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Sports => Other Sports => Topic started by: capodetutticapi on July 29, 2009, 09:22:13 AM

Title: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on July 29, 2009, 09:22:13 AM
Sharapova has sights set on U.S. Open runby Richard Pagliaro, Tennis Week, FOXSports.com

Maria Sharapova returns to tournament tennis at next week's Bank Of The West Classic in Stanford aiming for ascension.
 
Sidelined for the first four months of the season as she continued her rehab from a moderate rotator cuff tendon tear she sustained in April 2008, the 61st-ranked Sharapova will try to accumulate enough ranking points to secure a seeded spot for the U.S. Open, which begins on August 31st.

For much of the past year, Sharapova's public appearances have been confined to her Canon commercials and magazine spreads. The player behind the brand says she's eager to resume her roll as a full-time tennis player and sees the U.S. Open Series as the platform to do just that.

"(I'm looking forward to) playing matches. Going out there, playing, performing. That's what I didn't do," Sharapova told the media in a press conference prior to her World TeamTennis appearance for the Newport Beach Breakers on Wednesday night.

Timing has always been a key component of Sharapova's style, which is a form of tennis larceny. At her best, Sharapova stands on top, or a few feet behind, the baseline firing fast, flat strokes that rob opponents of response time and steal away their offensive opportunities. Regaining her timing and responding to the ebbs and flows of match play will take time that can only come from the repeated repetition tournaments provide.

"I mean, listen, it's not that none of these tournaments are going to be tough," Sharapova said. "I feel like a lot of the upcoming matches are going to be tough. I'm still getting the rustiness kind of away from me."


Putting herself in a position to promote a rankings rise is a positive step for Sharapova, whose shoulder injury made her most problematic climb the one off the trainer's table. Sharapova insists her shoulder, which forced her out of last year's U.S. Open and prevented her from defending her Australian Open title in January, is completely healthy.

"I am 100 percent," Sharapova says.

In an effort to strengthen the shoulder — and prevent a recurrence of the injury — Sharapova has adopted a shortened service motion. She's replaced the traditional loop backswing on her serve with the abbreviated backswing, taking the racquet face straight up before dropping it down to launch into her serve in a shortened service motion used by Andy Roddick and Gael Monfils.

Sharapova says she spent time in Phoenix last month strengthening her shoulder and will continue the exercises throughout her career.

"(My shoulder) feels really good. After Wimbledon I went back to Phoenix and I kept working on it," Sharapova said. "It's not something that you just stop when it feels good. You have to keep working on it. You have to keep getting it stronger. For the rest of my career I'll be doing shoulder exercises."

Ultimately, the hope is the shortened service motion — combined with strengthening exercises — helps lengthen her career. Sharapova struggled with her serve at times in recent years and concedes mastering the motion is still a work in progress.

"After surgery I definitely had to shorten up my motion to make it easier on my arm. That's something that I'm still working on and still tuning up," Sharapova said.

A pectoral strain she sustained in 2005 curtailed Sharapova's schedule and she's missed tournament time in each of the past three years due to the shoulder strain. As she tunes up for her sixth career U.S. Open, it's sometimes easy to overlook the fact Sharapova is still only 22 years old.

Sharapova believes injuries are an occupational hazard for elite professional athletes, particularly for players who turn pro at an early age.

"I started when I was very young, I started playing professionally when I was 14 or 15 years old," Sharapova said. "At 22, you consider you've been playing on the Pro Tour that many years, (making a comeback) is definitely not a surprise."

Several talented young players are on the rise, with three members of the top 10 — No. 1 Dinara Safina, No. 8 Victoria Azarenka and the ninth-ranked Caroline Wozniacki — being younger than Sharapova.

"It is a little surprising to see so many girls kind of coming out of the woodwork and they're so many years younger than you," Sharapova said. "You're like, Where did the time go?"

The younger players are making their mark, but experience is still a major asset in majors. The three women who have combined to claim the last five Grand Slam titles — Venus Williams (2008 Wimbledon), Serena Williams (2008 U.S., 2009 Aussie and Wimbledon) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009 French) — have all been on the Tour for at least nine years.

Sharapova's tenacity was on display in Paris in just her second tournament of the season. Clay has never been her ideal comfort zone, but the crushed red brick surface brought out the gritty side of tennis' glamour girl during the French Open.
 
Then ranked 102nd, Sharapova saved two break points at 2-4 in the final set then roared back to edge 11th-seeded Nadia Petrova, 6-1, 1-6, 8-6, to reach the Roland Garros third round for the sixth straight year. Sharapova went on to reach the quarters where the quick-footed Dominika Cibulkova crushed her 6-0, 6-2.

After a trip to the Birmingham semifinals on grass, Sharapova was bounced out of Wimbledon in the second round by Gisela Dulko, another quick counter-puncher who mixed up the pace on her shots and stretched Sharapova into awkward positions on the court.

"I had my chances," Sharapova said of her Wimbledon experience. "I played against a tough opponent on a tough day, and it just didn't go my way. I certainly had my opportunities."

There are top 10 players who are quicker, more versatile and possess more consistent serves, but Sharapova's experience, her affinity for the game's greatest stages and her competitiveness are qualities that make her a threat at every major, particularly the fast track of the U.S. Open where her flat strokes play well. The next five weeks will serve as preparation for her return to Flushing Meadows, where she won three years ago.

"I never lost faith because I knew the things I had already accomplished were way beyond what I ever dreamed of in my life," Sharapova said. "... Obviously just getting to be able to play tennis again is an achievement in itself. Now it's about preparing myself, forgetting about what I went through, just preparing my game, getting back into the form where I was, and even better."

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on July 29, 2009, 09:24:49 AM
with just over a month hope meh gyul could pull it off,but ah will put money on de winners of wimbledon both men and women to take it.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on August 10, 2009, 01:20:13 PM
Roddick loses to Del Potro in Legg Mason finalAssociated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Top-seeded Andy Roddick lost to Juan Martin del Potro in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic final on Sunday, falling 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6) to the defending champion.

The winning shot came on a crosscourt forehand. The replay system on Roddick's challenge confirmed the ball hit the outer portion of the sideline, and del Potro raised both arms above his head in celebration.

It was the first loss for Roddick in four Washington finals. Roddick won the tournament in 2001, 2005 and 2007.

This was Roddick's first tournament since losing an epic Wimbledon final to Roger Federer on July 5. Roddick had taken a monthlong break to recover from a right hip flexor he injured in that match.

Del Potro double-faulted on all three break points he faced — one in each set — but he had no problems serving at the end. The second-seeded Argentine had five of his 19 aces in the tiebreaker, including one on a second serve.

Del Potro lost serve for the third time in the match in the third game of the final set. With the score 30-all, he attempted to smash a high lob and missed, hitting it long. On the ensuing break point, he double-faulted and gave Roddick a 2-1 lead.
Roddick gave the advantage back with his own double-fault on break point to even the set 3-all. Roddick's service loss was part of a run of 11 consecutive points won by del Potro.

That was the last break either player faced, with both holding serve until the tiebreaker.

Del Potro lost his only break point in the first set, when Roddick challenged a second serve. The replay showed it was wide, giving Roddick a 4-2 lead.

Roddick needed three tries at set point, finally closing it out with the fifth of his 21 aces.

Roddick lost serve for the first time in the match to go down 5-3 in the second set. Del Potro didn't take advantage, again losing his serve on a double-fault the next game.

Errors again hurt Roddick when he was serving down 6-5 in the second set. He hit a backhand long to give del Potro the break-point chance, and on the next point he hit into the net to even the match.




Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on August 23, 2009, 09:17:09 PM
Federer wins Cincy Masters title over DjokovicAssociated Press

MASON, Ohio (AP) - Changing diapers doesn't seem to bother Papa Federer's game.

With a dominant first set on Sunday, Roger Federer showed that he's in top-of-the-world form after his time off to become a father. A 6-1, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic brought him the Cincinnati Masters title, his first championship since his twin girls were born last month.
 
Roger Federer was dominant in his run to the Cincy title. (Al Behrman / Associated Press)

"That's the special part, especially winning for the first time as a dad," Federer said. "It gets me going emotionally a little bit, because I know it's been a wonderful summer."

His stellar season can get even better beginning next week at the U.S. Open. The Swiss star has won the last five titles there, and his performance on Sunday suggested he's fully capable of another. Djokovic hadn't lost a set all week, but was never in the title match.

"The closest I was going to get to the first-place trophy is now," the world's fourth-ranked player said, standing 5 feet away from the crystal bowl that goes to the winner of the $3 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

Federer's glass-enclosed trophy case in Switzerland has gotten a lot of precious additions lately. The 28-year-old star won his first French Open championship, then outlasted Andy Roddick in an epic five-set Wimbledon match that brought him a record 15th Grand Slam title.

He shuttled between hospital and practice court for three weeks after his wife, Mirka, gave birth to twins in July. His goal in Cincinnati was to work off the rust and get ready for the Open.

What rust?

"I felt like my game was already pretty well in place in practice, so knew coming over here it was not just to show up," he said. "That it paid off so quickly, I'm a little bit surprised, you know?"

He took control right away, breaking Djokovic's serve in a second game that lasted 13 minutes and 22 points overall. The 22-year-old Serb kept up better in the second set, but knew he was headed for his fourth runner-up finish in a Masters tournament this year.

Djokovic is looking forward to the U.S. Open, where he had one of his worst moments last year. He got into a verbal squabble with crowd-favorite Andy Roddick, who made a flippant remark about the Serb's numerous injuries during the tournament.

When Djokovic took exception to the remarks after a match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the crowd booed. Djokovic later apologized.

"It was unfortunate for me that it happened in one of the four biggest events in the world, and it happened in the city and tournament where I've always felt great, felt at home," he said Sunday. "But, you know, it's the past. I forgot about it. I really look forward to playing there, and hopefully the fans will accept me in a good way."

Federer knows what kind of reception he'll get, from street corners to center court. They love him in NY.

Last year, he was struggling when he showed up in Cincinnati and took an early loss, which opened the way for Rafael Nadal to end his four-year run as the world's No. 1-ranked player. A disappointing showing at the Olympics in China made Federer feel worse. Some commentators suggested he'd lost his ability to dominate the big moments.

He landed in New York and everything changed.

"I was lucky enough that when I got to New York, the fans were really there trying to push me back to No. 1 right away," he said. "They were great, you know. All the cab drivers and everybody was stopping to wish me luck. It was something that I've never really experienced before in New York. I think that really helped turn it around for me."

Feeding off the energy, he beat Djokovic in the semifinals and Andy Murray for the title. When Nadal had to take two months off after the French Open to let his sore knees heal, Federer took advantage of the opening and moved back to No. 1.

Federer will be trying to win a sixth straight U.S. Open title, something no one has accomplished since Bill Tilden did it from 1920-25.

"The fans for me really turned it around, and that's why this year I'm so excited going back there," Federer said. "I've had even better results, so I hope I can again show them what I can do on a tennis court."
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on August 23, 2009, 09:17:47 PM
good tune up towards no. 15
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on August 24, 2009, 08:34:27 PM
His only competition for the Open would be Djokovic or Murray. Also a fit Roddick could spring a surprise. Nadal would not be a contender probably untill the Aussie Open or after. Murray may spring some serious venom this Open.

I hopefully will be there for a few days the first week and one or two the second. Will be checking out some nice ting on the court. It really is the only time I pay attention to Women's Tennis. Tv cyar compete with the naked eye. ;D
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on August 25, 2009, 06:19:14 AM
For anyone interested. The Open Qualies going on from today and is free. Anyone can go without having to fork out any cash untill Friday. Going to the Qualies help anyone understand how difficult the sport is and gain a true appreciation for what takes place out there on the Pro Tour.
I have went on a couple occasions and was totally blown away, every time, by the commitment necessary to participate on the Tour. One year I see a fella (I can't remember he name) run through the field, went into the main draw only to be anihilated in the first round.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on August 25, 2009, 07:20:03 AM
could definitly take een some qualifiers.flushin meadows is only 5 mins from me.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: 100% Barataria on August 25, 2009, 08:21:17 AM
could definitly take een some qualifiers.flushin meadows is only 5 mins from me.

Leh we organize ah seen to see Serena nah?  Wha yuh sey?  You and me culd go and gape or we culd make it a family seen eider way, actually meh wife doh like tennis  ;D
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on August 25, 2009, 09:08:06 AM
could definitly take een some qualifiers.flushin meadows is only 5 mins from me.

Leh we organize ah seen to see Serena nah?  Wha yuh sey?  You and me culd go and gape or we culd make it a family seen eider way, actually meh wife doh like tennis  ;D
i want to get ah gape ah sharapova.we go leave de wives home,we could hit wiggles on queens blvd. after. ;D
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: 100% Barataria on August 25, 2009, 09:42:21 AM
could definitly take een some qualifiers.flushin meadows is only 5 mins from me.

Leh we organize ah seen to see Serena nah?  Wha yuh sey?  You and me culd go and gape or we culd make it a family seen eider way, actually meh wife doh like tennis  ;D
i want to get ah gape ah sharapova.we go leave de wives home,we could hit wiggles on queens blvd. after. ;D

Dais ah seen, ah guh link yuh to conduct it  :beermug:
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on August 25, 2009, 12:51:00 PM
Federer, Safina top U.S. Open seeds; Murray No. 2by FOXSports.com

NEW YORK (AP) - For the first time in nearly four years, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal won't be the top two seeds at a Grand Slam.

Five-time defending champion Federer received the No. 1 seed for the U.S. Open, but Andy Murray — who recently attained the world's No. 2 ranking — is the next in line. Nadal, coming off a long layoff, is the No. 3 seed after slipping to that same spot in the rankings.

Dinara Safina is seeded No. 1 on the women's side. 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.

2006 champion Maria Sharapova is seeded 29th.

Novak Djokovic and 2003 champion Andy Roddick round out the top five for the men.

The 2006 Australian Open was the last time Federer and Nadal were not seeded No. 1 and No. 2 in some order. Nadal missed that tournament because of an injury. The Spaniard also did not play in this year's Wimbledon but was still seeded No. 1 before withdrawing due to the injured knee that kept him off the court for over two months.

Murray reached the U.S. Open final last year, losing to Federer in straight sets. Federer will be seeking his 16th Grand Slam title while Murray is still chasing his first. Nadal needs only a title in Flushing Meadows to complete a Career Slam.

The draw is Thursday. Play begins Monday.

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on August 25, 2009, 08:52:36 PM
Aye fellas the Qualies wouldn't have Sharapova or Serena in there. Mostly unknowns you may have never heard of. Sometimes you do get a known face or so though.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on August 25, 2009, 08:55:51 PM
Aye fellas the Qualies wouldn't have Sharapova or Serena in there. Mostly unknowns you may have never heard of. Sometimes you do get a known face or so though.
we cyar find them on ah court stretchin or sumting.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on August 26, 2009, 06:32:09 AM
You may. They have practice courts where the big boys and them practice on the South side of the grounds. It has been known they practice there during the day at the Qualies as many others. You will have to keep a watch at the practice courts all day to see them. ;D
I have a pardnah(Trini) who go be there hanging out with them  I sure. He use to practice and train them in the early years. After Serena win the final last year she big up he and ah next friend of mine for being there to inspire her win.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on August 26, 2009, 06:52:51 AM
The talk this year for the women is that it may be another Serena win. We got to know by now that these ladies Serena and Venus are major tournament players. They don't win the lower tier tournaments but they have been showing up lately at the majors in fairly good form. I got to give the sisters their props for committing to the game again, it seems for the moment.
 I have been very dissappointed in their committment over the years gone by but it seems they are making a last shot for the game again. I have seen them move from awesome players to almost pathetic. These inconsistent patterns did become the norm for them over the years and no one ever really knew which player would show up. This is probably the reason they've had so many injury problems.
Someone like Serena can't afford to not practice and just run into a tournament without sufficient preparation because her weight is the biggest of her problems. She's a big girl so she definitely have to keep training or spend a long time strengthening her body to withstand the rigors of the tour.
For the time being though the Tennis World waits with abated breath for the emergence of Federer to see which player would become the 'David' of The US Open.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: 100% Barataria on August 27, 2009, 03:23:20 PM
Last 2 years ah went to de open and was lucky enough to see Serena, Capo, we guh organize de seen, we guh be wiggling even before we geh to wiggles  :rotfl:
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on August 31, 2009, 06:44:58 PM
NEW YORK (AP) - Roger Federer and Serena Williams began their U.S. Open title defenses Monday with easy wins in matches that will probably stick only in the memories of the players they beat.
 
Federer defeated NCAA champion Devin Britton 6-1, 6-3, 7-5, and Williams rolled over wild card Alexa Glatch 6-4, 6-1 to fashion a predictable start to the last major championship of 2009.

"My goal was to not get crushed," Britton conceded, "and make it interesting for a little while."

He did, even breaking Federer's serve in the second and third sets, though he was unable to follow either by winning his own serve in the next game. With his coach from Ole Miss in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Britton lost three straight games at love after going up 3-1 in the second.

"I was thinking, 'I'm up a break. This is awesome,"' Britton said. "Then it only lasted about 30 seconds."

Glatch was in the same boat, pushing the second-seeded Williams in the first set before losing quickly in the second. One of America's top juniors earlier in the decade, Glatch received a wild card for the U.S. Open, only to find she was playing one of the best Grand Slam players in history.

Williams, who has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, is going for her second straight and fourth U.S. Open title.

"You just try not to think about the occasion," Glatch said. "You try to pretend it's any other court and you're playing against any other opponent. But it's very hard to do, especially when it's your first time out there in the biggest stadium there is."

Other winners in the first round included eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, 12th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, 17th-seeded Amelie Mauresmo and 26th-seeded Francesca Schiavone. Paul-Henri Mathieu, No. 26 on the men's side, was the first seeded player to lose, beaten by Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.
 
American John Isner won a 16-14 second-set tiebreaker, the highlight of a 6-1, 7-6 (14), 7-6 (5) upset over 28th-seeded Victor Hanescu. Isner has missed a good part of the year with mononucleosis.

"It might have been a blessing in disguise," Isner said. "I've felt fresh ever since I started playing in the States."

Opening the day in Ashe Stadium was 2005 champion Kim Clijsters, who returned to competitive tennis this summer after taking two years off to start a family. She had a baby girl in May 2008.

Clijsters defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-1, 6-1 and didn't show much rust.

"Now it's a matter of trying to keep this going," the Belgian said.

She won the first seven and last 11 points of the match and grinded through her few hiccups, including three double-faults in the third game of the opening set, which extended to seven deuces before she pulled it out.

The win guaranteed she'll be ranked at least 148th after the Open, when she'll have played the three required tournaments she needs to return to the list.



"I still feel like I can improve," she said. "But I'm definitely comfortable where I am right now."

As is Federer, who overcame a "slump" last year when he lost to Rafael Nadal in the French and Wimbledon finals, and has returned back to the top of his game. He won both those titles this year, holds the record with 15 Grand Slam championships and isn't showing signs of tiring.

He is looking for his sixth straight U.S. Open title. Win or lose, the paycheck guaranteed by the opening-round victory made him the first player in tennis history to reach $50 million in prize money.

"I know tennis is not everything, so it's not a problem," said Federer, the father of 5-week-old twin girls. "But if I enjoy playing tennis, why should I stop just because I've beaten the all-time Grand Slam record? That's not what tennis is all about."

Easy for him to say.

While he moves on, Britton plans to hang around and see if he can pull one of the wild-card invites for the mixed doubles. He's signed up with the women's NCAA champion, Mallory Cecil, and is hoping the pairing of two college champions will interest the tournament organizers.

Either way, he's had about as good a U.S. Open experience as a young player can get.

"It was so exciting to be out there," Britton said. "Hopefully I get the chance to be out there again."
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 01, 2009, 06:28:38 AM
I was at the Open yesterday. IT has been a couple years since being there. Was in the Ashe Stadium whole day. See Clijster, Federer and Serena one after the other and it was ah nice scene. Later I  move to the Louis Armstrong Stadium and check out James Blake. After Blake match Hantuchova came on I watch that untill about half way in the second set and then left for the night around 8:15pm.

Britton play a few good games in the second set but that was all he had in the tank vs Federer. The crowd tried they best to get him going and maybe take a set but experience won in the end.

I must say mih eyes eh fully fail me yet, as all dem line challenge dem I was spot on with the calls. Except for one challenge in the Daniela Hantuchova match. Dem lines men and them in the Open some ah dem eh good at all. 

I will be there on Wednesday again and then Friday
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 01, 2009, 10:06:25 AM
blake had it tough with he opponent.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 01, 2009, 10:29:08 AM
Yeah he get a little rough up but nothing drastic. The crowd was next door watching Hewitt but when they hearing all the excitement in the Armstrong if you see rush een to see Blake. Ah white ting, when Blake hit a big shot hear she,' He is so excitting to look at'. Me and mih padna only laughing. If you hear dem woman bawl in dey for Blake. I eh lie doh, the fella he play give Blake a little run and we geh ah little ah we money's worth.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 01, 2009, 10:32:26 AM
Yeah he get a little rough up but nothing drastic. The crowd was next door watching Hewitt but when they hearing all the excitement in the Armstrong if you see rush een to see Blake. Ah white ting, when Blake hit a big shot hear she,' He is so excitting to look at'. Me and mih padna only laughing. If you hear dem woman bawl in dey for Blake. I eh lie doh, the fella he play give Blake a little run and we geh ah little ah we money's worth.
:rotfl:she want him to ruffle she feathers.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 01, 2009, 10:39:20 AM
Yeah he get a little rough up but nothing drastic. The crowd was next door watching Hewitt but when they hearing all the excitement in the Armstrong if you see rush een to see Blake. Ah white ting, when Blake hit a big shot hear she,' He is so excitting to look at'. Me and mih padna only laughing. If you hear dem woman bawl in dey for Blake. I eh lie doh, the fella he play give Blake a little run and we geh ah little ah we money's worth.
:rotfl:she want him to ruffle she feathers.

lol . He brother in de corner under the low. He brother look like he does geh real ting.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 01, 2009, 11:05:25 AM
Kuznetsova, Tsonga cruise to first-round winsby FOXSports.com

NEW YORK - Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced to the second round of the U.S. Open, beating Julia Goerges of Germany 6-3, 6-2 Tuesday.

Kuznetsova, the 2004 champion at Flushing Meadows and this year's French Open champion, won nine of 11 games at 3-3 in the first set.

The Russian played the opening match Tuesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark also won without difficulty, dispatching Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva 6-4, 6-0. No. 24 Sorana Cirstea of Romania — a surprise quarterfinalist at this year's French Open — routed Japan's Ayumi Morita 6-1, 6-3.

Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer upset No. 16 Virginie Razzano of France 6-4, 6-3.

No. 1 Dinara Safina was slated to play next on Arthur Ashe. No. 5 Jelena Jankovic and No. 11 Ana Ivanovic were also scheduled on day two, with No. 29 Maria Sharapova highlighting the night session.

On the men's side, No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made quick work of American teenager Chase Buchanan, winning 6-0, 6-2, 6-1.

Tsonga was the runner-up at the 2008 Australian Open. The U.S. Open is the only Grand Slam tournament at which he's never reached at least the fourth round.

Tsonga played cleanly Tuesday, making only 12 unforced errors, 24 fewer than Buchanan, who was the youngest man in the field. Buchanan was awarded a wild card by the U.S. Tennis Association as the 2009 USTA boys' 18s champion.

No. 4 Novak Djokovic — who defeated Tsonga in that Melbourne final — was due up later at Arthur Ashe Stadium. No. 2 Andy Murray, seeking his first ever Grand Slam title, caps the night session.

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 02, 2009, 02:02:48 PM
Venus rolls; Safin, Mauresmo ousted at U.S. Openby FOXSports.com

NEW YORK - Venus Williams moved on and Marat Safin said goodbye at the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
 
Her left knee heavily wrapped, the third-seeded Williams defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-2, in a much easier match than she had two nights before when she fell behind a set before rallying against Vera Dushevina.

While Williams advances to the third round, Safin's Grand Slam career is over.

Planning to retire at season's end, the former world No. 1 fell 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to Jurgen Melzer. Safin's career will end with two Grand Slam titles, a smaller number than many experts thought possible when he broke through by beating Pete Sampras in the 2000 U.S. Open final.

But a lot of good memories, too. He was a fiery, emotional player in a sport that doesn't have many, a player who estimated he's broken more than 300 rackets in his career and also got fined for pulling his pants down once during a French Open match.

The 29-year-old Safin also won the 2005 Australian Open and reached No. 1 in the ATP rankings — a spot his younger sister, Dinara Safina, currently holds in the WTA rankings.

He came into the U.S. Open ranked 58th and with a 12-17 win-loss record this season. Safin also lost in the first round at Wimbledon in June.

Playing in the afternoon in Arthur Ashe Stadium was Rafael Nadal, making his Grand Slam return after skipping Wimbledon with a knee injury. His match was against Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who is coming back from a 2 1/2-month suspension after testing positive for cocaine.

Defending champions Serena Williams and Roger Federer were scheduled for night matches.

Earlier, another two-time Slam champion — Amelie Mauresmo — lost in the second round of the women's draw, falling to Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-4, 6-0.

The 17th-seeded Mauresmo made 31 unforced errors and hit only nine winners. The 2006 Wimbledon and Australian Open champion joined Ana Ivanovic as the second Grand Slam tournament winner to be eliminated in the first week.

Wozniak, making her third appearance at the U.S. Open, advanced to a third-round match against 10th-seeded Flavia Pennetta, who beat Sania Mirza 6-0, 6-0.


No. 20 Anabel Medina Garrigues was also upset on the women's side, falling to Kirsten Flipkens 6-1, 6-3.

Other early women's winners: No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, No. 18 Na Li, No. 31 Elena Vesnina and unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova. No. 13 Gael Monfils also won on the men's side, beating fellow Frenchman Jeremy Chard 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.

The third day at Flushing Meadows features action across both the first and second rounds. The men still have first-round matches to finish and are scheduled to start the second round as well.

Other notable matches Wednesday include: No. 14 Marion Bartoli taking on Kim Clijsters, No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro against Juan Monaco and No. 31 Lleyton Hewitt kicking off the men's second round against Juan Ignacio Chela.

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 03, 2009, 07:20:41 AM
saw fed easily dispose of de german greul in 3 sets.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 03, 2009, 07:23:24 AM
What injury? Nadal looks ready for Open run

NEW YORK - Rafael Nadal has never looked happier at the U.S. Open and perhaps its because, after five years of substantial grinding, he was forced to take off some time off.

 
Rafael Nadal looked solid in his first Grand Slam match since his French Open loss. ( Julian Finney / Getty Images)
Normally spent by this point on the calendar, Nadal missed six weeks over the summer because of tendinitis in his knees and actually got to enjoy some time on the beaches of his beloved island of Mallorca.

Maybe that's why the six-time Grand Slam winner is a bigger threat than some seem to think he is at this tournament. And while he didn't have to bring out all his weaponry in his 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over the poorly conditioned Richard Gasquet in the first round on Wednesday, he was extremely solid.

He said he's fully healthy and most importantly, enjoying every single moment on court.

"I am more fresh, fresher than ever in this tournament," he said. "But I don't know if this kind of fresh is good."

What Nadal means is that in prior years, when he went on his incredible rolls, he had numerous matches under his belt and never panicked when closing out contests. In 2008 alone, when he put together his incredible summer, which included the French Open and Wimbledon titles and the Olympic gold medal, he was playing week in and week out, and throwing in more than a few hard-core practices too.
 
Last year, when he arrived in New York he had played 34 matches from Roland Garros on (winning 33 of them and five titles). By the time he reached his semifinal against Andy Murray, he was less than spry.

"No excuses about being very tired (this year)," Nadal said. "Only last year a little bit because I arrived totally destroyed in semifinals. But for the rest of the years, I didn't play well because I didn't play well. But every year I play a little bit better."

In his eighth year on tour, Nadal isn't exactly a young 23, not when he's already contested 469 matches with a very physical style. He believes that when he's been at his best, he's been tuned up and in great rhythm with plenty of matches under his belt. The flip side is that towards the end of the season, he can be too tapped to tussle.

"I always played well when I have few tournaments in a row, the experience tells me that," he said. "This year not. I started very well in Australia. But the past years I started playing very well in Indian Wells, Miami, and later the clay season. When you get more experience, with less you can play easier."

Nadal was downright miserable in England when he was forced to pull out of Wimbledon without even a small hope at defending his title. He wasn't too thrilled that his aching knees didn't allow him to move as quickly in Paris either, when Robin Soderling took him down in the fourth round — his first ever loss at the French Open.

But for the first time in his young life, he got a breather — and apparently it was sorely needed. While he says it took him two weeks to get his spirits back up, the mental vacation did him a world of good.


"I had few weeks outside of the world," he said. "This was a very positive thing for me. I missed the competition, but I was for the last five years playing every week at 100 percent."

There are a number of things that the Spaniard needs to do in order to win the tournament. He has to stay healthy. He has to serve as hard, with as much spin and with as much fine location as he did against Gasquet. He has to defend as well as he always has, take chances and dictate with his heavy forehand, make sure that his crosscourt backhand is sharply angled and not just push his returns back into play.

Essentially, he has to rediscover the same ferocious attitude that brought him to his first major hard-court crown back in January at the 2009 Australian Open. He has to face down the elite and make sure that they know that one more heavily top-spinned ball is going to come back and shake their rackets.

Nadal will face German Nicolas Kiefer in the next round, who knows how to mix it up and attack. He could face the steady and sometimes spectacular Gael Monfils in the fourth round, or seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga — the same free-swinging guy who took him out of the 2008 Australian Open — in the quarterfinals. And then there might be the matter of Andy Murray and Roger Federer, the world's top two ranked players whom many think will meet in the final again.

Without a doubt, Nadal is capable of winning the event, but his knees must hold up before his let his racket do the talking.



"I know I am in the right way, so I think if I have the chance to win a few more matches and I get the confidence, we will see what happens later," he said.


Notes

Three long-time veterans played their last Grand Slam on Wednesday when 2002 U.S. Open champion Marat Safin, France's "magician" Fabrice Santoro and Romanian warrior Andrei Pavel all lost. This quote from the enigmatic Safin, who has had an atrocious year, says it all: "I don't care about losses anymore." When asked the difference between he and Safin, Santoro said, "Where I'm different is like, I'm still enjoying to be on the court and to play tennis."

After Flavia Pennetta crushed her 6-0, 6-0, India's Sania Mirza — a former top 30 player who has struggled mightily this year — offered this statement about the 10th seeded Italian's chances: "If she plays like that, she's going to win the Open."

Serena Williams — who routed Melinda Czink in Wednesday's nightcap — will face the same woman she accused of cheating against her at the French Open, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, in the third round.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 04, 2009, 01:42:51 PM
Serena in fourth round, Tsonga wins at U.S. OpenAssociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Defending champion Serena Williams reached the fourth round at the U.S. Open with another straight-set victory.

The No. 2-seeded Williams, seeking her fourth title at Flushing Meadows and 12th Grand Slam singles championship, beat 43rd-ranked Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 7-5 Friday.

They also played in the third round at the French Open, where Williams was pushed to three sets before winning. In that match, Williams hit a ball she was sure went off Martinez Sanchez's arm, then said the Spaniard cheated by not acknowledging it. There was no sign of animosity Friday.

Williams now faces No. 22 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, who beat Vania King of the United States 6-2, 6-2.

Flavia Pennetta also advanced to the fourth round, beating Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada 6-1, 6-1 Friday.

The 10th-seeded Italian next plays either Vera Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina.

Pennetta was in control throughout against Wozniak, finishing with 13 winners to three for the Canadian.

Pennetta has lost just six games while sweeping six sets through three rounds at Flushing Meadows. She had her best Grand Slam result in New York last year, losing in the quarterfinals.

On the men's side, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced to the third round with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.

The seventh-seeded Frenchman had 45 winners on Friday and converted all three of his break-point chances to improve his win-loss record to 38-14 this year.

Tsonga has reached the third round at Flushing Meadows in three consecutive years but has yet to advance past this point. The 2008 Australian Open finalist lost to Tommy Robredo last year and Rafael Nadal in his U.S. Open debut in 2007.
 
The 24-year-old Tsonga will play countryman Julien Benneteau in his next match. Benneteau advanced with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over 30th-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia.

American Jesse Levine fell short in his upset bid, blowing a two-set lead in losing to Croatia's Marin Cilic in the second round.

Cilic rallied for a 4-6, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-0 victory. Levine advanced to third round at Wimbledon this year. He is from Boca Raton, Fla., and played at the University of Florida.

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.

Levine had been awarded a wild card for the third consecutive year and beat Teimuraz Gabashvili in the first round for his first victory at Flushing Meadows.

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: dwolfman on September 05, 2009, 09:23:50 PM
Roddick and Sharapova out. I saw Safina was down a set at 2-2 in the 2nd.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: STEUPS!! on September 05, 2009, 10:29:15 PM
safina has such a weird shape  :-X
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 06, 2009, 08:09:21 PM
Clijsters tops Venus at Open; Nadal, Serena winAssociated Press
 
NEW YORK (AP) - Anyone wondering how serious a threat Kim Clijsters might be at Flushing Meadows after a two-year layoff got their answer Sunday when the 2005 U.S. Open champion at toppled No. 3 Venus Williams, 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.


Moving well, stinging shots with both forehand and backhand and matching every bit of Williams' power, the Belgian star offered a startling referendum on the state of her game.

It may have also said something about the true state of Williams' left knee, which she hurt in the opening round, but had refused throughout the tournament to use as an excuse.

"It was unbelievable. I don't know what to say," Clijsters said. "It was such a weird match, especially those first two sets. But after I lost the second at 6-0, I said, let's start over and start a new match."

Indeed, the match began the way many Sundays do in Queens - with a couple of bagels. It took a grand total of 50 minutes to complete those first two sets, but both players regrouped from that bit of awkwardness and played some of the most compelling, solid tennis of the tournament so far.

Clijsters grabbed an early break for a 3-1 lead, helped by one of Williams' five double-faults to close it out, then served out the match, though it was anything but routine.

She fell behind 0-30 on her serve at 5-4, but just kept banging away. She got it to 30-40, then hit a shot deep into the corner that Williams couldn't handle. She forced an error at deuce with another deep groundstroke, then skidded a service winner off the line on the backhand side for the win.

Her reaction was one not so much of surprise, as a smile that seemed to say "I told you so." She became the first female wild-card entrant to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals. This marked the third meeting between Clijsters and Williams at the U.S. Open, and each previous time, the winner has gone on to take the championship.

"I've been working really hard the last seven, eight months and I'm enjoying it," Clijsters said. "It's something that's really important for myself, as long as I can focus on tennis and have fun on the outside as well."

Clijsters retired in 2007 to start a family and hadn't seen Grand Slam action since that year, but is quickly re-establishing herself as one of the few who can move well enough and hit hard enough to challenge the Williams sisters.

Mother of an 18-month-old daughter, Jada, Clijsters is trying to join Australians Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong as the third mother to win a Grand Slam singles title.

"We have help, so that's great," Clijsters said. "It's fun. To her, it doesn't matter whether I win or lose. She's just happy to see me and that's great."

Clijsters came into the U.S. Open without enough tournaments under her belt to receive a ranking, and now finds herself two wins away from becoming the first unseeded player to reach the finals of the Open since Williams in 1997.

"I was really glad coming back that a few of the girls who were there when I was playing well are still on top right now," Clijsters said. "And it's great to see some of the newcomers doing well, too. It's fun for me to be part of the change the sport is going through."

On the men's side, No. 3 Rafael Nadal overcame a 10-minute medical break for an injury to his stomach muscles to defeat 32nd-seeded Nicolas Almagro, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Nadal missed Wimbledon with knee injuries, and now must deal with injured abs that first cropped up last month in Cincinnati.

"I don't want to talk about injuries," Nadal said. "Sorry. No, no, I am a little bit tired to talk about injuries. I am here to try my best every day."


In other men's matches, No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez advanced, as did No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, while 24th-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero moved on when ninth-seeded Gilles Simon retired in the fourth set with a right knee injury.

The biggest buzz on this blustery day in Flushing Meadows belonged to Clijsters, the Belgian, who was clearly the fan favorite at Ashe Stadium - an honor usually reserved for an American going against a foreigner at this tournament.

The Clijsters win injected another twist into a tournament that is not going to form. No. 2 Serena Williams is the only top-5 seed remaining. Meanwhile, 70th-ranked Melanie Oudin, the 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., is turning into a star.

Clijsters shook up the side of the bracket that practically had Williams-vs.-Williams penned in for the semifinals. Her next match is against 18th-seeded Li Na of China, with a possible meeting with Serena after that.

Before her sister lost, Serena Williams cruised through her fourth-round match, winning the final 10 games in a 6-2, 6-0 rout over No. 22 Daniela Hantuchova.

"I just want to keep this level and just stay focused," Williams said.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 07, 2009, 12:46:59 PM
LOUD STEUPS VENUS
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: 100% Barataria on September 07, 2009, 12:52:36 PM
Oudin shaping up to be de Russian slayer
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 07, 2009, 04:03:02 PM
Oudin shaping up to be de Russian slayer
she dash meh gyul,sharapova hopes.and she come from behind too to beat petrova.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: richpy on September 07, 2009, 07:17:28 PM
Good lil playa, that Oudin. To see them screamers from Sharapova and Petrova in the early part of her matches with them, and still come back to win - the girl got sand.

Petrova self-destruct today. I mean, she was playing beautifully.  Not taking anything away from the Oudin, but yuh can't let someone beat yuh who can't even win half her service games.

Apart from Serena, Venus, pre-injury Sharapova, and Oudin,, them girls have weak minds out there. I've seen too many matches where they self-destuct for no reason.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: asylumseeker on September 08, 2009, 03:11:15 AM
Allyuh fellahs lucky to have that in yuh backyard. Wish I could take in the live action. Last time I made the flash, a good while now, it was pure rain ... ppl just milling around hoping it would stop. That year Richard Williams threatened to dismantle Serena's (German?) stalker ...
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 08, 2009, 11:11:18 AM
Oudin captures hearts of America at U.S. Openby Zachary Pierce, FOXSports.com

Even if you're not much into sports, you can rally behind this story. A 17-year-old girl from Georgia is beating some of the biggest names in tennis on one of the sport's biggest stages.

 
This triumphant pose is getting quite familiar for Melanie Oudin. (Emmanuel Dunand / Getty Images)
Her name is Melanie Oudin and she has taken the U.S. Open by storm this past week, winning four straight matches at the year's final Grand Slam event, three of those against highly regarded players.

Ranked No. 70 in the world going into the tournament, Oudin — pronounced oo-DAN, thanks to her father's French heritage — stands just 5 feet, 6 inches tall but has proven that height isn't nearly as important as heart.

It all started last Tuesday, when Oudin was slated to face unseeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Oudin had no difficulties there, winning 6-1, 6-2. That result went largely unnoticed, and little did she know the success that was about to come.

It was her next match that catapulted Oudin into the minds of fans across the country. Her second-round opponent was Elena Dementieva — a very experienced 27-year-old Russian, ranked No. 4 in the world and twice before a Grand Slam finalist. Oudin dropped the first set in that match 7-5, showing great poise but ultimately relenting to the superior game of Dementieva at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest arena in tennis.

Feel-good story over, right? Not even close.

Oudin turned the tables in the next two sets. She won them 6-4 and 6-3 to pull the tournament's first stunning upset, all the while motivating herself with fist pumps and cries of "Come on!"

One person not surprised by the result: Oudin.

"During the match, I had confidence, and, I mean, I was right there with her the entire time," Oudin said. "She wasn't blowing me off the court. She wasn't hitting winners left and right on me."
 
The win made Oudin an instant star, but it wasn't the first time the feisty teen had made noise at a Grand Slam. She beat Jelena Jankovic — a former world No. 1, ranked No. 6 at the time — in the third round at Wimbledon earlier this summer. That match followed a similar pattern: Oudin lost the first set before rallying.

As the national media spotlight grew brighter in New York, Oudin didn't wilt. Her reward for beating Dementieva was a third-round match at Ashe on Saturday against Maria Sharapova — the popular tennis star and 2006 champion at the U.S. Open. Once again, Oudin dropped the first set. And once again, Oudin rallied behind a crowd that was falling in love with the gritty game of the determined youngster.

Then came a fourth-round match against No. 13 Nadia Petrova, the fourth straight Russian Oudin had faced in the tournament. The Georgian was overwhelmed in the first set but fought back for yet another three-set victory.


Meet Melanie Oudin
Birthdate (Age) Sept. 23, 1991 (17)
Hometown Marietta, Ga.
Height 5 feet, 6 inches
Current WTA rank 70
Turned pro February 2008
Career prize money $245,371
Career singles record 87-40
Career Slam record 7-3
Information from WTA Tour website. Records good through Monday.
"I try to pretend that it's not, like, Arthur Ashe Stadium. I try to just pretend it's any other match — even just practicing," Oudin said. "Sometimes I tell myself I'm just practicing at my academy at home, and I'm just playing one of my friends," Oudin said. "So it's not a big deal."

Not a big deal? Look at that: She's even modest. Her inspiring run has taken almost all the focus off the other major storylines this fortnight in New York. Roger Federer's quest for a sixth straight title in men's singles is almost an afterthought in the headlines next to Oudin.

And consider what her peers are saying about her:


Dementieva: "She has a great variety. Today she was definitely in the court trying to hit down the line. She has a very solid game. She moves really well. The footwork is really great. She was really fighting for every point, playing everything back; she's very patient. She knows what is her strength. She's just waiting for the moment to attack the ball."

Sharapova: "I certainly think she has a great future ahead of her."

Petrova: "She's on a roll. And she has nothing to lose. She goes, enjoys it, crowd is behind her. She's just having a blast out there."



Top American men's player Andy Roddick: "I like the way she constructs points. It's not just, you know, hitting the ball to one spot. She kind of works the slice in there. She competes. She moves really well. She seems like a sweetheart. I'm cheering for her."
Oudin's path to stardom on Broadway started down south in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Ga. At 7 years old she would hit buckets of balls with her grandmother for practice. A couple years later, Melanie and her twin sister began taking lessons together. Her current coach, Brian de Villiers, has been with her since she was 9.

Both coach and sister were there Monday, as well as Mom and Dad and her 15-year-old boyfriend. That young man came up with an idea that has turned into Oudin's mantra for the tournament. He suggested she stamp the word "BELIEVE" across her pink-and-yellow tennis shoes. He also helped her prepare for her first match at Ashe against Dementieva by practicing with her in the 23,763-seat arena early Thursday morning.

Belief has certainly played a big part in Oudin's winning streak.

"It's kind of hard to explain how I've done it," Oudin said after beating Petrova. "It's, like, now I know that I do belong here. This is what I want to do, and I can compete with these girls, no matter who I'm playing. I have a chance against anyone."

The next person she'll have a chance against is another highly ranked player — No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. They'll meet in a quarterfinal match Wednesday, no doubt on the glittery stage of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Three more wins would net her a most improbable Grand Slam title.

 
Oudin's boyfriend, 15-year-old Austin Smith, came up with the idea to stamp "believe" near the heel of the teen's pink-and-yellow sneakers. (Kathy Willens / Associated Press)

A year ago Oudin was ranked No. 221 and lost in the first round of the U.S. Open. Now, endorsement offers, paparazzi and media requests are everywhere, but there are still hints of that wide-eyed teenager in her. She's even sharing a bed with her mother in their New York hotel.

Yes, no matter what happens this week at the U.S. Open, one thing is for sure: Melanie Oudin's life is about to change. She's a quarterfinalist at a Grand Slam and will shoot up the rankings when they're released next Monday. How high depends on how far she goes in New York.

"This," Oudin said Monday, "is what I've wanted forever."

Forever. A relative term coming from a 17-year-old. But hey ... she's playing like a seasoned veteran, might as well talk like one too.

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 08, 2009, 12:37:52 PM
Clijsters' comeback rolls into U.S. Open semisAssociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Kim Clijsters has kept her comeback on track, moving into the semifinals of the U.S. Open with a two-set victory over China's Li Na.

Clijsters is unseeded and making her first appearance at the Open since she won it in 2005. She defeated her 18th-seeded opponent 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The Belgian is returning to tennis after taking two years off, during which she had a baby girl. She entered Flushing Meadows unranked because she hadn't played enough matches in her comeback. She will rise to at least the low 50s on the strength of this run.

She added the Li victory to earlier wins over No. 3 Venus Williams and No. 14 Marion Bartoli. Clijsters will face No. 2 Serena Williams or No. 10 Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals.

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 08, 2009, 12:38:28 PM
lookin like ah matchup with de lil williams
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 08, 2009, 01:22:13 PM
lookin like ah matchup with de lil williams

Revenge 4 big williams.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 08, 2009, 07:37:06 PM
Murray out; Clijsters to face Serena in Open semisAssociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Second-ranked Andy Murray was surprisingly ousted from the U.S. Open by Marin Cilic of Croatia by a lopsided 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth round on Tuesday.

Cilic overcame two set points in the first set, then pounded Murray over the last two to reach his first career Grand Slam quarterfinals. Murray, who lost to Roger Federer in the final at Flushing Meadows last year, will finish 2009 without making a major final.

The match ended in the late afternoon in New York, and just before newspaper deadlines back in England, where the sports sections follow Murray's every move. Certainly, those headlines won't be nice on Wednesday morning.

"Today, I could've been better in pretty much every part of my game, whether it was mental, forehand, backhand, return," said Murray, who conceded that, yes, this was the most disappointing loss of his career.

How to explain this setback, his earliest loss on hard-courts since the Australian Open, against the Croatian he had beaten in their three previous meetings?

The right-handed Murray was holding his left wrist and grimacing in pain at the end of the first set. He said the wrist had been bothering him for a week or so.

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

Cilic moved on to meet sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, who reached his second straight U.S. Open quarterfinals by cruising past No. 24 Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

 
Juan Martin del Potro is quietly mowing his way through the men's draw. (STAN HONDA/AFP / Getty Images)

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 lost to Murray in the Open quarterfinals a year ago. "It will be very tough for me."

In another fourth-round men's match, No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile eliminated No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Gonzalez faces No. 3 Rafael Nadal or No. 13 Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals.

Kim Clijsters, already into the semifinals, will face a Williams for the second time in this tournament.

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

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 American and 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 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 woman to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows since Elena Dementieva in 2000.

"I'm surprised to be sitting here talking to you right now," Clijsters said.


Cilic said the set points he saved, serving at 4-5 in the first, were the turning point against Murray. He responded by getting ahead 0-40 on Murray's serve in the next game, won the second break point, then took 13 of the next 17 games for his first career win over an opponent ranked in the top three.

"It was a relief for me to start getting more into the game," Cilic said of his reaction after saving the set points. "I didn't have to think too much. I played good, played tactically well, and he was missing."

Murray had 29 unforced errors, 12 fewer than Cilic, but he hit only 13 winners and never looked comfortable in the match in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Off on Tuesday, but certainly looking on with interest, was Federer. Gone was Murray who, at least the rankings say, was supposed to be Federer's biggest challenger, the man who last month became the first since early 2006 to break the Federer-Rafael Nadal stranglehold on the top two spots.

Murray, meanwhile, was one of the sport's new breakout stars, one of the few out there who could beat Federer with some regularity, and a winner of five tournaments this year.

None of them, however, was a Grand Slam, and his status as a popular choice to break through this week wasn't worth much against Cilic.

"I put pressure on myself to win the tournaments," Murray said. "It's nice to hear that sometimes from other players, or ex-players, but it doesn't make a difference who says you're going to win, lose tournaments. That doesn't affect you."

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 08, 2009, 08:32:13 PM
Monfils win the first set and got broken, he now 4-2 down in the second set. Nadal do ah dance when he get the passing shot for the break. This could be a good match here tonight, or, Monfils will have a melt down.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 08, 2009, 08:35:07 PM
Monfils just got the break back. We on serve now.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 09, 2009, 10:55:09 AM
who win de serena clijters semi winnin de open.meh money on serena.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 09, 2009, 07:56:13 PM
Serena should pull through to win the whole thing. If Clijsters win it go be a real fight down.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 09, 2009, 08:03:02 PM
Oudin falls in U.S. Open quarters; Djokovic winsAssociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Melanie Oudin's magical U.S. Open is over.
 
Showing signs of shakiness in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, the 17-year-old Oudin got off to a slow start against No. 9-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and never really recovered, losing 6-2, 6-2 Wednesday night.

"This has been a great experience for me. I had a great run here," the 70th-ranked Oudin told the crowd of 23,881 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.

She upset 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 story even better: Oudin's last three victories each came after dropping the first set. But Wednesday's start was quite inauspicious: She lost 14 of the first 18 points under the bright lights in the big city.

With "BELIEVE" stamped in all capital letters on the heels of her pink-and-yellow sneakers - and, up in the player guest box, her twin sister and coach wearing black T-shirts bearing that word, too - the 5-foot-6 Oudin certainly never gave up.

Her groundstrokes let her down, though.

Oudin made 43 unforced errors, 23 more than Wozniacki. A relative veteran by comparison, the 19-year-old Wozniacki leads the women's tour in match victories this season.

"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 Serena Williams against 2005 champion Kim Clijsters.


Never intimidated by the hostile crowd, Wozniacki was backed by her own cheering section of about 15 strong. Their applause and yells of encouragement were quite audible in a mostly empty Arthur Ashe Stadium as Oudin's error count mounted in the early going. 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 a yell of "Come on!"

This was, don't forget, Wozniacki's first major quarterfinal, too, yet she 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.

In men's action Wednesday, No. 4-seeded Novak Djokovic reached the U.S. Open semifinals for the third consecutive year, beating No. 10 Fernando Verdasco of Spain 7-6 (2), 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion, lost to Roger Federer in the 2007 final and the 2008 semifinals at Flushing Meadows.

He could meet Federer again this year: After the Oudin-Wozniacki match, Federer faced No. 12 Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals, with the winner facing Djokovic.
 
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."
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: giggsy11 on September 10, 2009, 06:24:20 AM
Serena should pull through to win the whole thing. If Clijsters win it go be a real fight down.

Is it me or does Serena appear to be the mentally tougher of the Williams sisters! I hope she does win it all. Every time a Williams sister win they get to thumb their noses at the tennis snobs who have been questioning and second guessing everythibg they have been doing since the came on the scene!
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 10, 2009, 11:49:00 AM
Serena should pull through to win the whole thing. If Clijsters win it go be a real fight down.

Is it me or does Serena appear to be the mentally tougher of the Williams sisters! I hope she does win it all. Every time a Williams sister win they get to thumb their noses at the tennis snobs who have been questioning and second guessing everythibg they have been doing since the came on the scene!

Is not u she tougher
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 10, 2009, 01:51:48 PM
look like oudin mammy want to play with balls too.

Report: Oudin divorce filing alleges coach affairAssociated Press
 
NEW YORK (AP) - The father of American tennis sensation Melanie Oudin is reportedly seeking a divorce from her mother, alleging Leslie Oudin had an affair with the teenager's coach.

Sports Illustrated's Web site reported that Oudin's father, John, filed for divorce in July 2008 on grounds of adultery. According to the report, John Oudin said in a sworn statement last month that his wife had an affair with the 17-year-old's coach, Brian de Villiers.
Melanie Oudin's parents were married in 1989 and have three daughters.

John Oudin was not in his daughter's guest box Wednesday night for her U.S. Open quarterfinal loss to No. 9-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

According to SI.com, John and Leslie Oudin agreed to several conditions in a temporary order dated Dec. 16, 2008, including a stipulation "that (Leslie) will not interact with Brian de Villiers except as it specifically relates to the children's tennis activities ... (and) not to travel with Brian de Villiers to any tennis tournaments in which the children are participating."

The Oudin divorce proceedings are ongoing, the Web site reported.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: giggsy11 on September 10, 2009, 02:51:19 PM
look like oudin mammy want to play with balls too.

Report: Oudin divorce filing alleges coach affairAssociated Press
 
NEW YORK (AP) - The father of American tennis sensation Melanie Oudin is reportedly seeking a divorce from her mother, alleging Leslie Oudin had an affair with the teenager's coach.

Sports Illustrated's Web site reported that Oudin's father, John, filed for divorce in July 2008 on grounds of adultery. According to the report, John Oudin said in a sworn statement last month that his wife had an affair with the 17-year-old's coach, Brian de Villiers.
Melanie Oudin's parents were married in 1989 and have three daughters.

John Oudin was not in his daughter's guest box Wednesday night for her U.S. Open quarterfinal loss to No. 9-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

According to SI.com, John and Leslie Oudin agreed to several conditions in a temporary order dated Dec. 16, 2008, including a stipulation "that (Leslie) will not interact with Brian de Villiers except as it specifically relates to the children's tennis activities ... (and) not to travel with Brian de Villiers to any tennis tournaments in which the children are participating."

The Oudin divorce proceedings are ongoing, the Web site reported.


Is there any sport with more drama involving parents or coaches than tennis? Is like they are stage parents to the 10th power!
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 10, 2009, 03:05:26 PM
look like oudin mammy want to play with balls too.

Report: Oudin divorce filing alleges coach affairAssociated Press
 
NEW YORK (AP) - The father of American tennis sensation Melanie Oudin is reportedly seeking a divorce from her mother, alleging Leslie Oudin had an affair with the teenager's coach.

Sports Illustrated's Web site reported that Oudin's father, John, filed for divorce in July 2008 on grounds of adultery. According to the report, John Oudin said in a sworn statement last month that his wife had an affair with the 17-year-old's coach, Brian de Villiers.
Melanie Oudin's parents were married in 1989 and have three daughters.

John Oudin was not in his daughter's guest box Wednesday night for her U.S. Open quarterfinal loss to No. 9-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

According to SI.com, John and Leslie Oudin agreed to several conditions in a temporary order dated Dec. 16, 2008, including a stipulation "that (Leslie) will not interact with Brian de Villiers except as it specifically relates to the children's tennis activities ... (and) not to travel with Brian de Villiers to any tennis tournaments in which the children are participating."

The Oudin divorce proceedings are ongoing, the Web site reported.


Is there any sport with more drama involving parents or coaches than tennis? Is like they are stage parents to the 10th power!

Good question
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 10, 2009, 05:45:26 PM
Nothing strange about this kind of divorce, it takes place everyday. I know a couple teaching pros who mashing up a few mommies right through and they husband doh even know.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 10, 2009, 05:49:50 PM
Serena should pull through to win the whole thing. If Clijsters win it go be a real fight down.

Is it me or does Serena appear to be the mentally tougher of the Williams sisters! I hope she does win it all. Every time a Williams sister win they get to thumb their noses at the tennis snobs who have been questioning and second guessing everythibg they have been doing since the came on the scene!

I guess so. I know a guy who worked with Serena and Venus and say Serena was the one as a kid who would run up on anybody who test she or Venus. Also Serena is the better equiped of the two. Better technique and more prepared to win Championships
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: Peong on September 12, 2009, 08:58:01 AM
So Nadal - Gonzalez finishing up today.  I hope I catch it. 
Gonzalez has some real firepower.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 12, 2009, 08:01:16 PM
Serena just lost the first set and tear up the racquet in the process.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 12, 2009, 08:06:26 PM
So Nadal - Gonzalez finishing up today.  I hope I catch it. 
Gonzalez has some real firepower.

rafa dispose of him in 3.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 12, 2009, 08:07:33 PM
Serena just lost the first set and tear up the racquet in the process.
serena under some pressure.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: 100% Barataria on September 12, 2009, 08:38:34 PM
Serena just lost the first set and tear up the racquet in the process.
serena under some pressure.

My girl tough man, watch de ride
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 12, 2009, 08:52:24 PM
Serena just lost the first set and tear up the racquet in the process.
serena under some pressure.

My girl tough man, watch de ride

Well is triple match pt for Clisters as I type so I gettin ready to Steupsssssssssssssss
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 12, 2009, 08:53:04 PM
wtf,serena give up
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 12, 2009, 08:53:19 PM
Serena get default for carrying on with the line woman

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 12, 2009, 08:54:07 PM
LOUD LOUD STEUPS another wasted saturday nite
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 12, 2009, 08:54:35 PM
wtf,serena give up

Nah code violation
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 12, 2009, 08:56:16 PM
Line woman say Serena told her, ''I'll kill you''. This would be a code violation
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: 100% Barataria on September 12, 2009, 08:56:45 PM
wtf,serena give up

Nah code violation

Awful foot fault call, maybe she would have lost anyway (in actual play) but we will never know, lines woman is a c**t
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: STEUPS!! on September 12, 2009, 08:58:17 PM
dat lineswoman is a f**kin mook. serena shoulda jus blow she to f**k out. steups
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 12, 2009, 08:58:48 PM
look like she disqualified
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: STEUPS!! on September 12, 2009, 08:59:20 PM
and who d crowd was booin? serena or d lineswoman?  ???
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 12, 2009, 08:59:44 PM
wtf,serena give up

Nah code violation

Awful foot fault call, maybe she would have lost anyway (in actual play) but we will never know, lines woman is a c**t


Yeah the call looked suspect
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 12, 2009, 09:01:02 PM
allyuh realize kim really wanted to go on.she woulda win any which way though.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 12, 2009, 09:02:07 PM
wtf,serena give up

Nah code violation

Awful foot fault call, maybe she would have lost anyway (in actual play) but we will never know, lines woman is a c**t

LOUD STEUPS she play crap so she was upset just like DY when he eh take d penalty. Take responsibility and doh act dotish
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: STEUPS!! on September 12, 2009, 09:02:38 PM
allyuh realize kim really wanted to go on.she woulda win any which way though.

serena have a way of comin back in d death stages tho
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: 100% Barataria on September 12, 2009, 09:03:47 PM
wtf,serena give up

Nah code violation

Awful foot fault call, maybe she would have lost anyway (in actual play) but we will never know, lines woman is a c**t


Yeah the call looked suspect

De call was beyond suspect, on many replays shown all commentators pointed out how it was wrong, given that she's down a set, it's 6-5 Kim in the 2nd set, and she's serving her 2nd serve in the 3rd pt of the 12th game, so the call puts her down 15-40 given Kim 2 match pts.  One could argue she could have kept her cool, but given the significance of the pt., the wrong call was awful.  Mudda c**t, piss meh off.  As a man who does fly off de handle plenty time on de football field ah culd understand  ;D
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: 100% Barataria on September 12, 2009, 09:07:25 PM
wtf,serena give up

Nah code violation

Awful foot fault call, maybe she would have lost anyway (in actual play) but we will never know, lines woman is a c**t

LOUD STEUPS she play crap so she was upset just like DY when he eh take d penalty. Take responsibility and doh act dotish

Come nah man Weary, I presume you watch Serena alot, she's the only reason I look at Tenis (don't take that the wrong way  ;D).  How many times has she struggled in a game and found a way to come back and win?  I know you can answer that question.  Given the signifiance of the pt being played it was quite unfortunate, the call was wrong.  Yes, she was wrong to fly off the handle, but given the sig of the pt. being played, I personally will cut her some slack. 

Folks always want to talk about keeping one's cool (not pointing a finger at you here Weary), but we are all human, it's not as if she is the Johnny Mac of women's tenis.  Cut her some slack
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: Bitter on September 13, 2009, 08:00:25 AM
Roid Rage! :devil:

Nah, Serena was wrong. Bad calls happen. Move on. Cussing out the woman wasn't going to change anything.

anyway, here is some info about ppl acting like fools on the court:


Quote
...only two players have ever been defaulted from a WTA tour event as of 2007 and neither was American; Anastasia Rodionova in '07 and Irina Spirlea in 1996. That's not just being docked a point or a game, but being kicked out of a tournament for behavior.

The most notorious bad actor in men's tennis worldwide was not McEnroe (who never actually got defaulted until near the end of his career, long after his most famous on-court diatribes), but Ille Nastase, who was NOT American. Nastase once gave the chair umpire the middle finger in the middle of a match.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: Bakes on September 13, 2009, 09:33:24 AM
dat lineswoman is a f**kin mook. serena shoulda jus blow she to f**k out. steups

Lol... Serena was wrong man.

The call was horrible.  Even if it was a foot fault it was a fault by millimeters... not the kind of call you make at that point of a match, Grand Slam at that.  That said Serena totally blew her top and I felt sorry for the poor lineswoman when Serena was 'busing she.  Allyuh have to remember that she's just ah volunteer, Serena is de big professional.  A little more grace under fire was required.  She's still mih gyul doh... no scenes dey Serena.

btw... she wasn't defaulted eh, she drop two critical points at an inopportune time, the foot fault followed by the point assessment for abusing de woman.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 13, 2009, 10:23:59 AM
de poor lady was lookin frighten no ass too.serena tell her....i will put this ball down your fukkin throat.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 13, 2009, 11:13:08 AM
men semi on espn2 now.....nadal v del potro.rafa down 1 set
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: STEUPS!! on September 13, 2009, 11:28:33 AM
de poor lady was lookin frighten no ass too.serena tell her....i will put this ball down your f**kkin throat.

seriously?!!!!

dat lady cuda get it tho. like she eh know serena from compton!
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 13, 2009, 12:38:07 PM
nadal get ah proper cutass today.6-2 in all 3 sets.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: pass(10trini) on September 13, 2009, 01:16:45 PM
nadal get ah proper cutass today.6-2 in all 3 sets.

Really!!!!

Frigggg.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: ribbit on September 13, 2009, 01:56:54 PM
serena have more testostorone than semenya - but less sense.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: giggsy11 on September 13, 2009, 02:30:24 PM
wtf,serena give up

Nah code violation

Awful foot fault call, maybe she would have lost anyway (in actual play) but we will never know, lines woman is a c**t

LOUD STEUPS she play crap so she was upset just like DY when he eh take d penalty. Take responsibility and doh act dotish


Agreed, is like the incident just gave her a reason to blow a gaskett! As much as I like both sisters they need to learn to take their losses a little more gracefully.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 13, 2009, 02:38:31 PM
Del Potro routs Nadal for first Grand Slam finalAssociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Rafael Nadal looked lost, swallowed up by the huge serves and crushing forehands coming at him from the 6-foot-6 opponent across the net.
 
That was Juan Martin del Potro, who made his first Grand Slam final, handing Nadal a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 loss Sunday at the U.S. Open — the worst loss Rafa has suffered in a major tournament.

"I think this is the best moment of my life," del Potro said.

Nadal was dealing with a strained abdominal muscle, which after the match he finally admitted was bothering him. The six-time Grand Slam tournament champion also gave plenty of credit to del Potro, who deserved every bit of it.

"Just have to congratulate him," said Nadal, who has now lost three straight to del Potro.

The sixth-seeded Argentine — the first from that country to make a U.S. Open final since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 — kept No. 3 Nadal pinned behind the baseline with a deep, flat forehand and a first serve he mixed at between speeds in the 90s to the 130s.

In the first set, Nadal put on his usual show, battling for every point, never giving in, even though it was clear he was being overpowered. The first four games crept along, at 27 minutes.

But he couldn't convert any of the five break points he had against del Potro's huge serve over the first 12 games. And there was no waiting out this storm, no hoping del Potro might weaken, the way he did earlier this year at the French, when he was leading Roger Federer 2 sets to 1 at his first Grand Slam semifinal.

Federer came back in that one and might await again. In the final, pushed to Monday because of rain over the weekend, del Potro will play either him or Novak Djokovic. Del Potro's record against the two: a combined 0-9.

The result prevented the eighth Federer-Nadal final in a Grand Slam and first at the U.S. Open, and left Rafa still in need of a win at Flushing Meadows for the career Grand Slam.

"I'm sorry," del Potro told the crowd in his on-court interview. "But tomorrow, I'll fight until the final point for you, for everyone, to show good tennis."

Del Potro's first major final extends a stretch of improving tennis that began last year when he became the first player to win his first four titles in four straight tournaments. He saw his ranking jump from 65 to 13 and will likely move to No. 5 after this tournament.

He had two days off since his quarterfinal win over Marin Cilic and could be seen often, walking the halls at Arthur Ashe Stadium, waiting out two days of rain delays that pushed the men's final back for the second straight year.
 
Nadal, meanwhile, had to finish his postponed quarterfinal Saturday afternoon, and though that was a stress-free dispatching of Fernando Gonzalez that took 34 minutes to complete, there was no doubting who was in better physical condition for this match.

Nadal's abdominals have been bothering him throughout, and when he hunched over in pain after a double fault in the first set, it was clear he was still hurting Sunday.

"Here, it was disappointing, I had a little bit of a (bad) break," he said. "The right abdominal. To compete with these players was difficult."

Nadal will take some time off, including skipping Spain's David Cup match this month.

Del Potro has a date Monday to try to bring the title home to Argentina for the first time since Vilas did it in 1977.

The best win of his career?

"I think so," del Potro said. "It was so focused every moment because Rafa's a great player. He can run for 5, 6 hours. I'm not very strong but I do my best, and I'm in the final."

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 13, 2009, 06:42:56 PM
Serena fined $10K as U.S. Open reviews outburstAssociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Serena Williams was fined $10,000 Sunday for a profanity-laced tirade directed at a U.S. Open line judge, and an investigation is under way to determine whether there should be additional punishment.

The $10,000 penalty — not quite 3 percent of the $350,000 in prize money Williams earned by reaching the semifinals at Flushing Meadows — is the maximum on-site fine that can be issued for unsportsmanlike conduct at a Grand Slam tournament.
The U.S. Open said in a statement that the Grand Slam Committee Administrator will "determine if the behavior of Ms. Williams warrants consideration as a major offense for which additional penalties can be imposed."


Serena's big meltdown Photos: It was a wild night at the U.S. Open. Check out these shots of Serena Williams' loud exit at Arthur Ashe Stadium. 
Williams, who was the defending champion, also was docked $500 for smashing her racket after the first set of what became a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Kim Clijsters on Saturday night.

Two points from losing in the second set, Williams faulted at 5-6, 15-30. On her second serve there, the line judge called a foot fault, making it 15-40 and giving Clijsters a match point. Williams began berating the line judge and a penalty point was awarded to Clijsters; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semifinal.

"Last night, everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don't agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly," Williams said in a statement released Sunday by a public relations firm.

"I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience."

The chairman and CEO of the women's tennis tour, Stacey Allaster, issued a statement calling Williams' conduct Saturday "inappropriate and unprofessional."

"No matter what the circumstances, no player should be allowed to engage in such behavior without suffering consequences. I have spoken with the USTA about this matter and I agree with the action they have taken," Allaster said.

Williams and her older sister Venus are scheduled to play in the women's doubles final Monday. Venus got in some work on a U.S. Open practice court Sunday; Serena wasn't with her.

Tournament spokesman Chris Widmaier said Sunday that officials were watching tapes of what happened Saturday night. The tournament referee, Brian Earley, interviewed Williams and the match's chair umpire before they left the grounds Saturday.

With Williams serving, two points from defeat, a line judge called a foot fault on a second serve. That gave Clijsters a match point. Williams screamed, cursed and shook a ball in the official's direction, saying "If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat."

The line judge went over to the chair umpire, and Earley joined in the conversation. With the crowd booing — making part of the dialogue inaudible — Williams then went over and said to the line judge: "Sorry, but there are a lot of people who've said way worse." Then the line judge said something to the chair umpire, and Williams responded, "I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious? I didn't say that." The line judge replied by shaking her head and saying, "Yes."

Williams already had been given a code violation warning when she broke her racket after losing the first set. So the chair umpire now awarded a penalty point to Clijsters, ending the match and giving Clijsters the victory.

Asked in her postmatch news conference what she said to the line judge, Williams wouldn't say, replying, "What did I say? You didn't hear?"


"I've never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don't know why she would have felt threatened," Williams said with a smile.

"She was called for a foot fault, and a point later, she said something to a line umpire, and it was reported to the chair, and that resulted in a point penalty," Earley explained. "And it just happened that point penalty was match point. It was a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct."

When the ruling was announced, Williams walked around the net to the other end of the court to shake hands with a stunned Clijsters, who did not appear to understand what had happened.

"I used to have a real temper, and I've gotten a lot better," Williams said later. "So I know you don't believe me, but I used to be worse. Yes, yes, indeed."

Lost in the theatrics was Clijsters' significant accomplishment: In only her third tournament back after 2 1/2 years in retirement, the 26-year-old Belgian became the first mother to reach a Grand Slam final since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won Wimbledon 1980.
 
"The normal feelings of winning a match weren't quite there," Clijsters said. "But I think afterwards, when everything kind of sunk in a little bit and got explained to me about what happened, yeah, you kind of have to put it all in place, and then it becomes a little bit easier to understand and to kind of not celebrate, but at least have a little bit of joy after a match like that."

Clijsters hadn't competed at the U.S. Open since winning the 2005 championship. Now she will play for her second career major title Sunday against No. 9 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-3, 6-3 in the other rain-delayed women's semifinal.

Williams came into the day having won three of the past four Grand Slam titles, and 30 of her previous 31 matches at major tournaments.

She was playing fantastically at the U.S. Open, not losing a set before Saturday and having lost her serve a total of three times through five matches.

But Clijsters — who beat Williams' older sister, No. 3 Venus, in the fourth round — was superb, matching strokes and strides with as strong and swift a woman as the game has to offer.

Williams, meanwhile, kept making mistakes, and two backhand errors plus a double-fault contributed to a break at love that put Clijsters ahead 4-2.

When Williams netted backhands on consecutive points at 5-4, Clijsters had broken her for the second time and taken the opening set. The last backhand was the 14th unforced error made by Williams to that point — twice as many as Clijsters — and the American bounced her racket, caught it, then cracked it against the blue court, mangling the frame.

When Williams walked to the changeover, she clanged it against the net post and was given a warning for racket abuse by the chair umpire.

That would prove pivotal about an hour later, at match's end.

"I mean, the timing is unfortunate, you know," Clijsters said. "To get a point penalty at the time, it's unfortunate. But there are rules, and you know, like I said, it's just unfortunate that it has to happen on a match point."
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 13, 2009, 06:46:07 PM
Federer tops Djokovic to move 1 win from titleNEW YORK – Roger Federer has moved one victory away from his sixth straight U.S. Open title with a 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic.

The world's top-ranked player punctuated the victory Sunday with a winner, hit backward between his legs, to set up match point.

The top-seeded Federer won his 40th straight match at Flushing Meadows and will try to become the first player to win six straight titles at America's Grand Slam since Bill Tilden in the 1920s.

Federer will play No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Rafael Nadal earlier in the day to make his first Grand Slam final.

Federer has now reached the final of 17 of the last 18 Grand Slam tournaments.

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: richpy on September 13, 2009, 07:49:06 PM
Calls like that does make yuh think it have big tiefing in sports, however, as someone said earlier, the woman is just a volunteer. To see strong-up Serena coming at yuh with racket raised must be a frightening thing.

Anyway, go Caroline!
That Dane cute for so!
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 14, 2009, 06:58:30 AM
With family on board, Clijsters back in the game

NEW YORK - With the vast majority of its stars teetering this year, the women's game needed a player to step up and challenge the ferocious and occasionally overly aggressive Serena Williams, who had won three of the last four majors.
 
It could have been one of the talented Russians (like Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dinara Safina) or one of the enigmatic Serbians (Jelena Jankovic or Ana Ivanovic). But for a variety of reasons, none were up to the task on a consistent basis at the majors, much less at the U.S. Open.

So in stepped former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters, just 18 months past the birth of her daughter Jada and itching to get back to competition.

A daughter of a former soccer star, Clijsters was born to run, bred to compete, taught to lace the tennis ball. She returned to the tour in good shape, wiser, more aware of her weapons and her options on the court. She had few of the nerves that saw her lose four Grand Slam finals earlier this decade, and maybe a little bit more ambition.

And just like that in New York, down went seven-time Slam champion Venus Williams, down went the 11-time major titlist Serena Williams, and in the Sunday evening final, down went the ambitious Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki, 7-5, 6-3.

The bold Belgian became the first mother since Evonne Goolagong at the 1980 Wimbledon to win a major.

"This is something that in my wildest dreams I could never imagine happening," said Clijsters, who also won the 2005 U.S. Open.

Her comeback run went full circle in just six weeks, with Clijsters beginning the trip in Cincinnati with a tight loss to No. 1 Safina and ending it smiling broadly like only a new parent can watching Jada prancing around the court after the trophy presentation and playing with the sparkling silver trophy.

"It's a surprise, but her level isn't a surprise because she's such a big talent who doesn't need a year to get to her best level," her coach, Wim Fisette, told FOXSports.com. "She needed a few matches, but I knew she could do it at the Open. She went every day to practice and then to play with Jada and she didn't have the time to think about that she had to play Serena or a final tonight, because she was busy with Jada. It was perfect for her mind."

It was Clijsters' knowledge of the conditions and newfound love of the tight moments that brought her to the crown. In the final, she had to battle swirling winds and a backboard of an opponent, one who shared athletic genes. Like Clijsters' dad, Wozniacki's father played pro soccer and she too can run well and counter scoring barrages. Clijsters' dad died last year with Kim at his side, but Clijsters could sense that his spirit was still with her.


"You feel his presence," she said. "It's not just me, it's my sister (Elke), it's (her husband) Brian. We very strongly feel his presence. That's something that's very comforting at the same time, but it's also something that's a little bit sad. There are things that happen, and I really believe in signs."

With Clijsters erratic and a bit unsure of herself in the tough conditions, Wozniacki served for the set at 5-4, but was broken when she was forced into a forehand error. Clijsters then largely sped away, holding to 6-5 with a series of deep groundstrokes and then winning the set with a bone-crunching inside-out forehand.

The wind died down in the second set and with the first set in her pocket, Clijsters played more freely. She broke Wozniacki to 4-2 when the Dane erred on a backhand and although Wozniacki tried pushing at her a little more, Clijsters kept hammering away at Wozniacki's weaker forehand side and it eventually broke down.

She won the match when she put away an overhead, then dropped to the ground in celebration and began to cry with joy. She climbed into the Friends' Box to hug her husband, Brian Lynch, and the rest of her supporters

They were by her side when she began practicing at the start of the year and couldn't run for more than 30 minutes at a time. They were there when she rapidly improved, on court and in the gym. They saw the belief grow inside that she could not only take on the quick kids like Wozniacki, but take down the once feared Williams sisters, who used to own her.

"Kim was always an unbelievable player," Fisette said. "But she's better now. She's more complete, aggressive and became physically stronger. She felt she had more power because she was stronger, and hitting hard became like hitting normal. I kept telling her you can hit as hard as Serena, so just show it and overpower her. And she enjoyed it and when you are enjoying it, it's easier to play well."

With the victory, Clijsters will rise to No. 19 in the rankings. As long as the 26-year-old stays healthy, she'll be a significant threat at the Slams.

Clijsters needed a break, and a chance to achieve her off-court desire to start a family. Now she's back with a far better understanding of her possibilities on the court.

"At that time I didn't look at it that way," Clijsters said. "But maybe now I've become a lot more understanding of myself, you know how to deal when different emotions come up. Maybe that's something when you're young and you get nervous. ... The situation with Serena, those are things when you're 18-19 that can have a big impact on you. Now I have the experience of knowing how to deal with it and knowing myself a little bit better. I think that's the biggest difference, is that I know myself a lot better than I did a few years ago."
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: elan on September 14, 2009, 08:18:18 AM
Hual alyuh ass, is years they fighting down the sisters and you all gonna stand there and say Serena should be professional. Get off it. Is not just one call. Is a culmination of bad CALLS.

People complain about how they fed up see the two sisters in finals and how the daddy does decide who win which one. Since then, every tournament ensuring that the sisters meet earlier than the finals, why is that?

To hell with them, Mac Enroe use to be funny, even last week he was mocking himself in a little entertainment on the court. Fack them. Let them sit and watch they vanilla tennis.

If it was the other way around you would have heard how stressful the situation and the point in the match was and that they could understand why she behaved like that.

Serena was on MTV VMA and poking fun at the situations.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: elan on September 14, 2009, 08:22:52 AM
Or and one more thing, yes the side line woman is ah volunteer, what does that mean? She can call any shyte she want cause she not getting a milli for sitting there? She needs to be professional and the organizers need to recruit professional judges and officials. How you expect professional to be supervised by amateurs? Utter :bs:
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: elan on September 14, 2009, 08:38:53 AM
Or and they make sure they complete the fairy tale story for Kim. "Only her 3rd tournament after giving birth she wins a major tournament." With her daughter at center court not a better story to be told at the tournament.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: Bakes on September 14, 2009, 10:06:09 AM
Agreed, is like the incident just gave her a reason to blow a gaskett! As much as I like both sisters they need to learn to take their losses a little more gracefully.

What Venus do?  When else have they not taken their losses gracefully??
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: giggsy11 on September 14, 2009, 10:59:55 AM
Agreed, is like the incident just gave her a reason to blow a gaskett! As much as I like both sisters they need to learn to take their losses a little more gracefully.

What Venus do?  When else have they not taken their losses gracefully??

Not giving their opponents credit for playing them well enough to beat them. They always seem to be moaning about this and that when they lose. I love their games and that they are successful but is always something.

This is just an example

"U.S. OPEN
TheStar.com | Tennis | Loss to Henin leaves Venus sore, dizzy loser
 
Loss to Henin leaves Venus sore, dizzy loser
   
Sep 08, 2007 04:30 AM
Rosie DiManno

NEW YORK

She was hoping for a magic pill, an infusion of pep, even a jump-up jelly bean to turn the trick.

But there was no elixir available to Venus Williams yesterday, just mystification over ill-timed illness and a U.S. Open final – the tantalizing taste of it – flushed down the toilet.

Head spinning, belly roiling, Williams all but lurched off the court, unbalanced and enervated by whatever's been ailing her of late, leaving Justine Henin to make solo sweet with a crowd clearly disappointed over the 7-6, 6-4 outcome: No Williams sister, indeed no American of either gender, left to contend for this made-in-the-U.S.A. championship.

"I was feeling dizzy, a little sick to the stomach, was just having energy problems,'' Williams explained, adding that the nausea had arisen earlier in the week – long before a bathroom duck just before this semi match began (hydration problem, that, she explained delicately, too much liquid guzzled). And well before Williams summoned a trainer to her side in the second set, having willed herself back from an early break, appearing to seize the momentum from Henin, the Belgian atypically tentative, vulnerable, throughout this encounter.

Trainer took Williams' pulse, fingers pressed to throat and handed her a packet of pills. "I don't even know what she said. I was, like, in a zone. I was just hoping that she had a magic pill. She gave me some sports jelly beans. I tried to eat 'em but I was still feeling dizzy.''

From Henin, who proceeds into tonight's final against Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova – both have won this tournament before – there was just the slightest hint of skepticism about Williams' health issues, as if she sensed another excuse therein. Informed that Williams claimed she'd been less than 100 per cent for this match, Henin dropped a cool and sarcastic: "I'm surprised.''

A few nights earlier, of course, Serena Williams was disgracefully ungracious about her quarter-final loss to Henin, with lots of sniping about "lucky shots.''

Henin countered that she was hardly feeling cartwheel hot herself, with an unspecified breathing problem. "I saw the doctor also.''

It did sound a bit odd for Williams to retroactively play the malaise card, suggesting indisposition had been affecting her for the past two weeks, when she had been playing with sublime form here, her best tennis in years.

She did look bleary-eyed afterwards, though.

"I felt I was fighting some circumstances I couldn't conquer.''

What she couldn't conquer, notably, were several of Henin's brassy drop volleys and angling topspin shots. Nor was it characteristic of Williams to be so weak on her second serve, successfully attacked by Henin.

In sweeping the siblings, Henin accomplished what no woman has managed at a major other than Martina Hingis, who pulled off the double-slam at the '01 Australian Open, though losing the final to Jennifer Capriati.

World No.1 Henin, who hasn't dropped a set here, had earlier admitted being somewhat in fear of the Williams sister, coming into this match with a 1-7 record against Venus, though the two hadn't met head-to-head since 2003. Henin has captured six majors since then, the same as Venus.

"I didn't believe in myself, didn't trust myself enough in the last few years against them. This year, a lot of things have changed. I still have a lot of respect but I'm not scared anymore. It's been really, really important to me in this tournament to play both of them. It was a great challenge and I did it.''

Then, one turn of the screw: "They are both great champions. I can admit that.''

Not-so-subtle implication: They can't.

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 14, 2009, 02:48:21 PM
So Serena thinks we saw her passion for tennis Saturday night.

I saw cowardice.

I saw an oversized, underachieving loudmouth get smacked into reality by a just-out-of-retirement mom.

I saw the character flaw that prevents Serena Williams from taking her rightful place alongside Michael Jordan as one of the greatest champions of all time.

In an absolutely crazy, busy and fabulous sports weekend, two moments stood out: 1. Serena Williams' match-point meltdown in her U.S. Open semifinals clash with Kim Clijsters; 2. Michael Jordan's raw, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners Hall of Fame induction speech.

Serena and Jordan are both being crucified for their alleged classless behavior. Only one deserves it, the one who issued the gutless apology on Sunday.

"(Saturday) night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job," Williams said in a press release. "Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don't agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience."

Do you see the words "I'm sorry" in any of that? What you see is one last potshot at the line judge who had the audacity to follow the rules. You also don't see any recognition that Serena comprehends her threats to shove a ball down the throat of a woman half her size overshadowed the remarkable performance of her opponent.

But we've grown used to Serena belittling her competition.

Serena has been so emotionally coddled and crippled by her enablers, including irresponsible and irrational television commentator John McEnroe, that she mistakes embarrassing displays of poor sportsmanship as passion and competitive fire.

Someone get her a copy of Jordan's Hall of Fame speech.

Jordan's rambling and possibly cocktail-inspired acceptance rant has been misinterpreted by the media. We didn't like it. It wasn't gracious or spiced with false humility. Jordan declined the high road and traveled the bone honest one.

In graphic detail, he explained the slights — real, exaggerated and imagined — that fueled his competitive fire. He gave us a peek behind the curtain, a look at what drove the greatest competitor in our lifetime. I overlooked his missteps. He's a basketball player, not a motivational speaker. He spoke without a map. His words were not measured or chosen to create the impression he was anything beyond a competitive son of a bitch.

Serena and many of her groupies see the foot-fault call that put Clijsters at match point as a continuation of the inherent racial bias that has plagued Serena's entire tennis career. And perhaps it is. Life is inherently unfair, and a country-club sport like tennis is more racially unfair than most.

How does a top competitor with limitless talent respond to unfairnes 
Jordan chose to destroy his challengers and shame the people who propped them up with never-before-seen on-court excellence.

No doubt, racial bias played a role in Buzz Peterson being named North Carolina's high school player of the year over Jordan in 1981. Friday night, Jordan talked about how he roomed with Peterson at UNC and set out to prove Peterson's inferiority. Jordan said he didn't care about the infamous NBA All Star freeze-out allegedly orchestrated by Isiah Thomas and other black players. Jordan said the rumor only made him work harder to prove to his peers that he deserved the attention and acclaim he received at an early age.

Jordan took shots at the high school coach who didn't let him play varsity as a sophomore, Jerry Krause for valuing the franchise more than the players who powered the Bulls, Dean Smith for leaving him off a Sports Illustrated cover and Bryon Russell for daring to say he could defend Air Jordan.


 Jordan wasn't a whiner. He was a competitor. He was old school, a reminder of the values that created the social progress and freedom too many black athletes now take for granted.

Kicking ass and taking names earns far more respect than take-my-ball-and-racket-go-home tantrums. No one respects a crybaby, especially one with more ability than everyone else.

Clijsters put a clown suit on Serena. Two-and-a-half years after retiring to have a baby and in her first major since her return, she wiped the court with the self-described No. 1 player. Rather than take her beating like a a grown-ass woman, Serena first smashed her racket and then sacrificed match point with a ridiculous tirade directed at the line judge.

Everybody knows damn well Serena has no business losing a major to a baby's mama. And everyone knows damn well if Serena dropped 20 pounds and focused on her game, she'd be untouchable.

But rather than focus on her unrealized potential, McEnroe and Serena's other groupies want to pretend that calling a foot fault late in a match that Serena was clearly losing was some sort of hate crime worthy of Serena making a fool of herself.

The foot fault didn't cost Serena the U.S. Open. Just like nearly every other loss in her career, Serena's unwillingness to compete at her highest level led to the defeat.

 

Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: NYtriniwhiteboy.. on September 14, 2009, 05:09:33 PM
weary for a moment i say u wrote that article! then i see it on msn!
like serena but sorry..she lost it totally..threatening that little woman? wow! Kim had her number in de match and for all mcenroe tirades he never came close to those kinda threats.,..at least in the tings i seen of him with my young self ;D
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: daryn on September 14, 2009, 06:29:09 PM
anybody notice how fast federer does put on his watch for the presentation ceremony?

the camera was on del potro for maybe 20 seconds.  that must be a real lucrative endorsement deal.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: capodetutticapi on September 14, 2009, 06:57:42 PM
Del Potro shocks Federer in 5 for U.S. Open titleby Zachary Pierce, FOXSports.com


Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro battled for the U.S. Open title, with the Argentine winning a memorable five-set thriller for his first career Grand Slam title. Recap all the action here with our blog.

Del Potro defeats Federer 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2


Fifth set
Game 8: Another Federer mishit to start the game, more missed first serves, a forehand into the tape. It's 0-30, del Potro. Federer gets the next point but then badly errs on a backhand, giving del Potro two championship points. Federer saves the first, then the second. On the second deuce, Federer double faults to give del Potro another championship point. And he gets it! Federer misses on a backhand and Juan Martin del Potro has pulled the tournament's biggest stunner!

Game 7: Federer just can't find the court with any shot right now. A hold at love, and the defending champion is on the ropes.

Game 6: Another double fault from Federer to open the game. Again, he bounces back to secure the hold. Time is running out for the five-time defending champion.

Game 5: Federer keeps giving himself opportunities but he just can't bust through. Del Potro holds yet again. He's two games from the major upset.

Game 4: What a horrendous time for Federer's serve to leave him. He's been fighting against it all day. He holds here, but he's going to need to break to get back in it.

Game 3: We should know one thing about this set: Federer won't quit. He fights his way to a break point here but del Potro scrambles out and holds.

Game 2: Is Federer feeling the nerves? Some loose forehands give del Potro two break points. Federer saves one before del Potro scorches a passing shot to the far side for an early break. This is getting dicey for Federer!

Game 1: A quick hold for del Potro. If he's feeling the nerves, he's not showing it.


Fourth set
Tiebreak: Federer double faults to start the breaker. Then more patented del Potro hitting gives him a 3-0 lead. They trade serve points on the next three and change ends at 4-2. Someone from the crowd calls "Out!" on a del Potro, which sparks up a controversy. Federer stopped playing the point after punching the ball back. He then complained and won a challenge, which irritated del Potro due to the long delay. The end ruling: del Potro gets his first serve back. On the ensuing point, Federer shoots a backhand long for a 5-2 lead. Federer wins two on his serve to make it 5-4. On the next rally, Federer misses with a forehand and del Potro gets two set points. Another forehand misses. We've got our first five-set U.S. Open since 1999, folks.

Game 12: Some big serving sends us to a tiebreak as del Potro holds at love. Federer could be on the verge of the title.

Game 11: Del Potro's playing some nice points on Federer's serve, but only after getting into a big rut first. Federer jumps out 40-0, then del Potro gets the next three to force deuce. He crushes a Federer return to earn himself a break point. Federer saves that and another before securing the hold.

 
Juan Martin del Potro got the crowd behind him in the fourth set. (Al Bello / Getty Images)

Game 10: Del Potro rares back for a couple huge serves to give himself a point for 5-5. He caps a rally with a big-time winner up the line for the hold.

Game 9: Just like last set, a quick turnaround takes a lead from del Potro and gives it to Federer. The world No. 1 holds to put himself one game from a sixth straight U.S. Open title.

Game 8: Federer ramps up the pressure on del Potro and gets a break point. A long rally ends with del Potro shorting a forehand. We're back on serve.

Game 7: Federer appears to have an easy hold before del Potro challenges a serve on the final point, wins the challenge, then wins the point to make it 40-30. Federer buckles down and finishes the game on the next point.

Game 6: A fantastic rally ends with del Potro flicking a forehand winner up the line, just inside the back corner, then high-fiving some lucky fans in the first row. This crowd may soon be fiercely on his side. A quick hold puts del Potro up 4-2.

Game 5: Del Potro is showing some great mental toughness. He hits a great forehand winner up the line, then coaxes a couple Federer miscues for three break points. A Federer forehand flies wide and the Argentine scores a break at love. Now, can he consolidate with a hold?

Game 4: A key point at 30-15 goes Federer's way. A del Potro forehand sailed just long (though TV reviews showed it barely clipped the line). Federer gets another break point. Del Potro then wins three straight for another huge hold.

Game 3: Del Potro sure is letting that forehand loose now. Federer, though, is still able to hold easily.

Game 2: The crowd senses del Potro's losing his mojo and he gives Federer two break chances on his first service game of the set. Two solidly played points get del Potro to deuce. Federer shoots a forehand wide and then del Potro blasts a cross-court forehand to get a crucial save.

Game 1: Here's the ultimate test for del Potro. You just went from a break up to losing the set in the blink of an eye and now you're faced with the unenviable task of needing to win two straight sets to beat Roger Federer in a major final. He comes out swinging, winning a point on a nice cross-court forehand to get it to 30-30. Federer wins the next two points for the hold.


Third set
Game 10: Del Potro ended up challenging the last point of the previous game after a long delay, which ticked off Federer considerably. He cursed at chair umpire Jake Garner. It also seems to have fired him up. He grabs a 0-30 edge, two points from the set. Del Potro gets back to 30-30 but then double faults twice to hand the set to Federer on a plate.

Game 9: Federer starts with an ace-service winner sequence before Del Potro fights back into the game with some huge hitting. Two big forehands give him a break point at 30-40. The Swiss sensation digs out again and holds.

 
Roger Federer struck back in the third set. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / Getty Images)

Game 8: Federer curls a backhand winner on a sharp angle to give himself a 0-30 advantage, his first shot in awhile that's made us ooh and ahh. Del Potro rockets a forehand long and suddenly Federer can bounce right back. Del Potro saves two before Federer swipes the next point to level the set.

Game 7: 30-30 to start the game. Federer sprays a forehand wide to give del Potro a break point. Federer fires another forehand wide and del Potro leads the match for the first time.

Game 6: The Argentine has really kicked it in gear on his serve. A hold at love. No one's getting any chances so far in this set.

Game 5: Del Potro gets a quick look at 0-15, but Federer powers back for the hold. Still on serve.

Game 4: Federer gets himself into some rallies but del Potro wins the points and holds.

Game 3: A beautiful running backhand pass up the line give del Potro a break point early in the third. He tries to get cute with a forehand and misses it just wide. Federer shakes it off and holds to stay on serve.

Game 2: A quick hold for del Potro. They're both settling into the match.

Game 1: The danger of taking a set off Federer is always that you'll awaken the beast. And maybe that's what's about to happen. Federer fires a pair of aces to give himself a 40-0 lead and holds at love.


Second set
Tiebreak: Del Potro hits a crazy defensive shot from one corner to the other to win the first point. They stay on serve over the next five points and change ends at 3-3. A mishit from Federer gives del Potro a mini-break at 4-3. Del Potro smacks a winner, then a great first serve followed by a backhand winner to give himself three set points. He misses a backpedaling overhead to blow the first one. His up-the-line return floats wide on the next. Del Potro's got one left, and it's on his serve. Off Federer's return, an inside-out forehand lands just inside the line and del Potro takes the set. Don't go anywhere!

Game 12: Federer won't be able to skate by with these bad first serves much longer. He double faults to open the game, then falls behind 15-30. But then an ace, a second serve winner and an error from del Potro bring us to a tiebreak.

Game 11: For so many reasons, that break was just what del Potro needed. He's back into this match mentally, pumping his fist and ripping his way to an easy hold. He has the lead in a set for the first time.

 
Juan Martin del Potro got himself back into the match in the second set. (Matthew Stockman / Associated Press)

Game 10: Boy, would del Potro like the first 18 games of this match back. At 30-30, del Potro rips a forehand up the line that is called out. The review shows that it just caught the line. On the next point, he curls another beautiful forehand up the line that catches paint again. Break to del Potro. Forget what I said about spotting two sets ...

Game 9: An easy hold at love for del Potro. The level of play is evening out between the players, but you just can't spot Federer two sets before you start playing well. Not a good formula for success.

Game 8: Del Potro is getting himself into rallies on Federer's serve, but he just can't win the big points. Federer fights through three deuces for a hold, putting him one game from the set.

Game 7: A pretty solid service game for del Potro. With Federer struggling to land his serve in the box, del Potro is by no means out of this. But time is growing thin in this set.

Game 6: That dangerous forehand just isn't there for del Potro today. Federer holds with ease.

Game 5: Del Potro appears to be on his way to a quick hold before Federer reels off a string of points to get another break point. Del Potro saves it and another to keep himself kicking in the set.

Game 4: The crowd roars when del Potro wins a long rally to take the first point. They desperately want him to get back in this. A pair of Federer errors give del Potro his first two break point chances of the match. Once again, Federer responds with his back in a corner and gets back to deuce. He then hits what appears to be an ace, but del Potro was distracted by something that blew on to the court. The chair umpire says to replay the point, and del Potro wins it. He can't capitalize on the break chance. Federer goes on to hold.

 
Game 3: A subdued hold from del Potro ends when he smashes away a shot Federer had to play behind the back. Between that and the through-the-legs winner yesterday against Novak Djokovic, Federer's turning this into quite a showcase.

Game 2: The crowd's not even applauding some of Federer's winners at this point. The only point he loses in the game is his own doing — a double fault. He's threatening to run away with this thing.

Game 1: Del Potro is in real danger of a total collapse. He double faults to hand Federer a 0-40 edge, then double faults again two points later. Early second-set break to Federer.


First set
Game 9: The blown opportunity doesn't bother Federer. He holds easily and wins the set on an ace.

Game 8: Big mental check time for del Potro. Federer gets a triple set point after a pair of mishits from del Potro and a nice drop shot. Del Potro digs in, though, and wins the next five points to stay in the set, finishing with an ace out wide.

 
Roger Federer was feeling it during the first set. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / Getty Images)

Game 7: The 20-year-old follows that with some nice hitting to get a 0-30 edge as Federer's serve starts to escape him. Federer — as he often does — finds a way out of the hole.

Game 6: Del Potro double faults at 30-30 to give Federer another break chance, then wins an extended rally and fires two aces to keep himself from being totally buried in this first set.

Game 5: Federer hits his way out of a potential trouble spot at 30-30. Del Potro has yet to threaten on the Federer serve.

Game 4: The bad news for del Potro: He's down a break. The good news: He can't serve much worse than he did in that first game. He connects on four first serves in this game and Federer can't handle any of them. Quick hold. He needed that.

Game 3: Federer holds without difficulty. Del Potro challenges a line call after a gorgeous Federer forehand to the back corner. It wasn't close. The first-time Slam finalist is a little rattled here in the early going.

Game 2: Federer's able to step in a couple times on del Potro's serve and gets himself a 15-30 edge. At 30-30, Federer attacks a second serve and rips a winner for an early break chance. Del Potro responds with a big serve-forehand combo to save it. Federer gets four more break chances before finally capitalizing on a brilliant running forehand passing shot after a fantastic rally. 2-0 Federer.

Game 1: It's the big-hitting del Potro against the all-around brilliance of Federer. The Argentine is going to need that heavy racket today, but Federer doesn't let him bust it out in the first game. A series of powerful serves and forehands keeps del Potro well behind the baseline as Federer holds easily.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: STEUPS!! on September 14, 2009, 07:31:03 PM
YES!!! Finally somebody other than federer win  :-X
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: weary1969 on September 14, 2009, 09:12:32 PM
I am  :o d man was 2 set up and say dat is dat.
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: giggsy11 on September 15, 2009, 05:55:07 AM
YES!!! Finally somebody other than federer win  :-X

Here, here! I was happy to see the player was able to maintain his high level of play against Federer and it was not a one time against Nadal. Hope he can keep it going. I wonder if Federer was overconfident?
Title: Re: 2009 US Open.
Post by: ribbit on September 15, 2009, 07:01:42 AM
weary for a moment i say u wrote that article! then i see it on msn!
like serena but sorry..she lost it totally..threatening that little woman? wow! Kim had her number in de match and for all mcenroe tirades he never came close to those kinda threats.,..at least in the tings i seen of him with my young self ;D

serena eh in de same class as mcenroe or connors - dem fellas knew how to work de officials ... and de opponents for that matter. lead with yuh mouth not your body.
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