Tennis News

sky star 2 · Aug 31, 2009

Clijsters cuts down Kutuzova

Clijsters played beautifully as she waltzed into round two in under an hour after Kutuzova could not live with her opponent's speedy style.

The Belgian - who is playing in her first major since retiring from the game in May 2007 - fired 17 winners against the World No. 79 from Ukraine and looked utterly dominant out on the Arthur Ashe court.

"It was nice to come out here on centre court and open the tournament, as I didn't get to do so as defending champion a few years ago," said Clijsters after the match.

"I'm glad I won in two sets without wasting too much energy. I had a few butterflies, more than I normally do."

The win was Clijsters' sixth since she launched her comeback and moved her forward to a second round clash against French 14th seed Marion Bartoli, whom she beat in straight sets in her first match back in Cincinnati.

But Bartoli was impressive as she raced through her first round match to overcome Rossana De Los Rios 6-1 6-0 in a comprehensive straight-sets victory.

Eighth seed Victoria Azarenka made safe passage into the next round after recording a 6-1 6-1 victory over Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru.

The 20-year-old Belarus right-hander will face the winner of a later match between two qualifiers - Poland's Marta Domachowska and Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, in round two.

Azarenka could face American third seed Venus Williams in a quarter-final match-up on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts later in the event.

Number 12 seed Agnieszka Radwanska is also safely into round two, the Pole powering past Patricia Mayr 6-1 6-2 to set up an encounter with Maria Kirilenko, a 6-2 6-1 victor against Russian compatriot Mariya Koryttseva.

Italy's Francesca Schiavone also progressed after an emphatic 6-1 6-2 win against Yvonne Meusburger.

sky star 2 · Aug 31, 2009

Murray set to tough it out

Andy Murray is preparing to tough it out when he launches his US Open challenge at Flushing Meadows.

The world No.2 has a difficult-looking draw ahead of him as he bids to improve on his 2008 final defeat to Roger Federer.

Murray, who opens up against Ernests Gulbis in the first round on Tuesday, could potentially face the likes of Ivo Karlovic, sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal if he progresses in New York.

But the 22-year-old Scot knows that he will have to dig deep - particularly early on - if he is to go all the way.

"Once you get to the end of the slams, you need to raise your game, make sure you're playing great tennis," Murray said.

"Sometimes in the first few rounds that's not always the case, because there are obviously different conditions, sometimes you haven't played any matches on the court.

"So you sometimes have to go through some tough moments early in the tournament but it's about finding your way through them and then playing your way in, and by the end of the tournament it's going to be important to do everything well."
Sluggish

Should Murray reach the final, then the chances are that top seed and five-time defending champion Federer will be awaiting him.

And despite having lost 6-2 7-6 to the world No.1 in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters, Murray believes he has reasons to be hopeful.

"I started the match a bit sluggish and left a lot of balls in the middle of the court," Murray said.

"It's easy to say if he looked like he's playing more aggressive or he changed his game style a little bit and was coming forward a lot but I think if you watch Roger playing against anybody, if you leave the ball in the middle of the court against him, you give him enough second serves to attack.

"He comes forward against anyone and I gave him too many opportunities to do that in the first set, and then once I started hitting the ball better in the second, he didn't have any chances really on my serve.

"I had a couple of set points to take it into a third. So it wasn't a whole lot different."

sky star 2 · Sep 1, 2009

Murray focused on Gulbis

Murray will tackle the Latvian at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the second of the evening matches - following Maria Sharapova's clash with Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova.

And despite potential match ups with Ivo Karlovic, sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro and world No.3 Rafael Nadal at Flushing Meadows, Murray claims he is focused on facing Gulbis.

Murray, the beaten finalist in 2008, said: "I always end up getting asked about (the draw), so you end up knowing pretty much what the draws are or who you might play if you get anywhere.

"But you learn over the years if you play enough slams, that sometimes draws open up and the guys that are meant to get there don't, and sometimes they surprise guys that come through and you go right to the finals.

"So you know what's going on, but it doesn't make me look past who I'm playing at all."
Improve

Murray kicks off the tournament in superb form, having won five ATP titles this year and climbed to No.2 in the world rankings.

However, with a Grand Slam crown missing from his trophy collection and having been blown away by Roger Federer in last year's final, Murray is as committed as ever to improving his game.

"There are always things that you try to improve regardless of what your ranking is or how old or young you are," the 22-year-old Scot said.

"You're always wanting to try and get better. So regardless whether you get to number one or number two in the world, you're always trying to improve.

"I think that's one of the things that's been very impressive about Roger and Rafa over the last few years, that they've always been to the top of their game but they're always improving."

sky star 2 · Sep 1, 2009

Fright night for Williams

Williams, though, pulled out a big service game when it mattered when trailing 5-4 in the second set.

And Williams was clearly pleased to come through the tough examination by Dushevina.
Energy

"She played so well, she moved so well and did so many things well," Williams.

"I just had a lot of help from my (player's family) box and the fans here.

"I felt so much energy from everyone when I was serving to stay in the match in the second set. It feels good to play at home."

Estonia's Kaia Kanepi was the first seed in the women's draw to be knocked out - with the 25th-ranked Estonian going down 6-0 2-6 6-2 to qualifier Kai-Chen Chang.

And 28th seed Sybille Bammer also fell at the first hurdle as she was ousted 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-5) by Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

sky star 2 · Sep 1, 2009

No Svet for Kuznetsova

Svetlana Kuznetsova eased into the second round of the US Open after beating Julia Goerges 6-3 6-2 on Tuesday.

The reigning French Open champion and number six seed played some solid tennis as her German opponent crashed out of the Flushing Meadows tournament.

Kuznetsova next plays Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova who overcame Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand with a 6-3 7-5 success.

Kuznetsova, who won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2004 US Open, surrendered two early breaks to fall behind 3-2 in the first set, slamming her racket in anger, but rallied from there, winning 10 of the final 12 games.

21-year-old Goerges, competing in New York for just the third time, managed to out-hit her opponent in the aces and winners columns but coughed up too many errors which condemned her to a quick exit out of the year's final major.

Also in the Russian's quarter, number nine seed Caroline Wozniacki progressed, the dangerous Dane cruising through her first round match against Galina Voskoboeva 6-4 6-0 to book at second round date with Petra Martic of Croatia.

Kuznetsova's compatriot and number 13 seed Nadia Petrova also enjoyed opening round joy as she prevailed 6-3 6-3 over Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik and the Russian awaits France's Julie Coin.

sky star 2 · Sep 1, 2009

Nadal keeps expectations low

The Spaniard gets his campaign under way at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday against Frenchman Richard Gasquet in what is his first Grand Slam event since winning the Australian Open back in January.

Success in Melbourne was as good as it got for Nadal as tendinitis started to affect his knees, the 23-year-old then losing at the French Open for the first time in four years to Robin Soderling.

The injury subsequently left Nadal unable to defend his Wimbledon title - his enforced absence allowing Roger Federer to reclaim the men's singles crown in SW19 as well as the world number one ranking.

Andy Murray has also nipped past Nadal in the world rankings and although he has returned to competitive action in recent weeks, he lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarter-finals of the Montreal Masters before Novak Djokovic beat him in the semi-finals in Cincinnati.

The Mallorcan would need to get past Murray in his half of the draw in New York before the likely prospect of having to unseat five-time defending champion Federer in order to complete what would be a seventh career Grand Slam.

"If I had the title here, I finish the cycle, win the fourth, it would be unbelievable," Nadal said.

"Right now, I really can't think about that.

"Third tournament after an injury, I am well and I going to come here every year with the best attitude and try to prepare for this tournament as good as I can to win this title.

"I am 100 per cent well to play this tournament. I don't know if I am playing at my best level, but I am 100 per cent."

sky star 2 · Sep 1, 2009

Roddick cruises through

Fifth seed Andy Roddick brushed aside Germany's Bjorn Phau 6-1 6-4 6-2 to reach the second round of the US Open.

Roddick closed out the match in 95 minutes to set up a second-round tie with Marc Gicquel, a fourth sets winner over Dmitry Tursunov.

The American had arrived at Flushing Meadows with a misfiring serve following lacklustre performances in the build up to the tournament.

However Roddick, the beaten Wimbledon finalist, proved he had solved his problems as he racked up 13 aces and registered 81 per cent on first serves.

"That's good because after Wimbledon I didn't serve too great in the couple of tournaments that I played," he said.

"I was hitting the ball well but I just didn't serve great. So that's a welcome sign and hopefully I can keep it going."

Up next for Roddick is Gicquel after world No.81 came through his tie with Tursunov 6-2 5-7 6-3 6-3.
Important

And it was a good day for the seeds as Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake, Radek Stepanek all registered opening day wins.

Hewitt, ranked 31st, was too strong for Thiago Alves as the Brazilian was blown away 6-0 6-3 6-4.

Blake, the 21st seed, never looked back from his flying start as he beat Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-1 6-4 7-5, while Stepanek also registered a straight sets win with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over Simone Bolelli.

Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 23rd seed, and Tommy Haas, ranked 20th, also progressed, although the latter had to dig deep to see off Alejandro Falla of 7-5 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2.

However, fellow seeds Paul-Henri Mathieu and Victor Hanescu came unstuck in the first round.

Romanian Hanescu, the 28th seed, never really recovered from a poor opening set as he lost 6-1 7-6 (16-14) 7-6 (7-5) to John Isner, while 26th-seeded Mathieu crashed out 2-6 7-5 6-0 6-2 to Mikhail Youzhny.

sky star 2 · Sep 1, 2009

Tsonga sails past Buchanan

Number seven seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga needed just 78 minutes to book his place in the second round of the US Open.

The powerful Frenchman laid down his marker for the event with a comprehensive 6-0 6-2 6-1 victory over 18-year-old Chase Buchanan on the Grandstand Court.

Tsonga, who has never reached the second week at Flushing Meadows, fired down 29 winners and will play Jarkko Nieminen for a place in the third round after he overcame Fabio Fognini in straight-sets.

American opponent Buchanan was handed a wildcard by the US Tennis Association as the 2009 USTA boys' champion, however he was simply no match for the Frenchman.

There was also an early shock on day two as American qualifier Jesse Witten stunned Russian 29th seed Igor Andreev 6-4 6-0 6-2.

Witten, 26, took command from the start against the visibly out-of-sorts Russian and was predictably delighted with his maiden ATP tour triumph.

"It's my first ATP victory - it's been a lot of years," he said. "The last couple of weeks I've been playing well and I am not even sure why, but I am just going to roll with it.

"I played three qualifiers and I feel comfortable on the outside courts here. I wasn't nervous and that helped me get off to a quick start."

Next up for Witten is Argentine Maximo Gonzales who came back from two sets down to triumph over Slovakian Karol Beck in their first round match, winning the epic encounter 2-6 1-6 6-1 6-4 6-3.

Elsewhere in Tsonga's quarter of the draw, number 17 seed Tomas Berdych advanced past American left-hander Wayne Odesnik 7-5 6-4 6-4.

sky star 2 · Sep 1, 2009

Safina survives huge scare

Top seed Dinara Safina was on the brink of crashing out of this year's US Open in the first round but came back to beat Australian wild card Olivia Rogowska 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4.

The world number one looked wholly unconvincing during the two hour and thirty four minute thriller but somehow managed to overcome her 167th ranked opponent and will face Kristina Barrois for a place in round three.

The going looked tough for Rogowska after the top seed broke her opening service game in front of a depleted Arthur Ashe crowd.

But the 18-year-old Flushing Meadows debutant broke back immediately before being gifted another break by her Russian opponent, who was coughing up double-faults with worrying regularity.

The set continued on its topsy-turvy journey as both players shared more breaks between them - Rogowska looked like she was relishing her first appearance in New York, Safina meanwhile, became increasingly frustrated as the opening set went into a tiebreak.

Last year's beaten finalist continued to surrender advantageous positions during the breaker and it was not long until the 23-year-old faced a set-point against serve to which the Russian produced another double-fault to hand the set to Rogowska.
Joy for Jankovic

The natural order was somewhat restored as Rogowska struggled to deal with the heavy-hitting of Safina in set two and the world No.1 eventually rattled off four games en route to levelling the match.

But the top seed soon had her back against the wall once more as the young Australian took a 4-2 lead in the decider, but Safina dug in deep and managed to claw her way into the next round.

Unseeded German Barrois awaits Safina in round two after she defeated Urszula Radwanska 6-4 6-4.

Serbian fifth seed and 2008 runner-up Jelena Jankovic had less trouble booking her place in the second round with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Italy's Robert Vinci.

Jankovic will face Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova in the next stage and could potentially face Safina in the last eight.

There was a shock in the same quarter of the draw as number 16 seed Virginie Razzano was blown away by Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer 6-4 6-3.

Her reward is a second round duel with Shuai Peng for a place in the third round.

Number 19 seed Patty Schnyder also struggled in her opening match but eventually overcame Lucie Safarova 4-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6) and the Swiss will take on Sara Errani in the next round.

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sky star 2 · Sep 4, 2009

Safina scrapes past Barrois

World number one Dinara Safina again failed to silence her US Open critics as she scraped past Kristina Barrois in three sets.

The top seed came through an almighty struggle on Louis Armstrong Stadium to beat the German journeywoman 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-3 and awaits the unseeded Petra Kvitova in round three.

Safina looked rigid and uninspiring in her opening round victory over wild card Olivia Rogowska and she produced another error-ridden display against world number 76 Barrois.

The Russian submitted a total of 15 double faults and 38 unforced errors before advancing in two hours and 13 minutes.
Draining

Barrois, 27, who was making her first second round appearance in a Grand Slam singles match, forced the first set into a tie-break after Safina squandered two chances to serve it out and it was not long until the German had a set point of her own.

Cue a horrendous double fault from Safina and after 57 minutes - a shock was on the cards.

But the 23-year-old immediately responded and despite coughing up another array of poor unforced errors, forced the encounter into a deciding set

The pendulum swung in Barrios' favour at the beginning of the decider as the German No.5 claimed an early break, but back came Safina, eventually stringing some quality play together and ironically clinched another draining contest when her opponent hit a second serve out.

The draw opened up further for Safina later on Thursday when number 19 seed Patty Schnyder was sent crashing out 6-3 3-6 7-5 by Italy's Sara Errani.

That result means Safina will avoid playing a seeded opponent until at least the semi-final stage.

sky star 2 · Sep 4, 2009

Jankovic perishes in epic

Fifth seed Jelena Jankovic has become the latest big name casualty in the US Open after Yaroslava Shvedova edged a final set tie-break.

The 55th ranked Kazakhstan player produced a phenomenal display of clean hitting during the two hour and 40 minute contest to dump last year's beaten finalist out of Flushing Meadows 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (8-6).

Shvedova could meet top seed Dinara Safina in the quarters should she win her next match against Argentine Gisela Dulko - a straight-sets victor over 30th seed Alona Bondarenko earlier on Thursday.

Having followed Melanie Oudin's upset of fourth seed Elena Dementieva on Arthur Ashe court, Jankovic looked uncomfortable from the start and was broken early in the opening set by the aggressive Shvedova.

The Serbian did not offer much resistance and at 5-3 down a wayward forehand allowed Shvedova to break again and take the first set.
Leveller

It was not looking good in the second set either as Jankovic went 4-2 down when Shvedova broke her serve but the Serbian broke back in the next game and eventually levelled the match, albeit in a sluggishly contested tie-break.

Having done that, Jankovic promptly surrendered the initiative and twice gave Shvedova the opportunity to serve for the match, but the Kazakh faltered on both occasions as the unrelenting final set went into a deciding tie-break.

Some loose play from both wings saw Shvedova hand Jankovic two match points, however the 21-year-old was not be denied her famous win as a forehand winner and an ace down the tee sealed the Serb's fate.

When asked if what her expectations were for the rest of the tournament Shvedova told Sky Sports: "I didn't watch the draw, I don't know where I'm standing - I think I'm on top of the draw."

Joining Jankovic out of the exit door was 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki after she perished to Austrian qualifier Anastasia Rodionova 6-3 3-6 7-5. Her reward is a third round clash with unseeded Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko.

sky star 2 · Sep 5, 2009

Nadal given a workout

Former world number one Rafael Nadal battled through to the US Open third round on Friday, with a 6-0 3-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over Germany's Nicolas Kiefer.

The six-time Grand Slam winner looked rusty following his long injury lay-off and, though he played cleanly, making only 22 unforced errors, 38 fewer than Kiefer, he still struggled at times.

After a strong first set, the Spaniard allowed his level of play to drop in the second before rediscovering his rhythm to go on and seal victory.

"Was a very good practice for me, no?" Nadal said after the match. "It was a very good test."

Kiefer certainly noticed a difference and was disappointed to let a good opportunity slip away.

"He was getting a little bit tired. I could see it, I could feel it. He didn't move so good," Kiefer said. "But at the end of the day, it doesn't count if you play good or bad. A win is a win, a loss is a loss.

"Today was the first time where I was really thinking that I can beat him though."

Fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro is next up for Nadal after the 32nd seed overcame American Robby Ginepri 6-7 (7-9) 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-4.

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez also advanced thanks to a 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4 triumph over Frenchman Josselin Ouanna.

Eighteenth seed David Ferrer was not so fortunate, however, and was ousted 6-3 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-2 by Argentine Jose Acasuso.

sky star 2 · Sep 5, 2009

Oudin dismisses Sharapova

Maria Sharapova has seen her US Open dreams dashed in the third round by unseeded American Melanie Oudin.

The 29th seed coughed up 21 double-faults in a sub-par performance but the credit will go to her 17-year-old opponent for a gutsy display to record a 3-6 6-4 7-5 victory.

Oudin, who sent number four seed Elena Dementieva packing in the round previous, faces her fourth Russian opponent in a row in the last 16 after 13th seed Nadia Petrova dispatched 21st seed Jie Zheng 6-4 6-1 on Grandstand.

Sharapova got off to the better start - breaking in the first game of the match - and although Oudin managed twice to claw back the deficit, her Russian opponent broke through again and duly took the 52 minute opener.

But Oudin fought back and grabbed her first break chance of the second set for a 2-1 edge before claiming a 4-1 lead when Sharapova swatted a forehand beyond the baseline.

Sharapova managed to snatch a break back before saving five set points, but when a sixth came, the 2006 US Open champion sent a forehand wide and a third set beckoned.

The partisan New York crowd had deserted the normally popular Russian and were fully in allegiance with her teenage opponent and Oudin stopped a suspenseful run of six service breaks in a row by holding in the final game to take the two hours and 58 minutes epic.

The conqueror of fifth seed Jelena Jankovic - Yaroslava Shvedova - saw her Flushing meadows campaign come to an end after Gisela Dulko saw off the Kazakh 6-3 6-4 and the Argentine will now meet either Kateryna Bondarenko or Anastasia Rodionova in the next round.

sky star 2 · Sep 5, 2009

Djokovic avoids Witten upset

Fourth seed Novak Djokovic became the latest US Open title contender to struggle to victory as he survived a scare from American qualifier Jesse Witten in the third round.

The Serbian dropped a set en route to success over the world number 276 and joins Flushing Meadows favourites Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal who have all suffered minor blemishes in their quests for glory in New York.

Djokovic, who narrowly clawed past Witten with a 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 win, awaits 15th seed Radek Stepanek in the last 16 after the Czech also lost the first set before downing German 23 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3.

Neither Djokovic nor Witten had been able to get a firm hold on a topsy-turvy first set out on Louis Armstrong court with both players being broken three times, but the American got the better of the tie-breaker, dominating to claim the early advantage.
See-saw

The seesaw nature of the match continued as Djokovic broke twice for a 3-0 lead in the second set, before his opponent levelled up at 3-3 with another powerful forehand.

Djokovic finally asserted his class, breaking again on a Witten double fault and holding, before clinching the set as the American lost control of his serve.

An air of normality finally descended as the third set went with serve, spoiled only by an extraordinary point which Djokovic lost as he accidentally propelled his racket across the net in his service action.

A forehand error from Djokovic gave Witten the break in game 11, but again he could not serve out the set and the Serbian comfortably came through the tiebreaker to claim a 2-1 lead.

Witten's fitness looked to be hampering him, and the wheels finally came off in the ninth game when Djokovic broke the deadlock to go a break up at 5-4 before serving out the match.

sky star 2 · Sep 5, 2009

Federer battles past Hewitt

Top seed Roger Federer made hard work of his US Open third round clash against Lleyton Hewitt but prevailed in four sets.

The five-time champion renewed his long-serving rivalry against the tenacious Australian with a battling 4-6 6-3 7-5 6-4 victory and awaits the winner of the night match between James Blake and Tommy Robredo.

Federer, who had amassed a 13-match winning streak over Hewitt going into Saturday's third round, was installed as the red-hot favourite and the predictions looked accurate when the Swiss broke in game seven.

But the 28-year-old world number one suffered a bout of wayward groundstrokes out on the Arthur Ashe court and Hewitt capitalised by snatching the first set.

The Australian was playing some vintage tennis going into the second, but it was soon Hewitt's turn to become frustrated as chances to break Federer's serve went amiss.
Davydenko through

And the 2001 US Open champion was made to pay as the top seed burst into life in the fourth game before racing through to claim the 30 minute set.

An evenly challenged third set followed, but Federer broke through Hewitt's defences in the 11th game to grab a stranglehold on the match.

The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion raced through the gears claiming a quick-fire double break in the fourth set and Federer powered his way into the fourth round despite a late resurgence from his opponent.

Number eight seed Nikolay Davydenko is one round from a potential quarter-final date with Federer after he took care of the top seed's compatriot Marco Chiudinelli in straight sets.

Davydenko posted an uncompromising 6-4 7-5 7-5 over Swiss Chiudinelli and will face French Open finalist Robin Soderling for a place in the quarter-finals.

The Swedish number 12 seed continued his remarkable season with a 6-2 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 victory over American number two Sam Querrey.

sky star 2 · Sep 5, 2009

Clijsters next up for Williams

Kim Clijsters will face Venus Williams in the fourth round of the US Open following straight sets wins for the duo.

The Belgian, who has just returned from two years in retirement, overcame compatriot Kirsten Flipkens 6-0 6-2 on Friday night.

Two-time US Open champion Williams ousted Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-2 7-5, meanwhile, but was far from her best.

Her left knee was heavily bandaged again and she struggled with her serve, hitting seven double-faults, before eventually grinding out victory.

"I had some challenging moments in the match, but I always run after the ball and try to hit it in the court. It's even better if I can hit a winner," Williams said.

"As for Clijsters, she's been playing really well, and I've been playing really well, also.

"Obviously, it's great to see her back. But I want to advance to the next round."

Williams and Clijsters have met 10 times, with the American holding a 6-4 edge, although their last meeting came in the 2005 US Open, when Clijsters beat Williams in the quarter-finals en route to victory.

sky star 2 · Sep 6, 2009

Top seed Safina goes out

World number one Dinara Safina joined Maria Sharapova as a third round casualty on a day of shocks at the US Open.

Russian Safina, still searching for a first grand slam win, was beaten by world number 70 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic after having the court switched.

That was a direct result of Sharapova's three-hour marathon defeat to American wild card Melanie Oudin and Andy Roddick's fifth set tie-break loss to John Isner but it did Kvitova no harm as she completed a third set tie-break win 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-5).

Whether the long wait to begin her match and the change of courts had an adverse affect or not, Safina was quickly in trouble against the world number 70.

Despite some poor form, the draw had been kind to the world number one with all the seeds in her quarter eliminated giving her a potentially clear path to the semi-finals.

Safina, though, seemed determined to do things the hard way and in an opening set that saw six breaks of serve, the Russian offered her Czech opponent eight break points, Kvitova taking four of them on the way to taking a 1-0 lead.
Bad serve

There were more service woes in the second set when she was broken by Kvitova in the first game.

At 2-0 down, though, she showed some grit to save three break points and then broke serve herself on the way to pulling level at one set all.

Kvitova was dominating the top seed's second serve and again broke the Russian in the opening game although Safina did hold the third game to get on the board at 2-1 down.

Safina broke back in the sixth game to tie the final set up at 3-3.

Kvitova was still right in the match but playing as if it had already got away from her and looking extremely tired. She sent a straightforward overhead into the net and promptly lost an opportunity to break again as Safina celebrated going 4-3 up.

At 5-5, Safina could still not shake off her serving problems, falling behind in the game with her fifth double fault of the set, ninth of the match, but benefiting from some tired play from Kvitova to take a 6-5 lead over the 19-year-old.

Match points

The next game saw Safina save three match points and holding her nerve to take the match to a deciding tie-break.

Kvitova took a minibreak from the first point before Safina levelled at 2-2 only to slip 5-2 behind as the Czech refused to wilt. Kvitova earned her first match point after a wild return from Safina but made no mistake with her second chance as Safina overhit a lob.

The victory sets up a fourth-round clash with Belgian world number 50 Yanina Wickmayer, who reached the last 16 with a 6-3 6-4 win over Italy's Sara Errani.

French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, the sixth seed and 2004 champion, has a fourth-round tie against ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

Neither player had dropped a set in the opening two matches and that continued in round three as Russia's Kuznetsova beat Israel's Shahar Peer 7-5 6-1 while Wozniacki dispatched 24th seed Sorana Cirstea 6-3 6-

sky star 2 · Sep 6, 2009

Serena powers into quarters

Serena Williams has reached the quarter-finals of the US Open after dishing out a severe pummelling of Daniela Hantuchova on Sunday.

The defending champion gave the 22nd seed a 6-0 6-2 battering on Arthur Ashe court and awaits the winner of the night match between seventh seed Vera Zvonareva and tenth seed Flavia Pennetta.

Both players started the match striking the ball well but it was Williams who stole a march in the sixth game after Hantuchova struck a forehand long from a lengthy rally and more errors flowed on the Slovak's next service game to gift the set to the American.

A third consecutive break of serve allowed Williams to stamp further authority on the match and the second seed did not stop there - breaking through twice more - to wrap up the comprehensive 64 minute win.

In the first round of the girl's singles event, British hope Laura Robson also produced an emphatic display to see off Tunisian Ons Jabeur 6-0 6-1 out on court 14.

sky star 2 · Sep 6, 2009

A-Rod edged out in thriller

Andy Roddick became the first big name to crash out of the US Open men's singles as he lost a fifth-set tie-break to John Isner.

Big-serving Isner, at 6ft 9ins tall, was always going to be handful for the fifth seed but after Roddick's fifth-set Wimbledon final heartbreak, the momentum appeared to be with the higher-ranked player.

Isner proved he was no respecter of major tournament form, though, as he blasted his way into the match to take the first two sets, and then withstood a furious comeback before holding his nerve to take an epic deciding tie-break.

Isner won 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 3-6 5-7 7-6 (7-5) in three hours and 51 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium and will now play 10th seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain in the fourth round.

After the classic tussle between Maria Sharapova and giant-killing American teenager Melanie Oudin, Roddick and Isner continued the drama.

The opening set stayed with serve as Isner out-served Roddick with nine aces to push it into a tie-break, which the world number 55 took with some powerhouse tennis.

Isner continued to play out of his skin, breaking the fifth seed to take a 4-2 lead. At 5-3 he served for the second set and sealed it with an ace to take a 2-0 lead over a shell-shocked Roddick.

Isner had more than a booming serve in his locker, though, and to Roddick's frustration he was more than happy to come to the net and attempt to lob his rival at every opportunity.

Roddick, though, was edging into the ascendancy in the third set and in the eighth game he made the breakthrough.

Isner saved two break points with aces down the middle but could not stop Roddick taking the third with a great stretching backhand off the ground to pass Isner down the line.
Double fault

Roddick served out to love and was back in the match at 2-1.

The fourth set was equally tight and went with serve before Isner got a sniff of a break at 5-4 up, one that would hand him the match.

Serving to stay in the match, Roddick fell to 15-30 before delivering a 132mph serve out wide for an ace. But he chose exactly the moment to deliver his first double fault of the contest, gifting Isner a match point.

Again Roddick came up trumps, with an ace down the middle to get to deuce before holding serve.

Next it was Isner's turn to feel the heat, handing over a break point with an overhead that went long, and then seeing Roddick convert, the Wimbledon finalist running back to his chair with arm raised to prepare to serve for the set at 6-5.

Isner began to shows signs of cramping as Roddick went 15-0 up, clutching his left lower leg as the fifth seed gave himself triple set point, levelling the match with an ace down the middle as the game clock edged towards three hours.

The final set went with serve, Roddick serving second and playing catch up. Both men found it easy to blast their way to victory in games, Isner taking it to extremes as he sent down a 118mph second serve ace at 4-4 before winning the game with his 36th ace of the match.

Roddick once more had to serve to stay in the match and force a deciding tie-break at 6-5 down and he came through, serving to love to send the match down to the wire.

Isner claimed the initiative to earn a mini-break off Roddick with a cross-court backhand beyond his rival's reach at the net to move 4-2 ahead.

Isner earned three match points at 6-3 but Roddick pulled out a wide ace and then saved another match point with an ace down the middle.

Back on serve, Isner sealed the biggest victory of his career when Roddick netted a forehand and the fans inside Arthur Ashe Court erupted in delight after another classic contest.

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