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US Open 2010, Flushing Meadows, NY, USA
September 10, 2010
Editorial by Jane Voigt.
Jane Voigt |
Zvonareva Shocks Wozniacki, Clijsters Scrapes by Williams
September 10, 2010 -- Venus Williams hadn't played a match since Wimbledon, when she walked on Arthur Ashe Stadium almost two weeks ago. She'd hoped to pull off the upset of Clijsters, the odds-on favorite to win today's semifinal match.
Caroline Wozniacki marched through the women's singles draw as the unexpected #1 seed, after Serena Williams pulled out with a foot injury. The Dane wasn't given much respect from fans; and, the press was unanimously skeptical. But then she beat Maria Sharapova in straight sets, and Sunshine Wozniacki's bandwagon filled up.
Vera Zvonareva, though, took Sunshine apart. And Kim Clijsters was victorious against Venus Williams. The two better players advanced.
The Russian and #7 seed served lights out tennis. Even with the trouble she had with her strings -- she broke three sets -- Zvonareva maintained a relentless and steely demeanor, which grounded the sometimes-melodramatic player.
"I was patient and aggressive," Zvonareva said in her press conference. "I played ugly at times. But, I got the job done."
This is Zvonareva's first trip to the final at The U. S. Open and her second major final of the year. She played Serena Williams at Wimbledon in July. Zvonareva had never been past the fourth round in New York.
Wozniacki's uncharacteristic performance quieted fans. She acted lost, at points, as if she tried too hard and then tried to adjust her timing only to miscalculate shots. Her footwork was on target, but the inevitable thoughts of doom seemed to creep in her mind and rattle her usually solid game and mental toughness.
"I played well some of the time," Wozniacki began. "But she played well, today."
Wozniacki unforced errors in this semifinal exceeded the total number of errors from all her previous matches. Zvonareva was stronger. She deserved the win and honor of playing in the final Saturday night.
Venus Williams came out on fire. She served rockets between 110 and 124 mph. She broke an off-balance Clijsters early in the first set and closed it out, looking like the Venus that won the title in 2001 and the Venus with seven major titles.
Today, though, was the anniversary of Clijsters first U. S. Open title that she won in 2005. Perhaps the occasion stirred her, or her tenacious and competitive nature pulled her through. Venus's second set tiebreak meltdown also turned the tables.
In the fourth game of the second set a shot from Clijsters teetered on the net cord, then fell in. She had the early break and went up 2/0. She ran off the next game at love, securing her lead to 3/0. She had begun to take the ball earlier, pressuring Williams' footwork and anticipation.
But like other matches played in the swirling winds on Arthur Ashe, this one too had its multiple breaks. The set was decided in a tiebreak. One Venus Williams will want to forget quickly.
"Obviously in the tiebreak I wasn't able to play as well as I wanted," Venus began. "I had too many errors, and she played some good tennis."
Williams double faulted away her first two points. She hit an overhead long. Sent a backhand wide, and overran a ball that caused an error off her forehand.
"It was just tough to start serving with the wind behind you in the tiebreak," Venus explained. "I was waiting a lot longer for the wind to stop. Regardless, I've got to get it in and start the point."
Clijsters continued to improve as the match entered the last set. She took an early lead, but lost it when she double faulted twice in the eighth game, then choked away a swinging volley. The match was even at 4-games all.
But Venus didn't play the big points well and fell behind, donating her serve to the #2 seed who was about to step up and serve for the match and a place across the net from Vera Zvonareva in the final.
Final score -- 46 76(2) 64.
"I'm glad to be able to live these moments," Kim said on court.
Men's Doubles and The Indo Pak Express
For all the talk in the press and around the grounds of the USTA Billy Jean King National Tennis Center about the lack of an American male advancing to the quarterfinals in 10 years, a solid argument exists that Americans have fared darn well. Possibly the best match, and definitely the most dramatic, of the tournament today went off on Arthur Ashe prior to the women's semifinals.
Bob and Mike Bryan, the number one seeded team, played India's Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, the 16th and lowest seeded team, in the Men's Doubles Championship. The Bryans won the match and the title, their 3rd U. S. Open and their 9th major overall, but the underlying story overwhelmed the tennis match.
Bopanna and Qureshi, or the Indo Pak Express as they call themselves, have played on tour for two years. Their partnership and performance at the Open, which they characterized as a peace initiative, has helped foster better relations between their countries, which have been bitter rivals for centuries. It has also raised awareness about the devastating floods in Pakistan, which have left some 20 million people homeless.
"My only motivation for the whole two weeks was to give some good news back home," Qureshi said to the press.
Both countries UN Ambassadors attended the match and sat side by side. Yesterday, the Minister of Pakistan phoned Qureshi, wishing them all they best. "He appreciated our cause," Qureshi added.
This final was the team's first final in a major.
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Bob and Mike Bryan were touched by the occasion, as was everyone.
"I could see a bunch of Indians and Pakistanis out there at 10:15 am when we were warming up," Bob began. "I'm like, we're not going to have the whole crows on our side for sure."
The brothers agreed that what the Indo Pak Express had set out to achieve was more important than winning the U. S. Open.
"What they're doing to bring India and Pak together is pretty special," Bob said. "These guys are going to be great to the game. Hopefully they stick together. It's going do great things for doubles and peace."
The Bryans won the tight match 76(5) 76(4). The twins said they played their best tennis of the tournament today.
[7] Vera Zvonareva (RUS) {white shirt} d [1] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 64 63
[2] Kim Clijsters (BEL) d [3] Venus Williams (USA) {black dress} 46 76(2) 64
Earlier Coverage from this Event:
September 9, 2010 US Open: Them - Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco, Mikhail Youzhny, Stanislas Wawrinka
September 8, 2010 US Open: Below Par - Novak Djokovic, Gael Monfils, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova, Roger Federer, Robin Soderling, Vera Zvonareva, Kaia Kanepi
September 7, 2010 US Open: A Precious Win - Stanislas Wawrinka, Sam Querrey, Venus Williams, Francesca Schiavone
September 6, 2010 US Open: The Important Stuff - Novak Djokovic, Mardy Fish, Robin Soderling, Albert Montanes
September 5, 2010 US Open: Seeing The Light - Rafael Nadal, Gilles Simone, Fernando Verdasco, David Nalbandian, Francesca Schiavone, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
September 4, 2010 US Open: Favorites - Mardy Fish, Arnaud Clement, Maria Sharapova, Beatrice Capra, Jurgen Melzer, Juan Carlos Ferrero
September 3, 2010 US Open: The Virtual U.S. Open - Ryan Harrison, Sergiy Stakhovsky, John Isner, Marco Chiudinelli
September 2, 2010 US Open: Way Below The Radar - Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki, Kai-Chen Chang, Andreas Beck, Robin Soderling, Taylor Dent
September 1, 2010 US Open: The Word - Andy Murray, Lukas Lacko, Venus Williams, Rebecca Marino, Gael Monfils, Igor Andreev
August 31, 2010 US Open: What's Age Got To Do With It? Arnaud Clement, Marcos Baghdatis, Novak Djokovic, Mardy Fish, Jan Hajek, Viktor Troicki
August 30, 2010 US Open: And Away We Go - Melanie Oudin, Kim Clijsters, Andy Roddick, Olga Savchuk, Greta Arn, Stephane Robert
August 29, 2010 US Open: Who's In, Who's Out
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