Favourites Bring The Heat

The high-profile players of this year’s US Open have finally come up with the game to stop a destructive armada of relentless youngsters to make all but one of the quarterfinals an all-seeded affair.
In the crowed top half of the draw, action has just now started to reach its peak as the very best start clashing with both Williams sisters, Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic are locked in a battle for two spots. World number one will meet Serena Williams for the third time Grand Slam quarterfinals this year and must be poised to make it a perfect 3-0 after wins in Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Williams, however, is playing her home Slam and as a two-time past champion she wants to taste glory in Flushing Meadows again.
The other member of the House of Williams will be up against an old nemesis in Jelena Jankovic. After claiming the first two meetings, Williams as failed to win any of the last three matches played, despite all three going to a third set. Still, Venus is fresh from her win over standout of the year, Ana Ivanovic, in a straight set ousting that ended 6-4, 6-2. It has been said that Venus is playing some of her best tennis again. Jankovic on the other hand has been far from impressive dropping sets against France’s Alizé Cornet and Austrian Sybille Bammer.
In the bottom half of the draw Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze are chief favourites to reach the semis but before that they’ll have to beat some of the more tenacious opponents out there. Kuznetsova will be up against Hungarian Agnes Szavay – whom she was down a set in New Haven’s final before Szavay retired due to injury. Szavay has been oustanding lately. After claiming the title in Palermo she lost a narrow quarterfinal to Francesca Schiavone in Bad Gastein before powering her way to New Haven’s final comign all the way from qualifying, winning a total of seven matches in a row.
Chakvetadze will get a chance to reach her mainden Grand Slam semifinal when she plays Israeli Shahar Peer. Peer had been unimpressive throughout the summer but seems to have found herself again and is now on her second Slam quarterfinal, after the Australian Open this year. After claiming the first two meetings in straight sets, Chakvetadze dropped the last this year in Indian Wells losing 6-4 and 7-6(2).
This year’s US Open has been one where generations have clashed and where the ladies’ tour seems to have found their stars of tomorrow. Adding to Szavay who is still in contention, other youngsters to make names for themselves include Viktorya Azarenka, who beat former world number one Hingis, Agnieszka Radwanska, who defeated defending champion Maria Sharapova and Tamira Paszek who beat Patty Schnyder and Francesca Schiavone. Julia Vakulenko was also on the spot after shocking Daniela Hantuchova in the first round and Maria Kirilenko in the third round.