Tennis: August 2008 Archives

By Andy Rohr
Staff Writer

Here are my picks for the top contenders, dark horses and looming disappointments on the women's side at this year's U.S. Open.

Top 4 Contenders
Serena Williams (4th seed) - Call it a hunch. After opening the year on a 17-match win streak in which she won three WTA titles, Serena cooled off. She lost the Wimbledon final to her sister Venus and is in danger of being shutout in this year's Grand Slam-cycle. Because of that disappointing loss to Venus at Wimbledon and a U.S. Open title drought dating back to 2002, I'm picking Serena to win her first Grand Slam title since the Aussie Open of 2007. Of course, she'll have to get by Venus in the quarterfinals to do it.

Jelena Jankovic (2nd seed) - This might be a bit a of stretch considering her recent form and her disappointing one-week stint at the top of the WTA rankings two weeks ago but it gets easier to like Jankovic's chances when you take a look at the draw. A round-of-16 match-up against red-hot Caroline Wozniacki could prove to be a slipping point but Jankovic rests on the easier side of the women's bracket - away from the Williamses, Ana Invanovic and Dinara Safina.

Venus Williams (7th seed) - Venus enters the Open as a top challenger but has been dogged in recent years by inconsistent play (i.e. her loss to Li Na in the Olympics) that has kept her ranking from climbing close to the top. Her Wimbledon title recalls that she's practically unstoppable when at her best, but she struggles to find her top form. Seeking her first Open title since 2001, she's likely to meet Serena in the quarters.

Elena Dementieva (5th seed) - Puts herself in the top four after she cashed in on a gold medal during her oft-impressive run at the Olympics - including wins over Serena Williams and Safina. Won a title in Dubai earlier in the year and has had a fairly successful run at the Slams this year. She also hasn't lost a match to an unranked opponent since January. A round-of-16 match against Anna Chakvetadze could be tough.

Dark Horses
Caroline Wozniacki (21st seed) - Comes in as the winner of 10-straight matches in which she won two titles, including the Pilot Pen on Saturday. Wins over Chakvetadze, Alize Cornet, Marion Bartoli and Agnieszka Radwanska during the streak are also impressive. Might be poised for a breakthrough.

Alize Cornet (17th seed) - Experiencing all the inconsistency most would expect out of a 18-year old. Wins over Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Chakvetadze and Daniela Hantuchova do look good but Cornet has also lost six times in the first round this year. If she can survive the first round against fellow Frenchwoman Camille Pin. Might face Safina in the round-of-16.

Others to watch: Amelie Mauresmo, Anna Chakvetadze, Lindsay Davenport

Looming Disappointments
Ana Ivanovic (1st seed) - If I'm not putting her as a top contender then I guess I must have her tabbed as a disappointment. Although she's the no. 1 player in the world, she's played poorly in her last two WTA events. It could by early curtains in the third round against Mauresmo.

Svetlana Kuznetsova (3rd seed) - The 2004 Open champion maintains a high ranking by keeping her schedule clogged with WTA events but hasn't had a strong year and has yet to win a title. She's lucky that Safina - who has beaten her in two of her last three events - resides on the other side of the bracket. Has a fairly easy quarter but hasn't been at her best.

Enjoy the Open.

By Andy Rohr
Staff Writer

Each draw contains a slew of top contenders, dark horses and looming disappointments. Here are my picks in the men's draw at the U.S. Open.

Top 4 Contenders
Novak Djokovic (3rd seed) - After winning the Australian Open in grand style back in January, "The Djoker" has had a relatively quiet year. He's been blanked this summer and after falling to Nadal in the gold-medal match in Beijing, has lost to the Spaniard four times since May. The up-and-coming Andy Murray has also beaten him twice leading up the Open. So why am I picking Djokovic? Because Nadal and Murray reside on the other side of the bracket and neither possesses a successful run in New York like Djokovic had last year, when he lost to Federer in the final. That, and Djokovic hasn't lost a five-setter on hard courts this season.

Rafael Nadal (1st seed) - "Six titles, two majors and a gold medal do make for a great year, no?" Nadal didn't actually say that but he certainly could have. The man has been rolling along and after his triumph at the Olympics, many are picking Rafa to take another title. But not me. Nadal has undoubtedly improved his hard-court game the last couple of years but has not yet put up a lengthy run at the Open (his best a quarterfinal appearance in 2006) and often succumbs to injury on the unforgiving hard courts due to the ridiculous pace that he plays at. A quarterfinal match with James Blake could be something special.

Roger Federer (2nd seed) - Things have definitely changed when Federer can only clock in as the third-best contender at the Open. The 12-time grand slam champion has only totaled two titles this year and has been off his usual game (you know, of flat out destroying people) to getting beaten 11 times on the ATP circuit this season. One could argue that Federer has lost to the eventual champion at all three Grand Slams but then again, he hasn't had a win over a top-tier player since he beat Blake at the Australian quarterfinals. A semifinal with Djokovic could await.

Andy Murray (6th seed) - Aside from his disastrous first-round Olympic loss, Murray has been at the top of his game this summer. Murray captured his first-career Master Series title in Cincinnati earlier this month has finally displayed that tenacity that had so many tennis insiders excited the last couple of years. A difficult round-of-16 match-up with 10th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka probably awaits but Murray is still the favorite to make the semis considering the slump that the fourth-seeded David Ferrer has been in. If Nadal is waiting for him in the semifinals, it's probably curtains for young Andy. He's 0-3 against Rafa since Wimbledon.

Dark Horses
Juan Martin Del Potro (17th seed) - Everybody's pick as the tournament dark horse after reeling off 19 straight wins and capturing four titles this season. Aside from wins over Andy Roddick and Richard Gasquet however, there isn't a lot of to hoot and holler about. A third-round match-up with fellow up-and-comer Gilles Simon awaits.

James Blake (9th seed) - After having his trip to Beijing end in a no-medal disappointment, Blake will look to bounce back at an event where he's reached the semis to other times. Although Blake has struggled in long matches and against his fellow ranked opponents, I still see him making the quarters to take on Nadal. Then, who knows?

Others to watch: Stanislas Wawrinka, Mardy Fish, Viktor Troicki, Radek Stepanek, Marin Cilic

Looming Disappointments
David Ferrer (4th seed) - A semifinalist a year ago, Ferrer closed out 2007 on fire. 2008 has been another story.

David Nalbandian (7th seed) - The one-time "best player without a Grand Slam title" has come on hard times. It's probably all downhill from here.

Andy Roddick (8th seed) - Maybe I can work the reverse jinx here. Like many American fans, I've been waiting and waiting for Roddick to make another run at the top. While that time has certainly passed, there's still time left for Roddick to make a run at another Grand Slam title. But it is running out and his recent form and shoulder injury are bad signs.

By Andy Rohr
Staff Writer

It's time to head back to Arthur Ashe Court.

The U.S. Open begins on Monday and the changes from a year ago in both the men's and women's draws couldn't be more evident

Last year's women's champion Justin Henin, quit the sport in May and left the women's rankings muddled at the top. 2006 champion Maria Sharapova is also out of the draw with a right shoulder injury.

On the men's side, Roger Federer has had a nightmarish year (for him, anyway) and most are skeptical that he can capture his fifth-straight title at Flushing Meadows. After 160 weeks at the top, Federer relinquished his no. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal, who has emerged as the new king of tennis and has the opportunity to become the first man since Rod Laver did it in 1969 to capture the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns in the same year.

Dramatic night matches, roaring crowds. There's only one U.S. Open.

Because tennis rarely gets the limelight and because I just don't know when to say when, posts previewing both the men and women will be posted over the next two nights.

For now, enjoy the musings of SI's Jon Wertheim, the best tennis writer out there and check out the brackets at the U.S. Open website.