Nadal, Murray power through in US Open
Rafael Nadal’s bid for a career Grand Slam and Andy Murray’s quest for his first Grand Slam title move a step closer
NEW YORK:
Rafael Nadal’s bid for a career Grand Slam and Andy Murray’s quest for his first Grand Slam title moved a step closer to a US Open semi-final collision course with impressive triumphs.
Reigning women’s champion Kim Clijsters breezed into the last-16 along with US third-seed Venus Williams, whose injured sister Serena and world number one was on hand to watch her elder sibling for the first time this week.
Nadal ‘lucky’ to be through
Wimbledon and French Open champion Nadal defeated 39th-ranked Uzbek Denis Istomin 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 to confirm a third-round match against France’s Gilles Simon, who beat German Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
The top seed and Spanish world number one, trying to become only the seventh man to complete a career Grand Slam by winning his first US Open title, won the last six points of the tie-breaker and saved all seven break points he faced.
“I was a little bit lucky in the tie-breaker of the second set. That’s the truth,” said Nadal. “He was playing really well. I started the match really well, kept working all the time.”
Murray thrashes Brown
Meanwhile, British fourth-seed Murray sent off Jamaican Dustin Brown 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 in a match halted about 20 minutes due to rain from nearby Hurricane Earl, which brushed the US eastern coast and brought brisk, swirling winds to the US Open.
Next for Murray is Swiss 25th-seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who beat Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
Clijsters, Venus march ahead
Belgian second-seed Clijsters improved her US Open win streak to 17 matches, including her only Grand Slam title runs from 2005 and 2009, taking the last 12 games in a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Czech Wimbledon semi-finalist Petra Kvitova.
Clijsters will face fellow former world number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the fourth round.
Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open winner who has slid to 40th in the rankings, won the last nine games to oust French wildcard Virginie Razzano 7-5, 6-0 and match her best US Open run from 2007.
Meanwhile, Venus downed Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella 6-2, 6-1 and the seven-time Grand Slam winner will now face Israeli 16th-seed Shahar Peer for a quarter-final berth.
Italian sixth-seed Francesca Schiavone also reached the fourth round by beating Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko 6-1, 7-5.
In two other matches, Swedish fifth-seed Robin Soderling advanced to the fourth round by defeating Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 while in women’s singles Kaia Kanepi of Estonia also reached the fourth round with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) win over fourth-seed Jelena Jankovic. AFP
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2010.
Rafael Nadal’s bid for a career Grand Slam and Andy Murray’s quest for his first Grand Slam title moved a step closer to a US Open semi-final collision course with impressive triumphs.
Reigning women’s champion Kim Clijsters breezed into the last-16 along with US third-seed Venus Williams, whose injured sister Serena and world number one was on hand to watch her elder sibling for the first time this week.
Nadal ‘lucky’ to be through
Wimbledon and French Open champion Nadal defeated 39th-ranked Uzbek Denis Istomin 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 to confirm a third-round match against France’s Gilles Simon, who beat German Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
The top seed and Spanish world number one, trying to become only the seventh man to complete a career Grand Slam by winning his first US Open title, won the last six points of the tie-breaker and saved all seven break points he faced.
“I was a little bit lucky in the tie-breaker of the second set. That’s the truth,” said Nadal. “He was playing really well. I started the match really well, kept working all the time.”
Murray thrashes Brown
Meanwhile, British fourth-seed Murray sent off Jamaican Dustin Brown 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 in a match halted about 20 minutes due to rain from nearby Hurricane Earl, which brushed the US eastern coast and brought brisk, swirling winds to the US Open.
Next for Murray is Swiss 25th-seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who beat Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
Clijsters, Venus march ahead
Belgian second-seed Clijsters improved her US Open win streak to 17 matches, including her only Grand Slam title runs from 2005 and 2009, taking the last 12 games in a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Czech Wimbledon semi-finalist Petra Kvitova.
Clijsters will face fellow former world number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the fourth round.
Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open winner who has slid to 40th in the rankings, won the last nine games to oust French wildcard Virginie Razzano 7-5, 6-0 and match her best US Open run from 2007.
Meanwhile, Venus downed Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella 6-2, 6-1 and the seven-time Grand Slam winner will now face Israeli 16th-seed Shahar Peer for a quarter-final berth.
Italian sixth-seed Francesca Schiavone also reached the fourth round by beating Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko 6-1, 7-5.
In two other matches, Swedish fifth-seed Robin Soderling advanced to the fourth round by defeating Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 while in women’s singles Kaia Kanepi of Estonia also reached the fourth round with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) win over fourth-seed Jelena Jankovic. AFP
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2010.