US Open Week 1 Wrap-up: Bizarre weekend as Roddick, Sharapova, Safina oust in the third round

It seems like a bizarre day at Flushing Meadows as Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova and Dinara Safina were sent off by lesser known players, John Isner, Melanie Oudin and Petra Kvitova respectively.

Big-serving Roddick was defeated by the 6-foot-9 and countryman Isner who won 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6.

Another American who delivers one of the biggest shock is Oudin who sent off Sharapova in a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory, followed up her win over another Russian Elena Dementieva in the earlier round.

In a late night match moment ago, top seed and world no. 1 Dinara Safina blowed a chance at the season ending Grand Slam after she was defeated 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 by little-known Petra Kvitova.

Earlier, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic led a parade of seeds — Nikolay Davydenko (8), Fernando Verdasco (10), Robin Soderling (12) and Radek Stepanek (15)—into the second week of the hardcourt major.

Kudos to American Jessie Witten who battled for almost 3 and a 1/2 hours before succumbing 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 to Djokovic.

That was hell of an entertaining match as we saw Djokovic's racquet slipped off his hand several times.

I truly enjoyed this match although the LIVE coverage on TV kept hopping from court to court.

Since I did not post any updates on Saturday, here's the complete results for Day 5 and Day 6.

US Open men's singles third round results from New York on Sunday (prefix denotes seeding)

14-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat 21-James Blake (U.S.) 7-6(2) 6-4 6-4
John Isner (U.S.) beat 5-Andy Roddick (U.S.) 7-6(3) 6-3 3-6 5-7 7-6(5)
10-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat 20-Tommy Haas (Germany) 3-6 7-5 7-6(8) 1-6 6-4
12-Robin Soderling (Sweden) beat 22-Sam Querrey (U.S.) 6-2 7-5 6-7(6) 6-1
8-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Marco Chiudinelli (Switzerland) 6-4 7-5 7-5
4-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Jesse Witten (U.S.) 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(2) 6-4
1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat 31-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) 4-6 6-3 7-5 6-4
15-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat 23-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3

US Open women's singles third round results from New York on Sunday (prefix denotes seeding)

Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat 1-Dinara Safina (Russia) 6-4 2-6 7-6(5)
9-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat 24-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-3 6-2
Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) beat Anastasia Rodionova (Russia) 7-6(4) 6-4
6-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Shahar Peer (Israel) 7-5 6-1
Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) beat Sara Errani (Italy) 6-3 6-4
Gisela Dulko (Argentina) beat Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) 6-3 6-4
Melanie Oudin (U.S.) beat 29-Maria Sharapova (Russia) 3-6 6-4 7-5
13-Nadia Petrova (Russia) beat 21-Zheng Jie (China) 6-4 6-1


US Open men's singles second round results from New York on Saturday (prefix denotes seeding)

3-Rafael Nadal (Spain) beat Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) 6-0 3-6 6-3 6-4
Taylor Dent (US) beat Ivan Navarro (Spain) 6-4 5-7 6-7(1) 7-5 7-6(9)
Jose Acasuso (Argentina) beat 18-David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-2
11-Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) beat Josselin Ouanna (France) 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4
13-Gael Monfils (France) beat Andreas Beck (Germany) 6-3 7-5 6-3
32-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) beat Robby Ginepri (US) 6-7(7) 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-4
Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) beat Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) 2-6 6-4 4-6 7-5 7-6(4)
2-Andy Murray (Britain) beat Paul Capdeville (Chile) 6-2 3-6 6-0 6-2
Daniel Koellerer (Austria) beat Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay) 3-6 6-2 6-1 6-4
17-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) 6-3 6-7(3) 7-6(2) 6-2
9-Gilles Simon (France) beat Thomaz Bellucci (Brazil) 6-3 6-2 6-4
6-Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) beat Juergen Melzer (Austria) 7-6(6) 6-3 6-3
24-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spain) beat Philipp Petzschner (Germany) 1-6 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-4
16-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beat Jesse Levine (US) 4-6 2-6 6-0 6-3 6-0
Julien Benneteau (France) beat 30-Viktor Troicki (Serbia) 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-0
7-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) beat Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) 7-5 6-3 6-4

US Open women's singles third round results from New York on Saturday (prefix number denotes seeding)

3-Venus Williams (US) beat Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia) 6-2 7-5
Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) 6-0 6-2
18-Li Na (China) beat Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 6-4 6-2
7-Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat 31-Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-2 6-4
26-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat 8-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 4-6 6-2 6-2
2-Serena Williams (US) beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) 6-3 7-5
22-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Vania King (US) 6-2 6-2
10-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) beat Aleksandra Wozniak (Canada) 6-1 6-1

(Via AP, Reuters, TVNZ, US Open website)

US Open Day 4 Wrap-up: Elena Dementieva blows $1mil bonus, another smooth day for men's seeded players

It was another disastrous day at the US Open where several women's seeded players were knocked out from the season ending Grand Slam — no. 4 Elena Dementieva, no. 5 Jelena Jankovic, no. 19 Patty Schnyder, no. 23 Sabine Lisicki and no. 30 Alona Bondarenko.

Elena Dementieva blew her $1 million bonus after being stunned by American teenager Melanie Oudin 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

The 17-year-old Oudin will set up a third-round match against Maria Sharapova who eliminated another 17-year-old American, Christina McHale 6-2, 6-1.

Dinara Safina was lucky to stay in the tournament, overcoming her second poor performance of the week before defeating Kristina Barrois 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3.

It was whole different scenario with the guys as no seeded men lost on Day 4 at the US Open.

Surprisingly, the Americans did pretty well as they sailed through to the next round — Andy Roddick, James Blake, Sam Querrey, John Isner and the unknown Jesse Witten.

Swiss Marco Chiudinelli currently ranked 161 in the world, surprised many after defeating Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-3.

Somdev Devvarman managed to bageled Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third set before he was shown the exit door by the German who won 6-3, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.

US Open men's singles second round results from New York on Friday (prefix denotes seeding)

5-Andy Roddick (US) beat Marc Gicquel (France) 6-1 6-4 6-4
23-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany) beat Somdev Devvarman (India) 6-3 6-4 0-6 6-2
John Isner (US) beat Marsel Ilhan (Turkey) 6-3 6-4 7-6(1)
21-James Blake (US) beat Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 6-4 3-6 7-6(6) 6-3
4-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat Carsten Ball (Australia) 6-3 6-4 6-4
15-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) 7-6(5) 6-3 6-4
Marco Chiudinelli (Switzerland) beat Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 6-3
14-Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain) 6-2 4-6 6-2 6-4
12-Robin Soederling (Sweden) beat Marcel Granollers (Spain) 2-0 (Granollers retired)
8-Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) beat Jan Hernych (Czech Republic) 6-4 6-1 6-2
22-Sam Querrey (US) beat Kevin Kim (U.S.) 7-5 6-7(6) 6-4 6-4
10-Fernando Verdasco (Spain) beat Florent Serra (France) 6-3 6-0 6-3
Jesse Witten (US) beat Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) 6-7(3) 6-4 7-5 6-2
20-Tommy Haas (Germany) beat Robert Kendrick (US) 6-4 6-4 7-6(3)

US Open women's singles second round results from New York on Friday (prefix denotes seeding)

29-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat Christina McHale (US) 6-2 6-1
Shahar Peer (Israel) beat Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 6-2 6-0
6-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) 6-4 6-2
Anastasia Rodionova (Russia) beat 23-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) 6-3 3-6 7-5
Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) beat 5-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(6)
Sara Errani (Italy) beat 19-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 7-5 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) beat Peng Shuai (China) 2-6 6-1 6-4
Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Tathiana Garbin (Italy) 6-1 6-3
21-Zheng Jie (China) beat Alize Cornet (France) 1-6 6-3 6-3
9-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat Petra Martic (Croatia) 6-1 6-0
Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) beat Shenay Perry (US) 6-1 6-1
Melanie Oudin (US) beat 4-Elena Dementieva (Russia) 5-7 6-4 6-3
24-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) beat Stephanie Dubois (Canada) 6-4 5-7 6-4
1-Dinara Safina (Russia) beat Kristina Barrois (Germany) 6-7(5) 6-2 6-3
13-Nadia Petrova (Russia) beat Julie Coin (France) 6-4 7-6(3)
Gisela Dulko (Argentina) beat 30-Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) 6-4 6-0

(Via AP, TVNZ, US Open website)

Zahederer has a serious competitor

Zahed and his Mom was in KL back in November, 2008

One of our friend and occasional Tennisweek.com featured writer, Zahed Khan (a.k.a Zahederer) — one of the world's most devoted Roger Federer fans and also a Federer lookalike — has a serious competitor.

Mentioned in the US Open website, this anonymous New York City bartender in the picture above is also often mistaken for Federer.

(Images by HCFoo, US Open website)

Jelena Jankovic devastated by grandmother's passing, ousted from US Open

My heartfelt condolences to Jelena Jankovic for the passing of her beloved grandma.

The night before her second round match, her grandmother had passed away back home in Serbia.

Her heart and mind was simply not at the US Open after the hearbreaking news.

As a result, she lost to Yaroslava Shvedova, 3-6, 7-6, 6-7.

“I was very sad and emotionally I was really not on court,” Jankovic said.

“I really tried my best to be there and to try to play, but it was really hard."

“You could see I was not happy on the court. I was really suffering. I tried to think about my tennis, but I felt like I was so late and so slow.”

Jankovic planned to fly to Serbia today to join her mother, who left New York on Wednesday to return home.

Jankovic said she didn’t know many details after talking on the phone with her mother.

“I couldn’t really speak,” she said.

“I was just crying.”

“When you are sad, when you are down, you’re not the same person,” she said.

“You don’t move as well. You don’t hit the ball as well. My head wasn’t really there. I just was so—it was like a shadow of myself."

“But, you know, what can you do? Life goes on and I have to try to stay hopefully positive as much as I can, get through this.”

Anyway, kudos to Shvedova for advancing to the third round after a gutsy effort against Jankovic.

(Via AP)