WTA Aug 28-Sept 10 US Open Flushing Meadows, NY Grand Slam Prize$: $18,585,000 (total, ladies 50%) 128 players - outdoor: hard (Deco Turf II) IBM Real-Time Scoreboard - stats Matches: Current - order - completed Draws: mixed doubles Women's: qualifying - singles - doubles Men's: qualifying - singles - doubles photos: "US Open" - "U.S. Open"     tourney - slideshow - WTA Audio: US Open Radio - click to listen Video: highlights - WTA interviews TV Sched - news - interviews website map - venue map - history Flushing: weather radar - forecast # 1 Amelie Mauresmo # 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne # 4 Maria Sharapova # 5 Elena Dementieva US Open player blog by Ana Ivanovic

Tourney pages: US Open: 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 previous other tourney pages next Flushing Meadows: #4 Maria Sharapova 6' 1½+", 130 lbs, RH 2H-BH Flushing Meadows: 2nd Grand Slam Title 13th WTA Singles Title

On Saturday evening, in the final of the US Open, 19-year-old 3rd-seeded # 4 Maria Sharapova of Russia (who resides in Bradenton, Florida, home of the Bollettieri Academy), defeated 24-year-old 2nd-seeded # 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium (residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco) 6-4, 6-4 (Maria is shown with the hardware, and during the match).

    Throughout the evening, Maria was more the agressor, able to dictate play most of the time, although she hit her share of errors--mostly in the early stages of the match. The points were mostly short, a few aces, a few double faults, a few too many errors into the net. What did not occur throughout the evening was an instant-replay challenge; Hawkeye/Shotspot will have to wait to make its ladies Grand Slam singles final debut. And, nice to see, nobody called for the trainer.

    Maria said: "I came into the match, and I actually did feel pretty relaxed. Although I lost the first two games and I got broken early in the first set, I didn't really I didn't really worry about it. I was pretty positive about the whole thing. I really didn't feel nervous. I woke up, I was excited to be in the final of a Grand Slam, and I just thought I would enjoy the opportunity, enjoy the moment of it, keep fighting until the end. That's what I did." interview - video

Early round play at  Flushing Meadows begins at  noon local time. USTA Billie Jean King Nat'l Tennis Center at Corona Park in Flushing Meadows click pic for sat pic-map - venue map, .pdf NWS weather radar: Flushing Meadows current conditions:     The US Open has 32 seeds, with no 1st-round byes. There are 16 qualifiers and 8 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Friday, August 25th.     New York (daylight savings) time is GMT (UCT, ZULU) + 4 hours (=US Eastern Daylight Time, PDT -3). Early round play begins at 11am local time; the Final is at 7pm on Saturday, Sept 9th.

Justine led off the 1st set holding serve with a fairly solid game that included a 116 mile-per-hour ace to take the advantage. Maria's first service game was a different story; starting out unevenly, at 40-30 she served the first of her four double faults in the match. After a second deuce Justine secured the break with two consecutive forehand crosscourt winners.     Maria now trailed 0-2, but she broke back immediately. At 30-30 in the 3rd game, Maria knocked Justine back with a smash, then deftly flicked a half-volley drop shot off the short return ball to make it 30-40. Justine put the ball out wide on the next point, and they were back on serve, 1-2.     Now both players held serve to 4-4. Gradually, Maria's serve grew stronger, while Justine's lost its edge. Justine, serving at 4-4, was broken, putting 4 balls into the net in the 6-point game.     Leading 5-4, Maria served for the 1st set. She hit a forehand winner, then put the next point over the baseline. Maria then nailed a forehand smash winner to go up 30-15--and put the ball out wide on the next point. But now she was really starting to find her serve. Maria went up 40-30 on a forehand winner off Justine's return after a very big serve, and then nailed a service winner on her first set point.     Justine was unfrazzled, and held serve to open the 2nd set. Maria again looked a bit shaky on her first service game--with two double faults--but this time she held.     Both players held serve again, and again. But whereas Justine seemed to have a slight edge early in the 1st set, in the 2nd it was clear that Maria was making Justine run more than Justine was making Maria run.     Serving at 2-3, Maria took a 40-15 lead. Then Justine got back into the game with a net-cord backhand winner service return, followed by the longest rally of the match, 24 strokes, which ended with Maria netting the ball. This could have been very demoralizing for Maria--but she followed with a 114mph ace, and, after Justine secured a second deuce, Maria hit another ace, her 4th of the evening, and held when Justine put the ball out long.     Serving at 3-3, Justine took a 40-15 lead. She sent the ball wide on the next point, then hit her second double fault of the night, then netted the ball, giving Maria the advantage. Now Justine was beginning to look very frustrated. Maria did not convert her first break point, but on the 2nd deuce, Justine hit the ball long, and on break point Justine put the ball into the net.     Now leading 4-3, Maria served a love game, finishing it with a slice serve ace, her 5th of the evening, to go to 5-4.     Justine was not finished. She held serve at 15, and she, too, finished the game with an ace.     Serving for the match, Maria rushed a bit, and gave Justine the first point. Then Maria struck a service winner, and a forehand winner, and then Justine netted the ball twice to finish the match, making Maria Sharapova the 2006 US Open champion. highlight video - WTA story USOpen.org match report - BBC gamewatch - Eurosport live comments     Justine converted 100% of her break points against Maria--but she only had one. Maria converted 3 of 7 break points. Maria put 72% of her 1st serves in the box, and won 74% of her 1st serve points. Although 5'5¾" Justine served slightly faster than 6' 2" Maria (104mph avg 1st, 116 fastest 92 avg 2nd; Maria: 101mph avg 1st, 114 fastest 90 avg 2nd), only 53% of Justine's 1st serves were good, and she scored on only 66% of those points. Maria hit 5 aces with 4 double faults (Justine: 2 and 2) and hit 20 winners with 24 unforced errors (Justine: 15 winners, 19 errors). Maria scored on 8 of 10 trips to the net; Justine, who is usually more successful when she moves forward, approached the net only 7 times, scoring 6 points. match stats     Justine said: "I think Maria played much better than I did tonight. She played a good match... She served much better. I gave her too much time to organize her game. I played too short. Not aggressive enough... She served really well. She didn't give me a lot of opportunities. We could feel a lot of difference in her return and my return. I tried to keep fighting on every point, but she was just the best tonight." interview - video

    The tennis.quickfound.net 2004 Wimbledon page has a pretty good little biography of Maria Sharapova.

Justine still leads Maria 4-2 in career matches, and Justine's 4 wins were in their four previous meetings. This year, in the Australian Open semifinals, Justine defeated Maria 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and in the final in Dubai about a month later Justine defeated Maria 7-5, 6-2.     2004 Wimbledon champ Maria is now 13-3 in WTA singles finals; her other titles this year: San Diego & Indian Wells--both of which are Tier I tourneys. New Maria Sharapova Wallpaper With 2006 US Open Photos - Sharapova career record     2003 US Open, 2004 Aussie Open, and 2003, 2005, & 2006 French Open champ Justine is now 28-15 in WTA singles finals; her titles this year: New Haven, Eastbourne, Roland Garros, Dubai, & Sydney. Henin-Hardenne Wallpaper - Henin-Hardenne career record     In the women's doubles final on Sunday, unseeded d25 Vera Zvonareva of Russia and d72 Nathalie Dechy of France defeated Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia and Dinara Safina of Russia, 7-6(5), 7-5. It was only Nathalie's 2nd double title, and Vera's 6th, and their first together. US Open story     In the mixed doubles final, which was postponed to Sunday by rain, Martina Navratilova and Bob Bryan handily defeated Kveta Peschke and Martin Damm, 6-2, 6-3. It was 49-year-old Martina's 177th doubles title (including women's & mixed), and her last, as she is now retiring. During her career she also won 167 singles titles (match record: 1440-213), including 9 Wimbledon championships, and over $21,500,000 in prize money. US Open story - WTA story     Martina said: "I could keep going. I could play another five years. Physically, there is no question about it, you know. I could play beyond the legal speed limit in most places. But I don't want to. I've had enough, and it's time to move on and do other things. And it's nice to be able to leave on my terms playing the best tennis that I have in six years...     "I have concerns about the game, in that it's become really a baseliner's game, and a hitter's game. It's not a player's game. That's for both men and the women." interview

Fashion Detail: Maria's Nike nightwear for the US Open was, says Maria, inspired by Audrey Hepburn films, which she has been viewing recently. Recommended Audrey Films: 1) Charade (best by far) 2) Breakfast at Tiffany's 3) Roman Holiday (ignore the end) 4) Funny Face 5) Paris When it Sizzles 6) How to Steal a Million 7) My Fair Lady 8) Love in the Afternoon

Men's final: s1 Roger Federer SUI d s9 Andy Roddick USA 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1

    Opinion: If you listened to US Open Radio on the Internet, you may have noticed that when Matthew Cronin was in the booth, the announcers talked about anything but the match going on much of the time. The presence of Cronin [or any other 2nd person person in the booth] sometimes completely eliminated the play-by-play, and thus the broadcast was almost useless to listeners. This is very unfortunate. The same thing happened at the French Open, and French Open Radio was lousy; Wimbledon Radio, on the other hand, was excellent. And, when the announcer had no one else to chat with, so you could hear play-by-play, US Open Radio was pretty good.

Major Skirmishes, Top Half 4th Round: # 1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo d # 90 wc Serena Williams 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 # 4 s3 Maria Sharapova d # 25 s24 Na Li 6-4, 6-2 Mon # 13 s12 Dinara Safina d # 112 Virginie Razzano 6-0, 7-5 # 28 s27 Tatiana Golovin d # 24 s23 Anna Chakvetadze 6-3, 6-2 Quarterfinals: # 1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo d # 13 s12 Dinara Safina 6-2, 6-3 # 4 s3 Maria Sharapova d # 28 s27 Tatiana Golovin 7-6(4), 7-6(0) Semifinal: # 4 s3 Maria Sharapova d # 1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo 6-0, 4-6, 6-0

Major Skirmishes, Bottom Half 4th Round: # 3 s2 Justine Henin-Hardenne d # 22 s21 Shahar Peer 6-1, 6-0 # 5 s4 Elena Dementieva d # 87 Arvane Rezai 7-5, 6-4 # 20 s19 Jelena Jankovic d # 7 s6 Svetlana Kuznetsova 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-2 # 11 s10 Lindsay Davenport d # 8 s7 Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-4 Quarterfinals: # 3 s2 Justine Henin-Hardenne d # 11 s10 Lindsay Davenport 6-4, 6-4 # 20 s19 Jelena Jankovic d # 5 s4 Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-1 Semifinal: # 3 s2 Justine Henin-Hardenne d # 20 s19 Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-0

WTA SCOREBOARD: The US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? Maria Sharapova met the press on Sat, Aug 26; the previous evening, at the annual "Glam Slam" party at the Marquee Club in NYC, ladies looking good included Sania Mirza, Miss USA Tara Conner & Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, Serena Williams, Tatiana Golovin, Daniela Hantuchova, Mary Pierce, Patty Schnyder, Julia Schruff, Jelena Jankovic, and Venus Williams Glam Slam video

US Open, 1st Rd Mon-Tue Aug 28-29 11am Wed WTA story loser: $16,500 2 points Tuesday: rain delayed start of play to 2:30pm & ended play at 3:50pm #1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #131 q Kristina Barrois GER 6-1, 7-5 Tue-rain-Wed Amelie's forehand     Amelie said: "[Kristina] serves pretty well. Yesterday she was hitting unbelievable shots at some times. I really didn't know. I was hoping I could break her on her first service game, but it was not so easy.     "Yesterday, and especially in the second set, I was way too much behind my baseline, and so she was able to take control and really hit some great shots. Today didn't want to let that happen again, even try to be a little bit more aggressive, try to be also more effective on my service games because that second part of yesterday was not so good. So try to adjust a few things here and there, and worked better today." interview #3 s2 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #54 M E Camerin ITA 6-2, 6-1 Mon Justine ready to slice a backhand, and Maria Elena driving one     Asked about the knee injury that has troubled her off and on since early 2005, Justine said: "It's a year and a half ago that my knee, my right knee is bothering me. It's been really bad this year in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, I was feeling it. And I did push myself too hard probably at that time, so it got a little bit serious.     "Then in the summer it was still bothering me a little bit. I wasn't feeling ready yet to play in Montreal, unfortunately. It was the best preparation for me to go in Montreal and get a few matches; I couldn't have it, so I had to change my plan which I don't like that much. But when you have to, you do it.     "But now my knee is feeling fine. I just have to be careful. When it's painful, I just have to rest. It's probably--it's not easy for me on hard court. It's a very difficult surface for this kind of injury, but I'm better now." interview #4 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d #35 Michaella Krajicek NED 6-3, 6-0 ppd-Wed Maria twisting a serve to Michaella, Maria's forehand, Michaella's backhand, Maria following a backhand, and after match point     Maria said: "That was probably one of the best service displays of my career. I'm healthy and that's the most important thing. I haven't felt healthy coming into a Grand Slam in a while. And I've gotten some good matches under my belt; I got a title a couple weeks ago. That's definitely a confidence booster. This was a good start, but it's only gonna get tougher from here. I've got to rest up and be ready for tomorrow."     About her new Nike oncourt attire, Maria said: "The inspiration for the night dress was Audrey Hepburn. I'm inspired by her. I'm in a phase where I'm watching all her movies. I just thought she was amazing... It's classy, it's elegant. I love the neck of it; that was kind of my input towards the design. I'm very excited. It's one of my favorites of the dresses I've ever worn." #5 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS d #56 Laura Granville USA 6-1, 6-4 Mon Elena's service toss, Laura's backhand, and Elena after match point #6 s5 Nadia Petrova RUS d #152 q Clarisa Fernandez ARG 6-2, 6-1 ppd-Wed Nadia driving a backhand, and Clarisa preparing to slice one #7 s6 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #130 q Sandra Kloesel GER 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 Mon Svetlana and Sandra driving backhands #8 s7 Patty Schnyder SUI d #62 Anna Smashnova ISR 6-1, 6-2 Mon #9 s8 Martina Hingis SUI d #57 Shuai Peng CHN 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 ppd-Wed Martina getting in some soggy practice in Tuesday's rain, Martina's forehand, Shuai's backhand, and Martina after match point     It was Martina's first US Open match since 1992 due to ankle injuries. Martina said: "Walking on to the stadium, it was amazing. I was nervous in the beginning... the fans have been great. Sometimes you ask yourself after the first set, without the fans if you could still pull it out. I don't know. They just really carried me. It was a great atmosphere, once you're winning anyway." interview #10 s9 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #NR wc Chanda Rubin USA 6-4, 6-3 Mon Nicole lunging for a backhand, and Chanda's stationary drive #11 s10 Lindsay Davenport USA d #69 Klara (Koukalova) Zakopalova CZE 6-1, 6-4 Mon Lindsay serving up a twist despite arm troubles, and Klara, like many of Lindsay's opponents, finding herself doing what she would like to make Lindsay do: run     About the arm injury that forced her to retire from the final at New Haven on Saturday, Lindsay said: "It was focused on the shoulder. But it's pretty much just my arm. Like in fatigueness, soreness. It just feels really heavy. I've actually never had an arm injury. I think I've had every other injury known to a tennis player, but an arm injury. It's kind of the unknown dealing with it.     "It was playable today. Now that I have every other day off, I think I'll be able to kind of make it better as the tournament goes on." interview *#120 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #12 s11 Anastasia Myskina RUS 6-4, 6-2 Tue-rain-Wed Anastasia's service toss, Victoria running to a short ball, and a trainer attending to Anastasia's left foot #13 s12 Dinara Safina RUS d #97 q Yulia Beygelzimer UKR 6-1, 6-3 ppd-Wed Dinara swatting a backhand #14 s13 Mary Pierce FRA d #45 Elena Vesnina RUS 7-5, 6-1 ppd-Wed Elena and Mary launching backhands #15 s14 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #63 Romina Oprandi ITA 6-1, 6-2 Mon *#87 Arvane Rezai FRA d #16 s15 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 2-6, 6-0, 6-4 Mon Aravane's backhand drive #17 s16 Ana Ivanovic SCG d #71 Vera Dushevina RUS 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 ppd-Wed Ana fielding a drop shot, and Vera's flying backhand #18 s17 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #108 wc Bethanie Mattek USA 7-5, 6-3 ppd-Wed Bethanie and Daniela driving backhands #20 s19 Jelena Jankovic SCG d #37 Gisela Dulko ARG 6(2)-7, 6-1, 6-4 Mon #21 s20 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #55 Julia Schruff GER 6-3, 6-4 Mon Maria following a backhand #22 s21 Shahar Peer ISR d #80 q Vasilisa Bardina RUS 6-2, 6-2 Mon #23 s22 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #101 Akiko Morigami JPN 6-2, 6-3 Mon Katarina driving a backhand on the move, and Akiko's set drive #24 s23 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #65 Martina Sucha SVK 6-4, 6-1 ppd-Wed #25 s24 Na Li CHN d #96 Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo ESP 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 Tue-rain-Wed Na's forehand drive, and Maria Antonia reading the instructions on the Wilson before applying her Babolat *#261 q Youlia Fedossova FRA d #26 s25 Medina Garrigues ESP 7-5, 6-1 ppd-Wed #27 s26 Marion Bartoli FRA d #104 q Olga Poutchkova RUS 6-4, 6-0 Mon #28 s27 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #107 Ashley Harkleroad USA 6-3, 7-5 ppd-Wed Tatiana following a backhand #29 s28 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #98 Zuzana Ondraskova CZE 6-1, 6-0 Mon Ai's lightly tapping a forehand drive #30 s29 Jie Zheng CHN d #58 Kveta Peschke CZE 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 Mon Jie about to deliver a forehand *#46 Sybille Bammer AUT d #32 s31 Nathalie Dechy FRA 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 ppd-Wed #33 s32 Elena Likhovtseva RUS d #94 Tiantian Sun CHN 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 ppd-Wed #34 s33 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #61 Marta Domachowska POL 7-6(4), 6-3 Mon Vera and Marta belting backhands *#38 Lucie Safarova CZE d #36 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-2, 7-6(5) Mon #39 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #111 Conchita Martinez Granados ESP 6-2, 6-4 Mon #40 Mara Santangelo ITA d #89 Lisa Raymond USA 7-6(4), 6-2 ppd-Wed *#68 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #41 Shenay Perry USA 6-0, 6-2 ppd-Wed *#118 q Varvara Lepchenko UZB d #42 Catalina Castano COL 6(9)-7, 6-1, 6-1 Mon *#90 wc Serena Williams USA d #43 Lourdes Domingues Lino ESP 6-1, 6-2 ppd-Wed Serena launching a backhand, and after match point     Serena said: "I'm definitely satisfied with the way everything went today. I was trying to stay on the baseline, not get too far back. I was able to do that consistently throughout, because [Lourdes] hit a really high ball. If I would have been far back, she would have gotten the best of me. It was important I stuck with that game. My desire is probably as high as it ever was - probably even higher."     About her new Nike togs, Serena said: "We wanted to do something that has the Asian influence. Going into this fashion season, you see a lot of it. Purple is a really hot color this fall. We wanted to look inside of that. I wanted to keep the silhouette of the dress really simple, because of the designs that were on it. It would have been too much, I thought, if we had had a flarey dress or anything. Have the fabric and the pattern do all the talking." #44 Sania Mirza IND d #50 Karolina Sprem CRO 6-4, 6-2 Mon Sania after match point #47 Martina Muller GER d #52 Anastasia Yakimova BLR 7-6(2), 6-3 Mon *#66 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP d #48 Amy Frazier USA 6-2, 6-1 ppd-Wed #49 Jamea Jackson USA d #75 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-2, 6-2 Tue-rain-Wed #51 Jill Craybas USA d #60 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-2, 6-0 Mon #53 Emma Laine FIN d #81 Meilen Tu USA 6-1, 6-1 Mon #59 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #149 wc Ahsha Rolle USA 6-4, 6-4 ppd-Wed #64 Meghann Shaughnessy USA d #82 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-3, 6-4 Tue-rain-Wed #67 Emilie Loit FRA d #91 Camille Pin FRA 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(4) ppd-Wed #70 Jelena Kostanic CRO d #113 Shinobu Asagoe JPN 6-4, 7-6(4) Mon Jelena following a serve, and Shinobu driving a backhand       (July 26, 2006) Kyodo News reports that 30-year-old # 93 Shinobu Asagoe from Hyogo, Japan, has decided to retire after this year's US Open.     Shinobu reached a career-high singles rank of # 21 in April of last year, and a career-high doubles rank of # 13 in April of this year.     She was quarterfinalist at the 2004 US Open, has won 8 WTA doubles titles with six different partners, and 19 ITF titles (9 singles and 10 doubles). Shinobu's career prize money totals $1,631,492. Shinobu at the players party in Los Angeles on August 4, 2003 Shinobu after defeating Patty Schnyder in the 2nd round at Roland Garros on May 27, 2004   #72 Vania King USA d #205 wc Alicia Molik AUS 6-3, 6-2 Mon Vania's forehand, and Alicia after losing a point #73 Severine Bremond FRA d #124 q Stephanie Dubois CAN 6-1, 6-3 Mon #74 Yuliana Fedak UKR d #117 q Tatiana Poutchek BLR 7-5, 6-3 ppd-Wed #76 Aiko Nakamura JPN d #83 Melinda Czink HUN 6-1, 6-2 ppd-Wed Melinda's 2-handed lefty backhand, and Aiko following her 2-handed righty forehand--which is the same stroke #77 Tathiana Garbin ITA d #95 Meng Yuan CHN 6-3, 6-1 Mon #78 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS d #133 q Lioudmila Skavronskaia RUS 7-6(1), 7-6(3) Mon #79 LL Nicole Pratt AUS d #127 q Milagros Sequera VEN 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 ppd-Wed *#129 q Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #84 Zi Yan CHN 6-0, 7-5 ppd-Wed #85 Jarmila Gajdosova SVK d #245 wc Alexa Glatch USA 6-2, 6-1 ppd-Wed #86 Kaia Kanepi EST d #102 Stephanie Foretz FRA 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 ppd-Wed *#112 Virginie Razzano FRA d #88 Maret Ani EST 7-5, 6-4 ppd-Wed *#646 wc Lauren Albanese USA d #92 Olga Savchuk UKR 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-2 Mon Laura's forehand drive *#100 q Eva Birnerova CZE d #93 Galina Voskoboeva RUS 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3 ppd-Wed #99 Anastassia Rodionova RUS d #128 Hana Sromova CZE 7-5, 7-5 Mon #103 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR d #116 LL M J Martinez Sanchez ESP 6-3, 6-3 ppd-Wed #122 q Kirsten Flipkens BEL d #136 q Yung-Jan Chan TPE 6-4, 6-2 Mon *#447 Alina Jidkova RUS d #196 wc Jessica Kirkland USA 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 Mon

US Open, 2nd Rd Wed-Thu Aug 30-31 WTA story loser: $26,500 32 points #1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #64 Meghann Shaughnessy USA 6-4, 6-3 Thu Amelie serving, and Meghann laughing after running into the net on a short ball     Amelie said: "It was a pretty intense match. We were both serving pretty well. On my side I think there were fewer errors. And then I was really starting to get my rhythm in the second set. It's good to have these kinds of matches, especially not having played too much in the summer. Good intensity, and a good fight. I was able today to be strong enough to close the match out in two sets." interview #3 s2 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #72 Vania King USA 6-1, 6-2 ppd-Thu Vania driving a backhand, and Justine chasing a forehand     Justine said: "The level in the first set I think was pretty good. I played pretty consistent and went a lot to the net...     "I think [Vania is] a good player. She was hitting the ball good. I had to be very consistent and focus on every point, so I'm happy especially with the first set today." interview #4 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d #67 Emilie Loit FRA 6-0, 6-1 Thu Maria following a slice serve, and driving a backhand     Maria said: "The serve has been good the last couple of matches. I've been holding pretty easily. The points that I have got an opportunity to rally, I definitely feel like I am moving well, and taking the opportunities when I get them." interview #5 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS d #53 Emma Laine FIN 6-4, 6-0 ppd-Thu Elena after match point #6 s5 Nadia Petrova RUS d #66 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP 6-1, 6-1 Thu #7 s6 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #646 wc Lauren Albanese USA 6-1, 6-1 ppd-Thu Lauren's backhand, and Svetlana firing a forehand #8 s7 Patty Schnyder SUI d #39 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-3, 7-5 ppd-Thu Patty and Sofia launching backhands *#112 Virginie Razzano FRA d #9 s8 Martina Hingis SUI 6-2, 6-4 Thu Virginie serving, Martina straightening strings, and Virginie after match point     Virginie said: "I was very lucid in this match. I knew what I had to do against Martina to win; I know her game because I played her maybe three or four years ago and she beat me twice in two sets, but it was very difficult games. I couldn't wait for her to make mistakes because she doesn't make them." interview     Martina said: "I think after yesterday I didn't have much more to give; I was a little flat, tired mentally. I still had some opportunities but I should have done that a lot sooner than 5-1 down in the second set.     "It's not only that [Virginie] played well, but I didn't... We know she can beat some good players every now and then...     "You can't be down on yourself all the way because you lose a match here." interview #10 s9 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #447 Alina Jidkova RUS 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 ppd-Thu Nicole on Tuesday with another Bradenton, Florida resident, LPGA pro Paula Creamer, Nicole firing a forehand, and after winning a point     Alina was ranked # 51 last year, but has played little this year due to illness and injury, it is good to see that she can take a top-10 player to three sets again. She defeated Serena Williams in the 2nd round at Linz in 2004, 7-6(5), 6-2, and won the 1st set of her semi against Elena Bovina (who has now been out with an injury for a year and a quarter)--then was forced to retire from the match in the 3rd set.     Nicole said: "...Not a great match from my point of view today. Just struggling a little bit. But, got through it, and that's important. So just get ready for my next match." interview #11 s10 Lindsay Davenport USA d #70 Jelena Kostanic CRO 6-0, 6-0 ppd-Thu Lindsay drivng a backhand, and Jelena's lefty forehand     About the right arm strain which had forced her to retire from the New Haven final last Saturday, Lindsay said: "It's feeling better. It's funny, because yesterday it was really sore, and then today was feeling much better. So I'm not really sure the rhyme or reason to it. I think the two days [off due to the rain on Tuesday] for me was a blessing. I didn't have to really be out here, and wasn't hitting much; neither was anyone else. So I feel it's getting better, I think." interview #13 s12 Dinara Safina RUS d #74 Yuliana Fedak UKR 6-3, 6-4 Thu Yulia's forehand drive, and Dinara after winning a point #14 s13 Mary Pierce FRA d #100 q Eva Birnerova CZE 6-3, 6-4 Thu #15 s14 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #44 Sania Mirza IND 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 ppd-Thu Sania's forehand, and Francesca after match point #17 s16 Ana Ivanovic SCG d #76 Aiko Nakamura JPN 7-5, 6-3 Thu Ana fielding a forehand, and Aiko's backhand drive     Aiko, who is right-handed, plays 2-handed on both sides--but uses the forehand grip on both sides (right hand on top). Most 2-H FH&BH players switch which hand is on top, as would a switch hitter in baseball. Marion Bartoli (on the other hand), also RH, 2-H FH&BH, uses her backhand grip on both sides. *#90 wc Serena Williams USA v #18 s17 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 7-5, 6-3 ppd-Thu Daniela serving, and Serena's backhand drive     Daniela took a 5-2 lead in the 1st set--then Serena won five straight games to win the set.     About breaking Daniela when she served for the 1st set, leading 5-3, Serena said: "[Daniela] seemed to be a little nervous. It was definitely a big game. At the same time, I hit some pretty big shots. Then she hit a double fault which was really able to open the doors for me." interview #20 s19 Jelena Jankovic SCG d #122 q Kirsten Flipkens BEL 6-2, 6-3 ppd-Thu #21 s20 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #73 Severine Bremond FRA 6-2, 6-3 ppd-Thu Maria's service toss, and her backhand drive #22 s21 Shahar Peer ISR d #47 Martina Muller GER 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 ppd-Thu Shahar's backhand #23 s22 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #78 E Bychkova RUS 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 ppd-Thu #24 s23 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #59 Alona Bondarenko UKR 7-6(6), 6-0 Thu #25 s24 Na Li CHN d #68 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-0, 1-6, 6-4 Thu #27 s26 Marion Bartoli FRA d #118 q Varvara Lepchenko UZB 6-1, 6-2 ppd-Thu #28 s27 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #129 q Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-4, 6-3 Thu #29 s28 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #77 Tathiana Garbin ITA 6(2)-7, 6-4, 6-2 ppd-Thu *#99 Anastassia Rodionova RUS d #30 s29 Jie Zheng CHN 7-5, 6-3 ppd-Thu #33 s32 Elena Likhovtseva RUS d #79 LL Nicole Pratt AUS 6-3, 6-2 ppd-Thu #34 s33 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #51 Jill Craybas USA 6-3, 7-5 ppd-Thu *#87 Arvane Rezai FRA d #38 Lucie Safarova CZE 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-4 ppd-Thu #40 Mara Santangelo ITA d #46 Sybille Bammer AUT 6-3, 6-1 Thu *#120 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #49 Jamea Jackson USA 6-3, 6-2 Thu #85 Jarmila Gajdosova SVK d #103 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 6-3, 7-6(5) Thu #86 Kaia Kanepi EST d #261 q Youlia Fedossova FRA 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 Thu

US Open, 3rd Rd Fri-Sat rain-Sun Sep 1-3 Fri WTA story loser: $42,000 56 points Rain prevented play all day on Saturday, so pretty Ana Ivanovic was elected for the standard umbrella photo op #1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #40 Mara Santangelo ITA 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 ppd-Sun Amelie looking tad bit athletic flying after a backhand, and Mara "reacting," as they say     Mara took a 2-0 lead at the start of the third set. Amelie said: "[Mara] was playing some great tennis to be up to win the second set, and then to be up in that third set. But I was also feeling that I was not really taking control of the points and really dictating the point the way I should have." interview #3 s2 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #29 s28 Ai Sugiyama JPN 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 Fri Ai serving, Justine's forehand, Ai hitting one on the run, and Justine after match point     Justine said: "I was leading pretty easily in the first set, but I didn't have the feeling that I was moving well at the time, and I lost my intensity. The conditions were pretty difficult. [Ai] kept fighting. She's been pretty solid. That's why she came back in the match.     "When I lost the first set, I understood I had no more choice than to win the next two, and so I had to be very focused on every point. Then I played very, very solid tennis at that time...     "Now it's getting very serious. The opponents are going to play better and better. It's very hard. Things can change in a day or two in one sense or in the other. It's pretty tough. But, when I play my game, I do it well. I just have to keep fighting, on every point. Today was a little bit harder for me than in the other matches, and I really had to work hard." interview - WTA story #4 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d #33 s32 Elena Likhovtseva RUS 6-3, 6-2 ppd-Sun Maria serving, Elena twisting one, Maria hitting a "left-handed forehand"--which is really her 2-handed backhand with the right hand removed for better reach on the run (note the choked-up grip), and after match point     Maria said: "I felt pretty solid in the first set. It's hard to come out there and feel great with the wind. Especially when you don't get a lot of practice the day before, you don't really you can be playing really solid tennis but then go out a day later on a day like this and not feel your best.     "I was a little bit slow in the first game. I knew I had to step it up. [Elena] has a lot of experience behind her back. She's a very solid player. She's had a lot of good wins in her career. She knows how to play against top players. I expected a really tough match. I was ready. That little break in the first game of the second set was a little bit of a wakeup call and I knew I needed to step it up." interview #5 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS d #34 s33 Vera Zvonareva RUS 7-5, 6-3 Fri Vera's forehand (most of these "arty" racket-in-front-of-face photos are lousy, but this was the only pic available), and Elena following her backhand *#28 s27 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #6 s5 Nadia Petrova RUS 7-5, 6(4)-7, 6-3 ppd-Sun Nadia's forehand, Tatiana's backhand, and after match point #7 s6 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #99 Anastassia Rodionova RUS 6-3, 6-0 Fri Svetlana's service toss, and Anastassia's backhand #8 s7 Patty Schnyder SUI d #27 s26 Marion Bartoli FRA 0-6, 6-3, 6-3 Fri-rain-Sun Patty serving, Marions's backhand, and Patty firing a forehand *#20 s19 Jelena Jankovic SCG d #10 s9 Nicole Vaidisova CZE 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 Fri Jelena's forehand, Nicole's backhand, Nicole after losing a point, and Jelena after match point #11 s10 Lindsay Davenport USA d #23 s22 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) ppd-Sun Katarina's forehand, Lindsay's backhand, and Katarina congratulating Lindsay after match point     Lindsay said: "It was so tough today. It was just one of those days where I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball all that cleanly. Normally that's what I do well. Even down 6-3, 3-1, I tried so hard to come back and win the 2nd set, which I was able to do. I got some momentum in the third, then some errors crept back into my game. Then at the end, I was trying so hard to play better and better, probably trying too hard. [Katarina] played great. Like I said, I made a bunch of errors." interview     About her next opponent, Lindsay said: "Patty Schnyder. Obviously, left handed. She'll present some challenges. Really move the ball around. For me, I want to go out there, make the points short, be aggressive, play coming in, putting balls away, obviously making a few errors, but not letting her kind of dictate the pace of the match with like loopy balls, angles. Just want to take some time away from her and be aggressive." #13 s12 Dinara Safina RUS d #85 #85 Jarmila Gajdosova SVK 6-3, 6-0 ppd-Sun Dinara and Jarmila delivering forehands, and Dinara after winning a point *#25 s24 Na Li CHN d #14 s13 Mary Pierce FRA 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 ppd-Sun Na's forehand, Mary's backhand, Na after winning a point, and Mary congratulating Na after match point *#22 s21 Shahar Peer ISR d #15 s14 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-3, 6(3)-7, 7-6(3) Fri Francesca's forehand, and Shahar's backhand     Francesca led 5-1 in the 3rd set, but could not close out the match. Shahar said: "I was just thinking about the match between Safina and Sharapova. Safina was 5-1 down. I was the same as her. I was coming back from five match points. I won the match. That's what I was thinking about. You cannot think about how many times you have to break her. You have to think point by point, just to play it, see what happens." interview *#90 wc Serena Williams USA d #17 s16 Ana Ivanovic SCG 6-2, 6-4 ppd-Sun Serena serving, Ana's forehand, Serena chasing a backhand, and after winning a point     Serena said: "I'm trying to do the best at playing my game and doing just working on things that I worked on in practice... I think I'm playing better with each match. I try to always do little things better and hopefully peak in the latter rounds." interview *#87 Arvane Rezai FRA d #21 s20 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-3, 6-1 Fri Maria's forehand, Aravane's backhand, Maria begging to differ on a fine point of order, and Aravane after winning a point #24 s23 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #120 Victoria Azarenka BLR 6-4, 6-3 ppd-Sun Victoria following a forehand, and Anna launching one *#112 Virginie Razzano FRA d #86 Kaia Kanepi EST 7-5, 6-2 ppd-Sun

US Open, 4th Rd, Mon Sep 4 Sun matches ppd to Mon by Sat rain loser: $72,000 90 points #1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #90 wc Serena Williams USA 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 Mon Amelie and Serena launching forehands, and Serena congratulating Amelie after match point     Amelie said: "I just tried to leave [the 2nd set] behind me and make sure that I was focusing back on the game and on, first of all, not doing too many mistakes. Because I gave [Serena] really that second set. I tried to focus on that and then take the opportunities, take the chances I would have. It was much better in the third set." interview     Serena said: "I played more consistent in the second set... [In the 3rd set] I just got down an early break and fell apart after that. I wasn't able to put balls away as much, and [there were] more balls being blocked back. Just was a game I hadn't worked on in a long time." interview #3 s2 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #22 s21 Shahar Peer ISR 6-1, 6-0 ppd-Mon Justine and Shahar firing forehands, Justine reaching for a backhand, and after match point     Justine said: "I'm happy with first four matches. I had a little bit of trouble against Sugiyama, but she played well. I showed very good things on the court.     "Today I've been pretty aggressive. Very focused.... I walked on the court thinking that it could be a dangerous match because [Shahar] a young player and she has a lot of motivation. She's fighting a lot. So I knew it could be a tough match. That's probably why I won it pretty easily, because I was ready for it... I went to the net a lot. Did a couple of serve and volleys. Played an aggressive game. So I'm very happy about what happened on the court...     "I never beat the powerful players on my baseline. I think I have to take my opportunities on the court and move forward and take my chances. When I did beat Kuznetsova this year at the French Open, it was one break in the second set, because three return and volleys. It's high, it did make the difference. So I need to keep working like this." interview #4 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d #25 s24 Na Li CHN 6-4, 6-2 Mon Maria twisting a serve Na-ward, Na's forehand, Maria's backhand, and Maria daring anyone to make fun of her "warmup jacket" after the match     Maria said: "I started the match a little bit slow. I rushed into things. I rushed into my serve and my return. After 4-1 I thought I kind of relaxed and just made [Na] hit an extra ball. She was hitting some good balls. Once she gets a good hit on it, she can rip the ball really hard.     "I got a few unforced errors from her, when I got to break her, and then from then on I gained a bit more confidence, started serving better and took more time." interview #5 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS d #87 Arvane Rezai FRA 7-5, 6-4 ppd-Mon Elena serving, Aravane waiting to swat a backhand, Elena driving one, and after match point #28 s27 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #24 s23 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 6-3, 6-2 Mon Tatiana twisting a serve, Anna's forehand drive, Tatiana's backhand, after match point, and Tatiana posing for photogs in front of the Unisphere on Tuesday *#20 s19 Jelena Jankovic SCG d #7 s6 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-2 ppd-Mon Jelena's service toss, Svetlana leaping for a smash, Svetlana's service toss, Jelena's forehand, and after match point *#11 s10 Lindsay Davenport USA d #8 s7 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-4, 6-4 ppd-Mon Lindsay serving, Patty's lefty forehand, Lindsay's backhand, and after match point     Lindsay said: "It's always pretty much windy here. [The Armstrong] court, it's a little bit more open than Ashe, so a little bit breezy in there. Playing a girl that hits a lot of balls all over the court, angles and deep, it was tough. There's not a lot of rhythm going on out there. But my goal was to try and keep the points a little shorter, be aggressive, be the one either making the error or forcing the ball around.     "I was able to do that. I made a few more errors than I probably would have liked. But at the same hand, [Patty] was never really in control of a lot of the points." interview     About playing Justine Henin-Hardenne in the quarterfinals, Lindsay said: "[Justine has] been a very, very tough opponent for me the last few years. She plays really well. We had a tough match in Australia, but I think that she is obviously unbelievable at offense. But at the same hand, she's so quick and digs out a lot of balls.     "For me, it's a hard mix because if I don't hit the ball deep, she'll take advantage. And if I do, she gets a lot of balls back in play that I have to be ready to come back.     "I haven't necessarily sat down with a game plan yet to go in it, but I'm hopefully gonna have to think of something else a little different than I've done. I know I've lost to her a number of times in a row." #13 s12 Dinara Safina RUS d #112 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-0, 7-5 Mon Dinara driving a forehand, Virginie's backhand, and Dinara after match point

US Open, QFs, Tues-Wed Sep 5-6 loser: $140,000 162 points #1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #13 s12 Dinara Safina RUS 6-2, 6-3 Wed Amelie driving a forehand, Dinara's backhand, Amelie running down a forehand, and after match point     Amelie said: "It's good the way it went, really, and... not spend too much time on the court. I did three sets yesterday and three sets the match before. It's good to be able to be in control, feel good on the court, and really get a good rhythm. Today I think I felt pretty good on the court." interview     Dinara said: "In the second set I was so disappointed. Because when I stepped on the court, the whole tournament, I was feeling the balls pretty well. I was getting more and more confident in myself. Suddenly, I stepped today on the court and I just was going like for too much. In the first set, for me, [Amelie] didn't do much. I think I was doing too many unforced errors. In the first set I won maybe four points on my serve. because I was just rushing, missing everything. I mean, not my day today." interview #3 s2 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL d #11 s10 Lindsay Davenport USA 6-4, 6-4 ppd-Wed