Hawaii

Worried about Tropical Storm Hanna, U.S. Open organizers moved up the start of Saturday's men's semifinals to an hour earlier and prepared to have the men's final delayed a day until Monday if needed.

Bob and Mike Bryan won the U.S. Open men's doubles crown for the second time when they squeezed past Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy 7-6 (5), 7-6 (10).

Alicia Molik has retired from international tennis after a long run of injuries, including a debilitating inner-ear virus.

Through midday Thursday, five players at the U.S. Open had been fined $500 each for racket abuse.

Leander Paes and Cara Black won the mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open, beating Jamie Murray and Liezel Huber 7-6 (6), 6-4.

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Austin: Mother Nature may figure into the U.S. Open women's final, but Serena Williams will succeed over Jelena Jankovic.

Sept. 2: Christopher Russo thinks Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will hoist the championship trophies at the US Open. (NBC Sports)

Vote: Who will win the U.S. Open women's draw?

Women's, men's finals might be pushed back to Sunday and Monday

You've got a villain, the new king, the former No. 1 and a brash young Brit. Matt Cronin likes this U.S. Open final four.

New height for Jelena Jankovic. Familiar scene for Serena Williams. Each won on Friday to reach the U.S. Open final.

Worried about Tropical Storm Hanna, U.S. Open organizers moved up the start of Saturday's men's semifinals to an hour earlier and prepared to have the men's final delayed a day until Monday if needed. The men's semifinals will start Saturday at 11 a.m. EDT, instead of noon. If rain forces the postponement of both of the men's semifinals and the women's final, which is scheduled for Saturday night, those matches would be rescheduled for Sunday. The men's semifinals would begin at 1 p.m.

Roger Federer struggled at times against 130th-ranked qualifier Gilles Muller before eventually winning 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5) at the U.S. Open on Thursday to reach the semifinals for the 18th consecutive Grand Slam tournament. It was Federer's 32nd victory in a row at Flushing Meadows, where he has won the past four championships. Despite playing a man who never before was past the third round at a major event, Federer had some trouble.

Twins Mike and Bob Bryan won their second U.S. Open men's doubles title and sixth Grand Slam championship overall, beating Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy 7-6 (5), 7-6 (10) Friday. Doubles partners for more than a dozen years, the 30-year-old brothers won in their 704th career match. The Bryans won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics and next head to Spain to help the defending champion United States in the Davis Cup.

Defending champion Roger Federer beats third seed Novak Djokovic in four sets to reach his fifth successive US Open final.

Pictures from day 13 of the year's final Grand Slam tournament

US Open organisers are preparing for major weather disruption as Britain's Andy Murray waits to take on Rafael Nadal on "Super Saturday" in New York.

World number one Rafael Nadal faces Britain's Andy Murray in the semi-finals of the US Open.

Former champion Serena Williams will take on second seed Jelena Jankovic in the US Open final on Sunday.

Her place in the final secure, Serena Williams briskly walked off center court and headed toward the locker room. In a hallway, she was intercepted by three of her fans who wanted a picture. "Is that allowed?" she said, striking a pose. "Make this really quick." Want a snapshot of her 6-3, 6-2 win over Dinara Safina in the U.S.

In the not-too-distant future, there could be a retractable roof on the U.S. Open's main stadium, and organizers won't have to worry about tropical storms the way they were worrying Friday. "It's a matter of 'when,' not 'if,"' a dome will be added to Arthur Ashe Stadium, said Arlen Kantarian, the U.S.

Twins Mike and Bob Bryan won their second U.S. Open men's doubles title and sixth Grand Slam championship overall, beating Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy 7-6 (5), 7-6 (10) Friday. Doubles partners for more than a dozen years, the 30-year-old brothers won in their 704th career match. The Bryans won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics and next head to Spain to help the defending champion United...

A year ago, U.S. Open fans fell for Novak Djokovic. They loved his stylish play and, more so, his wit and his shtick. They cheered raucously when Djokovic stuck around after winning his quarterfinal and, prompted by a TV interviewer, did spot-on impersonations of Maria Sharapova (pretending to tuck his hair behind his ears, exactly how the Russian does) and Rafael Nadal (even yanking at the back of...

Miffed at a miss, Mardy Fish held the racket right in front of his face and spit through the strings. Still stewing, he took a swing at his equipment bag and wound up for another whack. "I was just so frustrated," he said early Thursday after his quarterfinal loss to Rafael Nadal. He's hardly the only one making such a racket at this U.S.

A blockbuster sporting event and the epitome of relaxed French style have come together with the announcement today that renowned lifestyle brand LACOSTE will sponsor and provide official on-court uniforms for the Australian Open from 2009.

Become an Australian Open Member by 17 August 2008 to receive priority ticketing for Australian Open 2009.

The popular Australian Open Ground Pass will have even more value and remain at $29, organisers announced today.

They have the best seats in the house, they work with the biggest stars in the tennis galaxy and some are still in primary school. Who are they? They’re Aviva Ballkids. Applications are now open to 12–15 year olds.

A quick look at today's Mixed Doubles Final.

US Open: Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic We will have, if the weather allows it, a great semifinal at the US Open. A repetition of the 2007 final, Roger Federer takes on Novak Djokovic this Saturday. Nick Bollettieri and Matt Cronin both think that Roger Federer will make it all the way to the final... Nick says Roger will in in 4 or 5 sets while Cronin doesn't specify but he is sure that Roger

US Open: Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray Matt Cronin and Nick Bollettieri shared with us their opinion and predictions about this great semifinal match between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray at the US Open. Both tennis experts agree that Rafael Nadal will take the victory in 4 sets... according the Cronin Murray is not yet ready to beat Nadal, who is having his best season ever. Check out what

Rafael Nadal Answers: bungee jumping and sky-diving Check out what Rafael Nadal has answered to his fans... music, movies, doubles and many other things... What films have you watched during your time in New York? Daphnee Cruz RN: I have seen a new TV series called "Heroes". You keep saying you like Spanish music – can you be more specific? Manu Chao, Shakira, Kinky, Mana? Or do you like

Rafael Nadal US Open Blog: Calm before the storm Rafael Nadal keps blogging from New York and this time he talks about the weather conditions, it's expected to have rains during the day so at the Open they are making plans to get everything under control if that happens... here in Florida we are waiting for Ike, a mayor huracan that should be hitting us on Tuesday... we will see... Rafa also

Watch Tennis Live US Open Online Free Video Streaming Saturday 9/6 US Open 11:00 am ET to 18:00 ET Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5 19:00 Womens Final Jelena Jankovic vs Serena Williams Link 1 Link 2

FINAL Serena Williams (USA)[4] vs Jelena Jankovic (SRB)[2]Head-to-Head 3-3Arthur Ashe Stadium Court (7pm EST) US Open on CBS Network The final is scheduled for Saturday night, but forecasts calling for rain much of the day prompted tournament organizers to announce contingency plans that could include postponing the match until Sunday.

Two-time Grammy Award winning Rap Artist (and rumored boyfriend), Common, hits the practice courts with 8 time Grand Slam (singles) winner, Serena Williams.

Serena has defeated Dinara Safina, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the US Open Final!

Serena Williams has officially qualified for the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha. The world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams from the 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season will compete for the Championships title and a share of the record prize money of $4.45 million. 2001 champion Williams joins previously qualified Serbs Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic in

Thunderous applause from the spectators in the Arthur Ashe Stadium could not compare to the leaps of joy by American Serena Williams when she defeated Russian Dinara Safina 6-2, 6-3, at the U.S. Open on Friday.Serena is now into the Womens Single's final of the 2008 U.S. Open. It's been a while and it's a joy to see her in the upcoming final."It's so awesome," said Serena."You know, it's been just an awesome summer you know, I'm just happy to be, you know, finally back in the finals for once, you know, an American in the finals here, so...I'm really excited."The former and potentially…

Longer Off-Season• 30% increase in off-season (7 to 9 weeks, with season to end in October)Streamlined Calendar Structure• 20 Premier events featuring top players (reduced from 26 Tier I/II events):- 4 Premier, mandatory, $4.5 million equal prize money combined events anchoring calendar in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing- 15 other Premier events, including $2 million events in Dubai, Rome, Cincinnati, Toronto and Tokyo, and other top events in Paris, Charleston, Stuttgart, Stanford, Los Angeles, Sydney, Berlin, Eastbourne, New Haven and Moscow- Season-ending Sony Ericsson…

U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe was unswayed by recent events at Flushing Meadows when making up the team for the semifinal in Spain later this month. McEnroe passed over two hot-handed American men, Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish, and named the same team of Andy Roddick, James Blake and the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan to meet the Spaniards in Madrid as the Americans defend their 2007 title."I'm happy to see those guys doing well," McEnroe said of Querrey and Fish, who had breakthrough runs at the Open. "I hope those guys continue to put up good results and to make it a difficult…

My goodness! I do believe that Oracene and Richard's baby girl wanted to win this match. Though neither of the parents was on hand to watch the match, older sister Isha supported her younger siblings in much pain."I wasn't praying, I was so stressed," she said. "It is so difficult to watch them. At the end of the day, you want them to play a good match and for the best person to win."In the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2008 U.S. Open, American Serena Williams returned, ran down and swung at just about everything that big sister Venus could throw at her...and that was a lot.The match started up…

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, wife Judith and Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews BandActress Candice Bergen and friendActor Djimon Honsou and Baby Phat CEO Kimora Lee SimmonsTelevision Personality Star Jones, Actress Kim Cattrall and Chef Alan WysePhotos Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Tinsley Photo Justin Heiman/Getty ImagesBergen Photo AP/Elise Amendola

While we’re awaiting the US Open women’s final between Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic, let’s give some time to the player missed most at this tournament – Maria Sharapova. You know Maria had to withdraw because of a persistent shoulder injury, and she might even be missing the rest of the season, but that doesn’t mean the Russian fashionista hadn’t prepared some cool outfits for the final Grand Slam of the year. Here are the Nike dresses Sharapova would have been wearing hadn’t she skipped the event. The blue dress was supposed to be worn by day, while the black one was…

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced its landmark 2009 Roadmap calendar, featuring the most sweeping reforms in history to the circuit structure. The aim of the reforms is to create a more fan friendly and healthier system to more consistently deliver stars to top events and reduce withdrawals. Cornerstones of the 2009 Roadmap calendar: Longer Off-Season • 30% increase in off-season (7 to 9 weeks, with season to end in October) Streamlined Calendar Structure • 20 Premier events featuring top players (reduced from 26 Tier I/II events): - 4 Premier, mandatory, $4.5 million equal prize money…

Two-time US Open champion Serena Williams coped better than Dinara Safina with the gusty winds at Flushing Meadows and reached the final of the tournament beating the Russian 6-3 6-2. The fourth-seeded Williams survived having her serve broken in the first game to break Safina, the sixth seed, a total of five times in the match affected by bad weather. Williams made 21 unforced errors, while Safina, who was frustrated by the wind, committed 41. Williams was playing her first US Open semifinal since winning the tournament in 2002. In the final, which will decide who takes the number one…

Second seed Jelena Jankovic reached the first Grand Slam final of her career with a straight set victory over fifth seed Elena Dementieva at the 2008 US Open. Final score: 6-4 6-4. Dementieva broke Jankovic’s serve at the very beginning of their semifinal showdown. However, since Dementieva’s 4-2 lead, Jankovic took four consecutive games to take the first set. Out of the first six games of the second set, four were breaks. After that, the players held their serve, but Jankovic broke Dementieva in the tenth game of the set, scoring on her second match point. This US Open semifinal was…

I found one really cool set of photos of sisters Venus and Serena Williams practicing before their epic match at the US Open. The photos are chronologically ordered and each one is commented. In this post I'm showing you just some of them. I find it especially nice that the tennis stars were both accompanied with their partners –  Venus with her fiancé, golfer Hank Kuehne, and Serena with her often-denied boyfriend, rapper Common. Share This

by Mad Professah The 2008 US Open Men' s semifinals are now set. Mad Professah correctly predicted the results of three of the four quarterfinals in both the Men's and Women's draws. Here are my predictions for the semis. Rafael Nadal ESP (1) vs. Andy Murray GBR (6). At Wimbledon the match-up between Nadal and Murray was much hyped and did not live up to the buzz, with Nadal winning their

One will contest her 12th Slam final. The other, her first. The winds from the tropical storms that are bombarding the east coast wrecked havoc on today's semifinals. The rains may postpone the final Slam final of the season. But if the match happens as scheduled, expect some on-court hurricanes. These are the WTA's two most dramatic Drama Queens. And the No. 1 ranking is on the line.

by Savannah Once again real life decided to intrude on my tennis. With tomorrow expected to feature rain, rain and more rain I thought it might be prudent to get out and put some vittles in the freezer. I'm not the type of woman who goes out and shoots something to feed my family so I went to Whole Foods and purchased beef, lamb, chicken and seafood. It's now in the freezer. I live in New York.

BY MadProfessah The 2008 US Open Women's semifinals are now set. Mad Professah correctly predicted 3 of the 4 women's quarterfinal match results. Elena Dementieva RUS (5) vs. Jelena Jankovic SRB (2). Dementieva has always had her best Grand Slam sucess at the US Open, having reached the finals once (2004) and the semifinals four times (2000, 2004, 2005 and 2008). Jankovic was the #1 player

By Mike McIntyre For a guy who supposedly had a nasty combination of the bird flu and SARS, Novak Djokovic pulled through nicely last night with a 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) victory over American Andy Roddick. Of course Djokovic didn't really have any of those ailments, but a little good natured ribbing from Roddick sent the press into a frenzy and caused a little drama between the two of them before and after they went on court. You see Roddick can be a bit of a character at times, and God love him for that. While most players are talking about taking life one day at a time (or something along…

By Mike McIntyre Down to the last Slam of the year and when was the last time that this tournament seemed to have so much on the line? The US Open this year has so many fantastic story lines and is really going to define how we look back at the entire 2008 season for the top players in the men's game. Part of the reason the Open is in such a spotlight this year is because of the outstanding lead-up that fans have experienced in 2008. Could the guys have given us any more to write about this year? It all began with Novak Djokovic's first Grand Slam result at the Aussie Open in January. An on…

By Mike McIntyre Sometimes bigger is not necessarily better. Case in point, the Legg Mason Classic that was held last week at Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. From a tennis fan's perspective, this tournament is a joy to attend. Sure the big names like Federer and Nadal were busy going for gold in Beijing, but even in non-Olympic years they are usually not to be seen at a tournament of this size. If you were looking for familiar names, then perhaps this was not the event for you, although Roddick, Safin and Haas were enough to keep the crowds coming. Then there are the surprise stories and…

By Mike McIntyre "I watch Nadal a lot, he's an idol." So now we know the secret to Juan Martin's Del Potro's recent surge in the ATP rankings. These were Del Potro's words after his first round win in Washington on Tuesday night against Jesse Levine. Obviously there is more than just watching Nadal play to explain this sudden emergence, but if you were going to pick a player to emulate, Nadal is a pretty good model. Speaking Tuesday night of his drastic success of late, Del Potro explained that, "I changed a lot my game. One hundred percent. My serve is much better and I'm…

By Mike McIntyre Down to the final eight men at the Olympic tournament in Beijing already and it’s nice to see Roger Federer among them after the recent hard court struggles he has had. Seriously though, did anyone think that Fed was not going to bring his “A” game in his chase for Olympic gold? From all the press he has done leading up to the tournament we know that winning there would rank just about as high as a Grand Slam trophy. He’s had a nice draw, overcome his previous Olympic tormentor from Athens in 2004, Tomas Berdych, and looks to be a lock to make it to the finals. His…

"I think I was behaving like a really spoilt girl today," Safina told reporters.

I was looking for a statement-type match from Novak Djokovic at the US Open last night, and I got that and a whole lot more.

After the match in an on-court interview, Djokovic lambasted Roddick for joking that the Serb was suffering from 16 injuries, drawing boos from the US Open crowd.

We are going to learn a lot about Novak Djokovic tonight. And I think Novak’s going to learn a lot about himself when under the lights, in primetime the Serb challenges American favorite Andy Roddick for a spot in the US Open semifinals.

Dinara Safina, the No. 7-ranked player in the world who can leap all the way to No. 1 with a US Open win, was the other quarterfinal winner Wednesday, topping Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-3. The 22-year-old Russian, who earlier in the week was literally crying to her coach on a practice court regarding her exhaustion following a long summer and the Beijing Olympics, has gathered herself in time for the semifinal and a date with Serena Williams.

With all eyes on New York, we aren’t surprised that all the local papers are giving the tennis its fair share of ink. Here are some highlights from The Observer’s coverage: Sam’s Club: Thousand Oaks’ Sam Querrey had his SAMurai (get it?) showing up J-Block, the oft-loud cheering section of James Blake. I’ll take that one to the left: Wes Burrows of Las Vegas, Nev. From the looks of their membership, unless you’re lanky, you need not apply. Access is still denied: In case you were wondering, members of the media are still banned from the locker rooms. Game,…

If only we could get CBS to step aside… As great a tournament the Open has been this year, when considering the event in its entirety, you’ve got to start with the coverage (the face of the event, after all). I don’t know if it’s because of the conventions, but I’ve been more conscious of how the tournament has been delivered to me this year than ever before. In case you haven’t heard, this is USA Network’s last year covering the Open. With its bevy of weaknesses aside — I’ll get to a few in a sec — can we just say thank god for USA’s day and weeknight…

A quick look at the practice shirts Roger Federer’s sporting for these two weeks at the Open. Gone are the Beijing 2008 tees from Cincinnati — his campaign sorta fell flat, after all — replaced instead with a mix of old, new (from Nike’s NSW line), and current (the NYC 2008 line). BTW: Remember the shirts from Indian Wells and Monte Carlo? See the rest: What he’s worn in New York so far after the cut: These first four shirts are all solid tees. Blue one has a pocket on the chest and the grey one has a gold “RF” monogram. This paint drip tee is similar…

We love us some recycled goods, and this wallet (made from an old AMF racquet case) is no exception. Buy: Snap it up from Etsy.com ($36 + shipping).

Screw the U.S. Open — I could have gone back to L.A. after my second day in New York, which is when I saw my boo Ryan Owens (above) walking near Columbus Circle and Daniel Vosovic eating dinner in the East Village later that night. I am happy to report that Mr. Owens came back in one piece from his assignment as Baghdad correspondent for ABC News (Whew. Is he going back?). I felt like such a country bumpkin because I totally sent out mass texts after both sightings, but whatever.

By Rosangel Valenti, TW Contributing Editor Good morning. Here's today's space for discussing the events at USTABJKNTC as they unfold, whether it's tennis, or rain preventing tennis. As always we'd prefer it if you would stay on-topic - off topic chat is fine after the day's matches are over. I arrived last night in New York, with the hope of seeing the men's semifinals today. Fairly soon I'll be making my way over to the site, though with considerable trepidation. The day looks grey and overcast, so it's possible that my first-ever day at the US Open will be marred by the weather. Luckily I…

by Pete Bodo It seems like a statistician's error, but Serena Williams is back in the U.S. Open women's singles final for the first time in six years. If you had told me three years I would have said, "Oh." If you said four, I would have responded, "Are you sure." But six? I feel like Rip van Winkle or someone. Where does the time go? But there she'll stand, a female player in a sport that has managed to wipe out some of the most cardinal rules by which many women live their public lives: never get caught wearing the same thing as another woman at an event; don't wear…

By Rosangel Valenti, TW Contributing Editor Good afternoon. Today the women's semifinals are being played, with the first beginning no earlier than 1.30 p.m. EST. This is your regular space for discussing the matches while they are under way. It would be appreciated if you could keep the Crisis Center for tennis talk only during the matches; it's OK to go off-topic after the day's play is over. When the first match is beginning, I should be arriving at Heathrow, on the way to New York. I'm not wildly optimistic that the play on Super Saturday will all be completed, but the latest forecast…

By Peter Bodo [Note from Heidi: Pete wrote up a great report on our TW wedding, so here it is!  Hope you all enjoy the pics and news.  This thread is for that discussion and all other off-topic non-tennis talk.  Don't forget to share your own news; email me as usual.] Before we focus on the US Open women's semifinals, I want to give a quick report on the wedding of AmyLu and Juan Jose, two stalwart TennisWorld readers who met and began their gloriously sweet relationship in the cozy cyberspace of TW. I'll be posting on the tennis matches later today, and you'll soon have your…

Good evening. Again, the original Crisis Center has overspilled with comments, topping the 1000 mark, so this extension Crisis Center post should help to ease any problems you may be having with loading. Please carry on talking about the day's tennis action here. We'd appreciate it if you could keep your comments focused on tennis until the day's matches are over - afterwards it's OK to go off-topic. Earlier today Roger Federer came through in straight sets against Gilles Muller, 7-6, 6-4, 7-6, to reserve his spot in the semifinals. HIs semifinal opponent is being decided this evening, as…

I have to say, out of the four women left in the tournament, Jelena Jankovic was the fourth-most likely to get to the finals, as far as I figured. But she pulled it off. Now, I'm not expecting her to win, but I guess I shouldn't sell her short like I did here!Congrats!(Photo: AP)

Wasn't Leander Paes just on court yesterday winning a U.S. Open title?He and Cara Black won the mixed doubles title yesterday over Black's regular partner, Liezel Huber, and Jamie Murray. He came up short here, though, as he and his partner, Lukas Dlouhy, fell to the Bryan brothers in straights.Good run by Leander here, but a great win for Bob and Mike. Personally, this year I was pulling for them to focus on grabbing the Gold in Beijing, but a Slam's always nice! This is their sixth Major (even though I think it should be their 16th or so!) I think the Bryans are two of the best tennis…

On their way to the semifinals—and more importantly, completing the Tennis Talk, Anyone? semifinal brackets—Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic both overcame some testy moments to get this point. R-Fed had to overcome some big serving from qualifier Gilles Muller, while Djoko's match was full of intrigue before he even took the court against Andy Roddick.I only got to see the first set and a half of last night's action, but the way Novak came out ... man! I knew he would be fired up, but I didn't think he'd be able to make A-Rod look almost like a journeyman out there, especially considering…

I'm currently doing what every tennis fan who's at work is probably doing, too: Following the Roger Federer-Gilles Muller quarterfinal match on the U.S. Open Web site via the Live Scoring function.Not being able to actually see the points being played, but watching the games zip by with no breaks has me wondering: Is it a server's duel? The scoreline on the first set looks like it was decided by just one mini-break in the tiebreaker for Roger. Wait, this just in: R-Fed's poised for a break at 4-all! We'll see what happens. Yep, he got it!(Photo: Getty Images)

Well, the women's semifinal round is set at the Open and, of course, you knew a Williams sister was going to be in it with them playing against each other and all.The question is: Is it the right one?Venus had opportunities a-plenty to close it out last night, but came up short, losing two tiebreak sets. I think Serena's definitely feeling good to have gotten out of that one. I honestly wasn't even expecting Venus to make it to the sister showdown, having picked Aggie Radwanska to come through their fourth-round matchup. But Venus definitely showed me something there. Then, I was expecting…

Vandeweghe 6-2. 7-6 Paz 6-4.

The semifinals are scheduled for noon at Sound Shore. I am not sure what my internet options will be. The phone number at Sound Shore is 914 939 1300.

©Colette Lewis 2008--Flushing Meadows, NY--It's a rare tennis tournament where American quarterfinalists outnumber those of all other countries, but at this year's U.S. Open Junior Championships, the Red, White and Blue claimed seven spots, while nine other countries had one each. After Friday's action the U.S. contingent was down to three--Devin Britton, Coco Vandeweghe and Melanie Oudin--the first time since 2000 the U.S. had three semifinalists, and that year it was all boys: winner Andy Roddick, runner-up Robby Ginepri and Ytai Abougzir.The fans arriving early for the Bryan brothers…

©Colette Lewis 2008--Flushing Meadows, NY--The unseededed U.S. pairing of Sloane Stephens and Mallory Burdette went 1-1 in doubles matches Friday, reaching the finals of the US Open junior championships, but having no time to enjoy it, as the semifinals and finals were played on the same day due to the threat of tropical storm Hanna.After defeating the No. 5 seeded team of Richel Hogenkamp and Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 7-6(2), 6-3, Burdette and Stephens had only a brief break before taking on the third-seeded team of Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand and Sandra Roma of Sweden Friday…

Photos of boys playing in Kalamazoo this year that also played on Thursday in US Open junior action can be found at ustaboys.com. I apologize for the lack of photos of U.S. girls, but I hope to have a slide show of all that participated soon. If it rains on Saturday, as predicted, I may have time to do it then.Also wanted to mention that Jesse Levine, who was originally chosen to accompany the U.S. Davis Cup team to Spain next week, will not be going due to injury. David Martin is taking his place, joining Austin Krajicek and Scoville Jenkins.Tags: junior tennis, ustaboys.com, US Open Junior…

If it doesn't get rained out, the men's semifinals could be a set of classics. First up is Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, warming up as I tap. (OK, first, what was the deal with Djokovic after that Roddick match? Dude, you're a tennis player. When did you ever need crowd support to get by?) Anyway, this is the real popcorn match of the day, provided it doesn't get rained out. Fed's been struggling, but he also has been up against some folks who played well against him. However, I think everyone's noticing the shakiness of his forehand these days. Djokovic, on the other hand, is looking…

They say one out of 10 ain't bad.And it ain't. For some tennis players (ahemVenusWilliamsahem), that would have been plenty. That's right. Venus had 10 set points in her quarterfinal against her sister. If she'd converted one, I'd be watching the third set of their match right now. Big sis has got some hard questions to ask herself. Like, "Why did Serena need just one match point to win the match?" or "Why am I going for lines when my opponent's not even in the screen?" How about "Am I playing the ball or the situation?"Anyway, it looks like Williams v. Williams is just what women's tennis…

From the news wires:NEW YORK —The coaches of women’s tennis players will be able to visit them on the court during matches starting next year on the WTA Tour.The Tour’s board approved the long-discussed change last week, and the decision was announced Wednesday during the U.S. Open. Tour CEO Larry Scott says the main motivation was for television, because fans enjoy gaining insight into the sport. Coaches must agree to wear microphones to have on-court access to players.Coaches will be allowed one visit per set. They also will be able to come on court when an opponent is taking a…

OK, I'm just going to admit it. I hate watching Andy Roddick play. When he's on.It's the most boring tennis you'll ever see, next to Ivo Karlovic. Ace, walk. Ace, walk. Second serve ace, game. No rallies to speak of, and not a whole lot an opponent can do.It might not be fun to watch, but even I have to admit that Roddick is on. He took (and will continue to take at TWA) a lot of flack for missing the Olympics. But whatever Patrick McEnroe's saying to him is clicking. His serve hasn't been this dominant in some time. He's even swinging out on his backhand! The question is whether he'll…

I don't think anyone who really follows tennis was surprised to see Ana Ivanovic tap out early at the Open. She's had little practice, is recovering from a thumb injury and doesn't appear ready to deal with the pressure of being world No. 1. Nothing against Julie Coin, but she's not someone with unbelievable talent. Considering that Ivanovic is no longer dealing with said injury, she should have been mentally strong enough to pull that match out. Considering the lack of depth in women's tennis, here's hoping she gets her head right and doesn't pull a Mauresmo for the rest of her…

Jelena Jankovic (2) vs. Serena Williams (4)Head-to-head: Jelena 3, Serena 3Last meeting: Miami '08 final (hard), Serena 6-1, 5-7, 6-3We've reached the final Grand Slam match of the 2008 WTA Tour season and we'll have a fourth different lady baller to join Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, and Venus Williams as major champions this year. But that's not all: the winner will also move into the WTA penthouse as the top lady baller. Fun, huh?!Second seeded Jelena Jankovic will be going for her first Grand Slam title when she takes on fourth seed Serena Williams, who will try to tie the legendary…

The sun shined brightly on Jelena Jankovic in today's US Open semifinals.The Serb reached her very first Grand Slam final when the she out-ran Russian Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-4. She'll take on 2-time champ Serena Williams who crushed a clearly befuddled Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-2 to reach her fourth final in New York.Well at least JJ answered one of the big questions facing her but can she answer the biggest one of them all on Saturday (or Sunday depending on Hannah's mood...)?(image via Getty)

We've finally arrived at our first men's Marquee Matchup of the US Open and it's a rematch of last year's final. Second seeded Roger Federer, who's looking to make it five straight championships, will face third seeded Novak Djokovic for a place in the final Sunday.An emotive Roger Federer got past qualifier Gilles Muller in 3 tight, high-quality sets defeating the lad from Luxembourg 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5). The Swiss stylist hit 42 winners to 19 errors, won 86% of his first serves, and made 15 of 24 net approaches - gawdy stuff.A smack-talking Nole schooled a frustrated Andy Roddick…

Rap artist Common was spotted with Serena Williams working a couple of practice sessions with the 8-time Grand Slammer before her quarterfinal win over big sis' Venus.I'd say this relationship is all but confirmed at this point, though no word on whether the rumored engagement happened.But if this is what ball boys look like these days please sign me up!(images via Women's Tennis Blog)

Nothing like a little controversy to cap an evening, huh?After Novak Djokovic's defeat of Andy Roddick in the US Open quarterfinals last night, the Serb made reference to the comments A-Rod made about his recent injury woes to USA's Michael Barkan.Let's just say the New York crowd wasn't feeling Nole last night:Yikes! But, alas, the drama was short-lived. Both ballers discussed the incident in their post-match pressers and seemed to suggest all will be okay.According to Nole,Andy made a statement ‑‑ I don't think it was intentional, okay. He made a joke and it was a misunderstanding, so I…

Beginning next year, a single online broadband console will stream live matches and match highlights to ATP and WTA fans all over the world. Currently, the ATP offers masters' tournament coverage, and the WTA offers selected coverage, but only to selected areas of the world.Forty-one ATP events and forty WTA events will broadcast via the Internet as part of this program. Match highlights will be shown free, and subscribers can buy an ATP package, a WTA package or a combined package.

Caroline Wozniacki rang the NASDAQ closing bell yesterday.

"Against her, you really have to work hard, you know, every single point. With some other player, you know, two, three balls is enough, but with her you have to be ready for seven, six or even more."Elena Dementieva, speaking of Jelena Jankovic"...it will be difficult, but it's doable."Jelena Jankovic, on defeating Serena Williams"It was kind of hard to do today with the conditions, but I just definitely, you know, wanted to just go up against, you know, I think the best player this summer."Serena Williams on Dinara Safina"Well, I'm not disappointed at all. For me Olympics was my biggest…

Dinara Safina has had a wonderful summer. She will most likely win a major next year. But not this year. Safina, unable to handle the weather in her semifinal match against Serena Williams, saw her U.S. Open hopes sail with the wind. Most of us regress under stress, and Safina was no exception today. As she made error after error, or was outplayed by Williams, she exhibited the negative body language we used to see from her on a regular basis."I hate the wind!" she yelled, much as she yelled at the weather in her 2007 Family Circle Cup final. And--as in 2007--her yelling did no good. The wind…

In her semifinal match against Elena Dementieva today, Jelena Jankovic showed up wearing more makeup than fans are accustomed to seeing on a tennis player on the court. But we would expect nothing less from tennis's greatest showwoman; at a night match, I would expect glitter, too. As a Jankovic fan, I enjoy her embellishments because they are part of who she is.Audrey, however, a U.S. fan who posted on the U.S. Open Fanbook, has other ideas about Jankovic's appearance. She writes: "You looked beautiful on the court! Loved the makeup! A great example for our young girls--feminine and…

Novak went nuts after his win over Roddick last night, and I don't think it was just because he earned a spot in the U.S. Open Semi-final. Here he is:Novak backed down from these angry statements in his post-match presser, but the man obviously took Roddick's earlier joking to the press about the Serb's "16 injuries," including "SARS" and "Anthrax" quite personally. But it's strange that Novak wanted to bring the crowd into it - they were cheering for Roddick because he was the American, Novak, not because they care about your injury drama! Geeze, self-obsessed, much? But in the end you gotta…

The women’s semi-finals feature the four best players in the game right now, minus one Williams sister. Jankovic is a steady force, as “the-No.1-ranking-without-ever-making-a-Major-final” fiasco proved. Dementieva’s serve and confidence keep improving, and that Olympic Gold Medal makes her the one to beat on hard courts right now. Safina won L.A. and Montreal in succession and played Dementieva for Gold in Beijing. And Serena has shown supreme mental and physical fitness this tournament - fighting off about 10 set points in her match against Venus last night. Oh, yeah, and she’s…

In case you missed it on Jon Wertheim's always excellent mail bag, here is my favorite photo of the U.S. Open so far. That kid's holding the umbrella with Nadal-like intensity, no?Photo: Philip Hall/usopen.org

The highlight of our trip to the U.S. Open this year was watching the final sets of Nadal vs. Querrey. It was impossible not to get swept up in the crowd's energy and the drama of the moment. It was a great match for U.S. tennis and for Rafa fans, who witnessed their man pulling out a win despite poor play against a good opponent.After the match, the unassuming Sam wandered over to the food court, got a kiss from someone who looked like his grandmother, and then sat around enjoying the "I took a set off Rafa" glow. It's pretty amazing that he felt comfortable chilling in public after 18,000…

Someone asked me to check out Kei Nishikori before we left the Open today. He and del Potro played the last day session match in Louis Armstrong. This was my first time seeing him live. The things about him that stood out the most to me: he already has a legion of fans, and he has the springy legs and effortless, Gene Kelly-esque footwork of Kolya Davydenko. I didn't see the whole match so maybe he came back strong in the end, but my overall impression was that del Potro was in a different league. The Argentine was blowing Nishikori off the court. At least today, del Potro was the young…

Nick’s Picks along with Tennis Week and CBS Sports will bring you live coverage of the US Open from New York City. Check back everyday for insight leading up to the Open and then throughout. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) vs. Serena Williams (USA) Jankovic advanced to her first career Grand Slam final with a straight set victory over Elena Dementieva. Now, she is one match away from accomplishing a feat that she has been working towards since her days at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. The only obstacle in her way now: Serena Williams! Speaking of Ms. Williams, is there anyone playing better…

You couldn’t ask for a better story on Friday for four Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy alumni, as Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic reached the women’s final and junior Filip Krajinovic and Devin Britton advanced to the semis. Jankovic opened up the day with a 6-4, 6-4 victory to reach her first career Grand Slam final, and now she is one match away from doing something that not many others have accomplished. She will have to get by Serena Williams in the finals, though as WIlliams beat Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-2. Both Serena and Jankovic spent many years at the Academy training,…

Nick’s Picks along with Tennis Week and CBS Sports will bring you live coverage of the US Open from New York City. Check back everyday for insight leading up to the Open and then throughout. Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Andy Murray (GBR) Nadal didn’t take the court until about 11pm on Wednesday night and he finished after 2am. I don’t think he minded too much though, as the win put him in his first career US Open semifinal. In that quarterfinal match against Mardy Fish, Nadal dropped the opening set but after that he didn’t face a single break point. Murray played a marathon…

Legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri takes a look back a yesterday’s men’s quarterfinal action as well as previews some of today’s intriguing match ups. more about “2008 US Open - Nick’s CBS Sports Vide…“, posted with vodpod

WTA Tour RD Player 1 Player 2 Nick’s Pick Result Correct WTA 1 Venus Williams Samantha Stosur V. Williams in 2 sets V. Williams Yes WTA 1 Amelie Mauresmo Nathalie Dechy Mauresmo in 3 sets Mauresmo Yes WTA 1 Coco Vandeweghe Jelena Jankovic Jankovic in 2 sets Jankovic Yes WTA 1 Na Li Shahar Peer Li in 2, Peer in 3 Li in 3 No WTA 2 Lindsay Davenport Alisa Kleybanova Davenport in 3 sets Davenport Yes WTA 2 Jelena Jankovic Sofia Arvidsson Jankovic in 2 sets Jankovic Yes WTA 2 Serena Williams Elena Vesnina S. Williams in 2 sets S. Williams Yes WTA 2 Bethanie Mattek Alize Cornet Cornet in 3…

Last Sunday morning, right before Gustav arrived, I hit tennis balls. No one else was oncourt. Rain started falling a little after 7 PM; it started pouring suddenly and then it tapered off. I watched Novak Djokovic vs Marin Cilic in Arthur Ashe Stadium and didn’t see another Open match on TV until today, Friday. Then the winds ripped through, and my neighborhood went without power from early Monday morning until Thursday night. I had generator power part of each day for the frig and a fan. It got pretty warm while I carried on and listened to my emergency radio for updates. I had a good…

For a guy who supposedly had a nasty combination of the bird flu and SARS, Novak Djokovic pulled through nicely last night with a 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) victory over American Andy Roddick. Of course Djokovic didn’t really have any of those ailments, but a little good natured ribbing from Roddick sent the press into a frenzy and caused a little drama between the two of them before and after they went on court. You see Roddick can be a bit of a character at times, and God love him for that. While most players are talking about taking life one day at a time (or something along those lines)…

Serena and Venus Williams met up with each other at yet another slam but this time it wasn’t a US Open final on Saturday night prime time TV, it was a quarterfinal match on a cable channel. (By the way, hang in there with us. Our write Lexa Lee is holed up in her partially damaged house without power in New Orleans so we’re trying to cover and bring you as much tennis as we can.) As soon as Serena Williams had beaten her sister Venus to move into the semifinals at the US Open on Wednesday evening, the questions started: …do you think the two best players on the women’s side were…

We’re having our own energy crisis here at the Open, as the top three players performed at less than full speed ahead. Some thoughts on the Federer-Andreev match The Open nearly teetered its way into realms of chaos here in Week Two, when the top three male seeds all faced lengthy and thorough probing of any weaknesses in their games. Unfortunately there were many. In the case of world Number Two Roger Federer, thank God the man can serve. He had a harder time doing much else on a consistent basis in his match yesterday against Russia’s big-hitting Igor Andreev. Errors flowed, but so did…

Matches at the US Open were so uninspiring today that discussion turned elsewhere, specifically, to court surface speed. Commentators for the US Open spent the day trying to convince everyone that the US Open surface is now faster than Wimbledon. I think they were just bored and trying to think of something to talk about because the tennis on court wasn’t exactly gripping. Serena Williams dispatched wild card Severine Bremond, 6-2, 6-2, in exactly 60 minutes. Flavia Pennetta broke Amelie Mauresmo seven times and won the match with an even more lopsided score: 6-3, 6-0. Stanislas Wawrinka…

From CNBC.com... Mardy Fish will play Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Wednesday. On the surface, it's the story of the world's No. 1 against an American player whose having his greatest run at his hometown slam. But dig a little deeper and you'll find a more intriguing business story. As has been publicized, Nadal was supposed to wear a more conservative polo shirt during his play and looser, shorter pants. Although Nadal's public relations person told The Wall Street Journal before the tournament that this was the Spaniard's choice, I knew from the start it couldn't have…

From www.mpdclick.com... On the eve of the Beijing Olympics, sportswear brand Nike look set to make the most of this invaluable opportunity. Nike will use this event to roll out new designs and is making sure their products make a statement. Examples include the new Air Force 1 training shoe, which is inspired by the "bird's nest" design of the Olympic stadium, and the sole of the Air Max 90 sneaker, which along with the Windrunner jacket will be worn by any American, Kenyan or Ukrainian who goes up to collect a medal and has cleverly been recreated in the colours of the Olympic rings. Any…

From Espn.com... 1. 2008 Wimbledon final: Loser and still champion How can you put a loss as the most memorable moment of a regal reign? Simple: Play a match of exquisite drama and quality on the world's biggest stage, Centre Court at Wimbledon. Just as Muhammad Ali's 1971 loss to Joe Frazier revealed how great a fighter Ali really was, this five-set epic conclusively showed how much over the last four years Federer has raised the bar -- and how much respect he has generated through his excellence. Just three years earlier, Rafael Nadal had stumbled badly on the grass. But in large part due…

From BusinessWeek.com... The slogan for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is "One World One Dream," but as I sat in Ditan Park last Friday evening with hundreds of other Chinese and foreigners watching the opening ceremony (BusinessWeek.com, 8/8/08) on two big TV screens, I couldn't help wonder what Olympic sponsor Adidas (ADDDY) was thinking as former six-time Olympic medalist Li Ning, who began a rival athletic apparel company under his own brand, lit the Olympic flame while suspended by wires 75 feet in the air. By lighting the Olympic flame and overshadowing nearly $200 million in Olympic…

From WSJ.com... China may be a land of crowds, but not at its Olympic Green. Some major Olympic sponsors that invested millions of dollars to pitch their brands from elaborately constructed pavilions are fuming because access to the Green -- usually the main focal and gathering point of most Games -- has been strictly limited. Traders of Games pins aren't allowed inside Beijing's Olympic Green. Citing security concerns, Beijing Olympics officials have turned away droves of spectators who are curious to see the Green with day passes. For the most part, the only people who have been allowed…

Well, it was nice while it lasted but Andy's out and my dreams of a pay out are over. The only crumb of comfort is that we avoid a Federer - Roddick semi in which I would have been torn between heart (Federer getting back on track) and head (money).I missed the match so haven't got much to say about Djokovic's comments, other than I quite like the Djoker, he's shaken things up, has been good for the game, and has a great back story, growing up in war torn Serbia. But let's face it, he doesn't do himself any favours. Whether it's the 'hilarious' impressions (stop it Nole, you are killing me!),…

Over the past 4 years Roger has made it look so straightforward, that it is easy to forget that winning a Slam is one of the greatest achievements in Sport. To be come a Grand Slam champion you have to win seven games in thirteen days, beating the best in the world on the way. The results and performances from an individual round are just a snapshot and can never tell the full story of a Slam. So we shouldn't read too much into the outcome of the past two days. That said, I can't help but feel that Roddick is in the best shape when you look at the bottom half of the draw. Federer and Djokovic…

There's been some superb tennis over the weekend - Roddick continues to impress - but the stand out performance for me was Nishikori downing Ferrer.Didn't see it myself but the scoreline tells the story. Nishikori took the first two sets but was then reminded that beating top 10 players is never a cake walk.Here's Nick Bolletieri's summary:Nishikori won the match 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5. It seemed like every time Ferrer broke Kei in key spots, Kei was able to break back to get the match back on track. Kei is now the first Japanese male in the Open Era (since 1968) to reach the fourth round of…

It seems like only yesterday that Murray celebrated coming back from two sets down in a 5 set thriller by flexing his muscles. And today we had a repeat performance. Not everyone likes Murray - I get that - but who could not appreciate the strength and guts he showed today in coming back to beat Jurgen Melzer in five?As he showed back at Wimbledon, Murray may not do it the easy way - and he's not always easy to like - but he's a fighter.And that combination of talent and guts will take him top 3 one day.UPDATE: Match stats below. And as you can see Murray's second serve is still way too slow.

Is this the best we can do? There's a bit of a buzz in the media about Anne Keothavong's run to the third round, where she was beaten earlier today by Dementieva. I'm pleased for her - the past few days will be good for her confidence and her ranking - and it shows that the LTA under Roger Draper is making progress. But there has to be a reality check. Feel good press coverage about Keothavong masks the scandal which is British women's tennis, where the idea of a player making the second week is currently simply out of the question. I was staggered to read that the last time a British woman…

Russia’s tennis boss Shamil Tarpischev has announced his team  for the upcoming Fed Cup final tie against Spain. Though traditionally Russia has the best selection pool when it comes to Fed Cup, it seems Russia’s captain had to be satisfied with a second-string team. World number 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova will lead the team comprised of world number 10 and Beijing bronze me