THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
U.S. OPEN
5B
SLOW START
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Venus Williams, of the United States, serves to Vera Dushevina, of Russia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on Monday.
Williams, Roddick advance to round 2
BY EDDIE PELLS
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Venus Williams enjoyed a New York moment at the U.S. Open. She probably never guessed she'd need one to pull her through the first round.
Dealing with a balky left knee and an opponent who didn't buy into the usual opening-night script, Williams needed 2 hours, 43 minutes to defeat Vera Dushevina of Russia.
The third-seeded Williams, who had never been ousted from the Open before the fourth round, trailed by a set and a break in the second before rallying for a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3 victory Monday.
She didn't want to talk much about the knee, which brought on a nine-minute injury timeout during the first set, but instead preferred to talk about the crowd — especially the reaction when she was down 5-4 in the second, serving to stay in the match.
"One of those great New York moments" she said.
Andy Roddick followed her
onto the court.
His match began at 11:08 p.m., and with blood dripping from a cut on his right ear, he made quick work of Germany's Bjorn Phau, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
He was still doing interviews at 1:15 a.m. The main topic: late matches at the U.S. Open.
"It's all part of it," he said. "Kind of the crazies that stay 'til 1 in the morning — there's something fun about that."
Buoyed — maybe saved — by that crowd, Williams was the only top contender to face serious trouble in a first round that was basically going to form.
Others scheduled to play Tuesday were top-seeded Dinara Safina, 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic and 2006 U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova on the women's side, along with second-seeded Andy Murray, fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic and America's next possible breakout star, Sam Querrey, on the men's side.
Tuesday's play started with sixth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Julia Goerges on Arthur Ashe Stadium, while on the grandstand court, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga routed American Chase Buchanan 6-0, 6-2, 6-1.
On Monday, top-seeded Roger
Federer began the quest for his sixth straight championship and third Grand Slam title of 2009 with a 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 victory over NCAA champion Devin Britton.
"My goal was to not get crushed." Britton conceded, "and make it interesting for a little while."
Alexa Glatch found herself in essentially the same boat against Serena Williams, pushing the No. 2 seed in the first set before falling quickly in the second of a 6-4, 6-1 loss.
He was up a break in both the second and third sets, but couldn't capitalize against the world's top player.
"One of those great New York moments."
Kim Clijsters was the other headliner on day one. The 2005 U.S. Open champion, now with a 1-year-old daughter, returned to Grand Slam tennis after a $2 \frac{1}{2}$-year layoff with an impressive 6-1, 6-1 victory over Viktoria Kutuzova.
"Now it's a matter of trying to keep this going." Clisters said.
Roddick's match was played in front of a half-empty crowd thanks in part to a late start after an hourlong opening ceremony that featured Andre Agassi.
VENUS WILLIAMS Tennis Player
Roddick wasn't complaining, but did say he wouldn't mind seeing the women take the late slot sometime in the future.
Hours earlier, Williams was in trouble from the start. Down a break at 2-1, she took an injury timeout to get her left knee worked on and taped up, though that didn't cure the problems with her serve.
She finished with 10 double-faults and seven foot faults. Ahead 5-3 in the first-set tiebreak, she hit a great serve but got hit with a foot fault. After a brief discussion with the line judge — "Which foot, the front one or the back one?" — she stepped up and served the next ball into the net.
She fell behind 6-5 and Dushevina answered Williams' angle volley with a running, cross-court backhand for the winner and the set.
"I had 5-4 in the second set and it was maybe little chance" Dushevina said. "It was love-15, but the next few points, she played so great."
It stayed uncomfortable for Venus through most of the second, as well.
The third set wasn't a breeze,but went more to form,with Williams getting an early break and hanging on.
Safina squeaks by Rogowska
LITTLE BIT O' LUCK
After a clumsy performance, top-seeded Safina narrowly escapes 18-year-old
BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press
NEW YORK — Dinara Safina overcame a long, mistake-filled display of tennis Tuesday to barely avoid becoming the first top-seeded woman to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open.
She defeated 167th-ranked Olivia Rogowska of Australia 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in a match that included 113 unforced errors, 24 double-faults and 15 service breaks over 2 hours, 35 minutes.
"I didn't break any rackets and didn't get any warnings," Safina said, when asked if there were any
over things.
"That's already positive."
She overcame a 3-0 deficit in the third set to avoid becoming the first top-seeded player to be ousted in the first round of
"I didn't break any rackets and didn't get any warnings. That's already positive."
any Grand Slam since Martina Hingis lost 6-4, 6-2 to Virginia Ruano Pascual at Wimbledon in 2001.
Safina served out her final game at love, forcing errors on Rogowska's ground strokes during one of the Russian's few sustained runs of consistency.
almost certainly gather steam.
Safina moves on, but all the questions about her worthiness as the world's No. 1 player will
Safina's coach, Zeliko Krajan, was clearly having trouble watching it — slumping, scowling and shaking his head from his lonely seat in the stands.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
No. 2 Serena Williams has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. Safina doesn't yet have a career Grand Slam victory, getting blown out in all three finals she's been in.
Dinara Safina of Russia celebrates after defeating Olivia Rogowska of Australia (6-7S), 6-2, 6-4 during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Tuesday.
DINARA SAFINA Tennis Player
"In the French Open, I won all the matches 6-love, 6-1. Did it help? Not really," she said. "It happens like this. You pull out the match somehow."
It was the second big scare over the first two days on the U.S. Open show court. On Monday night, third-seeded Venus Williams overcame a balky knee and some shaky play for a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3 win over Russia's
Vera Dushevina.
That match looked like a Borg-McEnroe classic compared to Safina-Rogowska.
The first set was filled with tentative play and ended when Safina double-faulted for a 7-5 loss in the tiebreaker — the first
serve barely making it halfway up the net, the second a good 3 inches out.
They slogged on and Rogowska, an 18-year-old with one win over a top-100 player, had chances to put a stranglehold on the match and put her name in the history books, even after she blew the 3-0 lead in the third.
Serving at 4-all and deuce in the final set, she chipped a slicing backhand deep into the corner and Safina lobbed it back, but Rogowska hit a tentative overhead, then failed to put away a pair of ensuing floaters and
eventually got passed.
That set up break point, which Safina promptly lost with a forehand hit lock. Finally, Rogowska made two unforced errors in a row to give Safina the game on her fourth break point, fall behind 5-4 and set up the finish.
"I felt like I kept up with her," Rogowska said. "Like, I didn't think she blew off the court. I'm disappointed I lost, and I didn't expect to say that after
playing the No. 1 player in the world. It's a bit weird."
Safina, whose brother, Marat Safina won the U.S. Open in 2000, accounted for 48 of the unforced errors and 11 of the double-faults.
"Today, I was just sayinga 'Come on, play point by point,' Safina said. "I would not give up. I'd still give her a hard time trying to win the match"
DRESSED TO IMPRESS
Maria Sharapova, of Russia, stretches to hit a return to Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria on Tuesday. Her strong second set, and her dress, were the focus of postmatch interviews.
Sharapova reappears in limelight
BY HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press
NEW YORK - Maria Sharapova was right where she likes to be on the Grand Slam stage and in the spotlight.
After missing last year's U.S. Open with a shoulder injury, the 2006 champion returned to the tournament Tuesday night with an impressive 6-3, 6-0 victory over Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.
Sharapova's game was as glittery as her black-and-silver dress and matching headwrap, an outfit she described as a tribute to New York's skyline.
Several hours after Dinara Safina came perilously close to becoming the first No. 1-seeded woman to lose in this major tournament's first round, Sharapova gave a much stronger performance.
The three-time Grand Slam title winner produced 29 winners — a whopping 23 more than
her 98th-ranked opponent. And Sharapova's game was particularly clean in the second set, when she hit 16 winners and only five unforced errors.
Apart from four double-faults, Sharapova showed no signs of the shoulder tear that forced her to have surgery in October and kept off the tour for nearly 10 months.
"This is a Grand Slam. You've got to get going from the first match," Sharapova said. "After being gone, this is what it's all about."
In addition to tennis skills and grit that once placed her No. 1 in the rankings, Sharapova always has placed an emphasis on fashion. On this night, her black dress carried bold, metallic accents that would gain her entry into even the trendiest of New York clubs. She paired it with a matching, '60s-style silver headband.
As often has happened with Sharapova, the postmatch, on-court interview dealt as much
Safina's coach certainly did not appear to like what he saw.
with her getup as her game. "It's always 50-50: You never know when people are going to like it or not," Sharapova told the crowd.
Sitting in the stands at the U.S. Open, hed cover his eyes with his hands or turn his head with a wince as Safina's 11 double-faults and all manner of other mistakes mounted — or put another way, as she looked less and less like a woman who is ranked No. 1.
There's been some debate this season about whether Safina deserves that standing, one spot ahead of Serena Williams. The Russian did not bolster her case Tuesday.
Nearly undone by her own poor play, Safina was a point away from a 4-0 deficit in the third set before coming back to beat 167th-ranked Olivia Rogowska of Australia 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.
Safina, younger sister of 2000 U.S. Open champion Marat Safin, is used to faring well in
the early stages of Grand Slam tournaments. Usually, it's later on that problems arise. She is 0-3 in major finals, all lopsided losses, and she managed to win only one game against Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals in July.
On Tuesday, Safina repeatedly glanced up at her coach, Zeljko Krajan, perhaps hoping for positive reinforcement. Instead, she rarely found anything but negative body language.
"Well," Safina would say later,
"I guess I had to think: 'What I'm doing wrong?'
The answer: plenty. And she didn't merely miss, 48 unforced errors in all. She missed rather badly. Embarrassingly, even.
"I was surprised that, you know, she was giving me free points," said Rogowska, an 18-year-old who never has defeated anyone ranked better than 47th.
As Rogowska spoke, her eyes were red, and she fiddled with a well-worn tissue.