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It's official: Henin to return to tennis next year

2009-09-23T07:49:00.000-05:00

Despite seven Grand Slam titles, an Olympic gold medal and more than two years as the world No. 1, Justine Henin didn't feel quite satisfied enough after calling it quits on a stellar tennis career.

Her retirement lasted 16 months.

On Tuesday, Henin said her fire and desire to play and win again at the highest level was back, and she will return to the tour next year and compete in the Australian Open in January.

She wants to play at least until the 2012 London Olympics when she will be 30. By then, she hopes to have won Wimbledon- the only Grand Slam title missing on her resume that contains four French Open titles, two U.S. Opens and one Australian Open championship.

"I want to keep going at least until then," she said of the London Games.

She already won singles gold at the Athens Games in 2004.

Never having won Wimbledon really stung when her memories drifted back on her achievements.

So when the adrenaline rush came back a few months back, just about a year after she stunned the world with her "definitive decision" to retire, she asked her fellow-retiree Carlos Rodriguez, her coach, to give a comeback a thought.

"I hope this is the beginning of a new adventure, again," she said.

Without any regrets she's leaving recreational skiing, some theater and television work behind.

"Adrenaline is part of my life, my existence. It is in my character," she said. And the world better take notice. After the comeback from retirement yielded her fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters a U.S. open title within three tournaments, Henin has even more motivation.

Her timorous frame of 5-feet 51/2-inches (1.67 meters) and 126 pounds (57 kilograms) is again lifting weights with the same determination of yore in the hope she will be able to out-hit the hulking power hitters.

She wants to play two exhibition tournaments, in Charleroi, Belgium, and Dubai, to hone her skills ahead of a competitive return at the Australian Open.

At 27, Henin says she has the fire and physical strength to compete for an eighth Grand Slam title.

She officially retired on May 14, 2008, initially rejecting any thought of a comeback with a dogged determination that had come to mark her play throughout a decade-long career.

It certainly is not too late for a comeback. As Clijsters has proved.

"Subconsciously, it might have had an impact," Henin said of Clijsters' successful comeback. "But it certainly was not the most important reason."

Clijsters' stunning return also proves the top of women's tennis is not flush with extraordinary talent, increasing Henin's chances of success. The WTA Tour is certainly welcoming her with open arms.

"Justine is one of the great champions in the history of women's tennis, and we, along with millions of her fans around the globe, are thrilled," WTA Tour Chairman Stacey Allaster said. "Justine is that rare athlete who decided to step away from the game at the height of her powers, and no doubt she will be a force to be reckoned with from the get go."

Like Clijsters, Henin has been able to rest her body to recover from aches and pains for more than a year. Although throughout her retirement, during which she became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, she looked fit enough to immediately step back on to a court.

Del Potro stuns Federer in five sets to win his first U.S. Open

2009-09-15T07:23:00.001-05:00

Juan Martin del Potro ended Roger Federer's run of dominance at the U.S. Open on Monday, stunning the top-ranked Swiss great in five sets to win in his first Grand Slam final.

The 20-year-old Argentine prevailed 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to snap Federer's streak of five straight U.S. Open titles. The sixth-seeded del Potro had not beaten Federer in their six previous encounters

"Maybe I look back and have some regrets about it," said Federer, never before beaten by anyone other than Rafael Nadal in a major final. "But, you know, you can't have them all and can't always play your best."

Federer was seeking to become the first man since Bill Tilden in 1920-25 to win the American championship six straight times and the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win three straight majors in a season.

Two points from victory against inexperienced, unheralded del Potro, two points from a record-extending 16th Grand Slam overall, Federer, quite simply, fell apart.

He railed at the chair umpire. His legs grew weary. His double-faults mounted. He could not figure out a way to stop the 6-foot-6 del Potro from pounding forehand after forehand past him. In a result as surprising for who lost as how it happened, del Potro came back to win his first Grand Slam title.

He had won 40 consecutive matches at Flushing Meadows. He had won 33 of his previous 34 Grand Slam matches. And he has made the final at 17 of the past 18 Grand Slam tournaments, 21 overall.

After handing No. 3 Nadal the most lopsided loss of his Grand Slam career in the semifinals Sunday, del Potro came back the next day and rattled Federer.

"I would like to congratulate Juan Martin on an unbelievable tournament. I had a great one myself, too," Federer said, "but he was the best."

Somehow, del Potro never seemed intimidated by the setting or the man many consider the greatest tennis player in history.

The usually unflappable Federer argued with chair umpire Jake Garner during a changeover, using a profanity and saying, "Don't tell me to be quiet, OK? When I want to talk, I talk."

He also got steamed while up a set and serving at 5-4 in the second. Del Potro tried a forehand passing shot that was called wide, but he challenged, and the replay system showed he was right. Federer kept glancing at the mark the shot left on the blue court, even into the next game, and del Potro wound up stealing the set.

"That one cost me the match, eventually," Federer said.

Del Potro, meanwhile, managed to have the time of his young life, high-fiving front-row fans after winning one point, and reveling in the football-style serenades of "Ole!" ringing through the stadium.

"When I would have a dream, it was to win the U.S. Open, and the other one is to be like Roger. One is done," del Potro said during the on-court ceremony.

Then, addressing Federer directly, del Potro added: "I need to improve a lot to be like you. I'd like to congratulate you for fighting 'til the last point."

The 4-hour, 6-minute match was the first U.S. Open final to go five sets since 1999, and there were no early signs to indicate it would be this competitive - much less end with del Potro down on his back, chest heaving, tears welling, a Grand Slam trophy soon to be in his arms.

Del Potro is the first man from Argentina to win the U.S. Open since Guillermo Vilas in 1977. Vilas was in the stands Monday, sitting one row behind golf great Jack Nicklaus.

One simple indication of the difference in age and status of the two finalists: The 28-year-old Federer's guest box was full, with friends such as rock-star couple Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour seated alongside Federer's parents, wife and agent. Only three of the 15 available seats were occupied in del Potro's box.

Federer took a 3-0 lead in 15 minutes, winning one point by racing about 5 feet wide of the doubles alley for a defensive backhand, then sprinting the other way for a cross-court forehand passing winner that he celebrated by yelling and shaking his fists.

He even took time to watch a replay on a stadium video screen. Not quite the sort of trick shot Federer pulled against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals - a back-to-the-net, between-the-legs, cross-court passing winner to get to match point - but pretty spectacular, nonetheless.

But del Potro eventually got going, swinging more freely and taking full advantage of Federer's serving woes: 11 double-faults and a first-serve percentage of only 50.

Used to traveling without a full-time coach, Federer generally is quite adept at making mid-match adjustments and dealing with opponents' switches in strategy. But it was del Potro who realized he needed to put full belief in the strength of his 100 mph (161 kph) forehands and not worry about too much else.

That tactic worked, and Federer never found a way to counter it, losing leads in the second set and the fourth set. He was up 5-4 in the fourth, and at 15-30 on del Potro's serve, Federer needed only two more points to equal Tilden's record.

Del Potro held steady there, and Federer would never come that close again.

While hardly a household name, del Potro was not an unknown in the tennis world. He burst onto the scene a year ago with a 23-match winning streak and four tournament titles in a row on hard courts, the surface used at Flushing Meadows. There also was a bit of a harbinger for this back when del Potro presented problems for Federer in the French Open semifinals in June, taking a 2-1 lead in sets before frittering that away.

Federer went on to win the title at Roland Garros, his first there, to complete a career Grand Slam and tie Pete Sampras' career record of 14 major championships. Federer then broke that mark by collecting No. 15 at Wimbledon.

Thanks to del Potro, Federer will have to wait for No. 16.

From mid-May until Monday, Federer had been 32-1 with four titles from five tournaments. Aside from the on-court success, Federer's 2009 included getting married and becoming a father - of twins, no less.

Quite a year. Still, one can't help but ponder this: No man has won even three straight major tournaments in a season - much less all four - since Rod Laver's true Grand Slam in 1969. Federer came close this year, his French Open and Wimbledon titles bookended by a five-set loss to Nadal in the Australian Open final and a five-set loss to del Potro in the U.S. Open final.

This U.S. Open was Federer's first Grand Slam event since his daughters were born, and he spoke proudly of quickly learning to change nappies and getting used to sleeping less.

"Right now, I'm just tired," he said after his loss. "I want to get a rest."

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Five-time champ Federer to face first-timer del Potro in Open final

2009-09-14T07:57:00.001-05:00

And for his next act ...

Roger Federer punctuated his latest U.S. Open victory Sunday with a shot he called, quite simply, the greatest of his life: a between-the-legs, back-to-the-net, cross-court winner from the baseline.

A point later, with the crowd in hysterics and opponent Novak Djokovic still in shock, the world's top-ranked player closed out the victory, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 7-5, to move one win from his sixth straight U.S. Open title.

OK, who's got next?

Juan Martin del Potro is the lucky guy whose first career Grand Slam final will come Monday against Federer, who made his 17th in the last 18. Earlier in the day, No. 6 Del Potro beat No. 3 Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Djokovic fought for more than 2½ hours on a day that grew increasingly windy at Arthur Ashe Stadium, hanging with Federer and even grabbing two break points late in the third set to briefly see a glimmer of hope.

Some things, though, there are no answers for, and the winner Federer hit to set up match point was Exhibit A. It's the kind of shot every tennis player has tried - oh, a thousand times or so. The best player in the world practices it, too.

"A lot, actually," he said. "But they never work. That's why, I guess, it was the greatest shot I ever hit in my life."

Ahead 6-5 and 30-0 in the third set, Federer sprinted to the net to return a Djokovic drop shot, then Djokovic finessed a lob over Federer's head that bounced barely inside the baseline.

Federer had nothing to lose, of course, so he ran back and hit the circus shot, a ball that lots of players, especially at the highest levels, can get back.

But few can do what Federer did with his - i.e., hit a blazing winner that barely clears the net. Federer jumped and shouted. Djokovic could only stand there and smile. He reached in his pocket to find the ball he'd serve to bring the match to a merciful end - for him, at least.

"You just say, 'Well done,"' Djokovic said. "What can you do?"

This was exactly the kind of memory the U.S. Open needed after a weekend filled with rain delays and controversy.

It was, oddly enough, also two points before match point Saturday night when Serena Williams got called for a foot fault on her second serve, then unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at the line judge that cost her a point penalty, which ended the match.

On Sunday, while the Federer match was going on with Jack Nicholson, Paul Simon and Charlize Theron among the celebrities watching from the stands, the U.S. Open hit Williams with a $10,000 fine for that ugly scene.

Federer's shot - that was one-in-a-million.

"I don't want to mention the word luck, but I didn't have it today," Djokovic said. "That's why I'm a little bit disappointed."

Not that there wasn't plenty for him to get demoralized about before "The Shot."

Had that not occurred, the point that would have defined the match - and what it's like to play Federer - came at 5-all in the second set. Djokovic was a sitting duck at the net, yet somehow managed to get five straight reflex volleys back to Federer, who was standing at the service line, teeing off.

Djoko's final volley was a floater and he did what any smart guy would do: He stuck his racket between his legs, turned around and stuck out his rear - the tennis player's version of begging for mercy.

Everyone got a good laugh out of that one, but the mark Federer is leaving on this sport is very serious stuff:

He's looking for his 41st straight win at Flushing Meadows.
He's in his 21st Grand Slam final, a record.
He's reached 22 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals, more than twice as many as any other man.
He's trying to extend his own record with a 16th Grand Slam title, but first since his twins were born in July.

"Right now, I'm pretty relaxed," Federer said. "We'll see how it goes when the sun comes up. I'd like to keep this going. It'd be great to get my first Grand Slam as a dad."

Earlier, del Potro put on a show that was every bit as efficient as Federer's was spectacular, taking apart Nadal with a flurry of big serves and precise forehands.

Nadal finally acknowledged his strained abdominals were bothering him throughout this tournament, but didn't want that to take away from del Potro's fine effort.

"I'm going to repeat: He played much better than me, and for that reason he beat me," Nadal said.

No arguing that.

The sixth-seeded Argentine - the first man from that country to make a U.S. Open final since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 - kept Nadal pinned behind the baseline with a deep, flat forehand and a first serve he mixed at between speeds from the 90s to the 130s.

He is 0-6 lifetime against Federer and hadn't won a set until this year in the French Open semifinals. But, del Potro claims he is seeing the ball very well this week.

"Maybe my green eyes. I don't know," he said. "It's very tough playing against Rafa or Roger. But today I play unbelievable, and that was the key."

On this day, though - and during that one magic moment, especially - it was Federer who had a stranglehold on "unbelievable."

Men's doubles: Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes defeated Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday to win the U.S. Open men's doubles title.

This marks the fifth Grand Slam tournament title for Paes and his second with Dlouhy. They lost to the American team of Bob and Mike Bryan in last year's U.S. Open final but beat them in the semifinals this year.

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Clijsters caps comeback with U.S. Open championship

2009-09-14T07:36:00.001-05:00

Kim Clijsters cradled the baby in one arm, the trophy in the other.

The joy of motherhood. The joy of winning the U.S. Open.

Clijsters made history Sunday night, capping a comeback from two years out of tennis to become the first unseeded woman to win the Open - and the first mom to win a major since 1980 - with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki.

When it was over, Clijsters collapsed to the ground and started crying - tears of joy, probably mixed in with a little bit of shock, too. Her 18-month-old daughter, Jada, watched from a suite with a pacifier in her mouth, but later came down to the court to take part in the celebration.

Guess what mommy got for you, sweetie! A Grand Slam title.

"It still seems so surreal," Clijsters said. "Because it wasn't in the plan. I wanted to come back here, get a feel for it, play a Grand Slam so I wouldn't have to come back next year and learn the new experiences all over."

Talk about your quick transitions.

It was all quite a different scene from the night before, when Clijsters' semifinal win over Serena Williams was closed out on a foot fault, an outburst and a point penalty, and the 26-year-old Belgian stood behind the baseline, looking bewildered as Williams ran over to shake her hand.

Williams' tirade may have been the talk of the U.S. Open. But Clijsters was the winner.

This was her second U.S. Open title, the other coming in 2005 - her last appearance at Flushing Meadows and before a spate of nagging injuries eventually drove her out of the sport and led her to start a family. These days, she has her baby's name tattooed on her left wrist, near the scar from an operation she needed back in her first career.

When she came back, she was "starting from zero," she said. The work to get back in shape was not pretty.

"No swear words like Serena yesterday, but a lot of swearing at home," Clijsters said.

Some might have called this the mother of all upsets, but by the time she reached the final, against the resilient-but-still-learning 19-year-old from Denmark, it was hard to view it that way.

Clijsters beat both Williams sisters and two players seeded in the teens. She matched Venus and Serena power shot for power shot and showed she could play Wozniacki's patient game - and play it better.

"She's playing because she thinks it's fun and because she likes it," said Wozniacki, who is too young to have played Clijsters during her first career. "I really think she might be a better player now than she was before."

This one was nothing like the Williams match - before it turned sour - which was filled with short, hard-hitting rallies in which Clijsters moved one of tennis' best players at will and made her hit shots from places she normally doesn't.

Instead, it was a waiting game, and when Clijsters fell behind 4-2 in the first set, she showed she was willing to play it.

A 29-shot rally here, a 25-shot rally there. Drop shots and lobs. Clijsters did that. Went for more, too, and finished with two more winners than unforced errors (36-34) - a good ratio on any day - and 26 more winners than Wozniacki.

"Against the Williams sisters, you feel if you hang in there, they might give you some easy points," Clijsters said. "She didn't do that. You had to be patient, but not play along with her game."

After getting back on serve, Clijsters held off two break points at 5-5, then broke Wozniacki for the fourth time to win the first set. The second set was easier and before they knew it, Jada was on the court posing for photographers.

Clijsters didn't even have a ranking coming into this tournament because she hadn't played enough tournaments to get on the list. She'll come in at around No. 20 when the new rankings are released this week, but probably won't try to improve on that right away.

"It's the greatest feeling in the world being a mother," she said. "I just can't wait to spend next the few weeks with her and have her routine schedule at home again."

Her victory, a few hours after watching "Ice Age" with Jada during some quality time, came over the first Danish woman to reach a Grand Slam final. But Wozniacki's greater claim to fame is that she has won more matches on tour this year than anyone.

She played like a winner over two weeks in Flushing Meadows, including that 6-2, 6-2 victory that ended the magical run of 17-year-old Melanie Oudin, whose rapid rise was the story of the tournament for the first 10 days.

Oudin left, then the Williams imbroglio took over.

Clijsters made her headlines, too. The mother-on-a-comeback story was a winner all the way.

Beneath the surface of all these stories might also be a referendum on the state of women's tennis. If an unseeded mother who has been away from the game for two years can beat five top-20 players and win the U.S. Open, maybe the talent pool isn't so deep.

In fact, stories have circulated recently that another Belgian, former No. 1 Justine Henin, might be also been thinking about a comeback.

Could Evonne Goolagong Cawley be far behind? She was the last mother to win one of these Grand Slams, back in 1980 at Wimbledon.

Clijsters last major title isn't that sort of ancient history. It was only four years ago that she climbed into the stands and tightrope-walked across the railings to celebrate her first U.S. Open title.

Same scene this time but with a few new characters in the mix. There was her husband, American Brian Lynch, with whom she shared a long, sweet kiss. Then there was Jada, clapping her hands with that binky in her mouth.

"We tried to plan her nap time a little later today so she could be here," Clijsters said.

Looks like she's getting the hang of that motherhood thing, too.

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Buzz over divorce invades Melanie Oudin's sweet story

2009-09-10T10:18:00.001-05:00

The Melanie Oudin story now goes from wow to oh no.

Hours after the 17-year-old finished her dramatic run to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis tournament Wednesday night, Sports Illustrated reported on its website, SI.com, that her father was divorcing her mother on the grounds that her mother had had an affair with her coach.

It broke just after midnight, Eastern time, just after most of the stories and columns had been written and filed and put on newspaper pages and in websites about her loss to Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki.

Most said she had a promising future. Most waxed eloquently about how well she played, how hard she tried, what a nice story this was about such a normal young athlete with a normal-seeming family.

All the nice things about her remain accurate and worth saying.

But once again, the adults have apparently found a way to wreck things for the kids.

Before this became public, there would be no asterisks next to what Oudin achieved. No slants, few downsides. Just praise for hard work and a job well done, under great pressure on a very public stage.

Now, that will come with rolled eyes. Scandal attracts better than success.

Parents going through a divorce is one thing. Tennis has that, just as in all walks of life. Rafael Nadal's parents are going through that, and he is pretty much left alone to deal with it as he wants, despite the public nature of what he does.

But when the charge is adultery and those charged are the mother and the coach, it's just too juicy for the public to shrug and remember only backhands and forehands.

In retrospect, once she had started her U.S. Open run and was the subject of massive media coverage, it would have been smart for the family to call a news conference and tell all right up front. That might have taken the edge off those in the media who now feel duped for buying into this Mayberry story.

It won't be long until some of Melanie's quotes are unearthed, especially the one about how her coach, Brian de Villiers, "has been like a second father for me."

U.S. tennis officials will greet this story with consternation as well. Last year, according to SI.com, DeVilliers was named U.S. Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year.

He probably deserved it. But with it, and his position as a teacher and role model, came the responsibility for some disclosure, especially once his star pupil became an overnight celebrity.

John and Leslie Oudin are progressing toward this divorce. The SI.com story says the first divorce filing was in July 2008, more than a year ago. The SI.com story says that, according to court documents, there is an agreement that Leslie not have any contact with De Villiers unless it has to do directly with her daughter's tennis. The story also says the Leslie denied the allegations in her response to her husband's complaint.

Besides Melanie and her twin sister, the Oudins have one more daughter.

The story of Melanie Oudin story was supposed to end Wednesday night. She lost a tennis match, but the story certainly wasn't about a loser. It was about a winner who could become an even bigger one as she goes forward.

But Wednesday's story has already started to morph into Thursday's eyebrow-raiser, and Melanie Oudin's run at the U.S. Open will now be discussed in terms of what she overcame, dealt with, had to handle to while doing it.

The story of dysfunctional tennis parents is an old one, always ongoing. Mom being with coach, if it is true, is probably not even a new angle.

But the timing of this news couldn't be worse for a young tennis player who deserves better.

And with it comes nothing but sadness for the way it now will invade the wonderful Melanie Oudin story.

Wozniacki ends Oudin run to reach U.S. Open semifinals

2009-09-10T07:57:00.001-05:00

Maybe it all was a little too much, a little too soon for Melanie Oudin.

The 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., kept erasing big deficits and upsetting older, taller, higher-ranked players at the U.S. Open, generating more and more interest in her magical ride.

Her gutsy play, aw-shucks approach and those pink-and-yellow sneakers with "BELIEVE" on the heels carried Oudin all the way to the quarterfinals at the American Grand Slam tournament. That's where her surprising story ended Wednesday night with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to No. 9-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

"It was a lot," Oudin conceded. "These past two weeks have been really different for me. I've gone from being just a normal, like, tennis player to almost everyone in the United States knowing who I am now."

Then, keeping a brave face, Oudin added: "I don't think that affected my tennis game tonight at all."

Perhaps. Still, facing Wozniacki in the sport's largest arena, playing under the bright lights in the big city, Oudin showed signs of shakiness at the start, dropping 14 of the first 18 points. Even the comeback kid couldn't recover from that.

"This has been a great experience for me. I had a great run here," the 70th-ranked Oudin told the crowd during an on-court interview right after the match, an honor usually reserved for the winner. "I hope to come back next year and do even better."

It'll be hard to top her 2009 U.S. Open.

With impressive court coverage and solid groundstrokes, the 5-foot-6 Oudin knocked off four more established players - including three-time major champion Maria Sharapova and Beijing Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva - to become the youngest quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.

Making the tale even better: Oudin's last three victories each came after she dropped the first set. Plus, there was her wide-eyed, age-appropriate attitude: Everything was "cool" and "awesome," including meeting Roger Federer for the first time and finally getting to shake hands with Sharapova - only after beating her, of course.

Away from the court, there was heady stuff, too. Extra interviews and photo ops. Greetings from strangers on the street. Autograph-seekers in the hotel lobby.

"She's just had so much other activity going on that mentally she wasn't quite as focused as she should've been," said Oudin's mother, Leslie. "All this comes with experience, and she'll learn how to handle this better."

As Oudin's coach, Brian de Villiers, put it: "Yeah, I think, over time, the distractions might have gotten to her."

An additional distraction did not come to light until Wednesday night, when SI.com reported that Oudin's father, John, filed for divorce from Leslie in July 2008 on grounds of adultery. According to the report, John Oudin alleged in a sworn statement last month that his wife had an affair with de Villiers.

John Oudin was not in his daughter's guest box Wednesday night.

She made 43 unforced errors, 23 more than Wozniacki, who also was playing in her first major quarterfinal. In essence, Oudin ran smack-dab into a version of herself, a counterpunching baseliner who was far steadier on this night.

"She plays incredible defense and makes me hit 1,000 balls," Oudin said. "I could have been more consistent and more patient."

Wozniacki leads the women's tour in match victories this season and, while all of 19, is a relative veteran next to Oudin. Wozniacki is tied for the tour lead with three titles in 2009, including a hard-court tournament in New Haven, Conn., the week before the U.S. Open began, meaning she is on a 10-match winning streak.

"I'm sorry that I won against Melanie today," Wozniacki told the partisan fans, some of whom cheered when she double-faulted. "I know that many of you wanted Melanie to win."

Now the Dane will play her first Grand Slam semifinal against another 19-year-old, Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium. The 50th-ranked Wickmayer - never before past the second round at a major tournament - beat Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 7-5, 6-4.

The other women's semifinal Friday features two far more familiar names: defending champion Williams against 2005 champion Kim Clijsters.

The men's semifinals Saturday will include - no surprise here - Federer, who improved to 12-0 against Robin Soderling by beating the 12th-seeded Swede 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6) Wednesday night. Federer, seeking a sixth consecutive U.S. Open title, extended his own record by reaching a 22nd straight Grand Slam semifinal.

Federer will put his 39-match Flushing Meadows winning streak on the line against No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who eliminated No. 10 Fernando Verdasco of Spain 7-6 (7-2), 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Wozniacki never appeared intimidated by the hostile crowd of 23,881, most of whom waited and waited for a reason to roar for their girl. While Oudin's twin sister, younger sister and coach were wearing black T-shirts with "BELIEVE" in yellow lettering, Wozniacki's personal cheering section of about 15 strong had many more chances to celebrate.

Their applause and yells of encouragement were quite audible in Arthur Ashe Stadium early on as Oudin's error count mounted. It took less than 10 minutes for Wozniacki to seize a 3-0 lead, cleverly constructing points.

After many of her mistakes, Oudin would walk to the edge of the court, her back to the net, and fiddle with her strings. When she did find success with her deep groundstrokes, many of which landed right near the baseline, Oudin would turn toward Mom with a raised fist and yell "Come on!"

Wozniacki only really showed some nerves after already leading 5-1. She missed a backhand, then a forehand, and later double-faulted to get broken for the only time. Still, Wozniacki righted herself right away, breaking back to take the set when Oudin missed a backhand.

To no one's surprise, Oudin made bids to make things interesting in the second set.

At 1-1, Oudin held two break points - and pushed a forehand return of a 71 mph second serve wide, then sailed a forehand long. Then, at 2-all, Oudin again earned two break points - and sent a backhand wide on the first, then a forehand long on the second.

And that, essentially, was that. Wozniacki won that game and each of the next four.

While so much of the focus around these parts has been on Oudin, Wickmayer's story is quite intriguing and inspiring.

When she was 9, her mother died of cancer, and little Yanina set out to find a fresh start, researching tennis academies on the Internet before settling on one in Florida.

Talk about precocious, ambitious and adventurous: Yanina had only recently started playing tennis. Neither she nor her father spoke English.

But this is what had to be done.

Her father closed his pool construction company in Belgium, and relatives supported the pair financially while they lived in Florida for 2 1/2 years.

"He just gave everything up for me," Yanina said. "He just left. He listened to a girl that was 9 years old and left his life, left his dreams. I'm always going to respect him for that."

Marc Wickmayer was in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands Wednesday, watching his daughter play the biggest match of her career - and win it.

"I have no words for what he's done," Yanina said. "There is no way of thanking him in any way for what he did, but I hope with my semis here this week, I can show him that I really thank him for everything."

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Murray out, Nadal in at Open; Clijsters-Serena set to face off

2009-09-09T08:07:00.000-05:00

Disappointed.

That was the word Andy Murray used over and over to describe how he felt about his exit from the U.S. Open.

After all, Murray arrived at Flushing Meadows ranked No. 2, owner of a tour-leading 37 wins on hard courts this season - and quite sure he was prepared to win his first Grand Slam title a year after reaching the U.S. Open final. Instead, he heads home after the fourth round, a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 loser to No. 16 Marin Cilic of Croatia on Tuesday.

"I just struggled today. I played poorly," Murray said. "I could have been better in pretty much every part of the game, whether it was mental or serve, forehand, backhand, returns."

And now Murray will slide back to No. 3 or No. 4 in the rankings, behind Rafael Nadal, who will move up by virtue of beating No. 13 Gael Monfils 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 in Tuesday night's last match to get to the quarterfinals.

Nadal-Monfils featured two men often cited as the best athletes on tour, and it was a spirited contest early, filled with long points, terrific retrieving, powerful hitting - and animated celebrations by both. Monfils eventually began to show signs of fatigue, leaning over to gasp for air between points, and Nadal took control.

Nadal, trying to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open, will meet No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile. Gonzalez eliminated No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.

"First thing that I have to try is play my tennis," Gonzalez said. "If I don't play my tennis, I mean, I have no chance."

Murray definitely had his chances. Ahead 5-4, he wasted two set points. By the second set, Murray was grimacing while flexing his left wrist, which he acknowledged afterward had been bothering him for about a week. By the third, Murray was moping about the court.

"Regardless of my wrist, I lost the match," Murray said. "I returned poorly. He served well - and that was really the difference."

Murray's loss, at least for one evening, turned into the talk of a tournament that had been generating very little buzz about the men's field. Instead, the focus has been on the women's event, thanks to the surprising emergence of 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin and the quick comeback of former No. 1 Kim Clijsters.

Oudin plays in the first major quarterfinal of her nascent career Wednesday - she obliged autograph-seekers after practicing Tuesday - and Clijsters already is into the semifinals, where she will face a Williams for the second time this tournament.

Clijsters beat Venus Williams in the fourth round; now she will take on defending champion Serena Williams, who improved to 23-1 in Grand Slam singles matches this season by beating No. 10 Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-3 Tuesday night.

Looking ahead to facing Clijsters, the younger Williams said: "She's such a great person and I, like, only wish the best for her. But not in the next match."

The 27-year-old American and 26-year-old Belgian both have 12-match winning streaks at the U.S. Open. Clijsters won the first seven en route to the 2005 title, the last time she played in New York, and now has five this year, the last a 6-2, 6-4 win against 18th-seeded Li Na of China.

Still unranked because she only had played in two tournaments before the U.S. Open, Clijsters is the first unseeded player to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows since Elena Dementieva in 2000.

"I'm surprised to be sitting here talking to you right now," said Clijsters, who has beaten Serena Williams only once in eight matches.

Clijsters left the game in 2007, married American basketball player Brian Lynch later that year, then gave birth to daughter Jada in February 2008. Since returning to competition in August, Clijsters is 10-2.

Two more wins, and she'll be the first mother to win a Grand Slam tournament since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980.

"I still have an immense respect for all the Grand Slams and the history that's happened in each and every one of them," Clijsters said, "but it's easier now to push that aside when you're out there and just focus on your game and not be too worried or too impressed by everything that's happening around you."

Murray's hopes of becoming the first British man since the 1930s to win a Grand Slam championship will have to be set aside until 2010. The pressure back home for success will only increase, matched by Murray's self-imposed expectations.

When he wasn't saying, "I'm obviously very disappointed," or "I'm going to be disappointed, but I'll have to go and work on some things," Murray was talking about being "ready to win a Slam in Australia."

"Next year I've got a very, very good chance of doing it," Murray said. "I think I'll be a better player next year than this year, and, you know, hopefully I'll do that."

Cilic, meanwhile, advanced to the first major quarterfinal of his career.

"I'm feeling tremendously happy," Cilic said. "Of course, it's the biggest result for me, so far."

Next for him is a match against No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, who beat 2003 French Open champion and U.S. Open finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

Cilic vs. del Potro will pit two players who are 20, with lanky frames and big serves.

"For sure, if he beat Murray, he's confident," said del Potro, who pushed Roger Federer to five sets in the French Open semifinals this year. "It will be very tough for me."

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New ATP CEO planning All-Star event for March

2009-09-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

Andy Roddick vs. Roger Federer in a serving speed contest? How about Rafael Nadal vs. Andy Murray in a timed race to chase down drop shots?

Those are the kind of matchups that could be featured at an All-Star showcase the head of the men's tennis tour is introducing next year as part of his efforts to help boost the sport's popularity.

"We're looking at it as a way to extend our reach, to reach more casual sports fans and tennis fans," Adam Helfant told The Associated Press on Tuesday in his first one-on-one interview since becoming the ATP's chief executive in January.

"It seems to work in other sports. We'll see if it works here. Our players think it will work."

The idea is to have a one- or two-day event in March, during the week before the hard-court tournament in Indian Wells, Calif., including a skills competition, pro-am celebrity doubles matches and an awards show. There have been preliminary talks about a TV deal.

Not interested in making any immediate changes to the game itself - no on-court coaching, the way the WTA tour allows, for example - Helfant is more concerned at the moment with off-court promotion and marketing.

He would, for example, like to generate more buzz at the beginning of the season, saying that's something other sports manage to do better than tennis. He's not sure whether anything can be put in place by the start of 2010, but he wants fans paying more attention in the days leading to the Australian Open each January.

Helfant, who grew up in New York, has an engineering degree from MIT and a law degree from Harvard. He worked for the NHL and in global marketing for Nike - getting to know tennis players such as Federer and Maria Sharapova while negotiating their endorsement contracts - before being hired by the ATP.

Touching on various topics, Helfant said he does not consider doping or match-fixing a "significant problem" for tennis. He also noted there are "some very serious conversations with a number of interested parties" that could result in a long-term deal with a new major sponsor beginning in 2010.

Mercedes-Benz ended its sponsorship of the ATP tour when its contract expired in 2008. The carmaker had been one of the tour's main global sponsors since 1996.

"We understand that we have a hole in terms of not having a tour-wide sponsor," Helfant said. "We have not replaced Mercedes yet. At the beginning of the year, it was very difficult to even get meetings. Companies and industries are hurting, and the tour isn't immune to that."

Cinderella story continues: Oudin wins again at U.S. Open

2009-09-07T21:20:00.000-05:00

Forget about forehands and backhands. Melanie Oudin's biggest weapon is her heart.

The 17-year-old sparkplug from Georgia proved it again Monday at the U.S. Open, extending her remarkable run to the quarterfinals with another come-from-behind victory, 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 against 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova.

Following Oudin at Arthur Ashe Stadium was No. 1 Roger Federer, who topped Tommy Robredo7-5, 6-2, 6-2 to move into the quarterfinals.

Even though Federer, in search of his sixth title in a row at Flushing Meadows, won his 38th consecutive U.S. Open match, the story of the day was Oudin.

The 17-year-old staved off two points that would have put her behind 5-3 in the second set, then rolled through the third, hitting corners with those underrated groundstrokes and taking advantage of 22 unforced errors by her more-seasoned, higher-ranked opponent.

Rankings, like her age, however, are only numbers.

The 70th-ranked player already had wins against No. 4 Elena Dementieva and No. 29 Maria Sharapova at Flushing Meadows, along with one over former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic this summer at Wimbledon. Now, she's knocked off No. 13.

Too young to know any better? Maybe. Regardless, she has become the youngest American to move into the quarterfinals at America's Grand Slam since Serena Williams in 1999.

"I think this is going to do a lot," Oudin said. "I think it's good for American tennis."

Not so good for Russian tennis, though.

All four of Oudin's wins have come against Russians and her next match could be against yet another. That's sixth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 Open champion and the only Grand Slam tournament winner left on Oudin's side of the bracket.

After hitting a forehand to the corner for her 19th and final winner on match point, Oudin threw her racket in the air. This time, however, she didn't cry any tears of disbelief. Instead, it was twin sister Katherine sobbing in the stands.

"It's kind of hard to explain how I've done it," Melanie said. "Today, there were no tears because I believed I can do it. Now I know I do belong here. This is what I want to do. I can compete with these girls no matter who I'm playing. I have a chance against anyone."

Talk about heart. Oudin improved to 6-1 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year when she's lost the first set. She is 17-4 overall this year in three-set matches.

"I don't actually mean to lose the first set," she insisted. "Sometimes, I just start off slowly. Maybe I'm a little nervous. Today, my timing was off a little. But I just totally forgot about it, started off the second set like it was a new match, and I started playing better."

Oudin won this match without serving a single ace, another indication she is not blowing anybody away with sheer power. Instead, it's footwork, technique, precision. Mostly, though, she is thriving in pressure situations that make so many others in the sport shrink away.

"You don't know if she's winning or losing," said her father, John. "She doesn't seem nervous out there - and I don't know where that came from."

Maybe it's the shoes. They have the word "Believe" stamped on them, and it's easy to see how those Oudin models could become top sellers in tennis shops across America soon.

The teenager, schooled at home in Marietta, Ga., so she can concentrate on tennis, stung two forehand winners, including one when she was positioned completely outside the court, to take a quick 3-0 lead in the second-set tiebreaker. She also took advantage of three unforced errors and a double-fault from her 27-year-old opponent, who was trying to make her third Open quarterfinal.

"I have a feeling like I really didn't finish my job off on the court," Petrova said. "She came back, and after winning her previous matches in the same way, she probably thought, I can do it again."

In men's action, No. 12 Robin Soderling, a French Open finalist after beating Rafael Nadal, advanced when No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko retired with a leg injury at the start of the fourth set.

The last remaining American man, John Isner, who defeated Andy Roddick on Saturday, fell Monday to Fernando Verdasco of Spain. Isner's 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 loss means there are no American men in the quarterfinals for the first time in the history of the U.S. championship.

In other women's matches Monday, Kateryna Bondarenko and Yanina Wickmayer won to set up a quarterfinal between two players ranked in the 50s. OK, who had that one filled in on their brackets?

Indeed, little in the women's tournament has gone to form. Unseeded Kim Clijsters, onto the quarterfinals in her comeback to pro tennis after a two-year break, is shredding up her side of the draw.

Oudin is electrifying the other side.

Four of the top five seeds are gone, with only No. 2 Serena Williams bringing any sense of stability to the proceedings. She has yet to be challenged in any of her four matches.

Could Oudin eventually be the answer?

"Right now, I think she'll play Serena in the finals," said Oudin's twin, who left New York after the first round but flew back for this one.

"We're not going anywhere," she said.

Williams powers her way into fourth round at U.S. Open

2009-09-04T14:52:00.001-05:00

Seeking her third Grand Slam victory of the year, Serena Williams withstood a strong test from Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Friday.

Williams overcame an early break in the second set to win 6-3, 7-5 and received a gift in the 11th game when Martinez Sanchez double-faulted twice in a row after the players reached deuce for the eighth time.

The was a rematch of a third-round meeting in the French Open, which Williams won in three sets. After that match, Williams said she hit a ball she thought went off her opponent's arm, and accused Martinez Sanchez of cheating by not acknowledging it.

Asked about that incident before this match, Williams again said: "It hit her."

But there were no signs of animosity during their rematch on a cloudless, comfortable, 80-degree afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Martinez Sanchez is ranked 43rd in the world. Known mainly as a doubles player, the left-handed Spaniard offers a refreshing change of pace by playing almost all serve-and-volley. It made for a more difficult test for Williams, who had lost only seven total games in her first two matches.

Williams, seeking her fourth U.S. Open title, next meets 22nd-seeded Daniela Hantuchova, who defeated American Vania King 6-2, 6-2.

Tenth-seeded Flavia Pennetta also moved on Friday, defeating Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada, 6-1, 6-1.

The men's draw continued to go almost strictly to form, with No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga each winning in straight sets. With the third round nearly complete, none of the top 10 seeded men has lost a set.

"It was a quick match. I played great," Tsonga said after his 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win over Finland's Jarkko Nieminen.

No. 16 Marin Cilic and No. 24 Juan Carlos Ferrero also won. Cilic overcame a two-set deficit to defeat 135th-ranked American Jesse Levine.

An unseeded American has beaten a top-40 player eight times in the first four days of the tournament, but Levine couldn't add to the total. He was hurt by 46 unforced errors.

"When it got to the third set, he really stepped up his game," Levine said.

Americans Taylor Dent and Robby Ginepri were scheduled for later matches Friday.

Also playing later were No. 2 Andy Murray against Paul Capdeville of Chile, with No. 3 Rafael Nadal playing Nicolas Kiefer in a night match.

No. 3 Venus Williams, on the same side of the draw as her sister, also was scheduled to play at night against Magdalena Rybarikova.

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17-year-old American Oudin ousts No. 4 Dementieva

2009-09-03T14:38:00.001-05:00

Blinking back tears and ignoring pain, American teenager Melanie Oudin pulled off the biggest upset so far by eliminating No. 4-seeded Elena Dementieva 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

The win looks great alongside Oudin's victory over No. 6 Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon, where she became the youngest player to make the fourth round since Jennifer Capriati in 1993.

Oudin, age 17 and ranked 70th, played most of the third set with a heavy wrap on her left thigh, an injury that briefly reduced her to tears as she headed to the baseline to serve.

But the day ended with a loud shriek when she painted the backhand corner with her serve on her third match point at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

She could very well be booked there again this week: Her next match will be against 29th-seeded Maria Sharapova or Christina McHale, another 17-year-old American.

"I don't even know what to say right now," Oudin said. "I'm so excited. You have no idea."

But, she conceded, she was hurting.

"I hit that last serve and, I don't know, it kind of just like sent a sharp pain through my leg," she said.

Dementieva, meanwhile, leaves Flushing Meadows with the more accomplished resume - 14 titles, 14 runner-up finishes, more than $12 million in career earnings - but still in search of her first Grand Slam title.

After her loss, Dementieva said she was impressed with America's new break-out player.

"She was in the court, not afraid to play, playing very aggressively, really enjoying this atmosphere and the crowd support," Dementieva said. "It looks like she has a good future."

In the match next door at Armstrong Stadium, No. 1 Dinara Safina also stayed alive in the quest for her first major, but in ugly fashion - a 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Germany's Kristina Barrois.

Safina won despite 38 unforced errors and 15 double-faults in her second straight uncomfortably close match.

She is ranked first despite having never won a major and she did little in this match against the 67th-ranked player in the world to cool the debate about whether she really belongs there.

Safina, playing in a smaller venue for a Thursday matinee, needed 2 hours, 13 minutes, much of which looked like the 2 hour-25 minute display she put on in her three-set opener against Olivia Rogowska of Australia.

In fact, the endings of the first sets were identical: Safina double-faulting on set point to lose a 7-5 tiebreaker. And, as in the first round, Safina came back with a stronger second set to win 6-2.

The third set was 3-3 when Barrois' game collapsed. She missed an easy forehand on break point against her in the seventh game, then committed five unforced errors over the final two games before losing it with a double-fault on match point.

Barrois finished with 43 unforced errors, including 17 in the final set.

In other early action Thursday, men's No. 20 seed Tommy Haas of Germany defeated American Robert Kendrick. On the women's side, 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova advanced, while No. 30 Alona Bondarenko lost.

Smooth return for Sharapova; Ivanovic upset in Day 2 of Open

2009-09-02T07:45:00.001-05:00

Maria Sharapova simply couldn't bear the thought of a U.S. Open taking place without her.

So while sidelined with a torn shoulder a year ago, she refused to follow the tournament on TV. Basically pretended it wasn't even happening.

On Tuesday night, Sharapova was right where she likes to be: on the Grand Slam stage and in the spotlight. The 2006 U.S. Open champion returned to the tournament with an impressive 6-3, 6-0 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.

"I was in the physical therapy office every single day, and the tennis was on. But I made a point not to watch it," Sharapova explained. "When you're not participating in a tournament that you very much love, and you've had success at, as an athlete and as a competitor, to not be there and not be competing is pretty tough."

Against her 98th-ranked opponent, Sharapova's game was as glittery as her black-and-silver dress, an outfit she described as a tribute to New York's skyline. The three-time Grand Slam title winner produced 29 winners - 23 more than Pironkova. And Sharapova's game was particularly clean in the second set, when she hit 16 winners and only five unforced errors.

Apart from four double-faults, Sharapova showed no signs of the shoulder injury that forced her to have surgery in October and kept off the tour for nearly 10 months.

"This is a Grand Slam. You've got to get going from the first match," Sharapova said. "After being gone, this is what it's all about."

Tell that to Ana Ivanovic. Or Dinara Safina.

Earlier Tuesday, Safina came perilously close to becoming the first No. 1-seeded woman to lose in the U.S. Open's first round. But she eked out a victory over an 18-year-old from Australia who is ranked 167th and needed a wild-card invitation to get into the tournament.

The worst showing ever by a top-seeded woman in New York came last year, when Ivanovic exited in the second round. Now seeded 11th, Ivanovic did herself one worse this time, losing in the first round to 52nd-ranked Kateryna Bondarenko 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).

"It hurts. I can tell you that," Ivanovic said. "I'm sure I will have sleepless nights."

At least the 2008 French Open champion had a big support group in the stands, cheering for her wildly. Safina, in contrast, would look up at her coach for positive body language, and instead, he'd cover his eyes with his hands or turn his head with a wince.

Nearly undone by 11 double-faults and 48 total unforced errors, Safina was a point away from a 4-0 deficit in the third set before coming back to beat Olivia Rogowska 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4.

Safina, younger sister of 2000 U.S. Open champion Marat Safin, is used to faring well in the early stages of Grand Slam tournaments. Usually, it's later on that problems arise: She is 0-3 in major finals, all lopsided losses, and managed to win only one game against Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals in July.

"I was surprised that, you know, she was giving me free points," said Rogowska, who never has defeated anyone ranked better than 47th.

As Rogowska spoke, her eyes were red, and she fiddled with a well-worn tissue.

"I'm disappointed I lost," she said, "and I didn't expect to say that after playing the No. 1 player in the world. It's a bit weird."

Ivanovic was not the only seeded player who was upset: 276th-ranked Jesse Witten of Naples, Fla., knocked off No. 29-seeded Igor Andreev of Russia 6-4, 6-0, 6-2; Nicolas Lapentti beat No. 19 Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 6-3; and Ivan Navarro beat No. 27 Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5).

Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium defeated No. 16 Virginie Razzano of France 6-4, 6-3; and Shahar Peer of Israel eliminated No. 32 Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-2, 6-2.

Otherwise, winners included 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, past runners-up Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic, No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 13 Nadia Petrova.

Men's winners included No. 2-seeded Andy Murray, last year's U.S. Open runner-up, who beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-5, 6-3, 7-5 in Tuesday night's last match.

Also advancing were 2008 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and that tournament's runner-up, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, along with No. 10 Fernando Verdasco, No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez, No. 16 Marin Cilic, No. 17 Tomas Berdych, No. 22 Sam Querrey of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Taylor Dent of Newport Beach, Calif.

Dent, playing in the U.S. Open for the first time since 2005, eliminated Feliciano Lopez of Spain 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 7-5.

Neither Safina nor Rogowska played particularly well. They combined for 24 double-faults, 113 unforced errors and 15 service breaks over 2 1/2 hours.

"I put a lot of pressure on her serve," Rogowska said, "and it seemed to crumble a bit."

Afterward, Safina found two things to be happy about: She didn't break any rackets - something big brother Marat is known for - and she didn't receive any warnings from the chair umpire. So, yes, the mental fragility she's acknowledged is an issue for her on court was a factor in her play, but at least Safina managed to keep it in check.

"It happens that you have a bad day and you want to ... say, 'I hate everything,"' Safina said. "But at the end of the day, you win the match, even like this - I would say a little bit ugly. But you come in the hotel, and you are like, 'I made it."'

Rogowska, too, tried to focus on the positive.

A year ago, after all, she was back home in Melbourne, watching the U.S. Open on television. On Tuesday, she was playing in the tournament and nearly winning - against the woman who is ranked No. 1, no less.

"My heart was just going crazy, and I was breathing, like, really fast," Rogowska said. "So next time, I guess, I'm just going to have to learn to stay calm, and, you know, not get too excited."

Sounds like good advice for Safina.

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Williams sisters, Federer top winners on day 1 of U.S. Open

2009-09-01T08:33:00.000-05:00

Venus Williams was bothered by a bad knee and distracted by more than a half-dozen foot faults. What never fazed her: a big deficit.

Quite close to losing in the U.S. Open's first round for the first time, Williams came all the way back from a set and a break down to beat 47th-ranked Vera Dushevina of Russia 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-3 Monday night.

"I had a challenge on my hands today. But I wanted to win," said the No. 3-seeded Williams, who made 54 unforced errors. "Each good shot, and each not-so-good shot, I put behind me and looked forward to the next one."

Williams, twice the champion at Flushing Meadows, had her left knee bandaged by a trainer after the third game. The American also had plenty of trouble serving: She piled up 10 double-faults and was called for seven foot-faults.

Afterward, Williams wouldn't discuss her knee problem in any detail.

"You could see I had some issues," she said. "I don't really talk about my injuries, historically, and I'm not going to start now."

Asked what it's going to take for her knee to be better for the second round, Williams said: "A lot of prayer. It's going to be a lot of prayer. Everything I can throw at it. But, you know, I'm tough."

She sure proved that on this night.

Dushevina broke for a 3-1 lead in the second set and was three points from winning at 5-4.

"Next few points," Dushevina said, "she played great."

That is true: Williams, who never has lost in the U.S. Open's first round, won the next seven games.

Still, there was a bit of shakiness left. Up 4-0 in the third set, Williams dropped three games in a row before righting herself once again.

One measure of how big an upset this would have been: Williams owns seven Grand Slam titles; Dushevina only once has been as far as the fourth round at a major tournament. And then there's this: Williams entered Monday 43-3 in first-round matches at tennis' top four tournaments, including 10-0 at the U.S. Open.

Even though Williams improved those marks in the end, the 2-hour, 43-minute match did serve as the most intriguing encounter of a Day 1 that included victories for defending champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams, Venus' younger sister, and for 2003 champion Andy Roddick.

Taking to the court after 11 p.m., because his match followed Williams-Dushevina, Roddick easily advanced with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory over 84th-ranked Bjorn Phau of Germany. Roddick pounded serves at up to 145 mph, put 81% of his first serves in and collected 13 aces in a match that finished at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday.

"The later, the better," Roddick said on court afterward. "These are the hard-core fans."

Much, much earlier, Kim Clijsters, who recently came out of retirement, began Monday's action by winning her first match at the U.S. Open since claiming her lone Grand Slam title in New York in 2005.

Venus Williams won the tournament in 2000 and 2001, and while she hasn't been back to the final since losing to her sister in 2002, her earliest departure from New York came in the fourth round in 2004.

She looked headed for the exit at several moments Monday, particularly after Dushevina took the last four points of the first set after trailing 5-3 in the tiebreaker. Williams led by that score when she pounded an apparent service winner, one that would have given her a 6-3 lead and three set points.

But a line judge called Williams for a foot fault, her fourth. She seemed to lose her focus, turning to the official to ask, "Which foot?" When Williams went back to the baseline for the second serve, she netted it for a double-fault.

"It threw me off," Williams said. "After that, I just got a little tentative."

In the second set, Williams fell behind 3-1, then trailed 5-4. But she broke Dushevina there with a backhand winner, and began to hit her spots more.

Williams played most of her matches en route to the final at Wimbledon this year with a bulky tape job on her left knee. But she began Monday's match without any such help. Three games in, she called for the trainer.

"I had some issues, and I needed some support," she said, earning a roar from the fans. "I'm not one to complain. Everyone has injuries they're dealing with. I did my best tonight, despite everything I was going through."

About 12 hours earlier, in that same Arthur Ashe Stadium, spectators dotting the mostly empty stands called out to Clijsters as she stepped on the court that means so much to her.

"Come on, Kim!" yelled one fan. And then another. And yet another. "Hey, Kim!" someone else shouted.

Monday morning's setting was a familiar one for Clijsters, whose lone Grand Slam championship came at Flushing Meadows on Sept. 10, 2005. That was the last time she played at the U.S. Open, and while the site was the same, the circumstances and the stakes were oh-so-different.

Clijsters' 6-1, 6-1 victory over 79th-ranked Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine came in the first round, the 26-year-old Belgian's first Grand Slam match since January 2007. In the intervening two-plus years, Clijsters retired, got married and, in May 2008, gave birth to a daughter. Once No. 1, she came to the U.S. Open unranked and needed a wild-card invitation from the U.S. Tennis Association.

"Little more nervous than usual. It's a very special court to me, but I really enjoyed it," Clijsters said. "I felt really good out there."

By beating 18-year-old NCAA champion Devin Britton of Jackson, Miss., 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, Federer ran his winning streak to 35 matches at the tournament and became the first tennis player to surpass $50 million in career prize money. Serena Williams also beat an American teenager in straight sets, eliminating Alexa Glatch of Newport Beach, Calif., 6-4, 6-1.

"Tricky match for me, playing a guy who's got absolutely nothing to lose," said Federer, seeking a sixth consecutive U.S. Open title.

No one has done that since Bill Tilden won the American Grand Slam tournament every year from 1920-25.

"That's what I'm here for, trying to equal Bill Tilden's record. But I've never met Bill Tilden. Never saw him play. So it's hard to kind of relate to him in any way, except through records," Federer said. "It's fantastic to be sort of compared to someone who played such a long time ago, I guess."

Other winners included John Isner, the 6-foot-9 American who knocked off No. 28-seeded Victor Hanescu of Romania in straight sets, including a 16-14 tiebreaker in the second; No. 21 James Blake; and French Open runner-up Robin Soderling.

Two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo won easily, as did No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, No. 8 Victoria Azarenka, No. 10 Flavia Pennetta, No. 12 Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 14 Marion Bartoli, whose next opponent is Clijsters.

Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon runner-up, also just so happens to have been the first woman Clijsters played in her comeback. Clijsters beat her.

"I just have to go on court and think I'm still the player with the better ranking, so I'm supposed to win," Bartoli said. "This time I know what to do. I have a plan, so it's going to be different."

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Agassi returns to Open as athlete who gives back

2009-09-01T07:34:00.001-05:00

Andre Agassi walked back onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court and bowed and blew kisses to the U.S. Open crowd.

Then he gave a speech on education policy.

His passion made Agassi beloved among the New York fans. Now that exuberance is devoted to his charter school in his hometown of Las Vegas, his emotion stoked by this year's inaugural graduating class all going to college.

Agassi, Doug Flutie, Mia Hamm and David Robinson were honored as athletes who give back at opening night of the Open on Monday.

The eight-time Grand Slam champion wouldn't send his own children to the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. That's because he can afford to send them to any school of his choosing - his goal is to serve the children whose families can't.

"It's just too important to me that this school reaches those children, the ones that society has written off or are quickest to write off or that are just being assumed to not have a chance," Agassi said at a news conference after the ceremony.

Agassi returned to the stadium for the first time since playing the final match of his professional career at the 2006 U.S. Open, his record 21st straight appearance at the tournament. When Agassi made his Flushing Meadows debut in 1986, it would have been hard to believe that the rebellious teenager would one day become an education philanthropist.

He joked that "not only did I leave Bradenton Academy in the ninth grade, but eighth grade was the best three years of my life."

"There were a lot of moments I didn't understand, I was confused by, scared by," Agassi said of his evolution as a tennis player - and person. "A lot of times I wanted to hide from facing it. But I'm still in process.

"So don't believe what you're seeing here either, because unless I continually ask the most from myself - you know, it's a way of life. It's a choice of life."

These days he's professorially serious about education. Agassi sounds completely comfortable talking about how legislative changes can improve schools, how his academy's model can be scaled, how teachers can be held accountable.

"What Andre did in his career is incredibly impressive," said No. 21 seed James Blake. "But to have someone who can be more impressive after their career is so rare."

Like Agassi, Robinson opened his own school. Flutie and Hamm support medical causes that have affected their families: autism for Flutie, bone marrow transplants for Hamm.

Agassi concedes that, no different from his tennis career, he stumbled along the way as he matured as a philanthropist. At first he spread himself too thin, trying to aid too many causes at the expense of focusing on one to make the greatest impact.

Even with his academy, at times he made decisions too impulsively.

Those lessons are why Agassi founded Athletes for Hope with Hamm and other sports greats in 2007. The organization advises athletes in their charitable efforts.

Agassi talked a little about tennis on Monday night, too. He was thrilled to see Roger Federer finally win the French Open, then break the record for career Grand Slams, because it erased any doubts about the Swiss star's place in history. And he has some thoughts on why there's no clear heir as the next great American men's tennis player.

"We have 300 million people in this country," Agassi said. "We got to get the racket in more kids' hands. We have to create a grass-roots level that connects."

Agassi joked that it was nice to pull up to the stadium and no longer have to worry about how he felt physically. And he enjoyed telling the U.S. Open fans about his latest passion.

"I've shared all my life with New York fans, for the most part," he said. "I mean, 21 years. They not only helped me to take a harder look at myself, they helped me grow up. They watched me and helped me.

"So at this juncture, you know, I'm ending one sort of time chapter and I'm starting another, and I'm at the beginning of it. So I can leave it to New York to scrutinize. I can leave it to New York to nurture."

Clijsters rolls in return to U.S. Open

2009-08-31T12:07:00.000-05:00

The recently unretired Kim Clijsters has easily won her first match at the U.S. Open since taking home the 2005 title. She beat Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine 6-1, 6-1.

Clijsters went ahead 5-0 in 20 minutes and stayed in control throughout, wrapping up the victory by reeling off the last 11 points.

The 26-year-old Belgian left tennis in 2007, got married and had a child. But she returned to the tour this month, and Monday's victory means she will enter the rankings after the U.S. Open.

Clijsters won 60 of the 88 points against the 79th-ranked Kutuzova and finished with seven aces. Clijsters also showed signs of rust, double-faulting four times.

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After Wimbledon, Roddick won't be mailing it in at Open

2009-08-31T07:31:00.000-05:00

Everyone, it seems, wanted to talk to Andy Roddick about his loss to Roger Federer in last month's epic Wimbledon final: the 16-14 fifth set, the 77 total games, the Centre Court crowd chanting the American's name afterward.

They wanted to console Roddick, pat him on the back, tell him what that match meant to THEM. Maybe offer some advice for next time.

Fellow players in the locker room. Fans on the street. Even the guy who delivers Roddick's mail at home in Texas.

As Roddick recounted in a series of Twitter postings on July 20, two weeks after that heartbreaker at the All England Club, the mailman told him he lost "cause i sweat a lot and dont change my shirt enough during the course of a match and it weighs me down."

Roddick wrapped up the story: "the best part was that he prefaced his shirt/sweat analysis with this quote 'i dont know anything about sports or tennis but.....' "

Ah, yes, everyone's an expert, huh? Really, though, what struck Roddick the most was how much that match resonated. If anything, that one defeat figures to make the best-known and highest-seeded U.S. man at the U.S. Open even more popular than usual at the American Grand Slam tournament.

"I'm not sure what kind of made people kind of emotionally invested in it," said the No. 5-seeded Roddick, who faces 84th-ranked Bjorn Phau of Germany in the first round Monday night.

Others scheduled to play on Day 1 include five-time defending champion Roger Federer against NCAA champion Devin Britton of Jackson, Miss.; No. 21 James Blake against Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo; three-time champion Serena Williams against American wild-card entry Alexa Glatch of Newport Beach, Calif.; and 2005 champion Kim Clijsters, just back from retirement, against Viktoriya Kutuzova.

Monday's matches are the first on a Grand Slam stage for anyone since July 5, when Federer's 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14 victory over Roddick set records for most games and longest fifth set in major final history, topping marks set in 1927.

"It was amazing. Kind of did a lot for tennis," said Sam Querrey, who is seeded 22nd at the U.S. Open and generally considered the player most likely to succeed Roddick as the best from their country. "People were talking about that for a solid two, three weeks after."

And Roddick heard the chatter.

"The kind of the support I got from fans, from peers, from everybody - it was pretty surprising, in the best way possible, and pretty humbling," Roddick said. "I was really surprised when I had got back here as to how many people watched it and kind of were affected by it. To be honest, that really helped the process."

That "process" was the not-so-easy matter of digesting the punch-to-the-gut knowledge that Roddick came so close to winning Wimbledon for the first time.

This was, of course, against the Federer of six Wimbledon championships and a record 15 Grand Slam titles overall. The Federer who improved that day to 19-2 against Roddick, including 8-0 at major tournaments and 4-0 in Grand Slam finals.

"It's always tough in tennis that there are no draws. ... At the end, unfortunately, there's always going to be one winner," Federer said this weekend. "I've walked off tennis courts as a loser many, many times. I wouldn't ask for the other guy or the fans to feel sorry for me."

Roddick never asked for that, either.

Still, it could not have been easy for him to pick himself up after such a setback. That loss left Roddick stuck on one Grand Slam championship - the title he won in New York in 2003. Back then, the thinking went, it would be the first of many.

Roddick turned 27 on Sunday, and who knows how many more opportunities he'll get?

"Like anything, kind of the more you distance yourself from it, you start remembering the better things about it, as opposed to the most disappointing things about it," he said. "I promise you: I wish more than anything that I would have won that tournament. But at the same time, I'm still going to move on and keep going with the plan that we've set in place, because I feel like it is working."

It's a project he and coach Larry Stefanki launched in 2008, one that included slimming down and working more intensely than ever on Roddick's backhand, volleying and service returns.

It began to pay off with a run to the Australian Open semifinals in January, followed by his first trip to the French Open's fourth round in May. Stefanki, though, has noted that the places where Roddick most wants to excel are Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

So close at one, now he gets another chance at the other.

"At this point last year, I felt like I was playing catch-up, and not just from a tennis perspective, but I was behind the ball as far as fitness and health," said Roddick, who lost in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows in 2008. "I was coming in here literally hoping to win a couple matches, and this year I feel a lot more confident of my ability to go out there and play well and execute."

If he does indeed manage that, he surely will hear plenty of backing from the New York crowds.

Might even get some fan mail.

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Open stories: Federer eyes 6th; will a Williams prevail again?

2009-08-28T12:04:00.001-05:00

The U.S. Open begins Monday in New York, bringing a close to the Grand Slam season. Here are a few key story lines heading into the final major of the 2009 season.

Can Roger Federer become the first dad since Andre Agassi at the 2003 Australian Open to win a major, and the first man since Bill Tilden in 1920s to win six U.S. titles in a row?

A month after twin girls Myla and Charlene were born, the Swiss No. 1 heads to the Big Apple having reclaimed the top ranking along with his aura after a summer that saw him capture his first French Open and a record 15th major at Wimbledon.

He showed no signs of slowing down, knocking off No. 4 Novak Djokovic last Sunday to win his fourth title of 2009 and the 61st of his career.

But the 28-year-old is in uncharted territory.

Only eight men in the post-1968 era have won Grand Slam titles with children in tow. At least Federer won't have to contend with No. 2 Andy Murray or No. 3 Rafael Nadal- who are on the other side of the draw and are a combined 19-10 against him - until the final.

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What will we see from Serena and Venus Williams?

Since battling each other for a 21st time in the Wimbledon final in July - Serena captured the title to take an 11-10 series lead - the sisters have done little to bolster the perception they are the world's best players (even if they are ranked Nos. 2 and 3). Serena, the defending U.S. Open champ, has won three of the last four Slams but failed to advance past the semifinals in three hardcourt events this summer. Venus, who hasn't won a tournament on cement in the USA since 2002, reached the Stanford final (falling to Marion Bartoli) but then lost two of her next three matches.

Still, no one is more fearless and confident on the big stage, and the American sisters with 18 majors (11 for Serena, seven for Venus) always seem to rise to the task. "In Slams they step it up," says Tennis Channel analyst Martina Navratilova. One certainty: They can't meet in the final, with the sisters slated to face off in the semifinals.

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Can Andy Murray gatecrash the Federer-Rafael Nadal duopoly?

The 22-year-old Scot already has moved up to No. 2 between Federer and injury-addled Nadal, who missed Wimbledon with tendinitis. With a runner-up finish in New York last year and four Masters titles on hardcourts, including this month in Montreal, Murray's cagey, strike-second style has earned him a tour-best 34-3 winning percentage on cement this season.

He hasn't shined in majors, where occasional lapses into passivity have been his undoing. Too much meandering in New York could be perilous, especially with big-serving Ivo Karlovic of Croatia lurking in the third round.

Murray says he enjoys playing in the high-energy atmosphere of Flushing Meadows more than any other Slam. He will have to stay positive to break the Federer-Nadal Slam stranglehold, which includes 17 of the last 18 majors. With No. 3 Nadal in his half, he could be forced to beat them both to do it.

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Can the best active players never to bag a major - top-seed Dinara Safina, former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, and Beijing gold medalist Elena Dementieva - put one in the bank?

All three are due. Safina has reached the semifinals or better in the last four majors but has yet to stamp her No. 1 ranking with Slam hardware. And Jankovic, last year's New York finalist and year-end No. 1, has turned the corner after an erratic start to the season. This month, the fifth-ranked Serb beat Safina in the final at Cincinnati for her first meaningful title of 2009.

Dementieva, always deadly from the backcourt and now with an improved serve, has been knocking at the Slam door for years. But the fourth-ranked Russian hasn't reached a final since 2004, when she was a runner-up at both Roland Garros and U.S. Open. Her draw is tough, including a possible third-round clash with recovering 2006 champ Maria Sharapova, who she beat in the Toronto final last Sunday.

One perk for all three: Dangerous wild card Kim Clijsters, the 2005 U.S. Open winner, is on the bottom half of the draw with the Williams sisters.

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More endearing in defeat than victory, can Andy Roddick bury the ghost of disappointments past with a second U.S. Open crown?

Despite a wrenching 16-14 fifth-set loss to Federer in the Wimbledon final, No. 5 Roddick has put himself very much back in the conversation of title talk. The 2003 U.S. Open winner has trimmed down under coach Larry Stefanki, improved his backhand and is making better on-court decisions. His draw looks good, too, with Novak Djokovic in his quarter. Roddick has beaten the fourth-ranked Serb all three times they've met in 2009 - all on hardcourts.

Already a fan favorite in New York, the fireball-serving Texan has earned even more respect and affection with his valiant effort to unseat Federer in London and his grace in defeat. "It seems like he has the wind at his back," says CBS analyst Jim Courier.

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Federer, Nadal on opposite sides of Open draw

2009-08-27T12:46:00.001-05:00

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could meet in the U.S. Open final for the first time.

Serena and Venus Williams will not be able to reprise their sibling rivalry in the year's last Grand Slam final.

The No. 1-seeded Federer and No. 3 Nadal were drawn into opposite halves of the field for the U.S. Open, which begins Monday. They have played in seven major finals as Nos. 1-2, including at each of the other three Grand Slam tournaments, with Nadal holding a 5-2 edge.

But because Nadal recently fell to third in the rankings, there was a possibility the two men who have dominated tennis in recent years would wind up on the same side of the bracket in New York.

Instead, 15-time Grand Slam champion Federer has No. 4 Novak Djokovic and No. 5 Andy Roddick in his half. Federer, who is seeking a sixth consecutive U.S. Open championship, edged Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set of the Wimbledon final in July.

The Williams sisters won't have a rematch of their Wimbledon final, in which Serena beat Venus for her 11th Grand Slam singles title. That was the sisters' eighth all-in-the-family final at a major, and Serena leads 6-2. But at the U.S. Open, the second-seeded Serena and No. 3 Venus were drawn for a possible semifinal.

The draw took place Wednesday and was announced Thursday.

The potential men's quarterfinals are Federer vs. No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko, and Roddick vs. Djokovic in the top half; No. 2 Andy Murray vs. No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, and Nadal vs. No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the bottom half.

Nadal could face Murray in the semifinals for the second straight year at the U.S. Open; Murray upset Nadal in 2008 to reach his first Grand Slam final.

Nadal's first Grand Slam action since his fourth-round loss at the French Open will start with an intriguing opponent: Richard Gasquet, the former top-10 player coming off a 2 1/2-month suspension for testing positive for cocaine.

Federer starts off against American wild-card recipient Devin Britton, an 18-year-old who won the NCAA singles championship for Mississippi in May.

Federer, trying to become the first man since the 1920s to win the tournament six years in a row, could play two-time major champion Lleyton Hewitt in the third round, U.S. Davis Cup player James Blake in the fourth, and French Open runner-up Robin Soderling or U.S. Open Series winner Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals.

The women's quarterfinals could be No. 1 Dinara Safina vs. No. 5 Jelena Jankovic, and No. 4 Elena Dementieva vs. No. 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the top half; Serena Williams vs. No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, and Venus Williams vs. No. 8 Victoria Azarenka in the bottom half.

Venus Williams could wind up facing 2005 U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters in the fourth round. Clijsters recently came out of retirement and is returning to the tournament for the first time since winning it.

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Nadal not in peak condition heading to U.S. Open

2009-08-26T16:29:00.000-05:00

Rafael Nadal concedes he probably isn't in peak condition heading into the U.S. Open.

The Spanish star returned to competition this month after taking off more than two months because of tendinitis in both knees. Now he's seeking the one major title he hasn't won.

"Well, I am No. 3 in the world. And the No. 3 in the world should have a chance to win, no?" Nadal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "But I don't know if I arrive in the best condition."

Nadal and Serena Williams hit tennis balls for charity on a makeshift court on Broadway in the middle of Manhattan. They showed off the Nike outfits they'll wear during the day at the Open: a hot pink dress for Williams, a bright yellow shirt with teal headband for Nadal.

One of the reasons Nadal decided not to defend his Wimbledon title was that he found himself thinking too much about his knees.

"After an injury, sure, you think about it a little bit," he said. "But I am much better, I feel."

Nadal made his comeback two weeks ago at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, losing to Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals. He then fell to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at the Cincinnati Masters.

Nadal had rested his knees since a fourth-round defeat to Robin Soderling at the French Open on May 31 ended his streak of four consecutive championships at Roland Garros. He lost his No. 1 ranking to Roger Federer and later dropped to No. 3 behind Andy Murray.

Nadal has never advanced beyond the semifinals at the U.S. Open.

"It's very special. I've won the other three, so if I win that it's going to be a complete cycle," he said. "It will be amazing."

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Defending champ Wozniacki, top-seed Davydenko win at Pilot Pen

2009-08-26T08:01:00.001-05:00

Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki took 43 minutes to win her first-round match at the Pilot Pen on Tuesday, then credited boxing with helping her score the quick knockout.

The second-seeded Wozniacki dominated Edina Gallovits of Romania 6-0, 6-0, winning 20 of the final 21 points in a 19-minute first set before taking 24 minutes to finish Gallovits off.

The Danish star, who is ranked No. 9 in the world, said her speed and fitness level began improving just after Wimbledon, when friend and super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler suggested she take up boxing.

"You run a lot," she said. "You get strength in your stomach, your back, your shoulders, your arms, all the things that you also need in tennis."

So far, Wozniacki has hit mostly bags, sparring just once with her coach - and apologizing after she punched him.

"He started yelling at me, 'Why are you saying sorry? It's what the game is about. You have to hit me,"' she said. "It's just fun to get some aggression out some times."

While Wozniacki barley worked up a sweat, Samantha Stosur needed almost 3 hours to beat Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in 90-degree heat. The Australian ended up losing the first set after nearly 90 minutes, but won the match 6-7 (8-10), 6-2, 6-4.

"It was a bit of a battle out there," Stosur said. "I got through the second set pretty quick and then started to feel better about things. The third was pretty tight. I was pleased with the way I was able to get out of it and come back from a set down."

Amelie Mauresmo also advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Alona Bondarenko; Marion Bartoli defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; and third-seeded Flavia Pennetta defeated Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 6-1, 6-2.

"I was very focused on my game, and it was working pretty good," Pennetta said.

In the men's draw, top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko won a 22-point tiebreaker in the first set and went on to beat American Robert Kendrick 7-6 (12-10), 6-3.

Davydenko struggled with Kendrick's serves, which occasionally topped 130 mph, giving up a dozen aces. But he used a strong backhand return while leading 11-10 in the first-set tiebreaker that Kendrick put into the net.

"He put it right at my feet," Kendrick said. "I should have served to his forehand."

The eighth-ranked Davydenko broke Kendrick at love to go up 5-3 in the second set and served out the match. After missing most of the spring with a heel injury, he said he's trying to do more than just get his game in shape for next week's U.S. Open.

"For me, it's important winning matches also here," Davydenko said. "If I'm winning (the) tournament, I'm making points here. ... For me, it's important for the ranking."

Second-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain also advanced with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Paul Capdeville. Third-seed Tommy Robredo of Spain wasn't as fortunate, getting upset 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) by Jose Acasuso.

Kendrick was among three Americans who lost to Russians on Tuesday. Taylor Dent fell to Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 6-4, and Kevin Kim lost to Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-1.

Rajeev Ram ousted fellow American Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-3 in the final match of the night.

Fish, a finalist the last two years in New Haven, has been hampered by an abdominal injury suffered in Davis Cup competition in July.

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Dolphins' deal with Williams sisters announced

2009-08-26T07:54:00.001-05:00

The Williams sisters stood at the edge of the Miami Dolphins' practice field, easy to spot in elegant, color-coordinated beige dresses and high heels that dug into the turf.

The team's workout had ended, and it was time for introductions. Joey Porter, meet Serena Williams. Jason Taylor, meet Venus Williams.

The NFL and the best of women's tennis converged Tuesday when the Williamses paid a visit to the Dolphins' complex as the latest celebrities to buy a small stake in the franchise. Their deal with owner Stephen Ross, first reported last week, was confirmed at a news conference overlooking the field.

Venus and Serena live in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., about an hour's drive from the Dolphins' stadium.

"To have this opportunity is really where our heart is," Venus said. "We're South Florida girls. When we get off the road, this is where we come home to. When we come home to Dolphins games, it's going to be exciting."

Venus said she and Serena have been to "a few games." Serena dated former NFL players LaVar Arrington and Keyshawn Johnson, but the sisters said the Dolphins have long been their favorite team.

"We're just 'Go Fins!'-type people," Serena said.

"It's great going to the games for us," Venus said. "When we play tennis, you're so focused you don't really get to feel that atmosphere. When we go to a Dolphins game, we get to soak in the atmosphere and we realize, 'Oh my God, we do this too."'

The sisters are the first female African-Americans to hold an ownership stake in an NFL franchise, the Dolphins said. The league has no African-American majority owner.

"We're really honored," Serena said. "Venus and I in tennis have tried to do so much for the sport. We're really excited to even have this opportunity."

Ross, a New York real estate billionaire, has brought six celebrities into the fold since completing his purchase of the Dolphins from Wayne Huizenga in January. The first partnership was with singer Jimmy Buffett; musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Marc Anthony subsequently bought small shares of the team.

The Estefans are the first Cuban-Americans to hold an ownership stake in an NFL team, while Anthony is a New York native of Puerto Rican descent.

"We are thrilled to have Venus and Serena join the Dolphins as limited partners," Ross said. "They are among the most admired athletes in the world and have become global ambassadors for the game of tennis. Their addition to our ownership group further reflects our commitment to connect with aggressively and embrace the great diversity that makes South Florida a multicultural gem."

Making their first visit to the Dolphins' complex, the sisters watched a little practice, checked out the weight room and chatted with several players. Their favorite is running back Ronnie Brown, a friend through mutual acquaintances.

Brown envisions the sisters broadening the NFL's reach.

"It's exciting," he said. "I hope they can draw a different crowd to the sport. Hopefully we get some of their fans to be Dolphins fans."

The sisters posed for photographers holding team jerseys-No. 11 for Venus, No. 89 for Serena. EleVen is Venus' clothing line; 8-9 is the birthdate of their half sister, Yetunde Price, who died in a 2003 shooting.

The Dolphins' negotiations with the sisters were initiated by former U.S. Tennis Association CEO Arlen Kantarian, an adviser to Ross. He introduced the Williamses to Ross shortly after Serena beat Venus in the Wimbledon final, and the sisters needed time to embrace the offer to buy part of the team.

"One or two days after you win Wimbledon, you get hit with about 25 different opportunities," Kantarian said. "Athletes are used to taking money in, not giving money out. This was a little bit different. But they were very excited."

The sisters saw a marketing opportunity, Kantarian said, but also a chance to extend their reach in the community. They want to help with the growth of the Dolphins' charity foundation.

They also say they'll attend as many games as their schedules permit. Now that they're on board, do the sisters have any suggestions for Ross?

"Don't draft us," Venus said.

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Federer, Safina seeded No. 1 for U.S. Open

2009-08-25T14:01:00.001-05:00

Roger Federer and Dinara Safina are seeded No. 1 for the U.S. Open.

The U.S. Tennis Association announced the tournament seedings Tuesday.

The USTA followed the ATP and WTA rankings, meaning Safina leads the women's field ahead of second-ranked Serena Williams. Safina is 0-3 in Grand Slam tournament finals, while Williams is the defending champion at Flushing Meadows and has won 11 major championships.

Two-time U.S. Open winner Venus Williams is seeded No. 3, followed by Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic.

Five-time defending champion Federer is followed by Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and 2003 champion Andy Roddick.

The draw is Thursday. Play begins Monday.

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U.S. Open is Murray's best Slam chance

2009-08-25T11:57:00.001-05:00

Once again, Andy Murray has shown the world how tough he is. Having suffered a bit of a let-down in the semis at Wimbledon, he went straight to Miami and worked incredibly hard - building up the fitness that eventually paid off a little over a week ago in the Montreal Masters final against Juan Martin del Potro.

From an achievement point of view, it's massive. Murray is the first Briton to ever reach No. 2 in the world in the Open era - which is undeniable validation of all the hard work he has put in. He won the physical battle against del Potro, and it's the best possible start to the run-in to the U.S. Open - laying down the gauntlet to everybody else.

Some people might say del Potro tired in the match, but victory came down to a combination of factors, not least the fact that Murray wears his opponents out. He moves people around with a constant change of length and direction and del Potro suffered in that last set, which became something of a non-event.

Both men can undoubtedly play better than they did in the final. It wasn't the best match we will see between those two, but there was a lot at stake. Murray needed to wrestle back the psychological advantage from del Potro after losing to him on clay in Madrid, while del Potro was looking for his first ever Masters title.

Nevertheless, we got a flavour of what we can expect between these two in the future. I think Murray vs. del Potro will very much become the duel of the future. You've got Novak Djokovic too - he's the same age as Murray and will be in the mix with Andy, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for years to come. But Murray/del Potro will throw up some classics.

Andy's week in Montreal gave him his own little slice of history, but it also gives him something far more important. Combined with his run to the Cincinnati Masters semis, Murray has assured himself of going into the U.S. Open as the world's No. 2 player. That means, if the draw works out in his favor, he might not have to face both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on his path to the title.

The U.S. Open is undoubtedly Murray's best chance of winning a slam. There are conflicting reports over which is his best surface, hard court or grass, but let's make no mistake - it's hard courts. They always have been his best surface, they always will be. The reason why some people say grass is because there are only about six good grass-court players out there, so the very fact that Murray is one of those six means that he stands a good chance of winning Wimbledon. He can play exceptionally well on grass, and there are far fewer players who can play well on grass than clay or hard courts.

Despite all of this, Andy has always said his best surface is hard and there is no doubting it. The ball bounces true, he moves better on the firm concrete, he mixes the ball up as well - he utilizes the slice to bring people in, he gets it to jump up off the concrete, the balance and rhythm of his game is perfect. Grass courts are quicker, meaning the big servers can keep him quieter and take away his returning ability to a certain extent.

But let's not assume that he will soon become world No. 1. He still has to win a Slam, and as long as Federer is around, it's still going to be hugely tough for Andy to hit the summit. It's an achievement that would show true versatility - if you can't play on all surfaces in this extremely tough era of men's tennis, you haven't got a prayer of becoming world No. 1.

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Kuznetsova tops Jie; Mauresmo beats Sugiyama

2009-08-25T09:30:00.001-05:00

Top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova needed three sets Monday to overcome China's Zheng Jie 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-4 in the first round of the Pilot Pen tennis tournament, the final warmup before the U.S. Open.

The French Open champion, who received a wild-card entry into this tournament last week, won the first set easily and appeared to be cruising in the second, up 4-2 before Zheng rallied.

Using a strong backhand, Zheng won the next three games, and eventually took the set in a 7-5 tiebreaker.

"I was just very frustrated I did not close it," Kuznetsova said.

Zheng broke Kuznetsova in the third game of the final set and went up 3-1, before the Russian staged a comeback of her own. She won the next three games, and took the match on Zheng's serve when a backhand went long.

"I just want to play matches and to get into match shape," Kuznetsova said. "Physically, I feel good, and I want just to get some matches (before the Open)."

Amelie Mauresmo overcame some sloppy serving to beat Ai Sugiyama of Japan 6-4, 6-1 in her first-round match.

Mauresmo, the tournament's eighth seed, was playing just her second match since Wimbledon after losing in the first round at Toronto last week to Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

Mauresmo looked rusty in the opening set with six double faults, and was broken three times. But the Frenchwoman broke Sugiyama four times in that set, and twice more in the second set to improve her career record against Sugiyama to 11-0.

"The game is not really in place yet," Mauresmo said. "I needed this first set to really get into the rhythm and finally play a much better game and at a better level in the second set."

It took the fifth-seeded woman, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland three sets to beat Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (5).

Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus lost his first-round match to qualifier Frederico Gil of Portugal in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.

Baghdatis, who has struggled recently dropping to 109 in the world rankings, was given a wild-card entry into the tournament. He said he will skip the U.S. Open and try to regroup.

"I'll go back home (to Cyprus), take two days off and start working again," he said. "I'll forget this match and go on."

Sixth-seed Sam Querrey led a trio of American men who advanced Monday. Querrey outlasted Marc Gicquel of France in three sets 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3 in the final match of the night, and the first of the second round. Earlier, Kevin Kim beat Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, and Robert Kendrick ousted Frederik Nielsen of Denmark 6-3, 7-5. Kendrick will face top-seed Nikolay Davydenko in the second round on Tuesday.

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Czech Davis Cup player Minar denies doping

2009-08-25T07:57:00.001-05:00

Czech tennis player Ivo Minar tested positive for a banned substance after a Davis Cup match.

Czech Tennis Association president Ivo Kaderka said on Monday that the sample was taken after a Davis Cup quarterfinal victory over Argentine on July 10-12.

Kaderka said Minar was taking an unspecified supplement that apparently contained a derivative of the banned stimulant pseudoephedrine.

The International Tennis Federation in London said it had no comment.

The 25-year-old Minar, who is ranked 66th, denied deliberate doping.

"I have never consciously taken a banned substance," he said in a statement sent to the CTK news agency. "This is why I rejected the accusation of doping in my reaction sent to the ITF."

Minar cited an injury when he pulled out on Friday from the upcoming U.S. Open.

Kaderka said he interpreted Minar's decision to withdraw as an "offer to deal with the matter in a professional way," not an admission of guilt.

It's unclear whether Minar will be able to play in the Davis Cup semifinal against Croatia on Sept. 18-20.

Minar, who turned pro in 2002 and has never won an ATP Tour singles title, won a doubles tournament in Munich this year with Tomas Berdych.