NEW YORK – It may not have been the Roger Federer of old, but the outcome was familiar. The Swiss superstar is in a Grand Slam semifinal for a record 18th straight time.
Seeking his fifth straight US Open title – a feat that hasn’t been done since Bill Tilden did it in 1924 – Federer overcame a surprisingly strong performance by qualifier Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 7-6 (5) 6-4 7-6 (5).
“It was really difficult,” Federer said. “Gilles played a really fantastic tournament. … It was hard just to get solid contact on his serve.”
Federer has not won a Grand Slam tournament title since last year’s Open – his 12th major title, two behind the men’s record held by Pete Sampras.
“I was very happy the way I pulled it out at the end because it looked like it was going (to a) fourth (set),” Federer said. “You try to stay positive, but you look at the score and sometimes it’s not good.”
Muller may have come out of the qualifying and been a surprise quarterfinalist, but he gave Federer all the tournament’s number two seed could handle. The left-hander’s big game – he finished with 16 aces – matched Federer for much of the afternoon.
“It was tough today, especially to break against the wind,” Federer said. “It was almost impossible. He’s a big guy. He gets great angles and he’s got a lot of safety in his serve, especially the first serve. He does have great variety.”
It was the first time the best player from Luxembourg has made it past the third round at a Grand Slam tournament, and only once did he make it that far, at Wimbledon in 2005 when he upset Rafael Nadal in the second round. Prior to this year, Muller had won only one match on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Center, and that was an first-round upset of Andy Roddick three years ago.
The two held serve through the first set, with Federer stymied when he had two set points on Muller’s serve in the 12th game. Federer then jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the tiebreak before Muller pulled even at 4-4.
Four points later, Federer rifled a backhand down the line that Muller got his racquet on, but was unable to control his shot and his volley went wide.
That gave Federer, who had failed to convert five break chances, the opening set.
Federer finally broke Muller’s serve in the ninth game of the second set – the first service break of the match and, as it turned out, the last – then held his own serve to grab a two-set lead.
Still, Muller didn’t fold. He fought off several break points in the ninth game of the third set. If Federer had broken there, he would have served for a spot in the semifinals. Instead, Muller refused to back down and served his way out of the trouble to take a 5-4 lead.
Federer reacted by holding at love. And again the left-hander showed the game that had taken him to the quarters, blasting his 14th and 15th aces of the match for a 30-0 lead. He eventually held at 15, the final point coming when he brought Federer to the net with a drop shot, and then softly lifted an offensive forehand lob over Federer’s head that hit a foot inside the baseline.
“I think it’s not so much about him. I think it was more me,” Muller said. “Before when I played him, I think a lot of players have too much respect for him. I mean, he’s a nice person outside of the court, and he’s a good player, so everybody has a lot of respect for him.
“But on the court nobody should have respect for him. You just go out there to win, no matter who is on the other side of the court.”
The third set, like the first, went to a tiebreak, which Muller began with yet another ace. It wasn’t enough.
When he ripped a backhand cross-court pass to take him to match point, the usually staid Federer shouted, “Come on,” accompanied by a fist pump, an outlandish, for him, show of emotion.
Federer closed out his victory on the very next point. When Muller netted a backhand, Federer had survived yet another strong attack and had a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
“I’m happy to keep sort of the semifinal streak alive,” Federer said. “That’s a huge streak, you know, for such a long time.
“I played well this tournament, so I’m really happy to keep it alive and give myself an opportunity again to be in the final four. I hope this time around I can take it a step further than I did in Paris or Wimbledon.”
Mondays with Bob Greene
US Open Day 10: Serena Williams Roared From Behind
NEW YORK – Aided by a passel of errors by her sister, Serena Williams roared from behind in both sets Wednesday night to edge Venus Williams and grab a spot in the semifinals of the US Open.
Serena’s 7-6 (6) 7-6 (7) victory puts her in the semis at America’s premier tennis tournament for the first since she won the hard court title in 2002. She beat her sister Venus then, too.
And it was a reversal of their Wimbledon final outcome this summer where Venus, the older of the two, captured the grass court title.
“I just hit another error. It was over,” Venus Williams said. “Maybe in the first set I got a little tight, but not in the second. I just missed some shots, probably went for too much.”
Serena next will take on sixth-seeded Dinara Safina, a 6-2 6-3 winner over Italy’s Flavia Pennetta. Friday’s other semifinal will pit second-seeded Jelena Jankovic against fifth-ranked Elena Dementieva, the Olympic gold medalist.
Venus smiled wanly when she shook hands with her beaming baby sister at the net following their match. She knew she had the victory on her own racquet – failing on all 10 set points she had during the 2-hour, 25-minute battle in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Serena didn’t make the same mistake.
“It boiled down to one point here or there. It could have gone either way,” Serena said.
Venus took the early lead by breaking Serena in the third game. The younger Williams double-faulted to 30-all, then buried a backhand into the net, giving Venus a break point. A little luck never hurt, and that’s what happened for Venus when her backhand struck the net and trickled over, giving her a 2-1 lead.
The older sister appeared ready to give the break right back, double-faulting twice to begin the fourth game. Twice the sisters went to deuce before Venus held, the final point coming on her second of eight aces on the night.
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Serena, who had looked sluggish at the beginning of the match, raised the level of her game, began striking the ball more cleanly and playing more aggressively. She took the net at every chance, forcing her will on every point. It paid off as Serena leveled the match at 5-5, breaking Venus at 15 when she jumped all over a second serve and ripped a forehand down the line.
The quality of play picked up tremendously as the match progressed. Both pounded their ground strokes deep, ran down and returned almost every shot and blistered their serves. Serena finished with seven aces.
When Serena just missed wide on a backhand down the line in the first-set tiebreak, Venus had double set point at 6-4. But Serena reeled off the next four points to win the set.
It was all Venus in the second set – or at least it was until she served to level the match. Leading 5-3, 40-love, reaching set point on her seventh ace, she sailed a forehand long. She did it again to make it 40-30. The third set point vanished when her backhand down the line was wide.
Two more errors off the racquet of Venus gave Serena the break and the sisters were back on serve.
The second set tiebreak was somewhat of a repeat of the first. The Wimbledon champion won the first three points and took a 6-3 lead – triple set point.
At 6-5, Venus had what looked like an easy overhead to win the set. But she angled the smash a little too much and it went wide. She had another set point at 7-6, but Serena wiped that one out when she cut off a forehand passing shot and punched a backhand volley winner.
Two points later, Serena had a spot in the semifinals against Safina.
For the night, Venus had 36 winners, but negated her big-hitting night with 45 unforced errors. Serena had 24 winners and 28 unforced errors.
Unlike the Williams match, there was no doubt about Safina’s victory as she continued her hot summer.
“I think today maybe I can say finally I’m happy with myself, the way I played, because really I did what I had to do,” said Safina, who is trying to match her brother Marat Safin and win the U.S. Open. “I was aggressive on the court. I was following the balls every time. I think it was today finally I played my game.”
In the day’s first men’s singles quarterfinals, sixth-seeded Andy Murray ended Juan Martin del Potro’s remarkable summer run 7-6 (2) 7-6 (1) 4-6 7-5. Coming into the US Open, Del Potro had won 23 consecutive matches and four straight tournaments.
US Open Day 9: Roger Federer Survives Scare
NEW YORK – Still living his dream, qualifier Gilles Muller on Tuesday turned Nikolay Davydenko’s US Open into a nightmare.
In yet another shocker, Muller continued his remarkable run by upsetting the fifth-seeded Russian 6-4 4-6 6-3 7-6 (10) and becoming only the second qualifier to reach the quarterfinals of America’s premier tennis tournament. Nicolas Escude did it in 1999.
With the victory, the left-hander from Luxembourg moves into the semifinals where he will take on defending champion Roger Federer, who struggled before outlasting hard-hitting Igor Andreev 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5) 6-3 3-6 6-3.
Third-seeded Novak Djokovic also was pushed to the limit before surviving Tommy Robredo 4-6 6-2 6-3 5-7 6-3. His quarterfinal opponent will be eighth-seeded Andy Roddick, who had an easy time beating Fernando Gonzalez 6-2, 6-4 6-1.
“It’s true I have nothing to lose, but on the other hand I have a lot to win,” said Muller, who came into the US Open ranked 130th in the world. “There’s still some pressure, but it’s easier to deal with the pressure to win something than to lose something.”
Playing serve and volley, the first player, man or woman, from Luxembourg to reach this deep into a Grand Slam tournament, controlled the tempo as he outplayed Davydenko. He won the opening set when Davydenko, struggling to find his rhythm, sprayed the ball around the court, committing several unforced errors.
Whenever the Russian appeared to be close to taking control, Muller found an answer. He hammered 20 aces, changed pace constantly and kept the pressure on with his many trips to the net for crisp volleys.
“I don’t know if I can say now if Nikolay played bad or good today, but what I can say is I think I played one of my smartest matches today,” Muller said. “I just kept changing the pace. I played a lot of slices, which he doesn’t like, and then I went with the high ball.
“I changed my serve all the time. I changed spin, then slice.”
In the fourth-set tiebreak, the two battled to 10-10 before Davydenko double-faulted, taking Muller to match point. With Muller at the net, the Russian rifled a passing shot down the line, but it caught the top of the net, bounced high and fell on Davydenko’s side of the court.
Muller threw up his arms in triumph as Davydenko tossed his racquet to the court in disgust.
“I can beat everyone, and I can lose to everyone,” Davydenko said. “Today, he was playing good, and normally I have a chance to win, but I didn’t. What can I say?”
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Both Federer and Djokovic, ranked second and third in the world, respectively, struggled mightily to survive and gain quarterfinal berths.
Federer appeared to be the player who has yet to win a major tournament this year, not the one who dominated the sport for most of the past four years. He repeatedly missed his backhand and drove his forehand into the net over and over.
A lot of that was because of how well Andreev played.
“It definitely was a great match,” said Andreev. “I really enjoyed playing. When you play five sets against Roger, good tennis. For me, it was a great experience.”
The two traded tiebreak sets. And when Federer won the third set, it appeared he was back to being the player who has won the last four US Opens.
The crowd, solidly behind Federer, failed to take into account the fire in Andreev’s makeup and the firepower in his racquet. Pounding his ground strokes deep into the recesses of the court, Andreev refused to fold.
“He’s a risky player from the baseline,” Federer said of his foe. “He takes incredible chances, especially with his forehand. … I think he played a good match from beginning to end.”
But with the match on the line, Federer picked up his game and sealed a spot in the quarters.
“I didn’t think I was playing that bad in the first set,” said Federer. “He just got off to a great start and I was always running behind. Actually I felt I was hitting the ball OK, serving well, and just needed a little bit of luck here or there, and maybe an error him.”
Djokovic was hampered throughout his match with physical problems, including injuries to his left hip and ankle, as well as Robredo, a hard-hitting Spaniard. And at times the Serb right-hander seemed to be out of shape and trying to catch his breath.
“Physically he was fitter than me,” Djokovic admitted. “And winning that fourth set, he gained confidence. So he was really going for his shots.
“But somehow I managed to really stay focused and play the right shots at the right time.”
US Open Day 8: Rafael Nadal Battles Past Sam Querrey
NEW YORK – The Wimbledon women’s singles final is coming early at the US Open.
As expected, sisters Venus and Serena Williams have booked a match against each other. But instead of a title being on the line, as it usually has been when these two face each other on a court, a spot in the semifinals will be the prize this time.
“Even the semis would have been better than the quarterfinals, but at least one of us will make it to the semis,” Serena said. “I’ve got probably the toughest match of the tournament coming up next, so I’ve got to be ready.”
Both sisters easily brushed aside fourth-round opponents Monday, seventh-seeded Venus knocking off ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1 6-3 before fourth-seeded Serena ended the fairy-tale run through the draw of French wild-card entrant Severine Bremond, 6-2 6-2.
In her four victories so far, Venus has allowed her opponents 15 games, one more than baby sister Serena.
In the men’s singles, Rafael Nadal, seeking his third consecutive Grand Slam tournament title, survived the power game of American Sam Querrey to gain a place in the quarterfinals.
“It was very tough,” Nadal said of the 6-2 5-7 7-6 (2) 6-3 win that took 3 hours, 15 minutes. “Sam is a big player, big server.”
Nadal next will meet yet another American, surprising Mardy Fish, a 7-5 6-2 6-2 winner over Frenchman Gael Monfils.
Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, riding a four-tournament winning streak, stopped unseeded Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-3 6-4 6-3 in a meeting of 19-year-olds, while Great Britain’s Andy Murray beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-1 6-3 6-3.
Joining the Williams sisters in the women’s quarterfinals were sixth-seeded Dinara Safina, a 7-5 6-0 winner over Anna-Lena Groenefeld, while 16th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy eliminated Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-3 6-0.
The Sisters Williams, who have split their 16 meetings on the WTA Tour, have clashed nine times with a championship trophy on the line. They twice met for the US Open crown, Venus winning in 2001 and Serena the following year.
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They produced their best tennis against each other in their last meeting, the Wimbledon final, where Venus won in straight sets.
“It’s tough to play her because she is so good,” Venus said of Serena. “That’s hard.”
Nadal had his toughest match of the tournament by far in getting past the hard-hitting Querrey. The seventh game of the fourth and final set was a perfect example of the extended drama.
The two battled to deuce six times, with Querrey matching Nadal point for point, usually with a rifle-shot forehand deep into the corners that Nadal couldn’t track down. Yet Querrey never was able to break the world’s number one-ranked player and put the set back on serve. Each time Querrey had break point, Nadal would come up with a sizzling winner or Querrey would make an unforced error.
On the 18th point of the game, Nadal reached game point for the first time. He didn’t waste any time, holding to 5-2, just one game away from victory, when Querrey smacked a forehand into the net.
Querrey then held serve, capping the game with his 20th ace of the match, before Nadal was finally able to book a spot in the quarterfinals.
“I was taking some chances and ripping my forehand as hard as I could,” said Querrey, who had won only one match in his previous two US Opens. “I was a little nervous to begin the match, but after an hour I started hitting my shots.”
Nadal is seeking to become only the fourth men’s player in the Open Era to win three consecutive Grand Slam tournament titles – joining Rod Laver, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer – as well as becoming just the fifth man to win three Grand Slam titles in the same year after Laver, Federer, Jimmy Connors and Mats Wilander.
Querrey, on the other hand, was playing in the round of 16 at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. After a shaky first set, in which he had only two aces to go with his one double-fault, Querrey picked up his game, pushing Nadal all over the court, forcing the Spaniard to come up with sharply angled winners or screaming ground strokes that peppered the baselines. And that Nadal did.
“He had to earn his way that third set, or that fourth set,” Querrey said. “He had to earn it. I didn’t just give it to him. … I mean it’s nice to know he actually had to go out there and fight for it rather than me kind of handing it to him.”
Mondays With Bob Greene: I'm me. I love to show my emotion.
STARS
(U.S. Open first week)
Julie Coin beat top-seeded Ana Ivanovic 6-3 4-6 6-3
Katarina Srebotnik beat third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 7-6 (1) 6-3
Kei Nishikori beat fourth-seeded David Ferrer 6-4 6-4 3-6 2-6 7-5
Gael Monfils beat seventh-seeded David Nalbandian 6-3 6-4 6-2
Tatiana Perebiynis beat eighth-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-3
Mardy Fish beat ninth-seeded James Blake 6-3 6-3 7-6 (4)
Ekaterina Makarova beat tenth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze 1-6 6-2 6-3
SAYINGS
“I have the same goal. When I was number two, the goal was the same, was win the US Open. The goal wasn’t win the US Open to be number one. The goal is win US Open, no?” – Rafael Nadal, playing his first tournament as the world’s number one player.
“I don’t realize yet that I beat number one in the world. I don’t realize that I played at the big court. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep tonight.” – Julie Coin, after upsetting top-seeded Ana Ivanovic.
“I don’t really play any different on clay than I do on a hard court. It’s not like I’m changing anything when I go out there. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, I lose.” – Sam Querrey, asked if he changes his game plan for different surfaces.
“This is my, I think, fifth US Open, and this time I’m the happiest to be here, so I enjoy every moment of it. And first couple days when I had some afternoons off I went shopping and to Central Park. I really tried to get best out of it.” – Ana Ivanovic, on playing in the US Open as the top seed and before she was upset.
“I’m not going to hide and try to go around and say tennis is fun, it’s so easy, because people will understand it’s not true. … It’s difficult to practice every day.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, admitting it’s difficult to stay inspired to play and practice year-round.
“I guess they call it the yips on your serve. I don’t know where it came from. Probably came from all my years making fun of people that had it. That was my karma coming back.” – Lindsay Davenport, joking about starting a game with seven straight faults in her loss to Marion Bartoli.
“I think that definitely the Wimbledon win helped me a lot to change my mentality, to realize not everything had to be perfect all the time. … Now if I don’t have a perfect practice, I know I can play. I think that helps me to relax.” – Venus Williams.
“I don’t think I’d have as many because she motivated me, especially being young and watching her play. The mistakes she made, I made them with her. So when I actually played, I didn’t make the mistakes that she made. I was able to grow with her on the sidelines, so to say. … If anything, I think she definitely helped my career.” – Serena Williams, about big sister Venus Williams.
“There is nothing bigger. There is nothing more important than Olympic Games for an athlete, for a sports person.” – Elena Dementieva, who won the women’s singles at the Beijing Olympics.
“I always believe that the match is on my racquet. I think every time I lose is because of me, not because of the other person.” – Serena Williams.
“I’m me. I love to show my emotion. I love to do a show because when I was 9, 11, to play in front of a lot of people is for me something amazing. So I like to do it for me. It’s fun. You know, I have to show them I’m enjoying on the court, (that) I enjoy my sport. And then they show me emotion, so it’s great.” – Gael Monfils, after upsetting David Nalbandian.
“Right now I’m very happy. That’s the only word I can say right now. And I couldn’t give up in the fifth set. … I was tired and my legs was almost cramping. But I tried to think, I am playing David, he’s number four in the world, and (I’m) playing five sets with him. I felt kind of happy and more positive. That’s why I think I could fight through everything.” – Kei Nishikori, after upsetting fourth-seeded David Ferrer.
“I’m enjoying the city, the crowd. When you play here it’s a different atmosphere, and you just have so much fun being on the court. Even playing first at 11 (a.m.), it’s not so many people, but you feel special being on central court.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, before losing in the third round.
SINGLES CHAMPIONS
There have been 40 winners in the men’s and women’s singles in the 40 years of the Open Era – 21 men and 19 women. The 1968 champions – the late Arthur Ashe, who was represented by his wife and daughter, and Virginia Wade, led a parade of past champions onto the court on opening night to help the USTA celebrate the anniversary. Chris Evert won six US Opens, the most of any woman in the Open Era, while Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors led the men with five titles each.
SWAPPING PLACES
Serena Williams swapped places on the WTA Tour rankings with Svetlana Kuznetsova, moving up one spot to number three in the world behind the Serbian pair of Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic. Kuznetsova dropped to fourth, the best showing of the six Russians in the top ten: Maria Sharapova, Olympics gold medalist Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, Anna Chakvetazde and Vera Zvonareva. Venus Williams is ranked eighth in the world.
SERVING YOUTH
James Blake presented a USD $10,000 check on behalf of Evian Natural Spring Water to USTA Serves and the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education program. USTA Serves is the USTA’s not-for-profit philanthropic entity dedicated to improving the quality of life among the nation’s youth, with a mission to support, monitor and promote programs that enhance the lives of disadvantaged children through the integration of tennis and education.
SO LATE
Spectators at the US Open for the night session have seats for only two matches, those beginning at 7 p.m. in Arthur Ashe Stadium. All other matches still being played elsewhere at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center are considered day matches. That was true when Chuang Chia-Jung and Daniel Nestor played a mixed doubles match against Sloane Stephens and Robert Kendrick. Because Kendrick had played a singles match against Novak Djokovic earlier in the day, the mixed doubles “day match” was scheduled to start on an outside court “Not before 8 p.m.”
SELES TO HALL?
Monica Seles heads the list of candidates for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. Seles won nine major singles titles and was ranked number one in the world. On the ballot in the Master Player category is Andres Gimeno, one of Spain’s most prominent players of the 1960s and the singles champion at Roland Garros, which he won in 1972. Others on the ballot in the Contributory category are Donald L. Dell, a lawyer, founder of ProServ and former Davis Cup captain; Dr. Robert “Whirlwind” Johnson, founder and director of the American Tennis Association (ATA); and Japan’s Eiichi Kawatei, for his leadership and dedication in the development and promotion of tennis in Asia.
SERVING BIG
Ivo Karlovic served 42 aces in his second-round victory over Florent Serra. The 6-foot-10 (2.08m) native of Zagreb, Croatia, has three of the top seven ace totals at the US Open since 1991. In his 11 career US Open matches, Karlovic has hit 330 aces, an average of 30 aces per match. In his 7-6 (5) 7-6 (5) 6-2 third-round loss to 6-foot-6 (1.98m) Sam Querrey, Karlovic had 24 aces, matching the fewest total he has had in any match at the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. He wound up his US Open with a total of 94 aces in three matches. Surprisingly, Karlovic is not in the top ten in the serving speed at this year’s event, that honor going to Andy Roddick, who had a serve clocked at 147 mph (236 kph)
SIX FOR ONE
When the US Open began, six players had a chance to wind up number one in the world in the WTA Tour rankings at the end of the fortnight. The easiest scenario would have been if the two top seeds – Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic – wound up in the final; the winner of that match would take over the top spot, as would Serena Williams if she wins. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva also had a shot at number one when the tournament began, but with a dizzying array of options and outcomes needed. Kuznetsova was knocked out of the running for the top spot when Ivanovic won her opening round match.
STOPPED
Because of security reasons, the Bangalore Open, scheduled to start September 29, has been cancelled. The ATP said it has “accepted a petition from the Bangalore Open to suspend the 2008 event due to the local promoter’s security concerns.” The tournament has been held at Mumbai for the past two years. It was moved to Bangalore in May, but a series of bombs rocked the southern Indian city on July 25, killing one person. The ATP said the total prize money of USD $400,000 would go into the ATP player pension fund.
SUCCESS
Gilles Muller of Luxembourg worked overtime to get into the round of 16 for the first time at a Grand Slam tournament. The last qualifier remaining in the draw at the U.S. Open, Muller defeated Laurent Recouderc 6-4 6-0 4-6 6-4 and Tommy Haas 2-6 2-6 7-6 6-3 6-3 in the first two rounds. The Haas victory was the first time he came back after trailing by two sets. He did it again when he beat 18th-seeded Nicolas Almagro in the third round on Sunday.
SHUZO FOLLOWER
When Kei Nishikori upset fourth-seeded David Ferrer 6-4 6-4 3-6 2-6 7-5, he became the first Japanese man to reach the final 16 at the US Open in the Open Era. The only Japanese man to go further in a Grand Slam tournament was Shuzo Matsuoka, who reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1995. At 18 years, 8 months, Nishikori became the youngest player to reach the last 16 at the US Open since Marat Safin in 1998.
SENT PACKING
When qualifier Julie Coin shocked Ana Ivanovic in a second-round match, it marked the earliest defeat by a number one-seeded woman at the US Open in the Open Era and the first time a number one seed has lost in the second round of the even since 1956, when top-seeded Billie Jean King lost to Australia’s Kerry Melville 6-4 6-4 in the US Championships. The previous record for the earliest loss in the Open Era came in 1973 when King retired in the third set of her third-round match against Julie Heldman. Only four number one seeds in the Open Era have lost prior to the semifinals: Justine Henin in the fourth round in 2004, Martina Navratilova in the quarterfinals in 1982, King in 1973 and Ivanovic this year. The last time a number one seed has lost in the second round of a Grand Slam tournament was in 2004 when Tathiana Garbin shocked Justine Henin at Roland Garros.
SONG FOR VENUS
Wyclef Jean has written and recorded a song inspired by tennis champion Venus Williams. The song, titled “Venus (I’m Ready),” is a musical fan letter to the 2008 Olympic doubles gold medalist and reigning Wimbledon singles and doubles champion. “Venus’ determination and mental strength inspires me,” said Wyclef Jean, a Grammy Award winner. “Much like Isis, her strength should be celebrated.”
SITE FOR SIGHT
The USTA is creating two USTA-branded channels on YouTube, one devoted to professional tennis and the other dedicated to recreational tennis. The US Open Channel includes daily updates from the US Open, including post-match player interviews. The website will also feature a daily Junior Report on the US Open juniors. The second channel (www.youtube.com/tennis) will be entirely devoted to recreational tennis and is scheduled to launch later this fall.
SWISS BANKER
He may be ranked number two in the world, but Roger Federer is still the top money winner in tennis by far. In the past 12 months Federer has earned USD $35 million, almost twice as much as Rafael Nadal, who has replaced the Swiss star atop the rankings. According to Forbes, the global appeal of tennis is the reason Federer rakes in more endorsement money than American sports stars Derek Jeter, Payton Manning and Dale Earnhardt. Federer, who is fluent in English, French and German, has won 55 tournaments in 17 countries and is a global brand. Forbes says another reason is that tennis players command the prime demographics. Sandwiched between Federer and Nadal is Maria Sharapova, the world’s highest-paid female athlete with earnings of USD $26 million. Tied for fourth is a trio of Americans at USD $15 million: Andy Roddick and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Four sets of siblings sought the doubles titles at this year’s US Open, and that doesn’t include Venus and Serena Williams, who won Wimbledon and the Beijing Olympics this year but decided to skip the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, an event they last won in 1999. American twins Bob and Mike Bryan were the number two seeds in the men’s doubles, which also included first-round losers Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana of Thailand. The women’s doubles included Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska of Poland and Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine.
SITES TO SURF
US Open: www.usopen.org
Bucharest: www.bcropenromania.ro/
Bali: www.commbanktennis.com
Athens: www.vogueathensopen.com/
Serena Williams: www.serenawilliams.com
USOpen Channel: www.youtube.com/usopen
USTA YouTube: www.youtube.com/tennis
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
ATP and WTA TOUR
U.S. Open, Flushing Meadows, New York, hard (second week)
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
ATP
$416,000 BCR Open Romania, Bucharest, Romania, clay
WTA TOUR
$225,000 Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic, Bali, Indonesia, hard
$100,000 Vogue Athens Open 2008, Athens, Greece, clay
$100,000 ITF event, Kharkiv, Ukraine, hard
FED CUP
(September 13-14)
Russia vs. Spain at Madrid, Spain, final, clay
US Open – Day 7: Roger Federer Has The Invincibility Factor Again
NEW YORK – If Roger Federer were to increase his Grand Slam tournament singles titles to 13, he will have to come up with the type of game he put on display on Sunday.
That was when the Swiss right-hander easily crushed Radek Stepanek 6-3 6-3 6-2 to advance to the fourth round of the US Open Tennis Championships.
“If I were to win a big tournament, you know, again, one of those Slams, whatever, right away I have the invincibility factor again, which is great for me,” Federer said. “That’s what I’m working for.
“I was that close in Wimbledon, so I hope to go a step further and win it this time.”
Federer has been stuck at 12 major titles since he collected his fourth consecutive US Open crown a year ago. Not only did he not win his third straight Australian Open championship, he failed in a five-set thriller to capture Wimbledon for the fifth straight year.
“I’m playing well and moving on in the draw,” he said. “At the end of the day what counts is winning the tournament. And anyway, you forget who you beat, how you won. You forget all the unforced errors you made, and all anybody’s going to talk about is the finals.”
There was one surprise in the men’s singles in the afternoon matches Sunday. Qualifier Gilles Muller of Luxembourg knocked off 18th-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-7 (3) 3-6 7-6 (5) 7-6 (6) 7-5 in a battle that last six minutes under four hours.
“I got only one break in the whole match,” said Muller, who is in the round of 16 at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. Muller is playing in his first major tournament since the 2007 Wimbledon, having failed to qualify for last year’s US Open and this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Other early finishers to reach the fourth round were Andy Roddick, a 6-2, 7-5 7-6 (4) winner over Italy’s Andreas Seppi; fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, who beat fellow Russian Dmitry Tursunov 6-2 7-6 (3) 6-3; and Igor Andreev of Russia, a 6-2 6-4 6-4 winner over 13th-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, with the loss of top-ranked Ana Ivanovic the top seed left in the women’s field, grabbed a spot in the quarterfinals by beating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 3-6 6-2 6-1. Jankovic’s next opponent will be Sybille Bammer of Austria, who eliminated 12th-seeded Marion Bartoli of France 7-6 (3) 0-6 6-4.
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It has been a horrendous year for Federer, although almost every other player except top-seeded Rafael Nadal would love to be able to have his record. Federer lost to Nadal in the final at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and fell in the semifinals of the Australian Open to eventual winner Novak Djokovic.
After four years as the world’s top-ranked player, Federer has ceded that distinction to Nadal and is seeded second here on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
“I think I returned well, especially in the second serve,” Federer said. “I was good off the baseline. I think I moved well today and really hit some great shots when I needed them. I think all in all I’m really happy.”
Which should make the rest of the field more than a little sad.
In order to get to the final, however, Federer may have to face either Djokovic, last year’s finalist here, or 2003 champion Roddick. In fact, Roddick was the last winner of the US Open not named Roger Federer.
“I’m very proud and happy about my run at the majors, and it’s always nice to be a part of the final group, either the final four or the final two,” Federer said. “I feel like it could happen here again.”
Muller has had a few good wins in his career, but has been unable to string together several in a row.
“I guess everything is in the head. Everything is confidence,” Muller said. “I guess I lost a lot of it through the last two, three years, because I was playing pretty good in ’05 when I beat Nadal and then Andy here in the US Open.
“But then I had a tough time after that. … I started to play challengers again and I was losing matches there. I lost a lot of confidence. There were even moments where I thought, `Should I still keep playing?’
“It was a rough time, but I’m glad I didn’t stop.”
US Open Day 6: Sister Act Part II
New York – In a dominating performance, Venus Williams not only grabbed a spot in the fourth round of the US Open but also joined her sister Serena in polishing off a Bondarenko sister.
Even Venus Williams was pleased with her game after she pummeled Alona Bondarenko 6-2 6-1 Saturday and moved a step closer to a quarterfinal clash with her sister. In her first-round match, Serena beat Alona’s sister, Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-1 6-4.
“It always helps when I don’t make a lot of errors,” said Venus, who has been producing the same kind of tennis that took her to her fifth Wimbledon title earlier this summer. “I felt like I needed to be aggressive.”
“Little Sister” kept pace Saturday as Serena Williams swept past Japan’s Ai Sugiyama 6-2, 6-1.
Ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland eliminated Dominika Cibulkova of the Slovak Republic 6-0 6-3 and will next face Venus Williams. In their only other meeting, Radwanska upset the heavily-favored American.
Amelie Mauresmo ended the dreams of her French compatriot Julie Coin 6-4 6-4. Coin, a qualifier, reached the third round with a shocking upset over the world’s top-ranked player, Ana Ivanovic.
In a third-round men’s singles, Rafael Nadal, playing his first major tournament as the top seed, was pushed but not bothered in his 6-4 6-3 6-0 win over Serbia’s Viktor Troicki. The score doesn’t reflect the tightness of many of the games in the first two sets when Troicki matched Nadal’s supreme shot-making but came up with a few more errors.
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In another men’s match, American Sam Querrey upset 14th-seeded Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (5) 7-6 (5) 6-2 in a slugfest. Querrey finished with 20 aces, four fewer than the 6-foot-10 (2.08m) Karlovic. The Croat had 59 winners in his losing effort, while Querrey, at 6-6 (1.98m) the short one on the court, ended up with 45 winners and just 13 unforced errors.
The two sets of sisters – Williams and Bondarenko – are not strangers. On their way to the doubles gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, Venus and Serena beat the Bondarenkas in the semifinals.
“I’ve had an unbelievable summer,” Venus said. “I couldn’t have asked for more, except probably another gold in Beijing.
“Obviously I tried to win the singles, too, but it didn’t work out. But I’d much rather share that triumph with a team member, and then with my sister, than anything else.”
Playing in her 10th US Open, a tournament she has won twice, Williams was impressive. She slammed nine aces and had 32 winners as she completely dominated Bondarenko, who kept the ball in play, running down shot after shot, but didn’t have enough firepower to hurt the elder Williams.
Seeded seventh in this, the final Grand Slam tournament of the year, Williams feels her Wimbledon triumph this summer has helped her on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
“I think that definitely the Wimbledon win helped me a lot to change my mentality, to realize not every thing had to be perfect all the time. … Now if I don’t have a perfect practice, I know I can play. I think that helps me to relax.”
A relaxed Williams is in the third round, as is her sister Serena. If both win again, they will face each other for the first time since the Wimbledon final. It would also be their earliest meeting in a tournament since the 2005 US Open when they clashed in the fourth round.
“I would have loved if we could have met in the finals,” Venus said of her sister. “My biggest worry is she’s so good. I’m thinking about how I’m going to get past her.”
First, though, there’s the little matter of Agnieszka Radwanska.
US Open Day 5: Roger Federer Is Not Worried About His Game
NEW YORK – Despite flashes of flaws in his once-perfect game, Roger Federer moved a step closer Friday to his fifth consecutive US Open title.
Federer, playing in his first Grand Slam tournament in more than four years as anything other than as the number one seed, defeated Thiago Alves, a qualifier from Brazil, 6-3 7-5 6-4.
Friday produced yet another big upset in the women’s singles as Katarina Srebotnik knocked off third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-7 (1) 6-3. That came a day after the top seed, Ana Ivanovic, fell to qualifier Julie Coin.
“I think she served better than I did,” Kuznetsova said of Srebotnik. “She served so many aces. I had many chances, especially in the first set, but somehow I overdid it.”
Although Federer has moved into the third round on the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center without dropping a set, against Alves he was shaky on his volleys and committed a bundle of unforced errors.
“I wasn’t comfortable at net from the start,” Federer said. “And in the second set, when it got tough, he dug out some shots and everything seemed to go against me on those break points.”
Against his outclassed opponent, Federer hit 54 winners. But he also had 46 unforced errors as he repeatedly missed the mark with his ground strokes and found the net with his volleys.
At times Federer appeared hesitant and his play was sloppy. He was caught in no-man’s land several times, and time and again found the net with his shots. He had problems closing out service breaks, allowing his opponent, a qualifier playing in only his second US Open, to stay around longer than most of the fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium had expected.
But when he needed a point, Federer showed he still is the player who has won 12 Grand Slam tournament titles. He never looked as if he was in trouble, and for the most part he held serve easily, using his well-placed serve to gain easy points.
“I was never really in danger, so it was actually pretty good for me,” he said. “I knew the longer the match would go the more tired he would get, so it was a good match for me.”
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On match point, Federer whipped a half-volley forehand cross-court that landed on the sideline near the far corner. As the tournament’s defending champion raised his hand in triumph and the umpire began to intone “game, set and match,” Alves challenged the call and, smiling broadly, appeared to apologize to Federer for doing so.
The two stood at the net and watched together as a replay showed the ball landed squarely on the line. Federer again waved to the crowd. And again the crowd responded with a cheer.
“After everything I’ve got through already, these are the early round matches, so it will only get better from here,” Federer said. “Yeah, so I’m really happy to be playing well. Everybody’s cheering me on, so it’s a nice feeling.”
Federer says he’s not worried about his game, despite what he reads and hears in the media.
“I guess we’re talking about it today, and if I win the title you forget about it again. That’s usually how it goes,” he said.
Keeping pace with Federer was third-seeded Novak Djokovic, who advanced to the third round with a 7-6 (8) 6-4 6-4 victory over hard-hitting Robert Kendrick. Federer and Djokovic could meet in the semifinals.
Among the other early winners Friday included fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Gonzalez, Nicolas Almagro and Dmitry Tursunov.
In some of the other women’s singles played Friday, second-seeded Jelena Jankovic stopped China’s Zheng Jie 7-5 7-5 for a spot in the fourth round. She was joined by fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva, a 6-3 6-4 winner over Britain’s Anne Keothavong 6-3 6-4; Li Na of China, who ousted Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 4-6 6-2; and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who eliminated 14th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-4 6-4.
US Open Day 4: Ana Ivanovic Loss Is Biggest Upset In History Of Women's Tennis
NEW YORK – Maybe the number one ranking was too heavy. If so, top-seeded Ana Ivanovic doesn’t have to worry any more. Her US Open is over in what is being called the biggest upset in the history of women’s tennis.
Julie Coin of France, ranked 188th in the world and playing in her first WTA Tour event, calmly kept her poise as she overpowered Ivanovic 6-3 4-6 6-3 in a second-round match on the hard courts of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.
It was the earliest exit for the top-seeded woman in US Open history since 1973 and the first time the number one seed has lost in the second round of a major tournament since Justine Henin fell to Tathiana Garbin at Roland Garros four years ago. It also was the worst loss by a top-ranked player since Ivanovic lost to 133rd-ranked Zheng Jie at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
While Ivanovic struggled in her first-round victory, Thursday’s loss came as a huge shock. After all, Coin had never played in a WTA Tour event before and had failed to even qualify at the other three Grand Slam tournaments this year: the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She didn’t do any better at the smaller tournaments, losing in qualifying at Estoril, Birmingham, Stanford and Los Angeles.
On Thursday, though, Coin was more than Ivanovic could handle.
“She made a lot of errors, so I got a lot of free points,” Coin said. “I thought maybe she was nervous, more than I was.”
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It wasn’t all errors, however.
Coin powered five aces and finished with 19 winners and only 27 unforced errors, seven fewer than her opponent. But it was her nerves – actually the lack of them – that carried the Clemson University graduate to victory.
“Today I felt nervous at the beginning. Then it went away,” Coin said. “I was just playing on the court in a normal match for me. At match point, it (the nerves) came back. To win the last point a lot of pressure came back.”
Ivanovic has been hobbled by injuries since winning the French Open and gaining the number one ranking earlier this year. A right thumb injury caused her to withdraw from the tennis event at the Beijing Olympics earlier this month and she was unable to practice until just before the Open began.
Time and again it was Coin coming out a winner on their baseline battles. The 25-year-old showed a quickness that was more than a match for the top seed, and a power game that produced winners throughout the battle.
Coin double-faulted on her first match point. Two points later, Ivanovic saved the next match point when her cross-court forehand skipped off the sideline. Victory was Coins when, on the third match point, Ivanovic sailed a forehand wide.
“Today was just, like, perfect,” Coin said.
Closer to perfection were the Williams sisters as they both grabbed spots in the third round. Venus routed Rossana De Los Rios 6-0 6-3 before Serena opened the night session with a 6-1 6-1 romp over Elena Vesnina.
Venus needed just 28 minutes to rip through the opening set, and she never faced a break point on her serve. In fact, she was taken to deuce just twice in the match, both times as she was serving out the victory.
“I think I just had a lot more power than she did today,” Venus said. “She plays a game where she hits a lot of high balls, which at my height doesn’t, you know – I think it would be effective against a lot of players, but with my height and my reach, it doesn’t phase me as much. I think that helped me.”
Serena also was much too powerful for her Russian opponent, who tried unsuccessfully to trade ground strokes with the two-time US Open winner. Serena pounded out six aces and won 57 points to just 32 for Vesnina.
“I was disappointed I lost my serve,” Serena said. It was the lone game Vesnina won in the second set.
Two other seeded players in the women’s draw were eliminated Thursday. Italy’s Tathiana Garbin upset 13th-seeded Agnes Szavay of Hungary 5-7 6-2 6-3, and Severine Bremond of France ousted 20th-seeded Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic 7-5 6-3.
In the men’s second round, American Mardy Fish upset 24th-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4. In the next round, Fish will play his best friend on the tour, ninth-seeded James Blake, who advanced when Belgium’s Steve Darcis retired while trailing 4-6 6-3 1-0.
None of the upsets had the impact of the one by Coin, a former college All-American.
“I was nervous going onto the court because I never saw her play before so I didn’t know what to expect,” Ivanovic said. “I thought I can slowly get into the match, and she played completely different than I expected. She was serving extremely well and hitting very powerful shots.
“I really struggled and made too many unforced errors, and my serve was not working really well. Obviously, it’s very frustrating, because I know I can play so much better.
“This was very, very disappointing loss for me.”
US Open Day 3: Jelena Jankovic Struggles To Reach The Next
NEW YORK – One has been number one in the world. The other has a Grand Slam tournament title. On Wednesday, the two Serbians posted three-set victories on the hard courts of the US Open.
Despite twisting an ankle during his first-round match, Novak Djokovic had little problem disposing of Frenchman Arnaud Clement in straight sets, 6-3 6-3 6-4.
The same wasn’t true for Jelena Jankovic, who not only struggled in her battle with Sofia Arvidsson, but after racing in unsuccessfully to catch up with a drop shop, Jankovic dropped to the court and stayed there for about 30 seconds.
“I was just tired and I couldn’t get up,” Jankovic said. “I was so exhausted at that moment. I was breathing hard and I didn’t have the energy to get up.”
Pushed to the limit, the admittedly out-of-shape Jankovic eventually outlasted her Swedish opponent and captured the 2-hour, 44-minute marathon 6-3 6-7 (5) 7-5.
“I would have loved to, you know, take a nap on court, because I was really exhausted,” said Jankovic. “But, you know, the rules are the rules. I had to keep going.”
Djokovic, ranked third in the world behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, had more problems with the court than with his opponent. There were moments of anxiety when he hyper extended his left ankle in the fourth game of the final set.
“It’s OK,” Djokovic said. “It’s going to be good in two days, I’m sure. After that happened, I was thinking more of it than I was really actually feeling the pain, so it’s not really a big deal.
“But in that certain moment, I felt big pain, so I just had to tape the ankle.”
This was the first match the 21-year-old Serb has played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center since losing to Roger Federer in the championship match a year ago.
“Last year’s final was remarkable and unexplainable,” Djokovic said. “The moment we got onto the court, 23,000 people stood up. Some moments in your life you can’t forget. … That was kind of a turning point in my career.”
He won his first Grand Slam tournament title in January, the Australian Open, and is one of the favorites to end Federer’s bid for a fifth consecutive US Open title. If he and Federer do meet this year, it will be in the semifinals since both are in the bottom half of the draw.
“I started believing after the finals that I really can win,” Djokovic said. “I knew it was a matter of time. I just needed to work and really dedicate myself to it, so that’s what I did … and it paid off.”
In her match, Jankovic several times hunched over and leaned on her racket, trying to catch her breath. She has been battling injuries this summer, including hurting her knee at Wimbledon, and is not in the best shape.
Twice she served for the match in the second set before Arvidsson rallied to level the match at set apiece, erasing a 3-0 lead in the tiebreak by her highly ranked foe.
Jankovic also won the first three games to begin the final set, only to continue her barrage of errors – she finished with 54 unforced errors, seven more than her opponent, to go along with 48 winners, eight more than Arvidsson. Then it was a series of service breaks until Jankovic finally held to gain a spot in the third round.
Her next opponent will be Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie, who advanced Wednesday with a 6-1 6-4 victory over Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain. Zheng whipped through the first set, then had trouble finding the court with her ground strokes as she fell behind 1-4 in the second set. But the Chinese right-hander reeled off the next five games to move into the next round.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, one of the six Russian ranked in the top ten in the world, also had some tense moments before prevailing in her second-round match. After a shaky start, the 2004 US Open winner defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 7-6 (3) 6-1.
Tatiana Perebiynis of the Ukraine pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament so far, eliminating eighth-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-3. The Russian committed 30 unforced errors and never was able to compete with Perebiynis, who has reached the third round of a major for the first time since Wimbledon four years ago.
Another former champion, Lindsay Davenport, posted a 7-5 6-3 win over Russian Alisa Kleybanova.
“I didn’t play quite as well as I did the other day,” said Davenport, who won America’s premier tennis tournament in 1998. “I didn’t find my rhythm, but sometimes you just have to get through these matches.
“I’m ecstatic to be in the third round.”