Maria Sharapova's Malfunction Wardrobe?

Recently Maria Sharapova not only unveiled her limited edition and overpriced Canon PowerShot Diamond Collection but also her one-armed dress. Perhaps it has something to do with her shoulder injury which prevents her from participating in the U.S. Open.

At the event, five of the PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELPH cameras, designed in conjunction with Amosu, encrusted with 88 white diamonds totaling 2.22 carats, valued at approximately $10,000 and were to be awarded to lucky winners in sweepstakes.

(Via mariasharapova.com, stuff.co.nz)

Bryan brothers deny Leander Paes US Open doubles double

American twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan won their seventh Grand Slam men's doubles crown defeating India's Leander Paes and Czech Lukas Dlouhy 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (12/10) to take the U.S. Open title.

The Bryans, who ran through the tournament without losing a set, previously won Slam crowns at Roland Garros in 2003, the US Open in 2005, Wimbledon in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2006 and 2007.

The defeat denied Paes a chance at a U.S. Open doubles double, having already claimed the mixed crown with Zimbabwe's Cara Black.

The victory enables the Bryans to move back into the world number one ranking from second.

(Image by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Reasons why Venus Williams lost to sister Serena at the US Open

Serena Williams reached the semifinals on Wednesday with a tough 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7) victory over older sister Venus Williams.

The reasons for Venus' lost could be fatigue and lack of sleep.

Oh gosh, Venus, you really need some sleep.

Earlier this week, Venus Williams was seen with her hitting partner and her boyfriend,
pseudo-golfer Hank Kuehne during court practice.

Serena Williams too has her faithful manservant Common, the rapper and her boyfriend
at the court practice.

So, is Serena Williams going to win at this Grand Slam?

Statistics wise, Serena has the extra edge over the other 3 semifinalists Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina. Serena not only has won the U.S. Open but a total of eight Grand Slam singles titles. The others never have won one.


My pick? I would say Dementieva for she deserves a Grand Slam after a magnificent run since winning the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. She has been working very hard all these years (turned pro in 1998). Perhaps recent glory moments will delay her retirement a bit.

(Images by Stephanie Myles via Montreal Gazette)

It's tears and jeers at the US Open

Andy Murray broke Juan Martin Del Potro's 23-match win streak to win 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 in the men's singles quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open.

"We did good match. The people enjoy the match. He's more happy than me, but I'm not sad, you know," said the 6'6" Del Potro at the press conference.

However, when he was speaking to the Spanish media, the lanky tennis player broke down and was unable to continue with the conference. Poor thing. It must be a heavy burden to keep that winning streak.

In another quarterfinal match, Novak Djokovic left the Arthur Ashe Stadium Court to jeers and catcalls after his U.S. Open quarterfinal victory over Andy Roddick.



The Flushing Meadows crowd was enraged by comments the Serbian made in his post-match interview in which he criticised home idol Roddick in no uncertain terms.

Djokovic had been overreacted and angered by apparently light-hearted remarks made by Roddick in which he accused the world number three of faking injuries.

Nole shows he's the man.

"That's not nice, anyhow, to say in front of this crowd that I have 16 injuries and that I'm faking," Djokovic blurted out after his four-set victory.

"They're already against me, because they think I'm faking everything."

In Djokovic's last 16 match, a tough five-setter against Tommy Robredo, the reigning Australian Open champion called for the trainer several times as he dealt with hip, ankle, stomach and breathing issues.

Asked then about Djokovic's problems, Roddick joked whether the list shouldn't also include bird flu, anthrax, SARS and a common cold and said:

"He's either quick to call a trainer or he's the most courageous guy of all time."

What most irritated Djokovic was what Roddick said in an on-court interview on Tuesday:

"I've got to feel good. He's got about 16 injuries right now."

The remarks certainly acted as motivation, but Djokovic owed his 6-2 6-3 3-6 7-6 victory to uncharacteristic serving errors by Roddick.

Roddick was also asked about his verbal squabble with Djokovic and immediately apologized.

"It was completely meant in jest," Roddick said, pausing to choose the right words.

"I should know better. But listen, I joke all the time. I don't think anyone in their right mind takes me serious."

Both men spoke in private after the incident and Djokovic was also contrite in his post-match press conference.

"He made a joke and it was a misunderstanding, so I don't blame it on him," Djokovic said.

"Maybe I exaggerated and reacted bad in that moment. I apologize."

Djokovic advances into the semifinals and will meet Roger Federer, a rematch of last year's U.S. Open final, which Federer won for his fourth consecutive title at Flushing Meadows.

(Via cnn.com; images via yahoo! sports)

Cara Black and Leander Paes win US Open mixed doubles title

Leander Paes, fresh from winning the U.S. Open, looks fresh as if he's just out from the shower.

Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Leander Paes of India won their first U.S. Open mixed doubles title by beating Liezel Huber of the United States and Jamie Murray of Britain 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the final yesterday.

Paes has won four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, and Black has won three— but this was the first for each at Flushing Meadows and the first for them as a team.

They were seeded fifth at the U.S. Open. Huber and Murray were unseeded.

(Image by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal awarded the Prince of Asturias prize

With 75% (18 out of 24) of the jurors' votes, Rafael Nadal was unveiled as the winner of this year's Prince of Asturias sports prize in Oviedo earlier this morning. It is another milestone in what is turning out to be quite a year for the new world number one, who, apart from successfully defending his French Open title for the third time in a row, is also the new Wimbledon and Olympic champion.

In a statement, the jury praised the 22-year-old for his "commitment to the most noble sports values both in and outside of the court" and his development and charity work in favour of the underprivileged.

Rafael Nadal, the Spanish football team, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva are the five finalists for this year's Prince of Asturias prize, that will be announced tomorrow in Oviedo.

Among the candidates that failed to make the final shortlist are: Roger Federer, Olympic cycling veteran, Joan Llaneras, Gemma Mengual and the rest of the Spanish synochronised swim team, Pele, Alfredo di Stefano, Sir Alex Ferguson, Ethiopian athlete, Haile Gebrelassie, Pau Gasol and Ciudad Real handball team.

Previous winners:
1987 Sebastian Coe
1988 Juan Antonio Samaranch
1989 Severiano Ballesteros
1990 Sito Pons
1991 Sergei Bubka
1992 Miguel Indurain
1993 Javier Sotomayor
1994 Martina Navratilova
1995 Hassiba Boulmerka
1996 Carl Lewis
1997 The Spanish marathon team
1998 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
1999 Steffi Graf
2000 Lance Armstrong
2001 Manuel Estiarte
2002 The Brazilian football team
2003 The Tour de France
2004 Hicham El Guerrouj
2005 Fernando Alonso
2006 The Spanish basketball team
2007 Michael Schumacher

In the meanwhile, Nadal has made it through to the semifinals at the U.S. Open and will meet bicep-popping Andy Murray this Saturday.


(Via thinkspain.com; image via Yahoo! Sports)

I Kissed A Girl...

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Flavia Pennetta congratulates Dinara Safina (in pink) after Safina's two set victory during their quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open.


I can't help but to make this post when I see this picture. Hehe! The censored version of this song by Katy Perry is currently very popular on the radio.

(Image by AP Photo/Ed Betz)

Who else at the US Open?

This is the second part of the post here.

For the past few days, these are the celebrities spotted at the U.S. Open.

Luke Wilson

Martha Stewart

Alec Baldwin

Chace Crawford and Nicole Fiscella

Jeremy Piven

Adrian Grenier

Kim Cattrall and her boyfriend, Canadian chef Alan Wyse

Melania and Donald Trump

Cameron Diaz and Paul Sculfor

Candice Bergen and her huband Marshall Rose

Star Jones

Djimon Hounsou and Kimora Lee Simmons

Tiger Woods and wife Elin Nordegren

(Images via U.S. Open official website)

Quote of the Day: Andy Roddick on Novak Djokovic 'multiple injuries'

“I’ve got to feel good. He’s got about 16 injuries right now.”
~ Andy Roddick on Novak Djokovic whom he will meet in the quarterfinal at the U.S. Open.

Djokovic needed five sets to win his fourth-round match against No. 15 Tommy Robredo and is said to have to deal with stomach, hip, ankle and breathing problems.

Roddick jokingly tossed out a few possible additions to Djokovic’s long list of ailments—“bird flu, Anthrax, SARS”—he was asked whether he believed the Serbian was exaggerating his problems.

“Either he’s quick to call the trainer or one of the most courageous guys of all time,” Roddick said.

Let's see what kind of drama Djokovic will put in the quarterfinal match. Perhaps retire from the match?

(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

US Open: Tennis Wallpapers for your Desktop

The U. S. Open official website just updated some wallpapers for avid tennis fans to be installed in their computer desktop. Well I chose the last one. Grab yours too.

Installation instructions:
1. Choose a 1024x768, 1280x1024 or 1600x1200 size image.
2. The image will load in a new browser window.
3. Right-click on image.
4. Choose "Set as wallpaper".

JPG format
1024x768 (~260k)
1280x1024 (~425K)
1600x1200 (~500K)

JPG format
1024x768 (~260k)
1280x1024 (~425K)
1600x1200 (~500K)

JPG format
1024x768 (~260k)
1280x1024 (~425K)
1600x1200 (~500K)

JPG format
1024x768 (~260k)
1280x1024 (~425K)
1600x1200 (~500K)

JPG format
1024x768 (~260k)
1280x1024 (~425K)
1600x1200 (~500K)

(Via U.S. Open official website)

Kei Nishikori defeated David Ferrer to make tennis history at US Open

What is the most unlikely things a tennis player would do during the break between sets?

The answer is READING!

But that's what exactly Kei Nishikori did during the two-and-half hours marathon match against world no. 4 David Ferrer.

Kei, who had just dropped two straight sets against Ferrer, pulled out a small red and blue book out of his gym bag and started to read. Very typical Japanese, isn't it?

"I was reading about what I should do in the match," he explained. "Such as stay calm. And don't get pissed off too much."

Kei took the words to heart, beating Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5 in a thriller to become the first Japanese man in the modern era to reach the round of 16 at the US Open.

"I still can't believe it," said Nishikori of the three-hour, 25-minute match against the 2007 US Open semi-finalist. "I was playing great. This is the biggest win for me."

After squandering a two-set lead, Nishikori, who is ranked 126th in the world, stepped it up in the fifth set, clinching the victory on his third match point.

By reaching the fourth round, he surpassed countrymen Jun Kamiwazumi (1973) and Toshiro Sakai (1971), who advanced to the third round of the US Open before being eliminated.

"I never think about it," Nishikori said of his historic run at Flushing Meadows. "That I am making history or something. But I know Shuzo made the quarters of Wimbledon."

"I was tired and my legs were almost cramping," he said.

"But I tried to tell myself that I am playing David and he's number four in the world. That made me feel kind of happy and think more positive. I was tired too so I just tried to fight in the fifth set."

Nishikori has trained for the past five years at the Bollettieri Academy in Florida after arriving in the United States without his family as a 13-year-old.

"I had two friends come with me," he said. "I couldn't speak English. I was so nervous. I was scared of everything, all the American people. "But now it is fine."

The unseeded Nishikori will next face Juan Martin Del Potro, who comes into the fourth round riding a 22-match win streak. Gambatte, Kei-san!

(Images via sponichi.co.jp, AP Photo/Kathy Willens, ATP website)

Venus Williams Signs Her New Book for Fans

Venus Williams add another feather to her cap.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion were at the Hospitality Village, the tennis centre on USTA Member Appreciation Day signing copies of her new book, 'Venus'.

Also around the Village was former tennis star Murphy Jensen, filming 'Explore the Open'.

'Venus' is a collection of photographs of Williams, one of the world’s greatest tennis players, taken by fashion photographer Koto Bolofo, showcasing her elegance both on and off the tennis court in black and white, as well as color photos. The book is by Bolofo in collaboration with Williams.

Williams said she had never thought she would have a book like this and is just happy to have had the opportunity to do it.

“I just hope people enjoy the book and put it on their coffeetables,” Williams said.

“I just want them to take the journey with me in this book as kind of the classic tennis player. The book has a certain kind of serene mood, (and I hope people) just get into that mood looking at it.”

In the meanwhile, Venus advances to the 4th round after beating No. 27 seed Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-2, 6-1.

(News and images via U.S. Open official website)

James Blake finds time to do charity off court

James Blake added to his ongoing charitable work Friday by presenting The Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program and the USTA Serves foundation with a $10,000 check on behalf of Evian Natural Spring Water.

As a three-year spokesperson for Evian, Blake decided to tap into his creative juices this year and design a Limited Edition Evian Brumisateur, which was exclusively sold at the 2008 US Open and the 2008 Olympus Open Series.

The $10,000 donation came from the sale of the water sprays.

Blake is a graduate and proud supporter of the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program. Every year he does his best to give back to the program that helped him get his start. Youth from the program were on hand today, sporting their J-Block T-shirts, to meet with Blake for the ceremony and a photo opportunity.

“Our goal is to create successful kids,” said Harlem Junior Tennis & Educational Program Director James R. Kelly III. “We realize that not every kid will be a James Blake. James is an exception, but we’re happy when 90 percent of our kids go to college and become productive citizens.”

Of the $10,000 donation, 75 percent will go to the Harlem Junior Tennis & Educational Program, and the remaining 25 percent goes to USTA Serves, which is the U.S. Tennis Association’s foundation for academics, character and excellence. The foundation is designed to support, monitor and promote programs that enhance the lives of disadvantaged children through the integration of tennis and education.

After Blake presented the check, he met and took pictures with 50 enthusiastic fans at the Evian Booth with the Olympus PhotoCart.

Well done, Blake but...

... too bad Blake lost to Mardy Fish in the third round match 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

(Images and news via U.S. Open official website, AP Photo/Ed BetzAP Photo/Ed Betz)