Race to the US Open heats up
August 18th 2009 13:17
YOU have to love this time of year on the professional tennis calendar.
Two weeks out from the US Open and the tournaments contain all the best players in the world and it’s tough even to reach the second round.
Just ask the likes of Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gael Monfils and Tommy Robredo, who were all first-round losers in this week’s Cincinnati Masters.
Their conquerors – Marin Cilic, Ivo Karlovic and Jeremy Chardy – join them in the world’s top 35 players.
One of each of the following match-ups – Robin Soderling-Lleyton Hewitt and Tomas Berdych-Fernando Gonzalez – will also not see round-two action.
Swiss world No.1 Roger Federer and world No.3 Rafael Nadal remain on opposite sides of the draw despite defending Cincinnati champion Andy Murray moving to the No.2 ranking this week.
Federer and Murray are drawn to meet in the semi-finals after the Scot won last week’s event in Montreal.
Montreal finalist Juan Martin del Potro is the notable Cincinnati absentee due to fatigue, but the break could serve the Argentine well considering he has already played a lot of hardcourt matches.
The 20-year-old won Washington the week before Montreal.
Fourth seed Novak Djokovic will be looking for a deep run after failing to progress past the quarter-finals in his past two tournaments.
Russian Nikolay Davydenko and Frenchman Gilles Simon are the other seeds in the Serbian’s quarter of the draw – both of who he boasts positive head-to-head records against.
Americans Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey meet in an intriguing second-round clash after fighting out a tight two-setter in Washington this month, but the pick of the round-two contests looks to be Cilic and David Ferrer.
Ferrer knocked out Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the first round.
The WTA Tour moves to Canada this week for the Rogers Cup.
When Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama is the last direct acceptance in the draw, you know it’s a crackerjack field of women’s players.
Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and Sam Stosur are among the unseeded floaters looking to stop world No.1 Dinara Safina from defending her title.
Sharapova dumped fellow Russian Nadia Petrova out of the event in round one – her third victory over her in as many months.
Safina will be looking to make a statement to the quality field that also includes the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, last week’s Cincinnati titlist Jelena Jankovic and world No.5 Elena Dementieva.
Jankovic has already announced her intentions with a commanding win over Safina in last week’s Cincinnati final and it will be interesting to see who steps forward this week.
Sharapova is drawn to meet Venus Williams in the quarter-finals and would be keen for redemption after being on the receiving end of a 6-2 6-2 demolition to the American in the recent Stanford event.
A win there would further fuel her comeback from a shoulder injury.
Clijsters will also be closely watched after a stunning return to the tour last week that saw her defeat three top-20 players before taking it right up to Safina.
The Belgian could meet Belarussian sensation Victoria Azarenka in round two here.
Russian world No.6 Svetlana Kuznetsova, a Clijsters victim in Cincinnati, will be hoping to shut down Australian Stosur’s campaign in a tough round-two showdown.
But French seeds Marion Bartoli and Amelie Mauresmo will not be in contention after succumbing to Alona Bondarenko and Francesca Schiavone in their first-up matches.
Two weeks out from the US Open and the tournaments contain all the best players in the world and it’s tough even to reach the second round.
Just ask the likes of Juan Carlos Ferrero, Gael Monfils and Tommy Robredo, who were all first-round losers in this week’s Cincinnati Masters.
Their conquerors – Marin Cilic, Ivo Karlovic and Jeremy Chardy – join them in the world’s top 35 players.
One of each of the following match-ups – Robin Soderling-Lleyton Hewitt and Tomas Berdych-Fernando Gonzalez – will also not see round-two action.
Towering Croat Marin Cilic survived a tough first-round encounter against Juan Carlos Ferrero in Cincinnati.
Swiss world No.1 Roger Federer and world No.3 Rafael Nadal remain on opposite sides of the draw despite defending Cincinnati champion Andy Murray moving to the No.2 ranking this week.
Federer and Murray are drawn to meet in the semi-finals after the Scot won last week’s event in Montreal.
Montreal finalist Juan Martin del Potro is the notable Cincinnati absentee due to fatigue, but the break could serve the Argentine well considering he has already played a lot of hardcourt matches.
The 20-year-old won Washington the week before Montreal.
Fourth seed Novak Djokovic will be looking for a deep run after failing to progress past the quarter-finals in his past two tournaments.
Russian Nikolay Davydenko and Frenchman Gilles Simon are the other seeds in the Serbian’s quarter of the draw – both of who he boasts positive head-to-head records against.
Americans Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey meet in an intriguing second-round clash after fighting out a tight two-setter in Washington this month, but the pick of the round-two contests looks to be Cilic and David Ferrer.
Ferrer knocked out Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in the first round.
The WTA Tour moves to Canada this week for the Rogers Cup.
When Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama is the last direct acceptance in the draw, you know it’s a crackerjack field of women’s players.
Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and Sam Stosur are among the unseeded floaters looking to stop world No.1 Dinara Safina from defending her title.
Italian Francesca Schiavone upset former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo on day one of the Rogers Cup.
Sharapova dumped fellow Russian Nadia Petrova out of the event in round one – her third victory over her in as many months.
Safina will be looking to make a statement to the quality field that also includes the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, last week’s Cincinnati titlist Jelena Jankovic and world No.5 Elena Dementieva.
Jankovic has already announced her intentions with a commanding win over Safina in last week’s Cincinnati final and it will be interesting to see who steps forward this week.
Sharapova is drawn to meet Venus Williams in the quarter-finals and would be keen for redemption after being on the receiving end of a 6-2 6-2 demolition to the American in the recent Stanford event.
A win there would further fuel her comeback from a shoulder injury.
Clijsters will also be closely watched after a stunning return to the tour last week that saw her defeat three top-20 players before taking it right up to Safina.
The Belgian could meet Belarussian sensation Victoria Azarenka in round two here.
Russian world No.6 Svetlana Kuznetsova, a Clijsters victim in Cincinnati, will be hoping to shut down Australian Stosur’s campaign in a tough round-two showdown.
But French seeds Marion Bartoli and Amelie Mauresmo will not be in contention after succumbing to Alona Bondarenko and Francesca Schiavone in their first-up matches.
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