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Samantha Stosur shocks Serena Williams to win women’s singles

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NEW YORK – Playing perfect tennis and powered by a ferocious forehand, Samantha Stosur crushed crowd favorite Serena Williams 6-2 6-3 Sunday night to capture the US Open women’s singles title.

The victory made Stosur only the second Australian woman to win the US Open, the first since Hall of Famer Margaret Smith Court in 1973. The last Australian woman to win any Grand Slam tournament was Evonne Goolagong at Wimbledon in 1980.

Samantha Stosur

Williams, seeking her fourth US Open crown and 14th Grand Slam tournament

title, was simply no match for the Australian right-hander on the hard courts at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Stosur had the answer to every problem presented by Williams, and usually it was a stinging forehand.

And, in what seems to be normal for Williams in a big match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the American was in the midst of yet another controversy with officials.

Serving at 30-40 to begin the second set, Williams slammed an inside-out forehand deep into the corner, then screamed “Come on!” Her shout came just before Stosur, streaking across the baseline, stuck out her racquet, only to have the ball tick off the frame.

Williams was assessed a point penalty for “intentional interference,” and that gave Stosur the service break and a 1-0 lead in the second set. It was a close repeat of what happened to the American on the same court two years ago.

That was when, during her semifinal, she argued a foot fault call so vehemently she was given a point penalty. It just so happened that the penalty came at match point for her opponent, eventual US Open champion Kim Clijsters.

Against Stosur, Williams committed a bundle of unforced errors throughout the match. Then, after she had staved off two match points, Williams netted a forehand. When she had to come up with a second serve on the third match point, Stosur moved quickly to her left and rifled a forehand cross court that Williams could only watch sail past.

One hour, 13 minutes after they began, Stosur was US Open champion, only her first tournament win of 2011 and third of her career. She also was USD $1.8 million richer.

“I’m very fortunate to do it on this stage in New York,” Stosur said immediately after the match.

She then turned to her rival and said: “Serena, you are a fantastic player and champion and you’ve done wonders for our sport.”

It wasn’t only on the final Sunday of the year’s last Grand Slam tournament that Stosur rewrote the record book.

She played the longest women’s match in the tournament’s recorded history when she beat Nadia Petrova 7-6 (5) 6-7 (5) 7-5 in the third round. Then, in the fourth round, she played the longest tiebreak in the history of women’s Grand Slam tennis, losing the second-set breaker to Maria Kirilenko 17-15, but rebounding to win the match 6-2 6-7 (15) 6-3.

At 73 minutes, the final was her second quickest match of the fortnight. She needed only 62 minutes to best Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson in the opening round. But the Aussie spent 11 hour, 28 minutes on court to earn her berth in the final, by far more time than any other woman.

In the title match, the points were quick, usually ended by a surgically precise Stosur forehand. Time and again Williams went to her opponent’s forehand. Time and again it was Stosur coming away with the point.

It wasn’t the same dominant performance that Williams had shown in her first six matches. Instead, it was the Australian who was dominant, who forced her game on Williams, who dictated how the points were played. And it was Stosur who won the points that counted

“She was cracking them today,” Williams said of Stosur. “She definitely hit hard and just went for broke. I think sometimes a lot of people were putting me as the favorite, and I definitely was trying not to put myself as the favorite.

“It’s anyone’s game, as you can see as a result today. So I think that she definitely hit really, really hard.”

Stosur finished with 20 winners, only one more than Williams. But she had only 12 unforced errors, compared to her opponent’s 25. On several occasions on second serves she ran around her backhand and rocketed flat forehands cross-court, almost all of them for outright winners.

Williams won the US Open Series Bonus Challenge leading up to the US Open, earning an additional USD $500,000 to go along with her USD $900,000 runner-up purse.

In a repeat of last year’s men’s singles final, defending champion Rafael Nadal will face top-ranked Novak Djokovic on Monday.

Serena Williams solves wind and Ana Ivanovic

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NEW YORK – Solving the swirling winds in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Serena Williams blew past Ana Ivanovic 6-3 6-4 Monday to grab a spot in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

“It was crazy,” Williams said of the blustery conditions that affected play. “I didn’t even go for winners at any point. I just tried to get it over because it was so windy.”

Serena Williams

Seeking her fourth US Open women’s singles title, Williams will next take on 17th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, who upset seventh-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy 5-7 6-3 6-3.

In early men’s singles play, top-ranked Novak Djokovic survived a gritty performance by Russian Alexandr Dolgopolov to advance to a quarterfinal battle against his good friend and fellow Serb, Janko Tipsarevic, a 7-5 6-7 (3) 7-5 6-2 winner over Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

“It means there’s going to be at least one Serbian in the semifinals, which is great for our country,” Djokovic said.

Rain, heavy at times, had been forecast for New York City. The rain stayed away throughout the day, but blustery winds swept through the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, affecting ground strokes and especially the toss for the serve.

“It was really gusty out there, and in the wind it’s always gonna be even tougher,” Ivanovic said. “In those kinds of conditions serve is the shot that it’s gonna go away from both players. It did a bit. My serve broke down little more than hers did.”

Williams crushed nine aces and had just one double-fault. Ivanovic, who struggled the entire match with her service toss, hit three aces but served up eight doubles.

Because she missed 11 months with injury and illness, Williams’ ranking plummeting from No. 1 in the world to around 160. Since returning to play, Williams won two hard court tournaments this summer to raise her WTA ranking to 29th in the world. She was seeded 28th in this, the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, because of the withdrawal of defending champion Kim Clijsters.

Still, Williams is considered a heavy favorite to increase her Grand Slam tournament title count to 14, the most of any active woman and sixth all-time, in Saturday’s final.

Williams jumped out to a 3-0 lead to begin the fourth-round battle, breaking Ivanovic in the second game. But Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open winner, broke back from deuce in the fifth game to put the set back on serve.

When the Serb held at 30 in the next game, she had pulled even at 3-3.

With William serving, Ivanovic moved to break point at 30-40. When Williams won the next point to pull to deuce, she screamed, “C’mon.”

She did just that, beginning a five-game spurt to grab the opening set and take a 3-0 advantage in the second.

Ivanovic refused to go away, but Williams had too much firepower and dominated the rest of the way.

“As I said even before the match I think she’s the favorite for the tournament,” Ivanovic said of Williams. “She’s been playing really well and it’s gonna be tough, you know. But, the conditions are different … so you have to raise your level. She’s doing that, so I think she has a good chance.”

Djokovic had all he could handle in the opening set with his Russian opponent. But once he captured the opening set tiebreak 16-14 on his sixth set point, it was all downhill to his quarterfinal berth.

“Winning it was very important,” Djokovic said of the tiebreak. “That was probably the turning point. After that it was a good performance.”

Using slices and moving Djokovic from side to side, Dolgopolov threatened to take the opening set and even had set points in the tiebreak. But after finally prevailing in the tiebreak, Djokovic rolled to victory.

“He played a lot of low balls, slices. … I was confused on the court,” the winner said. “But it was really exciting.”

Now he’s looking forward to playing his Davis Cup teammate.

“I think this is the first time I play Janko in a grand slam,” he said. “We are great friends. It’s not going to be easy to play him, but look, it’s the quarterfinals and we both want to win.”

Flavia Pennetta, Donald Young are US Open winners

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NEW YORK – Flavia Pennetta is a believer. She’s also now in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

“I just believe all the time and I just try to play every point,” the Italian said. “Ws working pretty good.”

Flavia Pennetta

“Pretty good” is an understatement. In a see-saw battle, Pennetta outlasted 13th-seeded Peng Shuai of China 6-4 7-6 (6) in a dramatic fourth-round battle on the hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

It’s the third trip to the quarterfinals of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament for the 29-year-old Italian. She’s never gone past the fourth round at the other three majors.

“I like to be here,” said Pennetta, who upset third-seeded Maria Sharapova in the third round. “I just enjoy all the time when I am in New York.”

Seeded 26th, Pennetta’s next opponent will be unseeded Angelique Kerber of Germany, a 6-4 6-3 winner of Romania’s Monica Niculescu.

“She’s in the quarterfinals,” Pennetta said of Kerber. “You are not there because you want to be there. You are there because you beat a lot of good players.”

Pennetta has never lost to the 25-year-old Peng, who hits two-handed off both sides. Yet in their last three meetings before Sunday’s clash, the two battled to a full three sets. It appeared it would happen again.

The Italian right-hander broke Peng in the longest game of the match – an 18-point marathon – that saw Pennetta take the last three points to grab a 6-5 lead.

While serving for the match in the 12th game, Pennetta walked to the back of the court as she felt herself becoming ill. She received a time warning from the chair umpire, Tamara Vrhovec.

“I was feeling really bad,” said Pennetta. “I think it was because it’s really humid today. It’s hot. And also, when you are there, you have a lot of emotion in the court.

“My body just need to breathe and I starting maybe to have the sensation to throw up. But doesn’t, without nothing inside, so it didn’t come out.”

Peng took advantage of Pennetta’s condition and broke her Italian opponent right back, sending it into a tiebreak. Peng raced out to a 5-0 lead, then 6-2, quadruple set point,

Despite struggling with the muggy heat, Pennetta reeled off the next six points to claim her berth in the quarterfinals.

One of the older players in the draw, Pennetta looks at her age as an advantage.

“I know I’m a little bit old for tennis. For life I’m young,” she said, adding that older players have had recent success in the majors.

“Actually we have a good experience, like Francesca (Schiavone of Italy) last year, she won Roland Garros and she was 30, and this year the final at 31. Li Na, she won Roland Garros and she’s 29, also.

“There are some players that can grow up early, and some players they need time. I’m one of them.”

At age 22, Donald Young is no longer the “young phenom.” Now, he’s finally delivering on the promise he showed when he became the youngest player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in juniors.

With a full house on the Grandstand court cheering him on, Young defeated 24th-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 7-5 6-4 6-3 Saturday to gain a berth in the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

“The crowd was great,” said Young. “Without them I wouldn’t have won at all today. I don’t think I would have had a chance because, like I said, I was kind of getting a little fatigued. The energy was kind of going away. They definitely pushed me through.”

Six years ago, Young was the youngest boy to finish a season as the world’s top-ranked junior. Then came a series of disappointing losses.

“It was tough because I wanted to win,” he said. “I was used to winning. When you’re used to winning and you start losing, it doesn’t feel good.

“Then I was looking at myself at 15 playing grown men 25 to 30. If I look back at myself, even at 22, I would hate to lose to someone 15, so I would try a lot harder anyway. And I really can’t see myself losing to someone 15.

“So it was a learning experience. I think those things I did helped me now. It’s better late than never.”

Saturday’s victory was his second over a seeded foe, having knocked off No. 14 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the five-set second-round marathon.

The left-hander, who gained a spot in the main draw on a wild card, had 46 winners to just 19 for Chela. He now has reached the fourth round of a major for the first time in his career.

“At times I wasn’t winning matches at challengers and I was losing to guys (ranked) 300 in the world. Actually this year I lost to some players 300. To go from losing a first round challenger in Aptos (California) to the Round of 16 of the US Open is great.

“But you have your highs and lows in tennis. I’ve definitely had the lows. Hopefully I’ll have a lot more highs.”

Caroline Wozniacki is the No. 1 seed at the US Open 2011

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The USTA announced today that world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark has been named the top seed in women’s singles at the 2011 US Open. The 2011 US Open will be played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., August 29 – September 11. The US Open Women’s Singles Championship is presented by JPMorgan Chase.

Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki, the 2009 US Open runner-up, is the No. 1 seed at the US Open for the second consecutive year and is seeking her first Grand Slam title. She will be followed by No. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia, who reached the final of both the US Open and Wimbledon last year. 2006 US Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia is seeded third, followed by No. 4 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Three-time US Open champion Serena Williams is seeded No. 28.

For 2011, the US Open followed the WTA rankings to determine the women’s singles seeds. This is the tenth consecutive year that the US Open has seeded 32 players in both singles events.

“After careful deliberation regarding Serena Williams’ seeding, we decided to maintain the objective criteria in place to determine the women’s singles seeds at this year’s US Open,” said Jim Curley, US Open Tournament Director and Chief Professional Tournaments Officer, USTA.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic is seeded fifth, and 2011 French Open champion Li Na of China is seeded sixth. 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy and Marion Bartoli of France are seeded seventh and eighth, respectively.

The singles draws for the 2011 US Open will be revealed live during a one-hour special edition of SportsCenter on ESPN, Thursday, August 25 at 12 PM ET. Defending US Open men’s champion Rafael Nadal will make an appearance from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Christina McHale stuns No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in Cincinnati; Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka withdraw

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As seeds began to fall in the women’s event at the combined Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday, 19-year-old American wild card Christina McHale pulled off the biggest victory of her promising young career by stunning world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 57 minutes, preventing the Dane from winning her 50th match of the season.

“I still can’t believe it right now. I’m trying to soak it all in, I’m so excited,” McHale told the crowd in her on-court interview after the match.

The Englewood Cliffs, N.J., resident, who trains at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., but calls the Tenafly Racquet Club home, didn’t seem frightened of the magnitude of the match from the beginning and quickly began hitting hard flat shots to go a long with perfectly constructed angles. She also mixed in plenty of lobs which seemed to throw off the Dane and was incredibly consistent throughout the match with her forehand.

McHale, who is currently ranked No. 76 in the world and the No. 4 American, broke Wozniacki’s serve in the third game of the match but couldn’t consolidate the break. Born in 1992 and the youngest player in the Top 100, McHale didn’t waste time getting back on track as she quickly broke her opponents serve. However, up a break at 4-3, McHale again was broken by the top-ranked player as the opening set was leveled at 4-all. McHale quickly broke serve again, for the third time in the set, and eventually won the opening set 6-4 in 50 minutes.

In the first set, McHale won 16 of 24 first serve points, hit one ace and won 57 percent of service points. Serving seemed to hold back Wozniacki as she served just 68 percent and won just 2 points on her second serve.

After exchanging service breaks to start the second set, both players seemed to loosen up while serving as the set went on. With that, the crowd started to get more vocal in their support towards the American late in the second set as they could sense the upset starting to happen at 4-4, and it was clear from Wozniacki’s box in the first row under the canopy, which included her father, Pitor, and boyfriend Rory McIlroy of the PGA Tour, that they might have to comprehend that it might be another early round exit at a WTA Premier 5 event in as many weeks for their prized possession.

As McHale served for the match at 6-5 in the second set, Wozniacki smashed four unforced errors which included a huge forehand that floated long to give McHale her first career win against a Top 5 player. The win marks the first time a wild card has beaten the top seed in Cincinnati since Jamea Jackson upset Marion Bartoli in the first round in the 2008 event. McHale also becomes the first American teenager to beat a world No. 1 since 19-year-old Serena Williams upset Martina Hingis in the semifinals at the 2001 US Open. The loss by Wozniacki means she will have to wait until next week’s New Haven Open at Yale to surpass the $10 million career tournament prize money mark.

“I was definitely excited to play her, and I knew the crowd would help me a little bit, being here in the States,” said McHale. “I was just trying to take each point one at a time and not get too focused on who I was playing or the moment.”

McHale will next face Nadia Petrova, who upset No. 15 seed Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 7-6(4) on the new Court 3. The series is tied 1-1, with Petrova winning most recently at the BNP Paribas Open in three sets in March. But, McHale defeated the veteran Russian last year in Cincinnati in the opening round when Petrova retired with an injury.

Other happenings around the grounds at the Lindner Family Tennis Center that shocked fans was the news that former world No. 1 and 13-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and No. 3 seed Victoria Azarenka were withdrawing from the tournament due to injuries.

Williams, who has gone 12-0 since Wimbledon, held a brief press conference to announce that she had sustained right toe aggravation and didn’t want to run the risk of missing the US Open in less than two weeks.

“I’m definitely disappointed, but at the same time I have a lot to look forward to,” said Williams. “(I) definitely think rest is what I should do. If anything, it’ll make them better, maybe because I have more opportunity to rest up and get 200% healthy, which could be a very dangerous thing.”

Azarenka, who was scheduled to clash with Israeli Shahar Peer in the night session match on Center Court after No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated Ryan Harrison in straight sets, withdrew with a right hand strain. Azarenka was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Pauline Parmentier, who fell to Peer 6-2, 6-3 in just under 90 minutes.

Winners in the men’s event included No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal, No. 4 Andy Murray, No. 5 David Ferrer, No. 6 Gael Monfils, No. 7 Mardy Fish, No. 9 Nicolas Almagro, No. 10 Gilles Simon and No. 12 Richard Gasquet. The only seed to fall on Wednesday was No. 15 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who lost to Alex Bogomolov Jr., 6-3 6-4.

US Open announces wild card entries for 2011 edition

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Lleyton Hewitt

The USTA announced today that 2001 US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and a group of Americans consisting of former US Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri, teenager Ryan Harrison, reigning NCAA champion Steve Johnson, Jack Sock, who won his second consecutive USTA Boys’ 18s title on Sunday, and current world No. 89 Donald Young, along with France’s Julien Benneteau, have been awarded men’s singles main draw wild card entries into the 2011 US Open Tennis Championships. The 2011 US Open will be played August 29 – September 11 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

One additional wild card will be given to the winner of the 2011 US Open Wild Card Playoff, an eight-player invitational event held by USTA Player Development at the Junior Tennis Champions Center, a USTA Certified Regional Training Center in College Park, Md., this week.

Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will win $1.8 million in prize money with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total potential payout of $2.8 million) based on their performance in the 2011 Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Men’s Singles Championship is presented by Mercedes-Benz USA.

Ginepri, 28, of Kennesaw, Ga., has played in just six events since the 2010 US Open after undergoing arm surgery last September, and is currently ranked No. 305 after reaching the final of the USTA Pro Circuit $100,000 Challenger in Vancouver earlier this month. He achieved a career-high ranking of No. 15 in 2005 after reaching the semifinals of the US Open that year. Ginepri has won three career ATP World Tour singles titles and has been a member of the U.S. Davis Cup and Olympic tennis teams.

Hewitt, 30, of Adelaide, Australia, received his wild card through a reciprocal arrangement with Tennis Australia, which will grant a men’s singles main draw wild card into the 2012 Australian Open to a player designated by the USTA. He is a former world No. 1 and the winner of 28 career singles titles, including 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon.

Harrison, 19, of Bradenton, Fla., is currently ranked No. 78 in the world and is the youngest American in the top 100. This summer he reached consecutive semifinals at the Olympus US Open Series events in Atlanta and Los Angeles, where he lost to the top-ranked American Mardy Fish both times. Harrison was given a wild card into qualifying at the US Open last year and won three matches to advance to the main draw, where he upset No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic in the first round and had match points in the second round before losing in a fifth set tiebreak.

Reigning NCAA champion Johnson, 21, of Orange, Calif., captured the title as a junior at USC and also helped lead the Trojans to their third consecutive NCAA team title. Johnson earned 2011 All-America honors and competed on the USTA Collegiate Team this summer, where he reached his first pro final (as an amateur) at the $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit Futures in Sacramento, Calif. Johnson was a practice partner for the U.S. Davis Cup team in July during the 2011 quarterfinal between the United States and Spain in Austin, Texas.

Sock, 18, of Lincoln, Neb., recently turned pro and successfully defended his title at the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships on Sunday to earn a wild card into the US Open men’s singles draw for the second consecutive year, and become the first back-to-back USTA Boys’ 18s champion since Donald Young in 2005-06. Last year, Sock became the first American to win the US Open boys’ singles title since Andy Roddick in 2000.

Young, 22, of Atlanta, re-entered the top 100 this year after reaching the semifinals of the Olympus US Open Series event in Washington D.C. earlier this month and upsetting two top 30 players—his career-best result. This year, he also advanced to the third round of Indian Wells, where he defeated world No. 5 Andy Murray en route, and then captured his sixth career USTA Pro Circuit singles title. A two-time Grand Slam junior tournament champion, Young became the youngest-ever year-end world No. 1 junior in 2005. He first broke into the top 100 in 2007 when he reached the third round of the US Open.

Benneteau, 29, of Bourg en Bresse, France, received his wild card through a reciprocal arrangement with the French Tennis Federation, which granted a wild card into the 2011 French Open to a player designated by the USTA (Tim Smyczek, who won a USTA playoff). Benneteau is currently ranked No. 112 after having reached a career-high No. 32 in 2010.

In addition to the eight US Open men’s singles main draw wild cards, the USTA also announced eight men who have been awarded wild card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, which will be held August 23-26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. One additional US Open qualifying wild card will be awarded to the winner of the 2011 US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship, taking place August 18-21 in New Haven, Conn.

Players receiving 2011 US Open qualifying wild cards are: 2011 USTA Boys’ 18s runner-up Mitchell Frank (18, Annandale, Va.); 2011 French Open boys’ singles champion Bjorn Fratangelo (18, Plum, Pa.); 2011 Easter Bowl champion Marcos Giron (18, Thousand Oaks, Calif.); Bradley Klahn (20, Poway, Calif.), the 2010 NCAA men’s singles champion and a rising senior at Stanford; Daniel Kosakowski (19, Huntington Park, Calif.), who recently turned professional after his freshman year at UCLA; Denis Kudla (18, Arlington, Va.), who recently reached the quarterfinals at the ATP World Tour event in Newport, R.I.; and two University of Tennessee standouts – Tennys Sandgren (20, Gallatin, Tenn.), who won back-to-back titles on the USTA Pro Circuit this summer; and 2011 NCAA men’s singles runner-up Rhyne Williams (20, Knoxville, Tenn.), who turned professional this summer.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal, world no.1 Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick headline 2011 US Open men’s field

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Rafael Nadal

The USTA announced today that world No. 1 and reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, reigning US Open and French Open champion Rafael Nadal, and five-time US Open champion Roger Federer lead the men’s singles field for the 2011 US Open Tennis Championships.  The player field also features former US Open champions Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro.  Each of the world’s top 101 men received direct entry into the US Open, representing 40 countries.

The 2011 US Open will be played August 29 – September 11 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.  Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.8 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.8 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series.  The US Open Men’s Singles Championship is presented by Mercedes-Benz USA.

Leading the entry list is world No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who will be seeking his first US Open title after reaching the final in 2010.  Djokovic won the 2011 Australian Open and Wimbledon titles, and following his win at Wimbledon became the first player other than Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to be ranked No. 1 on the ATP World Tour since Andy Roddick in 2003.

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal enters as the defending US Open champion and is seeking his 11th career Grand Slam singles title after winning the 2011 French Open.

World No. 3 Roger Federer is seeking his sixth US Open title which would surpass Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors for most U.S. Open men’s singles titles in the Open Era.  In 2007, Federer became the only man to win the Olympus US Open Series and US Open titles in the same year.

Following Nadal, Djokovic and Federer on the entry list are No. 4 Andy Murray of Great Britain, the 2008 US Open runner-up; No. 5 Robin Soderling of Sweden, the French Open runner-up in 2009 and 2010; No. 6 David Ferrer of Spain, a 2007 US Open semifinalist; No. 7 Gael Monfils of France; No. 8 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up; No. 9 Mardy Fish of Tampa, Fla.; and No. 10 Andy Roddick of Austin, Texas, the 2003 US Open Champion.

In all, there are six entrants who have won Grand Slam singles titles in their careers, including 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

Other American men who received direct entry into this year’s tournament include: No. 35 John Isner of Tampa, Fla.; No. 50 Sam Querrey of Las Vegas; No. 63 Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Miami; No. 66 Ryan Sweeting of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and No. 91 James Blake of Tampa, Fla.

Marc Gicquel of France, ranked No. 101, is the last player accepted directly into the men’s field of 128.  Additionally, three players used protected rankings to gain direct entry: Fernando Gonzalez of Chile; Tommy Haas of Germany; and Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.  Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, August 23-26, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.

Among the players competing in the US Open Qualifying Tournament will be the winner of the second annual US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship, held during the Olympus US Open Series event in New Haven, Conn., prior to the US Open Qualifying Tournament.  The USTA created the US Open National Playoffs in 2010 to allow players 14-and-older, regardless of playing ability or nationality, to vie for a spot in the US Open Qualifying Tournament via one of 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments.

The July 18 edition of the ATP World Tour rankings was used to determine the US Open main draw entry list.  Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.

The 2011 US Open will mark the culmination of the Olympus US Open Series, the North American summer season of 10 ATP World Tour and WTA events that began July 18.  The US Open is the highest attended annual sporting event in the world.  More than 80 million viewers watched the 2010 US Open on CBS Sports, ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, and international broadcasts reached 185 countries.  In 2010, Rafael Nadal completed the career Grand Slam by defeating Novak Djokovic to win his first US Open title.  In the women’s singles final, Kim Clijsters captured the title for the second consecutive year, defeating Vera Zvonareva to win her third career US Open title.

The 2011 US Open will be held Monday, August 29 through Sunday, September 11.  Tickets for the 2011 US Open can be purchased four ways:  1) at USOpen.org; 2) by calling Ticketmaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX; 3) at all Ticketmaster outlets; or 4) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office.  American Express is the Official Card of the US Open.

Two-time defending champion Kim Clijsters and fellow 2011 Grand Slam champions Li Na and Petra Kvitova headline 2011 US Open women’s field

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The USTA announced today that 97 of the top 100 women, including two-time defending US Open champion and reigning Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters, and fellow 2011 Grand Slam singles champions Li Na and Petra Kvitova, are entered in the women’s singles field for the 2011 US Open Tennis Championships.  Clijsters, Li and Kvitova will be joined in the field by former US Open champions Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova.  In all, 37 different countries are represented in the women’s field.

Kim Clijsters

Serena Williams, who won the US Open in 1999, 2002 and 2008, utilized a special ranking to gain entry into the field after missing nearly an entire year of competition due to injury.  Alona Bondarenko also gained entry via a special ranking.

The 2011 US Open will be played August 29 – September 11 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.  Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.8 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.8 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series.  The US Open Women’s Singles Championship is presented by JPMorgan Chase.

Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova will miss this year’s event following her announcement that she is receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and former world No. 1 Dinara Safina and Timea Bacsinszky will also sit out due to injuries.

Kim Clijsters, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, will have the opportunity to win her second Grand Slam of the year, and fifth overall, at this year’s US Open.  She will also attempt to become the first female to win three consecutive US Open singles titles since Chris Evert (1976-78).  Additionally, she will look to extend her winning streak of 21 consecutive matches at the US Open, as she has won the title each of the last three times she has played (2005, 2009-10).  Reigning French Open and Wimbledon champions Li and Kvitova will each attempt to win her first US Open and second career major title.

Altogether, there are nine players who have won Grand Slam singles titles in their careers competing in the US Open this year, including former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, who won the 2008 French Open, and 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone.

Leading the entry list is world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who reached her first Grand Slam final at the 2009 US Open.  Following Wozniacki on the entry list are No. 2 Kim Clijsters of Belgium, the US Open champion in 2005, 2009 and 2010; No. 3 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, the 2010 US Open and Wimbledon runner-up; No. 4 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus; No. 5 Maria Sharapova of Russia, the 2006 US Open champion; No. 6 Li Na of China, the reigning French Open champion; No. 7 Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the reigning Wimbledon champion; No. 8 Francesca Schiavone of Italy, the 2010 French Open champion; No. 9 Marion Bartoli of France, the 2007 Wimbledon runner-up; and No. 10 Samantha Stosur of Australia, the 2010 French Open runner-up.

Other American women who received direct entry into this year’s tournament include No. 30 Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix, the highest-ranked American in the field; No. 35 Venus Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the 2000 and 2001 US Open champion; No. 67 Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; No. 90 Vania King of Boynton Beach, Fla., the reigning US Open doubles champion; No. 99 Coco Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., the 2008 US Open girls’ singles champion; No. 100 Melanie Oudin of Marietta, Ga.; No. 101 Varvara Lepchenko of Allentown, Pa.; and No. 102 Irina Falconi of Atlanta.

Misaki Doi of Japan, ranked No. 105, was the 104th and last player accepted directly into the women’s field of 128.  Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, August 23-26, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.

Among the players competing in the US Open Qualifying Tournament will be the winner of the second annual US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship, held during the Olympus US Open Series event in New Haven, Conn., prior to the US Open Qualifying Tournament.  The USTA created the US Open National Playoffs last year to allow players 14-and-older, regardless of playing ability or nationality, to vie for a spot in the US Open Qualifying Tournament via one of 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments.

The July 18 edition of the WTA rankings was used to determine the US Open main draw entry list.  Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.

The 2011 US Open will mark the culmination of the Olympus US Open Series, the North American summer season of 10 ATP World Tour and WTA events that began July 18.  The US Open is the highest attended annual sporting event in the world.  More than 80 million viewers watched the 2010 US Open on CBS Sports, ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, and international broadcasts reached 185 countries.  In 2010, Rafael Nadal completed the career Grand Slam by defeating Novak Djokovic to win his first US Open title.  In the women’s singles final, Kim Clijsters captured the title for the second consecutive year, defeating Vera Zvonareva to win her third career US Open title.

2010 US Open One of the Most Successful Tournaments in History: This Week in Tennis Business

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By Justin Cohen

  • On Tuesday, the USTA announced that the 2010 US Open was one of the most successful tournaments in history, as Rafael Nadal became the seventh male player in history to capture the career Grand Slam after beating Novak Djokovic in four sets to win the singles title on Monday. Just a couple days earlier, Kim Clijsters extended her winning streak in New York to 21-matches after capturing her third US Open title by defeating Vera Zvonareva in straight sets. Clijsters, who has won the US Open crown the last three years she has competed, earned $2.2 million in total prize money, which is tied for the biggest purse in women’s sports history, the same total she earned in 2005 after winning her first title at the US Open. For the fourth consecutive year, attendance topped 700,000 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, with an overall total of 712, 976 watching the final grand slam tournament of the year. USOpen.org, the official website of the tournament, exceeded 12.4 million unique visitors, which is the second highest in history, while total visits to the website reached more than 40 million for just the second time in tournament history. Throughout the tournament, the official Facebook fan page grew by 33 percent and since the conclusion of the 2009 tournament, it has grown 312 percent. The US Open official Twitter page grew by 51 percent over the two week tournament and by 158 percent since the conclusion of the 2009 tournament.
  • Mary Joe Fernandez’s contract as U.S. Fed Cup Captain has been extended through the 2012 season. In her first two seasons as captain, Fernandez has lead the team to the Fed Cup finals in back-to-back years for the first time since the United States won the titles in consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. Last season, the Americans lost on the road on clay to Italy but can get revenge in November when they host the same Italian team in San Diego on an indoor hardcourt. “For the first time in ten years, the U.S. has reached the finals of the Fed Cup in two consecutive years,” said Lucy S. Garvin, the USTA President and Chairman of the Board. “We are incredibly proud of Mary Joe Fernandez and what she has accomplished as the captain of the Fed Cup. She has the respect and the admiration of her team as well as the USTA. And I am very pleased to announce that the USTA is extending Mary Joe’s contract for 2011 and 2012. We are delighted that she is staying on board with us.”

    Rafael Nadal
  • Patrick McEnroe resigned as U.S. Davis Cup Captain after 10 seasons during a news conference at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, site of the US Open. McEnroe said that he was stepping down because he needed to focus his attention on his current position as General Manager of the Player Development Program at the USTA. McEnroe, who has a 16-9 record as Captain, will retain his captaincy through the upcoming tie between the U.S. and Colombia in Bogota from September 17-19. “It’s mixed emotions for me because of what Davis Cup has meant to me for 10 years, to the players that have supported it,” said McEnroe. “But I feel now is a good time for a transition. I can focus on my professional energies, player development and will obviously still be involved with the team, who plays, and supporting guys that are part of the team.”
  • FedEx Corporation, the world’s largest air-cargo carrier, has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the ATP World Tour, becoming a platinum sponsor. FedEx will sponsor 17 tournaments throughout 12 countries. The Memphis, Tenn., based company will get marketing rights and become the official carrier of the ATP World Tour.
  • Martina Hingis, who is possibly considering coming out of retirement to play doubles only on the WTA Tour, has signed a new multi-year deal with Yonex racquets.
  • The USTA announced that Wilson Racquet Sports has extended its support of the USTA and will continue as the official ball of the US Open in a new long-term deal. Throughout the world’s largest annual sporting event, more than 90,000 Wilson tennis balls are used. Under the terms of the new agreement, Wilson will provide a wide range of support for the USTA’s professional tennis and player development programs. “Wilson has been a tremendous partner of the USTA for more than thirty years, and this new agreement exemplifies their continued commitment to tennis,” said Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA.  “Throughout our long partnership, the purchase of Wilson US Open products has directly funded—through its licensing royalties—the USTA’s mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis.”
  • The city of Charleston, S.C., was named the winner of the USTA’s “Best Tennis Town” for the year 2010 and was awarded with a check of $100,000 to be used towards community tennis programming or facility enhancements. After an online voting period from July 16 to July 26, Charleston beat out Atlanta, Ga., and Richmond, Va., to earn the title in the USTA’s second nationwide search for the best tennis community. Atlanta finished as first runner-up and won a $50,000 check from the USTA, while Richmond finished as second runner-up and earned a $25,000 check.
  • On September 7, new rules had been passed for 10-and-under tournaments in USTA sanctioned events and will take effect on January 1, 2012. The new rules will require that 10-and-under tournaments be played using slower-moving and lower-balls, on smaller courts and players must play with shorter, lighter racquets. “We’re very excited about what this change means to the future of tennis in the United States,” said Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA, and Chairman of the US Open. “Competition is an important element of learning and growing the game, and now all children 10 and under will have the proper platform with which to compete.” The specifications for the revised rule says that all tournaments for those aged 9-10 be played on 60-foot courts using orange low compression tennis balls and regulation nets (3 feet at the center) or, for those more experienced and more skilled players, on 78-foot courts with green lower-compression balls. Tournaments for those 8 and under are to be played on 36-foot courts using red foam balls and nets at a height of 2 feet, 9 inches. “Competition is at the very heart of our sport,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager, USTA Player Development. “And learning how to play tennis the right way, with the right strokes and the proper technique, is beneficial for kids both now and into the future, whether they pursue the game recreationally or at the very highest levels.”
  • Seven tennis facilities throughout the United States were honored during the 29th annual USTA Facility Awards Program, which recognizes excellence in construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country. Libbey Park Tennis Complex in Ojai, Calif., and Palm Coast Tennis Center in Palm Coast, Fla., was the winners for the small public tennis centers (2-10 courts). Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education in Philadelphia was the winner in the large public tennis center (11 courts or more). Lakes Tennis Academy in Frisco, Texas and Courtside Club (USTA Featured Facility) in Los Gatos, Calif., was the winners for the private facilities. Gable Tennis Complex in Culver, Ind., and Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, Calif., were the winners for the Educational Institutions. “These facilities have gone above and beyond to create a superior tennis experience for their patrons and community at large,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive of Community Tennis of the USTA.  “We are proud to honor each of their achievements and applaud their devotion to the sport.” Each facility was honored on September 5 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City at the USTA semiannual meeting during the meeting of the Technical Committee.
  • Paul Annacone, who was recently hired as Roger Federer’s full-time coach, has resigned from his position as head of men’s tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association effective immediately.
  • Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been re-elected as the President and Vice President of the ATP Player Council after a vote at the ATP players’ meeting at the US Open. The player council is made up of the following: Federer (President), Nadal (Vice President), Yves Allegro, Eric Butorac, Ashley Fisher, Fernando Gonzalez, Peter Luczak, Jarkko Nieminen, Sam Querrey, Nenad Zimonjic, Claudio Pistolesi (Coach), and Ignacio Hirigoyen (Alumni).
  • Serena Williams, who has not played since winning Wimbledon due to injury, told the Associated Press on Monday that she is back practicing again. The World No. 1 and 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, who missed the recent US Open in New York, hopes to return before the end of the season in time to play the Fed Cup final against Italy in November. “Hopefully sooner rather than later,” said Williams. “I really can’t wait to get back more than ever.”
  • Australian legend Ken Rosewall was honored at the US Open in the Court of Champions at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sunday when a plaque was unveiled paying tribute to his accomplishments to his US Open achievements. Rosewall won the US Championships in 1956 as an amateur and the US Open 14 years later in 1970 as a professional.
  • Aleskandra Wozniak will be sidelined for the rest of the season with an ongoing wrist injury. Wozniak lost in the opening round at the US Open to qualifier Sally Peers.

Rain Pushes Men’s Final to Monday

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NEW YORK – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will have to wait one more day to find out who wins their first US Open men’s singles title.

After two weeks of sunshine bathed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, rain arrived at Flushing Meadows Sunday, forcing several matches to be pushed to Monday.

It is the third consecutive year the US Open has concluded on a Monday. Last year, Juan Martin del Potro beat Roger Federer, while Federer defeated Andy Murray for the title in 2008.

Besides the men’s singles championship battle, the women’s doubles final will be completed on Monday. Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova were leading Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-2 4-6 5-4 0-15 when rain halted play. The four sat under umbrellas on court for several minutes, hoping the drizzle would stop, before they were sent to the locker room. They never returned to the court.

Also postponed to Monday was the men’s wheelchair singles final between Shingo Kunieda of Japan and Nicolas Peifer of France.

Three titles were decided on Sunday before the rain arrived.

Jack Sock defeated 10th-seeded Denis Kudla 3-6 6-2 6-2 in an all-American battle for the Boys’ singles championship; top-seeded Daria Gavrilova downed fellow Russian Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-2 in the Girls’ singles final, and Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands won the women’s wheelchair singles, crushing Australia’s Daniela Di Toro 6-0 6-0.

Doubles Final Ends With Everyone a Winner

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NEW YORK – American twins Bob and Mike Bryan walked away from Arthur Ashe Stadium with the biggest trophy and largest check. But they weren’t the only winners.

Aisam-Ul-Haq Quereshi of Pakistan and India’s Rohan Bopanna finished with the smaller numbers of the 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) score, but they were far from being losers.

“We would have been rooting for them” if he wasn’t playing on the other side of the net, Bob Bryan said. “Great guys.”

“Obviously we would love to win the match, you know,” Qureshi said. “But to me, winning and losing is a different matter. I know I gave 100 percent and Rohan gave 100 percent also. So we can easily have pleasant dreams tonight.”

Bob & Mike Bryan win the US Open doubles title

It was the Bryans’ third US Open men’s doubles title, their ninth in Grand Slam tournaments and the 65th of their career, extending their own mark. It was the first Grand Slam tournament final for Bopanna and Qureshi, their best previous doubles result in a major being the quarterfinals at Wimbledon earlier this year.

Both teams played excellent tennis, standing nearly face-to-face at the net with rapid-fire volleying. The Bryans won 83 points in the match, only eight more than their opponents.

But tennis – as good as it was — was only part the action, and a small part at that, on the hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Accepting the runner-up trophy, Qureshi had a message for not only the stadium crowd but for the world.

“I feel there’s a very wrong perception of Pakistan as a terrorist country,” Qureshi told the crowd. “We are a friendly, caring and peace-loving country and we want peach as much as you all.”

The crowd responded with a standing ovation.

“It choked me up,” Bob Bryan said. “He was quivering a little bit. Just to give that message to everyone was very heartfelt.

“What they are doing is a lot more important than winning the US Open.”

Later, in the post-match interview, Quereshi expanded on his message.

“Since September 11, every time I come to the States or western countries, I feel people have wrong impression about Pakistan as a terrorist nation,” he said. “I just wanted to declare that we are very friendly, loving and caring people, and we want peace in this world as much as Americans want and the rest of the world wants. We all are on the same side.”

Qureshi said he hoped the success he and Bopanna had enjoyed in this, the year’s final Grand Slam tournament, would help Pakistanis forget momentarily the misery of the flooding that has rocked his homeland.

“For me, you know, this whole two weeks for the obvious reason, for the peace and spreading out the message. But being a Pakistani, we have very tough times.

“My only motivation behind all my wins and trying to fight out all of the matches were to give some good news back home.”

Then, wrapping his arm around Bopanna, Qureshi said: “I just can’t thank this guy right next to me for sticking with me these two weeks as well, to help me send some good news back home, which people really needed.

“I hope we were able to give them a reason to smile, you know, for the past two weeks.”

With the starting time for the men’s doubles final pushed back an hour until noon, fans packed the stadium.

“When we came out it (Arthur Ashe Stadium) was pretty full,” Mike Bryan said. “Usually they start filling in toward the end of the match, waiting for the next match. But they came out to see the doubles, which was really nice.”

The Bryans know their opponents also helped bring out the crowd.

“I could see a bunch of Indians and Pakistanis out there at 10:15 a.m. when we were warming up,” Bob Bryan said. “I was looking around and, I’m like, ‘We’re not going to have this whole crowd on our side for sure.’

Just as they had for the semifinals, United Nations ambassadors Hardeep Singh Puri of India and Abdullah Hussain Haroon of Pakistan sat together in the stands, cheering on the “Indo-Pak Express.”

“To have the ambassadors here, it shows it’s bigger than just a tennis match,” Mike Bryan said. “When it comes down to it, there are a lot of people in Pakistan who don’t have homes and are out on the street.

“What they’re doing to bring India and Pakistan together is pretty special.”

That’s one of their goals.

“You know, this is definitely a step forward for us, like the ambassadors of the UN both coming in. Obviously it’s going to help,” Bopanna said. “I think for us reaching here and doing well is definitely a positive message to send across.”

“Yesterday I got a phone call from the prime minister of Pakistan wishing both of us all the best and appreciate what we were doing, especially in these dark times where Pakistan is going through,” Qureshi said. “He really supported our cause as well.”

Venus Shining Brightly

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NEW YORK – Venus Williams, seeking her first US Open title in nine years, moved one step away from the title match Tuesday by defeating Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (5) 6-4.

“I want to be in the final because then obviously it’s just one more step,” Williams said. “But I’m just focused on the semis, and I don’t get too excited unless the tournament is over. So at this point I’m focusing on the semifinals.

This is her first trip to the semifinals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center since 2007 and the first in a Grand Slam tournament since Wimbledon in 2009.

Venus Williams

“I just like seeing ‘major’ by my name,” Williams said when asked about the possibility of winning a third US Open singles crown and eighth Grand Slam tournament title. “That’s what we work for. That’s what we all work for.”

Williams jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first-set tie-break, only to have Schiavone capture the next four points. With a mini-break, Williams took a 5-4 lead and had the set on her racquet.

The French Open champion wasn’t ready to go away so quickly, however, and got the mini-break back, knotting the score at 5-5. It was to no avail and Williams won the next two points for the opening set. Going into the quarterfinal, Williams was 51-1 at the US Open when winning the first set.

Playing much more relaxed, Williams began to dominate in the second set, pounding her big ground strokes deep in the court, keeping Schiavone on the run and having to play defense. The American broke Schiavone early as she took a 4-1 lead.

Schiavone held to 4-2, then, using different spins, moving the ball around and getting a couple of breaks, took a 15-40 lead, double break point. Although Williams pulled to deuce, Schiavone gained another break point when she hit a backhand down the line that appeared to be going wide. Williams, who had been moving toward the net, stuck out her racquet and the ball ticked off the frame.

The Italian, fighting for every point, doing it with spins and placement instead of power, closed out the break and put the set back on serve when Williams drilled a ball into the net.

It made no difference. Williams broke right back, pounding her heavy ground strokes and controlling the points. An error or two from Schiavone helped as Williams moved one game away from victory.

Not so fast. A couple mistakes, capped by a double fault, gave Schiavone yet another break and the match continued.

“It wasn’t easy,” Williams said. “She played so well with a lot of spin and forehand slice. I had to wait for my opportunities.”

Schiavone netted a backhand to begin the 10th game. When Williams sailed a forehand long on the next point, it was 15-15. On the next point Williams raced in to get a short ball, then slammed a forehand right her opponent, the ball ricocheting off the Italian’s racquet and sailing wide. On match point, Williams slammed a forehand to Schiavone’s backhand at the baseline. Schiavone’s return sailed long and Williams was in the US Open semifinals for the seventh time.

The semifinals on the hard courts at Arthur Ashe Stadium was a regular stop for Williams at the beginning of her career. She reached the title match in her US Open debut in 1997, and reached at least the semifinals in each of her first six appearances.

“I’ve always played I think pretty well here,” Williams said. “Unfortunately I even missed a couple years here, so I’m sure that didn’t help my cause.

“Other than that I feel really comfortable here, and it’s great to come back to a place where I have won and a place where I’ve played well. Obviously in ’97, you know, my first big tournament.

“So all in all, I feel positive.”

While she hasn’t won a Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2008, the veteran has been one of the most consistent players in 2010 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Williams is one of only two women to reach the fourth round or better at all four majors this year, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, who is seeded number one, being the other. She also is the first 30-year-old to gain the US Open women’s singles semis since Mary Pierce in 2005.

Earlier Tuesday Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka advanced to the men’s quarterfinals when he outlasted American Sam Querrey 7-6 (9) 6-7 (5) 7-5 4-6 6-4.

“I play a good match,” Wawrinka said. “I think my serve was not really good today, but the rest was quite OK.”

Wawrinka’s victory kept alive the remote possibility of two Swiss players meeting for the men’s title. Wawrinka is in the top half of the draw, which is led by top-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain. Roger Federer, seeking his sixth US Open crown in seven years, is in the bottom half of the draw.

In the quarterfinals, Wawrinka will take on Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, a 7-5 6-2 4-6 6-4 winner over Spain’s Tommy Robredo.