Defending U.S. Open champion, Serena Williams, will not be in the finals this year after losing to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals.  As has been the case with many of her most recent battles, Williams seemed to just come unglued out on the court.

Things actually got nasty after a line judge called her for a foot fault.  Williams disagreed with the judge and then proceeded to basically freak out on him.  She wasn’t willing to take her abuse and promptly complained to the chair umpire and supervisor about her behavior which resulted in Clijsters being awarded the next point since …read more

The Cinderella story continues for 17-year-old American, Melanie Oudin, who has advanced to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal ever.  I’ve been cheering for her ever since she knocked out Elena Dementieva (she also dismissed Maria Sharapova) but I doubted her ability to make it this far – I love it when an athlete proves me wrong!
This 70th-ranked teen took out 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 with a tremendous amount of determination and guts.  She looked a little shaky at first but she fought her way to the victory.  “I don’t actually mean to lose the first set. I …read more

While Andy Roddick was eliminated by fellow American, John Isner, his 2009 Wimbledon foe, Roger Federer, had no problem steamrolling over Tommy Robredo  7-5, 6-2, 6-2.  Federer hasn’t lost any of his last 38 match and he hasn’t been defeated at the U.S. Open since 2003.  Federer will face Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals.
While Isner celebrated upsetting Roddick, his ride came to an end when he was beaten by Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.  This is big news because this is the first time in U.S. Open history that an American man failed to make the quarterfinals. Verdasco will …read more

Maria Sharapova appeared to be on the verge of a great comeback after really struggling since her shoulder injury.  Any plans to progress to the finals at the 2009 U.S. Open were ended, however, when the Russian star lost to American teenager, Melanie Oudin.

The upset happened when the 70th ranked, Oudin, beat former No. 1, Sharapova, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.  Sharapova appeared to have the edge during the opening set but things quickly changed with Oudin found her rhythm.  When the match was decided, Oudin burst into tears with excitement.
The teen from Georgia is enjoying a great …read more

Rafael Nadal enjoyed an easy 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Richard Gasquet at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center at the 2009 U.S. Open yesterday.  I was really happy to see him win even though it was unlikely that he would have been eliminated so early in the event, despite being rusty after taking time off due to a knee injury.

Nadal has never reached the final at the U.S. Open and he will next be tested by Nicolas Kiefer, which really could be a test for the Spaniard.  Hopefully, he will move on since I’d like to see …read more

The U.S. Open starts today so I thought I would take the chance to make some predictions.  Feel free to share your own in the comments!
In the men’s tournament, I don’t see anyone but Roger Federer taking this title.  He’s currently enjoying a hot streak and he is the only man to ever win the U.S. Open five times in a row (Jimmy Connors and Pete  Sampras also won the event five times but it wasn’t in succession like Federer).  It would definitely secure his place as the dominator of the event if he could win it for a record …read more

American tennis player, Mardy Fish, has withdrawn from the U.S. Open due to a rib injury.  I’m sure he’s pretty disappointed since the event is so important and is in his home country. 

While a long shot from winning the title (but stranger things have happened!), the 25-year-old was to face Austria’s Daniel Koellerer in the first round.
After the Fish’s announcement, it was determined that Koellerer will play Rui Machado of Portugal.
I’m not exactly sure when or where Fish got injured but I do know that he was eliminated during last week’s hard-court tune-up in Connecticut after reaching …read more

In the last tune-up before the start of the U.S. Open, second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki captured the $600,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event after defeating Elena Vesnina in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.  The 19-year-old went home with $98,500.

As was the case with the semifinals, heavy rain forced the final match indoors instead of being played on the hardcourts of the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale.  Despite the slight change in plans, Wozniacki needed only one hour and 16 minutes to claim her victory, her third title this year and her sixth in her career.
I’m not counting on seeing Wozniacki advance very …read more

The officials at the U.S. Open have made their message to the players very clear – be careful what you tweet.  So many people love Twitter but this warning underscores the dangers associated with the popular social networking site.
Apparently, a signed has been posted all over the place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from the players’ lounge to the locker rooms (and even the referee’s office) with a headline:  “Important. Player Notice. Twitter Warning.”
The message goes on to say:  “Many of you will have Twitter accounts in order for your fans to follow you and to …read more

The top seeds for the U.S. Open have been announced and the list holds few surprises although I know some people are irritated that, despite her lousy play lately, Dinara Safina is still ranked #1 but it’s all based  on the numbers from the preceding 52 weeks and she’s the one with the best overall record.
Still, she hasn’t been able to capture a major title and the U.S. Tennis Association’s director, Jim Curley, admitted that they had the power to modify the ranking to allow Serena Williams to take the top spot.
“The U.S. Open has the prerogative of altering its …read more