The scene was simply scary: Victoria Azarenka, a 21-year-old on the rise in the WTA rankings, paused about a half-hour into her second-round match Wednesday at the U.S. Open, then staggered, stumbled and collapsed to the court.
Azarenka, seeded 10th in the Grand Slam tournament, rolled over to rest her head on her arm, and a trainer rushed over. Someone covered Azarenka's legs with a white towel. She eventually was helped into a wheelchair, her yellow visor askew atop her head, then taken to a hospital, where tests showed she had a mild concussion.
As a record-breaking summer suffocates New York, the temperature in Flushing Meadows headed into the 90s for a third consecutive day, and the mercury topped 100 degrees on court. But tournament referee Brian Early said Azarenka's problem did "not seem to be primarily a heat-related illness."
Indeed, Azarenka herself later revealed she fell in the gym while warming up before the match, banging her head and arm in the gym.
"I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy," said Azarenka, who is from Belarus but lives part of the year in Scottsdale, Ariz., with the family of NHL goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, someone she considers a mentor.read more...
Federer a family man again as U.S. Open buildup reaches takeoff stage
Roger Federer flew out of Cincinnati on a private jet after a rare tournament week without his young family at his side, with the Swiss re-united with his wife and two daughters after winning his second trophy of the season at the weekend.The world's No. 2 player firmly re-established himself as a firm title contender for the U.S. Open when competition begins in a week at the last Grand Slam of the season.
Federer earned his fourth Cincinnati Masters title with a 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 comeback defeat of Mardy Fish Sunday, his sixth win from seven meetings with the American.
During his winning week on cement in the Midwest, wife Mirka and the couple's infant twin daughters were elsewhere, with dad meeting them again late Sunday after his 63rd career title performance from 90 ATP finals.
This build-up week at Flushing Meadows should be comfortable for the Swiss, who comes off a fortnight of success with a Toronto final against Andy Murray to start his summer hardcourt campaign.
Title favorites for the Open remain the same old names.
"I guess top four have the best shot again, naturally," said 16- time Grand Slam champion Federer who missed a fifth final a year ago when he lost a fifth set to Argentine Juan Del Potro. "We can all play really well on the hardcourts.
"Murray has proven himself, so has (Novak) Djokovic on the hardcourts and so has Rafa (Nadal).
"Maybe U.S. Open is a bit faster, so you figure Rafa will struggle a bit more. But if the draw goes his way, he'll be in the finals and have a crack at the title, too. He knows how to win slams. He's won all the other ones."
Federer called the upcoming major "interesting."
"Many guys are playing well again. Murray had not won a tournament for a long time (he lost to Federer in Australia last January) and he was been able to win Toronto again. That definitely puts him as one of the favorites as well."
The Swiss is keeping his short-list for Open success short for a reason -- the level of competition is huge among the elite on the men's side.
"You see how hard it is today to win slams and tournaments. There are many good players around and many dangerous floaters in the draws. It's hard to win them all."
Federer will be seeded second at Flushing Meadows behind Nadal, and could meet his Spanish rival in a dream final in three weeks.
Keys hopes to earn way into U.S. Open
On the evening before Madison Keys was scheduled to play her first match in the U.S. Open main-draw qualifiers she went strolling down Park Avenue in Manhattan with her parents doing some sight-seeing and shopping.
"I guess I should go over [one avenue] to Madison," giggled Keys via cell phone.
Why should she be nervous?
After all, Keys, who turned pro last year at 14, won her first professional tournament in June, a $10,000 ITF event in Cleveland.
And last summer, while most of her friends back home in Rock Island, Ill., were dreaming of faraway beaches, Keys was beating top-ranked Serena Williams in a World Team Tennis match 5-1.
She even received a, "Good job," from tennis legend and WTT founder Billie Jean King.
"I've wanted to play in Grand Slams since I was little," said Keys, 15, ranked 657th on the WTA and 78th in the ITF. "I wanted to wear tennis dresses that Serena and Venus [Williams] wore.
"Winning [Cleveland] gave me confidence that I could compete with the pros."
Keys moved to the Evert Tennis Academy when she was 10 and admittedly had never heard of Chris Evert, winner of 17 Grand Slams, including five U.S. Opens.
After dominating the national 12s division, dramatic growth spurts gave Keys pain in her knees and hips, forcing her off the court. She's now healthy and a sturdy 5-foot-11.
"The sky's the limit," said Keys' coach John Evert, the USTA Developemental Coach of the Year. "She's got a big serve and forehand, and can knock off a winner anywhere on the court.
"She has that, 'it,' factor, but she needs a lot more experience."
Keys, who beat the 81st-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva in her WTA debut at Ponte Vedra last year, needs to win three rounds of qualies to earn one of the 128 spots. She's also competing in the junior tournament.
"I feel like I've finally stopped growing," she said. "Everything is coming together right now."
Three women with New York-area ties among 2010 US Open wild card recipients
NCAA singles champion Chelsey Gullickson (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Jamie Hampton (Auburn, Ala.), local favorite Christina McHale (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.), 2010 USTA Girls’ singles champion Shelby Rogers (Daniel Island, S.C.), and Coco Vandeweghe (Rancho Mirage, Calif.), along with two international players -- Australian Sophie Ferguson and Virginie Razzano of France -- have been awarded women’s singles main-draw wild-card entries into the 2010 US Open Tennis Championships. One additional wild card will be given to the winner of the 2010 US Open Wild Card Playoff, held August 18-20 at the USTA Training Center Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. The 2010 US Open will be played August 30-September 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
Three of the women have local ties to the New York area. NCAA singles champion Gullickson is the daughter of former New York Yankee Bill Gullickson; Vandeweghe is the niece of Kiki Vandeweghe, the former NBA standout and previous general manager and head coach of the New Jersey Nets; and McHale resides in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., just 15 miles away from the site of the US Open.
Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.7 million, with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total potential payout of $2.7 million) based on their performance in the 2010 Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Women’s Singles Championship is presented by JPMorgan Chase.
Gullickson, who turns 20 on August 29 and hails from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., won the NCAA Division I singles title this year representing the University of Georgia, becoming the school’s first NCAA women’s singles champion since 1994. Gullickson won her first USTA Pro Circuit singles title in 2008 and, that same year, teamed with sister (and 2009 US Open mixed doubles champion) Carly to reach the doubles final at the USTA Pro Circuit event in Hammond, La. Gullickson’s father, Bill, was a professional pitcher who played for the New York Yankees in 1987 and led the American League with 20 wins for the 1991 Detroit Tigers.
Hampton, 20, of Auburn, Ala., is ranked No. 160 and has risen more than 550 spots in the rankings in 2010 by reaching six USTA Pro Circuit singles finals and winning three titles. She also qualified for the Olympus US Open Series event in San Diego this year and received a main-draw wild card into Cincinnati a week later. As a junior, Hampton twice won the USTA Girls’ 18s doubles title (2007-08) to earn wild cards into the US Open women’s doubles draw.
McHale, 18, of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is ranked a career-high No. 115 and is one of the rising stars in American tennis. Last year she won the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championship to earn a wild card into the US Open main draw, where she defeated then-world No. 81 Polona Hercog to become just the second USTA Girls’ 18s champion since 1998 to win her first round match at the US Open. This year McHale won a USTA playoff to earn a French Open main-draw wild card, and reached the round of 16 at both the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., and the Olympus US Open Series event in Cincinnati. She won the 2009 Easter Bowl to crack the Top 10 in the world junior rankings.
Rogers, 17, of Daniel Island, S.C., earned a wild card into the main draw by winning the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships. She burst onto the tennis scene earlier this year, winning a pre-qualifying event to earn a qualifying wild card into the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., and reaching the final of the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., as a qualifier. More recently, she reached the quarterfinals of the $75,000 event in Vancouver. This is Rogers’ first appearance at the US Open, in either the main draws or the juniors.
Vandeweghe, 18, of Rancho Mirage, Calif., is ranked a career-high No. 168. In what has been the strongest year of her career thus far, she won a USTA playoff to earn a 2010 Australian Open main-draw wild card and also claimed her first pro title at the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Carson, Calif. She recently reached the quarterfinals of the 2010 Olympus US Open Series event in San Diego as a qualifier, defeating world No. 9 Vera Zvonareva en route. Vandeweghe captured the 2008 US Open girls’ singles championship. Her mom, Tauna, was an Olympic medalist in both swimming and volleyball, and her uncle is a former NBA star and previous general manager and head coach of the New Jersey Nets, Kiki Vandeweghe.
Ferguson, 24, of Australia, is ranked No. 113. This year she qualified and advanced to the second round of the French Open. She also reached the final of the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
Razzano, 27, of France, is ranked No. 114 and cracked the Top 20 last year after advancing to the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon. She holds two Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles and has played for the French Fed Cup team. Razzano has competed in the US Open main draw nine times, advancing to the fourth round in 2006, which included an upset of world No. 9 Martina Hingis in the second round.
In addition to the eight US Open women’s singles main-draw wild cards, the USTA also announced the nine women who have been awarded wild-card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, which will be held August 24-27 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Players receiving US Open qualifying wild cards are: Julia Boserup (18, Boca Raton, Fla.), Beatrice Capra (18, Ellicott City, Md.), Irina Falconi (20, Jupiter, Fla.), Nicole Gibbs (17, Santa Monica, Calif.), Alexa Glatch (20, Newport Beach, Calif.), Krista Hardebeck (15, Santa Ana, Calif.), Madison Keys (15, Boca Raton, Fla.), Sloane Stephens (17, San Pedro, Calif.) and 2010 US Open National Playoffs women’s champion Alexandra Mueller (22, Abington, Pa.).
The 2010 US Open will be held Monday, August 30 through Sunday, September 12. Tickets for the 2010 US Open can be purchased four ways: 1) at usopen.org; 2) by calling Ticketmaster at 1-866¬OPEN-TIX; 3) at all Ticketmaster outlets; or 4) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office. American Express is the Official Card of the US Open.
Three of the women have local ties to the New York area. NCAA singles champion Gullickson is the daughter of former New York Yankee Bill Gullickson; Vandeweghe is the niece of Kiki Vandeweghe, the former NBA standout and previous general manager and head coach of the New Jersey Nets; and McHale resides in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., just 15 miles away from the site of the US Open.
Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.7 million, with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total potential payout of $2.7 million) based on their performance in the 2010 Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Women’s Singles Championship is presented by JPMorgan Chase.
Gullickson, who turns 20 on August 29 and hails from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., won the NCAA Division I singles title this year representing the University of Georgia, becoming the school’s first NCAA women’s singles champion since 1994. Gullickson won her first USTA Pro Circuit singles title in 2008 and, that same year, teamed with sister (and 2009 US Open mixed doubles champion) Carly to reach the doubles final at the USTA Pro Circuit event in Hammond, La. Gullickson’s father, Bill, was a professional pitcher who played for the New York Yankees in 1987 and led the American League with 20 wins for the 1991 Detroit Tigers.
Hampton, 20, of Auburn, Ala., is ranked No. 160 and has risen more than 550 spots in the rankings in 2010 by reaching six USTA Pro Circuit singles finals and winning three titles. She also qualified for the Olympus US Open Series event in San Diego this year and received a main-draw wild card into Cincinnati a week later. As a junior, Hampton twice won the USTA Girls’ 18s doubles title (2007-08) to earn wild cards into the US Open women’s doubles draw.
McHale, 18, of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is ranked a career-high No. 115 and is one of the rising stars in American tennis. Last year she won the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championship to earn a wild card into the US Open main draw, where she defeated then-world No. 81 Polona Hercog to become just the second USTA Girls’ 18s champion since 1998 to win her first round match at the US Open. This year McHale won a USTA playoff to earn a French Open main-draw wild card, and reached the round of 16 at both the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., and the Olympus US Open Series event in Cincinnati. She won the 2009 Easter Bowl to crack the Top 10 in the world junior rankings.
Rogers, 17, of Daniel Island, S.C., earned a wild card into the main draw by winning the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championships. She burst onto the tennis scene earlier this year, winning a pre-qualifying event to earn a qualifying wild card into the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., and reaching the final of the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., as a qualifier. More recently, she reached the quarterfinals of the $75,000 event in Vancouver. This is Rogers’ first appearance at the US Open, in either the main draws or the juniors.
Vandeweghe, 18, of Rancho Mirage, Calif., is ranked a career-high No. 168. In what has been the strongest year of her career thus far, she won a USTA playoff to earn a 2010 Australian Open main-draw wild card and also claimed her first pro title at the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Carson, Calif. She recently reached the quarterfinals of the 2010 Olympus US Open Series event in San Diego as a qualifier, defeating world No. 9 Vera Zvonareva en route. Vandeweghe captured the 2008 US Open girls’ singles championship. Her mom, Tauna, was an Olympic medalist in both swimming and volleyball, and her uncle is a former NBA star and previous general manager and head coach of the New Jersey Nets, Kiki Vandeweghe.
Ferguson, 24, of Australia, is ranked No. 113. This year she qualified and advanced to the second round of the French Open. She also reached the final of the $25,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
Razzano, 27, of France, is ranked No. 114 and cracked the Top 20 last year after advancing to the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon. She holds two Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles and has played for the French Fed Cup team. Razzano has competed in the US Open main draw nine times, advancing to the fourth round in 2006, which included an upset of world No. 9 Martina Hingis in the second round.
In addition to the eight US Open women’s singles main-draw wild cards, the USTA also announced the nine women who have been awarded wild-card entries into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, which will be held August 24-27 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Players receiving US Open qualifying wild cards are: Julia Boserup (18, Boca Raton, Fla.), Beatrice Capra (18, Ellicott City, Md.), Irina Falconi (20, Jupiter, Fla.), Nicole Gibbs (17, Santa Monica, Calif.), Alexa Glatch (20, Newport Beach, Calif.), Krista Hardebeck (15, Santa Ana, Calif.), Madison Keys (15, Boca Raton, Fla.), Sloane Stephens (17, San Pedro, Calif.) and 2010 US Open National Playoffs women’s champion Alexandra Mueller (22, Abington, Pa.).
The 2010 US Open will be held Monday, August 30 through Sunday, September 12. Tickets for the 2010 US Open can be purchased four ways: 1) at usopen.org; 2) by calling Ticketmaster at 1-866¬OPEN-TIX; 3) at all Ticketmaster outlets; or 4) at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office. American Express is the Official Card of the US Open.
No American player in ATP top 10 for first time
No American player is in the top 10 for the first time since the men's tennis computer rankings began in 1973.Andy Roddick dropped from No. 9 to No. 11 in the ATP rankings issued Monday.
Roddick lost in the third round last week at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington.
U.S. men have gone 27 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments without a title. Roddick was the last American to win a major title at the 2003 U.S. Open.
Still ranked No. 1 is French Open and Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has a lead of nearly 4,000 points over Novak Djokovic.
Roger Federer remains at No. 3, followed by Andy Murray and Robin Soderling.
Tips for Attending the 2010 US Open
If you enjoy tennis, visiting New York to see your favorite players competein the 2010 US Open tennis tournament can be very enjoyable. However, attending a professional sports event can be an expensive proposition between parking, food, tickets, and other incidental costs. These quick tips will make your day smoother so you will get maimal enjoyment when you attend the US Open.Before You Go
1. Consider buying your tickets for the 2010 US Open tennis tournament on the day of the event. If you plan to arrive close to the time the US Open ticket office opens, the lines usually move freely and are not excessive. Choose one day that you'd like to go and an alternate in case the weather does not cooperate. If you purchase tickets in advance for the US Open, and the weather is bad, tickets are non-refundable if the matches are not canceled.
2. Security has increased everywhere since 9/11. Minimize your waiting time at the entrance of the US Open by leaving handbags and knapsacks at home. You can get a plastic bag from one of the vendors once you get inside or fold one up and stuff it in your pocket.
3. Wear a large scarf as a belt. In the heat of the day some of the plastic seating gets extremely hot. When needed, you can remove your over-sized scarf and sit it on it.
4. Bring a can or bottle of sunscreen and wear a hat.
When You Arrive at the 2010 US Open in New York
1. Unless you have your heart set on seeing a particular match, you do not need to spend the money to get into the main arena. The smaller courts are more intimate so you get to see the players up close. Bring a small book and you may be able to get some autographs if your inclined.
2. Check the side courts periodically when there is no one scheduled in a match there. Sometimes you can see favorite players waming up before a match.
3. Once you buy water, keep the bottle. Water bottles at the US Open are expensive, but you can easily refill them in the bathroom or water fountains.
4. Plan on eating lunch on the early side or later than usual. If you eat at an off time, it will be easier to find seating and the food lines will be shorter.
5. There are booths with different related tennis information, games, and products at the US Open. Review the match schedule and plan to visit these around times when you want a break from watching tennis. They are also
a nice break if you are with children who have short attention spans.
6. Pay attention to where the sun is shining if it is a hot day. Sitting on the shady side of the court will be more comfortable.
Seeds Advance on Day 1 of US Open National Playoffs Women's Championship
Three days after Blake Strode made history by capturing the inaugural US Open National Playoff – Men’s Championship and earning a wild card into next month’s US Open Qualifying Tournament, the women took to the court on Wednesday for the first round of the Women’s Championship, which is taking place alongside the Bank of the West Classic, an Olympus US Open Series event at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Palo Alto, Calif.Of the 16 women who remain from the 373 competitors who entered in one of 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments nationwide, eight competed today in their first-round matches, as they attempted to match Strode’s accomplishment and earn at least one match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The day began with top-seed Alina Jidkova, 33, of Boca Raton, Fla., taking on Syracuse University standout Eleanor Peters, 22, of Washington, D.C. Jidkova, who made her US Open debut in 2000 and competed in the main draw of the US Open each year from 2002-07, had too much experience on this day for the younger Peters and cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
In Friday’s quarterfinals, Jidkova will face Kaitlyn Christian, 18, of Orange, Calif. Christian, who will enroll at the University of Southern California in a few months, got her first taste of the courts where she’ll take on future rival Stanford University, winning the day’s longest match by defeating Samantha Powers, 21, of Rome, Ga., 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2.
Third on court was No. 3 seed Brittany Augustine, 18, of Carson, Calif., facing 16-year-old Belinda Niu of Portland, Ore. Niu, the 2008 USTA Girls’ 16s National Clay Court Champion, started fast, going up an early break in the first set, but Augustine eventually found the groove that helped her reach the semifinals of the 2009 USTA Pro Circuit $10,000 event in Brownsville, Texas, and rolled to a 6-4, 6-1, victory.
Wednesday’s final match featured the draw’s two youngest competitors, as 15-year-old Evangeline Repic of Oakville, Canada, took on fellow 15-year-old Jan Abaza of Deerfield Beach, Fla., who won the pre-qualifying event at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stop in Ponte Vedra Beach earlier this year. Repic, who competed for Canada in the 2009 ITF World Junior Tennis Competition (14-and-under), dominated early, winning the first set and jumping to a 3-0 lead in the second, before Abaza battled back to force a tiebreak. Repic quickly recovered, however, and defeated Abaza, 6-3,
7-6 (2).
The first round of the US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship will continue on Thursday with four more matches, as eight more women set out to realize their dream of competing at the US Open. Among the competitors who will see action are No. 2 Alexandra Mueller, who won her first pro title at the age of 15, No. 4 seed Courtney Dolehide, who will play collegiately at UCLA next year, and Romana Tedjakusuma, who competed in the main draw of the 1994 US Open and at 34 is the oldest player in the draw.
US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship
Taube Family Tennis Center at Stanford University
Palo Alto, Calif.
Day 1 First-Round Results:
No. 1 Alina Jidkova def. Eleanor Peters 6-4, 6-3
Kaitlyn Christian def. Samantha Powers 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2
No. 3 Brittany Augustine def. Belinda Niu 6-4, 6-1
Evangeline Repic def. Jan Abaza 6-3, 7-6 (2)
US Open National Playoffs Women's Championship set to begin
The USTA announced that the US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship will be held July 28 – August 1 at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Stanford, Calif. The tournament will be held in conjunction with the Bank of the West Classic, the first women’s event of the 2010 Olympus US Open Series. Live scoring is available through USTA.com and BankoftheWestClassic.com, and Sunday’s final will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel and available live on ESPN3.com. The winner will receive a wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament, held August 24-27, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in Flushing, N.Y., the home of the US Open.The inaugural year of the US Open National Playoffs featured 373 women in 16 US Open National Playoffs Sectional Qualifying Tournaments, with the 16 winners advancing to the Women’s Championship. The US Open National Playoffs function as a series of tournaments held throughout the United States to make the US Open eligible to anyone and everyone 14-and-over with the passion to compete, regardless of playing ability or nationality.
"On the heels of a successful Men’s Championship that was filled with compelling matchups and gripping matches, we are eagerly anticipating the 2010 US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship, and with it, the opportunity to award a second wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament," said Jeff Ryan, Tournament Director of the US Open National Playoffs. "We have an impressively talented field spanning a wide range of ages and are thrilled to play a role in helping one of these players achieve her dreams of competing in the US Open."
The competitors in the Women’s Championship hail from five different countries and three different continents, and they range in age from 15 to 34. Four competitors have played collegiate tennis while three others will enroll as freshman this fall. Two have prior Grand Slam experience, 12 regularly compete on the USTA Pro Circuit, and one is a private coach.
Those competing in the US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship include (Sectional Qualifying Tournament in parentheses):
Jan Abaza; 15; Deerfield Beach, Fla. (USTA Florida)
Alexandra Mueller; 22; Abington, Pa. (USTA Middle States)
Brittany Augustine; 18; Carson, Calif. (USTA Southwest)
Belinda Niu; 16; Portland, Ore. (USTA Pacific Northwest)
Kaitlyn Christian; 18; Orange, Calif. (USTA So. California)
Jessica Pegula; 16; Boca Raton, Fla. (USTA Intermountain)
Maureen Diaz; 28; Glendale, Calif. (USTA Hawaii-Pacific)
Eleanor Peters; 22; Washington, D.C. (USTA Mid-Atlantic)
Courtney Dolehide; 18; Hinsdale, Ill. (USTA Northern)
Samantha Powers; 21; Rome, Ga. (USTA Southern)
Megan Falcon; 25; Baton Rouge, La. (USTA Missouri Valley)
Evangeline Repic; 15; Oakville, Canada (USTA Midwest)
Alina Jidkova; 33; Boca Raton, Fla. (USTA Texas)
Katerina Sevcikova; 28; Yonkers, N.Y. (USTA Eastern)
Rachel Kahan; 18; Unionville, Conn. (USTA New England)
Romana Tedjakusuma; 34; Tracy, Calif. (USTA No. California)
Of the competitors, only Alina Jidkova and Romana Tedjakusuma have played in the US Open main draw, while Alexandra Mueller has appeared in the US Open Qualifying Tournament.
The top-seeded Jidkova, who played in the US Open main draw each year from 2002 to 2007 and has been ranked as high as No. 51, will face Eleanor Peters, who played collegiately at Syracuse last year, in the first round. Mueller, who has won four USTA Pro Circuit titles already this year, is seeded No. 2 and will face Tedjakusuma, who reached the third round of the 1994 Australian Open and has represented Indonesia in Fed Cup. No. 3 seed Brittany Augustine, a former top-ranked player in the USTA Girls’ 14s National Standings, will take on 2008 USTA Girls’ 16s National Clay Court Champion Belinda Niu. Courtney Dolehide, who reached her first career professional final at the USTA Pro Circuit $10,000 event in Wichita, Kan., last summer, is the No. 4 seed and will face Rachel Kahan, who will play collegiately for Duke University this fall.
Other first round matchups include Samantha Powers, who has been competing in USTA Pro Circuit events since 2005, taking on future University of Southern California collegian Kaitlyn Christian. Megan Falcon, who earned All-American honors at LSU, will face 16-year-old Jessica Pegula, who reached the final of a major ITF World Junior clay-court event in Brazil earlier this year. Katerina Sevcikova, a former University of Missouri standout who lives less than an hour from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, will play Maureen Diaz, the 1998 Girls’ 18s Easter Bowl finalist and standout player at the University of Southern California. In a matchup of the two 15-year-olds, Evangeline Repic, who represented Canada at the 2009 World Junior Tennis Competition, faces Jan Abaza, who recently gained a professional ranking for the first time by competing on the USTA Pro Circuit.
Strode wins US Open National Playoffs Men's Championship
In the final of the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship on Sunday in Atlanta, No. 1 seed Blake Strode defeated No. 2 seed Cecil Mamiit 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(1).By winning the tournament, Strode receives a wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament, held August 24-27, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., prior to the US Open. Strode, who says he is "living a dream," played in the US Open Qualifying Tournament last year and lost 6-3, 6-1, in the first round. He is "looking forward to playing well and winning more matches than last year."
In the final set today, Strode and Mamiit were on serve through 4-4 when Strode broke on a Mamiit double fault to go up 5-4. Mamiit then broke back and the players each exchanged another set of breaks to reach a tiebreak. Strode took hold of the tiebreak to win.
No. 1 seed Blake Strode, 23, of St. Louis, deferred Harvard Law School in 2009 to pursue a professional tennis career, a move that paid off in a victory by winning the USTA Southwest Sectional Qualifying Tournament. Strode grew into tennis as a member of his local NJTL chapter in Ferguson, Mo., and developed into an All-American for the University of Arkansas. He was also a two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Strode earned a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament last year and also won his first professional title last year on the USTA Pro Circuit. He peaked to No. 483 in the world this month. He is currently ranked No. 522.
This week, 16 winners of the USTA Sectional Qualifying Tournaments held April through June competed for the coveted wild card spot during the Atlanta Tennis Championships, the first Olympus US Open Series event of 2010. 859 total men competed in the 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments nationwide prior to the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship.
US Open 2010 Live Stream Womens Matches
Serena, Clijsters leads the 2010 US Open Live Stream women's matches.The 2010 US Open will be held Monday, August 30 through Sunday, September 12. The USTA has announced that 99 of the top 100 women, including 2010 Grand Slam singles champions Serena Williams and Francesca Schiavone, are entered in the women’s singles field for the 2010 US Open Tennis Championships. Williams and Schiavone will be joined in the field by defending champion Kim Clijsters and former US Open champions Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova. In all, 36 different countries are represented in the women’s field.Two-time US Open champion Justine Henin of Belgium will miss this year’s event due to an injury she suffered to her right (serving) elbow during Wimbledon.
Serena Williams, the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, will have the opportunity to win her third Grand Slam of the year, and 14th overall, at the US Open. Reigning French Open champion Schiavone will attempt to win her first US Open and second career major title.
Altogether, there are seven players who have won Grand Slam singles titles in their careers competing in the US Open this year, including former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, who won the 2008 French Open.
The 2010 US Open will be played August 30 – September 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.7 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.7 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Women’s Singles Championship is presented by JPMorgan Chase.
Leading the entry list is world No. 1 and three-time US Open champion Serena Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., who won US Open titles in 1999, 2002 and 2008. Following Williams on the entry list are No. 2 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, the 2008 US Open runner-up; No. 3 Venus Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the 2000 and 2001 US Open champion; No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the 2009 US Open runner-up; No. 5 Samantha Stosur of Australia, the 2010 French Open runner-up; No. 6 Elena Dementieva of Russia, the 2004 US Open runner-up; No. 7 Kim Clijsters of Belgium, the defending US Open champion; No. 8 Francesca Schiavone of Italy, the reigning French Open champion; No. 9 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up; and No. 10 Li Na of China.
Other American women who received direct entry into this year’s tournament include No. 42 Melanie Oudin of Marietta, Ga., who last year became the youngest American to reach the US Open quarterfinals since 1999; No. 80 Vania King of Long Beach, Calif.; No. 95 Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix, Ariz.; and No. 98 Jill Craybas of Huntington Beach, Calif.
Three players – Anne Keothavong of Great Britain, Urszula Radwanska of Poland and Jelena Kostanic Tosic of Croatia – received direct entry due to special rankings, while Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic, ranked No. 102, was the 104th and last player accepted directly into the women’s field of 128. Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, August 24-27, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.
Among the players competing in the US Open Qualifying Tournament will be the winner of the inaugural US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship, held during the Olympus US Open Series event in Stanford, Calif. next week. The USTA created the US Open National Playoffs this year and allowed players 14-and-older, regardless of playing ability or nationality, to vie for a spot in the US Open Qualifying Tournament via one of 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments.
The July 19 edition of the WTA Tour rankings was used to determine the US Open main draw entry list. Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.
US Open 2010 Live Stream Mens Matches
US Open 2010 Live Stream Mens Matches will hightlight Nadal, Federer, del Potro and Roddick.The 2010 US Open will be held Monday, August 30 through Sunday, September 12.The USTA announced that reigning French Open and Wimbledon Champion Rafael Nadal, five-time US Open champion Roger Federer and defending US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who is expected to return to Grand Slam competition after missing the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year, lead the men’s singles field for the 2010 US Open Tennis Championships. The player field also features former US Open champions Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt. Each of the world’s top 98 men received direct entry into the US Open, representing 33 countries.The 2010 US Open will be played August 30 – September 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.7 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.7 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Men’s Singles Championship is presented by Mercedes-Benz USA.
Leading the entry list is world No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain, who will be seeking his first US Open title. Nadal recently swept the French Open and Wimbledon singles titles for the second time in three years and will be attempting to become just the seventh man in history to win the career Grand Slam joining Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Federer, Rod Laver and Fred Perry.
World No. 2 Novak Djokovic enters the US Open seeking his second grand slam title and first since the 2008 Australian Open.
World No. 3 Roger Federer is seeking his sixth US Open title after having his consecutive streak of US Open titles snapped at five by Juan Martin Del Potro last year. With a victory at the US Open, Federer can surpass Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors for most U.S. men’s singles titles in the Open Era. In 2007, Federer became the only man to win the Olympus US Open Series and US Open titles in the same year.
Following Nadal, Djokovic and Federer on the entry list are No. 4 Andy Murray of Great Britain, the 2008 US Open runner-up; No. 5 Robin Soderling of Sweden, the French Open runner-up in 2009 and 2010; No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, a two-time US Open semifinalist; No. 7 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, the defending US Open champion; No. 8 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up; No. 9 Andy Roddick of Austin, Texas, the 2003 US Open Champion; and No. 10 Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
In all, there are seven entrants who have won Grand Slam singles titles in their careers, including 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.
Other American men who received direct entry into this year’s tournament include: No. 19 John Isner of Tampa, Fla.; No. 20 Sam Querrey of Las Vegas; No. 49 Mardy Fish of Tampa, Fla.; No. 75 Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga.; No. 89 Michael Russell of Houston; and No. 94 Taylor Dent of Bradenton, Fla. Additionally, Tommy Haas of Bradenton, Fla., who recently became a U.S. citizen, received direct entry via a protected ranking.
Bjorn Phau of Germany, ranked No. 98, is the last player accepted directly into the men’s field of 128. In addition to Haas, five other players used protected rankings to gain direct entry, including: David Nalbandian of Argentina; Dmitry Tursunov of Russia; Mario Ancic of Croatia; Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina; and Kristof Vliegen of Belgium. Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, August 24-27, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.
Among the players competing in the US Open Qualifying Tournament will be the winner of the inaugural US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship, held this weekend at the site of the Olympus US Open Series event in Atlanta. The USTA created the US Open National Playoffs this year and allowed players 14-and-older, regardless of playing ability or nationality, to vie for a spot in the US Open Qualifying Tournament via one of 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments.
The July 19 edition of the ATP World Tour rankings was used to determine the US Open main draw entry list. Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.
The 2010 US Open will mark the culmination of the Olympus US Open Series, the six-week summer tennis season linking all major ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments in North America to the US Open. The US Open is the highest attended annual sporting event in the world. More than 70 million viewers watched the 2009 US Open on CBS Sports, ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, and international broadcasts reached more than 185 countries. In 2009, Juan Martin Del Potro won his first career Grand Slam title, defeating five-time defending champion Roger Federer in a five-set final. In the women’s singles final, Kim Clijsters culminated her comeback from retirement, defeating Caroline Wozniacki to capture her second US Open title.
2010 US Open Live Stream Official Schedule
Here the 2010 US Open Live Stream Official Schedule. Schedule is subject to change. All Times are Eastern. (as of January 19, 2010). TV Coverage and other live channel will be posted soon.
Del Potro, injured '09 champ, will be on 2010 US Open
Defending U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro is on the provisional entry list for the year's last Grand Slam tournament, despite being sidelined nearly all season because of right wrist surgery.The U.S. Tennis Association says Thursday that del Potro "is expected" to compete at the hard-court major championship, which begins Aug. 30.
All top 98 men in the rankings are on the entry list, led by No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who will try to complete a career Grand Slam by adding a U.S. Open title to his five French Opens, two Wimbledons and one Australian Open.
Del Potro won his first Grand Slam title by beating five-time U.S. Open champion Roger Federer in the 2009 final. The Argentine has played one tournament in 2010, the Australian Open.
WTA Tour: SWilliams questionable for US Open
Serena Williams is questionable for the U.S. Open because of her recent foot injury, according to the WTA Tour.Williams cut her right foot on broken glass at a restaurant shortly after winning Wimbledon. The tour said last week she needed surgery and would miss three tournaments leading up to the Open.
On Monday, tour spokesman Andrew Walker said Williams is questionable for the final Grand Slam of the year. Williams' return to the Open has been widely anticipated because of her tumultuous semifinal loss there last year, when she threw a tirade at a line judge at the end of a match against Kim Clijsters and was fined a record $82,500.
Because of the injury, Williams is missing the entire World Team Tennis season with the Washington Kastles. Her team said she cut the bottom of her foot and needed stitches.
"Hey guys I'm doing better," Williams tweeted Monday. "Thanks for all the love."
On Sunday night she tweeted: "can't wait to get out of bed & back on the courts & do what i do best!"
Ranked No. 1, Williams won her fourth Wimbledon crown and 13th major title July 3. The injury occurred shortly thereafter in Europe and at first was not believed to be serious.
After hurting her foot, Williams played in an exhibition in Brussels on July 8 against Clijsters before a world-record tennis crowd of 35,681.
Williams attended a WTT match the next night in Glen Falls, N.Y., and did not play but briefly discussed her injury with reporters. When asked how she was able to play against Clijsters, Williams said, "Those Belgian doctors and waffles."
Clijsters said she knew before the exhibition that Williams was hurt pretty seriously.
"I saw her before we started but she didn't go into how it happened," Clijsters said. "I told her how much I admired her for coming out there. A lot of players in her situation wouldn't have done it."
Williams subsequently withdrew from upcoming tournaments in Istanbul, Cincinnati and Montreal. The last of those, at Montreal, begins Aug. 16, and the U.S. Open starts Aug. 30.
"You want the best players to be out there, especially at the U.S. Open," Clijsters said. "It would be sad not to have Serena there."
After winning the Australian Open at the end of January, Williams was sidelined through April because of an injured left knee.
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