Tennis teens rule in New York
September 10th 2009 11:54
Dane Caroline Wozniacki moved one step closer to a maiden grand slam final with a crushing victory over American Melanie Oudin.
TWO teenagers will fight for the right to play the winner of two of the WTA Tour’s modern greats in this year’s US Open women’s final.
Nineteen-year-olds Caroline Wozniacki and Yanina Wickmayer are the top half of the draw’s unlikely semi-final combatants.
Denmark’s Wozniacki is one of the in-form players on the circuit this season, but Flushing Meadows is the first time she has advanced past the final 16 at a grand slam event.
Wozniacki thrashed American teen queen Melanie Oudin 6-2 6-2 to end the 17-year-old’s dream tournament run.
Oudin drowned in 43 unforced errors – Wozniacki had less than half that number – and hit just 11 winners as the world No.8 performed a great impression of a brick wall.
But Oudin, whose devastating forehand saw her beat four highly ranked Russians en route to the quarter-finals, can expect a ranking inside the world’s top 40 next week.
Wickmayer’s grand slam record was even more dismal than Wozniacki’s before this fortnight.
Belgium’s No.1 player boasted just one win in six grand slam appearances before the US Open, but is now on the verge of a slam final after defeating Kateryna Bondarenko.
Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer toppled Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko in the US Open quarter-finals.
Wickmayer’s clash with Ukrainian Bondarenko was locked at 5-5 in the first set, but the world No.50 rattled off eight of the next 12 games to claim victory.
Wozniacki and Wickmayer have never met in senior competition, but the Dane easily had the latter’s measure in three junior contests.
There should be no difference in their upcoming meeting, but Wickmayer will join Wozniacki in the top 20 in the not-too-distant future.
American Serena Williams and Belgian Kim Clijsters, both former world No.1s, play tonight and the victor will progress to Sunday’s final (Australian time).
Meanwhile, Swiss legend Roger Federer advanced to his record 22nd straight grand slam semi-final after surviving a testing finish in his quarter-final clash with Swede Robin Soderling.
Federer breezed through the opening two sets 6-3 6-0 in less than an hour, but Soderling dusted himself off and caused a surprise fourth set with a tiebreak victory.
Federer had led 4-0 in the third set ‘breaker before temporarily going off the boil.
The fourth set also went the full distance as Soderling threatened to take the match to a deciding fifth set with a set point at 6-5.
But Federer claimed the final three points to win the encounter – his 12th victory from as many meetings with the world No.12.
Swiss world No.1 Roger Federer remains on track for a sixth consecutive US Open crown after winning through to the semi-finals today.
Serbian Novak Djokovic kept alive his chances of climbing to the No.2 ranking when he became the first man into the semi-finals.
Djokovic and Spaniard Fernando Verdasco struggled in the windy conditions as they shared the opening two sets.
The clash was hanging in the balance at 5-5 in the third set until Djokovic broke Verdasco’s serve and held his own to snatch a two sets to one lead.
It proved a devastating blow as Djokovic bolted in the fourth 6-2.
Federer and Djokovic will cross paths for a 13th time, with the former leading 8-4 courtesy of a 6-4 6-1 triumph in the Cincinnati final less than two weeks ago.
Federer will be itching for a shot at Spaniard Rafael Nadal and it would be a major upset if Djokovic was to come out on top.
However, the Serbian did beat Federer in the semi-finals of the 2008 Australian Open, where he won his sole grand slam to date.
Nadal takes on Chilean Ferando Gonzalez for a semi-final place tonight, while Argentine Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Murray's conqueror Maric Cilic, of Croatia, lock horns in the other quarter-final.
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