2013 Tennis Thread

[Smallville22]

Li wins another pay-back match to reach quarter-finals

Li Na notched another pay-back victory at the US Open, beating former world number one Jelena Jankovic 6-3 6-0 to advance to the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The fifth-seeded Chinese, who overturned last year's defeat by Laura Robson by beating the Briton in the third round, snapped a four-match losing streak to the Serbian dating back to Paris in 2009.
Former French Open champion Li cracked 20 winners and conceded only 12 unforced errors in a dazzling display, converting all her seven break points in a 57-minute masterclass.
"The last time in Rome I lost in two sets straight away. She plays pretty good defense, but who knows, maybe I played the best match of my whole life," Li said with a chuckle in her on-court interview.
"I still remember last time I played her in Rome. I was feeling I played pretty good, but still lost the match," she told reporters. "So I was so sad after the match."
Li said her coach Carlos Rodriguez used that defeat to motivate her.
"Before this match, Carlos didn't tell me anything. Just said, 'remember how you felt after that match.'
The victory put 31-year-old Li, Asia's first grand slam singles champion, into the US Open quarter-finals for the second time following her trip to the last eight in 2009.
A two-time Australian Open finalist, Li next faces Russian 24th seed Ekaterina Makarova, who upset third seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-4.
"Tonight she played really well, at a very high level," Jankovic said of Li. "I did not control the points. I let her do all the talk on the court.
"If she continues to play like this I think she can win the tournament."

 

[Smallville22]

Back on script in New York as big names win

Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic ensured normal service resumed at the last Grand Slam of year.
Williams easily won her eagerly-awaited clash with Sloane Stephens and was one of four US Open champions that won on Sunday, sending a clear message to the next generation of rising stars that they will have to wait their turn.
The 31-year-old avenged her loss to Stephens at the Australian Open with an emphatic 6-4 6-1 victory to keep her title defence on course.
"It's definitely difficult, especially playing people that you like, that you always want to see do well," Williams said.
"But you have to go out there and kind of put that to the side and realize, I want to do well myself and take every point as it comes."
Defending men's champion Murray and world number one Djokovic also won in straight sets, while 2001 winner Lleyton Hewitt turned back the clock to reach the fourth round for the first time since 2006.
Murray, playing in the middle of a hot and steamy day, needed less than two hours to see off Germany's Florian Mayer 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2 and advance to the fourth round.
Djokovic was even more ruthless in his centre court night match against Portugal's Joao Sousa, cruising to a 6-0 6-2 6-2 win, while 32-year-old Hewitt wore down Russia's Evgeny Donskoy 6-3 7-6 (5) 3-6 6-1.
"Obviously when you've been to the top you want to keep playing," said Hewitt, who stunned sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro in the previous round.
"The reason you're playing is for the majors, and for me, Davis Cup as well. That's the reason I'm still playing."
The biggest surprise on a day when most results went as expected was the defeat of women's third seed Agnieszka Radwanska.
The Pole, who had made it to the quarter-finals or better at the three other Grand Slams this year, crumbled to a 6-4 6-4 defeat by Russia's Ekaterina Makarova after she had won the first four games of the match.
Makarova wil play China's Li Na after Asia's top player accounted for Jelena Jankovic 6-3 6-0.
Stephens beat Williams in January in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park to enhance her standing as a future leader of US women's tennis, but was completely outgunned by a woman bidding to become the oldest to win the US Open since tennis turned professional in 1968.
"Obviously she's number one in the world for a reason," said Stephens, 11 years younger than Williams. "I thought she played really well.
"All in all I thought I competed well and played well. That's all you can do really."
Williams will play Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarter-finals, the Spaniard having upset Germany's eighth-seed Angelique Kerber 4-6 6-3 7-6 (3).
Murray struggled to impose himself on Mayer in the opening set but once he adapted to the humidity and gusting winds it was all smooth sailing.
"It was tough conditions. It was very, very humid," Murray said. "I was struggling breathing for most of the match."
Murray's opponent in the fourth round will be Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin, who beat Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-3 6-4 2-6 3-6 6-1, with Tomas Berdych looming in the quarter-finals.
Berdych, seeded fifth, made the semi-finals at last year's US Open and has been in great form at Flushing Meadows this week, reaching the last 16 without dropping a set.
The Czech dispatched Julien Benneteau of France 6-0 6-3 6-2 to set up a fourth-round clash with Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, who defeated Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-3 6-2 6-7 (1) 7-6 (7).
Djokovic has yet to lose a set in the tournament and the 26-year-old was never in any danger against the 95th-ranked Sousa.
The 2011 US Open champion faced just two break points on his own serve as he raced to victory in 100 minutes.
"Just doing my job, win in straight sets and spend as less time on court as possible," he said.
The Serbian's next opponent is Marcel Granollers, one of four Spaniards in the men's last 16, who knocked the last American out when he edged wildcard Tim Smyczek 6-4 4-6 0-6 6-3 7-5.
Bob and Mike Bryan did give America's men some cheer when they stayed on course to achieve a rare calendar-year grand slam in doubles after coming back to beat Canadians Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-7 (1) 7-5 6-2.
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]

Nadal to make return for Spain

Rafa Nadal has returned to the Spain team as they seek to maintain their Davis Cup World Group status with a playoff tie against Ukraine in Madrid later this month, captain Alex Corretja said on Monday.
The world number two, currently competing at the U.S. Open in New York, has not represented his country since helping them to a 3-1 triumph against Argentina in the 2011 final in Seville, Spain's fifth victory in the competition.
He will join up with Tommy Robredo, Fernando Verdasco and Marc Lopez for the Sept. 13-15 match on his favoured clay at Madrid's Magic Box arena, Corretja told a news conference.
"Nadal brings vitality and optimism and when I spoke to him in New York he expressed a lot of strength and desire," Corretja said.
"The good news is Rafa is back but the effort made by everyone in the team is the same," he added.
After returning from a knee injury at the start of the year, Nadal has been in scintillating form, claiming a record eighth French Open singles crown as well as Masters titles on the clay at Rome and Madrid and on the hard courts of Indian Wells, Montreal and Cincinnati.
The 27-year-old has won 20 of his 21 Davis Cup singles matches, including 16 on clay, and is unlikely to be given much of a challenge by any of the Ukrainians, whose highest-ranked player is world number 37 Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Second-ranked Spain are in the playoffs after losing away to Milos Raonic's Canada in the first round in February.

 

[Smallville22]

Vinci ends qualifier Giorgi's run

Roberta Vinci beat her opponent and the rain on Monday to storm into the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open for the second year running.
Vinci needed just over an hour to defeat fellow Italian Camila Giorgi 6-4 6-2, finishing in the nick of a time before a thunderstorm ****** a lengthy suspension at Flushing Meadows.
"Of course I was lucky," said Vinci after scampering off the courts before the clouds burst.
Better known as a doubles player, Vinci made light work of her match with Giorgi, who had come through the qualifiers just to get into the main draw.
Giorgi, 21, upset former world number one Caroline Wozniacki to reach the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time but was outgunned by the more experienced Vinci.
"It wasn't my day, I didn't play good," she said.
A veteran professional, Vinci is nine years older than Giorgi and getting better with age.
She is currently ranked 11th in the world in singles and shares the number one ranking in doubles with Sara Errani but it has been a slow climb for the 30-year-old.
She made her grand slam singles debut at the 2001 US Open and before 2011, she had only won one singles match at Flushing Meadows.
She had never made the fourth round in singles at any grand slam event until last year but has now made the last 16 at five of the last six majors.
Vinci has also hit a purple patch in doubles. Before last year she had never appeared in a grand slam final but has played in five since the start of 2011, winning the French Open and U.S. Open in 2012 and the Australian Open in January.
"I know that I'm not young, but I'm enjoy playing," Vinci said.
"I have a high ranking so I'm happy, and I try to stay focused every single day."
Vinci will play another Italian in the quarter-finals in Flavia Pennetta.
Pennetta, 31, was leading Halep 6-2 4-5 when the weather turned foul and play was halted but she came out after the five-and-a-half-hour delay to wrap up the win 6-2 7-6(3).

 

[Smallville22]

Pennetta holds nerve despite rain delay

Italy's Flavia Pennetta regained her composure after a long rain delay to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open on Monday.
Pennetta completed a 6-2 7-6(3) win over Romania's Simona Halep but it was anything but a routine straight-sets victory.
After winning the opening set and building a 4-2 lead in the second, Pennetta suddenly lost her way as the hard-hitting Halep began to find her rhythm.
The Romanian, one of the hottest players on tour after capturing four WTA titles since June, reeled off the next three games in a row.
Then she reached set point on her own serve before play was suspended because of a thunderstorm.
The match did not resume for nearly five hours but when it did, the unseeded Pennetta burst out of the blocks quicker at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The 31-year-old successfully saved the set point and broke Halep's serve to level the score at 5-5. And although she lost her own service game to fall behind again, she immediately broke Halep for a second time then won the tiebreaker.
"Today was a really tough match for me," said Pennetta. "It was tough to come back after so many hours.
"Waiting all day...then starting a game, it's not easy to focus."
Pennetta has never made it past the fourth round at any of the other grand slam but has flourished on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts, reaching the quarter-finals in the Big Apple in 2008, 2009, 2011 and now this year.
"New York is New York guys, " she said in a courtside interview. "I love it."
Pennetta faces a tough challenge because her next opponent, fellow Italian Roberta Vinci, is one of her closest friends.
"It's going to be really bad for both us, it's not easy to play with your friend," said Pennetta.
"It's strange because I grew up with Roberta and we've known each other since we were eight-years-old.
"We know each other really well...20 years or more, because we live almost in the same place, just 35, 45 kilometers."

 

[Smallville22]

Wins determine who is greatest, says Serena

Serena Williams enters the second week of the US Open believing she cannot be considered the greatest of all time unless she wins the most Major championships.
The most dominant player of her era, America's world number one will meet Spain's 18th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarter-finals of the US Open on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Williams has won 16 Majors to trail Margaret Court (24), Steffi Graf (22), Helen Wills Moody (19), Chris Evert (18) and Martina Navratilova (18) on the all-time list.
"I go by the numbers," Williams said. "I don't think I'm the greatest, because Steffi has way more majors than me. I just go by what's written down. I would not put me as the greatest. You still have Steffi and all those other women that have way more Grand Slams than me."
Williams is a headline act of the US Open and arguably the most famous female athlete in the world. But she denied part of her mission against Suarez Navarro would be to entertain.
"I'm literally going out there to play, I'm not thinking about being a star," she said. "I don't go out there thinking like that.
"I just want to play tennis and I want to do really good at it. It's not about the stage for me. It's just about getting that ball in."
The other quarter-final on Tuesday will place China's fifth seed Li Na against 24th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova.
An all-Italian affair between Roberta Vinci and unseeded Flavia Pennetta will be staged on Wednesday with the last quarter-final between Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova and either Victoria Azarenka or Ana Ivanovic.
The round of 16 match between Azarenka, the second seed from Belarus, and Serbia's 13th-seeded Ivanovic was postponed on Monday because of rain.

 

[Smallville22]

Hantuchova breaks long quarter-finals drought

Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova advanced to the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open for the first time in more than a decade when she won her rain-interrupted match with American wildcard Alison Riske on Monday.
Hantuchova won 6-3 5-7 6-2 after repelling a fightback from Riske, who upset 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova to reach the fourth round at a grand slam for the first time.
"I guess the best things happen when you don't expect them," said Hantuchova.
"(I was) just fighting like crazy, really leaving everything I've got on the court, really putting my heart into it because it means so much to me.
"I guess, sometimes you keep trying, keep trying, and then you don't know why, but it just comes all together."
Hantuchova was just 19 when she made the last eight at Flushing Meadows in 2002 but had not been back to the quarter-finals since.
The 30-year-old seemed to be cruising to victory against Riske after she raced through the opening set in just 37 minutes then led 4-2 in the second.
But the American, seven years younger, broke back to level the second set at 4-4 when the match was stopped for nearly five hours because of a thunderstorm.
When play resumed, Riske pounced, winning the set and ******* a deciding third, but could not hold off Hantuchova, who saved four points in her third round clash with Julia Glushko to continue.
"She played extremely well at the end of the second set," Hantuchova said.
"I'm just really proud the way I fought back into it in the third, raised my level when I needed to.
"The serve was working really well today. I think that was the main difference."
Riske said the rain break initially helped her because it gave her time to settle her nerves on her first appearance at Arthur Ashe Stadium but said she lost her way again in the deciding third set.
"I think I totally lost all focus and missed plenty of balls that I should make with my eyes closed. It was really a mistake on me mentally-wise for doing that," she said.
"I've never been in a moment like this before. She is a seasoned player. She played ball today.
"I did all that I could for this moment and that's all I could do."
Hantuchova is one of just two unseeded players left in the women's singles draw. Her next opponent will be either world number two Victoria Azarenka or former world number one Ana Ivanovic.
Their fourth round match was postponed until Tuesday because of the inclement weather.

 

[Smallville22]

Heavy rain plays havoc with schedule at US Open

Nearly five hours of play was lost to rain at the US Open, ******* tournament organisers to cancel dozens of matches and issue an revised playing schedule.
Only one of the eight singles matches scheduled for Monday was completed before thunderstorms arrived just after midday local time. Play did not resume until just before 5 p.m., by which time officials had to change the schedule to cope with the backlog of matches.
A total of 37 matches, mostly doubles and juniors, were postponed until Tuesday. The only main draw singles match that was held over was the highly-anticipated centre court clash between world number two Victoria Azarenka and Ana Ivanovic.
Roger Federer's fourth round match against Tommy Robredo was moved from the Arthur Ashe Stadium to Louis Armstrong Stadium, marking the first time he had played on the smaller court since 2006.
Before the rain arrived, Roberta Vinci managed to beat her opponent and the foul weather in the nick of time to charge into the quarter-finals.
Vinci needed just over an hour to defeat fellow Italian Camila Giorgi 6-4 6-2 and reach the last eight at Flushing Meadows for the second year in a row.
"Of course I was lucky," said Vinci after scampering off the courts before the clouds burst.
Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova was closing in on her first quarter-final appearance at the US Open in more than a decade, leading American wildcard Alison Riske 6-3 4-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Romania's Simona Halep, one of the hottest players on tour with four WTA titles since June, was just one point away from levelling her match with Flavia Pennetta at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Halep lost the opening set 6-2 and fell 4-2 behind in the second before reeling off three games in a row and reaching set point on her own serve.
Better known as a doubles player, Vinci made light work of her match with Giorgi, who had come through the qualifiers just to get into the main draw.
Giorgi upset former world number one Caroline Wozniacki to reach the fourth round but was outgunned by the more experienced Vinci, who is ranked number one in the world in doubles and is defending her US Open doubles title she won last year with Sara Errani.
"It wasn't my day," Giorgi said. "I didn't play good."
New York's fickle weather has been a major talking point at the US Open for years with each of the last five men's finals spilling into a third week because of rain delays.
For years, US Tennis Association officials balked at the idea of building a roof because of the enormous cost of covering Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world.
But they have finally relented, announcing two weeks ago that they would commence a massive renovation program, which would include a roof, by 2016 at the earliest.

 

[Smallville22]

Berdych and Stepanek back to lead Czechs

Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek will feature together in the Czech Davis Cup team for the first time this year when the defending champions host Argentina in Prague this month in their semi-final.
The pair led the Czech Republic to its first Davis Cup title as an independent nation last year, playing nearly every match, but injuries prevented them playing the early rounds together this season.
Lukas Rosol, Jiri Vesely and Jan Hajek will round out the team for the September 13-15 hardcourt tie, the Czechs said on Tuesday.
Rosol helped to put the team into the final four in April while world number five Berdych, who had played in February's first round, was sidelined.
The Czechs defeated Argentina on their home soil last year and went on to beat Spain in the final. The only other time the Czechs had won the trophy was as part of Czechoslovakia in 1980.
Argentina, runners-up in 2011, have yet to win the Davis Cup despite four appearances in the final.
The winners of the Prague tie will face either Canada or Serbia in the November 15-17 final.

 

[Smallville22]

Hantuchova's love of game keeps her going

The first time Daniela Hantuchova reached the US Open quarter-finals she was a teenager. The second time she is 30.
The unseeded Slovak defeated American wildcard Alison Riske 6-3 5-7 6-2 on Monday to end an extended absence from the last eight at Flushing Meadows since her loss to Serena Williams in 2002 as a 19-year-old.
In a commendable if not spectacular career, Hantuchova has since reached the world number five ranking, won the Fed Cup, secured the career grand slam in mixed doubles and made the semi-finals of the 2008 Australian Open. And now, having fallen to number 48 in the world, Hantuchova is back where it all started.
"It means a lot to me because I love New York," she said. "I could live here in one second. I just love the city, it's got so much energy, atmosphere. It's the last grand slam of the year and obviously you always want to finish on a high.
"The tournament is only starting now for me. It just means the world to me to again be in the quarter-finals."
Hantuchova will meet either Belarus' second seeded Victoria Azarenka or 13th-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia for a place in the semi-finals.
She said there was a simple reason why players over 30, including Serena Williams and Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt, were faring well in the men's and women's events at Flushing Meadows.
"Just the love for the game," she said.
"I love doing what I'm doing so much that I wouldn't change it for anything else in the world. That's the reason I'm here.
"I just appreciate everything a lot more. I appreciate being able to be a tennis player, to be healthy, doing what I'm doing. It's a big privilege to be in this position, to be so lucky in my life."
She saw the irony in being regarded as old in tennis but young in day-to-day life.
"We always feel so much older in the tennis world than we do in the normal life," she said. "I'm so happy there's so many girls of my age, and older, still around. I think we keep pushing each other. It's great for our generation.
"We've been through so much, we know exactly what to do. Sometimes we don't do it, but we know what we should be doing."
Hantuchova's claim to fame in the early stages of the US Open was partnering with Martina Hingis in the women's doubles.
They were beaten in the first round by top-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.
"It's always great to have someone like that around," Hantuchova said. "She understands the game so much. Once you are a champion, you will always be a champion."

 

[Smallville22]

Federer falls to Robredo in straight sets

A badly out-of-sorts Roger Federer spoke of a crisis of confidence after he "self-destructed" in a stunning fourth-round defeat to unfancied Spaniard Tommy Robredo at the U.S. Open on Monday.
The 17-times grand slam champion was eliminated 7-6(3) 6-3 6-4 in less than two-and-a-half hours to end hopes of a blockbuster showdown with great rival Rafa Nadal in the quarter-finals.
The Swiss's erratic display included a most unFederer-like 43 unforced errors and left 14 of 16 break points going begging at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
"Confidence takes care of all the things you don't usually think about," Federer told reporters, his stinging defeat reminiscent of his shock second-round exit at Wimbledon two months before.
"Maybe my consistency is just not quite there yet. Maybe on a daily basis, set-by-set or point-by-point basis, maybe that's something that has been difficult for me.
"Maybe that was one of the reasons why I lost today, playing up and down.
"I kind of self-destructed, which is very disappointing."
Another bout of foul weather took Federer away from his favoured center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, relegating the former world number one to the secondary show-court, where he had not appeared since 2006.
Although filled to capacity, Federer gave the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd precious few reasons to roar as he struggled against an opponent he had beaten in all 10 of their previous meetings.
"I kind of feel like I beat myself, without taking any credit away from Tommy," Federer said.
"Clearly he was making sure he was making many balls. It was up to me to make the difference and I couldn't.
"It was a frustrating performance today."
Federer appeared impatient on most of his break point chances, miscuing a stream of groundstrokes to let Robredo off the hook.
It was his earliest exit from the year's last grand slam since a fourth round loss in 2003.
"I think I explained it enough," Federer said.
"It just ended up being a bad combination of many things today. I've definitely got to go back to work and come back stronger.
"Get rid of this loss as quick as I can, forget about it, because that's not how I want to play from here on. I want to play better.
"I know I can. I showed it the last few weeks, that there is that level."
Federer said the much-hyped clash with Nadal was the last thing on his mind when he took to the court and defended his usual laidback appearance as the game slipped from his fingers.
"If I'm playing like this, I'm not going to beat Rafa, or Kohlschreiber for that matter," he said.
"For me, I didn't think of that. I've been too often in this situation. I was fighting with other things in my match today.
"But the story of my life: when I lose, people are shellshocked to see me play this way.
"If I win, it's the best thing. There's no doubt I'm trying hard out there to make it work. Sometimes it just doesn't happen."
Federer was bundled out of Wimbledon by then-116th ranked Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky, and his loss to another unheralded, if willing, opponent will place further doubts on his motivation and hopes to rebound in the twilight of his career.
But the Swiss master was having none of it.
"Nothing goes past the hard work," he said.
"I'll make sure I put the work in. I'll believe in it and go after it. In some ways, as a player, you're always excited about that prospect because there's always something to look forward to, even in a big disappointment like the match today."

 

[Smallville22]

Ferrer beats Tipsarevic to reach quarters

David Ferrer battled his way into the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open on Monday with a hard-fought 7-6(2) 3-6 7-5 7-6(3) win over Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic.
Ferrer, seeded fourth, retained his composure after dropping the second set to win a gruelling slugfest that took nearly four hours to complete after being moved to one of the smaller showcourts because of a lengthy rain delay.
The tenacious Ferrer became the second Spaniard to reach the men's quarter-finals on Monday, joining Tommy Robredo who had upset former world number one Roger Federer.
Another Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, was also playing Monday, in the night session.
Ferrer's next opponent will be either French eighth seed Richard Gasquet or Canada's Milos Raonic.
Although Ferrer has not won a grand slam, the 31-year-old baseliner has proven himself to be one of the most consistent players on tour.
He has reached the quarter-finals or better at each of the last eight majors and was a finalist at the French Open in June.

 

[Smallville22]

Nadal safely through after brief scare

Spain's Rafael Nadal lost a set for the first time at this year's U.S. Open on Monday but recovered quickly to safely book his place in the quarter-finals, albeit against an unexpected opponent.
Nadal gave his supporters at Flushing Meadows a brief heart flutter when he lost the opening set to Philipp Kohlschreiber but rebounded to beat the German 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3 6-1.
The 2010 U.S. Open champion, Nadal's next match is against his countryman Tommy Robredo, who pulled off a shock straight-sets win over Roger Federer that ended the prospect of a first U.S. Open showdown between the two greatest players of their generation.
Nadal was in great form in the lead-up to the last major of the year, winning Masters titles in Montreal and Cincinnati, and has continued his red-hot streak at Flushing Meadows.
After struggling with knee problems for years, the world number two has made some slight alterations to his game to help him cope with the demanding hardcourts in North America.
The lefthander has taken some of the speed off his serve to focus more on his accuracy. Against Kohlschreiber, Nadal hit just three aces, but faced only one break point on his serve, which he successfully fought off.
"It was very, very tough conditions," Nadal said courtside.
"Very humid, I sweat too much. The opponent was great and I am lucky to go through.
"Physically it was a very tough match but with my serve, I felt comfortable."
Nadal said Robredo would be in a dangerous mood after beating Federer 7-6(3) 6-3 6-4.
"To beat Roger at the U.S. Open is amazing for him," Nadal said. "He will be confident and I hope to be ready for that."

 

[Smallville22]

Robredo sensed an upset against doubtful Federer

Tommy Robredo suspected he could stun Roger Federer at the US Open because the Swiss master had developed self-doubts, the Spaniard said after the extraordinary upset on Monday.
World number 22 Robredo routed Federer 7-6(3) 6-3 6-4 at Louis Armstrong Stadium, the 17-times grand slam champion failing to convert 14 of 16 break points in his first loss to the Spaniard after 10 successive wins.
"You never know what's going to happen," the gritty 31-year-old Robredo told reporters.
"But obviously Roger when he was number one to the Roger right now, he's not maybe with the same confidence.
"Obviously he's the same player and he plays unbelievable. But I knew if right now I had a little bit more chances, maybe he will have a little bit of doubt."
Robredo, who has played his best grand slam tennis on the clay courts at Roland Garros, agreed with Federer's evaluation that he had "self-destructed."
"I always play the same," Robredo said. "So yes, I'm really with him. I think the difference was the break points conversion.
"It's amazing ... For me, Roger for the moment is the best player of all time. And to beat him in the huge stadium like the U.S. Open and in a grand slam, a match of five sets, it's like a *****. I am so happy."
A capacity crowd filled Louis Armstrong Stadium in the expectation that Federer would reach the quarter-finals against great rival Rafa Nadal.
But Robredo dominated the first set tiebreak to subdue the spectators who were never to find full voice thereafter as Federer cracked under pressure.
"I wasn't thinking i was going to win," Robredo said.
"I was just going onto the court trying to give my best, and we will see.
"The ball from Roger, it comes like fire. All the time, it's so fast."
Ranked fifth in the world in 2006, Robredo's triumph booked his first quarter-final appearance at Flushing Meadows and marks the crowning moment in a long recovery from a serious hamstring that sent his ranking plummeting to 471 last year.
"I was trying to come back," he said. "I wasn't sure if my leg would be perfect or not. You have your doubts if you're body's going to respond. And ... if you're going to get the confidence back.
"I don't know next week which ranking I'm going to be, but for sure it will be top 20 ... It's an amazing year for me."

 

[Smallville22]

Gasquet blunts Raonic serve to reach quarters

Frenchman Richard Gasquet survived a barrage of heavy shots from Canada's Milos Raonic before booking a spot in the quarter-finals of the US Open.
Raonic thumped 39 aces past Gasquet but the eighth-seed waited patiently before seizing his opportunities, winning 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(9) 7-5 after an exhausting slugfest that lasted four hours and 40 minutes.
Raonic also hit a staggering total of 102 winners but paid the price for coughing up unforced errors, more than twice as many as Gasquet.
The 27-year-old Frenchman has been a consistent performer on the professional circuit since 2002 but this was just the second time he made it to a grand slam quarter-final.
The only other occasion was when he made the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2007.
His opponent in the next round is Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer, who advanced after a hard-fought 7-6(2) 3-6 7-5 7-6(3) win over Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic.
For Raonic, a 22-year-old moving quickly up the rankings, it was a bitter loss as he was on the verge of becoming the first Canadian man to reach the singles quarter-finals of a grand slam since Mike Belkin at the Australian Open in 1968.

 

[Smallville22]

Day nine order of play

Order of play for day nine of the US Open, with Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka on court.

Arthur Ashe Stadium

11 am (4pm UK)

Ana Ivanovic (SRB) [13] vs. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [2]

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) [24] vs. Na Li (CHN) [5]

Not before 2:30pm (7:30pm UK)

Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] vs. Marcel Granollers (ESP)

7 pm (midnight UK)

Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) [18]

Andy Murray (GBR) [3] vs. Denis Istomin (UZB)

Louis Armstrong Stadium

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

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) [21] vs. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)

Not before 5pm (10pm UK)

Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [9] vs. Tomas Berdych (CZE) [5]

 

[maildude]

If Serena Williams and Joakim Noah ever had a ***....could you imagine the hair on that *****????

 

[Smallville22]

Azarenka beats Ivanovic to reach quarter-finals

Victoria Azarenka booked her place in the quarter-finals of the US Open when she beat Serbia's Ana Ivanovic 4-6 6-3 6-4 in an error-strewn fourth-round match.
Azarenka dropped her opening set for the second match in a row but fought her way back to win after more than two gruelling hours on a windy Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"Ana just came out firing, she played amazing tennis in the first set ... ripping winners and serving great," Azarenka said.
"I really had to **** up in the second set."
The Belarusian's next opponent is unseeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, who beat American wildcard Alison Riske on Monday to reach her first quarter-final at Flushing Meadows in over a decade.
Azarenka's round of 16 clash with Ivanovic was also meant to be played on Monday but was postponed until Tuesday after a five-hour rain delay ****** tournament organisers to cancel dozens of matches.
Conditions at the US National Tennis Center were not much better on Tuesday with Azarenka and Ivanovic both struggling with their serves in the gusting winds.
World number two Azarenka had her serve broken seven times and committed nine double faults, while Ivanovic lost nine of her service games and made eight doubles after making a flying start.
"I really played well. I put her a lot under pressure, I felt," said Ivanovic. "I think the biggest difference was the serve in the second set. My percentage went right down.
"I felt like I could break her, but it was very frustrating that I was losing my serve constantly."
The match was still in the balance with the players locked at 3-3 in the deciding set when Azarenka, who made the US Open final last year, seized control.
She held her own service game then broke Ivanovic again when the former world number one sent a backhand wide.
She squandered two match points on her own serve before a desperate Ivanovic broke back but closed out the match in the following game on her fourth match point when the Serbian dumped a backhand into the net.
"I take whatever I have," Azarenka said.
"If I have to fight and dig deep to find a way, not playing at your best against a player who was playing that good, I think it's pretty remarkable to walk off the court with a win."
Although Azarenka has not been at her best so far in the tournament, many experts are still tipping her to make the final and possibly earn a rematch with Serena Williams.
Azarenka was two points away from upsetting Williams in last year's final and recently beat the American in Cincinnati, one of the key warm-up events for the last grand slam of the season.
"I'm a fighter at heart. I never, never give up," Azarenka said. "Whatever the score is, I'm going to try to do my best because there is always an opportunity. There is always a way."

 

[Smallville22]

Spain's men taking over Flushing Meadows

With Roger Federer out of the way, the Spanish armada are threatening to take over the US Open.
Only Frenchman Richard Gasquet stands in the way of a Spaniard appearing in next Monday's men's final after Rafa Nadal, Tommy Robredo and David Ferrer all sailed into the quarter-finals.
With Nadal scheduled to meet Robredo on Wednesday, Spain is already assured of having one semi-finalist, and if Ferrer beats Gasquet, there will be an all-Spanish semi, ensuring the world's most dominant ***** in men's tennis will have a contender in the championship decider.
"I think it's great," said Nadal, who is bidding for a second U.S. Open title after winning at Flushing Meadows in 2010. "It's great for Spanish sport and Spanish tennis."
Nadal is the overwhelming favourite to go on and make the final after dropping just one set en route to the last eight.
The 12-time grand slam winner has never lost to Robredo, and only dropped one set in six previous meetings, but remains wary of his Davis Cup team mate after his stunning fourth-round upset over Federer on Monday.
Robredo, who rejoined the tour last year after missing a year following leg surgery, had never beaten Federer before either but played one of the best matches of his career to demolish the Swiss master in straight sets.
"It's unbelievable what he's doing after a year without having the chance to play tennis," Nadal said. "What he's doing is great (but) I hope he stops here."
Despite being seeded fourth, the ultra-consistent Ferrer has slipped through the draw almost unnoticed, going about his business with little fuss and fanfare.
The 31-year-old has not won a grand slam but has proven himself to be one of the most consistent players on tour, reaching the quarter-finals or better at each of the last eight majors and was a finalist at the French Open in June.
One of the fittest and most tenacious players on the tour, he has dropped a set in each of his past three matches and relishes the extra workload.
He looked to be in trouble in his fourth-round match with Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic before rallying to win 7-6(2) 3-6 7-5 7-6(3) in a slugfest that took nearly four hours to complete.
"I think it was my best match this week," he said.
Gasquet had to work even harder to reach his first U.S. Open quarter-final, saving a match point in his fourth round win over big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic.
Raonic hit 39 aces and a total of 102 winners but Gasquet remained patient and seized his chances when they finally came. He faces an even tougher task against Ferrer after losing eight of their previous nine clashes.

 

[Smallville22]

Li becomes first Chinese player to reach semis

Li Na became the first Chinese player to reach the semi-finals of a US Open when she beat Russia's Ekaterina Makarova 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2 in the quarter-finals.
Li, seeded fifth at Flushing Meadows, reeled off the last four games to seal victory after nearly two-and-a-half hours at Arthur Ashe Stadium, raising both fists in the air as the New York crowd roared its approval.
"This is my first time in the semi-finals so I'm very proud of myself," Li, already the only player from the world's most populous country to win a Grand Slam singles title, said.
"After losing the second set, I was feeling a little bit sad ... so I just told myself to play point by point and try my best."
Li's semi-final opponent will be either world number one Serena Williams or Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro after they were scheduled to meet in Tuesday's feature night match.
The 31-year-old Li was not at her absolute best against the left-handed Makarova as both women struggled in the gusting winds.
Li had eight double faults and 42 unforced errors but was too street-wise for her opponent when it really mattered.
However, the Chinese world number six was not pleased with the way she played.
"I'm not so happy. Today is the first time I was feeling so nervous. (From the) start of the match until end of the match," said Li.
"But I was happy because at least I was fighting a lot on the court. Even if I didn't play my best tennis, still fought and still in the tournament."
Li has been at the forefront of China's rise in women's tennis. Although Zheng Jie was the first Chinese player to reach a semi-final, making the last four at Wimbledon in 2008 and the Australian Open in 2010, Li has enjoyed greater success.
In 2011, she became the first Chinese to make a Grand Slam final when she finished runner-up in Australia.
A few months later, she won the French Open, and earlier this year she made another final Down Under.
Asked what it meant to her to be the first Chinese to reach a US Open semi-final, Li just smiled. "You know, I always try to be the first one."