Tennis Capsules: Federer feels no less confident heading to U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Riding in a car a few days before the start of the 2010 U.S. Open, Roger Federer was discussing the state of his game during a telephone interview when he suddenly interjected a warning.
“Just so you know, I’m going through the Midtown Tunnel here,” Federer said, “so if we get cut off, I’ll call you back, OK?”
Which illustrated two traits: The guy is exceedingly polite — and he knows his way around New York quite well. The latter quality might result from so many extended stays in the Big Apple over the years, sticking around long enough to reach every men’s final at Flushing Meadows since 2004.
If there have been questions raised in recent months about where Federer’s career is headed, there is at least one person who is adamant that it’s far too soon to write him off.
You guessed it: Federer himself.
“As high as my confidence has been the last few years,” Federer said in an interview with The Associated Press, “I don’t feel like I’m any less confident.”
When the U.S. Open begins Monday, Rafael Nadal will try to complete a career Grand Slam, Andy Murray will seek his first major title and Novak Djokovic his second, and Andy Roddick will aim to end an American drought.
And Federer? He gets a chance to show that reports of his demise are premature, that he still possesses the on-court qualities that let him lord over tennis for so long: the slick movement, the sublime forehand, and the pinpoint serve on display in that popular is-it-real-or-fake? video catching millions of clicks on YouTube.
“Rafa, Murray and Djokovic are all looking good, too, so I think it’s going to be a U.S. Open with multiple favorites,” said Federer, who announced Saturday that he’s hiring Pete Sampras’ former coach, Paul Annacone. “But I guess I’m one of the big ones or bigger ones — if not the biggest one — because of my history here over the last six years, making the final each year.”
That run includes five U.S. Open championships, part of his record haul of 16 Grand Slam titles. It also helped Federer accumulate semifinals-or-better showings at a record 23 consecutive major tournaments, a streak that ended with a quarterfinal loss at this year’s French Open.
Another quarterfinal exit followed a month later at Wimbledon, where Federer has won six titles. While many players would be satisfied or even thrilled to reach the quarterfinals at two Grand Slam tournaments in a row, the world has come to expect so much more from Federer.
“I’m sure he’s highly motivated to kind of get it right after what, for him, are disappointing Grand Slam results — and for other people are very good Grand Slam results,” said Roddick, whose 2003 U.S. Open victory was the last major title for a U.S. man.
That pair of early-for-him exits by Federer, plus a six-month title drought, plus a brief slip to No. 3 in the rankings for the first time since 2003 (he’s now back up to No. 2, behind Nadal), plus his age (he turned 29 on Aug. 8), led some to wonder whether he would ever win another Grand Slam title.
Others simply shrugged.
“He’s human, even though he was making results that didn’t seem human the last five, six years,” said Djokovic, whose only losses at the past three U.S. Opens came against Federer, in the 2007 final and the 2008-09 semifinals. “It just proves there’s a lot of players now coming up and not being scared anymore to play their best in the important matches.”
Federer has heard negative talk before.
In 2008, he went through a stretch of — what?! — three Grand Slam tournaments without taking a title, losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals, then Nadal in the French Open and Wimbledon finals. Fans began sending Federer letters of support and even instructional DVDs to help the cause.
How silly did Federer make that all seem? First, he won that year’s U.S. Open. Then, in 2009, he captured his first French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam and tie Pete Sampras’ mark of 14 major titles. And to cap the “comeback,” he regained his Wimbledon championship for record-breaking No. 15.
“You can never count him out. It seems like every time someone says he’s having a down year or a bad time in his career, he just comes right back and wins two or three Grand Slams in a row,” said Mardy Fish, who lost to Federer in the final of a hard-court tournament in Cincinnati a week ago and is seeded 19th at the U.S. Open. “And there’s really no reason he can’t do that again. He’s the best player to ever play. He’ll go down, in my opinion, with at least two or three more Slams.”
Federer certainly agrees with that assessment.
“I obviously believe I can still win many Slams ... but I don’t have a target I’m chasing, because I go tournament by tournament,” said Federer, who beat Murray in the Australian Open final in January. “As long as I’m fit and healthy, I know I can win more Slams.”
After losing to Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon, Federer said his leg and back had been bothering him since before the tournament. Now, though, he feels well, thanks in part to rest and relaxation during a nearly two-week vacation by the Mediterranean Sea with his wife and 1-year-old twin daughters.
As he put it: “No problems; no aches and pains; no issues.”
That’s no small feat in tennis these days. The man who put an end to Federer’s 40-match U.S. Open winning streak in last year’s final, Juan Martin del Potro, is not defending the title because he’s still recovering from wrist surgery in May. The No. 1-ranked woman, Serena Williams, is skipping a tournament she’s won three times, citing surgery to repair cuts on her foot that she’s never fully explained. Two-time champion Justine Henin is done for the year with an elbow injury.
The list goes on. Defending women’s champion Kim Clijsters says acupuncture helped her get over a left hip problem that bothered her this month. Maria Sharapova, who won the 2006 U.S. Open, pulled out of a tuneup tournament with a bad foot after having to deal with shoulder surgery and an elbow injury in recent years.
“Injuries will always be a part of any sport. We play a lot of tournaments. You play a lot of matches if you do well. You have different surfaces, which is great about tennis, but on the bodies, for the players, it’s not always that easy,” Clijsters said. “Jet lag, different surfaces, different balls — it’s not always that easy.”
All of which makes it that much more impressive that this U.S. Open will be Federer’s 44th major tournament in a row, the most among active men.
Roddick, to cite one example, is competing in his 10th consecutive major championship. Nadal’s playing in his fifth straight.
“That was a conscious decision when I became No. 1 back in 2004, that I wasn’t going to overplay, and I think it’s because of that plan that I’m still here,” Federer said. “It goes without saying I wasn’t at 100 percent every single Slam I played.”
That said, he issued something of a caution to present critics and future opponents.
“Everybody should know,” Federer said, “what I’m capable of doing when I’m in good form.”
Williams' foot-fault official back at U.S. Open
NEW YORK (AP) — The line judge who called a foot fault on Serena Williams that sent the star into a tirade during last year's U.S. Open semifinals will be officiating at this year's tournament.
In a statement issued to The Associated Press on Saturday, tournament organizers said Shino Tsurubuchi "is a world class official and we are confident in her abilities."
The statement continued: "Consistent with U.S. Open officiating assignments, Ms. Tsurubuchi will officiate in both men's and women's matches, and will rotate through the various on-court officiating positions."
Williams, who leads active women with 13 Grand Slam singles titles, withdrew last week from this year's U.S. Open, which begins Monday. She said she is not completely recovered from July 15 surgery to repair cuts on her right foot.
Tsurubuchi was working the baseline late in the 2009 U.S. Open semifinal between then-defending champion Williams and Kim Clijsters. Tsurubuchi called a foot fault on a second serve by Williams, resulting in a double-fault that moved Clijsters one point from victory.
The ruling prompted a profanity-laced, racket-brandishing, finger-pointing tirade by Williams, who approached Tsurubuchi with what tournament director Jim Curley called at the time "a threatening manner."
Williams earlier had been give a code violation warning when she broke her racket after losing the first set. So the chair umpire awarded a penalty point to Clijsters because of Williams' outburst — and, because it happened to come on match point, that ended the semifinal with Clijsters ahead 6-4, 7-5. Clijsters went on to win the championship.
Williams was fined $10,000 right away by the U.S. Tennis Association for unsportsmanlike conduct, the maximum onsite penalty a tennis player can face. About 2½ months later, the American was fined an additional $82,500 — a record — by the Grand Slam administrator and told she would be suspended from the U.S. Open if she has another "major offense" at any Grand Slam tournament in 2010 or 2011.
The USTA said it would not make Tsurubuchi available to the media, per tournament policy covering all on-court officials.
-- Howard Fendrich
At U.S. Open, Oudin returns to site of breakthrough
NEW YORK — Getting set to head to a practice session, Melanie Oudin was lingering outside Arthur Ashe Stadium the other day when a trio of women approached the darling of the 2009 U.S. Open.
One told Oudin what an inspiration she is and asked if they could take a photo. Oudin obliged, posing and smiling for three of the many, many fans who most likely never had heard of the teen from Marietta, Ga., a year ago at this time.
She came into the U.S. Open, her fourth career Grand Slam tournament, ranked 70th, then proceeded to knock off three-time major champion Maria Sharapova and 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva en route to reaching the quarterfinals. Oudin’s mid-match comebacks, gee-whiz attitude and pink-and-yellow sneakers with “BELIEVE” stamped on the heels put her in the spotlight. Her victories made her, at 17, the youngest U.S. Open quarterfinalist since Serena Williams in 1999.
The 50 weeks since then haven’t gone nearly as well.
“It’s been a tough year, because people out there are placing expectations on her,” said Oudin’s coach, Brian de Villiers. “People forget she’s only 18. ... For her to just get dropped into that at this age — there’s no training for this. This is all firsthand experience.”
The U.S. Open begins Monday, and Oudin returns to the site of her breakthrough having lost four matches in a row. She also endured a six-match losing streak at tournaments earlier this season, part of a 17-20 record. Her 1-3 mark at the year’s other three Grand Slam tournaments includes first-round losses at the Australian Open and French Open, and a second-round exit at Wimbledon.
“Look, last year was totally different,” de Villiers said. “She was the new kid in town. Nobody knew her. So you’re not going to get that again. But it’s still fun to be here, and of course she wants to try to do as well — or better. That’s always the goal.”
Oudin — it’s pronounced oo-DAN — is ranked 44th this week, down from a career-best 31st in April, but leaps and bounds ahead of where she was not all that long ago. She was ranked 373rd at the end of 2007, and 177th at the end of 2008.
She is, by about 2½ months, the youngest member of the top 85 in the rankings. Plus, she’s the highest-ranked American not named Williams: Serena is No. 1, Venus is No. 4.
“I definitely feel a lot more pressure than last year,” Oudin said after a first-round loss at a hard-court tournament in Cincinnati this month. “Almost every person in the United States expects me to win every single match I play, so, I mean, that’s kind of a little bit of pressure.”
Listed by the WTA at 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds, Oudin is not going to overpower too many opponents. Instead, she relies on a baseline-covering, counterpunching style.
“I really admire her game,” seven-time major champion Venus Williams said. “She really makes the most out of her body and her talent. You know that if you are (playing) against Melanie, you have to give 100 percent on every point.”
As someone who drew a lot of attention as a teen on the tennis tour, Williams was asked what advice she would offer Oudin, who makes clear she tires of discussing what happened during her U.S. Open debut.
“I would just say, stay focused and definitely don’t read the articles, and if you’re on TV, turn it on mute,” Williams said.
The extra money — Oudin signed one endorsement deal about 20 minutes before taking the court to face eventual runner-up Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals — and extra attention come along with extra demands on her time and extra queries about that magical run through the draw.
“Everyone asked me in my press conference after I lost in Wimbledon — and even the French — they kept saying, ‘How did it feel to get to the quarterfinals of U.S. Open?’ I’m like, ‘Aren’t we at Wimbledon? Like, aren’t we at the French Open? Why are you talking about the U.S. Open, when that was almost a year ago?’
“Now it’s exactly a year ago, almost,” Oudin said, “so I’m looking forward to not talking about it anymore.”
-- Howard Fendrich
Roger Federer hires Paul Annacone as coach
NEW YORK — Roger Federer is bringing aboard Pete Sampras’ former coach, Paul Annacone, to work with him at the U.S. Open and beyond.
Federer announced the hiring on his website Saturday, then discussed it during a pre-Open news conference. He and Annacone began spending time together a month ago to see whether the pairing would make sense.
“We’ve moved it from a test trial to integrating him into the team now,” Federer said, “so that’s going ahead.”
Annacone, an American, is the former coach of Sampras, Marat Safin and Tim Henman. He has been the head coach of men’s tennis for Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association, and Federer said on his website that Annacone will work with the Swiss star “more and more as his responsibilities with LTA wind down.”
Federer is seeded No. 2 at the U.S. Open, which begins Monday.
He won five consecutive titles at the hard-court tournament until losing in the 2009 final. His streak of reaching at least the semifinals at a record 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments ended with a loss in the French Open quarterfinals this year, and he lost in that round at Wimbledon, too.
Ranked No. 1 at the start of this season, Federer was overtaken by Rafael Nadal after the French Open. That left Federer one week shy of tying Sampras’ record of 286 total weeks atop the rankings.
Federer broke Sampras’ career mark of 14 Grand Slam singles championships by winning No. 15 at Wimbledon in 2009, then added his 16th at the Australian Open in January.
Annacone was Sampras’ coach for nine of his major titles.
“We speak occasionally about Pete and about how he was with him or about his experiences and stuff,” Federer said. “I know so much about Pete already that I never try to copy him. I never try to be like him, but I tried to learn from him as a junior because he was my hero growing up. So definitely when I do hear stories from Paul about Pete it can be inspiring.”
In the past, Federer has worked with coaches Peter Lundgren, Darren Cahill, Jose Higueras and Tony Roche. Sometimes he used a part-time coach or went without one altogether for extended stretches. Recently, Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi has traveled with Federer.
Asked Saturday what Annacone brings, Federer said: “Well, his experience, I guess. I mean, you know, he’s a very nice guy and he’s very calm and speaks as experience from a player and as a coach, as well.”
Federer, who has 1-year-old twin daughters, continued: “I guess he also had kids early as a player, so he knows how to handle that. You know, it’s just nice to hear, you know, (a) different voice for a change.”
-- Howard Fendrich
Notebook: McEnroe thinks women should play fewer tournaments
NEW YORK — John McEnroe knows his feelings about women’s tennis won’t make him any friends. He also doesn’t care.
The sport’s most outspoken figure said women aren’t cut out to play as many tournaments as they’re asked to by their tour.
“There should be less events for women,” McEnroe said in a conference call this week to preview CBS’ coverage of the U.S. Open, which starts Monday. “You need an actual meltdown on court or someone to quit the game altogether before they realize you need to change the schedule.”
The same day that McEnroe was voicing his opinion, the Women’s Tennis Association released an update on initiatives it’s taking to make the season less of a grind. By shortening and streamlining the season, the WTA said withdrawals were down 35 percent and participation by top players was up 57 percent in the tour’s top nine events over the first eight months of 2010 compared to 2008.
Another CBS analyst and former pro, Mary Carillo, was on the call with McEnroe, and while she agreed that the quality of women’s tennis could use an upgrade, she doesn’t think women are incapable of grinding through as long a season as the men.
“I hate the idea that we have to judge women on a curve and say, ‘It’s too much for them,”’ Carillo said. “I’ve seen too many great women champions for too long.”
The U.S. Open was the first Grand Slam tournament to offer equal prize money to men and women — a policy that has been criticized by some because the women play best-of-three-set matches, while the men play best-of-five.
There’s also a debate about whether men and women should play at the same sites more often, and whether the schedule unfairly forces players to enter too many events to secure their rankings.
“I think that’s a little bit of a misconception that’s out there,” said Kim Clijsters, who left the tour for about 2½ years to start a family, then won the 2009 U.S. Open in her return to Grand Slam tennis. “We can choose our schedule. We choose how many tournaments we want to play in, and I think it’s a player’s discipline and professionalism to know when to play.”
McEnroe said women have it better in tennis than any other sport.
“But you shouldn’t push them to playing more than they’re capable of playing,” he said. “Unless you want to make it best-of-five. Make it best-of-five for majors for the women.”
FEDERER’S VIDEO: Roger Federer is not giving much away about how real that video is of him knocking a metal bottle off a man’s head with a serve — twice in a row.
The clip has drawn more than 5 million views on YouTube. Type in “Federer trick shot” to check it out.
“I couldn’t believe the amount of hits I got,” Federer said Saturday. “I’m happy, then, that so many people have seen it, liked it, and debated about it. I was shocked.”
He said it took “one or two takes ... five, 10 minutes, and that was it. It was at one of the shoots I did after Wimbledon in Zurich, and we had a fun time doing it.”
Andy Murray, twice a runner-up to Federer in Grand Slam finals, was asked about the clip’s authenticity.
“You think it was real? Is that right?” Murray replied, smiling.
Then Murray noted that he liked the video, before adding: “There’s not a chance it’s real, though.”
Defending U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters also was asked Saturday whether she thinks it’s legit.
“Let me just say that I would not hold that thing on my head even if it was Roger Federer,” Clijsters said. “There’s your answer.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Andy Roddick turns 28 on Monday, which happens to be Day 1 of the U.S. Open.
He won the hard-court Grand Slam tournament in 2003, but hasn’t added a second major title, losing in four finals.
Asked Saturday about his sense of urgency when it comes to claiming another Grand Slam trophy as he gets older, the ninth-seeded Roddick said: “Well, it’s always there. Birthday or no birthday, you come in to try to win one. To be honest, I don’t think too much about age, number, whatever.
“I’ll play till I can, until I feel like I shouldn’t anymore,” Roddick continued. “But, you know, the urgency is always there.”
No long and winding road for Mahut at U.S. Open
NEW YORK (AP) — There will be no marathon matches for Nicolas Mahut at the U.S. Open.
The Frenchman who lost a 70-68 fifth set to John Isner at Wimbledon in the longest match ever fell Saturday in qualifying at Flushing Meadows.
The 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 loss to Julio Silva means Mahut will not be in the main draw for singles, though he's not going home quite yet.
The 161st-ranked Mahut plans to play doubles. He also wants to watch Isner play because he hasn't seen the American since their 11-hour, 5-minute match in June.
Unlike Wimbledon, they play tiebreakers to decide fifth sets at the U.S. Open, so no repeat is possible. Among the official merchandise available in New York: a T-shirt boasting, "Home of the fifth set tie-break."
U.S. Open-Men's Capsules
NEW YORK (AP) — Men to watch at the U.S. Open, which begins Monday (seedings in parentheses):
RAFAEL NADAL (1)
Age: 24
Country: Spain
2010 Match Record: 52-7
2010 Singles Titles: 5
Career Singles Titles: 41
Major Titles: 8 — Wimbledon ('08, '10), Australian Open ('09), French Open ('05, '06, '07, '08, '10)
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-Lost in Semifinals, '08-SF, '07-4th, '06-QF, '05-3rd
Topspin: Heads to Flushing Meadows aiming for the one key title missing from his resume. Nadal already owns eight Grand Slam championships, including the past two, but never has made so much as a final at the U.S. Open. Lost in the semifinals the past two years and has made clear he wants to complete a career Grand Slam, even curtailing his schedule to have less wear-and-tear on his body when he gets to New York.
ROGER FEDERER (2)
Age: 29
Country: Switzerland
2010 Match Record: 39-10
2010 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 63
Major Titles: 16 — U.S. Open ('04, '05, '06, '07, '08), Wimbledon ('03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '09), Australian Open ('04, '06, '07, '10), French Open ('09),
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-Runner-Up, '08-Won Championship, '07-W, '06-W, '05-W
Topspin: Announced Saturday he'll be working with Pete Sampras' former coach, Paul Annacone. Streak of five consecutive U.S. Open titles ended with a five-set loss to Juan Martin del Potro in last year's final. Having turned 29 in August, Federer is facing questions about how much longer he can compete for Grand Slam championships and add to his record total of 16. He had reached 23 major semifinals in a row until losing in the quarterfinals at this year's French Open to Robin Soderling, a possible quarterfinal opponent at U.S. Open; Federer also lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC (3)
Age: 23
Country: Serbia
2010 Match Record: 38-12
2010 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 17
Major Titles: 1 — Australian Open ('08)
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-SF, '08-SF, '07-RU, '06-3rd, '05-3rd
Topspin: No worse than a semifinalist at Flushing Meadows each of the past three years, losing each time to Roger Federer, including in the 2007 final. Djokovic clearly has the versatile game to succeed at the U.S. Open, and he does have the experience of winning the 2008 Australian Open title, but his health always seems to be a concern. He got into a war of words with Andy Roddick and fans in New York two years ago over just how ailing Djokovic might have been.
ANDY MURRAY (4)
Age: 23
Country: Britain
2010 Match Record: 32-12
2010 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 15
Major Titles: 0 — Best: RU, at U.S. Open in '08, Australian Open in '10
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-4th, '08-RU, '07-3rd, '06-4th, '05-2nd
Topspin: A popular pick to win the U.S. Open. He recently split with his longtime coach, then promptly reached a hard-court final at Los Angeles, and followed that up with a hard-court title at Toronto, including wins over Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Murray is 0-2 in Grand Slam finals — both losses came against Federer, at the 2008 U.S. Open and 2010 Australian Open — and he's trying to become the first British man to win a major championship since 1936.
ANDY RODDICK (9)
Age: 28 on Monday
Country: United States
2010 Match Record: 39-10
2010 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 29
Major Titles: 1 — U.S. Open ('03)
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-3rd, '08-QF, '07-QF, '06-RU, '05-1st
Topspin: The last American man to win the U.S. Open — or any Grand Slam singles title, for that matter — when he did it in 2003 at 21, Roddick turns 28 on the opening day of this year's tournament, so he has to be wondering whether a second major championship ever will come. He had some poor results this summer, then revealed he had a mild case of mononucleosis. His big serve gives him a chance in any match.
U.S. Open - Women's Capsules
NEW YORK (AP) — Women to watch at the U.S. Open, which begins Monday (seedings in parentheses):
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (1)
Age: 20
Country: Denmark
2010 Match Record: 44-14
2010 Singles Titles: 4
Career Singles Titles: 10
Major Titles: 0 — Best: RU, at U.S. Open in '09
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-Runner-Up, '08-Lost in 4th Round, '07-2nd, '06-Did Not Play, '05-DNP
Topspin: Made Grand Slam breakthrough a year ago in New York by reaching first career major final, knocking off 2005 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round and stopping American teen Melanie Oudin's surprising run in the quarterfinals. But Wozniacki has made it to only one major quarterfinal this year, with lopsided fourth-round losses at Australian Open and Wimbledon. Seeded No. 1 at a Grand Slam tournament for first time. Has won 14 of her past 15 matches and two consecutive tournaments, including the title at a hard-court tuneup in New Haven, Conn., on Saturday.
KIM CLIJSTERS (2)
Age: 27
Country: Belgium
2010 Match Record: 29-6
2010 Singles Titles: 3
Career Singles Titles: 38
Major Titles: 2 — U.S. Open ('05, '09)
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-Won Championship, '08-DNP, '07-DNP, '06-DNP, '05-W
Topspin: Carries a 14-match U.S. Open winning streak into this year's tournament. She's the defending champion — and she won it the previous time she entered, too, way back in 2005. In between, Clijsters took about 2½ years off from tennis, getting married and having a baby, daughter Jada, who pranced around Arthur Ashe Stadium after Mommy won the 2009 championship. Clijsters' tremendous court coverage and strong groundstrokes make her a contender again.
VENUS WILLIAMS (3)
Age: 30
Country: United States
2010 Match Record: 33-6
2010 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 43
Major Titles: 7 — Wimbledon ('00, '01, '05, '07, '08), U.S. Open ('00, '01)
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-4th, '08-QF, '07-SF, '06-DNP, '05-QF
Topspin: Hasn't competed on tour since June 29 loss in Wimbledon quarterfinals. Sprained her left kneecap and pulled out of summer hard-court tournaments at Cincinnati and Montreal, hardly ideal preparation for Flushing Meadows. Her exit at the All England Club followed a fourth-round loss at the French Open, and a quarterfinal loss at the Australian Open. Because she recently turned 30, is facing queries about how much longer she plans to play.
VICTORIA AZARENKA (10)
Age: 21
Country: Belarus
2010 Match Record: 33-15
2010 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 4
Major Titles: 0 — Best: QF, at French Open in '09, Wimbledon in '09, Australian Open in '10
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-3rd, '08-3rd, '07-4th, '06-3rd, '05-DNP
Topspin: Has plenty of talent, but inconsistent season has seen her push eventual champion Serena Williams to three sets in Australian Open quarterfinals, yet lose in first round of French Open. Azarenka walloped Maria Sharapova in the final of a hard-court tournament at Stanford, Calif., on Aug. 1, then lost her opening match at Cincinnati on the same surface eight days later.
MARIA SHARAPOVA (14)
Age: 23
Country: Russia
2010 Match Record: 29-8
2010 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 22
Major Titles: 3 — Wimbledon ('04), U.S. Open ('06), Australian Open ('08)
Last 5 U.S. Opens: '09-3rd, '08-DNP, '07-3rd, '06-W, '05-SF
Topspin: Has been past the fourth round at only one of the past 10 Grand Slam tournaments, although she missed two of them — including the 2008 U.S. Open — because of a right shoulder injury that required surgery and forced her to tinker with her service motion. She also was hampered by a right elbow injury this season. When healthy, has the game and grit that allowed her to win her first major championship at Wimbledon at age 17.
-- Howard Fendrich
Elsewhere
Wozniacki, Stakhovsky win tuneup to U.S. Open
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Open top seed Caroline Wozniacki won her third consecutive Pilot Pen tennis title Saturday, beating Russian Nadia Petrova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
The victory capped a good week for the 20-year-old Danish star, who won in Montreal on Monday.
In the men's draw, Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky won his second tournament of the year, beating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Stakhovsky is unbeaten in four career ATP finals, including a win in Hertogenbosch this year.
Wozniacki heads to New York with four wins this season, the most of any woman on tour.
"I feel great," Wozniacki said. "I have a Tuesday start. So, you know, I'm on a roll."
She took the early lead, getting the only break of the first set in the sixth game. She broke Petrova again to open the second set and seemed to be in control.
But holding serve was a problem for both players in the second set, and the Russian found her return game. She broke Wozniacki three times, and was able to hold up 5-3 to win the set.
Wozniacki said part of the problem was the sun.
"It was really difficult to see the ball when you were throwing it up from one side," she said. "That made it a little bit more difficult."
Wozniacki went up 2-0 in the third, after Petrova appeared to pull something in her back and called for a trainer. She double faulted to go down 3-1, but fought back to 4-3. Wozniacki broke her again and served out the match.
"I was thinking, 'OK, I have a great serve, I'm standing on the right side, I almost have new balls. So this one should be mine now,'" Wozniacki said.
Petrova, who received a last-minute wild-card entry into the tournament, was playing her first final since 2008. She served 12 aces Saturday and said she likes where her game is heading into New York.
"If my back would have been OK in the beginning of the third set, maybe the set would have been closer and I'd have maybe a chance to really challenge her, maybe win the title," Petrova said. "Unfortunately, it didn't happen."
Stakhovsky found himself down early in the men's final, when Istomin broke him in the second game of the first set.
But that would be one of just three breaks in the match, and Stakhovsky got the other two, the final one coming in the fifth game of the final set.
"He's serving very well," Stakhovsky said. "It's not his first serve. His second serve, he's placing it very well. He's moving the ball around. It's not easy to guess. I've done a lot of mistakes from his second serve because he was placing the ball differently."
But Istomin was just as baffled with Stakhovsky's serve and had just three break points the entire match.
"He's serving good, serve and volley," he said. "(It was) tough because I was like returning and he finishes the point. I mean, he's playing well today."
Stakhovsky became the first Ukrainian to win two tournaments in the same season since Andrei Medvedev in 1994.
"I'm really glad to win this title," he said. "It pushed me to another level again."
Wozniacki is 13-0 in New Haven and has now won the tournament more than any player except Venus Williams, who took four consecutive titles between 1999 and 2002. A crowd favorite, she said she hopes to defend the title next year.
"I love this tournament," Wozniacki said. "It's been great preparation for me the last couple of years, so I would love to come back."
Tournament organizers hope she can. They have until the end of September to let the United States Tennis Association know if they have the funding to replace Pilot Pen, which is ending its run as the tournament's title sponsor.
-- Pat Eaton-Robb
