US OPEN 2011: Maria Sharapova weathers storm at sunny Open

 

Maria Sharapova of Russia hits a return to Heather Watson of Britain during their match at the U.S. Open

NEW YORK, USA- Maria Sharapova survived an early scare at the U.S. Open Monday after Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova had been knocked out of the year's final grand slam, which began on time and in perfect conditions after a week of wild weather in New York.

It was business as usual at the National Tennis Center in Queens as the earthquake that rattled the U.S. East Coast last week and the deadly hurricane that killed at least 21 people were momentarily forgotten.

"On Tuesday we had an earthquake. Who knew we lived near a fault? Luckily it wasn't a double fault," New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg quipped.

Jon Vegosen, the chairman of the U.S. Tennis Association, chipped in: "Small things like earthquakes and hurricanes aren't going to stop us. The Open is now open!" he said.

Thousands of spectators streamed through the gates at Flushing Meadows on a glorious summer day, while players holed out for most of the weekend in Manhattan hotels bounded on to the courts to weather their own storms.

As a former champion and a sweetheart of the New York crowds, Sharapova was given the honor of being one of the first players on Arthur Ashe center court and, as expected, the Russian made it through to the next round.

But her 3-6 7-5 6-3 win over British teen-ager Heather Watson was an unconvincing performance from the former world number one, who won last week's lead-up event in Cincinnati.

Watson won the junior title two years ago and was making her first appearance in the senior draw but she was able to frustrate and torment the more experienced Sharapova for more than two and a half hours before she finally succumbed.

"I knew that I wasn't playing my best tennis," Sharapova said. "The best thing about this match is I gave myself a chance to play another one."

Czech Kvitova, the fifth seed, left the Louis Armstrong court almost sobbing after falling 7-6 6-3 to unseeded Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru.

Kvitova has been a marked woman since her surprising win at Wimbledon in July but this time she was the architect of her own downfall, making a whopping 52 unforced errors.

Her early exit has further opened up a women's draw which was already looming as one of the most unpredictable in years.

Kim Clijsters, the champion in each of the past two years, is missing because of injury and there are plenty of unanswered questions about the older brigade.

Sharapova has not won a grand slam since 2008. Serena Williams is back at the U.S. Open for the first time in two years and her older sister Venus is not seeded.

But they have been installed as favorites, mostly because younger rivals have yet to win a grand slam, including current world number one Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva, the number two from Russia.

BRIGHT START

Zvonareva was a finalist at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year and made a bright start, thumping Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-3 6-0.

Venus beat Vesna Dolonts of Russia 6-4 6-3 in the first of the two night matches.

Switzerland's five-time champion Roger Federer, the third seed, easily won his first round match against Colombia's Santiago Giraldo 6-4 6-3 6-2. Federer's win was his 224th in grand slams, moving him to equal second with Andre Agassi. Jimmy Connors holds the all-time record for men with 233 wins, a record Federer should pass next year. "I think it's a great record to have but I'm happy I'm winning a lot on the biggest stages," Federer said. "It's just another way of saying, 'Roger, you've been doing many things right throughout your career.'"

LIVE TENNIS AT US OPEN

live

Men's Singles 

Round 1

(-)

A.Golubev 3 6 5

(2)

R.Nadal WINNER - MATCH COMPLETED

6 7 7

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Victoria Azarenka

Day 2 - Rafael Nadal (ESP) [2] vs. Andrey Golubev (KAZ)

Rafael Nadal

Spain

Andrey Golubev

Kazakhstan

Head-to-head

This will surprisingly be the first meeting between Nadal and Golubev considering that Golubev has been a regular on the main ATP Tour since 2008 and plays plenty of clay court tournaments. Despite not playing him, in all likelihood Nadal will go into this match knowing plenty about his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. While he’s never played Nadal, Golubev has recently played a Top 5 player on hard courts. Unfortunately for his chances here, in that match he got blown away by Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-4 in Indian Wells. At the time, Djokovic was ranked No. 3.

Will win if...

Nadal burned the fingers of his right hand at a Japanese restaurant two weeks ago during a tournament in Cincinnati. Nadal has said that injury has healed, and if that is the case, Nadal should have no trouble in moving into the second round. Golubev will have to play a near flawless match, and hope that Nadal’s game and focus aren't up to his usual standards. Not likely, particular at a Grand Slam.

Heading in.

Since losing to Novak Djokovic in the finals of Wimbledon, Nadal has been in a relative slump. In his only two tournaments since, he lost to Mardy Fish in the quarters of Cincinnati, and to unheralded Ivan Dodig in the second round of Montreal. Golubev had a decent summer on hard courts in 2011. He beat No. 14-ranked Stanislas Wawinka to reach the second round of Cincinnati, then reached the second round of Winston-Salem as well.

Look out for...

Nadal hasn’t won a tournament since taking the French Open in May, failing to win a title in his last four events. He will likely be very hungry in this event to add to his three titles in 2011. Going into this match Golubev has plenty of motivation of his own. Over a quarter of his ranking points come from his performance in last September’s ATP event in Kuala Lumpur. With those ranking points due to expire at the end of September of 2011, he’s going to need to accumulate points in a hurry to keep from free-falling out of the top 150.

Know this stat

Nadal has won 46 Career titles to Golubev’s one. Golubev has just a 6-24 match record in 2011 vs. Nadal’s 53-10.

X-factor

One of Nadal’s great strengths is keeping things in perspective. He seems to feel little pressure as the defending champion. “Pressure? I don’t feel pressure,” he said before the tournament. “I am happy about how I did. I didn’t play very well during the summer, but I am practicing much better here. So, we’ll see." Golubev has a relaxed demeanor on court. He has nothing to lose against Nadal, so certainly in this match if there were any pressure it is squarely on Nadal’s shoulders. This should help Golubev.

Women's Singles - 1st Round


Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[4] def. Johanna Larsson(SWE)

6-1 6-3





Complete





Not Before:13:00

Women's Singles - 1st Round

Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[1] def. Nuria Llagostera Vives(ESP)

6-3 6-1





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Novak Djokovic(SRB)[1] def. Conor Niland(IRL)

6-0 5-1 Ret.





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Ana Ivanovic(SRB)[16] def. Ksenia Pervak(RUS)

6-4 6-2





Complete













Arthur Ashe Stadium



19:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Rafael Nadal(ESP)[2] def. Andrey Golubev(KAZ)

6-3 7-6(1) 7-5





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Bojana Jovanovski(SRB) vs. Serena Williams(USA)[28]







In Progress













Louis Armstrong Stadium



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

David Ferrer(ESP)[5] def. Igor Andreev(RUS)

2-6 6-3 6-0 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Francesca Schiavone(ITA)[7] def. Galina Voskoboeva(KAZ)

6-3 1-6 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Simona Halep(ROU) def. Na Li(CHN)[6]

6-2 7-5





Complete





Not Before:17:00

Men's Singles - 1st Round

James Blake(USA) def. Jesse Huta Galung(NED)

6-4 6-2 4-6 6-4





Complete













Grandstand



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(FRA)[11] def. Yen-Hsun Lu(TPE)

6-4 6-4 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[11] def. Alison Riske(USA)

6-2 6-0





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Fernando Verdasco(ESP)[19] def. Jarkko Nieminen(FIN)

3-6 6-4 6-1 6-4





Complete





Not Before:17:30

Women's Singles - 1st Round

Vania King(USA) def. Greta Arn(HUN)

6-1 6-4





Complete













Court 17



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Sabine Lisicki(GER)[22] def. Alona Bondarenko(UKR)

6-3 6-3





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Donald Young(USA) def. Lukas Lacko(SVK)

6-4 6-2 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Shahar Peer(ISR)[23] def. Sania Mirza(IND)

6-7(5) 6-3 6-1





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

David Nalbandian(ARG) def. Bobby Reynolds(USA)

4-6 6-3 6-4 6-3





Complete













Court 13



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Silvia Soler-Espinosa(ESP) def. Kimiko Date-Krumm(JPN)

7-6(5) 7-6(2)





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Andrea Petkovic(GER)[10] def. Ekaterina Bychkova(RUS)

6-2 6-2





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Juan Ignacio Chela(ARG)[24] def. Marinko Matosevic(AUS)

3-1 Ret.





Complete





Not Before:16:30

Women's Singles - 1st Round

Jarmila Gajdosova(AUS)[29] def. Iveta Benesova(CZE)

7-6(5) 7-5





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Chanelle Scheepers(RSA) def. Anne Keothavong(GBR)

7-5 6-3





Complete













Court 11



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Flavia Pennetta(ITA)[26] def. Aravane Rezai(FRA)

6-1 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Ernests Gulbis(LAT) def. Mikhail Youzhny(RUS)[16]

6-2 6-4 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Florian Mayer(GER)[26] def. Adrian Mannarino(FRA)

6-2 6-0 6-1





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Sloane Stephens(USA) def. Reka-Luca Jani(HUN)

6-2 3-6 7-6(3)





Complete





Not Before:17:45

Women's Singles - 1st Round

Petra Martic(CRO) def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova(CZE)

5-7 6-3 6-4





Complete













Court 4



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Angelique Kerber(GER) def. Lauren Davis(USA)

7-6(3) 6-3





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Nikolay Davydenko(RUS) def. Ivan Dodig(CRO)[32]

6-7(6) 6-3 6-0 2-6 6-2





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Svetlana Kuznetsova(RUS)[15] def. Sara Errani(ITA)

7-5 6-1





Complete





Not Before:18:30

Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Mahesh Bhupathi(IND)[4] /

Leander Paes(IND)[4] def. Alexandr Dolgopolov(UKR) /

Albert Ramos(ESP)

7-6(8) 6-4





Complete













Court 6



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Coco Vandeweghe(USA) def. Alberta Brianti(ITA)

7-5 6-3





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Marsel Ilhan(TUR) def. Frank Dancevic(CAN)

6-3 6-2 1-0 Ret.





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Roberta Vinci(ITA)[18] def. Irina-Camelia Begu(ROU)

6-3 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Nicolas Mahut(FRA) def. Robert Farah(COL)

3-6 6-7(4) 6-2 6-4 6-0





Complete













Court 7



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Yanina Wickmayer(BEL)[20] def. Sorana Cirstea(ROU)

6-1 7-5





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Jurgen Melzer(AUT)[17] def. Eric Prodon(FRA)

6-2 7-6(4) 6-2





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Elena Baltacha(GBR) def. Jamie Hampton(USA)

2-6 6-2 5-1 Ret.





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Ivan Ljubicic(CRO)[30] def. Blaz Kavcic(SLO)

7-6(5) 3-6 6-1 7-5





Complete













Court 8



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Kaia Kanepi(EST)[31] def. Tamarine Tanasugarn(THA)

6-4 6-3





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Stanislas Wawrinka(SUI)[14] def. Maximo Gonzalez(ARG)

3-6 6-4 6-1 6-3





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Arantxa Rus(NED) def. Elena Vesnina(RUS)

6-2 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Mona Barthel(GER) def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez(ESP)[32]

6-3 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS)[17] def. Anna Tatishvili(GEO)

6-2 6-2





Complete













Court 9



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Mirjana Lucic(CRO) def. Marina Erakovic(NZL)

6-4 2-6 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Gilles Muller(LUX) def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin(FRA)

7-6(5) 6-4 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Carla Suarez Navarro(ESP) def. Mathilde Johansson(FRA)

6-2 4-6 7-5





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Petra Cetkovska(CZE) def. Evgeniya Rodina(RUS)

1-6 6-1 6-2





Complete













Court 10



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Sergei Bubka(UKR) def. Andreas Haider-Maurer(AUT)

6-3 6-2 3-6 6-4





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Steve Darcis(BEL) def. Dmitry Tursunov(RUS)

6-7(4) 4-6 7-5 6-1 7-6(0)





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Pauline Parmentier(FRA) def. Daniela Hantuchova(SVK)[21]

6-2 6-3





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Michaella Krajicek(NED) def. Eleni Daniilidou(GRE)

3-6 7-6(4) 6-1





Complete













Court 14



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Potito Starace(ITA) def. Michael Berrer(GER)

6-4 4-6 6-3 6-2





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Jelena Dokic(AUS) def. Olga Govortsova(BLR)

6-3 6-1





Complete





Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Rohan Bopanna(IND)[5] /

Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi(PAK)[5] def. Robby Ginepri(USA) /

Rhyne Williams(USA)

6-1 2-6 6-2





Complete





Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Mariusz Fyrstenberg(POL)[6] /

Marcin Matkowski(POL)[6] def. Michael Shabaz(USA) /

Ryan Sweeting(USA)

4-6 6-2 6-1





Complete





Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Mark Knowles(BAH)[15] /

Xavier Malisse(BEL)[15] def. Jack Sock(USA) /

Jackson Withrow(USA)

6-3 6-7(5) 6-1





Complete













Court 15



11:00 Women's Singles - 1st Round

Gisela Dulko(ARG) def. Rebecca Marino(CAN)

6-3 6-3





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Akgul Amanmuradova(UZB) def. Tamira Paszek(AUT)

6-4 6-2





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Jean-Rene Lisnard(MON) def. Olivier Rochus(BEL)

7-6(5) 6-2 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Alize Cornet(FRA) def. Casey Dellacqua(AUS)

7-5 6-0





Complete





Men's Doubles - 1st Round

Robert Lindstedt(SWE)[7] /

Horia Tecau(ROU)[7] def. Bradley Klahn(USA) /

David Martin(USA)

6-4 6-4





Complete













Court 16



11:00 Men's Singles - 1st Round

Igor Kunitsyn(RUS) def. Matthias Bachinger(GER)

2-6 1-6 6-1 6-4 6-4





Complete





Women's Singles - 1st Round

Jie Zheng(CHN) def. Vitalia Diatchenko(RUS)

4-6 7-5 6-2





Complete





Men's Singles - 1st Round

Carlos Berlocq(ARG) def. Pere Riba(ESP)

7-5 6-0 6-1





Complete









THE 1ST MATCH ON ARMSTRONG STADIUM, GRANDSTAND, COURT 11, COURT 13 AND COURT 17 WILL BE CALLED AT 10:50 AM

LUCKY LOSER & ALTERNATE SIGN INS ARE LOCATED IN THE PLAYER REGISTRATION OFFICE

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