Jax Sporting News.com© News & Views

Stosur Wins First Slam at the US Open

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated September 10, 2011

Flushing Meadows, NY—Serena Williams didn’t lose in the finals of the 2011 US Open, Samantha Stosur out right beat her, hands down!  Williams, the 28^th seed, but she openly declares that she is the world number 1 ranked player, started the match in typical Serena fashion by serving an ace. That didn’t intimidate Samantha Stosur, the tournaments 9^th seed, who crowded the baseline  on Williams service games, something no other player has done.  Williams won her first service game although along with an ace she served a double fault.  Stosur began her first service game without showing an ounce of fear starting with a service winner to go up 15-0, then stormed the net and produced her first of many volley winners to go up 30-0.  Williams hit out on the next point giving Stosur a 40-0 service game  but a lapse in concentration that Stosur has been known for in the past crept in and created her only double fault of the match.  Williams managed a backhand down the line winner to take the game to 40-30 but Stosur’s forehand was on fire; she hit a down the line winner to secure the game and tie that match at 1-1.

In the third game of the match with Williams serving, Stosur began the game with a forehand down the line winner.  Serena sprayed a forehand out to drop to 15-30 but Williams had not given up.  The next point she served an ace, her second of the match, to tie the score 30-30.  On a second serve Stosur took the opportunity to come to net and was rewarded with another volley winner to take the lead 40-30.  Williams, down break point, hit a backhand out and her serve was broken for the first time in the match.  Stosur took the early lead 2-1.  The question was: could Stosur stay focused to take the set from Williams?  Stosur and Williams both held their next service games; Stosur was standing toe to toe with Williams.

Williams serving at 2-4 in the first set went down early on her serve 0-30 and it was very obvious Serena was not happy.  Williams hit a backhand out to go down 0-40, triple break point.  In the next point Serena returned a ball into the net, her service game was broken at love, and now down 2-5, Stosur was serving to take the first set.

Stosur began the 8^th game of the match with a forehand volley winner to go up 15-0, then came up with a service winner that took her to 30-0, two points from the first set.  Serena dumped the next point into the net giving Stosur triple set point.  Stosur only needed one opportunity to put the set away ripping a forehand winner down the line to take the first set easily 6-2 in just 31 minutes.

The second set began as well as the first set did for Stosur.  Williams served to begin the set and quickly fell behind 0-15.  She pulled even 15-15 on a lucky net cord but on the next point Stosur shot a forehand down the line winner to take a 30-15 lead.  Off a Serena Williams second serve, Stosur hammered a forehand cross court winner for a commanding 40-15 lead but Williams wasn’t giving in so easily answering back with her fourth ace to bring the score to 30-40.  At 30-40 Williams hit what she thought was a clear forehand down the line winner. Before  Stosur could make a play on the ball, and she did get her racket on the ball, Serena screamed: “come on!.” The chair umpire ruled her yelling during the point was by rule a hindrance.  She awarded the point to Stosur.  Because the score was 30-40 on Williams serve this gave Stosur the game, and the early break.  Williams did not sit still for this ruling for one minute.  She told chair umpire Eva Asderaki: “I’m not giving her that game.”  She also said, “I promise you, that’s not cool.  That’s totally not cool.”  Tournament director Brian Earley said Asderaki’s ruling was proper.  Williams broke Stosur’s serve in the next game, and then held her own service game.  On the change over Williams had not forgotten and was still fired up about the call made during the first game of the second set; she had much more to say.  As Williams took her chair she told Asderaki: “You’re out of control, you’re a hater and you’re just unattractive inside, if you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way, you’re a hater, what a hater, don’t look at me, don’t look my way, really, do not look at me!”

In the fourth game of the second set, Stosur, on serve at 1-2 dug herself a hole at 15-40.  Her answer to dig herself out of that hole was her first ace of the match.  Now at 30-40, still break point, Williams dumped the next point in the net to bring the score to deuce.  Stosur hit a service winner to take the advantage then pounded her second ace to take the game and even the score at 2-2.

Williams and Stosur held their next service games.  In the seventh game of the second set Williams began the game with a service winner.  At 30-30 Williams put the next point in the net going down 30-40, break point.  Williams hit the next point out giving Stosur the critical break to go up serving at 4-3.  Stosur held her serve winning the game at 40-15 with a forehand down the line winner to go up 5 games to 3.

In the ninth game of the second set, down 3 games to 5, Williams was serving to stay in the match.  After hitting a couple of balls out Williams found herself behind 15-40 and facing two match points.  Serena wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet; the next point she hit an overhead smash winner; one match point saved.  Stosur hit the next point into the net erasing the second match point bringing up deuce.  Stosur took charge of the next point firing a forehand down the line winner to give her the advantage and her third match point.  The third time was truly the charm for Stosur who blew a forehand cross court winner by Williams to take the game, set, and the Championship 6-2, 6-3.

Not only is this Stosur’s first Slam, but it was her first match on Arthur Ashe  Stadium court.  The one hour and thirteen minute match netted Stosur $1.8 million.  For Williams’s runner up effort she earned $900,000, plus for winning the Olympus point series she received an extra $500,000.  For her outburst and ranting to the referee she was fined a crippling $2000.

In the post match interview with Serena Williams she was asked if she regretted what she said to the chair umpire; her response was, “I just am really excited to be here really and to have gotten so far.  To get here has been a really great experience for me.  I regret losing, but I think there was nothing I could do today.  I think Sam played really, really well.”  I’ll take that as a no…When asked why she would not regret saying things like that she said, “ I don’t even remember what I said.”  Williams was also asked if she thought it was important to treat refs and officials with respect, her response was, “Um, I don’t know.”

One thing is clear about the 2011 US Open Women’s final, the classier, more mature, superior woman won.

And Then There Were Four

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated August 8, 2011

Flushing Meadows, NY—After two days of rain delays at the US Open, play finally resumed on the soggy New York tennis courts. Eleven days have passed and the women’s draw is down to the final four with only a couple of surprises.

78^th seed Angelique Kerber of Germany, I know what you’re thinking, WHO?, made it to the  semifinals with her only competition coming from 12^th seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round, dropping a set but winning the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.  Kerber won her match easily in the round of sixteen 6-3, 6-1, and in the quarterfinals she took out Flavia Pennetta the 26^th seed who beat Maria Sharapova who was fresh off a win in Cincinnati, 6-4, 7-6(6).  Kerber now faces the number 9 seed Samantha Stosur in the semifinals on Saturday.

Samantha Stosur had no easy run to the semifinals, dropping sets in her third round match to a rejuvenated 24^th seed Nadia Petrova of Russia 7-6,(5), 6-7(5), 7-5.  In the round of sixteen it took Stosur three sets to polish off the 25^th seed Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-7(15), 6-3.  Stosur easily disabled the number 2 seed Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals 6-3, 6-3.

In the heavier half of the draw the number 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki has performed about as well as expected with steady baseline defensive style tennis.  She reached the semifinals only dropping one set in the round of sixteen to Svetlana Kuznetsova the 15^th seed, 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-1.  Wozniacki’s strength is her defensive play, her ability to chase down every ball and win long rallies counting on her opponent to make the mistakes.  She will meet the 28^th seed Serena Williams in the semifinals.

The 28^th seed Serena Williams made it to the semifinals without dropping a set.  Along the way to the semifinals Williams embarrassed the number 4 seed Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-3, the number 16 seed Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-4, and in the round of sixteen the number 17 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-1.  Williams is playing with such determination and focus there is little hope anyone can beat her if she is on her game.  She can hit winners off both sides and her serve is perhaps the best in the game.  Her confidence is off the charts, Wozniacki can only hope Williams makes tons of errors because she doesn’t have a weapon that can hurt Williams.  Samantha Stosur is the only other player who hits as hard as Williams.  She generates such great racket head speed, but the question for Stosur is:  can she keep her head in the game? Does Stosur have the focus, and can she hold that focus for two straight sets to overcome Williams power game?

If I was a gambler, and I’m not, as much as it pains me to say it, my money would be on Williams, but I’m rooting for Stosur to win her first Slam.  Stosur has the game to be an all court player, she can generate a lot of pace and has a vicious second serve, something that might give Williams problems since she likes to crowd the baseline on serves.  If Stosur can step in, take away the angles, find opportunities to come to net and win points doing those things she could have a chance to beat Williams.  Her downfall, her mental game; does she have the confidence to overcome a top player like Serena Williams?  Can anyone in New York answer the question how to overcome Serena?  Not yet; one thing is for sure, at Serena’s age time is ticking away and her days are numbered.  It will be a sad day for tennis when there is no one out there to beat, but only winners and losers.

Serena, The One to Beat at the Open

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated August 30, 2011

The last time Serena Williams was on Arthur Ashe Stadium court at the US Open, things didn’t go so well for her, something to do with foot faults that she would like to forget.  Tonight she was all business taking on little known 54^th ranked Bojana Jovanovski.

At first glance Serena looked a bit tentative; in the first game of the match it appeared she just spun her first serve in, but by her third serve she pounded a service winner.  She was shaking off the nerves and her confidence was growing.  She broke Jovanovski in her first service game to take a 2-0 advantage.  Not until the fourth game of the match was Jovanovski able to hold her serve, but she was still behind 1-3 with Williams serving.

At 40-0 Williams served an ace that was challenged by Jovanovski; the ace was overturned, Williams finally lost a point but won the game to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Williams continued to keep Jovanovski on the run sending her from corner to corner; she broke her next service game at 15-40 giving her a chance to serve for the first set at 5-1.  Williams wasted no time beginning the 7^th game of the set with an ace and hitting a crisp backhand cross court winner to go up 40-0 giving her triple set point.  Jovanovski managed to hit one winner with a backhand cross court winner but Williams still had two set points at 40-15, and capped the game and first set off with an ace taking the set easily 6-1.

In the second set Jovanovski served to begin the set but with Serena playing like she had never been injured, broke her serve at 30-40 when Jovanovski hit a backhand in the net giving Williams the immediate lead.  Williams served the next game out at love taking a 2-0 lead, cruising through her first round match. Jovanovski managed to hold her serve in the next game but Serena was just getting warmed up starting her service game with an ace, firing a forehand cross court winner to go up 40-0, and firing another ace to take the game and go up 3 games to 1. Williams broke Jovanovski’s serve at 30-40 when Jovanovski dropped one in the net. Now on cruise control holding her next service game all Williams had to do was break Jovanovski’s serve one more time.  With a backhand cross court winner at net Williams took the early lead up 15-0, then hit a backhand down the line winner to take it to 30-0.  Jovanovski serving at 15-40 gave Williams two break points, but she only needed one, a volley winner to take the second set and the match 6-1, 6-1.  Williams moves on to the next round.

The only competition Williams has in her quarter of the draw is possibly the number 4 seed Victoria Azarenka or perhaps with a wish and a prayer the number 16 seed Ana Ivanovic, I can’t really give the 11^th seed Jelena Jankovic a chance against the rejuvenated Williams and then there’s always that tricky French Open Champion Francesca Schiavone.  On paper any one of these women could give Williams a go in her quarter of the draw, but in reality…I’m not so sure.

Zvonareva Giving Lesson on Opening Day at the US Open

By Ellen Newton  Story Updated August 29, 2011

Flushing Meadows, NY—I followed hurricane Irene all the way from Florida to New York anticipating a Monday washout at the US Open, but as promised by the USTA blue skies and calm winds were the order of the day for first round play.

The number two ranked player, Vera Zvonareva, was in action schooling qualifier Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-3, 6-0. The quality of play was quite different between the qualifier and Zvonareva.  The ‘pop’ coming off Zvonareva’s first serve sounded like thunder with the results being lightening fast aces on several occasions.

At the post match interview Zvonareva said, “It is never easy to start a tournament, but I think I played well.”  When asked if her first match was difficult she responded: “Well, we travel around the world.  We play tournaments in different cities, in different countries every week, and there are different conditions at each tournament.  We play with different balls.  We play on a different surface.   We have to adjust to it.  No matter how much and how long you practice before the event, matches and practices are absolutely different the way you have to focus, the way you have to play out there.  So always the first match is sort of finding your rhythm, and you never know what to expect.  Also I played an opponent, she already won three matches in qualifying, so she already got used to the conditions, to the balls, to the courts and everything.”

Zvonareva’s next match will be on Wednesday where she will meet Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine in the second round.  Bondarenko beat Lucie Hradecka in straight sets 6-3, 6-0.

In a surprising first round upset, 2011 Wimbledon Champion and number 5 seed, Petra Kvitova was defeated by Alexandra Dulgheru 7-6(3), 6-3. Also moving on to the second round were Agnieszka Radwanska taking out little sister Urszula 6-2, 6-3, Maria Sharapova bested Heather Watson of Great Britain 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, and 9^th seed Samantha Stosur took out Sofia Arvidsson 6-2, 6-3.

Clijsters, 2010 US Open Champion

By Ellen Newton Story Updated September 11, 2010

Flushing Meadow, NY—It took Kim Clijsters just 60 minutes to defend her 2009 US Open title defeating Vera Zvonareva in a dominating fashion 6-1, 6-2.

While Clijsters was steady and unwavering with her ground strokes hitting a total of 17 winners to just 15 unforced errors, winning 4 out of 5 break points and a total of 58 points for the match, Zvonareva was kept off balance, double faulted at break point and was never really a factor in winning the match. She had 24 unforced errors to just 6 winners, winning 0 of 2 break points and winning overall just 38 points.

When asked if she was overwhelmed by being in the final of the US Open or perhaps by Clijsters, Zvonareva responded, “None of those, I don’t think I was overwhelmed.  I think Kim just played a very good match.  She didn’t really, you know, give me chances to get into the match.  But I also think that physically today she was just much better player than me.”

This was Zvonareva’s first US Open final and second grand slam final over all also reaching the final of Wimbledon this year losing to Serena Williams. This is Clijsters third US Open title, defending her 2009 title, and winning in 2005.

By Ellen Newton Story Updated September 10, 2010

Flushing Meadow, NY--Vera Zvonareva became one of the last two women standing Friday at the US Open in Flushing Meadow New York.  She gained a spot in the final by taming strong winds and overcoming the number one seed Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals 6-4, 6-3.

Both players struggled with the high winds that have plagued nearly the entire two weeks of the tournament but it was Zvonareva who broke Wozniacki’s serve first, once in the first set, and three times in the second giving her more than enough leverage to win the match.

Zvonareva broke Wozniacki’s serve once early in the first set and managed to hold her serve easily, only needing the one break to take the set.  Wozniacki, who received a warning for talking to her father who was seated in the player’s box, would do no better in the second set; she was broken on her second, third, and final service game and could not overcome Zvonareva’s steady play and the strong winds on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Saturday Zvonareva will meet Kim Clijsters in the Finals.  Clijsters, the number two seed, made it to the finals via Venus Williams, a two time US Open champion winning in 2000 and 2001, beating her in three tight sets 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4. “It obviously means a lot to be in the final and to give myself a chance to defend my title from last year.  It’s a great opportunity,” Clijsters said. “But obviously beating Venus here last year and this year, it’s a good feeling.  I think today was probably one of the best matches that I’ve played throughout the tournament.”

This will be Zvonareva’s first US Open final and second Grand Slam final over all, making it to this year’s Wimbledon final.  Clijsters has won the US Open twice, 2005 and 2009.

Week One Round Up at the Open

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated September 4, 2010

New York—its day six and the U.S. Open is in full swing.  There have been one or two surprises along the way to the round of sixteen.  Jelena Jankovic the 4^th seed lost in the third round to the 31^st seed Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 7-6(1), Nadia Petrova, the 17^th seed was ousted in a first round match that went down to the wire by Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4), the 13^th seed Marion Bartoli was beaten by country woman and wild card Virginie Razzano and finally the 21^st seed Jie Zheng lost in the second round to unseeded Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-0.

The round of sixteen matchups will feature French Open Champion 6^th seed Francesca Schiavone taking on the 20^th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 16^th seed Shahar Peer will do battle with 3^rd seed Venus Williams whose quarter of the draw is looking a little soft, number 5 seed Samantha Stosur will tangle with a very fit 12^th seed Elena Dementieva and what could turn into a real battle the number 2 seed defending champion Kim Clijsters tangling with unseeded 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.  In the top quarter of the draw, a match worthy of a final, the number 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki will encounter 14^th seed Maria Sharapova, the number 11^th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova will take on a rejuvenated and unseeded Dominika Cibulkova.  The 31^st seed Kaia Kanepi has made her way quietly through to the round of sixteen and will match up with the 15^th seed Yanina Wickmayer another Belgium standout, and finally filling out the round of sixteen, the number 7 seed and Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva will play the unseeded German Andrea Petkovic who reached the round of sixteen by way of a walkover.

With so many seeds left standing it’s anyone’s guess to pick who is going to make it to the quarterfinals but I’m betting on Clijsters, Williams, Zvonareva and Stosur to show up, the other matches are just too close to call.

Pardon the Interruption

By Pat Byrd  Story Updated September 4, 2010

New York via Jacksonville, FL—It took me a day or so to put my thoughts in perspective about this, I’m still a little ticked off about it.  Jax Sporting News received media credentials to attend this year’s U.S. Open, it was quite an honor for us, and we were very excited.  Bad news, for reasons beyond our control we just couldn’t make the trip.  So here I am covering the event like most of the world depending on ESPN2.  So week one Thursday night’s match features Maria Sharapova and Iveta Benesova.  The first three games are televised then ESPN2  in all their infinite wisdom breaks away to show the James Blake match, it wasn’t even at set point or match point. OK, so I figure this will last for a game or two then back to the scheduled Sharapova match, no, that’s not what happens.  ESPN2 shows the entire James Blake match complete with an after match interview.  Still not back to the advertised Sharapova match now well into the second set, they toss in five minutes of commercials, and they’re killing me here.  Commercials are over, tennis is back on, but wait, that’s not Maria Sharapova, that’s the American Bethanie Mattex-Sands locked in a three set struggle with the German Andrea Petkovic.  Now ESPN2 is grinding out the last few games in this match, if you’re wondering Petkovic won 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Now finally we get back to the Sharapova match….with three games left…whoopee.  How does that old song go?  It’s a Man’s World, and Thursday night it was men’s tennis ESPN2 chose to show.  A p.s. for Blake, he may have won his match on Thursday night, but in the third round on Saturday he was taken out 6-1, 7-6, 6-3 by Novak Djokovic. 

I Didn’t Know You Could Do That With a Tennis Ball!

As Serena Williams exited the court after her semi-final loss to Kim Clijsters the disappointed and shocked New York crowd of over 20,000 booed her.  They hadn’t seen this type of behavior since John McEnroe took center stage at Flushing Meadows back in the 1980s. 

So what’s all the hubbub about?  Serena Williams lost her mind on Arthur Ashe Stadium over being called on a foot fault.  If the score hadn’t been 76, 65(30-15) Clijsters, it might not have mattered so much but this point put her match point down.  Serena was clearly upset as she stared down the lines person.  She took a ball to serve the next point and then decided she would instead turn, walk over to the lines person who made the foot fault call on her and curse her out.  She approached her not once but twice making statements while holding up a tennis ball that she was going to shove that particular ball either up her ass or down her throat.  No one seems to be quite clear on which one.

At that point the umpire wanted to know what was going on and what was said, the lines woman, who looked a bit timid, ran to the chair umpire to told her what was said. By this time the tour referee ran out on court.  Serena was punished with a point penalty.  Since the foot fault put her at 15-40, it was match point, Clijsters had won that match.

What I saw from the replays that I watched was she took and held up the tennis ball and said something like I swear to god if you call me for that one more time I’m going to shove this ball up your ass.  I’m not putting anything in quotation marks because I’m going from memory, what I saw and heard and of course I don’t want to be sued.

In the following press conference Serena was asked what she said and her answer was; “what did you hear”. During the press conference Serena was happy, almost giddy saying that she had already put the incident in the past and she would learn from it.

The USTA is going to help her learn from it, for the cursing incident she will be fined $10,000, and for the racket breaking incident that occurred in the first set she will be fined an additional $500.  It’s my opinion that $10,500 isn’t nearly enough for getting ghetto and threatening to do bodily harm to an official. I’m not suggesting jail time, but I do believe she should have been defaulted from the remainder of the tournament events including the doubles final she was set to play with her sister Venus.  I don’t believe Serena or anyone in her entourage took this fine seriously since for the doubles title and her singles semi-final appearance she will make well over $250,000.

I haven’t seen this type of behavior since John McEnroe and I can’t remember him actually threatening to do bodily harm although I do know it cost him an Australian Open.  This type of behavior cannot be tolerated in any sport.  With the money these top athletes make they think they are beyond reproach, they need a clear message sent to them, no matter how popular you are, no matter how much money you make, you cannot get away with acting like you just stepped out of prison.

Who Can Win the 2009 US Open?

As I sit here watching the US Open on TV, I’m not fortunate enough to attend in person, I can’t imagine who is going to win the women’s title.  Of the five premier hard court events leading up to the open there were five different winners and none were the top three players in the world, Safina, Venus or Serena Williams.

Marion Bartoli won the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Flavia Pennetta won the Las Angeles Women’s Tennis Championships, Jelena Jankovic won the Western and Southern Financial Group Women’s Open, Elena Dementieva won the Roger’s Cup in Toronto, and Caroline Wozniacki won the Pilot Pen Tennis Championships in New Haven.

I can say Marion Bartoli will not win the Open, she was eliminated today by Kim Clijsters, 57,61,62.  I can also say  it will not be an all Williams final.  If they win their quarters of the draw, they are set to meet in the semifinals. That being said, I don’t think Venus will make it that far.  The excuse is already in place and was nearly used in the first round; her left knee seems to be bothering her again.  Her farther stated that it is an old injury that just keeps popping up; Venus said it was something new that  just happened during the match. Either story ends with the same result; if she loses she has an excuse.

In Serena’s quarter of the draw her strongest competition is Vera Zvonareva the number seven seed.  Zvonareva will first have to get by the number ten seed Flavia Pennetta, who won the LA Women’s Tennis Championship, before she gets to play Williams.  Pennetta beat Zvonareva in the quarterfinals 64, 62 in the LA tournament.

How about the number one seed Dinara Safina? She played, and won one obscure WTA International  hard court tournament  in Portoroz Slovenia with a draw of 32 leading up to the Open. There was no other top ten competition in this tournament for Safina.  It must have been like a wolf in the chicken coop.  Her competition in her quarter of the draw will be a bit harder, if she keeps winning she will play either the 11^th seed Kateryna Bondarenko or the 5^th seed Jelena Jankovic.  Jankovic won the Cincinnati tournament leading up to the Open and beat Safina in the finals. Safina will have to overcome some emotional demons if she wants to win this US Open. 

The last quarter of the draw is probably the toughest. It contains Elena Dementieva the 4^th seed, Maria Sharapova the 29^th seed, Nadia Petrova, the 13^th seed, and Svetlana Kuznetsova the 6^th seed.  Elena Dementieva won the Rogers Cup beating Serena Williams in the semifinals 76(2), 61, and beating Maria Sharapova in the finals 64, 63.  One thing to remember about Dementieva, she runs hot and cold, during the Bank of the West Classic she lost to Venus Williams  in the quarterfinals 60, 61, so anything is possible it just depends which Elena shows up for the match.  I don’t think Sharapova is back at playing 100 percent since the shoulder surgery.  I wouldn’t say that Petrova is a factor for Sharapova who she will meet if they both keep winning, and then there is former US Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova.  Can she do it again? Not this year, if I’m wrong I will most certainly eat my words but I think there’s too much talent at the top and I just don’t think she’s moving all that well, I think she could get a bit leaner and possibly hit the weights a bit.