Inside the Open – Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki Dominate

Written by: Staff on 31st August 2011

Inside the Open - Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki Dominate

Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return to Conor Niland of Ireland during their first round match on the second day of the 2011 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA 30 August 2011. The US Open runs through 11 September 2011. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Inside the Open

DOMINATING DUO: Top-seeds Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki opened up play on Day 2 at the Open and made it look easy dropping a total of just five games between them. It was tough to watch former Pac-10er Conor Niland of Cal-Berkeley struggle before having to retire down 5-1 in the second set against Djokovic, who told the media in his post-match interview that Niland said he had food poisoning.

UPSET OF THE DAY: One day after Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was ousted in the first round, French Open champion Li Na met a similar fate, falling to Romania’s Simona Halep, 6-2, 7-5.

“Now I even lose all the confidence on the court,” Li Na said. “I was feeling, ‘Oh, tennis is just too tough for me.’ ”

She continued: “French Open is like three months (ago) already. “I mean, is enough time to forget.”

FOR STARTERS: A day after American’s Madison Keys and Irina Falconi did the same, it was nice to see two younger Americans get their first Grand Slam wins on Tuesday as both Coco Vandeweghe and Sloane Stephens came out victorious.

Vandeweghe, who is being coached now by former World Top 15 player Jan-Michael Gambill, took out Italy’s Alberta Brianti, 7-5, 6-3, while Sloane Stephens escaped with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (3) win over Reka-Luca Jani of Hungary, having to break Jani’s serve twice late in the match.

Meanwhile, other American wild cards Jamie Hampton, Alison Riske and Lauren Davis fell in bids for their first Grand Slam wins although Hampton managed to take the first set off top Brit player Elena Baltacha, 6-2, before being forced to retire down 5-1 in the third after calling for medical treatment for her wrist and then succumbing to cramping.

YOUNG TIRED OF LOSING AT THE OPEN: The past three years running Donald Young has been ousted in the first round of what he calls his “favorite tournament.”

The disturbing trend ended Tuesday for the 22-year-old American, who was playing in the main draw for his seventh consecutive year. Currently ranked No. 84 in the world but who still needed a wild card into the Open, Young is playing some of the best tennis of his career, beating lucky loser Lukas Lacko of Slovakia in straights, 4, 2 and 4.

Here’s a bit of trivia: As a 17-year-old in 2006, who did Young lose to in the first round? That’s right, top-seeded Novak Djokovic taking the first set 6-2 before winning just four more games the rest of the way against the then 24-year-old Serb.

Said Young after his match: “I think everyone’s light turns on at their own time. I’m starting to feel like mine is turning on.”

AN INJURED OPEN: American Bethanie Mattek-Sands told reporters after her first-round 6-1, 6-3 loss to Slovenia’s Polona Hercog on Monday that a tear in her right rotator cuff had not fully healed and that she was a week away from feeling great.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands’ next scheduled event is the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, which begins Sept. 12.

“It’s really until I can go out there and hit a normal forehand,” she told reporters. “Up until now it was my healthiest season. I felt great from January playing all through Europe, I was really pumped. That’s why this is disappointing.”

She is still in the doubles with Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova.

By the way, if you haven’t seen it already, Mattek-Sands has one of the more attractive player websites out there. Check it out here; http://www.bmattek.com/.

GOOD READ: Here’s a good read from Grantland.com on Ryan Harrison: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6904753/the-john-mcenroe.

An excerpt from repoter Reeves Wiedeman: “This is what had scouts excited about Harrison: big serve, moves well, deft at the net, and really, really hates to lose. As the next great American, Harrison endures countless comparisons to his predecessors. Try hard enough and anyone fits: He has Sampras’ serve-and-volley game, Agassi’s movement, Ashe’s creativity, Roddick’s forehand. Most visibly, he has John McEnroe’s on-court demeanor.”

WEDNESDAY’S ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM SCHEDULE:

Arthur Ashe Stadium 11 a.m. Start Time

1. Women’s Singles – 2nd Round

Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) v. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)[2]

Not Before: 1 p.m.

2. Men’s Singles – 1st Round

Somdev Devvarman (IND) v. Andy Murray (GBR)[4]

3. Women’s Singles – 2nd Round

Venus Williams (USA) v. Sabine Lisicki (GER)[22]

Arthur Ashe Stadium 7 p.m. Start Time

1. Men’s Singles – 1st Round

Andy Roddick (USA)[21] v. Michael Russell (USA)