Serena Williams returns to top three

American Serena Williams returned to the top three in the WTA rankings released on Monday ahead of the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season.

The two-time US Open winner swopped places with Svetlana Kuznetsova, with the Russian dropping to fourth. Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic hold the top two rankings respectively.

Russia's Anna Chakvetazde, runner-up in New Haven, returns to the Top 10 in ninth position, with tournament winner Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark joining the Top 20 in 18th position.

Olympic champion Dementieva steps up a gear

Olympic champion Elena Dementieva stepped up a gear to reach the third round of the U.S Open on Wednesday with a 6-2 6-1 demolition of Pauline Parmentier of France.

Having been pushed hard by Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova in her opening match, the Russian fifth seed was never in trouble and cruised past the world number 49 in 58 minutes.

Parmentier, 22, who has never been beyond round two at a grand slam, broke Dementieva twice but did not hold her own serve in the opening set.

An early break put Dementieva ahead in the second set and she cruised through to a meeting with unseeded Briton Anne Keothavong.

Sharapova says she'll miss US Open after Olympics

Sharapova will sit out the U.S. Open because of a bad right shoulder, the first major championship she'll miss since her Grand Slam debut in 2003.

The three-time Grand Slam title winner already had announced she's pulling out of the Beijing Olympics because of the injury. Sharapova said in a posting on her Web site Friday she probably won't need surgery and could be ready to play in two to three months.

"It hurts me so much to miss the Olympics and the U.S. Open, you have no idea," she said. "Just to type those words hurt!!"

Earlier Friday, a U.S. Open official told The Associated Press that Sharapova's agent informed the tournament she wouldn't be able to play in the year's last Grand Slam event.

The No. 3-ranked Sharapova has played in each of the past 23 major championships, winning titles at Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in January.

A doctor who looked at tests on her shoulder from April and this week told Sharapova she has been playing with a torn rotator cuff tendon since the spring.

Serena powers into third round

Fourth seed Serena Williams swept into the third round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, wiping out Russian Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-1 to stay on track for a quarter final showdown with her sister Venus.

Both sisters had an easy ride into the third round of the tournament that they have each won twice -- Venus in 2000 and 2001, Serena in 1999 and 2002.

Serena put on a powerful display against 71st ranked Vesnina, hammering in six aces in the 58 minute match.

Vesnina rallied briefly to break Serena's serve and narrow the American's lead to 5-1 in the second set, but the former world number one broke right back to end it.

She will meet Ai Sugiyama in the third round.

Scramble for top women's ranking at Open

Top-seeded world number one Ana Ivanovic fell victim to the wave of volatility in women's tennis when she was ousted from the U.S. Open in the second round by 188th-ranked qualifier Julie Coin of France.

The abrupt exit, earliest by a women's top seed at the U.S. championships in 42 years, left the 20-year-old Serb a passive bystander among five women with a mathematical chance of emerging from the year's final slam as world number one.

An unscientific survey of 10 tennis fans in the plaza in front of Arthur Ashe Stadium court on Friday found no one able to name every one of the five players vying to lay claim to being the women's best.

Even members of the media would be hard pressed to name Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina and Serena Williams as the five contenders for the throne.

Some fans said they yearned for the days when there was a dominant women's player, like Steffi Graf, ruling the rankings. Others thought the scramble at the top was a healthy thing.

Beth Carey of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, named four of the five, inserting 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova instead of Safina. She thought the women's game was more interesting than ever.

"I like it because I think that any match is up for grabs. I think there's a lot of depth," she said. "I think it's kind of exciting that a player ranked 180 in the world can beat the number one. That's exciting."

Carole Ducruet of Lyon, France, had a different view.

"I preferred it when there was Steffi Graf, and the tennis she was playing was really nice to watch," she said. "It's difficult to remember all the Russian names."

New Yorker Sandi Durell agreed.

"I haven't paid that much attention to the women since Steffi. There are too many 'viches'," she said. "There are so many Russians, Eastern Europeans. They have very long names and are very tall."

NOSTALGIC FANS

Some nostalgic fans named former number ones Lindsay Davenport (ranked 23rd) and France's Amelie Mauresmo (29th) on their list.

Since the sudden retirement of last year's Open winner Justine Henin of Belgium in May, the women's rankings have been crowded at the top.

Bo Folchi of Bloomfield, New Jersey, said he liked it that way, between sips of his drink at Baseline Cocktails.

"I like that there are several women at the top who can interchange, even monthly. I didn't like Federer being number one for five years. I like a decent mix of challengers."

Others echoed that sentiment.

"It's a lot more competitive, more enjoyable to watch," said New Yorker Nora Mazzarino. "It used to be a little bit boring. Now you get a lot more speed, different shots and fashion-wise it's very big now."

New York's Saul Kagan said, "It's much better than it was 10 years ago. It's more exciting to watch. I like that they hit the ball harder than they used to in the moon-ball era."

Kagan had Ivanovic, Jankovic and Serena Williams but struggled to round out the quintet before summoning up an old favorite. "I would say Anna Kournikova, she's my number one forever," Kagan said.

Safina regains her focus to reach round three

Russian sixth seed Dinara Safina overcame a couple of concentration lapses to defeat Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-4 6-3 in the second round of the U.S. Open on Thursday.

Safina established a 3-0 lead in the opening set and a 3-1 advantage in the second but each time seemed to lose her focus, allowing a scrambling Vinci to break back and threaten a fightback.

However, Safina averted the danger by outclassing Vinci with her powerful serves and searing groundstrokes.

The Russian, who has a 17-1 win-loss record since Wimbledon, will next face Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky.

India's tennis star Mirza vows to return fitter

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is confident of getting over her current injury crisis and bouncing back into the top 50 soon with the help of a new trainer.

Mirza, 21, slipped from a career high of 27 in August last year to 70 in the latest WTA rankings after an injury-plagued season in 2008.

"It is naturally very frustrating for her to miss tournaments," Mirza's father, Imran Mirza, told AFP from the family base in Hyderabad on Friday.

"But she understands injuries are a tennis player's professional hazard and part and parcel of a sportsman's career.

"She is very positive and looking forward to bouncing back soon," he said.

Mirza injured her right wrist during the Indian Wells tournament in March and had to have surgery a month later.

She pulled out of the French Open in May-June, lost in the second round at Wimbledon and crashed out in the first round at the Beijing Olympics.

Mirza, who also withdrew from the ongoing US Open, has signed up trainer Amir Takla, a consultant with Tennis Australia.

"Takla is scheduled to arrive this weekend and will work with Sania for a period of six weeks," Imran said.

"The goal is to ensure her wrist recovers to its original strength, but at the same time the focus will also be towards optimising her overall physical fitness."

Imran refused to set a date for her return to the circuit, saying it was too early to predict.

"It is difficult to fix a timeframe for being back in competition even before work towards her rehabilitation has begun," he said.

"But we are looking at Sania playing a few tournaments later in the year to prepare for next year's Australian Open."

He also downplayed concerns over Mirza's spiralling rankings.

"When one is forced to skip Grand Slams and other compulsory tournaments... one has to expect that the ranking will come down because these are based on performances in these tournaments.

"But once the injury has been taken care of, the rankings will fall into place in due course of time. Sania is confident that after she finds her rhythm in a few months, she will be back where she belongs."

Frustrating US Open finish could mark Davenport's farewell

Three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport struggled through one of the worst games of her career Friday in a frustrating third-round US Open loss that could mark the end of her career.

The 32-year-old American mum, a former world number one and the 1996 Olympic champion, was eliminated by French 12th seed Marion Bartoli 6-1, 7-6 (7/3). Davenport said she would decide on her WTA future after the tournament.

"It's tough to make any kind of decision in a rash moment," Davenport said. "There was no decision made before the tournament and I don't think it's time to make a certain statement now."

Davenport, who missed last year's US Open after giving birth to infant son Jagger, had not made so early an exit from Flushing Meadows since losing in the second round in 1995.

"I never felt like I had my feet underneath me," Davenport said. "I was never in the match the way I wanted to be. It was some of my least-great tennis. I was able to stay in there and try to turn it around."

Davenport broke Bartoli to level the second set 5-5, but gave away four of her eight total double faults in the 11th game to surrender another break.

"I had they yips on my serve. I have no idea where it came from," she said.

"I just never felt comfortable out there and I was trying so hard to get back in the set, was able to do that, then played one of the worst games of my career at 5-5. That's the way it goes.

"I clawed my way through not playing great and made it competitive. It's just a shame. I had all the momentum."

Davenport, who made 33 unforced errors in the match, broke back to force a tie-breaker but neither player won on her serve through the first five points before Bartoli surged ahead 6-2.

"I gave myself a chance out there but once my serve left me I didn't have a lot of confidence to go up after it and that translated into my ground strokes."

Davenport netted a forehand to end the struggle after one hour and 51 minutes and hurried off the court, not mindful it could be her Slam farewell.

"I was so pissed off that I didn't think about anything," Davenport said.

Davenport won the 1998 US Open, 1999 Wimbledon and 2000 Australian Open titles. She took 11 months off to have her first child, then returned a year ago and won this year at Auckland and Memphis, stretching her career title total to 55 and serving notice she was back.

But a right knee injury suffered at Eastbourne led Davenport to drop out after one match at Wimbledon and again at the Beijing Olympics.

Svetlana Kuznetsova loses at U.S. Open, Federer and Jankovic advance

Roger Federer flicked a final winner, trotted to the net and started to shake hands. Then, there was one last challenge.

Playfully, Thiago Alves called for a replay review. So the man trying for his fifth straight U.S. Open title and an overmatched qualifier shared a laugh, watching together as the giant scoreboards above Arthur Ashe Stadium confirmed the call: The ball landed squarely on the line, Federer had won 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 Friday.

Federer swept a guy ranked 137th, someone who spent this year in the minors and was playing his first tour-level event of the season. Still, it was hardly a breeze.

"The depth in men's tennis is immense," Federer said.

On the women's side, it's shaping up as even more of a scramble.

A day after No. 1 Ana Ivanovic lost to 188th-ranked Julie Coin, third-seeded Svetlana Kutznetsova became the latest upset victim when Katarina Srebotnik beat her 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-3.

"It can happen with everyone," said Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, who moved into the fourth round.

Novak Djokovic, Jelena Jankovic and Nikolay Davydenko also won during the day.

In night matches delayed more than an hour by rain, No. 12 Marion Bartoli defeated No. 23 Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 7-6 (3), and No. 15 Patty Schnyder beat Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6 (4), 6-4. Also, former Open champion Marat Safin lost to No. 15 Tommy Robredo, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-0.

Eighth-seeded Andy Roddick, who won the 2003 Open, overcame a big early deficit to beat Ernests Gulbis 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 in a match that ended after 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Roddick was down a set and trailed 5-3 in the second when he reeled off seven consecutive games to take control against his unseeded opponent.

In men's doubles action, the top-ranked duo of Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic won their second round match against Britain's Andy Murray and Ross Hutchins 7-5, 3-6, 7-6.

Federer is down to his last chance to win a Grand Slam this year, part of a tough season that saw him lose his No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal.

Though they well could meet in this final, Federer has not tracked his nemesis through the tournament and didn't watch Nadal wrap up his match Thursday night in straight sets.

"I schedule my life around my life, not his," Federer said, smiling. "I was expecting five sets. I was there for four and five, but he wasn't there anymore."

To Alves, Federer remains on top.

"He is the biggest player for sure. Nadal is playing good tennis this year, but for me Federer is the best one," he said.

And did Federer seem vulnerable?

"No. I didn't feel that," Alves said.

Never a huge fan of replay, Federer hardly minded when Alves made that last challenge.

"I don't think it's affected a whole lot of matches. I don't know how many times it's saved a match, because that's what it's there for really. But at the big tournaments at the big courts, usually you have the best linespeople as well," Federer said.

"The worst linespeople are usually on the outside courts where you need it more. That's the problem with the system," he said.

Kuznetsova, who won the Open in 2004 and finished second last year, had trouble fending off Srebotnik's frequent charges to the net.

Srebotnik fell to her knees a split-second before Kuznetsova's last shot sailed over the baseline. After beating Serena Williams in the French Open this year, the 28th-ranked Slovenian had another reason to celebrate, having gone farther than ever before at Flushing Meadows.

Second-seeded Jankovic won another sneaker squeaker, playing 28 points in the last game to finish off Zheng Jie 7-5, 7-5.

Jankovic came out full of energy, showing no ill effects of a bad left leg that cramped after she played Wednesday. She bounded back and forth and, in her trademark style, often came to screeching stops while doing the splits to reach shots.

"As long as I'm doing the splits, that means I'm healthy," she said. "When I'm not doing the splits, you know there's something wrong."

"I'm not too sure about my body if I go into a split, who knows if I'll come back up?" she said.

Still waiting for that elusive big win, Jankovic is trying to reach her first Grand Slam final. She needs three more wins-with Justine Henin retired, Maria Sharapova hurt, Ivanovic out and the Williams sisters in the opposite bracket, this figures to be her best chance.

Jankovic needed more than two hours to beat the 37th-ranked Zheng after playing for nearly three hours in the second round.

"I wish I didn't have any drama in my matches. I wish I would win nice and in a simple way," she said. "Who likes drama? Do you know anybody that likes to get involved into tight matches?"

Jankovic is one of six women who still have a chance to be ranked No. 1 after the Open, with Ivanovic among them despite her loss.

Third-seeded Djokovic beat Robert Kendrick 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-4 and fifth-seeded Davydenko beat Agustin Calleri 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (2). Fifth-seeded Dementieva beat Anne Keothavong 6-3, 6-4.

World number two Federer advances to third round at US Open

Roger Federer defeated Thiago Alves 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the US Open Friday as he attempts to salvage a season where he has yet to win on hardcourts.

Federer extended his US Open match streak to 29 victories dating back to the round of 16 in 2003 when he lost to David Nalbandian.

He hammered 19 aces and won 80 percent of his first serve points in the two hour, 14 minute match on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I was never really in danger, so it was actually pretty good for me," Federer said. "I knew the longer the match would go the more tired he would get."

Federer seeks to become the only player to win five or more successive titles at two separate Grand Slams. He has had just as much success at Wimbledon winning five straight beginning in 2003.

After a record 237 weeks as the world's number one, Federer lost his position to Rafael Nadal on August 18.

This is the first time since the 2004 Australian Open that the Swiss has not been the top seed at a Grand Slam.

He clinched Friday's match with a forehand flick from the baseline that sailed crosscourt, just catching the line.

"I served really well which is a big bonus," Federer said. "I am concentrating on my own game and physically I am fine."

Alves, who is ranked 137th in the world, challenged the call. He joked about it at the net with Federer while they waited for the replay. Alves didn't get the call he hoped for, but it kept him on the court for a few extra seconds with the man many considered to be one of the greatest players of all-time.

"I had never heard of him," Federer said of the 26-year-old Alves. "It was a difficult match so I am happy to be through.

"Players like that have nothing to lose so they start going for their shots."

Alves has reached the second round in both his appearances at the US Open. He also competed in the 2006 US Open.

It has been a rough year for Federer that was punctuated earlier this month when he lost the world number one ranking.

He did manage to win the gold medal in doubles at the Beijing Olympics with countryman Stanislas Wawrinka.

Federer, who has reached the semi-finals or better in 17 straight majors and remains two Grand Slam titles shy of tying Pete Sampras' all-time record of 14.

Roddick wins battle of US Open birthday boys

Andy Roddick and Ernests Gulbis may share the same birthday but only one got to take home the prize early Saturday morning.

Roddick, who turned 26 Saturday, won the battle of the US Open birthday boys, rallying to beat the younger Gulbis 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 in the second-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"He was definitely out-playing me for the first two sets," Roddick said. "I felt like a little kid out here playing against him.

"Then the clock struck 12 and I felt a lot better playing out here as a 26 year old."

The hard-serving Gulbis, who is six years younger, matched Roddick serve-for-serve, hammering 19 aces to Roddick's 21.

But he had nine double faults and made 56 unforced errors to Roddick's 42 unforced errors in the two hour, 52 minute match.

Roddick, whose lone Grand Slam title came at Flushing Meadows in 2003, is hoping that his decision to skip the Beijing Games to get ready for the final Grand Slam of the year will pay dividends.

Asked if he is ready to win another Grand Slam title Roddick said, "I've been off for a while but I'm going to get better with every match I play. If this crowd comes with me, who knows?"

Eighth-seeded Roddick moves through to the third round where he will play unseeded Andreas Seppi of Italy.

Roddick drew huge cheers from the partisan crowd of 20,000 as he started to take control of the match in the third set.

Roddick remains the player with the best chance of keeping the US Open trophy on home soil. He was a runner-up in 2006 and has reached the quarter-finals or better in six of his eight appearances.

Gulbis came out with more spark taking the opening set in just 29 minutes.

"I was proud of the way I played," said Gulbis, who fired 79 winners and won 76 percent of his first serve points.

"It's my first appearance before such a big crowd. It's a really great experience to play on my birthday on this court in a night session against Andy Roddick."

Gulbis reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at this year's French Open before losing to Serbian Novak Djokovic.

The world No. 40 Gulbis is Latvia's lone competitor in the tournament and has twice defeated ninth seed James Blake, Roddick's US Davis Cup teammate, this year.

Top seed Nadal looking to step up his game

Top seed Rafael Nadal looks to step up a gear at the U.S. Open when he plays Serbian Viktor Troicki in the third round on Saturday.

The Spaniard, bidding for his third grand slam title of the year, has not dropped a set in his opening two matches at Flushing Meadows but said he would need to be on guard against world number 71 Troicki.

"I have to improve for my next round and now I have a tough opponent," Nadal said.

"I play against Troicki. He's a good server and he's playing well. I know I have to play well for try to beat him."

Fourth seed David Ferrer, who beat Nadal on his way to the semi-finals last year, plays rising Japanese player Kei Nishikori in another third-round match.

Sixth seed Andy Murray of Britain and American ninth seed James Blake are other notable names in action.

In the women's event, Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and sister Serena bid to move a step closer to a quarter-final clash when they play their third-round matches.

Seventh seed Venus opens proceedings on Arthur Ashe Stadium when she takes on Ukrainian 27th seed Alona Bondarenko, while fourth seed Serena faces Japanese 30th seed Ai Sugiyama.

And France's Julie Coin, who ousted world number one Ana Ivanovic in the previous round, faces former world number one and compatriot Amelie Mauresmo for a place in the last 16.

Jelena Jankovic vs. Sofia Arvidsson

Jelena Jankovic vs. Sofia Arvidsson

Gabriela Sabatini on US Open 2008

Gabriela Sabatini on US Open 2008

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: Who Will Be 1?

Hollyscoop.com hit NYC for the kick off of the U.S. Open tennis tournament where we caught up with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Don King hosted the event in regards to the friendly rivalry. Interviews done by Mathew Hoffman.

Rafael Nadal Playing Football

Rafael Nadal Playing Football enjoy the video

Julie Coin vs. Ana Ivanovic

Highlights and big points of this match. A really good day for Julie and a terrible day for Ana.

US OPEN 2008 HIGHLIGHTS

Evgeniya Rodina of Russia serves against Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan during Day 2 of the 2008 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 26, 2008 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
Tommy Haas of Germany returns a shot against Richard Gasquet of France during Day 2 of the 2008 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 26, 2008 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
Serena Williams of the United States reacts while playing against Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine during Day 2 of the 2008 U.S. Open
Fernando Gonzalez of Chile serves against Ivan Navarro of Spain during Day 2 of the 2008 U.S. Open
Roger Federer of Switzerland serves against Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina during Day 2 of the 2008 U.S. Open
Sixth-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia, No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, No. 13 Agnes Szavay of Hungary and No. 16 Flavia Pennetta of Italy advanced. Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany beat No. 11 Daniela Hantuchova.
Roger Federer, aiming for his fifth straight U.S. Open title, eliminated Argentina`s Maximo Gonzalez 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 in the last stadium match of the night.
Seventh-seeded Venus Williams advanced, too, beating Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-3. Like her younger sister, she`s twice won this Open.

Roddick vs Santoro (US OPEN 2008) : blazing fast serve

Andy Roddick vs Fabrice Santoro (US OPEN 2008) : blazing fast serve ! Tennis. Santoro is angry because Roddick served too fast on his body (230km/h) !

2008 US Open kid's day Nadal, Federer, Serena and Davenport

Paint performance challenge

us open tennis 2008 highlights

us open tennis 2008 highlights - jelena jankovic - venus and serena williams - ana ivanovic - and more
Maria Sharapova is injury.

Rafael Nadal vs Ryler De Heart (US OPEN 2008) : nice shots

Rafael Nadal vs Ryler De Heart (US OPEN 2008) : nice shots ! Highlights.

us open tennis 2008 highlights - Andy roddick - 2 round

us open tennis 2008 highlights -Rafael Nadal - Roger Federer - Del potro - Nalbandian - djokovic

us open tennis 2008 highlights -Rafael Nadal - Roger Federer

us open tennis 2008 highlights -Rafael Nadal - Roger Federer - Del potro - Nalbandian - djokovic

Masters Series Monte-Carlo 2008 - Day 4 Highlights

Highlights From the fourth day of the Monte-Carlo Open

US OPEN 2008 DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS

In the final match of the night session, big-serving local favourite Andy Roddick, the 2003 champion, powered down 15 aces to ease past Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
Fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko made even smoother progress, charging into the second round with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over Israel`s Dudi Sela.
Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic, beaten in last year`s final by Roger Federer, survived an injury scare before beating Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3 6-3 6-4 in the first round of the men`s event.
Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic, beaten in last year`s final by Roger Federer, survived an injury scare before beating Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3 6-3 6-4 in the first round of the men`s event.
Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova overcame a slow start to beat Romanian teenager Sorana Cirstea 7-6, 6-1.
Second seed Jelena Jankovic squandered a match point in the second set before scraping past Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-7, 7-5 in the the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

Why is Grandstand So Grand?

New Yorkers tend to be a friendly lot, but you might not get that impression at the U.S. Open’s Grandstand court. I walked into Grandstand early Thursday morning, hoping to watch the day’s opening match in one of two prized locations – from behind the baseline, or in the shade. When I spotted a shaded seat (underneath the overhang from adjacent Louis Armstrong Stadium), I asked a woman sitting down if it was indeed vacant. She quickly put her hand over the seat and looked down, saying not a word, refusing to even acknowledge my presence.

I quickly realized that I wasn’t alone on this scavenger hunt. Behind the baseline, other hopeful fans swarmed around the seats like locusts, canvassing for any available real estate. Not surprisingly, and to their dismay, no one moved an inch. Finding a seat on a rush hour train in Manhattan might be easier than finding an open seat in this section of Grandstand. Keep in mind – this was at 10:45 a.m., when most other courts on the grounds are just beginning to fill up. But at Grandstand, not an empty seat remained among the thousand-plus behind the baselines and in the shade.

Fans can sit extremely close to players on the outer courts, and deal with much less stress when finding a seat. And the Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe Stadiums are where the world’s most elite players are usually scheduled to play. So what’s the big attraction of Grandstand court? I asked some fans who were lucky enough to snag prime seats their reasons for coming.

Pete Durmer had the best seat in the house for Bethanie Mattek’s second round match against Alize Cornet – directly behind the baseline, front row and center. From his vantage point, Durmer would have no trouble getting on television, feeling the vibration of the ball against the wall in front of him, or even whispering to a player, if it was allowed. “It’s nice,” said Durmer. “I hope they don’t ever go and start reserving these seats [like they do in Armstrong or Ashe]. It’s a pain in the neck and nobody’s sitting in them most of the time.”

For fans possessing only a grounds pass, Durmer’s baseline seat in Grandstand is the holy grail. But they are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it’s commonplace to see fans scoping them out just minutes after the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center opens. “I know a lot of people here that are pretty much regulars,” Durmer said. “I don’t see them this year, but there are some ladies here that sit in these seats all the time, every year.” Maybe they weren’t quick enough today.

Although Grandstand’s bleachers go up a ways, the open-air court is nestled tightly between the baseline seats and the shaded area behind the umpire. During the first week of the U.S. Open, top-ranked players often play here, providing fans the unusual combination of star talent in an intimate setting. Doug Sutton, who sat on the sidelines Thursday, knew exactly where he was heading when the gates opened that morning. “I’ve been coming out here for three or four years now,” said Sutton. “I like to come out here because of the intimacy and how close you can get to the players. We’ve been on the sidelines on both sides, because we like to be in the shade. In a few hours, the sun will be over behind us.”

Cindy Sutton and friend Tari Sager, who sat in front of Doug, echoed these praises. When comparing Grandstand to Armstrong and Ashe, they both agreed that, “This one’s better. It gives us a better idea of how hard these guys hit the ball. We have seen Pete Sampras play in the finals on Arthur Ashe but the seats there are so high. This is such a better venue to watch tennis. We always like to see who’s playing here first.”

The Grandstand has always provided a very personal viewing experience for fans, even when it was the second-largest court at the U.S. Open. When the tournament moved to Flushing Meadows in 1978, it sat just 5,200. Currently, it seats around 6,000, making it the third-largest court on the grounds. The expansion came as part of a renovation to the court in 2003. For a while before then, a restaurant looked over the court, giving diners a chance to grab a bite to eat, as well as a great view of the tennis below. In 2003, the restaurant was taken out, and replaced by the shaded seats that fans camp out at today.

Like everyone I spoke to on Thursday, the Grandstand is also one of my favorite places to watch tennis. At my first U.S. Open in 2005, I was enamored by the tennis that I saw around the side courts, but it wasn’t until I watched a match on Grandstand that I truly felt like I’d experienced live tennis to the fullest. The match wasn’t even a high-quality contest – Giorgio Galimberti retired in the fourth set of his second rounder against Richard Gasquet. But as I walked towards the exit that evening, I couldn’t wait to sit in those spectacular baseline seats again.

After the Mattek/Cornet match concluded, I headed back to the Grandstand to watch Andy Murray play Michael Llodra. As always, I hovered around the baseline seats to see if anyone would dare vacate them. And as usual, no one did. Even the media seats along the sideline were filling up fast, so I darted towards them and sat down in the first empty chair I saw.

Llodra and Murray played a fantastic match that the entire crowd appreciated. Murray, who ended up winning the match in four sets, also extolled the Grandstand environment in his post-match press conference. “It’s absolutely packed, great atmosphere, the crowd are enjoying it, they’re making a lot of noise,” said Murray. It seems that not only the fans appreciate this court.

Gonzalez Eliminates American Hopeful

Beijing Olympic silver-medalist Fernando Gonzalez faced quite a few challenges in his second-round contest against American Bobby Reynolds.

Not only was the Chilean No. 11 playing against a hard-hitting American eager to reach the third round at the Open for the first time, but he had to do it in front of a largely pro-Reynolds crowd and fight his way through a minor ankle injury sustained early in the second set.

Though Reynolds pushed Gonzalez early in the first set, neither the one-sided crowd nor the brief injury seemed to phase the Chilean, as he cruised to a straight-sets win, 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4. His next test will be against Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, who came back from two sets down to win in five over Ivo Minar.

Both players held serve through the first four games before Gonzalez cracked in the fifth to put the American up 3-2. But Gonzalez got a lucky break in the following game when a backhand up the middle clipped the top of the net and slid past the racquet of a net-rushing Reynolds for 3-3.

From then on, the players exchanged powerful groundstrokes in baseline rallies before the first set tiebreak. Two line-grazing backhand shots from Gonzalez and a Reynolds service return that sailed long put the Chilean up 6-2.

Reynolds surged back to win the next four points on Gonzalez errors and two forehand crosscourt winners, which of course had the crowd in an uproar and pulling for the American to steal the first set. But Gonzalez quieted the crowds to close it out on the next two points, 8-6.

Gonzalez's injury scare came early in the second set when, at 0-1, 0-15 down, a crosscourt backhand from Reynolds was called wide. As soon as Gonzalez heard the call, he tried to stop mid-run but took a bad step, rolling his left ankle. The Chilean immediately called the trainer to have his ankle taped up, and Reynolds challenged the call, which was overturned when the replay showed that the shot caught the line.

By the time play resumed, Gonzalez's ankle appeared to be fine, but he couldn't dig himself out of the 0-30 deficit and was soon broken. Reynolds held to take a 3-0 lead, but it was Gonzalez who stormed back to win the next five games with a barrage of winners (he would finish the match with 40 winners). He eventually closed it out on his serve at 5-4, 40-0 after unloading on two consecutive forehand winners.

Gonzalez's willingness to charge the net and pressure Reynolds proved successful for him, as did his strategy to consistently pull the American wide on the forehand side to open up the court for a volley putaway.

By the third set, Reynolds' unforced errors became more frequent, and he quickly found himself down a break at 5-3. An ace from Gonzalez in the final game, followed by a few unforced errors from Reynolds, ended the match in Gonzalez's favor after two hours and six minutes of play.

Qualifier Gilles Muller Ousts Tommy Haas

Fast play is generally not Tommy Haas’s forte and his second round match against qualifier Gilles Muller of Luxembourg was no exception. The 30-year-old German native tore through the first two sets and then, within three points of winning the match, turned the set, and ultimately the match over to Muller, who won 2-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-3, after three hours and 12 minutes.

In the first set, Muller opened with an ace, but Haas responded by breaking him to take not just the first game, but the first four games, after which 25-year-old Muller banged his racket on the ground in frustration.

Haas on the other hand, made few mistakes at the outset, hitting the ball with great speed and precision. At deuce in game five, play abruptly stopped as a bird landed on the net, unaware that he was impeding the match’s progress. A ball girl shooed him away and Muller subsequently won his first game.

After winning the first set, Haas continued to move through the second with a fair amount of ease. Both players had very effective serves, with Muller hitting regularly in excess of 120 mph.

Muller, who had already played five matches to get to this point (including three qualifying matches) continued to show emotion, banging his racket on the ground and on his racket bag. His behavior prompted looks from the chair umpire, but no warnings. Struggling with his baseline shots, he sent shot after shot into the net and long.

Then, in the third set, the tide began to turn. At six all, and up 4-3 in the tiebreak, Haas protested when a ball that he (and the large and vocal crowd) thought was out was called in. He approached the chair umpire yelling and pointing, while the crowd gave catcalls, and as he arrived beneath the chair shouted, “Are you insane right now?” He then approached the judge in question and took him to task as well. Muller pulled the set out, sending the match into a fourth.

The fourth set was all Muller as his form and focus seemed to improve and Haas could not make any inroads. At the end of the set, Haas suffered a finger injury on his right hand and called for a trainer.

At that point, all those present on Court 11 could see the writing on the wall and the fifth set was a downward spiral for Haas, as he could not make anything happen to get back on track.

Muller now advances to the third round for the first time, where he will face the winner of the match between No. 18 seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain and American Sam Warburg.

World No. 5 Davydenko Advances to Third Round

6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (2). On paper, the score suggests a relatively routine victory for Nikolay Davydenko over Agustin Calleri. However, in a classic display of the mental toughness required to reach two straight US Open semifinals, the victory was anything but routine for Davydenko.

The first two sets were mirror images of each other. In both sets, the players traded punches until they reached 4-4. In the first set, serving at 4-4, Calleri became visibly upset over a serve that was called out. He was unable to regain his composure and was broken after a backhand unforced error sailed long. Davydenko easily held to close out the set.

In the second set, Calleri had two break chances at 3-2, but was unable to convert. At 4-4 and serving, Calleri hit a stretch backhand volley winner, which seemed to fire him up and get the crowd behind him. With shouts of “Vamos Agustin!” from the crowd, Calleri was unable to seize the moment and dumped an easy forehand into the net to give Davydenko the break. In the next game, Calleri saved two set points before losing the set.

The third set became a battle of the big Argentinian’s monstrous forehands versus the slimmer Russian’s consistency and speed. Davydenko broke in the first game off an backhand return winner and appeared to be cruising to an easy third set. Displaying some mental toughness of his own, Calleri broke right back to even the set at 1-1. The rest of the set was an entertaining show for the fans, as the two demonstrated an amazing array of power, speed and touch until they reached 6-6. In the tiebreak, Davydenko again exhibited why he is ranked fifth in the world closing out the set at 7-2.

Venus Signs Her New Book for Fans

While Clint Richardson was on the 7 train riding to the 2008 US Open Friday morning, he received a text message from one of his friends, saying seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was signing copies of her new book, "Venus," that day.

Once Richardson, of Dallas, arrived at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with his friend Chuck Snapp, he ran over to the bookstore on the grounds, bought a copy of the book and got online for a signing.

They were two of the many USTA members who crowded into the Hospitality Village at the tennis center on USTA Member Appreciation Day to meet Williams and have their books autographed. Also around the Village was former tennis star Murphy Jensen, filming "Explore the Open."

"Venus" is a collection of photographs of Williams, one of the world’s greatest tennis players, taken by fashion photographer Koto Bolofo, showcasing her elegance both on and off the tennis court in black and white, as well as color photos. The book is by Bolofo in collaboration with Williams.

Williams said she had never thought she would have a book like this and is just happy to have had the opportunity to do it.

“I just hope people enjoy the book and put it on their coffeetables,” Williams said. “I just want them to take the journey with me in this book as kind of the classic tennis player. The book has a certain kind of serene mood, (and I hope people) just get into that mood looking at it.”

Each fan had something different he or she wanted to ask Williams, but all were thrilled to meet her.

“I said it was nice to meet her and asked if she would have an EleVen line for men. She said maybe next year,” Richardson said in reference to Williams’ clothing line, when he met her.

“She was sort of a trailblazer for young African-American players. Watching her and (sister) Serena and Mal Washington, it was very inspiring,” he added. “I thought, ‘Anything is possible.’”

Richardson is an avid tennis player and started competing in USTA Leagues about three years ago. This is his first trip to the US Open.

A group of friends from Westfield, Ind., came to their first US Open this year for one’s 40th birthday. Crissy Lutz was the birthday girl, and when she reached the signing table, she asked Williams if she could sign her copy for the special occasion.

“I asked her to do it for my 40th, and she looked at me and said ‘Happy Birthday,’” Lutz said. “It was great. It’s been awesome (at the US Open). We are having an unbelievable time.”

Another member of the group, Charity Alber, had the book signed for her mother, and Angelia Duvall asked Venus to sign her copy for her 9-year-old daughter, Cara.

“We didn’t know (Venus was signing) until we got here today,” Alber said. “I started watching tennis with my mom when I was a kid. I’m doing this for her birthday. She will be really excited.”

The Ali family, from nearby Richmond Hill in Queens, are dedicated tennis players and fans, who try to come to the first Friday of the US Open every year. Shalimar Ali and her son, Adam, 12, left the Fernando Gonzalez-Bobby Reynolds match in Louis Armstrong Stadium after the first set to come to Venus’ signing, leaving behind her husband who stayed in the stands.

Adam plays in USTA tournaments and at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y., the former home of the US Open. He recently attended the Chris Evert Tennis Academy for two weeks, and Venus and Serena are among his favorite players, along with Roger Federer and Gonzalez. Shalimar also competes in USTA Leagues.

“I said, 'Hi.' She had a conversation with everybody,” Adam said of meeting Williams.

“She was very pleasant,” Shalimar added. “I said, ‘Good luck in the tournament.’ It is nice when they (the players) are down to earth. (And) we are huge tennis fans.”

One Day After Winning On Court, Blake Helps Others Win Off Court

James Blake added to his ongoing charitable work Friday by presenting The Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program and the USTA Serves foundation with a $10,000 check on behalf of Evian Natural Spring Water.

As a three-year spokesperson for Evian, Blake decided to tap into his creative juices this year and design a Limited Edition Evian Brumisateur, which was exclusively sold at the 2008 US Open and the 2008 Olympus Open Series. The $10,000 donation came from the sale of the water sprays.

Blake is a graduate and proud supporter of the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program. Every year he does his best to give back to the program that helped him get his start. Youth from the program were on hand today, sporting their J-Block T-shirts, to meet with Blake for the ceremony and a photo opportunity.

“Our goal is to create successful kids,” said Harlem Junior Tennis & Educational Program Director James R. Kelly III. “We realize that not every kid will be a James Blake. James is an exception, but we’re happy when 90 percent of our kids go to college and become productive citizens.”

Of the $10,000 donation, 75 percent will go to the Harlem Junior Tennis & Educational Program, and the remaining 25 percent goes to USTA Serves, which is the U.S. Tennis Association’s foundation for academics, character and excellence. The foundation is designed to support, monitor and promote programs that enhance the lives of disadvantaged children through the integration of tennis and education.

After Blake presented the check, he met and took pictures with 50 enthusiastic fans at the Evian Booth with the Olympus PhotoCart.

Federer Comfortably Through Against Qualifier Alves

It’s true that the Roger Federer of old – the player who usurped almost every piece of Grand Slam hardware – has been absent in 2008. But some elements of his autocracy remain, one of those being his ability to win a Grand Slam match without playing his absolute best. Federer has shown this on occasion at Melbourne, Paris, and Wimbledon, and he did so again today at Flushing Meadows, defeating Brazilian qualifier Thiago Alves 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

Holding serve at love to start the match, Federer seemed ripe for a dominant performance. But Alves did not allow this on Friday, playing with passion and leaving everything out on the court. Maximo Gonzalez and Ryler DeHeart, unknowns who also lost to Federer and Rafael Nadal, played well considering the odds they were up against. Alves' courageous effort against the world No. 2 bested them both.

Things didn’t look encouraging for Alves after he dropped the opening set in just 27 minutes. But he picked up his play considerably thereafter, while Federer began to struggle. Alves refused to give an inch, especially in the first game of the second set, which lasted a colossal nine deuces. Alves eventually prevailed, and he did in another lengthy game at 4-4. Alves stayed alive through most of the set, through Federer helped him out with an astonishing 27 unforced errors. He also went 1 for 12 on break points in the second set.

Alves’ high-arching groundstrokes gave Federer a tricky time in this match. In some ways, it was like seeing Federer play against Nadal, because Alves hits looping shots, has relentless energy, and audibly grunts after every shot. But Alves has nowhere near the power of Nadal’s shots, and Federer simply waited for his opponent to finally crack. Alves did at 5-5 when he was broken, and Federer took the second set 7-5.

“In the second set when it got tough, you know, he dug out some shots and everything seemed to go against me on those break points,” Federer said afterwards. “So it was kind of difficult mentally, but it was actually fun playing well and really got the crowd into it.”

Federer had great looks at his forehand throughout the second set, but he struck an unusual amount of errors. He calmed down in the third set, playing much cleaner tennis. Alves did manage to break Federer’s serve once, but Federer broke Alves twice, which was enough to win the set, and the match.

After the match, Federer said he felt confident throughout, even when things weren’t going well. “I was never really in danger, so it was actually pretty good for me. I knew the longer the match would go the more tired he would get, so it was a good match for me.”

In just over two hours, Federer advanced to the third round, where he’ll play the winner of the match between Radek Stepanek and Chris Guccione.

Who Is Julie Coin?

When Julie Coin ousted top-seeded Ana Ivanovic in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday, the player's box was stocked with her old college cronies. Among them was Nancy Harris, the coach who recruited her to play for Clemson University.

"How many times are you going to see your player play No. 1 in the world?" Harris said of the decision to fly up to see her protégée beat Ivanovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. As for the upset? "We're so tickled. So tickled," Harris said.

Harris felt that the key to Coin's victory was her composure. "She was extremely focused," she said. "She always had the ability to play through her nerves, but it was painful to watch because you knew how nervous she was. It was a huge barrier."

Coin had been working with a sports psychologist since December and said after the match, “I guess now the work that we did together starts to pay off."

It took Coin several years to make her first Grand Slam singles draw, and now she will go down in history as the lowest ranked woman, at 188, to topple a reigning world No. 1 in the Open era. "When I was younger, to beat a girl just one ranking higher than I was, it took me like six months every time because I was like, 'She's better ranked than me so she's better,'" Coin said.

Coin's next opponent is another Frenchwoman who has a history of succumbing to nerves: Amelie Mauresmo.

"She's from my region," Coin said, but, "I don't know her game. I've never played her."

"It's a lot of pressure for the top players," Coin said of Mauresmo, who, like Ivanovic, had once been ranked No. 1 in the world. "For [qualifiers], everything is a bonus if we win," she said, and therefore hopes to retain the same attitude on Saturday as she did on Thursday: "Just enjoying the moment."

At Clemson, Coin was team captain for two of her three years (2003-05) there. She also led the team to two NCAA semifinals and was a 2004 singles semifinalist as a junior. According to Harris, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas was also interested in Coin, but Coin's boyfriend at the time was also playing for Clemson which made the decision somewhat easier.

"We were really very lucky," coach Harris said. "I knew she had the potential to be top 60 in the world. We tried to plant seeds, and little by little she started to believe."

Coin, 25, also credited her parents for supporting her career. "They just told me to follow your dream."

On Saturday, Coin's dream continues in the fourth round. If she defeats the No. 23-ranked Mauresmo, she stands to take home at least $46,000, which would exceed her career earnings leading up to the US Open.

Earlier this year, Coin had been pondering retirement, but her recent success may prompt her to rethink her decision. Either way, she said, "I have a bachelors' in mathematical sciences, so I'm not lost, I think."
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Cilic Ousts American Ginepri in Second Round

American Robby Ginepri’s run at the Open came to a disappointing end in the second round of play at the hands of 19-year-old Croatian Marin Cilic in a match that saw many ups and downs. Cilic eliminated fan favorite Ginepri 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the Grandstand Friday afternoon.

Ginepri opened the match flat, allowing Cilic to take the first service game from him. After Cilic held serve, Ginepri fell into a 0-2 hole which he wasn’t able to dig out of throughout the set.

The roles reversed in the second set. After Ginepri held serve, he turned around to break Cilic’s first service game. He maintained that momentum to hold serve again and took a 3-0 lead in the set. After both men held their following two games, Ginepri earned set point against Cilic’s serve, making his 6'6" opponent run back and forth along the baseline and controlling the tempo. Though Cilic was able to bring the game back to deuce, Ginepri prevailed, winning the set 6-2 and evening up the score in the match.

It seemed there was a momentum shift after the second set as the crowd began to fill in the stadium and Ginepri heard rallying cries and chants encouraging him to overcome the 24th-ranked player with the killer serve. But the American squandered that advantage, promptly losing his first service game to Cilic just as he had done in the opening set. He allowed Cilic to break him for a second time and lost the set 6-2.

Until the fourth set, Ginepri seemed to have trouble returning Cilic’s serves on the ad side of the court with his backhand, which is usually his strength. He had lost a few key points in that position and looked up to his family in the stands afterwards to voice his frustration. But in the fourth set, he returned two of Cilic’s serves in a row from that position and earned a break to take a 2-0 lead to start the set. After the break, he shouted and pumped his fist, knowing he had discovered the key to returning that dangerous serve.

It looked like Ginepri was going to walk away with the fourth set and force a fifth when he had a 5-3 lead going into his service game, but he committed a few errors early and allowed Cilic to break him. His lead slipped to 5-4, and after Cilic served to hold, the men were tied up at 5-5.

After duking it out with pounding baseline rallies during Ginepri’s final service game, Cilic got the best of the American and took a 6-5 lead. Cilic easily held serve to clinch the match. He looked up at the sky and shouted.

Cilic entered the Open this year on a hot streak after having won the tournament in New Haven last week, putting him at his career-high ranking of 24 this week. Cilic attempted to qualify for the past two US Opens, but fell in the first round of qualifying both times. This year, he did not need to qualify; he entered the tournament as a seeded player for the first time.

Cilic will take on No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic in the third round of play.

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