STARS
US OPEN
(First Week)
Kaia Kanepi beat fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic 6-2 7-6 (1)
Stan Wawrinka beat fourth-seeded Andy Murray 6-7 (3) 7-6 (4) 6-3 6-3
Richard Gasquet beat sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-4 6-2
Michael Llodra beat seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych 7-6 (3) 6-4 6-4
Kateryna Bondarenko beat eighth-seed Li Na 2-6 6-4 6-2
Janko Tipsarevic beat ninth-seeded Andy Roddick 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6 (4)
Peng Shuai beat ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 2-6 6-1 6-4
Gisela Dulko beat 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka 5-1 retired
SAYINGS
“You’re making this a little way too dramatic for what it was. It’s like a Shakespeare poem.” – Maria Sharapova, responding to a detailed question regarding her service preparation
“It was nice, I mean, except that 99.9 percent of the people were against me.” – Sergiy Stakhovsky, on playing and defeating 18-year-old American Ryan Harrison 6-3 5-7 3-6 6-3 7-6 (6).
“You know, I thought I hit the ball pretty well. I thought he played very high-risk and executed for four sets. I kept telling myself, ‘You know, this has to have an expiration date on it.’ Unfortunately, I needed another set for that.” – Andy Roddick, after losing to Janko Tipsarevic.
“Every match I win now, it’s like winning an entire tournament. Before, I was really lucky and blessed to be so good when I was so young. And it was just normal. I grew up winning since I was six years old. I was winning tournaments and it was always normal. But once that has been sort of taken away for years, you haven’t had that feeling, you know. Every match gives me such satisfaction. I really enjoy it so much. And just the fact that I have the ability to do it again, I’m really happy out there. My dream never died and never went away.” – Mirjana Lucic, after playing in her first US Open since 2003 and winning her first Open match since 1999
“I think that’s a positive problem to have, that I play many matches. That means that I’m winning.” – Caroline Wozniacki, when asked about playing tournaments in the final two weeks before the US Open. She won both.
“To win on this stage here and to take out a Top 20 player in the world is the biggest win of my career. I’ve always believed in myself. I have always had confidence in myself, so obviously I’m extremely excited and really pleased with what happened.” – Ryan Harrison, after upsetting 15th seeded Ivan Ljubicic in a first-round match.
“I was warming up in the gym prior to my match against Gisela Dulko when I fell while running a sprint. I fell forward and hit my arm and head. I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell. I was taken to the hospital for some medical tests and have been diagnosed with a mild concussion.” – Victoria Azarenka, who collapsed on-court during her second-round match.
“It’s tough coming back, especially after the US Open I had last year, coming back and expecting to do that well again. And, yes, the expectations for me, I think, from the fans were extremely high. You could tell by the crowd. Even the second I walked out there, people expected me to win again like last year.” – Melanie Oudin, a quarterfinalist last year who lost to Alona Bondarenko in the second round this year.
“I think rankings obviously tell a lot about the player, but I think just the way you feel about your game at the time (is what’s important). I remember a couple years ago when I was here and I was saying, ‘Even though I’m number one, I don’t feel I’m playing as number one.’ Now I’m ranked (number 40) but I feel like I’m playing like a Top 10 player, and I have confidence that I can beat these players. That’s huge for me.” – Ana Ivanovic, after knocking off 21st-seeded Zheng Jie.
“People tell me that I only look 5-foot-5 and a half (1.64m). I’m going with 5-6 (1.68m). That’s what the doctor said.” – Melanie Oudin, when asked about her height.
“There are days when you’re not going to be feeling the ball, you’re not going to be moving your feet. In those days, you just really have to fight and really have to try your best and give your maximum and try to get through these kinds of matches. If you are able to do that, then it gives you a lot more confidence for the next round.” – Jelena Jankovic, who needed three sets to win her first-round match.
“It was very hard to play somebody you never played before, especially that she’s good. It’s not like [a] junior or somebody. It’s a player who [has] played before, and I didn’t realize that she plays very different game from everybody who I’ve played ever.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, after needing three sets to defeat Kimiko Date Krumm, who will turn 40 later this month.
“I really hope that wasn’t my last match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. I definitely want to be back here next year. If it was, I competed my heart out. I did everything I could. But I think I got more in me and I think I’m going to be back here. Maybe more night matches, some more excitement for the crowds, some more good times.” – James Blake, after losing to Novak Djokovic.
“I think I could easily at this stage in my career just say, ‘I have won Grand Slams; I have been there and done that.’ But I never felt like I had enough. I always felt like I could be a better tennis player.” – Maria Sharapova, on her long return from shoulder surgery.
SPANISH SEMI
There will be a Spanish player in the men’s semifinals at the US Open. After the third round, all four spots in the top quarter of the draw feature Spanish players, led by top-seeded Rafael Nadal, who is seeking his first US Open crown and a career Grand Slam. Nadal’s fourth-round opponent will be fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. That winner will have a quarterfinal meeting with the winner of another all-Spanish pairing, 10th-seeded David Ferrer against eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco. Two other Spaniards – Albert Montanes and Tommy Robredo – also reached the fourth round. The six Spaniards in the fourth round is the most men from one nation since the United States had eight reach the round of 16 in 1995 and ties the record for a foreign country. Australia had six players in the fourth round in 1969.
SET FOR HALL
It’s Andre Agassi’s turn to go into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF). The two-time US Open winner and eight-time Grand Slam tournament champion headlines the ballot for the ITHoF’s Class of 2011. Others on the ballot in the Master Player Category are Thelma Coyne Long, who dominated Australian tennis in the 19302, 40s and 502, and Christine Truman Janes, a British star of the 1950s and 1960s. Nominated in the Contributor Category are tennis promoter and administrator Mike Davies and Fern Lee “Peachy” Kellmeyer, who played a vital role in the growth of women’s tennis. Voting will take place over the next several months and the Class of 2011 inductees will be announced early next year. Agassi’s wife – Stefanie Graf – is already in the ITHoF.
STOPPING SHORT
After pulling off one shocker at the US Open, 18-year-old American Ryan Harrison learned what Yogi Berra was talking about when he said, “It’s not over until it’s over.” In the opening round Harrison upset 15th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia. Playing his second–round match in the cozy confines of the Grandstand with the crowd overwhelmingly pulling for him, Harrison battled Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine evenly through the first four sets, the teen-ager winning the second and third sets. Down 1-3, love-40 in the fifth set, Harrison fought back, saving five break points. He then broke back for 3-3 in another long game. With the set tied 6-6, Harrison won five straight points to reach triple match point at 6-3. An overhead winner by Stakhovsky saved the first one. He then hit an unreturnable serve. Harrison netted a backhand before double-faulting, giving his opponent match point. Stakhovsky didn’t waste his opportunity, closing out the match with a forehand volley winner.
SAY, MON
Dustin Brown brought a little bit of Jamaica with him when he played at the US Open. Besides the green-black-and-gold clad cheering section, Brown wore long dreadlocks and neon-bright shoestrings: one lime-colored, the other orange. The big-serving right-hander won his opening round match, beating Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain, before falling in the second round to fourth-seeded Andy Murray. Brown also played at Wimbledon this summer, becoming the first man from Jamaica to play in a Grand Slam tournament since Richard Russell, who last played at the French Open in 1974. The only other Jamaican man to play in a Grand Slam event in the Open Era was Lancelot Lumsden.
STARTING AGAIN
Two veterans returned to the US Open this year for the first time in years. It was 14 years between Kimiko Date Krumm’s trips to New York’s Grand Slam tournament. Playing for the first time since 1996, Date Krumm drew a first-round match against former US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova and lost 6-2 4-6 6-1. Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic won her first-round match, downing Australia’s Alicia Molik 7-6 (5) 6-1. Lucic was playing in her first US Open since 2002. “I feel fantastic. I’m so happy,” Lucic said. “I worked so hard to get here. This is my first US Open in, I don’t know, seven years or something. (It) feels incredible.” Lucic, who won the US Open junior girls title in 1996, lost to fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic in the second round.
SET TO BEGIN
John McEnroe has talked about reviving American tennis his way. He’ll get his chance the day after the US Open ends when the John McEnroe Tennis Academy officially welcomes its first class. The academy is in a revamped 20-court, USD $18-million tennis complex on Randall’s Island, a strip of land in the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. “Hopefully I can jolt things and get things going here again,” McEnroe said of his goal to revive tennis in New York and, by extension, in the United States. “Hopefully I can be a regular presence and hopefully Patrick (McEnroe, John’s younger brother and captain of the United States Davis Cup team) and the USTA will support what I’m doing.” Patrick McEnroe was hired by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) two years ago to run an elite player development program.
SENIOR BREAK
The tie-break is 40 years old. A nine-point tie-break made its debut in Grand Slam tournament competition on opening day of the 1970 US Open. The Australian Open followed suit, introducing the tie-break in 1971. The French Open followed suit in 1973 and Wimbledon in 1979. The US Open remains the only Grand Slam event to employ the tie-break in the deciding set – fifth set for men’s singles and third set for women’s singles and the doubles competitions. Since its advent, two women’s singles finals have been decided in a final-set tie-break, and Martina Navratilova was on the losing end each time. She lost to Tracy Austin in the 1981 final and to Hana Mandlikova for the 1985 title. The longest tie-break in US Open history was in 1993 when Goran Ivanisevic defeated Daniel Nestor 20-18 in the third set tie-break of their match. There has never been a five-set match with five tie-breaks, but there have been two women’s singles matches where all three sets went to a tie-break. Gigi Fernandez beat Leila Meskhi in the third round in 1991, and Steffi Graf beat Pam Shriver in the quarterfinals in 1985.
SPOKESMAN SAMPRAS
Hall of Famer Pete Sampras will serve as the first spokesman for “Tennis Night In America,” a joint promotional effort between the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and StarGames, Inc. “Tennis Night In America” is an annual celebration of the sport that includes youth registration events at facilities around the country. It concludes with the BNP Paribas Showdown at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Feb. 28, 2011.
SECOND EDITION
Journalist/analyst Bud Collins has released the second edition of his famed tennis encyclopedia and record book, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis.” The 816-page volume is considered the most authoritative compilation of records, biographies and information on the sport of tennis. Collins dedicated the second edition to John Isner, Nicolas Mahut and chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, the three principles from the record-breaking longest match of all-time, which was played this summer at Wimbledon. Isner hit a record 113 aces in winning 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7) 7-6 (3) 70-68 in 11 hours, five minutes. Collins was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF) in 1994.
SEEDED NUMBER ONE
Caroline Wozniacki is the ninth different player to be seeded number one at the US Open in the last decade. Only Justine Henin has been the top seed twice during that span, in 2004 and 2007. And only two of those seeds have gone on to win the Open – Henin in 2007 and Serena Williams in 2002. The others were Dinara Safina in 2009; Ana Ivanovic, 2008; Amelie Mauresmo, 2006; Maria Sharapova, 2005; Kim Clijsters, 2003; and Martina Hingis, 2001. During that span, there have been only two top-seeded men: Rafael Nadal in 2008 and 2010, and Roger Federer the rest of the time.
SO MANY PEOPLE
The US Open set a Day One attendance record this year when 59,931 people came through the turnstiles, breaking last year’s mark of 59,848. The Day Session attendance fell just shy of the 2009 mark of 36,085, while the Night Session attendance of 23,849 broke the previous record of 23,763, set in 2008.
SPECIAL, WOMEN
Stefanie Graf helped Longines, the Swiss watch company, honor three “Women Who Make a Difference” at the second annual awards dinner in New York City. Dr. Margaret Martin, Kristen Malfara and Valerie Sobel were honored for the extraordinary impact they have made on children’s lives through their foundations – The Harmony Project, The M.O.R.G.A.N. Project and the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation. The “Women Who Make a Difference” honorees were chosen from more than 100 entrants, each of whom is making an extraordinary impact in children’s lives within her community. Graf is a philanthropist in her own right and an ambassador for Longines.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced a three-year partnership between USTA Serves, the USTA’s philanthropic entity, and the New Look Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by R&B superstar Usher Raymond IV. The collaboration is designed to mentor youth to become global and community leaders. The partnership will help guide thousands of American youth in using their athletic and creative talents to become leaders in their local communities by expanding both tennis and service opportunities to youth across the country. “We have a common mission,” said Shawn H. Wilson, resident of New Look Foundation, “to enrich young people, and together both organizations can make this goal a reality.”
SAD NEWS
Paula Shmerler, the mother of television reporter Cindy Shmerler, is dead. The 81-year-old was the first woman graduate in interior design from the architecture school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Besides Cindy Shmerler, she is survived by two sons, Andrew and Bill.
SITES TO SURF
US Open: www.usopen.org
Biella: www.itfbiella.com/
Genova: www.atpgenova.com/
Szczecin: www.pekaoopen.pl/
Guangzhou: http://sports.21cn.com/09gzopen/
Quebec: www.challengebell.com
Sofia: www.bgtennis.bg/
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
ATP
US Open, New York, New York, USA, hard (second week)
$108,000 Genova Open, Genova, Italy, clay
WTA
US Open, New York, New York, USA, hard (second week)
$100,000 ITF event, Biella, Italy, clay
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
ATP
$137,000 Pekao Szczecin Open, Szczecin, Poland, clay
WTA
$220,000 Landsky Lightning Guangzhou International Women’s Open, Guangzhou, Chia, hard
$220,000 Bell Challenge, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, hard
$100,000 Allianz Cup, Sofia, Bulgaria, clay
DAVIS CUP
World Group Semifinals
France vs. Argentina at Lyon, France, hard
Serbia vs. Czech Republic at Belgrade, Serbia, hard
World Group Playoffs
Israel vs. Austria at Tel Aviv, Israel
Colombia vs. United States at Bogota, Colombia
Germany vs. South Africa at Stuttgart, Germany
Sweden vs. Italy at Lidkopoing, Sweden
India vs. Brazil at Chennai, India
Australia vs. Belgium at North Cairns, Australia
Kazakhstan vs. Switzerland at Astana, Kazakhstan
Romania vs. Ecuador at Bucharest, Romania
Americas Zone Group I, Second Round Playoff – Canada vs. Dominican Republic at Toronto, Canada
Americas Zone Group II, Third Round – Mexico vs. Venezuela at Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico
Asia/Oceania Zone Group I, Second Round Playoff – Korea vs. Philippines at Changwon, Korea
Asia/Oceania Zone Group II, Third Round – New Zealand vs. Thailand at Nontheburi, New Zealand
Europe/Africa Zone Group I, Second Round Playoff – Belarus vs. Slovak Republic at Minsk, Belarus; Latvia vs. Poland at Riga, Latvia
Europe/Africa Zone Group II, Third Round – Slovenia vs. Lithuania at Vilnius, Slovenia, Lithuania; Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Portugal at Ouebrada, Bosnia and Herzegovina