Wozniacki-Sharapova battle set while Federer rolls on in New York
Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova booked a fourth-round showdown with straight-set US Open triumphs.
NEW YORK:
Top-seed Caroline Wozniacki and former world number one Maria Sharapova booked a fourth-round showdown with straight-set US Open triumphs while Roger Federer cruised into the last-16 as well. The 20-year-old Wozniacki, last year’s US Open runner-up, routed Taiwan’s Chan Yung-Jan 6-1, 6-0, while Russian 14th-seed Sharapova, whose three Grand Slam titles include the 2006 US Open, blanked American Beatrice Capra 6-0, 6-0.
Wozniacki has lost only three games in three matches, the best US Open run since Chris Evert dropped only two in the same span in 1976. No woman at any Slam has lost so few games so late since Mary Pierce at the 1994 French Open.
Sharapova, whose win against Capra was the latest US Open women’s shutout since Martina Navratilova won by the same score in 1989, beat Wozniacki twice in 2008.
Federer gears up
A showdown is brewing on the men’s side as well as Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion seeking his sixth US Open title and seventh consecutive trip to the final, and Swedish fifth-seed Robin Soderling reached the fourth round.
World number two Federer smashed 13 aces and 31 winners to beat 109th-ranked Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
“Tough conditions to play in, especially if you’re down in the score,” said Federer. “You could tell Mathieu was really struggling after being down. His serve, his returns, everything kind of falls into pieces.”
French Open runner-up Soderling broke Federer’s streak of 23 Grand Slam semi-finals in a row with a quarter-final triumph on the Paris red clay over the Swiss superstar who had won their 12 prior matches.
Soderling, who lost the Roland Garros final to top-ranked Rafael Nadal, and world number two Federer each need one more victory to book a rematch on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts. “Everybody has been telling me since the draw came out I’m playing Roger in the quarters. It’s still far ahead,” said Soderling.
Federer next faces Austrian 13th-seed Jurgen Melzer, whom the Swiss ousted in this year’s fourth round at Wimbledon in their only prior meeting. Soderling will meet Spanish 21st-seed Albert Montanes, who led 6-2, 2-1 when 147th-ranked Japanese qualifier Kei Nishikori retired after only 38 minutes with a groin injury.
Also advancing to the fourth round was Serbian third-seed Djokovic, who downed US wildcard James Blake 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to book a date with US 19th-seed Mardy Fish.
The day’s biggest upset came on the women’s side when Serbian fourth-seed Jelena Jankovic, a former world number one who was a 2008 US Open runner-up, was wind-hampered and lost 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) to Estonian 31st-seed Kaia Kanepi.
“It was really difficult,” said Jankovic. “I didn’t have a chance to play good tennis in these conditions.”
Kanepi will next play Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, a 2009 US Open semi-finalist who saved a match point in the final tie-breaker before beating Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).
Clijsters makes it to quarter-final
Defending champion Kim Clijsters advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-1 in 59 minutes. The Belgian second seed will play for a semi-final spot against the winner of a night match between Australian fifth seed Samantha Stosur and Russian 12th seed Elena Dementieva. AFP
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2010.
Top-seed Caroline Wozniacki and former world number one Maria Sharapova booked a fourth-round showdown with straight-set US Open triumphs while Roger Federer cruised into the last-16 as well. The 20-year-old Wozniacki, last year’s US Open runner-up, routed Taiwan’s Chan Yung-Jan 6-1, 6-0, while Russian 14th-seed Sharapova, whose three Grand Slam titles include the 2006 US Open, blanked American Beatrice Capra 6-0, 6-0.
Wozniacki has lost only three games in three matches, the best US Open run since Chris Evert dropped only two in the same span in 1976. No woman at any Slam has lost so few games so late since Mary Pierce at the 1994 French Open.
Sharapova, whose win against Capra was the latest US Open women’s shutout since Martina Navratilova won by the same score in 1989, beat Wozniacki twice in 2008.
Federer gears up
A showdown is brewing on the men’s side as well as Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion seeking his sixth US Open title and seventh consecutive trip to the final, and Swedish fifth-seed Robin Soderling reached the fourth round.
World number two Federer smashed 13 aces and 31 winners to beat 109th-ranked Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
“Tough conditions to play in, especially if you’re down in the score,” said Federer. “You could tell Mathieu was really struggling after being down. His serve, his returns, everything kind of falls into pieces.”
French Open runner-up Soderling broke Federer’s streak of 23 Grand Slam semi-finals in a row with a quarter-final triumph on the Paris red clay over the Swiss superstar who had won their 12 prior matches.
Soderling, who lost the Roland Garros final to top-ranked Rafael Nadal, and world number two Federer each need one more victory to book a rematch on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts. “Everybody has been telling me since the draw came out I’m playing Roger in the quarters. It’s still far ahead,” said Soderling.
Federer next faces Austrian 13th-seed Jurgen Melzer, whom the Swiss ousted in this year’s fourth round at Wimbledon in their only prior meeting. Soderling will meet Spanish 21st-seed Albert Montanes, who led 6-2, 2-1 when 147th-ranked Japanese qualifier Kei Nishikori retired after only 38 minutes with a groin injury.
Also advancing to the fourth round was Serbian third-seed Djokovic, who downed US wildcard James Blake 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to book a date with US 19th-seed Mardy Fish.
The day’s biggest upset came on the women’s side when Serbian fourth-seed Jelena Jankovic, a former world number one who was a 2008 US Open runner-up, was wind-hampered and lost 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) to Estonian 31st-seed Kaia Kanepi.
“It was really difficult,” said Jankovic. “I didn’t have a chance to play good tennis in these conditions.”
Kanepi will next play Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, a 2009 US Open semi-finalist who saved a match point in the final tie-breaker before beating Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).
Clijsters makes it to quarter-final
Defending champion Kim Clijsters advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-1 in 59 minutes. The Belgian second seed will play for a semi-final spot against the winner of a night match between Australian fifth seed Samantha Stosur and Russian 12th seed Elena Dementieva. AFP
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2010.