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Tommy Robredo

Tomás Robredo Garcés, known as Tommy Robredo (, ; born 1 May 1982), is a Spanish former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 5, which he reached in August 2006 as a result of winning the Hamburg Masters earlier in the year. Robredo reached the quarterfinals at seven singles major tournaments. He was also a three-time semifinalist at the US Open men's doubles tournament, and a semifinalist at the Australian Open in mixed doubles.

Robredo turned professional in 1998 and was coached by José Manuel "Pepo" Clavet and then by Karim Perona. Robredo considered his forehand to be his best shot, and red clay his favorite surface. He remains the only player in Open Era history to mount three consecutive comebacks from two sets down, a feat achieved en route to the quarterfinals of the 2013 French Open. He has one of the highest percentages of five-set matches won with 77.3 per cent (17–5 win–loss record).

Early years
Robredo began playing tennis regularly when he was five and his family moved to Olot, where his father Ángel became the director of the local tennis club, Club Natació Olot. (Robredo's mother Dolores is herself a former assistant coach.) He was coached by his father until 1996 when he joined the Spanish Tennis Federation at the Centre d'Alt Rendiment ("High Performance Center"), a famous center for professional sports training in Sant Cugat del Vallès. He turned professional in 1998.

As a junior player, Robredo won the Junior Orange Bowl 16-Under in both singles and doubles (with Marc López) in 1998. As a professional he made the singles and doubles finals of a Futures-level event, winning the doubles title with Pedro Cánovas. In 1999, he made the semifinals of the boys' event at the French Open and won a Futures tournament in singles as well as another in doubles. Earlier that year in Robredo's hometown tournament of Barcelona – his first event at the ATP Tour level – he recorded a win over Marat Safin, who was then ranked in the world's top thirty, before going on to lose to top ten player Todd Martin.

2000–2001: First ATP title
In 2000 Robredo reached the singles and doubles finals of the boys' event at Roland Garros, losing to Paul-Henri Mathieu in singles but winning the doubles with López. He also won the boys' doubles title at the Australian Open (with Nicolas Mahut). Robredo began the year with a final at a Challenger event in Bartella, Italy losing to Germán Puentes. He then eventually won two Challenger events in Espinho, Portugal defeating Jimy Szymanski and in Seville, Spain defeating Óscar Serrano. He played two ATP events main draw in the year, losing in the first round of both at the Torneo Godó and Davidoff Swiss Indoors

Robredo began his 2001 season by reaching his first ATP semifinals at the Gold Flake Open losing to Russian Andrei Stoliarov 6–4, 3–6, 4–6. He made his slam debut at the Australian Open but lost to eventual runner-up and 18th ranked Arnaud Clément in straight sets. He then fell early at the Chevrolet Cup and the Copa AT&T.

He then reached his first ATP final at the Grand Prix Hassan II losing to Guillermo Cañas 5–7, 2–6 in the final, the result pushed him inside the top 100 for the first time. He backed it up with a third round appearance at the Open SEAT Godó after defeating his first top 20 player in then world no. 13 Sébastien Grosjean before losing to Michel Kratochvil. He played in Spain again at the Majorca Open reaching the second round.

He then won his first slam match at the French Open defeating Raemon Sluiter 7–5, 7–5, 7–6(11–9) and surprisingly reached the fourth round losing the former French Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov 3–6, 4–6, 6–1, 4–6. He then backed it up with a semifinal showing at the Heineken Trophy losing to Guillermo Cañas. At the slam of Wimbledon, he reached the second round but lost to Sargis Sargsian. He then went back to clay, reaching the quarterfinals of the Telenordia Swedish Open and third round of the Mercedes Cup.

At the Idea Prokom Open, he was able to win his first title of the year defeating compatriot Albert Portas 1–6, 7–5, 7–6(7–2). He then fell early at the RCA Championships and Legg Mason Tennis Classic. At the US Open, he earn his first top ten win defeating world number five Juan Carlos Ferrero in a tight five setter 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(7–1) before losing in the 4th Round to Andy Roddick in straight sets. He followed it up with a semifinal at the Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia. He ended the year with a four match losing streak, in the second round of the CA-TennisTrophy, and the first rounds of Stuttgart Masters, Davidoff Swiss Indoors, and Paris Masters. He was the second youngest player to end the season inside the world's top thirty, behind Roddick.

2002–2003: first Grand Slam quarterfinal
Robredo began 2002 by partnering with Arantxa Sánchez Vicario to win the Hopman Cup for Spain. In the Final against the United States, Sánchez Vicario lost 1–6, 6–7 to Monica Seles before Robredo levelled the tie with a 6–3, 2–6, 7–6 victory over Jan-Michael Gambill. The Spanish pair then won the mixed doubles, 6–4, 6–2. However, in the first four months of the season, he was only able to win 4 matches to 10 loses, and was unable to win back-to-back matches. He reached the second rounds of Australian Open, Open 13, ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and NASDAQ-100 Open. He claimed his first back-to-back win at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where he reached the quarterfinals losing to Andy Roddick in two tight sets, this was his first Masters quarterfinals. He followed it up with a solid performance at the Hamburg Masters, where he upset then world no. 2 Tommy Haas in the third round en route to his Masters semifinal debut, where he retired against Marat Safin down 4–6, 2–4 with a right ankle injury. At the French Open, he fell in the third round to Andre Agassi. For the second year in a row, he reached the semifinals of the Ordina Open losing to Sjeng Schalken. However, he fell in the first round of Wimbledon to Raemon Sluiter. He then reached the semifinals of Swedish Open and the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup. At his US Open preparation, He made it to the second round of the Canada Masters and third round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters. At the US Open, he reached the third rounds losing to Wayne Ferreira in straight sets. Robredo suffered first round loses at the Brasil Open and Kremlin Cup, and second round loses at CA-TennisTrophy and Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid. He reached his fourth semifinal of the If Stockholm Open losing to Paradorn Srichaphan. He ended the year with a second round loss at the BNP Paribas Masters losing to Thomas Johansson in straight sets. He ended the year at number 30 for the second year in a row and broke pass the million-dollar mark in career earnings.

In 2003, Robredo began with four first round loses, including in the Australian Open. He won his first matches at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he upset world no. 7 Marat Safin in the second round 7–3 in the third set tie-break. He lost in the quarterfinals to Jiří Novák. He then lost in the third round of the Pacific Life Open and first match at the NASDAQ-100 Open. He reached another semifinal at the Estoril Open losing to Agustín Calleri in straight sets. In the rest of the European clay season, he reached the third rounds of Monte Carlo Masters and Telecom Italia Masters. He once again lost to Agustín Calleri at the quarterfinals of the Open Seat Godo. He was upset by Mariano Zabaleta in the second round of the Hamburg Masters.

He got his best result of the year at the French Open, where he reached his first slam quarterfinals, where he took out world no. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in five sets 4–6, 1–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 in the third round and three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten in the fourth round, before eventually falling in a second five-set match to defending champion Albert Costa 6–2, 6–3, 4–6, 5–7, 2–6. Robredo remarked before his match against Costa: "I've beaten the ace, I've beaten the king", in reference to his wins over Hewitt and Kuerten. "Now I need to beat the jack, don't I? If I beat Costa, I'll have beaten the entire pack of cards."

After a quarterfinal at the Ordina Open losing to Sjeng Schalken and third round at Wimbledon losing to Andy Roddick, Robredo broke into the top 20. At the Swedish Open, he reached his third semifinal losing to Nicolás Lapentti. He reached his lone final of the year at the Mercedes Cup but lost to Guillermo Coria in straight sets 6–2, 6–2, 6–1. At the North American Swing, Robredo didn't have good results, only a third round at the Canada Masters, a second round at the TD Waterhouse Cup, and the first rounds of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and US Open. He was able to reach the quarterfinals of the Open de Moselle, but fell in his first matches at the CA-TennisTrophy and Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid. He then lost in the round of 16 in his final two events at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors and BNP Paribas Masters. Robredo ended the year just outside the top 20 at 21.

2004: First Davis Cup title
Robredo had a great start to his 2004 season with a semifinal at the Chennai Open losing to Paradorn Srichaphan 6–1, 6–7(10–12), 5–7 and a quarterfinal at the Adidas International losing to Carlos Moyà 1–6, 2–6. He also claimed his first doubles title at the Chennai Open with Rafael Nadal defeating Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram in the final. However, this results didn't reflect to his Australian Open, where he fell to 34th ranked Gastón Gaudio, who just missed the seedings in straight sets. Representing Spain in the Davis Cup, he won his first ever Davis Cup match over Czech Republic's Radek Štěpánek in four sets 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(9–7). Despite reaching the quarterfinals of the Milan Indoor, he fell early in his next three events, first rounds of ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament and Indian Wells Masters, and the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. At the Miami Masters, he was able to reach the fourth round, once again losing to Carlos Moyà. During the European clay season, he was only able to reach the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open and fell in the first round of Monte Carlo Masters. However, he made his breakthrough at the Torneo Godó, where he won his second ATP title, defeating Gastón Gaudio in a five-set 4-hour marathon 6–3, 4–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3. At the next two Masters events, the Telecom Italia Masters and Hamburg Masters, he lost in the second and third rounds, respectively. Despite his mixed results, he was able to reach the fourth round of the French Open after defeating world no. 11 Nicolás Massú dropping only four games in three sets. He fell to Carlos Moyà in straight sets.

In the grass season, he was able to reach the semifinals of the Ordina Open, but once again fell early in Wimbledon, losing in the second round. He then fell in the second round of his next three events, Swedish Open, Mercedes Cup, and Canada Masters. Robredo bounced back by reaching his first Masters hardcourt semifinal at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, where he upset world no. 7 Juan Carlos Ferrero 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 6–4 in the second round, before losing to Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets. Competing for Spain at the Olympics, he fell in the third round to Tomáš Berdych. At the final slam of the year, the US Open, he was able to reach the fourth round losing to world no. 2 Andy Roddick in straight sets. He then competed for Spain against France in the semifinal of Davis Cup and defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu in a dead rubber. He followed it up with a quarterfinal showing at the Madrid Masters losing to Andre Agassi. He then withdrew prior to his second round match against eventual champion Jiří Novák at the Davidoff Swiss Indoors. He then was upset by Jürgen Melzer in his first match at the Paris Masters. Robredo ended the year with a loss at the Davis Cup final, however the loss didn't affect the result as Spain already won the tie and his match was a dead rubber. Robredo ended the year inside the top 20 for the first time at 13.

2005: Second French Open quarterfinal
He began the year with a first round loss at the Heineken Open. At the first slam of the year, the Australian Open, he was upset by 155th ranked Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets in the third round 6–7(2–7), 4–6, 1–6. He reached his first semifinal at the Dubai Tennis Championships losing to Croatian Ivan Ljubičić in straight sets. At the Master events of Pacific Life Open and NASDAQ-100 Open, he reached the fourth round losing to Tim Henman and withdrew with a neck injury in the third round, respectively. The injury made him miss some events.

He began his European clay season at the Torneo Godó losing to Alberto Martin in straight sets. He reached his first final of the year at the Estoril Open but lost to Argentinian Gastón Gaudio 1–6, 6–2, 1–6. But fell miserably to Julien Benneteau at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, winning only a game. At the Hamburg Masters, he was able to reach the third round losing to world no. 1 Roger Federer. He made his final French Open preparation at the World Team Cup, defeating Vincent Spadea and Tommy Haas, but lost to Thomas Johansson. At the French Open, he was able to make his second quarterfinal after defeating then world no. 4 Marat Safin 7–5, 1–6, 6–1, 4–6, 8–6, but lost to Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6–3, 1–6, 2–6, 6–4, 4–6. At the grass season he fell early at the second round of the Ordina Open and first round of Wimbledon.

Robredo then played on clay after Wimbledon. He began with a semifinal showing at the Swedish Open losing to world no. 3 Rafael Nadal. He was then upset by Italians Andreas Seppi and Filippo Volandri at the third round of the Mercedes Cup and the quarterfinals of the Croatia Open Umag, respectively, both loses in three sets. At the US Open Series, the Spaniard he did fairly. He reached the third round of the Rogers Cup losing to Gastón Gaudio. He then upset Gastón Gaudio in the first round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters but lost to José Acasuso in the following round. At his final stop before the US Open, he was able to reach the quarterfinals of the New Haven Open at Yale losing to Victor Hănescu. At the US Open, he once again reached the fourth round, losing to American James Blake. He played on the clay courts of Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia, but once again lost to Filippo Volandri in the quarterfinals. He began the indoor season at the semifinal of the BA-CA-TennisTrophy, losing to Ivan Ljubičić. He then followed it up with a final 16 showing at the Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid and at the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, which pushed him out of the top 20. He ended the year with a quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas Masters, losing to Ivan Ljubičić. Robredo ended the year as the world no. 19.

2006: Hamburg Masters title, Top 5 career-high ranking
Robredo 2006 season didn't start well, losing in the second round of the Next Generation Adelaide International and the first round of the Medibank International. Despite a poor preparation, he was able to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time after defeating James Blake 6–3, 6–4, 6–4, but lost to world no. 4 David Nalbandian 3–6, 0–6, 6–2, 2–6. He then followed it up with four consecutive loses, both his matches at the Davis Cup, the SAP Open, and Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. He ended his losing streak by reaching the quarterfinals of the Tennis Channel Open, losing to Ivo Karlović 6–7(4–7), 4–6. At the first Masters events of the year, losing to James Blake at the third round of the Pacific Life Open and losing to Nicolás Massú at the second round of the NASDAQ-100 Open.

Robredo had a great European clay season, which began with a quarterfinal at the Monte Carlo Masters with a loss to Gastón Gaudio 1–6, 3–6 after defeating then world no. 3 David Nalbandian. He then followed it up with his first final of the year at the Torneo Godó facing compatriot Rafael Nadal but lost in straight sets 4–6, 4–6, 0–6. This performance pushed Robredo into his top 10 debut. Despite falling in the first round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia to Britain's Greg Rusedski 7–5, 3–6, 4–6, he bounced back at the Hamburg Masters. There he reached the final, his first final of a Masters event after defeating Mario Ančić 7–5, 6–4 in the semifinal, he was able to capture the title defeating Radek Štěpánek 6–1, 6–3, 6–3 in the final. He went back into the top ten at number 7 with his first Masters title. At the French Open, he was upset by Mario Ančić in 5 tight sets 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 4–6, 5–7 in the fourth round. At the grass season, he lost in the second rounds of the Ordina Open and Wimbledon Championships. He then upset world no. 5 Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets of the Swedish Open final for his second title of the year. However, he fell early at the Austrian Open Kitzbühel and Orange Warsaw Open losing in the second round.

At his US Open preparation, he was upset in the second round Rogers Cup by José Acasuso. He then reached the semifinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters after upsetting then world no. 3 Ivan Ljubičić 7–6(8–6), 6–2, but lost to a resurgent former world no. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero 3–6, 4–6. Despite the loss he entered the top 5. At the US Open, he reached the fourth round for the third consecutive year, this time losing to Mikhail Youzhny 2–6, 0–6, 1–6.

As the top seed at the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open, he was upset by Dmitry Tursunov in the semifinals 6–7(2–7), 6–3, 1–6. At the Japan Open Tennis Championships, he fell to surprise quarterfinalist Hyung-taik Lee. At the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Masters, he reached the third round losing to Robby Ginepri. He was able to reach the semifinals of the final Masters event of the year at the BNP Paribas Masters losing to Nikolay Davydenko 3–6, 7–5, 2–6. Robredo qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup and fell in the round robin stage with losses to Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko, but earned a win over eventual runner-up James Blake in three sets. He ended the year inside the top 10 for the first time at number 7.

2007: Maiden Australian Open and third French Open quarterfinals
Robredo began 2007 by reaching the final of the Heineken Open losing to compatriot David Ferrer 4–6, 2–6, in his first hardcourt final. He then followed it up by reaching the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam at the Australian Open for the first time in his career after defeating Richard Gasquet 6–4, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, before losing to World No. 1 Roger Federer in straight sets.

He then suffered 3 back-to-back loses starting with the quarterfinals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament to Novak Djokovic in three sets, it is then followed by loses at the Dubai Tennis Championships and Pacific Life Open. At the Sony Ericsson Open, he was able to reach the quarterfinals losing to eventual runner-up Guillermo Cañas 6–7(5–7), 1–6.

At the European clay season, he reached back-to-back 3rd round rounds of the Monte Carlo Masters and Torneo Godó, with both loses being in three sets. He reached his second semifinals at the Estoril Open losing to Novak Djokovic. At the Masters event of Internazionali BNL d'Italia, he was able to reach the quarterfinals losing to Nikolay Davydenko in three sets. At the Hamburg Masters, as the defending champion he fell in the second round after receiving a bye to Nicolás Almagro 7–6(7–1), 2–6, 4–6. At the French Open, he reached his third quarterfinal at the event losing to Roger Federer 5–7, 6–1, 1–6, 2–6, this is the first time Robredo reached back-to-back slam quarterfinals and became the first man since Andy Roddick in the 2006 US Open to win a set from Federer in a Grand Slam tournament, snapping Federer's record winning streak of thirty-six consecutive sets in Grand Slam matches.

At the grass courts, as the top seed he was upset by qualifier Peter Wessels at the quarterfinals of the Ordina Open. At Wimbledon, he fell in the second round to Wayne Arthurs in straight sets. He then fell in the first rounds of the Swedish Open and Mercedes Cup. He then reached the quarterfinals if the Austrian Open losing to eventual champion Juan Mónaco 2–6, 6–2, 2–6. He claimed his first title of the year at the Orange Prokom Open defeating José Acasuso 7–5, 6–0 in the final. He then lost in his first matches at the Rogers Cup and the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters. He then fell in the back-to-back third rounds at the Pilot Pen Tennis and US Open. He then reached his first indoor final at the China Open where he lost to second seed Fernando González 1–6, 6–3, 1–6. In his next event at the Open de Moselle, he won his first hardcourt and indoor title of his career defeating Andy Murray 0–6, 6–2, 6–3. He then lost in his first matches at the Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid and Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon. In his final tournament the year at the BNP Paribas Masters losing to Marcos Baghdatis 4–6, 4–6 in the quarterfinals. He then served as an alternate at the Tennis Masters Cup. He ended the year ranked World No. 10.

2008: Second Davis Cup title
Robredo started the season with back-to-back loses at the first rounds of the Qatar Open losing to Agustín Calleri and the Medibank International losing to Radek Štěpánek. He won his first match of the year at the Australian Open defeating Mischa Zverev in five sets before losing to Mardy Fish 1–6, 2–6, 3–6. He then represented Spain in the Davis Cup against Peru and won both his matches. He then won only one other match in hardcourts, losing in the first matches at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament and Sony Ericsson Open, and the third round of the Pacific Life Open. He won his first back-to-back matches reaching the semifinals of the year at the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana losing to eventual champion David Ferrer 6–2, 2–6, 3–6. At the Monte-Carlo Masters, he reached the third round losing to David Nalbandian winning only a game. He also played doubles with compatriot Rafael Nadal to win his first doubles titles in four years by beating Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles. He followed it up with back-to-back quarterfinals at the Open Sabadell Atlántico Barcelona losing to David Ferrer 6–7(4–7), 4–6 and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia losing to Andy Roddick 3–6, 6–4, 6–7(4–7), after upsetting world no. 4 Nikolay Davydenko 4–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–4). At his final preparation for the Roland Garros, he was upset by Ivo Karlović in the second round of the Hamburg Masters. However, he reached the doubles semifinal pairing with Leander Paes. At the French Open, he was upset by Radek Štěpánek convincingly in the third round 3–6, 2–6, 1–6. He then bounced back by reaching his first final of the year at the Warsaw Open losing to Russian Nikolay Davydenko 3–6, 3–6.

At Wimbledon, he lost to Tommy Haas 4–6, 4–6, 3–6 in the second round. However, he won his first title of the year at the Swedish Open, upsetting world no. 4 David Ferrer 2–6, 6–1, 6–2 in the semifinals and Tomáš Berdych 6–4, 6–1 in the final. In the Masters Series of Rogers Cup and Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, he lost in the second round in both events, being defeated by Marin Čilić and Robin Söderling, respectively. Playing for Spain at the Olympics, he lost to Andreas Seppi 4–6, 6–4, 6–8. At the US Open, he was able to reach the fourth round for the fifth time after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets 6–4, 2–6, 3–6, 7–5, 3–6. At the Asian swing, he was able to reach the quarterfinals, falling to Dudi Sela at the China Open and the third round AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships losing to eventual champion Tomáš Berdych. He ended the year with second round loses at the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, and BNP Paribas Masters. He ended as world no. 21.

2009: Third Davis Cup title
Robredo started the year at the Medibank International Sydney, where he lost to Mario Ančić, 6–2, 6–1 in the second round. In the Australian Open, he was the 21st seed, where he reached the fourth round without dropping a set, but eventually lost to semifinalist Andy Roddick 5–7, 1–6, 3–6. Robredo had a great South American clay season, he began with a semifinal at the Movistar Open losing to José Acasuso 7–5, 2–6, 4–6. He then claim back-to-back titles at the Brasil Open and the Copa Telmex, defeating Thomaz Bellucci, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 and Juan Mónaco, 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(7–5), respectively. He also won the doubles with Marcel Granollers at the Brasil Open defeating Lucas Arnold Ker and Juan Mónaco in the final 6–4, 7–5. His streak ended at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel losing to José Acasuso 5–7, 2–6 in the quarterfinals.

At the BNP Paribas Open, he lost to Andy Murray in the fourth round, 2–6, 0–3 RET, and in the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open he was upset by Taylor Dent, 5–7, 3–6 in the second round. On European clay, first in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, he was defeated by his Buenos Aires finals opponent Juan Mónaco, 2–6, 4–6, in the second round. He then fell to compatriot David Ferrer in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell. At the Masters Internazionali BNL d'Italia and Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, he fell in the third round to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, respectively. At Roland Garros, he defeated Adrian Mannarino and compatriot Daniel Gimeno-Traver in straight sets and Máximo González, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, 6–0, in the third round. He defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber, before losing in straight sets to Juan Martín del Potro in the quarterfinals 3–6, 4–6, 2–6.

Seeded second, he lost to Marcos Baghdatis in the first round at the Ordina Open. Robredo reached the third round of Wimbledon, at which he was seeded 15th, by coming back from two sets down to beat Austrian Stefan Koubek. He next was defeated by Israeli Dudi Sela 6–7(8–10), 5–7, 6–2, 5–7, however, when they played for a spot in the round of 16. At the Swedish Open, he was the defending champion and the top seed. He reached the semifinals, having lost only nine games. However, he lost to Juan Mónaco 0–6, 2–6. He then lost in the second round of the International German Open and Legg Mason Tennis Classic after receiving a bye, he lost to Iván Navarro and Juan Carlos Ferrero, respectively. He also reached the second round of the Rogers Cup, losing to Philipp Petzschner and lost in the first round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters to Jérémy Chardy. He then lost to José Acasuso in the Pilot Pen Tennis, after receiving a bye into the second round. Despite bad showings at the tournaments leading up the US Open, Robredo managed to find some form and was rewarded with yet another fourth-round appearance of the US Open after wins over Donald Young, Guillermo García-López, and James Blake. However, he was again denied a quarterfinal, this time by Roger Federer in straight sets 5–7, 2–6, 2–6. In his first tournament after the US Open at the China Open, he reached the second round, losing to Robin Söderling. He then competed in the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, where he reached the third round before losing to Rafael Nadal. He then played at the 2009 Valencia Open 500, losing to Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals. In his final tournamanent of the year at the BNP Paribas Masters, he lost to Rafael Nadal 3–6, 6–3, 5–7 in the third round, despite serving for the match at 5–4 in the third set.

2010: Out of top 30, late season success, third consecutive US Open fourth round
Robredo began the year by winning the Hopman Cup for Spain with partner María José Martínez Sánchez. Here, he won all of his singles matches defeating John Isner, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 7–6(7–4), Victor Hănescu, 6–3 ret, and over Lleyton Hewitt, 6–2, 6–4. He then defeated Andy Murray, 1–6, 6–4, 6–3 in the final and won the decisive mixed doubles 7–6(7–5), 7–5 win to clinch the tie 2–1 over the Great Britain team. This was the second time he has been part of a winning Hopman Cup team.

His first ATP event of 2010 was at the Heineken Open, where he was the top seed, but was upset by John Isner, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 4–6 in the quarterfinals. At the Australian Open as the 16th seed, he was upset by a no. 114 player in Santiago Giraldo in straight sets, 4–6, 2–6, 2–6 in the first round. He then played in ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, where he was upset by Florian Mayer, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, in the second round. He also suffered early exits in the second rounds of Open 13 and Dubai Tennis Championships, which cause him to slip out of the top 20.

He then had a resurgence at the BNP Paribas Open. After receiving a bye, he defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky, 2–6, 6–3, 7–5, in the second round, Dudi Sela, 6–3, 6–0, in the third round, and Marcos Baghdatis, 7–5, 0–6, 6–4, in the fourth round, before finally succumbing to Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, 3–6, 5–7. In the Sony Ericsson Open, he was upset by Benjamin Becker in the third round, losing 6–1, 4–6, 6–7, despite recovering from a break down in 5–6.

He then suffered a 5 match losing streak, starting in the third round of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters losing to David Nalbandian 3–6, 4–6, And the first rounds of the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell losing to Simone Bolelli, 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 1–3 retiring with a back injury, the French Open, UNICEF Open, and the Wimbledon Championships, which caused his ranking to go down to no. 36 in the world. Along the way, he missed the Internazionali BNL d'Italia and Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open.

He played in the Swedish Open, where he beat Michał Przysiężny and Andrey Golubev. He then upset second seed Fernando Verdasco, 6–4, 6–3, in the quarterfinals. He lost in the semifinals to Nicolás Almagro 1–6, 3–6,. He then lost his next two matches at the International German Open and Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad to lower-ranked players. He also fell early in his US Open preparations at the second round of the Rogers Cup, first round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and third round of the Pilot Pen Tennis.

However, at the US Open, he was able to get past the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time in the year by reaching the fourth round with wins over Lukáš Rosol, 6–4, 6–3, 6–1, Julien Benneteau, 6–4, 6–6 RET, Michaël Llodra, 3–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–4, 2–1 RET, but fell to 12th seed Mikhail Youzhny 5–7, 2–6, 6–4, 4–6. He then reached the quarterfinals of the Open de Moselle, losing to Richard Gasquet in two tie-break sets. He then lost in the first rounds of the China Open and If Stockholm Open, and the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

2011-2012: Continued loss of form, out of the top 100
Tommy started his 2011 season at the Heineken Open, where he lost to Thomaz Bellucci, 4–6, 6–3, 1–6 in the second round. At the 2011 Australian Open, he reached the fourth round with wins against Somdev Devvarman, 16th seed Mardy Fish, and Sergiy Stakhovsky, before losing to second seed and defending champion Roger Federer in four sets, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 2–6.

He then played at the Latin-American Swing at the Movistar Open, where he was the sixth seed, he defeated Frederico Gil, Ricardo Mello, Máximo González, and Fabio Fognini to reach his first final in almost two years, where he rallied from 5–2 down in the third set to defeat Santiago Giraldo, 6–2, 2–6, 7–6(7–5). He then played at the Brasil Open, where was upset by compatriot Pablo Andújar 4–6, 7–5, 2–6 in the second round. He then reach the semifinals at the 2011 Copa Claro, losing to eventual champion Nicolás Almagro, 5–7, 1–6. He earned a win over world no. 20 David Nalbandian, 6–4, 6–4. At the BNP Paribas Open, he was able to reach the quarterfinals, but withdrew from the match due to a strained left abductor muscle, which caused him to miss the Sony Ericsson Open. At the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Robredo upset sixth seed Fernando Verdasco, 6–4, 6–3, and was on course to upset 11th seed Viktor Troicki leading 6–3, 1–2 on serve, but was forced to retire due to a left leg injury. The injury made him miss the European season, including the French Open, which ends his streak of 41 straight slams played. In his return he was only able to win two matches, reaching the second rounds of ATP Studena Croatia Open and Shanghai Rolex Masters. He lost in the first rounds of Wimbledon, Swedish Open, BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy, China Open, If Stockholm Open, and Erste Bank Open

In 2012, Robredo did not play for the first five months due to a knee injury. He came back at the ATP Challenger Tour and won two titles in Italy at the Città di Caltanissetta defeating Gastão Elias and Aspria Tennis Cup Trofeo City Life defeating Martín Alund, both in straight sets. He came back in the Main Tour at Swedish Open and reached the quarterfinals, losing to David Ferrer in three sets. He then played at the International German Open but lost to Federico Delbonis in the first round. At the US Open Series, he lost in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open to Łukasz Kubot. At the US Open, he upset world no. 27 Andreas Seppi in the first round, before losing to Leonardo Mayer in four sets. He then lost back-to-back finals in the Challenger circuit, at the AON Open Challenger losing to Albert Montañés and at the Copa Sevilla losing to Daniel Gimeno-Traver, both in straight sets. He then reached the second rounds of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships and Shanghai Rolex Masters, losing to Kei Nishikori and Tommy Haas respectively. He played his final event at the Valencia Open 500, losing in the first round to Fernando Verdasco.

2013: Resurgence, Fifth French Open quarterfinal, First US Open quarterfinal
Robredo's start of the 2013 season was not promising; he only won two matches in his first five events. Losing in the first rounds of Apia International Sydney, Australian Open, and Brasil Open and the second rounds of the Brisbane International and the VTR Open. However, he entered the top 100 once again due to not having to defend any points. He then reached his first semifinal in two years at the Copa Claro, losing to eventual champion David Ferrer. This form did not continue, as he lost in the second round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel and the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.

Robredo bounced back by winning his first title in two years in Casablanca, beating Kevin Anderson in the final. At the Barcelona Open BancSabadell, he defeated world no. 6 Tomáš Berdych in the third round, his first win over a top-10 player in three years. However, he lost in the quarterfinals to Milos Raonic. He followed it up with another quarterfinal at the Portugal Open, losing to Andreas Seppi. Robredo was able to earn a win at the Mutua Madrid Open, before falling to Tommy Haas.

Robredo then reached his fifth French Open quarterfinal and in doing so made history by becoming the first man since Henri Cochet in 1927 to win three consecutive Grand Slam matches from two sets to love down. After winning his first-round match against Jürgen Zopp in straight sets, Robredo beat Igor Sijsling for his first win from two sets down since beating Lleyton Hewitt at the 2003 French Open. He followed this up by defeating Gaël Monfils in five tightly contested sets, saving four match points in the fourth set at 3–5 and 4–5 down. Robredo then beat Nicolas Almagro, again in five sets, having trailed by a break of serve in each of the last three sets. Robredo lost to David Ferrer in straight sets in the quarterfinals. Robredo as the 32nd seed lost in the third round of Wimbledon to eventual champion Andy Murray in straight sets. Despite this strong showings, he fell in his first matches at the Swedish Open and International German Open. He bounced back again at the ATP Vegeta Croatia Open Umag, winning his second title of the year over Fabio Fognini in the final.

At the US Open Series, he reached the third round of the Western & Southern Open, losing to Tomáš Berdych in straight sets, after earning his second top-10 win of the season over Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round, and the third round of the Winston-Salem Open losing to Gaël Monfils.

At the US Open, he reached the fourth round for the eighth time. There, he overcame a 0–10 head-to-head against Federer to win in three sets and reach his first US Open quarterfinal. This was Federer's first time to lose before the quarterfinals at a hard-court Grand Slam since 2003. He lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets. He began the Asian swing by losing in the first round of the China Open to Fabio Fognini. He then retired in the second round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters against Fognini due to a wrist injury; the injury ended his season. Robredo ended the year as the world no. 18. Robredo was named the Spanish Tennis Writers Association player of the year.

2014: Three Grand Slam fourth rounds and three ATP finals, top 20 year-end ranking
Seeded 17th, Robredo reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing a close match to eventual champion Stanislas Wawrinka. He also reached the fourth rounds at the 2014 Wimbledon seeded 23rd, where he lost to Roger Federer and at the 2014 US Open (tennis) seeded 16th, where he also lost to Wawrinka again.

2021–2022: Retirement
Robredo announced his plans to retire after his final tournament at the 2022 Barcelona Open. He played his final career match against countryman Bernabé Zapata Miralles, losing in the first round in straight sets.

Playing style
Robredo is a baseline player, who can play both offensively and defensively. He is known for his versatility and solid groundstrokes on both wings. Robredo's baseline play is exceptional, and is considered one of the most consistent and dangerous baseliners on the tour. Like most traditional Spanish players like Rafael Nadal, Robredo puts a very high amount of topspin on both his forehand and single-handed backhand. This makes his groundstrokes both consistent and penetrating at the same time. His backhand is also considered one of the best single-handed backhands on the tour, being very powerful and clutch during important points. However, his slice is weaker than most one-handers'. Mainly playing from the baseline, Robredo uses his solid groundstrokes to dictate points by moving opponents around and forcing weak replies. Due to the top-spin on his groundstrokes, Robredo has an edge against one-handed backhand players, who might find it hard to return high balls to their backhand. Because of this, he has sometimes been accused of being a "moonballer".

Robredo is also versatile in his baseline play. Due to the penetrating nature of his groundstrokes, he can effectively control points and force weak returns from his opponents, finishing points quickly. However, he can also counter-punch, the height of his balls giving him enough time to recover and preventing opponents from capitalising on weak returns. Robredo usually only flattens out his groundstrokes more when hitting weak returns from opponents, and even then they are not completely flat and still have a substantial amount of topspin.

Robredo's first serve is not considered his weapon due to its lack of any significant pace, but it is not weak to the point that opponents can capitalise on it. He employs a high amount of top-spin for his second serve, making it slow but pushing his opponents further back, preventing his opponents from hitting return aces.

However, Robredo's main weaknesses is his over-defensiveness. At times, even though he has gained a significant advantage through his groundstrokes, Robredo does not make an effort to end off the point cleanly by hitting a clean winner or by coming up to the net to volley. Instead, he usually stays around the baseline, not capitalising on the advantage he has. This makes him especially vulnerable against clutch players who can make use of their opponents' speed or direction to turn the point around, such as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

Personal life
Robredo is named after the rock opera Tommy by The Who, of which his father is a big fan.

Robredo is currently sponsored by Sergio Tacchini for his sportswear, Asics for his shoes, Wilson for his tennis racquets, TW Steel watches, Smeg, and the Ukrainian Food Company.

Robredo's childhood tennis idol was Stefan Edberg, along with John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and various Spanish tennis players. He cites Arantxa Sánchez (with whom he won the 2002 Hopman Cup for Spain) as his favorite female player among retired players; among recently active players his favorite male and female players are Roger Federer and Justine Henin.

Some fans refer to Robredo as "Disco Tommy" for the long, wavy hairstyle he began cultivating during the 2006 tennis season; after Robredo mentioned that he calls his coach "President Palmer" while his coach calls him "Jack Bauer" (from 24), fans also began referring to him as "Disco Jack."

2007 marked increased media exposure for Robredo. He was recognized by the Spanish editions of Men's Health and Marie Claire, as well as People en Español.

On 16 November 2019, Robredo married his long-time girlfriend, Patricia Berga Alzamora. Their first child, a girl, was born in 2021.

title: Tommy Robredo


text:
Little by Little...

Little by Little... is the third and final studio album by Harvey Danger. It is the band's first and only album with drummer Michael Welke, replacing the band's original drummer Evan Sult.

Release
The album was released on the band's own Phonographic Records label on September 13, 2005. The CD version featured a second disc of B-sides and outtakes in deluxe packaging. In an effort to "embrace the indisputable fact of music in the 21st century", the band made the album available as a free download via BitTorrent and on the band's website. They pointed out that "it’s important that people understand the free download concept isn’t a frivolous act. It’s a key part of our promotional campaign, along with radio and press promotion, live shows, and videos. It’s a bet that the resources of the Internet can make possible a new way for musicians to find their audience – and forge a meaningful artistic career built on support from cooperative, not adversarial, relationships."

On April 19, 2006, the band announced on their MySpace blog that the album had been picked up by Olympia-based label Kill Rock Stars for nationwide release on July 25, 2006. The re-release's track listing, song order, and album art is different from the Phonographic Records release. The band did some limited touring to accompany the release.

Album and song titles
The album title is taken from a quote by Melvyn Douglas's character Homer Bannon in the 1963 film Hud: "Little by little, the look of the country changes because of the men we admire."

The title of the song "Cream and Bastards Rise" is a quote by Paul Newman's character in Harper (1966). "Happiness Writes White" is a maxim first put forth by French writer Henry de Montherlant.

"The Piano Lesson" features someone attempting to play Beethoven's "Für Elise" before switching to Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer."

"Wine, Women and Song" is the first line of "Villanelle of the Poet's Road" by Ernest Christopher Dowson.

Track listing
All songs written by Aaron Huffman, Jeff J. Lin and Sean Nelson.

Personnel
Personnel per liner notes.

Musicians
Harvey Danger: Additional musicians:
 * Aaron Huffman – Bass, guitar, design
 * Jeff J. Lin – Guitar, piano, string and horn arrangements
 * Sean Nelson – vocals
 * Michael Welke – drums
 * Rachel Bowman – Backing vocals
 * Jacob Hoffman – Backing vocals, French horn
 * John Roderick – Guitar
 * Greg Powers – Trombone
 * Steve Creswell – Viola
 * Phil Peterson – Cello

Production

 * John Goodmanson – Production, engineering, mixing
 * Steve Fisk – Production, engineering, mixing, ARP
 * Justin Armstrong – Assistant engineering
 * Scotty Crane – Assistant engineering
 * Greg Calbi – Mastering
 * Ed Brooks – Mastering
 * YTJE – Artwork
 * Ryan Schierling – Photography
 * Erik Speckman – Encoding and IT

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Little by Little...


text:
John Alexander Boyd

Sir John Alexander Boyd (April 23, 1837 –November 23, 1916) was a Canadian lawyer and judge.

John Alexander Boyd was born in Toronto on April 23, 1837. Educated at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto, Boyd began his career in 1860 when he was articled to David Breakenridge Read.

Boyd was Chancellor of the High Court of Justice of the Province of Ontario, the last chancellor before common law and equity were fused in the province. His term as chancellor began on May 3, 1881. Boyd wrote the trial decision in St Catharines Milling and Lumber Co v R, in which he ruled for Ontario, rejecting the concept of Aboriginal title.

He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) during the visit to Canada of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary) in October 1901.

In 1903, Boyd and William Glenholme Falconbridge were appointed to a royal commission to investigate charges of bribery brought forward by Robert Roswell Gamey against the Liberal Government of the time. Although the commission found no proof for these allegations, the provincial Conservatives won the general election that followed two years later.

title: John Alexander Boyd


text: Category:Economic efficiency

title: Category:Economic efficiency


text:
Swamithope

Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a village that lies southeast of the City of Nagercoil, the capital of the District of Kanyakumari in the State of Tamil Nadu, at the extreme southern tip of India. In the past, Swamithope was known by the name Poovandanthoppe which was part of the village, Sasthankutty Vilai Swamithope lies about half-way between the cities of Nagercoil and Kanniyakumari on the Nagercoil-Kanniyakumari road. Swamithope is located at 8.12°N, 77.49°W

Swamithoppu is a synonym for this village, as used in the holy book (Akilam) of the Tamil belief system Ayyavazhi. Swamithoppu is the name earned by the village Swami (Ayya Vaikundars thavam) Thoppu was a coconut tree farm so it has been merged by people. being the origin of the Ayyavazhi religion in the mid-nineteenth century. It is the birthplace place of sampoorana Devan, after the incarnation at his age of 24 he got 4 ubadesa vinjai from Lord Narayana in the Thiruchendoor sea, after 3 days of Birth and vinjai ubadesam Sampoorana Devans Body has been used by Lord Narayana to become Ayya Vaikundar the founder of the practice called Ayyavazhi. Ayya vazhi means fathers' way of practice and presently serves as the site of its Head of Ayya vaikundars teaching practice to reach the God. (the Swamithope Pathi). It also becomes the terminating point of beautiful western ghats starting from the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of the Tapti river, and runs approximately 1,600 km (990 mi) through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and finally at Tamil Nadu.

title: Swamithope


text:
Benzothiazole

Benzothiazole, or more specifically 1,3-benzothiazole, is an aromatic heterocyclic compound with the chemical formula. It is colorless, slightly viscous liquid. Although the parent compound, benzothiazole is not widely used, many of its derivatives are found in commercial products or in nature. Firefly luciferin can be considered a derivative of benzothiazole.

The three structural isomers of benzothizaole are 1,3-benzothiazole, 1,2-benzothiazole and 2,1-benzothiazole.

Structure and preparation
Benzothiazoles consist of a 5-membered 1,3-thiazole ring fused to a benzene ring. The nine atoms of the bicycle and the attached substituents are coplanar.

Benzothiazoles are prepared by treatment of 2-mercaptoaniline with acid chlorides:
 * C6H4(NH2)SH +  RC(O)Cl  →   C6H4(NH)SCR  +  HCl  +  H2O

Uses
Benzothiazole occurs naturally in some foods but is also used as a food additive. It has a sulfurous odor and meaty flavor. The European Food Safety Authority assessment had "no safety concern at estimated levels of intake as a flavouring substance".

The heterocyclic core of the molecule is readily substituted at the unique methyne centre in the thiazole ring. It is a thermally stable electron-withdrawing moiety with numerous applications in dyes such as thioflavin. Some drugs contain this group, examples being riluzole and pramipexole. Accelerators for the sulfur vulcanization of rubber are based on 2-mercaptobenzothiazoles. This ring is a potential component in nonlinear optics (NLO). A benzothiazole derivative is suggested as a dye for arsenic detection.

title: Benzothiazole


text:
Greenore

Greenore is a village, townland and deep water port on Carlingford Lough in County Louth, Ireland.

History
A lighthouse was built on Greenore Point in 1830.

Several decades later, the Dundalk and Greenore Railway Act of 1863 authorised the construction of the port and railway. The port was constructed in 1867 to provide links to Heysham and Fleetwood. The village was constructed to provide homes for the dock and railway workers of the Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway.

Economy
Greenore has the only privately owned port in Ireland. It has three berths and can handle vessels of up to 39,999 gross tons. In 1964, the then disused port was used to fit out the ships used for the pirate radio stations Radio Caroline and Radio Atlanta (later Radio Caroline South). The port was owned by Aodogan O'Rahilly (1904–2000) - father of Radio Caroline founder Ronan O'Rahilly from 1958 until 2000. In the 1970s there was regular freight shipping from the port to Bristol. In 2005 Greenore was Ireland's 10th largest port in terms of tonnage handled with 649,000 tonnes of goods handled.

Greenore is also a brand of whiskey produced by the nearby Cooley Distillery.

Transport
On 21 July 2018 a ferry service commenced operations from Greenore, County Louth to Greencastle, County Down. The Scenic Carlingford Ferry operates a year round service using its vessel, the Frazer Aisling Gabrielle.

From 1873 to 1951 there was a ferry service between Greenore and Holyhead. The London and North Western Railway constructed a substantial hotel and railway station to serve passengers using the ferry. The original railway line ran from Dundalk to Greenore and the first service was 1 May 1873 when the station opened. In 1876 the railway line was extended to Newry. In the 19th century there was a ferry from Greencastle to Greenore. The railway and the station closed on 1 January 1952 and was replaced by bus services to Dundalk and Newry.

Bus Éireann route 161 links Greenore to Dundalk, Carlingford, Omeath and Newry. There are four weekday journeys to Dundalk and four to Carlingford. On schooldays there is an additional morning journey to Newry. There is no service on Sundays.

Sport
In 1896 the Greenore Golf Club was founded. As of 2009 it is a 6,647 yard course, with a par of 71.

Notable residents

 * Jimmy Magee, sports commentator

title: Greenore


text:
Category:Spherical astronomy

Spherical astronomy is the branch of astronomy that is concerned with where celestial objects are located and how they move on the celestial sphere. It is one of the oldest fields of the astronomical science.

title: Category:Spherical astronomy


text:
Talk:Alexey

Merger proposal
From what I understand, Alexis is not Slavic but greek in origin. It may have been more popular in Russia, that does not make it Slavic. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.132.242.1 (talk) 17:50, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

I have just noticed that there is a page on Alexis Alexis_(given_name). This article should be merged with the original first name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.132.242.1 (talk) 17:54, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
 * Oppose. There is nothing wrong with creating separate articles for national variations of a name.  See, for example, the navigational template in Nicholas.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); 18:08, February 24, 2009 (UTC)

Tight Definition
I think it should be expanded with other countries roots. Because now it's looks like translation from Russian Wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.134.65.191 (talk) 22:33, 2 August 2010 (UTC)

IPA
What IPA is correct, or  or  or some other?

 * There is not really 'correct' in these matters where people still quarrel about transliteration and transcription. Here, we see Alexis etc with an X while Russians in the English speaking world prefer to transcribe Ksenia, not Xenia. How the person wants it, that's 'correct'. 2001:8003:A070:7F00:B85F:E386:193E:DFE9 (talk) 00:16, 18 April 2021 (UTC)

title: Talk:Alexey


text:
Xiangkhoang Plateau

The Xiang Khouang Plateau or Xiang Khwang Plateau, also known in French as Plateau du Tran-Ninh is a plateau in the north of Laos. The landscape is characterized by green mountains, rugged karst formations and verdant valleys with plenty of rivers, caves and waterfalls.

Geography
The Luang Prabang Range, and the Annamite Range separate the plateau from Thailand and Vietnam respectively. The ranges of the plateau are sandstone and limestone mountains between 2000 and 2800 meters high (about 6561 and 9842 feet high). These have been heavily deforested. The highest mountain of Laos, Phou Bia, is located to the south of the Xiangkhoang. Altitudes within the plateau area may reach 1000 m. Several tributaries of the Mekong drain in the plateau, such as the Nam Ngum, Ngiap and the Khan River. The major town in the area is the capital of Phonsavan. The plateau gives its name to present-day Xiangkhouang Province in which Phonsavan is located.

History
The plateau is the location of the Plain of Jars, which is a collective name for several sites with funerary archeological remains nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status. Xianghouang Province is one of the most heavily bombed places in the world.

The plateau is also one of the most heavily contaminated areas in the world from unexploded cluster munitions also called UXO.

title: Xiangkhoang Plateau


text:
Wikipedia:WikiProject Hawaii/Trivia

Buildings

 * Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use today in the United States.

 * ‘Iolani Palace is the only official royal residence on United States land.

 * Kawaiahao Church is known as the Westminster Abbey of Hawai‘i.

 * Moana Hotel is the first hotel in Waikīkī.

 * Royal Hawaiian Hotel was the Western White House of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; the Shirley Temple cocktail was invented at one of its bars.

Misc. Construction

 * Hawai‘i currently has three highways: the H1, H2, and H3. The H3 work crew is reputed to have sealed completed electrical and water housings due to funding shortages. The H2 is known for the strange zig-zag pattern of concrete laid for added "safety grip" by an engineer. Drivers are advised not to stare at the pattern as it both distracts and disorients.

Ecology

 * Hawai‘i has the most endemic species of plants and animals that are vulnerable to outside threats. Ecologists have called Hawai‘i the endangered species capital.  Among the rarest of these species is the Po‘ouli Hawaiian honeycreeper; it has only two known survivors found in Maui.

Geography

 * Hawai‘i orientation is not expressed using traditional cardinal directions of north, south, east and west. Traditional compass points are sometimes considered confusing or even impractical in a mountainous island environment, especially when used for driving directions.  Instead, the term mauka is used to orient a person towards the mountain or center of an island.  Makai is used to orient a person towards the sea.  On the island of O‘ahu, Diamond Head is used to orient a person towards the eastern shore.  ‘Ewa is used to orient a person towards the western shore. On the island of Hawaii (a.k.a. "The Big Island"), directions are expressed with Hilo and Kona sides.

 * The North American Numbering Plan area code prescribed for the entire state of Hawai‘i is 808. It is one of only a few states to have a single, unified area code.

 * Hawai‘i is only one of two states that does not observe Daylight Saving Time in any of its territories; the other state being Arizona.

Government

 * Despite its notoriety for having one of the most centralized state governments in the United States, Hawai‘i is the only one without a state police force. It is also the only state without a unified Department of Motor Vehicles; vehicle registration and driver license issuance is delegated to the four counties.

Holidays

 * Kamehameha Day is the only holiday in the United States that celebrates a monarch. Prince Kuhio Day is the only other day that celebrates the life of a royal.

People

 * James Kealoha, Lieutenant Governor of Hawai‘i, was the center of a dramatic presidential ballot recount in the race for President of the United States between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. In 1960, Kealoha ordered an audit of ballots when it seemed Kennedy would win by a slim margin.  The election nationwide was so close, Hawai‘i effectively had the power to decide the winner.  Kealoha certified the vote total in favor of fellow Republican Nixon resulting in the call of national Democrats for a recount.  The recounts were tied up in the Hawai‘i State Judiciary.  Confusion led to crisis as the Democrats submitted their three electoral votes for Kennedy while at the same time Republicans submitted their three electoral votes for Nixon.  The result was finally resolved on the floor of the United States Senate during the electoral college certification process.

title: Wikipedia:WikiProject Hawaii/Trivia


text:
Wikipedia talk:Articles for deletion/Sturmgrenadier

DELETE
In all fairness I must qualify that I am ex-SG but... I can see little reason why a gaming club deserves it's own entry in an encyclopedia. There is nothing about SG that is unique, or original, regardless of how fine an organization anyone may think it is.

I don't think that he was referring to me. I didn't start the deletion process. - Sieg

Kill this shit article. - unsigned comment by 65.49.152.201 (who seems very angry in many of his comments and very angry with Sturmgrenadier --Habap 1 July 2005 13:48 (UTC))


text: User talk:69.235.215.247

title: User talk:69.235.215.247


text:
Cristina Deutekom

Cristina Deutekom (28 August 1931 – 7 August 2014) was a Dutch operatic coloratura soprano.

She sang with many of the leading tenors of her time, including Carlo Bergonzi, José Carreras, Franco Corelli, Plácido Domingo, Nicolai Gedda, Alfredo Kraus, Mario del Monaco, Luciano Pavarotti, and Richard Tucker.

Life
Deutekom was born Stientje Engel in Amsterdam. She studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Coby Riemersma and Felix Hupka. In 1963 she made her debut with De Nederlandse Opera as Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute. After some lesser roles with the company, she contemplated giving up singing altogether, since her career did not seem to progress.

During a performance of Der Rosenkavalier in Spain – in which she was singing the small role of Marianne Leitmetzerin – Christine was overheard warming up with the Queen of the Night aria in her dressing room by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, who was singing the Marschallin in that night's performance. Story has it that Schwarzkopf opened the door and asked: "Child, do you know what you are singing there?" and was shocked to hear that she was not performing this role all over the world. "I do not think much of any impresario, that does not recognize such talent", she said and introduced her to her own manager, Rudi Rothenberg. She then went on to conquer the major opera houses in succession with the Queen of the Night. After her performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the authoritative Opera magazine reviewed her performance, saying: "Except for Maria Callas in her prime, we have hardly heard anything of equal quality here before". In 1968 she took to the Metropolitan Opera, New York and was acclaimed by The New York Times to be "the greatest Queen of the Night of our time". In 1974 she opened the Met season as Elena in I vespri siciliani alongside Plácido Domingo.

Besides the Queen of the Night, her Mozart roles included Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito. She sang the great bel canto roles, specifically in Rossini's Armida, in Bellini's Norma and I puritani, and in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

She went on to the great dramatic Verdi roles including Abigaile in Nabucco, Lady Macbeth, Leonora in Il trovatore, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, and Elena in I vespri siciliani. Other roles which were captured in commercial recordings include Giselda in I Lombardi and Odabella in Attila. Finally, she sang the title roles in Cherubini's Médée and Puccini's Turandot.

Deutekom decided to end her stage career on the last day of 1986, after having heart problems during a performance of the opera Amaya in Bilbao. She turned to giving master classes internationally.

She made a return in November 1996 at the Concertgebouw Operafeest, at the age of 65 singing the Bolero from I vespri siciliani and Anna Elisa's aria Liebe, du Himmel auf Erden from the operetta Paganini, reportedly "bringing the house down". As of 2001, she was a guest teacher at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, but following a stroke in 2004, she retired from public life.

On 26 October 2011, a tribute gala concert for her initiated by baritone Ernst Daniël Smid was staged at the Royal Theater Carré. This was the soprano's last public appearance.

Vocal technique
For fast coloratura passages, Deutekom developed a glottal-stop technique, sometimes called glottal staccato. In her own country, a few criticized it as hinting of yodeling, while others dubbed her coloratura technique "cluckatura." Elsewhere her technique was extra appreciated. In Italy she was named singer of the year in 1973 and 1974, precisely because of her deliveries of bel canto.

Personal life
She married Jacob "Jaap" Deutekom, a boxer, in 1952 and they had a daughter, Irma, born in 1955. Deutekom died on 7 August 2014 after a fall in her home.

Additional operatic repertoire
• Beethoven: Fidelio (Marzelline)

• Bellini: Bianca e Fernando (Bianca)

• Cherubini: Médée (Medea)

• Händel: Alcina (Alcina)

• Rossini: Mosè in Egitto (Sinaide)

• Saint-Saëns: Henry VIII (Catherine de Aragon)

• Strauss, R: Der Rosenkavalier (Marianne Leitmetzerin)

• Verdi: Alzira (Alzira), I masnadieri (Amalia), Rigoletto (Gilda), Simon Boccanegra (Amelia/Maria)

• Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Woglinde), Das Rheingold (Woglinde), Die Walküre (Walküre)

Honors
• Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau, 1974

• Singer of the year, Milan, 1974

• Singer of the year, Milan, 1973

• Premio Romeo e Juliet, Verona, 1972

• Rigoletto d'Oro, Mantua, 1973

• Monteverdi d'Oro, Venice, 1972

• Palco Scenico d'Oro, Mantua, 1971

• Grand Prix du Disque of the Académie Charles Cros, Paris, 1968

• Arena d'Oro, Verona, 1976

title: Cristina Deutekom