Теннис

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

September 6, 2005

Sharapova Advances to First SF at US Open

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. - Maria Sharapova has reached the semifinals at the US Open for the first time, but it didn't come easy for the tournament's top seed on Tuesday night in New York.

The Russian teen needed three sets in order to escape a challenge from a determined No.9 seed Nadia Petrova, avoiding a third set collapse against her countrywoman to seal a spot in the final four.

Sharapova had dropped just 12 games through four matches in order to make it into the round of 16, but Petrova wasn't about to let her countrywoman have a smooth path into the semifinals, though that resistence didn't seem too solid in the opening minutes of the match.

The top seed sprinted out to a 4-0 lead and looked very capable of making it through the match in less than an hour. But Petrova's game awoke as she won four straight games to get back into the set. The two players then battled through the next three games before Sharapova secured another break at 6-5 to take the first set.

After a close second set, Petrova grabbed a break late in the set and then was able to force a decisive set where she wasn't able to keep the momentum going. Sharapova built a 5-2 lead and looked just points away from a victory when the tide once against shifted to Petrova.

Petrova held serve a love for 5-3 and then kept going by breaking back for 5-4 and a chance to use her serve to even the score. She quickly went up 40-15, holding a pair of game points for 5-5, but a double fault along with an unforced error took the game to deuce. Two points later, Sharapova sealed with victory when a Petrova forehand sailed wide left.

Sharapova has now reached the semifinals in three of the year's four Grand Slams, adding the US Open semis to the final four appearances she has accumulated this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. She also reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.

Petrova has finished as a quarterfinalist at the US Open two years in a row now, falling last year to eventual winner Svetlana Kuznetsova. In fact, Petrova has been to the quarterfinals or better at four of her last five Grand Slam events. Starting with her quarterfinals in New York last year, she followed with a fourth round at the Australian Open, semifinals at the French, quarters at Wimbledon, followed by her quarterfinals at New York.

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

September 6, 2005

US Open: Day 10 Preview

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. - The final two semifinal spots at this year's US Open will be determined on Wednesday. Here's a look at the final two quarterfinal matchups:

(2) Lindsay Davenport (USA) vs. (6) Elena Dementieva (RUS) - Davenport Leads 10-4

World No.1 Lindsay Davenport could reach her eighth US Open semifinal in nine appearances at this Grand Slam. The outstanding accomplishments certainly don’t stop there for this three-time Grand Slam winner, who also has the most semifinal appearances of all active players at a major with 18. Before she can reached Grand Slam semifinal No.19, Davenport must first overcome two-time Grand Slam runner-up Elena Dementieva. The 23-year-old Russian doesn't have the best record against Davenport but was victorious in their last Grand Slam encounter, a 61 63 drubbing in the fourth round of 2004 Roland Garros. Dementieva has also given the American trouble in the past with her big forehand, tireless retrieving and strong competitive spirit. Expect Davenport to attack the Russian’s serve, which continues to be Dementieva’s Achilles heel.

(3) Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) vs. (12) Mary Pierce (FRA) - Mauresmo Leads 4-2

Twelve Frenchwomen entered the 2005 US Open singles main draw. Now, only two remain and only one will move on to the final four to carry the flag for France. In 2002, Amelie Mauresmo was the first Frenchwoman to reach the US Open semifinals in the Open Era (since 1968). This year, Mary Pierce has a shot to become the second. But she must eliminate her compatriot and former Fed Cup teammate in the third all-French match-up at this year’s US Open (after Nathalie Dechy beat Severine Beltrame in the first round then Tatiana Golovin in the third round). Mauresmo has the 4-2 head-to-head advantage over Pierce, but both are coming off of solid summer hardcourt seasons, finishing Nos. 2 and 3 in the US Open Series. Pierce’s Tier I title win at San Diego propelled her to her No.2 finish, while Mauresmo’s runner-up finish at New Haven and semifinal result at Toronto set her up at No.3. As we know, records aren’t always the best indicators as proven by Pierce’s fourth-round win over Justine Henin-Hardenne, who previously held a 4-0 record over the 30-year-old.

[Vardan]

Federer, Hewitt Head Toward Semifinal Showdown

by Matt Cronin

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Top seed Roger Federer and No. 3 seed Lleyton Hewitt moved one step closer to a US Open rematch when they adeptly took care of two veteran opponents.

Federer struggled against familiar foe Nicolas Kiefer, but picked his level up in the last two sets and triumphed 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4.

Contesting his best match of the fortnight so far, Hewitt advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 15 Dominik Hrbaty.

Playing Kiefer for the second Grand Slam in a row, Federer was full of fits and starts against the talented German, but in the last two sets, firmed up his game while Kiefer pressed.

Kiefer actually registered 48 winners to 43 from Federer, but committed 13 more unforced errors in the 3 hour, 2 minute match.

The German said that the Swiss plays like he's from another planet.

"Yeah, and he beat me three times," Federer said. " I thought he wasn't that far away after all from this planet. It's nice to hear. I get many praises these days."

Although he had confronted Kiefer a number of times before, Federer didn't go out on court with a particular strategy, choosing to play with feel and instinct. Whatever he was thinking, they were the right thoughts.

"Basically only on instinct," Federer said. "That's what I do best. It's been working for me. I give myself ideas. I just put everything together -- where he's better, where he's worse, where am I better, and what is best against him. But he's very up and down in all areas of his game. If it's his serve, return, volley, he can do great stuff, but also he has lapses. Once the match starts, sometimes you have to be able to switch your game. Occasionally, I had to do it today to adapt."

Federer will face David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals.

Hewitt played his usual consistent contest from the baseline, returning well and tempting Hrbaty to go for too much with his heavy ground strokes.

While Hrbaty's play didn't cause much of a stir, his black-and pink shirt with oval-shaped cutouts in the back caught Hewitt's attention.

"I wouldn't wear it," Hewitt said. "But it made it a lot easier for me to beat him today. I just couldn't lose to a bloke wearing a shirt like that."

Hewitt didn't lose the fashion contest or the match, while Hrbaty went down in both categories.

Hrbary discussed his new threads with a smile on his face. "I don't really know what the design means," Hrbaty said, "if it's only an idea or if it had any purpose in the beginning, or somebody was trying to make a smiley face in the back. The shirt itself is actually nice. You don't sweat as much. Also, you don't feel the heat that much."

Hewitt, who won the men's singles title here in 2001 and lost to Federer in last year's final, will next play Jarkko Nieminen, who outlasted Fernando Verdasco. 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-3

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

Federer not sharp but through to quarters

by Erin Bruehl

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Nicolas Kiefer showed flashes of brilliant play in his fourth-round match against No. 1 seed and Roger Federer, and became the first man in this Open to win a set against the defending champion. However, Kiefer also struggled with unforced errors and was not able to take advantage of many of Federer's mistakes. Federer finally won the match, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4 in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Kiefer, the No. 38 ranked player from Germany, got off to a strong start, breaking Federer in his first service game to take a 2-0 lead as the Swiss uncharacteristically missed several shots, hitting them long instead of hitting corners, or wide instead of just inside the lines. However, Federer broke back in the next game, this time taking advantage of Kiefer's mistakes as he hit several balls into the net.

Kiefer continued to commit costly errors the rest of the set, despite scoring three of his 12 aces. He struggled particularly with his serve as he completed just 36 percent of his first serves in the opening set. Federer, although not especially sharp, broke him once more to win the opener.

The second set started with Kiefer going up 3-0 before Federer broke back and won three consecutive games, despite not looking nearly as sharp as he had in his three previous matches in this tournament. After Federer broke in the fifth game, the set stayed on serve to 6-6. Kiefer prevailed 7-3 in the tie-break to hand Federer his first set loss of this Open. It was also Kiefer who handed Federer his last set loss in a Grand Slam match, in the fourth round at Wimbledon earlier this summer.

The two stayed on serve until the seventh game of third set, when Federer started to hit the kinds of shots that made him No. 1. He started to move Kiefer more around the court and his shots started falling inside the lines for winners.

Federer's serve also began to improve, as his first-serve percentage went from 57 percent and 48 percent in the first and second sets to 78 percent and 88 percent in the third and fourth.

Kiefer actually led Federer in winners for the match, 48 to 43, but also led in unforced errors, 46 to 33. Kiefer also hit 11 double faults.

Federer broke Kiefer in the third game of the fourth set to take a 2-0 lead, as Kiefer missed shots long and wide, and double-faulted.

Federer won the match in just over three hours, earning a spot in the quarterfinals for the eighth time in his last ten Grand Slams. He is now 7-3 in his career vs. Kiefer. He will take on either David Nalbandian or Davide Sanguinetti in the quarters.

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

Nieminen Finn-ishes Verdasco for Quarterfinal First

by Mike Dempsey

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

The last two lefties in the 2005 US Open men's draw faced off in Louis Armstrong Stadium Tuesday, with Jarkko Nieminen beating young Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-2.

The unseeded Nieminen became the first Finnish man to make the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. Nieminen, the 1999 US Open boys' champion, fell to his back after watching Verdasco's final shot land a few feet behind the baseline.

The yellow-shirted Finn took advantage of Verdasco's tough day by committing only 14 unforced errors, as the 21-year-old Verdasco committed 66 unforced errors and 8 double faults.

"In the third set, I noticed that he wasn't mentally that strong during the first two sets," Nieminen said. "He was like little bit hopeless, try to hit winners almost from everywhere. That's why I let him in."

The second set provided the most drama as the lefties could not break each other for 55 minutes.

Verdasco came close to turning the momentum in his favor in the set. It was knotted at 6-6 before Verdasco double-faulted and hit a cross-court volley 12 feet long to hand Nieminen the set. The frustrated Verdasco slammed his racket into the ground.

When Verdasco's serve was working, he looked dominating. Unfortunately, it was not working very often. Nieminen handled his returns with aplomb, particularly his backhand, which consistently found spots just beyond Verdasco's reach.

Nieminen improved his record against other lefties to 14-8, while Verdasco fell to 8-8 vs. lefties.

The Finn will face No. 3 seed Lleyton Hewitt in the quarterfinals.

"I think that my strong point [is] to (assess) the game and change the pace and the tempo," said Nieminen about facing the Australian. "I think you have to really do that well against Hewitt because if you hit so hard, he's moving great, and just the ball comes hard back, and you can't just let him play because he's making you move."

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

Choose Your Side: Agassi or Blake

by William Toussaint

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Christopher Adams took a deep breath and pursed his lips as he pondered the dilemma that seemed to pain him late Tuesday afternoon in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"This is tough," said Adams, 62, who has been making the more than two-and-a-half hour trek from his home in Philadelphia to watch the US Open for the past 15 years. "I don't know who I'm going to root for."

Adams had been asked who he would cheer on in tomorrow's quarterfinal match between No. 7 seed Andre Agassi and unseeded James Blake.

"On the one hand I love Blake's story --his father dying, his broken back and all of that adversity he has come back through," Adams said. "Sentimentally, though, I guess I love Agassi because I have seen him through the years, and with his back and being 35 and all … this one might be his last."

Adams had voiced the crux of countless fans who will watch Wednesday night's match: Should I root for the sentimental favorite or the drama-conquering underdog?

For Eytan Mishkoff, 17, a high school senior in Queens, the question didn't seem all that complicated.

"Blake," said Mishkoff, who said he had attended last year's US Open. "All he's been through and how he came back - he deserves it."

Beyond background stories, Mishkoff admits he is partial to Blake because he simply enjoys watching how the 25-year-old plays. But he considers himself in a win-win situation because he enjoys Agassi as well.

Chris and Greg Zielinksi, 25-year-old identical twins who played tennis together for the Air Force Academy, count themselves as part of the nostalgic multitudes.

"Agassi, definitely," said Chris, who attended Agassi's 1997 U.S. Open Round of 16 match against eventual champion Patrick Rafter.

"I think this crowd is going to be 60-40 for Agassi. It would be great to see him win one more grand slam. But it could be more like 50-50, [because] Blake is a great story, too."

Regardless of which side they support, fans are expected to fill Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch one of the most anticipated matches of this year's US Open.

As for Adams, who will be unable to attend tomorrow night's match but said he plans to watch it on television? "

I guess I'll just decide who I want to win," Adams said, "once the match gets started."

Who will YOU root for? Tune in Wednesday night with live action beginning at 7 p.m et on USA Network.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/...6048132455.html

USOpen.org IBM On Demand Business

To print this page, select "Print" from your browser's File menu.

Choose Your Side: Agassi or Blake

by William Toussaint

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

[Vardan]

[karik]

Кто видел игру 1/4 финала, Дементьева Давенпорт?

Игра была супер,такого напряжения , даже в финалах лиги чемпионов не испытывал!

[karik]

[Vardan]

Кто выйграл? Дементьева

[Dili]

Masters Cup, который проходил в Шанхае, выиграл Давид Налбандян УРАААААААА!!!!! :jump:

R.Federer...............7...7...2...1...6

vs

D.Nalbandian..........6...6...6...6...7 :clap:

[David-Mavid]

Ничего себе счеты!

Браво Налбандян, эх жаль а ведь хотел на него поставить.

[Angel Boyz]

сам занимаюсь теннисом,обожаю Сафина,Федерера и Шарапову!был на матче Кубка Кремля Шарапова-Сафина ,неожиданно выграла Сафина хотя наверно с Шараповой она все силы отдала и потом вылетела!