US Open - Azarenka safely through after dropping set

US Open - Azarenka safely through after dropping set

A feisty Victoria Azarenka dropped her first set of the tournament on Saturday before regaining her composure to safely book her place in the last 16 at the US Open.

 

 

A finalist last year and one of the favourites to win the title this season, the Belarusian passed her first real test at the championship in beating beat Alize Cornet of France 6-7(2) 6-3 6-2.

By her own admission, this was not one of Azarenka's best performances. She made 38 unforced errors and got involved in an argument with the chair umpire over a line call.

"I don't think I played my best tennis today but I have to give her credit. She played really well," Azarenka said. "The dynamic of the match was a little bit weird for me.

"I felt like I didn't take my opportunities in the first set, which was kind of a waste and it gave her a lot of confidence."

The first set took more than an hour to complete and the 24-year-old Azarenka was frustrated that she let it go after fighting back from 4-1 behind to force a tiebreak. But she raised her game in the remaining two sets, reducing her unforced error count.

"That was more me playing, more finding the rhythm," she said. "I felt much better in the third set than in the first set which was going past the two-hour mark. It's pretty good, so I'm happy with that."

Azarenka's frustrations threatened to boil over when the umpire ordered a point she had won to be replayed and was still fuming about it after the match.

"That was the most ridiculous thing there is," she said. "I had already walked to my chair, Alize almost walked to her chair, they said, 'replay the point'."

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US Open - Halep's magic ride carries her to round of 16

US Open - Halep's magic ride carries her to round of 16

The magic ride enjoyed by Romanian Simona Halep grew more thrilling as she produced her best tennis to derail 14th-seeded Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-0 on Saturday to reach the fourth round of the US Open.

 

After five winless years on the tour, the 21-year-old Halep has caught fire in 2013, notching four titles including the US Open hard court run-up event in New Haven last week.

"It was the best match ever for me," Halep said after a lightning-quick demolition of Kirilenko that took just 51 minutes. "I played incredible today. No mistakes."

Pardon Halep for the slightest of exaggerations as the aggressive baseliner was charged with eight unforced errors, though her helpful opponent committed three times that number.

For Kirilenko, it was a case of once again hitting a third-round barrier at the US Open.

The Russian had reached the round of 32 at Flushing Meadows for the eighth time but only once has she gone beyond, with a fourth-round appearance against eventual winner Samantha Stosur in 2011.

The victory put the former French Open junior champion into the round of 16 for the first time at a Grand Slam.

She will face Italy's Flavia Pennetta, a 7-5 6-1 winner against 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova following her upset of fourth-seeded compatriot Sara Errani.

Halep was hard-pressed to explain her brilliant run.

"I am more aggressive, more relaxed on court," said Halep, who has recovered from a variety of nagging injuries. "I just want to take the pleasure of every point and fight for every point.

"I feel good, and I play really, really good now."

The Romanian, who ended last year ranked 47th, has soared up the rankings list, climbing into the top 20 at number 19.

After a mediocre start to the year, Halep caught fire in June, winning her first tour titles at Nurnberg and 's-Hertogenbosch, then adding another crown at Budapest in July.

A lower back injury forced her to withdraw from the Toronto event this month, but she came back to reach the quarters at Cincinnati before falling to world number one Serena Williams.

Halep said beating Czech Petra Kvitova in the final to cap another title run last week gave her a big boost.

"I played really good in New Haven, a good week, the best week in my life," said Halep. "When I came here, I just wanted to keep my energy on."

Halep cleared a difficult hurdle in her opening match at Flushing Meadows.

"My first match was very difficult because (Briton Heather Watson) had set and 4-3. But I came back," she said.

Halep followed that with a 6-2 6-1 thrashing of Croat Donna Vekic, then Saturday's rout of Kirilenko.

"I'm happy that I can win a lot of matches here. I played really good. I want to enjoy this tournament," said Halep, hoping the magic ride has miles to go.

"I feel good. I just want to keep going."

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US Open - Ferrer through to last 16 after beating Kukushkin

US Open - Ferrer through to last 16 after beating Kukushkin

Spain's David Ferrer became the first man to reach the round of 16 at this year's US Open when he defeated Kazakhstan qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin on Saturday.

 

Ferrer, seeded fourth after reaching the French Open final in June, dropped a set for the second match in a row but was otherwise untroubled in his 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory.

Kukushkin matched his best performance at a Grand Slam by reaching the third round but contributed to his own downfall by committing 66 unforced errors, almost twice as many as Ferrer.

The Spaniard was a semi-finalist at the US Open in 2007 and again last year. His next opponent will be Janko Tipsarevic who beat Jack Sock 3-6 7-6(1) 6-1 6-2.

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US Open - Evergreen Hewitt defies doctors to record huge upset

US Open - Evergreen Hewitt defies doctors to record huge upset

Six doctors told former world number one Lleyton Hewitt he should retire.

 

Thankfully he sought further opinion and is now looking forward to a third round clash at the U.S. Open.

Hewitt's inspirational five-set triumph over Argentina's sixth seed Juan Martin del Potro at Flushing Meadows on Friday was a crowning moment in his harrowing journey back from five rounds of surgery.

The 32-year-old Australian recovered from blowing a huge early lead to finally notch a 6-4 5-7 3-6 7-6(2) 6-1 second round win on Arthur Ashe Stadium that came two years after he was repeatedly told he should quit if he had major surgery on the big toe of his left foot.

"The foot surgery, I must have seen seven or eight different surgeons worldwide," Hewitt said.

"At least six of them told me to retire if you have it done. I'm very thankful that I found the guy that I believed in. We went in there and we were optimistic about it."

In 2011, Hewitt's toe was chronically arthritic and misshapen after years of digging into courts to launch his service action. Last year he had the toe reconstructed and irreversibly fused.

Cartilage was removed in 2012 and painful bone spurs were shaved off. A steel rod was inserted. The toe no longer moves, but nor does it give Hewitt grief.

"We thought I might be able to play doubles," he said. "But we weren't 100 percent sure whether I would be able to come back and play singles, even with doing all the hard work with rehab.

"In the back of your mind, you still have question marks, whether it's going to be good enough to go out and compete on the centre stage against the top players again.

"When I first came back for the French Open and Wimbledon, I wasn't in a good place in terms of the foot. I was still in a bit of pain after the surgery, but the last year has been pretty good."

Hewitt double-faulted at set point in the second set. He proceeded to fall in a hole there seemed no escape from before producing a near perfect tiebreaker to ensure the match went the distance. Vintage ball striking and counter-punching had him raising his arms in victory after four hours and three minutes of toil.

"I don't know how many years I have left in me so I was just hanging to get back on this court again," he said in a courtside interview afterwards.

"It was a hell of a lot of fun. I cherish every match I get. This is why I still play, to have moments like this."

Later, he added: "It was an unbelievable atmosphere. I just kept fighting and putting it out there. I kept coming at him the whole night. I was frustrated not closing it out when I had the chance. He was hitting the ball a lot bigger and I was on the defensive the whole time. I didn't put a foot wrong in the tiebreaker."

Twelve long years have passed since Hewitt beat the great Pete Sampras to win the U.S Open. He was subdued after toppling Del Potro to set up a clash against Russia's Evgeny Donskoy, admitting he was vaguely stunned himself by the result.

"It's an amazing feeling," he said.

"For me, just going back in the locker room afterwards, I sort of had to pinch myself. I love being out in that atmosphere, sucking up every second of it.

"He's a pretty quiet guy and I was trying to stay in my zone out there. Obviously over five sets there's going to be a lot of ups and downs and momentum swings. I don't know how many times I'm going to play here in the future. I didn't take it for granted tonight."

Del Potro, also a former U.S. Open champion, paid tribute to Hewitt's tenacity. The Argentinian, however, contributed to his own demise with 70 unforced errors. "He's a great champion and a great fighter."

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US Open - Serena win sets up all-American fourth-round match

US Open - Serena win sets up all-American fourth-round match

Defending champion Serena Williams beat unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3 6-1 to set up a US Open fourth-round clash with fellow American Sloane Stephens.

 

Four-times US Open winner Williams grabbed the only service break of the first set in the sixth game and immediately seized the advantage by breaking the 78th-ranked Shvedova in the opening game of the second set and charged on to victory.

The routine win moved the world number one and top seed into the round of 16 against 20-year-old Stephens, who defeated Williams in the quarter-finals of this year's Australian Open.

The 15th-seeded Stephens defeated compatriot Jamie Hampton 6-1 6-3 in her third-round match.

Williams, 31, was never really threatened by Shvedova, who had advanced to the third round with the loss of just six games.

The 25-year-old with the heavy, flat groundstrokes produced only three winners as she fell short of becoming the first woman to reach the fourth round of the US Open representing Kazakhstan.

Williams dismissed the notion that she would be playing for revenge against Stephens with a berth in the quarter-finals at stake.

"It's going to be tough, Sloane is playing so well," Williams said on court after her late finish in the final night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"Regardless, there's going to be one American in the quarter-finals, and I'm really proud of Sloane and it's going to be a really good match."

Stephens, after her victory, said she was eager for a clash against Williams.

"I think it will be an epic," said Stephens. "I'm really looking forward to it."

The young American lost to Williams in the Brisbane quarter-finals two weeks before the Australia Open.

"She's a great competitor, one of the best players to ever play the game," she said about what she admires about the 16-times Grand Slam singles winner.

"She's a fierce competitor, obviously she's number one in the world for a reason. She's very aggressive. She stays on top of you, doesn't give you any room to breathe. She's intense. She knows what she wants to do out there.

"That's why she's number one in the world."

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US Open - Hewitt stuns Del Potro

US Open - Hewitt stuns Del Potro

Australia's Lleyton Hewitt won an absorbing late-night thriller against Juan Martin Del Potro at the US Open to move into the third round.

 

In a battle between two former US Open champions, the veteran Australian came out on top after more than four hours, winning 6-4 5-7 3-6 7-6 (2) 6-1, in one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.

Del Potro, who stunned Roger Federer to win the 2009 US Open, was one of the favourites to win the men's singles title but the towering Argentine was unable to find an answer to Hewitt's counter-punches as the pair slugged it out like two heavyweight boxers.

"It's amazing," Hewitt said on-court. "I was pumped up when I won my first-round match because I knew I was playing Del Potro and we could be on Arthur Ashe (Stadium).

"I don't know how many years I have left in me so I was just hanging to get back on this court again."

Hewitt may no longer be as fast as he was when he upset Pete Sampras to win the final 12 years ago but the 32-year-old showed he had lost none of his combative spirit.

Scrambling around the centre court to keep up with his younger opponent, he fetched more balls than a golden retriever, and hit a string of inch-perfect winners.

His biggest flaw, however, remains his serve, which lacks the power of most of his opponents and it threatened to let him down.

After snatching the opening set, Hewitt, who also won Wimbledon in 2002, had a perfect opportunity to take a two-set lead.

He was just a point away on his own serve when he double-faulted. Del Potro went on to break him and take the set and seized the momentum.

The 24-year-old Del Potro, seeded sixth at Flushing Meadows, won the third set but was starting to run out of gas.

He found himself down a break in the fourth and although Hewitt failed to serve out the set, the Australian won the ensuing tie-breaker 7-2 to send the match into a deciding fifth set as the boisterous New York roared with approval.

Del Potro blinked first and Hewitt pounced to break his serve twice and jumped out to a 5-1 lead. The Argentine saved a match point on his own serve but double-faulted on the second as Hewitt celebrated a remarkable victory.

His prize for winning was a third-round clash with the unseeded Russian Evgeny Donskoy, who won his own five-set marathon against Germany's Peter Gojowczyk 6-3 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3, but Hewitt was not looking too far ahead as he soaked up the moment.

"A couple of years ago, when I had a couple of foot surgeries, I didn't know if I'd ever play tennis again," said Hewitt, who has fallen to 66th in the rankings.

"It was a hell of a lot of fun, I cherish every match I get. This is why I still play, to have moments like this."

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US Open - Hingis serves up double disappointment on return

US Open - Hingis serves up double disappointment on return

Two matches. Two full houses. Two losses. Martina Hingis proved she could still put backsides on seats in her return to the US Open, even if her service game recalled more the struggles of the past than the triumphs.

 

Hundreds of spectators were shut out of Court 17 for the 32-year-old's cameo in the women's doubles but her return to Grand Slam tennis, also incorporating an appearance in the mixed event, was blighted by a pair of defeats.

Sixteen years after winning her only US Open singles title, the woman once known as the "Swiss Miss" made two appearances at Flushing Meadows.

In the first, she partnered Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova against the top-seeded Italian pairing of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

The match ended in underwhelming fashion for Hingis, who served up consecutive double faults to seal a 6-3 7-5 loss.

Hingis was crestfallen.

She had received a massive cheer when introduced to the crowd and been the focus of all attention. The roars and groans from the bleachers matched her own fluctuating fortunes.

Hingis beamed whenever the old magic returned but this was no hit and giggle.

The former world number one argued with the umpire, bounced her racquet in frustration and clenched her fists throughout a determined effort.

Hingis dropped her opening service game in a tentative beginning. A hint of what would come.

There were flashes of the craftiness that landed her five major titles but her serve lacked punch.

Her physical fitness was evident to everyone who saw her.

Walking through the crowd to her first match, a large man stood in front of her and said: 'Jeez, you're looking good!'

Hingis later returned for a mixed doubles match under the Court Four floodlights with India's Mahesh Bhupathi against Sweden's Robert Lindstedt and Taiwan's Chan Yung-Jan.

Again she served to stay in the match at 5-6 in the second set. She held.

Another defeat was on its way, however, when Hingis conceded two mini-breaks in the tie-breaker en route to a 7-6(5) 7-6(5) reverse.

She admitted nerves and relative poor fitness had contributed to her losses.

"My calf was killing me," she said. "I couldn't get up on my serve any more. And definitely the nerves. Not playing at a Grand Slam for six years doesn't help, either.

"I think it's because I just played a lot and my body's not used to it. I feel like I'm playing well but my body is screaming, 'What are you doing to me?'"

Hingis first retired in 2002, aged 22. She launched a full-scale comeback in 2006, but retired again in 2007. That same year, she admitted to having tested positive for cocaine.

By then, her finesse-based game and lack of serving penetration were proving ineffective against a powerful new generation led by Serena and Venus Williams.

She said she would continue playing with Hantuchova in tournaments in Asia, but dismissed out of hand a return to singles.

"God, give me a break," she said. "No, I haven't given any more thought to it. I have a hard enough time trying to cover half the court. Full court is a completely different ball game.

"But I always enjoyed the big stage, and you saw the people that came today. You don't see such a crowd in women's doubles, normally."

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