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At the Open: No. 1 Wozniacki beats Sharapova to advance to quarters

September 06, 2010 , ι Associated Press

Forehands, backhands, big serves. Caroline Wozniacki got almost everything back Monday, frustrating Maria Sharapova in a 6-3, 6-4 victory to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.Top-seeded... Read on

Forehands, backhands, big serves. Caroline Wozniacki got almost everything back Monday, frustrating Maria Sharapova in a 6-3, 6-4 victory to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.
	 
Top-seeded Wozniacki won the way she always does - by chasing down hundreds of balls and forcing the other player into making mistakes.
	 
The 14th-seeded Sharapova, trying to return to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time since winning it all in 2006, fought for longer than any of Wozniacki's opponents to this point. But as the pressure of Wozniacki's consistency built, the hard-hitting Russian went for even more, with limited results.
	 
Sharapova wound up making 36 unforced errors. Wozniacki finished with 10 in what was, by far, her biggest challenge of the tournament thus far.
	 
"I knew it wasn't going to be easy," said Wozniacki, who lost to Kim Clijsters in the final last year. "I got a lot of experience from last year, so it definitely helped me today."
	 
Wozniacki improved to 18-1 since Wimbledon and stretched her winning streak to 12 matches. Through her first four U.S. Open matches, she has lost a total of 10 games. Maybe most impressive, though, is this stat: She's made 40 unforced errors, compared to 123 by her opponents.
	 
The Dane, ranked second in the world but seeded first because of Serena Williams' withdrawal, eliminated what is largely considered her toughest opponent remaining on her side of the draw.
	 
Next up, "Woz" plays 45th-ranked Dominika Cubulkova, who defeated No. 11 Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (4) earlier Monday. In the other quarterfinal on this side of the draw, No. 31 Kaia Kanepi will play the winner of a late-Monday match between No. 7 Vera Zvonareva and Andrea Petrovic. Kanepi defeated No. 15 Yanina Wickmayer 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 on Monday.

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At the Open: Monfils, Cibulkova into quarters

September 06, 2010 , ι Associated Press

The U.S. Open welcomed two new faces to the quarterfinals — France’s Gael Monfils and Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova. Cibulkova upset 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the fourth round... Read on

The U.S. Open welcomed two new faces to the quarterfinals — France’s Gael Monfils and Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova.
	 
Cibulkova upset 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the fourth round Monday. Monfils held off two set points in the third to defeat fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-5, 7-5.
	 
Cibulkova is the lowest-ranked player left in the women’s draw. The 45th-ranked Slovakian was a semifinalist at last year’s French Open but had never been past the third round at Flushing Meadows.
	 
Kuznetsova was the two-time Grand Slam champion in Monday’s match but didn’t look it. The 11th-seeded Russian had 10 double-faults and 42 unforced errors. Kuznetsova reached a second U.S. Open final in 2007 but hasn’t made it beyond the fourth round since.
	 
“I think she plays good, but my level is higher, and I have to win these matches,” Kuznetsova said.
	 
No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 31 Kaia Kanepi also advanced to the quarterfinals with Andrea Petkovic and No. 7 Vera Zvonareva vying for the final spot tonight.
	 
On Sunday, No. 3 Venus Williams, No. 6 Francesca Schiavone, No. 2 Kim Clijsters and No. 5 Sam Stosur earned their spots in the quarterfinals. Stosur’s 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (2) win over No. 12 Elena Dementieva ended at 1:35 a.m., the latest finish for a women’s match in U.S. Open history. Her next opponent is Clijsters, who wrapped up her 6-2, 6-1 win over Ana Ivanovic shortly after the lunch hour Sunday.
	 
“She’s got a 14-hour head start on me,” Stosur said. “She played first and I played last, so there’s not much bigger difference than that.”

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At the Open: American Fish taken out in straight sets by Djokovic

September 06, 2010 , ι By EDDIE PELLS, AP

What could have been a great day for American tennis instead turned into a dominating afternoon for Novak Djokovic.The third-seeded Djokovic routed No. 19-seeded American Mardy Fish, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on... Read on

What could have been a great day for American tennis instead turned into a dominating afternoon for Novak Djokovic.
	 
The third-seeded Djokovic routed No. 19-seeded American Mardy Fish, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on Monday, sapping the energy from both his opponent and nearly packed Arthur Ashe Stadium and leaving only one American man in the draw at the U.S. Open.
	 
Djokovic, eyeing his third straight U.S. Open semifinal, will play No. 17 Gael Monfils in the quarters. Earlier, Monfils beat fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-5, 7-5.
	 
Since a five-set scare in the first round, Djokovic hasn't dropped a set. Against Fish, who has played two five-setters in addition to doubles over the first week, the Serb was the better, fresher player.
	 
"I'm playing with a lot of confidence," Djokovic said. "It's definitely great to raise the level of performance toward the end of the tournament. It's been a great couple years for me in New York. Hopefully, I can go on."
	 
With Fish's exit, No. 20 Sam Querrey is the only American left in the men's draw. Querrey faces No. 25 Stanislas Wawrinka on Tuesday in the fourth round and is the last hope for the United States to break a seven-year drought without a champion at the U.S. Open.
	 
With countrymen Andy Roddick and John Isner already gone, Fish was hoping to make Labor Day something memorable for his country - an underdog trying to get some momentum, and the crowd, on his side early, maybe channel his inner Jimmy Connors and turn the stadium into his own, personal cheering section.
	 
That never came close to happening against Djokovic, who dictated most points from the baseline and wound up with 30 winners to 13 for Fish. The occasional shout of "Don't give up, Mardy" echoed from the stands, but mostly, this was a flat afternoon and Fish couldn't do much to perk things up.
	 
Midway through the final set, Fish changed tactics and tried coming to the net more often. That didn't go well, either. He went 2-for-6 on serve-and-volley points and won only half the 22 points he played at the net.
	 
Djokovic's next opponent is Monfils, who brings his own special flair - and his dreadlocks - to the court.
	 
The Frenchman, who has long professed his love for New York, got the crowd in Armstrong Stadium behind him, then overcame a break in the third set to close out his win over Gasquet in straight sets.
	 
"He (doesn't) like to see the opponent show emotions," Monfils said. "Just play with that, play a bit with his mind, and that was it."
	 
Before the Fish match, Dominika Cibulkova upset No. 11 Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (4) to make the quarterfinals. Ranked 45th, the Slovakian is the lowest-ranked player left in the woman's draw.
	 
Kuznetsova was the two-time Grand Slam champion in Monday's match but didn't look it. The 11th-seeded Russian had 10 double-faults and 42 unforced errors. Kuznetsova reached a second U.S. Open final in 2007 but hasn't made it beyond the fourth round since.
	 
"I think she plays good, but my level is higher, and I have to win these matches," Kuznetsova said.
	 
The last three women's quarterfinalists were to be determined later Monday in matches pitting No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki against No. 14 Maria Sharapova; Andrea Petkovic against No. 7 Vera Zvonareva; and No. 31 Kaia Kanepi against No. 15 Yanina Wickmayer, who made last year's semifinals.
	 
On Sunday, No. 3 Venus Williams, No. 6 Francesca Schiavone, No. 2 Kim Clijsters and No. 5 Sam Stosur earned quarterfinal spots. Stosur's 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (2) win over No. 12 Elena Dementieva ended at 1:35 a.m., the latest finish for a women's match in U.S. Open history. Her next opponent is Clijsters, who wrapped up her 6-2, 6-1 win over Ana Ivanovic shortly after the lunch hour Sunday.
	 
"She's got a 14-hour head start on me," Stosur said. "She played first and I played last, so there's not much bigger difference than that."

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At the Open: McEnroe steps down as Davis Cup captain

September 06, 2010 , ι By MARC BERMAN

Feeling it is time to focus more on his role as the USTA Player of Development, Patrick McEnroe this morning announced he will resign as Davis Cup captain after the next competition in Columbia later... Read on

Feeling it is time to focus more on his role as the USTA Player of Development, Patrick McEnroe this morning announced he will resign as Davis Cup captain after the next competition in Columbia later this month. McEnroe had been Davis Cup captain for 10 seasons - the longest run in U.S. history.
	 
The dearth of top American players has been under attack. Only the Williams sisters – who did not come up through the USTA – and Melanie Oudin are the American women in the top 50. When Andy Roddick fell out of the top 10 last month, it was the first time in the Open era the American men didn't have any top-10 players.
	 
Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey are the only Americans left in the men's draw at the US Open, which is into the fourth round.
	 
Jim Courier could be a candidate and announced on the CBS broadcast he'd be interested hoped to get a call. Todd Martin will also be a possibility, sources believe.
	 
"The player development is certainly a huge reason for why I'm deciding that now is the right time to step aside,'' McEnroe said . "We have a great core of young players coming up. We feel very optimistic about it.''
	 
McEnroe also announced the foursome for Davis Cup -- Fish, Querrey, John Isner and 18-year-old Ryan Harrison. Harrison was a big bright spot at the Open, coming in as a qualifier, and had three match points to get into the third round before falling to Sergiy Stakhovsky.

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VIDEO: East Carolina beats Tulsa on hail mary

September 06, 2010 , ι By JUSTIN TERRANOVA

The big game of college football’s opening weekend has yet to come with No. 4 Boise State and No. 10 Virginia Tech. But either of those teams will have a tough time topping what is the early favorite... Read on

The big game of college football’s opening weekend has yet to come with No. 4 Boise State and No. 10 Virginia Tech. But either of those teams will have a tough time topping what is the early favorite for play of the year.
	 
The East Carolina-Tulsa game, played Sunday afternoon, was a back-and-forth battle that came down to the final play. The Pirates were trailing the Golden Hurricanes, 49-45 with five seconds left when this happened:
	 
<object width="420" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tDLAVu3RMW4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tDLAVu3RMW4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="420" height="385"></embed></object>
	 
Video via
	 The Big Lead

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At the Open: No. 4 Murray upset by Wawrinka

September 05, 2010 , ι

No. 4 Andy Murray has made an earlier-than-expected exit from the U.S. Open, losing to No. 25 Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round.Wawrinka defeated Murray 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3 today in... Read on

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At the Open: Nadal cruises into third round

September 05, 2010 , ι Associated Press

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal beat Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the third round of the U.S. Open on Sunday.Nadal has won all his matches in straight sets, but this was the first time he didn't... Read on

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At the Open: Venus gets by Peer after tough first set

September 05, 2010 , ι By HOWARD FENDRICH

Venus Williams struggled with her serve. She kept tugging at her dress. Just as big a nuisance was her opponent, Shahar Peer.On a day when No. 2 Kim Clijsters cruised to her fourth-round win at the U... Read on

Venus Williams struggled with her serve. She kept tugging at her dress. Just as big a nuisance was her opponent, Shahar Peer.
	 
On a day when No. 2 Kim Clijsters cruised to her fourth-round win at the U.S. Open, third-seeded Williams never looked quite comfortable in her 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over 16th-seeded Peer on the second straight windy day in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
	 
Williams got only 48 percent of her first serves in. She faced six break points and lost three. She squandered five chances to wrap up the first set in a 22-point 12th game. As for the dress - a red "daytime" version of the black, sequined number she wore two nights previously - well, she spent much of the match tugging at it to keep it at barely high-thigh level.
	 
It was all part of a strange-feeling victory in which the two-time champion looked more like someone who was trying to find her form - which she is after missing most of August with an injured left kneecap - than someone breezing her way through the draw.
	 
Her next match is a quarterfinal against No. 6 Francesca Schiavone, who had few problems in a 6-3, 6-0 win over 20th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
	 
Serving intelligently and handling Williams' power, Peer was surprisingly game, even though she fell to 0-6 lifetime against Williams and has yet to win a set. Trailing 6-5 and serving to stay in the first set, Peer staved off five set points before finally winning a game that took more than 12 minutes.
	 
But Williams overpowered her in the tiebreaker to wrap up a first set that took 1 hour, 8 minutes.
	 
While Williams is the only American woman left in the draw, the men have a number of options. No. 20 Sam Querrey pulled off a mild third-round upset, defeating No. 14 Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. No. 18 John Isner had a match later Sunday against 12th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny. And No. 19 Mardy Fish plays his fourth-round match Monday against No. 3 Novak Djokovic.
	 
Other men's winners Sunday included No. 10 David Ferrer, who beat fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver in straight sets, and No. 8 Fernando Verdasco, a four-set winner over 31st-seeded David Nalbandian. It took 39 minutes to compete the first five games of the Verdasco-Nalbandian match.
	 
"I think mentally I was really strong, even like in the first set for (five) games, almost 40 minutes, I was there all the time," Verdasco said. "You know, I felt positive and really good and focused."
	 
Back on the women's side, Clijsters put a quick end to Ana Ivanovic's run, winning her 18th straight match at Flushing Meadows with a 6-2, 6-1 wipeout of the former world No. 1.
	 
Ivanovic, who fell to as low as No. 65 after a couple of injury-plagued years, has gotten back to No. 40 and was trying to move higher. She won three matches at the U.S. Open and was getting her biggest test - and opportunity - against the defending champion.
	 
It wasn't much of a contest.
	 
After regaining an early break to pull within 3-2 in the first, Ivanovic got overpowered, losing seven straight games to turn the match into a rout. Clijsters, moving as well as anyone in the tournament, used heavy, deep groundstrokes to pressure Ivanovic into 28 unforced errors. Looking like the more comfortable player, Clijsters fought through the wind and took command.
	 
"She's playing with a lot more confidence," Clijsters said, in describing her mindset. "I can stay with her in the beginning of those first few games where she was playing really good tennis, if I could just stay with her and kind of just, make her doubt once in a while."
	 
Trailing 4-1 in the second set, Ivanovic served a game that went seven deuces, but double-faulted to end the game. Eight points later, the match was over. It lasted 59 minutes. Ivanovic said she was nervous through much of it.
	 
"I was on the big stage again," she said. "Lots of emotions came back and I just felt a little slow and just a little bit out of it."
	 
Clijsters next faces the winner of a match scheduled for later Saturday between No. 5 Sam Stosur and No. 12 Elena Dementieva.
	 
The Belgian won the U.S. Open in 2005, then was off the tour for 2 1/2 years while she got married and had a baby. She returned to win it again in 2009 and is still waiting for her first challenge at this year's tournament.
	 
Other than a 7-5 second set in her first-round match, Clijsters has not been tested as she heads into the second week. She has lost a total of 14 games in four matches in what is the first true defense of her U.S. Open title because she missed 2006.
	 
"Coming here as a defending champion has been a new experience and something that kind of keeps it fresh," Clijsters said. "It's a nice experience. And tennis-wise, as well, I've felt that I've been improving every match."

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At the Open: Clijsters finishes off Ivanovic in 59 minutes

September 05, 2010 , ι Associated Press

Kim Clijsters put a quick end to Ana Ivanovic's run at the U.S. Open, winning her 18th straight match at Flushing Meadows with a 6-2, 6-1 wipeout of the former world No. 1 in their fourth-round match... Read on

Kim Clijsters put a quick end to Ana Ivanovic's run at the U.S. Open, winning her 18th straight match at Flushing Meadows with a 6-2, 6-1 wipeout of the former world No. 1 in their fourth-round match Sunday.
	 
Ivanovic, who fell to as low as No. 65 after a couple of injury-plagued years, has gotten back to No. 40 and was trying to move higher. She won three matches at the U.S. Open and was getting her biggest test - and opportunity - against the second-seeded defending champion.
	 
It wasn't much of a contest.
	 
After regaining an early break to pull to within 3-2 in the first, Ivanovic got overpowered, losing seven straight games to turn the match into a rout. Clijsters, moving as well as anyone in the tournament, used heavy, deep groundstrokes to pressure Ivanovic into 28 unforced errors. She fought through the wind, which blew hard across the Billie Jean King tennis center for the second straight day.
	 
"In the beginning, you have to settle a bit, with the wind you have to adjust, especially with the serve," Clijsters said. "I started moving forward and dictating the points, as well."
	 
Trailing 4-1 in the second set, Ivanovic served a game that went seven deuces, but double-faulted to end the game. Eight points later, the match was over. It lasted 59 minutes.
	 
Clijsters next faces the winner of a match scheduled for later Saturday between No. 5 Samantha Stosur and No. 12 Elena Dementieva.
	 
The Belgian won the U.S. Open in 2005, then was off the tour for 2 1/2 years while she got married and had a baby. She returned to win it again in 2009 and is still waiting for her first challenge at this year's tournament.
	 
Other than a 7-5 second set in her first-round match, Clijsters has not been challenged as she heads into the second week. She has lost a total of 14 games in four matches.
	 
Also winning Sunday was No. 6 Francesca Schiavone, 6-3, 6-0 over 20th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

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Stephenson banned from Pacers complex: report

September 03, 2010 , ι POST STAFF REPORT

Former city high school basketball star Lance Stephenson, arrested last month after allegedly pushing his child's mother down a flight of stairs, has been banned from the Indiana Pacers practice... Read on

Former city high school basketball star Lance Stephenson, arrested last month after allegedly pushing his child's mother down a flight of stairs, has been banned from the Indiana Pacers practice facility, the Indianapolis Star reports.
	 
"Pacers taking strong stance with Lance Stephenson. He hasn't been permitted to work out at Conseco (Fieldhouse) since his alleged incident last month,"
	 the report saysvia Twitter.
	 
It adds, "Stephenson is working out with asst. coaches at different facility in Indy and also getting counseling help."
	 
Stephenson, 19, was arrested Aug. 15 in New York on assault, menacing and harassment charges. Prosecutors said the Pacers’ draft pick pushed his girlfriend down a flight of stairs, then grabbed her and hit her head on the bottom step.
	 
The next day, Pacers president Larry Bird called the arrest “very disappointing to the Pacers franchise and to me personally.”
	 
Indiana drafted Stephenson, who played at Lincoln high School, with the No. 40 pick in June.