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Columnists: James Beck
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Newer stories | Older stories James Beck
Sports Columnists James Beck
On Tennis  Andrew Miller
Stingrays  Charles Bennett
SEC Basketball  Mike Mooneyham
Wrestling  Philip Bowman
High School Sports  David Quick
Running  Tommy Braswell
Golf and Outdoors  Gene Sapakoff
Sports  Ken Burger
Sports  Larry Williams
ACC Sports Latest Tennis HeadlinesLatest HeadlinesZvonareva now building on strong Cup showingWednesday, May 7, 2008Is the puzzle of Vera Zvonareva solved? It certainly looked that way during the Family Circle Cup as the Russian ran off a string of impressive performances before going up against superwoman Serena Williams in the final. And Zvonareva did something this past week she hadn't accomplished i... Read story. Make or break for area teamsSunday, May 4, 2008This coming week is make or break in high school tennis. And the odds are that all but possibly Pinewood Prep will be broken. Read story. Serena's service return game's most dangerous weaponWednesday, April 30, 2008Serena Williams has a secret weapon on backhand service returns. She shoots straight from the hip. It's almost impossible to jam Serena with a serve into her backhand because of this shoot-from-the-hip technique. Watching several of Serena's Family Circle Cup matches from the baseli... Read story. American women's tennis downSunday, April 27, 2008You don't realize how dysfunctional American women's tennis has become at the top level until this country sends a team to Russia to compete in the Fed Cup semifinals that includes a singles alignment of Vania King and Ahsha Rolle, plus an imported Liezel Huber for doubles. Read story. Latest Cup bodes well for futureWednesday, April 23, 2008If this year's Family Circle Cup was an indication of what to expect in the future, next year's tournament should be a great one. Readers continue to point out that the reason this year's Cup wasn't as successful at the gate as any of the last four was a carryover attitude from the 2007 wi... Read story. This was one of the best on Daniel IslandMonday, April 21, 2008The Family Circle Cup has Vera Zvonareva to thank for this year's tournament ending on such a positive note. Read story. Scarpa's invention takes holdSunday, April 20, 2008Skip Scarpa thinks he has solved the cumbersome tennis puzzle of converting courts from doubles to singles. He hopes to make "Reel Sticks" a worldwide standard. Read story. The year of the underdog or superwomanSunday, April 20, 2008This is even more of a sure thing for Serena Williams than her first Family Circle Cup final. All of which makes you think today's final might not be easy at all for Serena. Read story. Serena blends power into quarterfinal winSaturday, April 19, 2008The Family Circle Cup's match of the 21st century was all about the "T" and the heel, blended with a heaping dash of Serena Williams' raw power. Read story. Overlooked Szavay could become a spoilerFriday, April 18, 2008Is there a spoiler in this Family Circle Cup? Another Patty Schnyder? Or Schnyder herself? How about a Hungarian teenager with one of the most difficult names you've ever tried to pronounce. SHAH-veye just won't roll off the tongue. Maybe Hall of Fame columnist/announcer Bud Collins can handle the task as he did in Tuesday night's 35th anniversary celebration. ... Read story. Sharapova buzz taking hold all around CupThursday, April 17, 2008The circus arrived at the Family Circle Cup on Wednesday afternoon. Read story. Mattek puts her game on center stageWednesday, April 16, 2008Bethanie Mattek really is a pretty good tennis player. Thanks to the cold weather, Family Circle Cup fans finally saw her as a tennis player Tuesday. She looked like most of the other players, wearing a normal black tennis outfit. It was too cold to wear one of her sometimes outlandish-looking outfits. ... Read story. Charleston is being well representedTuesday, April 15, 2008Who said Charleston isn't represented in the Family Circle Cup? Take another look out on the Family Circle Magazine Stadium court between the sets of defending champion Jelena Jankovic's match against Alexandra Stevenson on Wednesday. The odds are that I'On Club pro Joey Eskridge will make an entrance. ... Read story. Sharapova walkover may helpSunday, April 13, 2008Maria Sharapova actually is a great clay-court player. And she has the record to back it up. Read story. Sharapovawalkover may helpSunday, April 13, 2008Maria Sharapova actually is a great clay-court player. And she has the record to back it up. She was in last year's French Open semifinals, and now she's playing lights out at Amelia Island. For Sharapova to get a walkover from Lindsay Davenport in Saturday's semifinals at Amelia Is... Read story. Newer stories | Older stories |
James Beck began working for newspapers in Charleston in 1971. He has served as sports editor of The News and Courier, and executive sports editor and systems editor of The Post and Courier. He has written a tennis column for the newspaper since the 1970s. He won the national U.S. Tennis Association's Media Excellence Award for 2003, becoming the first winner from the nine-state Southern Section. A native of Bamberg, Beck holds an undergraduate degree from Limestone college and a master's degree in business administration from The Citadel. He and his wife, Carrol, have two daughters.
