2013 Tennis Thread

[Smallville22]

Halep's magic ride carries her to round of 16

The magic ride enjoyed by Romanian Simona Halep grew more thrilling as she produced her best tennis to derail 14th-seeded Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-0 on Saturday to reach the fourth round of the US Open.
After five winless years on the tour, the 21-year-old Halep has caught fire in 2013, notching four titles including the US Open hard court run-up event in New Haven last week.
"It was the best match ever for me," Halep said after a lightning-quick demolition of Kirilenko that took just 51 minutes. "I played incredible today. No mistakes."
Pardon Halep for the slightest of exaggerations as the aggressive baseliner was charged with eight unforced errors, though her helpful opponent committed three times that number.
For Kirilenko, it was a case of once again hitting a third-round barrier at the US Open.
The Russian had reached the round of 32 at Flushing Meadows for the eighth time but only once has she gone beyond, with a fourth-round appearance against eventual winner Samantha Stosur in 2011.
The victory put the former French Open junior champion into the round of 16 for the first time at a Grand Slam.
She will face Italy's Flavia Pennetta, a 7-5 6-1 winner against 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova following her upset of fourth-seeded compatriot Sara Errani.
Halep was hard-pressed to explain her brilliant run.
"I am more aggressive, more relaxed on court," said Halep, who has recovered from a variety of nagging injuries. "I just want to take the pleasure of every point and fight for every point.
"I feel good, and I play really, really good now."
The Romanian, who ended last year ranked 47th, has soared up the rankings list, climbing into the top 20 at number 19.
After a mediocre start to the year, Halep caught fire in June, winning her first tour titles at Nurnberg and 's-Hertogenbosch, then adding another crown at Budapest in July.
A lower back injury ****** her to withdraw from the Toronto event this month, but she came back to reach the quarters at Cincinnati before falling to world number one Serena Williams.
Halep said beating Czech Petra Kvitova in the final to cap another title run last week gave her a big boost.
"I played really good in New Haven, a good week, the best week in my life," said Halep. "When I came here, I just wanted to keep my energy on."
Halep cleared a difficult hurdle in her opening match at Flushing Meadows.
"My first match was very difficult because (Briton Heather Watson) had set and 4-3. But I came back," she said.
Halep followed that with a 6-2 6-1 thrashing of Croat Donna Vekic, then Saturday's rout of Kirilenko.
"I'm happy that I can win a lot of matches here. I played really good. I want to enjoy this tournament," said Halep, hoping the magic ride has miles to go.
"I feel good. I just want to keep going."

 

[Smallville22]

Azarenka safely through after dropping set

A feisty Victoria Azarenka dropped her first set of the tournament on Saturday before regaining her composure to safely book her place in the last 16 at the US Open.
A finalist last year and one of the favourites to win the title this season, the Belarusian ****** her first real test at the championship in beating beat Alize Cornet of France 6-7(2) 6-3 6-2.
By her own admission, this was not one of Azarenka's best performances. She made 38 unforced errors and got involved in an argument with the chair umpire over a line call.
"I don't think I played my best tennis today but I have to give her credit. She played really well," Azarenka said. "The dynamic of the match was a little bit weird for me.
"I felt like I didn't take my opportunities in the first set, which was kind of a waste and it gave her a lot of confidence."
The first set took more than an hour to complete and the 24-year-old Azarenka was frustrated that she let it go after fighting back from 4-1 behind to ***** a tiebreak. But she raised her game in the remaining two sets, reducing her unforced error count.
"That was more me playing, more finding the rhythm," she said. "I felt much better in the third set than in the first set which was going past the two-hour mark. It's pretty good, so I'm happy with that."
Azarenka's frustrations threatened to boil over when the umpire ordered a point she had won to be replayed and was still fuming about it after the match.
"That was the most ridiculous thing there is," she said. "I had already walked to my chair, Alize almost walked to her chair, they said, 'replay the point'."
Despite her below-par performance, Azarenka said she enjoyed being under pressure, believing it brought out the best in her.
"I like pressure. I think pressure is something that if you want to be on top, you have to deal with," she said. "That's what makes you better. You need that to be on top, to be motivated.
"If you don't have any pressure, if you don't feel like you have to achieve something, it's not fun. For me, I need that."
Azarenka's next opponent is former world number Ana Ivanovic, who also came from behind to win her center court clash with American Christina McHale 4-6 7-5 6-4.
"Ana is a great player," said Azarenka. "She's definitely in great form, and I'm sure she's motivated and pumped up.
"It's going to be a good match. She's a great champion, as well. I'm looking forward to that."

 

[Smallville22]

Kvitova falls to Riske

Petra Kvitova required ***** tests for another mystery virus before being eliminated from the US Open on Saturday by an American who travels the world with her ********* security blanket.
Kvitova, the former Wimbledon champion, was on the verge of becoming world number one last year. But her decline in results continued with a lacklustre 6-3 6-0 loss to world number 81 Alison Riske in the third round at Flushing Meadows.
Kvitova, currently ranked 10th in the world, had her ***** pressure taken during a medical time out in the second set of a defeat that took one hour and five minutes.
"Unfortunately I was lying in the bed yesterday and I had a fever, so I didn't come to the site yesterday," she said.
"My body didn't help me today. I tried to play, tried to fight. But my body wouldn't let me fight.
"That's life. It's not only in the tennis. It's something I hope can help me and make me a little stronger."
Kvitova's early departure replicated unexpected losses at the three other Majors this year.
She was beaten by Britain's Laura Robson in round two at the Australian Open, American Jamie Hampton in round three of the French Open and upset by Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
She was also hampered by a virus at The All England Club.
"I think it's the same," she said. "I had a ***** test to see if it was bacteria and virus, and it was virus. I mean, I didn't have any sore throat or anything like that. I had just a very high fever.
"It's unlucky at a Grand Slam. I will take it for this year and next year will be better."
Kvitova was a heavy favourite against the 23-year-old American after beating her recently in New Haven. But it quickly became apparent that Kvitova was ill.
"I couldn't play really long rallies, like more than three shots in the rallies," she said.
"So I try to play my aggressive game. First or second shots, to have a winner. I am disappointed."
She was scheduled to have more ***** tests before leaving New York.
Riske was in tears during her on-court interview.
"I believe I belong here," she said.
Riske revealed the faith she placed in a small blanket given to her on the day she was born.
"The blankie story is out," she said after her first victory against a top-10 player.
"I'm used to it now. I can't deny it now. It's getting smaller by the week. It can fit in the palm of my hand.
"My ******** always used to hide it. Used to make me so mad."
The American wildcard said her good luck charm would stay in her hotel room in Manhattan during her fourth round appearance on Monday.
"It's been with me since the second I was born," she said. "It's been around the world. It started out forest green and now it's like mint green. I don't know if it's a colour now."

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal roars into fourth round as Fed clash looms

Rafa Nadal, growing in confidence with each match, blasted his way into the fourth round of the US Open on Saturday with an ominous display as the upsets continued at the last Grand Slam of the year.
The world number two turned on a masterclass of power and precision as he brushed aside Croatia's Ivan Dodig 6-4 6-3 6-3 to lead a trio of Spanish men into the fourth round.
French Open runner-up David Ferrer also moved through, beating Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4, while a third Spaniard, Tommy Robredo, ended the Cinderella run of British qualifier Dan Evans, winning 7-6 (6) 6-1 4-6 7-5.
Nadal has been in great form in the past month, winning warm-up tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati. He has not dropped a single set in getting to the last 16 at Flushing Meadows and believes he is still improving.
"I played better today than in the previous matches. (That's) always a positive thing," he said.
"I started the match with a high intensity. I lost to Ivan the last time we played in Montreal and he won two hard matches here against Fernando Verdasco, a lefty like me, and Nikolay Davydenko.
"I think I played my best match of the week so far today."
Nadal's next opponent is Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat towering American John Isner 6-4 3-6 7-5 7-6 (5), with Roger Federer looming as a possible quarter-final opponent.
The two great rivals have never played each other at the year's final Grand Slam, but could meet next week.
Federer, playing the feature night match at an buzzing Arthur Ashe Stadium, doled out a 6-3 6-0 6-2 hammering to Frenchman Adrian Mannarino but knows the focus is already on the possible meeting with Nadal.
"I have gone through that my entire career, people talking about our matches even before the tournament started," the Swiss said.
"We're used to it. We know how to handle it. Clearly I think we both hope it's going to happen this time for the first time in New York."

 

[Smallville22]

Canadian sleeper Raonic stirs in New York

Touted as a leading member of 'Generation Next', Milos Raonic beat Feliciano Lopez 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3 6-4 at the US Open.
The powerful 22-year-old Canadian roared into the fourth round thanks to his thunderous serve, which has landed him a chart-topping 65 aces for the tournament. His heaviest delivery of 145 miles per hour is the quickest of the event.
His relatively seamless progression through the draw comes on the back of his recent appearance in the final of the Montreal Masters against Rafa Nadal and a move up to number 11 in the world rankings.
While the American tennis fraternity sweats on the arrival of a men's player to match the deeds of retired superstars Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the relaxed and quietly-spoken Raonic admitted he benefited from lower expectations in Canada.
"There's a lot more pressure on the Americans," he said.
"One advantage they have growing up is that maybe there are more wildcard opportunities as an American.
"I'm doing a lot of stuff in uncharted territories, so people are very supportive of it. Whereas I feel it's a little bit unfair to the American players, everybody expecting another Pete and Agassi to be there on the top.
"Everybody is always asking, why isn't their playing doing this? This is an American. I think that's the big difference."
Ranoic, though, denied he was flying completely under the radar compared to his US counterparts.
"I think the attention is the same," he said. "I don't know how to say it, but one is more negative than the other because they (Americans) are expecting a lot more. In Canada, it's a lot more positive to be in the situation I am right now."
Lopez was unable to break the serve of his 1.96 m tall opponent in their two hours and 37 minutes on Court 17.
"I was really struggling with getting anywhere on his service games, but I found my own a little bit," Raonic said.
"I was getting confidence and calming down. I wasn't feeling as nervous about the whole situation. I was a little sloppy at the net at times, but I started cleaning things up from the baseline."
Montenegro-born, Toronto-raised and now resident in Monaco, Raonic's biggest concern appeared to be his sunburned face.
"I didn't have any (sun tan lotion) on, so I will probably pay for that tonight," he said.
Raonic has yet to reach the quarter-finals at a major.
His next assignment will be against eight-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who reached the fourth round when 32nd-seeded Russian Dmitry Tursunov retired.
The winner of the Raonic-Gasquet clash will have a winnable quarter-final against Spain's David Ferrer or Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.
In his only previous meeting against Gasquet, on hard courts at Cincinnati last year, Raonic won in straight sets.
"I'm going to have to focus a lot on myself and not let him get into a rhythm," he said.
"I thought I did that pretty well today. Always when I had a short ball, I would go for it, even on the backhand side. I have to let them never get into a rhythm."

 

[Smallville22]

Israel's Glushko pained by Hantuchova defeat

It was a tournament of firsts for Israeli Julia Glushko but in the end there was only the sting of disappointment after she was ousted in the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday.
The 23-year-old qualifier had four chances to reach the round of 16 but the ***** run fell short against Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, who advanced with a 3-6 7-5 7-6 (4) victory.
Glushko first won three matches to qualify. She beat 20th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova 6-3 6-4 in the opening round of the main draw for the first tour-level win of her career and followed that by beating wildcard Sachia Vickery 7-5 6-3.
Although Glushko held four match points on Hantuchova's serve in the 10th game of the third set, she failed to convert any and eventually lost in a climactic tiebreaker 7-4 after saving two match points herself in the decider.
"It was a good experience. It was my first time playing third round in a slam," Glushko told Reuters before the pain of losing took over her emotions.
"I'm just so disappointed from today that I can't be happy yet for it. I'm a happy person, just so sad."
Glushko was born in Ukraine to tennis coaching parents and moved to Israel when she was nine years old.
"I grew up in Israel and I totally have the mentality of an Israeli person," she said with a laugh.
The second-lowest ranked player left in the draw at 128, Glushko felt bad about not quite matching the battling example of her mentor, veteran Israeli player Shahar Pe'er.
Israeli Fed Cup team mate Pe'er has won six tour titles and been as high as 11th in the rankings with quarter-final showings at both the U.S. Open and Australian Open.
"Me and Shahar are really good friends, which is great to have because she inspires me so much," Glushko said.
"She is the biggest fighter I know. She would do anything to win, do anything on court to win. I'm on the Fed Cup team since I was 17, so it's been six years.

 

[Smallville22]

Wozniacki upset by Italian qualifier Giorgi

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki's lack of firepower was exposed yet again when she was stunned 4-6 6-4 6-3 by Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi in the third round of the US Open.
Giorgi struck 46 winners to Wozniacki's 13 to ensure the Dane's long, and to date fruitless, quest for a maiden Grand Slam title would go into another season.
The 23-year-old sixth seed fought until the very end, saving four match points before the ultra-aggressive Giorgi hit one final winner to finish proceedings in two hours and 32 minutes.
"All of a sudden she came into the rhythm and just started hitting everything and it was starting to go in," Wozniacki said.
"She put me under pressure and I started to play a little short. And then all of a sudden she was all over the ball.
"I felt like I needed to push her back but she took very high-risk shots and things were going in for her. She was going for the lines and hitting them when she wanted to."
Wozniacki reached the US Open final in 2009 but seven years after playing her first Grand Slam, at Wimbledon, the girlfriend of golf Major champion Rory McIlroy has yet to crack the code to winning one of her own.
Her defensive style rarely keeps her in the contest against the likes of the Williams sisters or Maria Sharapova and Giorgi took a leaf from their manuals. Wozniacki's best result at the Slams this year was reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open.
"I think it's normal to be disappointed," she said. "We were playing two-and-a-half hours out there, I lost the match and I would obviously have loved to be in the next round.
"It's tough to be really aggressive when someone is just going for every shot. It wasn't the best year for me at the majors, but there is a next year."
Giorgi, who received a code ********* for ******* coaching from her animated ******, Sergio, said it was a ***** come true to simply play inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I wanted that," said the 21-year-old, who next faces 10th seed and compatriot Roberta Vinci for a place in the quarter-finals. "It was my goal to be there. It was amazing to play there. I was focused for every point. I think I played better tactically, maybe.
"When the ball came, I just tried to hit it in the corners."
Despite her aggressive ball striking, the diminutive world number 136 made little noise on the court.
"I don't like to be too loud," she said softly.

 

[Smallville22]

Robredo ends run of British qualifier Evans

The Cinderella run of British qualifier Dan Evans at the US Open came to a shuddering halt on Saturday when he was knocked out in the third round.
The 23-year-old fell 7-6 (6) 6-1 4-6 7-5 to Spain's Tommy Robredo after a tense three and a quarter hour battle at Flushing Meadows.
Evans, ranked 179th in the world, had captured the imagination of New York after his unlikely run to the third round but faltered just when it seemed he was on the verge of claiming another big scalp.
"I'm not disappointed, to be honest, it was a great experience," Evans said.
He had already pulled off the biggest upset of the opening round when beat Japan's Kei Nishikori, ranked 11th in the world, and followed that up by beating Bernard Tomic in the second round.
His win over Tomic was all the sweeter because the Australian's ****** had once prevented Evans from practising with his ***, telling him he was not good enough.
Evans said he used that as motivation and now wants to use his success in New York to improve his ranking.
"It was a good stepping stone but not I'm not where I want to be, in the top 100," he said. "So I've still got a bit of work to do."
Robredo, an experienced campaigner who has been on the Grand Slam circuit for more than a decade, was always going to be a tough opponent for Evans and the Spaniard looked to be cruising to victory after winning the first two sets.
But the 19th seed began to struggle in the third set because of a leg injury that required medical treatment and had to be iced at each change of ends.
Evans won the third set and had two set points on his own serve in the fourth and the crowd on his side at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Then the wheels suddenly came off. He served two double faults and Robredo reeled off the last four games in a row to seal victory.
"You just have to learn from these experiences," said Evans. "I dont know what happened. I didn't feel tight, I just missed some easy hits."

 

[Smallville22]

Federer races through in 81 minutes

Grand Slam king Roger Federer showed off his fitness by sprinting into the round of 16 at the US Open on Saturday, beating Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-0 6-2 to turn out the lights on day six of the tournament.
Playing the closing contest of Saturday's night programme, Federer ran through games as though he had a taxi cab waiting outside the stadium with the meter running and hurtled past the unseeded Frenchman in 81 minutes.
"I like it like this," said Federer. "I like three hours, five hours, too, as long as I end up winning them. But no doubt about it, you do feel more of the show factor at night than during the day.
"But it does feel great just for confidence, and I had a lot of fun out there."
The one-sided victory moved Federer, the greatest Grand Slam men's title winner of them all with 17, into a fourth-round clash with Spain's Tommy Robredo, who earlier beat British qualifier Dan Evans.
The 32-year-old Swiss has won all 10 of his previous matches against Robredo.
Federer might not want to get ahead of himself, no matter how quickly he moves past opponents, but it was hard not to notice that he was now one step away from a potential quarter-final showdown with rival Rafa Nadal.
Strange as it may seem for rivals who have squared off 31 times over their careers, five-times US Open champion Federer has never played 2010 winner Nadal at Flushing Meadows.
"Clearly (I) follow the progress of the players, but today I didn't see anything during the day," Federer said.
"I think I only start really focusing on it once I'm really right there, like the moment I would win my next round and he did the same.
"(But) I have gone through that my entire career, people talking about our matches even before the tournament started," he added.
"Clearly I think we both hope it's going to happen this time for the first time in New York."
Federer said he had several things working in his favour against Mannarino on Saturday.
"I was able to really use my serve well, because it was breezy tonight again so I was able to use the wind a bit better. Maybe I had a bit more variation than him that allowed me more margin in my game,” he said.
"Once I had the first set I was able to play with the lead, which makes things a little more easy as well."
It got so easy for Federer that he yielded just 11 points to the Frenchman in the second set. In the match, the Swiss slashed 34 winners to eight for his 25-year-old opponent.
Federer showed absolutely no signs of the back issues that have limited him at times in 2013, a year that has seen him win just one tournament title and his U.S. Open seeding slip to seventh, his lowest mark in a decade.
A second-round elimination at Wimbledon led some to question whether the Swiss master was slowing down.
The masterclass he gave on centre court of the National Tennis Center seemed to allay those concerns.
At one stage, Federer was playing at such a pace the local broadcaster was unable to get through their commercials before the players were back on court and fans watching on television rejoined the match in the middle of the next game.
Federer said he still got a charge out of the big-night atmosphere under the lights in Arthur Ashe.
"In this stadium, with this crowd, it's always very particular, clearly, because it is the biggest stadium in the world, it is New York City, and you don't ever know how many times more you're going to play on this court.
"You always want to enjoy it."

 

[Smallville22]

Day seven order of play

Order of play for day seven of the US Open, with Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Agnieszka Radwanska on court.

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Not before 1 pm (6pm UK)

3-Andy Murray (Britain) v Florian Mayer (Germany)

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) v 15-Sloane Stephens (USA)

7 pm (midnight UK)

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) v Joao Sousa (Portugal)

5-Li Na (China) v 9-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)

Louis Armstrong Stadium

11 am (4pm UK)

9-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) v Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus)

8-Angelique Kerber (Germany) v 18-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain)

12-Tommy Haas (Germany) v 21-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia)

3-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) v 24-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia)

Grandstand

12 pm (5pm UK)

31-Julien Benneteau (France) v 5-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic)

Evgeny Donskoy (Russia) v Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)

Tim Smyczek (USA) v Marcel Granollers (ESP)

 

[Smallville22]

Murray named in GB squad for Croatia clash

Leon Smith, captain of the British Davis Cup team, has named his players to face Croatia in the World Group play-off tie from 13-15 September at Stadion Stella Maris, in Umag, Croatia.
The team will comprise of Wimbledon and US Open champion Andy Murray, Dan Evans, James Ward and Colin Fleming.
The winners of this tie will advance to the elite 16-nation Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group. The last time Britain took part in the World Group was 2008.
Leon Smith said: “We are delighted to be sending our strongest possible team to Umag in what will be a very tough tie.
"Croatia are former winners of the Davis Cup and currently ranked No. 11 in the world, but as we proved in Coventry back in April, we can upset the odds. May the best team win promotion into the World Group.”
Adrian Grace, CEO Aegon UK, said: “We’ve been enjoying some excellent British performances in both the men’s singles and doubles at the US Open. It is very encouraging to see such a strong Aegon GB Davis Cup Team named for this extremely important tie against Croatia.
!As sponsors of the British Davis Cup team since 2009 we’re looking forward to our first experience of a World Group play-off match. We wish Leon Smith and the team every success.”
The tie will be broadcast live each day by British Eurosport. Matches commence at 10am British time Friday and Sunday, while the doubles on Saturday will be at 1pm British time.

 

[Smallville22]

Big-serving Berdych moves into fourth round

Czech dangerman Tomas Berdych stayed on course for a possible quarter-final clash against defending champion Andy Murray when he cruised into the fourth round at the US Open with a 6-0 6-3 6-2 win over Julien Benneteau.
The fifth seed at Flushing Meadows made light work of 31st-seeded Frenchman Julien Benneteau in one hour and 54 minutes on the Grandstand court.
Berdych will play Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the round of 16 after the ninth seed squeezed past Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-3 6-2 6-7(1) 7-6(7).
The big-serving Berdych upset 17-time major champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows last year before losing to Murray in four sets in the semi-finals.

 

[Smallville22]

Day eight order of play: Federer on court

Order of play for day eight of the US Open, with Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka, the Williams sisters and the Bryan brothers on court.

Arthur Ashe Stadium

11 am (4pm UK)

Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) v Alison Riske (US)

Not before 12:30 pm (5:30pm UK)

2-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) v 13-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)

7-Roger Federer (Switzerland) v 19-Tommy Robredo (Spain)

7 pm (midnight UK)

2-Rafa Nadal (Spain) v 22-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany)

1-Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (US) v 12-Colin Fleming/Jonathan Marray (Britain)

Louis Armstrong Stadium

11 am (4pm UK)

21-Simona Halep (Romania) v Flavia Pennetta (Italy)

Not before 1 pm (6pm UK)

Serena Williams/Venus Williams (US) v 11-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia)/Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)

8-Richard Gasquet (France) v 10-Milos Raonic (Canada)

Grandstand

11 am (4pm)

10-Roberta Vinci (Italy) v Camila Giorgi (Italy)

4-David Ferrer (Spain) v 18-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia)

 

[Smallville22]

Suarez Navarro first player through to quarter-finals

Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro became the first player to reach the quarter-finals at the U.S. Open
After losing the opening set, Suarez Navarro clawed her way back to win 4-6 6-3 7-6(3) after failing to serve out the match at her first chance.
"It was so difficult, Angelique was fighting all the time," said Suarez Navarro, seeded 18th. "I was so nervous."
Suarez Navarro's quarter-final opponent is Serena Williams, who booked her place in the last eight a few minutes after the Spaniard when she completed a 6-4 6-1 win over Sloane Stephens.

 

[Smallville22]

Bryan brothers calendar-year Grand Slam on course

Bob and Mike Bryan's bid to achieve a rare calendar-year grand slam in the men's doubles remained intact after they survived a tough centre court clash.
The American twins switched sides after dropping the first set then found themselves down a break in the second before rallying to beat Canadians Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-7(1) 7-5 6-2.
"It ended up working out but it was just a desperate call," said Bob Bryan.
"We were feeling a little bit hopeless on the return games, and throwing in a switch like that sometimes is a psychological advantage."
The Bryan brothers have already won each of the last four Grand Slam doubles titles, starting with last year's US Open, but are bidding to claim all four in the same calendar year.
The only men to have achieved the feat were the Australian pair of Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman in 1951.

 

[Smallville22]

Murray mauls Mayer to reach fourth round

Defending champion Andy Murray sailed along after winning a first-set tiebreaker to beat Florian Mayer of Germany in steamy conditions and book a berth in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Sunday.
Murray struggled with the wind, the heat and his unorthodox opponent but put it all together in the tiebreak, winning it 7-2 and carrying on to a 7-6(2) 6-2 6-2 victory in high humidity on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
"Very tough conditions today," third seed Murray said after eliminating 47th-ranked Mayer, who changes pace and disguises his strokes to lull the opposition.
"He's a very tricky opponent, plays a lot of strange shots. Takes your timing away and tough to get your rhythm, so I'm really glad to come through in three sets," added Murray.
Steamy conditions led the Scotsman to shed his trademark baseball cap, apply ice packs on his legs and an iced towel around his back.
"I was struggling breathing for most of the match," said Murray.
"It cooled down a bit toward the end, but at the end of the first set and in the second set it was extremely hot."
Mayer fought Murray to a standstill during the opening set as both players held serve with relative ease.
"I played a really good first set," said the 29-year-old German, who had dropped both previous meetings with Murray but took him to a pair of tiebreakers in their most recent match on clay this year in Madrid.
Murray rose again in this decider, winning the first four points to seize command.
"On the big points, that's why he's so good," said Mayer. "I think from the baseline I was the better player in the first set but I didn't take my chances. Sometimes on my second serve I made easy mistakes."
The Briton won 57 percent of Mayer's second-serve deliveries.
"From start of the second set my level dropped a little bit and he started to play," the German said. "It was too easy for him."
Wimbledon champion Murray will next play 65th-ranked Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, a 6-3 6-4 2-6 3-6 6-1 winner against 20th seed Andreas Seppi of Italy.
Looking ahead, Murray said he would like to get off to faster starts than how he began against Mayer.
"I think I need to maybe start matches a little bit quicker," he said. "I was a little bit slow out of the box. Once I got going I started to strike the ball a little bit cleaner and I was moving my feet, getting in the right position."
On balance, Murray felt good about making his first ever defense of a grand slam title.
"Expectations are maybe higher, but there's not as much pressure on me to win," explained the Scotsman.
"I feel a lot more comfortable coming into these events than I did at this time last year."

 

[Smallville22]

Serena holds off young rival to reach quarters

Defending champion Serena Williams overpowered Sloane Stephens 6-4 6-1 on Sunday to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals and exact revenge for her shock Australian Open loss to the young American.
Williams, who was upset by Stephens in the last eight at Melbourne Park, swatted the 20-year-old aside on Arthur Ashe Stadium's center court with a brilliant display of power tennis.
While Stephens has been touted as the next queen of U.S. women's tennis, 31-year-old Williams showed no signs of giving up her throne in a fourth-round encounter with the atmosphere of a championship decider.
"It definitely feels like a real big match," Williams said on-court to a crowd divided in its loyalties.
"How excited are we about the future of American tennis?" the world number one asked, drawing roars from the stands. "It definitely felt like something bigger."
Williams, bidding to become the oldest U.S. Open women's champion since tennis turned professional in 1968, broke Stephens in the 10th game to end a riveting first set when a big forehand from the 15th seed sailed just wide.
The 16-times grand slam winner then raced through the second to set up a clash with 18th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro who took down eighth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany.
The quality and tension of the showdown between Williams and Stephens, one of the few in women's tennis capable of trading blows with equal ferocity, thrilled the stadium crowd and left both players impressed.
"I thought I played good," Stephens said. "There were times I played some really good tennis. Second set got away from me a little bit, but overall I thought I played great."
Williams drew first ***** by breaking serve to lead 4-2 before the heavy-hitting Stephens broke back with the help of two double faults.
Serving at 4-5 to stay in the set, Stephens fought off two set points before caving in.
Williams fended off a break point in the first game of the second set and it was smooth sailing from there, as she kept up the pressure to deny Stephens any hope of a comeback.
Williams, whose relationship with Stephens grew icy after their Australian Open encounter, kept herself charged up with fist pumps and shouts of "Yes!" and "C'mon!"
When she broke serve in the fourth game of the second set with an overhead at Stephen's feet that bounced up to hit her, Williams did not bother with a wave of apology and simply turned to walk away.
"At the end of the day it was a fourth round match (even though) it definitely had feelings more of a quarter-final or a semi-final match," Williams said.
Stephens, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals and quarter-finals at Wimbledon this year, said she was not bothered about being proclaimed heir apparent to fellow African American Williams.
"I embrace it," she said. "Right now I'm carrying the little torch. But I'm OK with it. I embrace it for now."

 

[Smallville22]

Hewitt marches on with four-set win

Australian Lleyton Hewitt continued his career revival by reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Sunday.
Hewitt, 32, the champion at Flushing Meadows in 2001, recovered from a lapse in the second set to defeat Russia's Evgeny Donskoy 6-3 7-6(5) 3-6 6-1 in two hours and 55 minutes on the Grandstand court.
Hewitt will face either Germany's 12th seed Tommy Haas or 21st-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny for a berth in his first quarter-final at a major since Wimbledon in 2009.
Riding strong crowd support at Flushing Meadows after recovering from five surgeries in recent years, Hewitt won 24 of 31 points at the net in an aggressive display.
"It's always great to come back to where it all started for me," he said. "The atmosphere in New York suits my personality. It's a lot of fun here, always."

 

[Smallville22]

Djokovic roars into U.S. Open fourth round

Top seed Novak Djokovic roared into the fourth round of the U.S. Open with a 6-0 6-2 6-2 victory over Joao Sousa of Portugal under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Serb, who has yet to lose a set, smacked 34 winners to just 10 for the 95th-ranked Sousa in the 100-minute rout.
Australian Open champion Djokovic faced just two service breaks, while converting eight of 13 against his opponent.
Djokovic, a 2011 winner at Flushing Meadows who fell to Andy Murray in five sets in last year's final, next faces 43rd-ranked Marcel Granollers of Spain after he beat 109th-ranked American wild card Tim Smyczek.

 

[Smallville22]

Radwanska dumped out, refuses to blame grandfather's death

Agnieszka Radwanska refused to use a recent personal tragedy as an excuse for her shock exit from the US Open exit.
In another boilover of a women's already without Sara Errani, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki and Sam Stosur, Poland's third seed was eliminated 6-4 6-4 by Russia's Ekaterina Makarova under floodlights on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Radwanska was aiming to become the only woman to reach the quarter-finals at the four Grand Slam events this year but despite a blazing start, in which she led 4-0, the 24-year-old was bundled out by her more powerful opponent in one hour and 32 minutes.
Radwanska's preparations for Flushing Meadows were complicated last month when she left the US during the Cincinnati Masters to attend the funeral for her grandfather in Poland.
"I had a couple of days to practice, to adjust to the courts, to prepare for the Open," she said. I don't want to make any excuse. It's not because I went back home that I lost today. It's not that, for sure."
Makarova struck 28 winners to overwhelm the more tactically-minded Radwanska. The world No.4, who moved up in the seedings following the withdrawal of Maria Sharapova, lost eight straight games to concede the first set and trail 0-2 in the second.
Radwanska fought her way back, and held four break points to level the second set at 4-4. Makarova, the 24th seed, sealed the game with an ace before going on to close out the match with a flurry of big serves and forehands.
"I wouldn't know what happened," Radwanska said. "She was a little bit nervous in the beginning but started to play better and better, and she hit the ball very well.
"I didn't do anything to win that first set."
Makarova's next opponent will be Li Na after China's fifth seed defeated Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 6-3 6-0 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It will be the 25-year-old Makarova's first quarter-final at the U.S. Open. She has twice reached the last eight at the Australian Open.
"It feels amazing, I really love this tournament," she said.