US OPEN: No. 1 Wozniacki ends King's dream and Serena Wiliams silences Victoria Azarenka in third round

No. 1 Wozniacki ends King's dream in Queens

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki fought through a sluggish morning start to polish off Vania King, 6-2, 6-4, in the third round.

"You know, I was fighting a lot out there, getting quite a lot of balls back," Wozniacki said.

The great Dane, who looked downright dominant in the early rounds, reached the US Open's Round of 16 for the fourth-straight year on a day where no particular component of her game was particularly sharp. For the match, Wozniacki had no aces and won only 56 percent (25-for-45) of points on first serve.

"It's quite windy out there, so it was difficult to play," she said. "Definitely the serve was difficult, as well, because it wasn't just going one way, the wind, it was going everywhere. You had to keep the margin over the net and from the lines.

"I found it very difficult to place the ball the places I wanted to, so quite a few times I was going for the safe serve. But as well I think she found it more difficult when I was kicking it a little bit."

King set the tone early by breaking Wozniacki in the very first service game, but the world No. 1 broke back after a back-and-forth series that saw King just miss outside the baseline on several returns. The Long Beach, Calif., product had the advantage in winners - 23 to 13 - but also committed 36 unforced errors to Wozniacki's 16.

"It's a pity, I had a lot of chances in the first I felt, a lot of breakpoint chances," King said. "She was a little bit more aggressive than I was, and, you know, obviously she's one of the best players out there. So I needed to step it up when I needed to, and she did it a little bit better than me today."

It was the second Grand Slam event clash for Wozniacki and King in 2011 - back in January, the two women met in the second round of the Australian Open with Wozniacki taking that match 6-1, 6-0. On Saturday, Wozniacki had high praise for her American opponent.

"I had a tough match against her at Indian Wells, and even though the score said 0 and 1 in Australia, we still played quite a tough match," she said. "We had a lot of good rallies out there ... a lot of tough games, so I knew it wasn't going to be easy today. I had to keep my focus and just go in there and just play for every point."

King also made the third round of the main singles draw in 2009, when she took down Australia's Sam Stosur before succumbing to Daniela Hantuchova. One half of the 2010 US Open women's doubles title-winning tandem with Kazahkstan's Yaroslava Shvedova, King remains in the hunt for a championship repeat, as the No. 3-seeded team battles the American wild card team of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Townsend in the third round.

Wozniacki will begin the the tournament's second week against the winner of the third round tilt between 2004 US Open champion, No. 15 Svetlana Kuznetsova and surprise story Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan, the final match today on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Should it be Kuznetsova on Monday, it would be the second Round of 16 match between the two in three years. Wozniacki prevailed in an intense three sets, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) at the 2009 Open, en route to the Women's Final.

Wozniacki admitted the rematch would be a huge test of her skill set.

"She can play very aggressive," she said of Kuznetsova. "Her serve is big, her forehand. It's not easy. I mean, it's a match that definitely would need me to play on my best. We have had quite some good matches in the past. I just remember there was a fantastic atmosphere out there."

Match Facts

- Wozniacki fired just 13 winners against King, after 30 in her first two 2011 Open matches.

- King double-faulted just once in the match.

- Wozniacki converted six break points in the contest to King's three.

Arthur Ashe Stadium - Women's Singles - 3rd Round
Caroline Wozniacki DEN (1) 6 6
Vania King USA 2 4

Serena Wiliams silences Victoria Azarenka in third round

Saturday, September 3, 2011

The match between Serena Williams and No. 4 seed Victoria Azarenka lived up to the hype in the second set with plenty of nail-biting rallies, and it was the former No. 1 who came out on top with a 6-1, 7-5 victory.

The first set was completely dominated by Williams, who broke the higher seed in her first service game and then followed it up with another break, rifling a forehand winner cross-court to take a 4-0 lead. Azarenka got on the board while serving down 0-5, but found the three-time US Open champion tracking down several shots that would have been winners against most players. Serena faced her first break point of the match in the next game but saved it with yet another forehand winner. Two points later, Williams nailed a backhand winner down the line to take the opening set.

Azarenka went down two break points in the opening game of the second set but managed to stave them off by going for broke on the few openings she had. The Belarussian wasn't quite as fortunate a few games later at 3-3, when the aggressive baseline tennis of Williams forced Azarenka into a pair of errors, giving the American a 4-3 lead.

With Azarenka serving to stay in the match at 3-5, the highest quality rallies of the match began to ensue. Azarenka saved three match points and won a lengthy deuce game to force Williams to serve the match out at 5-4. The former No. 1 earned a match point at 40-30, but a pair of well-timed forehands erased it. Three deuces later, a forehand passing shot from Azarenka leveled the match at 5-5, earning a standing ovation from the crowd.

Williams earned a mini-break to go up 3-1 in the second set tiebreaker, but a forehand winner from Azarenka in the next point brought things back to a neutral place at 3-2.

After several more points of hard fought tennis, a forehand error from Azarenka gave Serena her fifth match point at 6-5, which she converted when Azarenka sent one final groundstroke long to wrap up the match.

Williams will now play the winner between American wild card Sloane Stephens and No. 16 seed Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round.

Match Facts

- Williams hit 39 winners to 24 unforced errors

- Azarenka hit 18 winners to 22 unforced errors

- Williams hit 12 aces in the match and leads the women for total number of aces hit so far in the tournament

- Williams has not lost before the second week of the US Open since her debut year in 1998

- The US Open is the only Grand Slam Azarenka has not reached the quarterfinals of

Arthur Ashe Stadium - Women's Singles - 3rd Round

Victoria Azarenka BLR (4) 1 65

Serena Williams USA (28) 6 77

An Interview With: Caroline Wozniacki


Saturday, September 3, 2011

Q. Let's start with the positives: What today went right for you in the match?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I won. (Smiling). I think that's the most positive. It's great to be through. You know, I was fighting a lot out there, getting quite a lot of balls back. But it's quite windy out there, so it was difficult to play. Definitely the serve was difficult, as well, because it wasn't just going one way, the wind, it was going everywhere. Yeah, you had to keep the margin over the net and from the lines.

Q. Could you tell us what the best and worst advice you've ever received from both of your parents?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Best advice, probably just be happy, enjoy life.

Q. That's from both of your parents or either?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah. Well, and just if you believe in yourself and go for your dreams. I think that's pretty much, you know, all the positives. The worst advice my brother is in the back. Maybe he can help me out a little bit.

PATRIK WOZNIACKI: You got some maybe last week from dad.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Okay, change the subject. (Laughter.) I don't know. I don't know what the worst is. I don't know. Well, I guess when you get bad advice it comes in here, it goes out there. So you don't remember.

Q. What's the best advice you get from your brother?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: You know, he thinks he's so smart all the time and he thinks he knows everything. But, again, you have to kind of just process the things he's saying and change a few things maybe sometimes. No, but he's great. Always saying just keep going. Keep I don't know. Yeah. I don't know. I think everyone is pretty similar, I guess when you I find it very difficult to speak today. (Laughter.) Put a sentence together.

Q. What is the best advice you get from your mysterious new coach?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Move your feet.

Q. You had some problems with your serve today. You were broken three times and you were on the ropes quite a bit. What was going on with that?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, it was very windy out there today. It wasn't just going one way. It was kind of shifting. I found it very difficult to place the ball the places I wanted to, so quite a few times I was going for the safe serve. But as well I think she found it more difficult when I was kicking it a little bit. She liked it when I was going flat and she could just put the racquet on and place it. I was trying to do a bit more, put it a bit more high over the net and try to get out of her striking zone.

Q. What was Vania doing specifically that maybe put you off or something? Because this was a player you beat pretty handily back at the Australian Open. Did she do something different today?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I had a tough match against her at Indian Wells, and even though the score said 0 and 1 in Australia, we still played quite a tough match. We had a lot of good rallies out there, but I just ended up winning most of them. But we had a lot of tough games. So I knew it wasn't going to be easy today. I had to keep my focus and just go in there and just play for every point.

Q. In Rafa's new book there is a pretty interesting section on golf.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: In whose book?

Q. In Rafa Nadal's book. On golf. He talks about it's a fantastic game and you learn so much from it. You have to have discipline, concentration, and sort of forget all the problems you have. I don't mean to probe, and don't tell me anything I shouldn't know, but in just being around Rory and talking to him, have you picked up some of the travails and difficulties of that game?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, even though golf and tennis have some similarities, it's also much different. Golf is such a mental game. You're playing against the course. You're playing with yourself and trying to do a good score. You know, sometimes we can get into that spiral where you just think, Okay, I just can't hit it right, you know, or I just need to put it in the hole but it just keeps missing. It's so mental. If you stay positive and believe in yourself, it makes the game so much easier. So, you know, it's the same, similar in tennis, but you have an opponent, as well.

Q. You loved your boxing workouts a while ago. What did you learn from those?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, boxing is great. I get my aggressions out. It was fun, but it was hard, as well. You get to work your core, your arms, your shoulders. It was a lot of cardio, as well. You learn how to distribute your power as well, because the first time I actually went in the ring and tried just for fun to fight with someone. I just went all in in the beginning, and after two rounds you're dead. I realized you have to wait for your chances. I need to wait for the right moment. The same in tennis. You can't just go all in all the time. You need to play the ball and then wait for a right chance to go in and then attack.

Q. If you could have a knockout punch, would you prefer to give it to a tennis opponent or from us probing guys in the media?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I prefer not to knock out anyone. I'm a nice girl, so... Or I like to think so.

Q. You've had such an effective coaching relationship with your father. Could you see yourself down the road coaching a child of yours, or would you not want them...

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Not in tennis. I would not see myself being on a tennis court and coaching my child. I think that would be too stressful for me. I don't need stress. I just need to relax. I would probably want him to play football or any other sport just so I could sit on the sideline and just enjoy.

Q. Football?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Soccer. Keep my feet up. No, but I don't know, I just think tennis is a great sport. It's fantastic. I've had so many good experiences. But, yeah, to have my kids playing, I would just put them and give them to a coach or someone, yeah, who could teach them, because I have spent enough hours on court, I think.

Q. You may get Kuznetsova in the next round. What you do you respect about her game? And if you could, preview the next round, how you would play her.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: To be honest, I haven't thought about how I'd play her. First she needs to win her match. She's a tough competitor. She can play very aggressive. Her serve is big, her forehand. It's not easy. I mean, it's a match that definitely would need me to play on my best. We have had quite some good matches in the past. And also, I think two years ago I played her here in the fourth round, night session, where I was down but came back. I just remember there was a fantastic atmosphere out there.

Q. You seem to be able to log a lot of matches on the tour. When you come to the US Open, are you 100% healthy? What percentage of the players do you think are not carrying some little injury of one sort or another?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I think most of the players, every day they wake up there's something that they feel. Maybe they feel they have a sore butt or they feel their finger or their arm or whatever. But, you know, when you're out there on court you don't think about that little soreness or you just fight through it. You think about the yellow ball. You know, I think everyone is feeling something. Or if they don't, then, you know, by the end of weeks if they're doing well they probably will. It's a sport. It's not easy for the body. But, again, we do so much off court work and I do so much fitness that I'm preventing all the injuries and before they happen. Even though I have a strapped leg, I mean, I don't feel it anymore, but I do it for prevention now because I felt it a little bit in New Haven and I don't want it to come back. Maybe by next match, I don't know, I'll see how I feel. Maybe I'll take the tape off if I feel that it's ready.

Q. So you have been on a good run for the past couple weeks. How do you rate this state of your game today?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, yeah, I've been playing pretty well the last two weeks. I won New Haven and I've made the fourth round now. I feel like my game is on the right track, and looking forward to the next one.

US OPEN 2011: Roger Federer breezes into third round

Roger Federer (SUI) [3] defeated Dudi Sela (ISR) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in a 2nd Round match at the 2011 US Open

Roger Federer breezes into third round of the US Open

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Third-seed Roger Federer rolled into the third round of the US Open today, finishing Israeli Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 17 minutes.

Federer wasn’t quite at the top of his game during today’s marquee match on Arthur Ashe, logging 26 unforced errors, most of which occurred during his return games and were out of character for the winningest men’s player in tennis history. Despite an off-day, the box score proves that even when facing a not-so-perfect Federer, one must have a perfect match.

“I did struggle a little bit with the rhythm just because it was quite breezy,” Federer said after the match. “On the one end, on the right hand side of the umpire's chair you had sort of an uphill match, you know, with strong winds against you. From the other side you barely touched the ball and it would fly on you. That's why you would make sometimes big errors of, you know, 10 feet and so forth. So that was tough.”

Both men held serve twice to start the match and the 26-year-old Sela was holding his own against Federer for the first few games, matching Federer’s elegant one-handed backhand with his own. Though Federer wasn’t playing his best tennis, Sela’s nerves eventually got the best of him and he allowed the Swiss assassin to break him for the first time and take a 4-2 lead in the opening set.

In the following game, Federer looked unfocused, dumping two easy volleys into the net to the crowd’s dismay. With the game tied at 30-all, he dug deep to hold serve with two quick-and-easy points.

“Nerves settled down once I had the lead,” Federer said. “And I quickly realized I actually had a good rhythm on my serve. So from that standpoint it was normal to make errors.”

At 5-2, with Sela serving to stay in the set, Federer brought him to deuce. But Sela fought back and won the game, first with a deep forehand that grazed the sideline and the next with a tricky backhand that Federer returned into the net.

But it was business as usual for Federer in the next game, serving a well-placed ace for the first point and then winning the game in straight points.

The following two sets were much of the same, with Federer dominating during his service games and showing signs of weakness during the return games. Early in the second set, Sela beat Federer at the net, first hitting a drop shot that Federer was just able to get his racquet on and then returning a lob shot that Federer had to chase down and eventually sent sailing into the air and well off the court. After the point, Federer looked at his racquet and shook his head in seeming disbelief that he allowed Sela to take that kind of a point off him. Later in the set, Federer sent an easy passing shot long during Sela’s service game in which he was up a point. The crowd gasped, but he was able to recover and break Sela.

While his timing and placement was off on some of his groundstrokes, Federer’s serve was there for him. He notched six aces on the match, the fastest of which was 128 mph. And though he had four more unforced errors than his opponent, Federer also logged 31 winners.

“I don't go into a match telling myself more than 10 errors is a terrible match because I expect myself to hit errors because I know I will hit a lot of winners, too. It all matters when they happen,” Federer said.

Federer will next face either 18-year-old Bernard Tomic of Austria or 27th seed Marin Cilic of Croatia in the third round. He has not faced Tomic previously and he has played the 22-year-old Cilic twice before and has beaten him both time in straight sets.

After the match, the five-time US Open champion said he would be happy to face either Cilic or Tomic, but would prefer Tomic.

“Yeah, I think it's a tough match between the two of them,” he said. “Fifty-fifty who's gonna win at this point. I think I'd like to play Bernard for the first time because I've never played him before. I like, you know, playing the new generation coming up.”

Match Facts

- With today’s win, Federer is tied with Andre Agassi for second place behind Jimmy Connors for the top Open Era Grand Slam performers. Both Federer and Agassi have won 224 Grand Slam matches. Jimmy Connors won 233.

- Federer has won at least one Grand Slam title every year since winning his first at Wimbledon in 2003, meaning he would need to win this year’s US Open in order to continue the streak.

- Sela has played in 17 Grand Slam tournaments. His best result was at Wimbledon in 2009 where he exited in the fourth round.

Arthur Ashe Stadium - Men's Singles - 2nd Round

Roger Federer SUI (3) 6 6 6

Dudi Sela ISR 3 2 2

An Interview With: Roger Federer

 

 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Q. You were certainly on cruise control today? Doing very well.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, not much trouble on my serve, and from the baseline I also thought I had the upper hand. When it's like that, obviously it's tough for the opponent, but I just think I was superior today. It was a good match for me in breezy conditions. It was a bit tricky early on to find the rhythm. That's why I was happy to get the first break in the first set.

Q. Is that why you were nervous when you came in? The commentator said you were nervous.

ROGER FEDERER: Did I say that?

Q. Yeah, you did. Was this because it's the first encounter with Sela?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I played him before. It's a day session match. I mean, it is a big stadium, after all. You're supposed to have a few nerves. If you don't, you don't care. So I do care a lot. That's maybe why.

Q. Any sense of the court playing any different during the day than it was at night during the night?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, it's a different opponent, right? Santiago Giraldo, he plays way back sometimes. Different type of player, so can't compare.Obviously the points were kept short today, and for that matter obviously balls are pretty quick. But it's really the rough surface that if you have a lot of rallies kind of fluffs it up and slows it down. That never really happened today, so... So when it's like this it's fine. Once you get the rallies going, you know, time and time again, balls obviously, then they considerably slow down.

Q. What was your reaction when you heard the news about Venus Williams and what are your thoughts about her career in general?

ROGER FEDERER: Um, well, yeah, I mean, all of a sudden heard was it Soderling who pulled out first? I'm not sure. I don't know if it's related at all, but there was rumors flying around that it's because of food and all these kind of things. I'm still not quite sure what Robin had or if it was because of injury or sickness. Same thing with Venus. I just heard a little bit afterwards. But she was almost ready to play, right? So that's I mean, it's tough, you know, I mean, I guess especially for an American to have that happen at the US Open. But at least if she knows what it is, it's a bit comforting. At least you know where to go from here, but it's terrible timing. I can only wish her the best. She's been a great player, a great champion. Hopefully she'll stay around for the women's game for a long time still.

Q. When you hear about other players missing slams, in the middle or at any point, what sort of perspective does that give you on how you've been so fortunate and durable to not just play, but do well in slams for so long?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, I mean, look, slams are not everything. If it happens, it happens. It's not the end. There are other tournaments to play. Sure, if this is, in your opinion, your priority of the year, then it hits you hard. If it wasn't, then it's not the worst. I think for her it was, for instance, just trying to get ready for this tournament. So at the end maybe she's not as disappointed if she would have gone in here as the absolute favorite, you know. So she's come from a completely different angle right now with all her injuries she's had this year. Look, injuries do happen, and that's why when you're not injured you're happy you can just focus on tactics and playing tennis and enjoying it out there instead of having to wake up every morning and thinking, Oh, I'm still not feeling well. How long is it gonna take? That's when it wears on you. She must be happy just at least to be back on the court again.

Q. Have you had a chance to read Rafa's book?

ROGER FEDERER: No, I haven't. I might read it. I don't know. I haven't come across it yet. He hasn't given me one yet. (Laughter.) If he doesn't, I'll go buy one. That's not the issue. (Laughter.) No, I haven't had the time yet. I don't know if it's gonna happen soon.

Q. Are you comfortable with the level of latitude that officials give players, or do you think it's maybe gotten too strict?

ROGER FEDERER: You mean in terms what we're allowed or not allowed to do?

Q. Yeah.

ROGER FEDERER: What do I think? I still think we can push the boundaries. If you look at how much time we can take walking onto the match, onto the court until the first ball is hit, I mean, there are many times where it takes way too long between points. I mean, I still think officials should and could be more strict. Sometimes I wonder if they're more strict on the outside courts than on the big courts, even though on the big courts you kind of give some leeway, right, to players, because you know they're not doing it out of not being fair, but just that's how they do it. I've felt like this last six months they've been trying to speed up the warmups. You know, instead of saying, Two minutes they say three minutes and stuff when you're at net and stuff. I think that's good, because I think it's a bit of a waste of time, to be quite honest, this whole prewarmup and stuff. Other than that, you know, crack a racquet right away, warning, right away money you have to pay. I mean, it's whatever it is, you know. I think they try to understand the players, too. Some don't; some do. It's a tough call. I don't know. I think it's important also that we are good role models and so forth. Otherwise it gets out of control again and people use too many things trying to win, which is unfair, as well. I guess it's okay to some degree, even though a bit more leeway could be not bad, you know.

Q. On that subject, would you be surprised to learn only half of the top umpires in the game are actually officiating at this championship and half have stayed away?

ROGER FEDERER: Okay. Why is that?

Q. A little bit to do with money, conditions, unhappiness with the tournament. There's no Graf, Maria, the people you'd see week in and week out.

ROGER FEDERER: I don't know about that. Look, I think the tour and the ITF, ATP they're all trying to make this work. It's a tough job being an umpire. I think players know that too. Unfortunately, I think sometimes the unhappy players are the ones that are on the lower, on the smaller courts. They don't have Hawk Eye and they're battling with strong winds, you know, tough spectators sometimes and no supervisor, and all they have is maybe the one umpire who maybe doesn't have so much experience, you know. They play, I don't know, 50 matches a year and they have all the experience. So it becomes very tricky for everybody out there. It's the same thing soccer isn't it. You don't have professionals sometimes as umpires the whole time, right, so that makes it also very complicated. It's why I just think at least on the big courts you do have Hawk Eye now, you know, so if someone does miss a big call, I mean, the umpire doesn't have all the power like he has in soccer, which I feel is also quite wrong. So that's the only advantage I think of the Hawk Eye. But even before that I don't think an umpire could decide outcomes of matches, to be honest. I think that's a good thing. But, no, I wish that all the best umpires would be here, but it is who it is, and I hope they can resolve the issue.

Q. Can you give us your thoughts on your next round? Obviously Marin and Bernard are going to be playing this afternoon.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I think it's a tough match between the two of them; 50/50 who's gonna win at this point, I think. I think I'd like to play Bernard for the first time because I've never played him before. I like, you know, playing the new generation coming up. I've played Harrison at the beginning of the season in Indian Wells, and then I practiced with Dimitrov, Raonic, Berankis, all those new guys coming through. I've never actually hit with Tomic before, so that would be nice. And if it's Cilic it's a good match anyway because he's the seed in my section and he's a good player. He's beaten Murray here before in the past. So I played him as well in Monaco. It was a tough match, so I know what to expect from him more.

Q. What do you think of Bernard's style? It's quite sort of unusual, I guess, in some ways.

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I guess I would have to play him to really tell you. I have never hit a ball against him, but from the way it looks, I agree it's slightly unusual playing style just because he's tall. Again, he likes to play from the baseline; doesn't quite maybe use his serve yet as much as he could like Del Potro in the beginning. I think he's going through an evolution right now as a player, and it's interesting times for him. He's learning basically every day that goes by on the tennis court he learns something, and it's fun to be that age right now.

Q. Although you cruised in straight sets, do you feel he was out of sorts or out of character today?

ROGER FEDERER: Like I mentioned, I did struggle a little bit with the rhythm just because it was quite breezy. On the one end, on the right hand side of the umpire's chair you had sort of an uphill match, you know, with strong winds against you. From the other side you barely touched the ball and it would fly on you. That's why you would make sometimes big errors of, you know, 10 feet and so forth. So that would that was tough. But that's why I said, you know, nerves settled down once I had the lead. And I quickly realized I actually had a good rhythm on my serve. So from that standpoint it was normal to make errors. I don't go into a match telling myself more than 10 errors is a terrible match because I expect myself to hit errors because I know I will hit a lot of winners, too. It all matters when they happen.

Q. When you have a bad day, and you don't have many bad days...

ROGER FEDERER: I do have bad days.

Q. But when you come home to the twins, do they put things in perspective to yo

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I don't need my twins to put life in perspective or my tennis life. I've always been at peace with the game or without the game, and my kids are the best anyway. It's changed our lives forever, obviously. Very thankful, you know, that we have been so fortunate and that the girls are such nice, cute kids. It's just more fun on tour, I guess, you know.

US OPEN 2011: Roger Federer iguala récord de triunfos de Agassi de Grand Slam

Roger Federer iguala récord de triunfos de Agassi de Grand Slam

El suizo derrotó al colombiano Santiago Giraldo en la primera ronda del US Open y alcanzó al estadounidense con 224 victorias.
Roger Federer tuvo un arrollador debut en el US Open al imponerse al colombiano Santiago Giraldo por parciales de 6-4, 6-3 y 6-2.

Con esta victoria, el cinco veces campeón de este torneo, igualó la cantidad de victorias en Grand Slam que tenía Andre Agassi (224) y quedó a tan sólo 9 partidos de Jimmy Connors.

"Estoy feliz de cómo está saliendo todo", dijo Federar tras un fin de semana marcado por el huracán "Irene" que amenazó el inicio del torneo lunes.

"No me importa cómo ganar, no es necesario que sea bonito. Nunca he jugado mi mejor nivel en la primera ronda, pero es importante ganarlos y salir de ahí con una buena sensación. Y eso es lo que hice anoche. Hice un buen ejercicio y gané confianza. La superficie es mucho más lenta este año y las pelotas se desgastan rápido", indicó.

"Me llevó un par de juegos acostumbrarme a las condiciones, tuve que adaptarme y Santiago me mantuvo al filo", confesó.

En la próxima ronda, Federer tendrá como rival al israelí Dudi Sela, que eliminó al brasileño Thomaz Bellucci en cinco sets.


Djokovic necesitó 44 minutos para pasar a segunda ronda del US Open


El serbio se impuso al irlandés Conor Niland, quien se retiró por lesión cuando perdía por 6-0 y 5-1.

 El tenista serbio Novak Djokovic, primer cabeza de serie del Abierto de Estados Unidos, sólo necesitó 44 minutos de trabajo para alcanzar la segunda ronda del torneo, después de que su rival, el irlandés Conor Niland, se retirara lesionado en el segundo set.

Djokovic apenas encontró resistencia en Niland, 197 del mundo que había accedido al cuadro final desde la fase previa, y se impuso en la primera manga por un rotundo 6-0 en apenas 21 minutos de juego.

En el segundo set, con 5-1 a favor del balcánico, Niland se acercó a la red y le tendió la mano al número uno mundial para dar por zanjado el partido.

En segunda ronda, Djokovic se medirá al vencedor del partido entre el español Pere Riba y el argentino Carlos Berloq, que jugarán también en esta segunda jornada.

Victorias de Djokovic y Nadal destacaron en la jornada de US Open

Ambos tenistas avanzaron a la siguiente ronda del último Gran Slam de la temporada.

El serbio Novak Djokovic, primera raqueta del tenis mundial, debutó sin sobresaltos en el Abierto de Estados Unidos, en el que el español Rafael Nadal, defensor del título, sufrió como pocas veces esta temporada para avanzar a la segunda ronda.

Djokovic se impuso el martes al irlandés Conor Niland, procedente de la clasificación y 197 del ranking, por 6-0, 5-1 y abandono después de 44 minutos de juego por un malestar estomacal.

Por su parte, Nadal, número dos del mundo, se impuso al kazajo Andrei Golubev por 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) y 7-5 en dos horas y 49 minutos tras recuperarse de siete set points en el segundo parcial y de una desventaja de 5-2 con el saque de su rival en el tercero.

Su compatriota David Ferrer, quinto preclasificado, superó al ruso Igor Andreev por 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 y 6-4. Después de perder el primer set, el español se recuperó para quedarse con el partido tras dos horas y media, sacando ventaja de los más de 50 errores no forzados de su rival.

El francés Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, undécimo favorito, se deshizo sin mayores dificultades del taiwanés Lu Yen-Hsun por un triple 6-4. De esta manera, el francés regresó con éxito al torneo del que no pudo participar en 2010 por una lesión en su rodilla.

En cambio, el argentino David Nalbandian sufrió para avanzar a la segunda ronda. Nalbandian, 76 del ranking mundial, se impuso al estadounidense Bobby Reynolds por 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 y 6-3 y se enfrentará en el siguiente partido al croata Ivan Ljubicic.

Para el resto de los argentinos la suerte en su debut este martes fue dispar: Juan Chela y Carlos Berlocq siguen en carrera en Nueva York, mientras que Máximo González se despidió rápidamente del torneo.

Chela venció fácilmente al australiano Marinko Matosevic, quien se retiró cuando perdía 3-1. Berlocq se impuso al español Pere Riba por 7-5, 6-0 y 6-1, mientras que González cayó ante el suizo Stanislas Wawrinka por 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 y 6-3.

Por su parte el campeón de Los Angeles, el letón Ernests Gulbis, celebró su 23 cumpleaños derrotando al ruso Mikhail Youzhny, 16 sembrado, por 6-2, 6-4 y 6-4.

En otros resultados de la jornada destacó:

Rogerio Dutra Da Silva (BRA) venció a Louk Sorensen (IRL) , por 6-0, 3-6, 6-4. 1-0 (retiro).

Robin Haase (HOL) venció a Rui Machado POR (POR), por 6-0, 6-4, 6-4.

Diego Junqueira (ARG) venció a Karol Beck (SVK), por 6-2 (retiro).

Vasek Pospisil (CAN) venció a Lukas Rosol (R. Checa), por 6-1, 6-2 y 6-1.

Feliciano Lopez (ESP) venció a Tatsuma Ito (JPN), por 6-2, 6-4 y 6-4.

Julien Benneteau (FRA) venció a Nicolas Almagro (ES), por 6-2, 6-4 y 6-3.

US OPEN 2011: Novak Djokovic y Rafael Nadal destacaron en la jornada de US Open

Victorias de Djokovic y Nadal destacaron en la jornada de US Open

Ambos tenistas avanzaron a la siguiente ronda del último Gran Slam de la temporada.

Djokovic necesitó 44 minutos para pasar a segunda ronda del US Open Federer iguala récord de triunfos de Agassi de Grand Slam

El serbio Novak Djokovic, primera raqueta del tenis mundial, debutó sin sobresaltos en el Abierto de Estados Unidos, en el que el español Rafael Nadal, defensor del título, sufrió como pocas veces esta temporada para avanzar a la segunda ronda.

Djokovic se impuso el martes al irlandés Conor Niland, procedente de la clasificación y 197 del ranking, por 6-0, 5-1 y abandono después de 44 minutos de juego por un malestar estomacal.

Por su parte, Nadal, número dos del mundo, se impuso al kazajo Andrei Golubev por 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) y 7-5 en dos horas y 49 minutos tras recuperarse de siete set points en el segundo parcial y de una desventaja de 5-2 con el saque de su rival en el tercero.

Su compatriota David Ferrer, quinto preclasificado, superó al ruso Igor Andreev por 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 y 6-4. Después de perder el primer set, el español se recuperó para quedarse con el partido tras dos horas y media, sacando ventaja de los más de 50 errores no forzados de su rival.

El francés Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, undécimo favorito, se deshizo sin mayores dificultades del taiwanés Lu Yen-Hsun por un triple 6-4. De esta manera, el francés regresó con éxito al torneo del que no pudo participar en 2010 por una lesión en su rodilla.

En cambio, el argentino David Nalbandian sufrió para avanzar a la segunda ronda. Nalbandian, 76 del ranking mundial, se impuso al estadounidense Bobby Reynolds por 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 y 6-3 y se enfrentará en el siguiente partido al croata Ivan Ljubicic.

Para el resto de los argentinos la suerte en su debut este martes fue dispar: Juan Chela y Carlos Berlocq siguen en carrera en Nueva York, mientras que Máximo González se despidió rápidamente del torneo.

Chela venció fácilmente al australiano Marinko Matosevic, quien se retiró cuando perdía 3-1. Berlocq se impuso al español Pere Riba por 7-5, 6-0 y 6-1, mientras que González cayó ante el suizo Stanislas Wawrinka por 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 y 6-3.

Por su parte el campeón de Los Angeles, el letón Ernests Gulbis, celebró su 23 cumpleaños derrotando al ruso Mikhail Youzhny, 16 sembrado, por 6-2, 6-4 y 6-4.

Defending Champion Rafael Nadal off to rocky start in US Open defence; all-conquering Novak Djokovic found the going even easier than expected …

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning against Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev.

Rafael Nadal got his US Open title defence off to a rocky start Tuesday, but found plenty to be pleased about after a tough straight-sets victory over 98th-ranked Andrey Golubev.

Nadal, who admitted being nervous on his return to the Arthur Ashe stadium where he completed a career Grand Slam last season, saved seven set points in the second set and came back from two breaks down in the third.

"It's a positive start, winning in straight sets -- even if it was unbelievable that I won straight sets," Nadal said.

He finally wrapped up victory after two hours and 49 minutes, taking a first step towards what many tennis fans hope will be a final with Serbia's Novak Djokovic.

Meanwhile Djokovic, who has seized the world number one ranking with two Grand Slam victories and nine titles overall this season, eased into the second round when qualifier Conor Niland retired from their match with food poisoning.

Djokovic led 6-0, 5-1 at the time, and in 44 minutes had fired an array of service winners and baseline bombs that showed his right shoulder, which forced him out of the final in Cincinnati this month, was no longer a problem.

"Today I didn't feel any pain... so I have no concern," said Djokovic, who improved to an incredible tally of 58-2 for the season and was happy to work a short shift.

"This year has been a very long year. So I really don't mind that I spend less time on the court," he said.

Nadal has lost all five of his matches against Djokovic this season, most recently in the final at Wimbledon.

While might have hoped for a more straightforward start, he said he was pleased with his attitude, even if he needed to improve a few aspects of his game.

"The mental part was positive tonight," Nadal said. "The tennis for sure can improve. I have to play a little bit more inside the court. But I am confident I can do it."

Golubev, serving for the second set at 5-3, took a 40-0 lead, only to see Nadal save five set points in that game and two more in the next.

Nadal edged ahead with a break for 6-5, giving himself a second break point in that game when he raced forward to scoop a Golubev drop shot over the net a fraction of an inch before it bounced a second time.

Golubev argued in vain -- and incorrectly -- that the ball had bounced twice.

Having taken the lead, Nadal dropped his own serve, and had to go to the tiebreaker -- in which he won the last six points.

Nadal had to battle back again in the third, falling behind two breaks before winning the last five games to seal the victory.

"I had a few good passing shots in important moments and to save set points in the second," Nadal said. "In the match point, I had a very good passing shot, too... I think I hit a good shots but not enough."

French Open champion Li Na was the biggest casualty of the day, the sixth-seeded Chinese stunned by Romanian teenager Simona Halep.

Halep, ranked 53 in the world, triumphed 6-2, 7-5 to hand Li her second straight Grand Slam disappointment -- after a second-round exit at Wimbledon.

"I really wanted to do well after Roland Garros," said Li, who has struggled since becoming the first Grand Slam champion from Asia. "But it's not easy to do. Now I lose all the confidence on the court."

Li's exit left the women's field without all three of this year's Grand Slam champions.

Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters, winner of the last two US Opens, is absent with a stomach muscle injury. Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova lost on Monday.

Their absences have left the women's draw wide open, and top contenders Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams wasted no time moving on.

World number one and top seed Wozniacki defeated 125th-ranked Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain 6-3, 6-1.

Williams, seeded 28th after her near year-long layoff, took less than an hour to dispatch 54th-ranked Serbian Bojana Jovanovski 6-1, 6-1.

While Williams is trying to claim a 14th Grand Slam title -- and her first since Wimbledon 2010 -- Wozniacki is trying to earn a first.

Fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus also advanced with ease, beating Sweden's Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-3.

Azarenka drew the short straw among the top women's seeds when she was put on a path to a possible third-round clash with Williams, who returned to tennis in June and has won two titles in her first four tournaments.



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