Top seed Ana Ivanovic struggled but held on to win her opening match while a pair of wannabe No. 1s advanced in straight sets during day two of the US Open.
World No. 1 Ivanovic, who captured the French Open earlier this year for her first Grand Slam title, didn’t make the opening statement she had planned on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Serbian survived a scare by beating Vera Dushevina 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
“Obviously my lack of practice showed a little,” Ivanovic said. “This match is going to help me because it was so challenging. I was missing a lot of match practice so I got a tough one today.”
Olympic silver medalist Dinara Safina and Serena Williams won their first-round matches in straight sets on Tuesday.
Both have a chance at supplanting Ivanovic as the top ranked WTA player if they reach the finals in the US$20.6 million event.
On the men’s side of the draw, Roger Federer began his quest for his fifth consecutive US Open title in stunning fashion with a dominating 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 win over Maximo Gonzalez.
“It was a good match to start off with,” Federer said. “I thought I served well and really moved good for the first round. I went on a good roll.”
Safina, who is trying to put a fitting exclamation point on a superb season, defeated Kristie Ahn 6-3, 6-4.
The 22-year-old Safina has won three titles this year, but hasn’t made it past the quarter-finals in the US Open.
Two-time champion Serena Williams rolled to an easy win by beating Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 6-4.
The 26-year-old American continued her solid play on hardcourts by firing six aces en route to a victory in just 56 minutes.
Her sister Venus also booked a second round spot with a win over Aussie Samantha Stosur.
The women’s draw is wide open this year as the last three champions (Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin) are all absent.
Ivanovic had to overcome some anxious moments in the third set as she double faulted on her first match point before clinching the victory on her second match point.
She moves through the second round where she will face Julie Coin of France, who beat Australian Casey Dellacqua 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4).
Safina hammered five aces and fired 20 winners to just eight for US qualifier Ahn.
It would be a windfall victory for Safina if she breaks through and wins the US Open.
She placed first the US Open Series leading up to the final Grand Slam of the season which means she would receive a US$1 million bonus in addition to the US$1.5 million in first place prize money.
Second-seeded Swiss superstar Federer lost his world No. 1 ranking last week to Rafael Nadal.
Federer is hoping that another win at Flushing Meadows can salvage a season where he has won just two titles and failed to defend his Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns.
Against Gonzalez, he fired 15 aces and hammered 39 winners on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium court in front of an evening crowd of about 20,000. He also converted seven of 13 break point opportunities and won 73 percent of his first serves.
“This takes a little bit of pressure off me because I know a little more about where my game is at,” Federer said. “I have to play more aggressively on hardcourt.”
Federer dispatched Argentina’s Gonzalez in a scant 82 minutes and advances to the second round where he will face Thiago Alves of Brazil.
Seeded players Fernando Gonzalez, Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, Ivo Karlovic and Igor Andreev all won their opening matches.
Former world No. 1 Marat Safin beat US journeyman Vince Spadea 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, while Germany’s Tommy Haas posted a mild upset over French 12th seed Richard Gasquet 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday withstood Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52-point outburst to beat the Western Conference leading Thunder 116-109. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half as Golden State erased a double-digit deficit and pulled away late for the victory. “We just stayed solid,” said Curry, who entered the contest mired in a shooting slump and had just four points on one basket in the first half. “Just all-around effort.” The Thunder, fueled by 31 first-half points from Gilgeous-Alexander, led by as many as 14 in the
Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing league stage, with three losses and a draw, but were utterly dominant against an outclassed Stuttgart side as they confirmed their place in the playoffs. With six minutes gone, Bradley Barcola headed PSG in front after Desire Doue stood a cross up at the back post following a corner. Stuttgart probed for an equalizer, but PSG hit on the counterattack, Dembele tapping a Barcola pass into an
RSS