Bob Bryan

Former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport has been added to the 2006 Mercantile Tennis Challenge, completing the field. Tennis Challenge officials said yesterday that Davenport, ranked No. 18, will play mixed doubles with Mike Bryan against Bob Bryan and Martina Navratilova. The Challenge is scheduled for Dec. 6 at 1st Mariner Arena. Already set to play are the Bryans, the world No. 1 doubles team and Navratilova, who with Bob Bryan won the U.S. Open mixed doubles title - the 59th title, and the last Grand Slam title of her career, before announcing her retirement from competitive tennis.

For several hundred local folks, it wouldn't be the holidays without a special visitor flying in to deliver gifts and good cheer. As they mingled in a ballroom at the Tremont Grand, enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, many of those people marveled at that visitor's dedication. "Isn't it nice that Pam Shriver flies in from her home in Los Angeles just to do this event?" asked Ed Kiernan, general manager of WBAL and WIYY radio. "She really is a special person," added Edie Brown, owner of Edie Brown & Associates, there with her husband, retired dentist Stan Brown.

The sight of Andy Roddick playing doubles with his brother John might be unfamiliar to most of the tennis fans who gather tonight at 1st Mariner Arena for the PNC Tennis Classic. But fortunately for Bob and Mike Bryan, the world's No. 1 doubles team, it's an act they've seen before. "We played them in Charleston, [S.C.], last year," Bob Bryan said. "They don't play together very often, but they know how to play. We just clipped them. It was a pretty close match." Their doubles match will follow the feature match between Andy Roddick, No. 5 in the ATP singles standings, and fast-rising John Isner.

Melanie Oudin is 18 with sparkling green eyes, a long, blond ponytail and the youthful enthusiasm that goes with a quarterfinal performance at September's U.S. Open. Her mixed doubles partner Wednesday night at Pam Shriver's 24th annual Baltimore Community Foundation Tennis Challenge was a gray-haired, 50-year-old, curmudgeonly veteran Tennis Hall of Famer named John McEnroe. "She's younger than four of my six kids," McEnroe said. "But she plays with a lot of energy, and I think that's why she did so well at the Open.

Pam Shriver 's 24th annual Charity Tennis Challenge that benefits children's charities will begin its fundraising festivities tonight at the Let it Rip Reception & Auction at the Tremont Grand hotel at 6:30 p.m. The evening is to be highlighted by a live performance by the Bryan Bros. Band, featuring the World No. 1 doubles team of Mike and Bob Bryan . The dress is business casual, and tickets are available to the general public. For information, call the event's ticket office at 410-296-2929.

Melanie Oudin is 18 with sparkling green eyes, a long, blond ponytail and the youthful enthusiasm that goes with a quarterfinal performance at September's U.S. Open. Her mixed doubles partner Wednesday night at Pam Shriver's 24th annual Baltimore Community Foundation Tennis Challenge was a gray-haired, 50-year-old, curmudgeonly veteran Tennis Hall of Famer named John McEnroe. "She's younger than four of my six kids," McEnroe said. "But she plays with a lot of energy, and I think that's why she did so well at the Open.

Melanie Oudin is 18 with sparkling green eyes, a long, blond ponytail and the youthful enthusiasm that goes with a quarterfinal performance at September's U.S. Open. Her mixed doubles partner Wednesday night at Pam Shriver's 24th annual Baltimore Community Foundation Tennis Challenge was a gray-haired, 50-year-old, curmudgeonly veteran Tennis Hall of Famer named John McEnroe. "She's younger than four of my six kids," McEnroe said. "But she plays with a lot of energy, and I think that's why she did so well at the Open.

For several hundred local folks, it wouldn't be the holidays without a special visitor flying in to deliver gifts and good cheer. As they mingled in a ballroom at the Tremont Grand, enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, many of those people marveled at that visitor's dedication. "Isn't it nice that Pam Shriver flies in from her home in Los Angeles just to do this event?" asked Ed Kiernan, general manager of WBAL and WIYY radio. "She really is a special person," added Edie Brown, owner of Edie Brown & Associates, there with her husband, retired dentist Stan Brown.

It came in the last game of the set - the Bryan brothers' famed chest bump. It came after a point in which each brother had made a terrific play. Bob made the first, keeping the ball in play with an amazing backward backhand on what looked like a winner. Mike made the next, splitting Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri with a winning, driving volley deep into the middle of the court. Mike looked at Bob, and Bob at Mike. Smiles burst out. A hand slap. And then, the leap into the air for the bump.

WASHINGTON - Staring match point and a first-round loss in the face yesterday at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Chris Woodruff showed plenty of guts. Down 5-2 in the third set to Chile's Fernando Gonzalez and serving at 30-40, Woodruff followed his serve to the net, softly tapping a backhand drop volley off Gonzalez's return to extend the match. But guts don't always guarantee victory. Woodruff, the No. 13 seed, took that game, but Gonzalez held serve on the next, finishing off a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory.

Melanie Oudin is 18 with sparkling green eyes, a long, blond ponytail and the youthful enthusiasm that goes with a quarterfinal performance at September's U.S. Open. Her mixed doubles partner Wednesday night at Pam Shriver's 24th annual Baltimore Community Foundation Tennis Challenge was a gray-haired, 50-year-old, curmudgeonly veteran Tennis Hall of Famer named John McEnroe. "She's younger than four of my six kids," McEnroe said. "But she plays with a lot of energy, and I think that's why she did so well at the Open.

It's the holiday season, and the Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, believe in miracles. In fact, said Mike Bryan, they experienced one a week ago in London when they reclaimed the year-end No. 1 doubles ranking at the ATP World Tour Finals. "We were 900 points behind," he said. "We were a real long shot. We could only get 1,300 points if we won everything, and then we lost in the first round, which meant for us to advance out of the consolation bracket to the quarterfinals we were going to have to win two matches in straight sets - which we did. And then we won the whole thing.

Pam Shriver 's 24th annual Charity Tennis Challenge that benefits children's charities will begin its fundraising festivities tonight at the Let it Rip Reception & Auction at the Tremont Grand hotel at 6:30 p.m. The evening is to be highlighted by a live performance by the Bryan Bros. Band, featuring the World No. 1 doubles team of Mike and Bob Bryan . The dress is business casual, and tickets are available to the general public. For information, call the event's ticket office at 410-296-2929.

The sight of Andy Roddick playing doubles with his brother John might be unfamiliar to most of the tennis fans who gather tonight at 1st Mariner Arena for the PNC Tennis Classic. But fortunately for Bob and Mike Bryan, the world's No. 1 doubles team, it's an act they've seen before. "We played them in Charleston, [S.C.], last year," Bob Bryan said. "They don't play together very often, but they know how to play. We just clipped them. It was a pretty close match." Their doubles match will follow the feature match between Andy Roddick, No. 5 in the ATP singles standings, and fast-rising John Isner.

It came in the last game of the set - the Bryan brothers' famed chest bump. It came after a point in which each brother had made a terrific play. Bob made the first, keeping the ball in play with an amazing backward backhand on what looked like a winner. Mike made the next, splitting Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri with a winning, driving volley deep into the middle of the court. Mike looked at Bob, and Bob at Mike. Smiles burst out. A hand slap. And then, the leap into the air for the bump.

Bob Bryan. Mike Bryan. Two bodies. Two minds. One entity. "Double Delicious," said People magazine, when it named the world's No. 1 doubles team to its list of Sexiest Men Alive. "It's cool," Bob said. "We've gotten more attention from that than for our tennis." "It's embarrassing," Mike said. "Until now, no one has thought of us as being sexy. The little ballgirls are about the only ones who think we're cute. My girlfriend loves it, but she doesn't want us to get too big, either, afraid I might leave her, but that's not going to happen."

It's the holiday season, and the Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, believe in miracles. In fact, said Mike Bryan, they experienced one a week ago in London when they reclaimed the year-end No. 1 doubles ranking at the ATP World Tour Finals. "We were 900 points behind," he said. "We were a real long shot. We could only get 1,300 points if we won everything, and then we lost in the first round, which meant for us to advance out of the consolation bracket to the quarterfinals we were going to have to win two matches in straight sets - which we did. And then we won the whole thing.

Bob Bryan. Mike Bryan. Two bodies. Two minds. One entity. "Double Delicious," said People magazine, when it named the world's No. 1 doubles team to its list of Sexiest Men Alive. "It's cool," Bob said. "We've gotten more attention from that than for our tennis." "It's embarrassing," Mike said. "Until now, no one has thought of us as being sexy. The little ballgirls are about the only ones who think we're cute. My girlfriend loves it, but she doesn't want us to get too big, either, afraid I might leave her, but that's not going to happen."

Former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport has been added to the 2006 Mercantile Tennis Challenge, completing the field. Tennis Challenge officials said yesterday that Davenport, ranked No. 18, will play mixed doubles with Mike Bryan against Bob Bryan and Martina Navratilova. The Challenge is scheduled for Dec. 6 at 1st Mariner Arena. Already set to play are the Bryans, the world No. 1 doubles team and Navratilova, who with Bob Bryan won the U.S. Open mixed doubles title - the 59th title, and the last Grand Slam title of her career, before announcing her retirement from competitive tennis.

WASHINGTON - Staring match point and a first-round loss in the face yesterday at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Chris Woodruff showed plenty of guts. Down 5-2 in the third set to Chile's Fernando Gonzalez and serving at 30-40, Woodruff followed his serve to the net, softly tapping a backhand drop volley off Gonzalez's return to extend the match. But guts don't always guarantee victory. Woodruff, the No. 13 seed, took that game, but Gonzalez held serve on the next, finishing off a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory.