamis, wine cellars, and private decks and plunge pools. The Special Emerald Villa Bungalow also includes an in-villa fitness center.

Bid: The silent auction for the PDG villas ends October 31, 2008. For more information, click here. One interesting note: “Cancellations are not accepted and are subject to total loss of payment as proceeds will be donated directly to Instituto Guga Kuerten.”

Book: See room rates (plus, on the landing page, a view from the hotel out to Shanghai) at the Park Hyatt website.

(via UD; screengrabs from each property’s website)

maria sharapova, version 3.1

Maria Sharapova might be out of the running for the rest of the season (darn that nagging shoulder injury!), but it hasn’t stopped her from hitting the town — especially in the name of a good cause.

Last weekend she came out to Thousand Oaks, Calif. in full fashion regalia — a green dress from 3.1 Phillip Lim, shoes by Dior, and a brown hyper-zippered Stella McCartney clutch — in support of brothers Mike and Bob Bryan, who’ve taken a page out of Andre Agassi‘s philanthropic book with the establishment of their eponymous foundation.

Saturday’s All-Star Tennis Smash raised money for local and national charities supported by the twins, including City Impact, an organization supporting at-risk youth in Ventura County. The half-day event started with a pro exhibition featuring celebs and athletes, including Agassi (in his public playing appearance this year), Jon Lovitz, Jimmy-Jean Louis, Melissa Rivers, Lindsay Davenport, James Blake, Justin Gimelstob, Thomas Blake, and Robby Ginepri.

Afterwards, the brothers feted Agassi for his charitable endeavors at a gala dinner attended by Masha, among others. The evening began with an auction (autographed racquets, days with tennis players) and was capped off with performances by Evan and Jaron and Brandi Carlile.

More: Ventura County Star via hcfoo.

(photo by Selma Fonseca/Celebrity Vibe courtesy of ATP)

bjorn phau: I’d like to happa some of that

Bjorn Phau made it all the way to the semifinals of last week’s China Open before falling to Andy Roddick 2-6, 6-7 (4), 1-6. This is the same guy who gave Rafa Nadal some trouble in the first round of the 2008 U.S. Open, pushing Rafa to two tiebreaks with his stinging one-handed backhand.

Family tree: That gorgeous mug of his is a German (mom) and Indonesian (pops) combination. ❤

U.S. Open 2007 and Stuttgart 2006.

(training pics by rrfnpump)

peta can suck on a dead bird

After they’re done wiping the breastmilk coming out their noses, I’m sure the folks at PETA are going to have a field day with Alessandra Meyer-Wolden‘s Oktoberfest hat.

The fiancee of legend Boris Becker donned a traditional costume to festivities in Munich — complete with an alpine hat made of bird parts. Meanwhile, Becker stuck to a cardigan-and-lederhosen ensemble.

More: Oktoberfest goes from September 20 through October 5 in Munich. The first one was held in 1810 to honor the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

(via Daily Mail)

trophy watch: the post-Open asian swing

Trophy watch: The men and the women stopped by Asia this week to contest titles in Beijing, Bangkok, Korea. We saw rematches and familiar faces from last week and last year. A roundup of the winners, their trophies, and what they wore — all

big bad janko

Thanks to Alisa for this photo of Janko Tipsarevic‘s shoes from sponsor Fila, and to malimeda for the clarification: Jankela means(ish) “Big Bad Janko” and is what the tatted tennis player is called by family and friends.

Other Fila athletes with nicknames on their shoes? Agnes “Agi” Szavay, Marin “Chila” Cilic, and Rainer “Shaker” Schuettler.

(photo by Alisa Carrigan)

celebrity bites. sometimes, it just takes a picture

Ahh, the perils of celebrity! One day you’re tanning naked on your yacht, and the next day you’re tanning naked on your yacht while a papparazo takes your picture.

See the full (NSFW?) photo of Rafael Nadal

fashion focus: reebok cuts away the fat

Amelie Mauresmo might not be doing so well — she got beat by Dominika Cibulkova back-to-back: 6-0, 1-6, 6-7 (8) at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 at the China Open this week — but she can take solace in looking awesome wearing Reebok‘s fall KFS line. They’ve hit the mark with these flattering greys, pinks, and blues, and with those slimming side panels (which shows off Mauresmo’s awesome stomach).

Shahar Peer continues with the cutout separates (that square hole on the back of her tank) while mixing up her wristband choices: blue at the U.S. Open, black and pink at the Korea Open this week.

But of course the toast of the fall was Jelena Jankovic‘s limited edition U.S. Open dress, also designed by Reebok. The yellow layered dress’ first incarnation involved an asian-inspired bat sleeve capelet — this would have made for a better choice for the Beijing Olympics, no? — and a silver sash.

Jelena pared it down to the basics at last week’s tourney in Japan, where she lost 6-2, 5-7, 5-7 in the quarterfinals to eventual finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova.

On the left, her shoes from the Open; she switched to a busier pair during this current Asian WTA swing.

Buy: Jelena US Open dress, $75, sold out; Fall Cutout Dress, $49.99; Fall Shimmer Dress, $49.99; Fall Cutout Tank and Shimmer Tank, $36.99; Fall Skort, $32.99. Colorways: Endurance Blue/Caspian Sea Blue, Soft Black Grey/Cool Shadow, Sassy Pink/Pompous Pink, White/Endurance Blue.

(photos by Getty Images)

davis cup: if nole won’t do it….

…then Juan Martin del Potro can take care of the Davis Cup shirtless celebration.

More: See more

flashback: andy roddick + reebok

Seeing this red and white Reebok crewneck on Luis Horna (at this past weekend’s Davis Cup tie) made me think about how far the sports company has fallen off the radar.

Perhaps they’re still licking their wounds from that ill-fated partnership with Andy Roddick, most famously associated with this crazy print tee-and-trucker-hat combo that the American wore during the U.S. Open 2004. (Granted, this was the year that Serena wore a denim miniskirt and her catsuit, so perhaps it was just a sign of the times.)

Still, mere months after Andy was photographed at the Open with this ensemble, and having him plastered on billboards in New York City, his contract was not renewed.

Some poor exec probably got fired for OKing this design — and rightfully so — but I’ve had a change of heart. I’d rather the company take risks with their men’s line instead of staying bland like they have in the last few years.

Fall 2008: Reebok’s fall colorways are black, soft black (grey), honest blue, and white. Four tops: the KFS Zip Polo, $39.99; Editor’s pick: KFS Innovative Polo — finally, a polo shirt with buttons! — $44.99; KFS Crew, $36.99; KFS Knit Jacket, $57.99; shorts, $32.99.

(photos by Getty Images)

practice makes perfect: the boys fight for flags

David Ferrer

See more Davis Cup practice tees

eight men, five rubbers, one weekend…

Bulging biceps, tag teams, marathon sessions, tattoos, bears, Eastern Europeans, Brazilians…

Yes, my friends, it must be Davis Cup!

World Group 2008 – Semifinal
Argentina v Russia, 3 – 2
Tarpischev’s doubles trick couldn’t shake off del Potro.

Spain v USA, 4 – 1
America’s rich Davis Cup history gets blown to bits when a tie is contested on clay. Against Spain.

World Group, Play-offs 2008
Chile v Australia, 3 – 2
Gonzo distracted the Aussies with his chest.

Great Britain v Austria, 2-3
For British newbie Bogdanovic, playing in front of the home crowd at AELTC caused some performance anxiety against Peya.

Switzerland v Belgium, 4 – 1
The dream team of R-Fed and S-Waw cleaned up.

Croatia v Brazil, 4 – 1
Save for a clutch doubles match by Melo and Sa, Croatia takes all the matches.

Israel v Peru, 4 – 1
Harel Levy, Andy Ram, Noam Okun, and the Smurf-esque Dudi Sela all did the home crowd proud.

Netherlands v South Korea, 3 – 2
Hyung-Taik Lee swept his singles matches, but it wasn’t enough.

Romania v India, 4 – 1
As expected, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi win their doubles match.

Slovak Republic v Serbia, 1 – 4
Novak Djokovic kept his clothes on.

fashion focus: elena denimentieva

Yonex decided to flex its design muscle by using “denim” — printed on a moisture-wicking synthetic — for its fall ’08 collection, which debuted in time for the fashion-forward U.S. Open. They even opted for orange thread as contrast stitching, giving the pieces a more authentic and rugged look.

Elena Dementieva played in the separates at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she lost to Katarina Srebotnik in the quarters. Notice the knot on th front lefft tank strap.

And this Russian wore the halter version during her semifinal run in New York. (She’s had a pretty good summer, following her semi @ Wimbledon with a gold medal from Beijing and the semi in NYC.)

More: See her kit from Beijing and the Yonex men’s denim line

trophy watch: while the men are away, the russian women take names

The Russian men might be bamboozling their opponents down in Argentina, but the women mean serious business. Dinara Safina has beaten Svetlana Kuznetsova in all their 2008 meetings, including the 2008 final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The score: 6-1, 6-3.

In doubles, Nadia Petrova teamed with Vania King to win over Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur 6-1, 6-4.

Across the Sea of Japan, Vera Zvonareva took down local Peng Shuai 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-2 at the Guangzhou Open. This is Vera’s second title, after taking Prague earlier this year.

(photos by Getty Images)

flashback: tennis masters cup, 2004 (houston)

I was looking for old tennis photos online, and I ran into these pictures taken of the nine guys (including the alternate) who descended upon Houston for the Tennis Masters Cup in 2004.

The Argentines: Guillermo Canas and Gaston Gaudio

The boys: Andy Roddick and Guillermo Coria

The daddies (DILFs?): Lleyton Hewitt and Tim Henman

The ILFs: Marat Safin and Carlos Moya

and Roger Federer

Roger beat Lleyton in straight sets — 6-3, 6-2 — to take his 11th title of 2004 and his second consecutive year-end title.

(photos by Getty Images)

davis cup: i, too, would settle for a pompadour…

Who needs a custom Davis Cup kit when you’ve got an amazing pompadour like Fernando Verdasco?

Unfortunately, his solid red adidas Compeition Crew looked bland next to the rest of Team Espana’s uniforms.

Meanwhile, Joma and Feliciano Lopez continue their wonderful partnership with his Davis Cup getup. (See the detail on the back of his polo, and his shoes.) Nadal is wearing the same vibrant Nike kit that he wore in Beijing, save for a switch to a red headband (instead of yellow). David Ferrer is in Lotto (pic).

Scoreline: After Nadal beat Sam Querrey (Sam took the first set) and Ferrer took out Andy Roddick in five sets, the Spanish duo fell to Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6. This gives the Americans a chance to get back into the tie with reverse singles tomorrow. (See the details here. First up: Rafa will play Andy!)

(photo by Getty Images)

davis cup: does janko have a new nickname?

Like all the other players sponsored by Fila, TSF mascot Janko Tipsarevic gets a custom pair of Alfas for his matches.

When I zoomed in to see what they’d embroidered on his shoe (usually the player’s first name, or a nickname), I couldn’t quite figure it out. It doesn’t read “Janko”, does it? Looks like there are too many letters…

If this is a new nickname for him, then Fila should tell us what it is!

Buy: Fila Alfas, $95, fila.com.

(photo by Getty Images)

davis cup: the boys in red win for serbia

All four guys on the Serbian Davis Cup team — Nole, Nenad Zimonjic, Viktor Troicki, and Janko Tipsarevic — did their part to win their World Group playoff tie against Slovakia this weekend. (And everyone managed to keep their clothes on, unlike last year’s peep show!)

Djokovic wore a red adidas polo while taking out Dominik Hrbaty 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

And blue-spectacled Janko, in Fila, had to work for his five-setter against Lukas Lacko. The score: 6-7 (3), 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 8-6. That win must feel good, especially in light of how Janko’s ankle has sidelined him in some late summer tournaments.

For the clincher, Zimonjic (Nike) and Troicki (Diadora) beat Filip Polasek and Michal Mertinak in four tough sets: 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (5).

More Janko pics: Just because we can never

davis cup: don’t let kolya’s pink scarf fool you — the russians play dirty

The Russian doubles pair of Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Kunitsyn hacked their way into a 6-2, 6-1, 6-7(9), 3-6, 8-6 win over Guillermo Canas and David Nalbandian using some unusual tactics:

For the first two sets, Tursunov and Kunitsyn bamboozled their opponents with very little pace. In fact at times it was almost as if they were playing pat ball. With Kunitsyn staying back after most of his serves, and eschewing the chance to come to the net even when it presented itself, the visitors were playing almost a badminton formation of front-court back-court, Tursunov looking for the interceptions, Kunitsyn rallying from the baseline and covering when Cañas and Nalbandián tried to wrongfoot Tursunov. It was fascinating, if unusual.

And Tursunov said that it was Shamil Tarpischev‘s plan all along to make David stay on the court as long as possible, thus making fatigue a factor during tomorrow’s reverse singles. (audio)

Nikolay Davydenko next to wife, Irina, snug as a bug in a pink scarf.

Sunday: The Argentines are up 2-1 going into Sunday, and the sched posted on the DC website lists Kolya playing David (though Dmitry might sub…) and del Potro against Andreev.

(photos by Getty Images)

davis cup: dudi sela isn’t feeling blue

Dudi Sela must feel good doing his part for Israel by winning a singles rubber against Peruvia team captain Ivan Miranda 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.

Like how only Diadora can (see: Kuerten, Guga), Sela put on blue socks and blue shoes to take full advantage of the Israeli flag palette. He pulled it off.

The gold contrast detail on his front shorts pockets are blah, but excusable. They can’t all be winners, right?

More: See the rest of his ensemble, including practice tees and warmup suits,