Venus lets eight set points slip away in the second set and Serena wins, 7-6, 7-6, with a 9-7 win in the second set. The point at 4-2 Venus in the second tiebreak, when Serena chased down four seemingly ungettable balls but still lost the point.
Serena now leads the head-to-head series 9-8, but this one may stand out as the most entertaining. It took 2 hours, 25 minutes, and Serena is on to face Dinara Safina in the semis on Friday.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Nice rally by Serena to win the first set
Serena takes the tiebreak, 8-6, winning the last four points. She was absolutely smoking the ball. We'll see what goes down in the second set.
Serena and Venus look like they're trying to win
Isn't that a nice treat for the night crowd? Venus is serving at 5-6 in the first, with Serena having broken Venus at 5-4 to pull even. It's pretty easy to recall the days when they would play in a semi or a final of a Slam and it was fair to wonder if their pop, Richard, had told one or the other to tank it.
Think we're in for a good one.
Think we're in for a good one.
Murray wins it, and they appear to be friends again
Murray pulls it out, 7-5 in the fourth, to advance to the semis against the Nadal-Fish winner. At the net after this four-hour slog, the two frenemies seemed to resolve their differences with a nice chat. I think.
So, in a mere hour or so, Venus vs. Serena will commence.
So, in a mere hour or so, Venus vs. Serena will commence.
Murray has it, loses it
Murray went up two sets, both in tiebreaks, even though by he and del Potro played lots of loose points. Del Potro's left knee looked a bit loose, too, and it seemed he might retire at 3-4 in the third after a lengthy visit with the trainer.
So, naturally, del Potro reeled off the next three games and took the third set, and now looks pretty darn healthy. They've been on the court for 3 hours. I think Rafael Nadal and Mardy Fish will take the court around sun-up in Barcelona.
So, naturally, del Potro reeled off the next three games and took the third set, and now looks pretty darn healthy. They've been on the court for 3 hours. I think Rafael Nadal and Mardy Fish will take the court around sun-up in Barcelona.
Tomorrow's sked -- a bit thin
With just the two men's quarterfinal matches among the singles events.
Qualifier Gilles Muller takes on Roger Federer on Ashe sometime after 2 p.m. That's Luxembourg vs. Switzerland, for those interested in world geography. I think I had that matchup in Risk once as a kid. Switzerland totally rocked.
Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic go in the night session tomorrow, preceded by a men's "seniors" match between Michael Chang and Todd Martin. Considering those two guys accounted for a few late-night forays at the Open, I hope they keep it to one set, with tiebreak.
Qualifier Gilles Muller takes on Roger Federer on Ashe sometime after 2 p.m. That's Luxembourg vs. Switzerland, for those interested in world geography. I think I had that matchup in Risk once as a kid. Switzerland totally rocked.
Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic go in the night session tomorrow, preceded by a men's "seniors" match between Michael Chang and Todd Martin. Considering those two guys accounted for a few late-night forays at the Open, I hope they keep it to one set, with tiebreak.
Murray off to a fast start
The blood feud between Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro just got underway on Ashe. The last time they played, in Rome in May, del Potro did the unthinkable: He cracked wise on Murray's mother, Judy, who was in the stands for their first-round match on the clay. Then, del Potro retired at 0-1 in the third, left the court in tears and the two have not spoken since.
Said Murray of the meeting: "It is another tennis match for me. When I get on court I have got to put emotions aside. Whether I like Del Potro or not doesn't make any difference.
"I have known him since we were really young. I wasn't great friends with him before."
OK, then. We're on our way to a first set tiebreak here.Newsday's Rob Kahn weighs in from the Open...
Tuesday evening, Gov. David A. Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined former mayor Ed Koch and police commissioner Ray Kelly at a ceremony naming the East Gate entryway here for David Dinkins. Dinkins is something of a deity around these parts for his efforts as mayor to keep the U.S. Open in New York.
Chief among the former mayor’s initiatives was a deal with the Federal Aviation Administration to reroute noisy landings and takeoffs from LaGuardia during matches, weather permitting -- something the FAA had refused to do even for the 1986 World Series games at Shea.
As Paterson was relating the accomplishments of his predecessor, a jet flew overhead, banking ever so slightly as if to say hello, and eventually drowning out the governor’s accolades.
When the flight had passed, Paterson looked up, then quipped: "And speaking of flying, I want to thank the FAA for sending that plane over just now."
***
Paterson also managed to spotlight his own athletic prowess, relating a story about the time his dad tried to help him overcome difficulties with his tennis game.
"My father said, ‘Throw the ball and hit it and we’ll see what the problem is.’ So I threw the ball up and hit it and he said, ‘Well, that’s almost a natural serve. Let me see you do it again.’"
"I did the serve two more times and he finally told one of my brothers to go over to the other side of the net and hit one back. So I served, my brother hit it back and I didn’t move."
"My father said, ‘That’s the problem.’"
- ROBERT KAHN
Chief among the former mayor’s initiatives was a deal with the Federal Aviation Administration to reroute noisy landings and takeoffs from LaGuardia during matches, weather permitting -- something the FAA had refused to do even for the 1986 World Series games at Shea.
As Paterson was relating the accomplishments of his predecessor, a jet flew overhead, banking ever so slightly as if to say hello, and eventually drowning out the governor’s accolades.
When the flight had passed, Paterson looked up, then quipped: "And speaking of flying, I want to thank the FAA for sending that plane over just now."
***
Paterson also managed to spotlight his own athletic prowess, relating a story about the time his dad tried to help him overcome difficulties with his tennis game.
"My father said, ‘Throw the ball and hit it and we’ll see what the problem is.’ So I threw the ball up and hit it and he said, ‘Well, that’s almost a natural serve. Let me see you do it again.’"
"I did the serve two more times and he finally told one of my brothers to go over to the other side of the net and hit one back. So I served, my brother hit it back and I didn’t move."
"My father said, ‘That’s the problem.’"
- ROBERT KAHN
Safina makes semis; only one spot left for women
Dinara Safina is now just two wins away from matching her brother with a U.S. Open title of her own.
Eight years after Marat Safin won the U.S. Open championship, his little sister has advanced to the semifinal round of this tournament for the first time in her career.
Safina, who is seeded sixth, cruised in her quarterfinal match this afternoon, defeating No. 16 Flavia Pennetta, 6-2, 6-3, at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Safina will play the winner of the Serena and Venus Williams match, which takes place this evening. In the other bracket, fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva will face No. 2 Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals.
Safina’s brother, Marat, lost last week in the second round.
Eight years after Marat Safin won the U.S. Open championship, his little sister has advanced to the semifinal round of this tournament for the first time in her career.
Safina, who is seeded sixth, cruised in her quarterfinal match this afternoon, defeating No. 16 Flavia Pennetta, 6-2, 6-3, at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Safina will play the winner of the Serena and Venus Williams match, which takes place this evening. In the other bracket, fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva will face No. 2 Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals.
Safina’s brother, Marat, lost last week in the second round.
Safina is cruising to the semis
Barring anything unforeseen, this is going to be easy for Darina Safina. She's up 6-2, 1-0.
BTW, about the weather...
We're going to go right ahead and jinx the U.S. Open and say it:
What great weather we've had!
But the question is: how long will it last?
Early reports for this weekend call for rain on Saturday, a result of Hurricane Hannah, and this scenario presents the worst nightmare for tournament directors. The final Saturday is historically the best day of the tournament; it's the day the women's final is played, as well the men's semifinals.
A rainout on Saturday would push the tournament back a day, forcing the men's final to take place on Monday. Oh well.
What great weather we've had!
But the question is: how long will it last?
Early reports for this weekend call for rain on Saturday, a result of Hurricane Hannah, and this scenario presents the worst nightmare for tournament directors. The final Saturday is historically the best day of the tournament; it's the day the women's final is played, as well the men's semifinals.
A rainout on Saturday would push the tournament back a day, forcing the men's final to take place on Monday. Oh well.
Finally, we have a quarterfinal underway
The doubles match went into a third set tiebreaker, thus delaying the afternoon schedule a great deal. But, alas, we've finally moved on, and the quarterfinal match between sixth-seeded Dinara Safina and No. 16 Flavia Pennetta is underway. More later.
Live, from New York, it's Wednesday morning!
And we're at the U.S. Open, but unfortunately not too many of the top tennis players are. The afternoon session matches are, hmmmm, not too much of a draw, to say the least.
Right now at Arthur Ashe Stadium the doubles tandem of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears (United States) are facing fifth-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual for a spot in the quarterfinals. Try saying those four names fast.
Among the singles matches taking place during the day, the sixth seeds are in action. Dinara Safina (sister of Marat Safin) faces No. 16 Flavia Pennetta, and on the men's side Andy Murray takes on Juan Martin Del Potro.
We'll bring you updates throughout the day, along with other fun stuff we see and hear. Stick with us, please.
Right now at Arthur Ashe Stadium the doubles tandem of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears (United States) are facing fifth-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual for a spot in the quarterfinals. Try saying those four names fast.
Among the singles matches taking place during the day, the sixth seeds are in action. Dinara Safina (sister of Marat Safin) faces No. 16 Flavia Pennetta, and on the men's side Andy Murray takes on Juan Martin Del Potro.
We'll bring you updates throughout the day, along with other fun stuff we see and hear. Stick with us, please.
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