Inside the Open – Wozniacki, Serena, and Federer Move On

Written by: Staff on 4th September 2011

Inside the Open - Wozniacki, Serena, and Federer Move On |

Inside the Open

Wozniacki, Federer and Williams all won in straight sets as the Open headed into the middle weekend and took a primetime spot on CBS with the venerable Dick Enberg, John McEnroe and Mary Carillo behind the mic. Here are some highlights.

KING FALLS TO NO. 1 WOZNIACKI: Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki played her usual steady game in beating American Vania King in the first match on Ashe Saturday at the Open.

King, who won women’s doubles titles at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon last year, but has never made it past the third round at a Grand Slam tournament in singles, fell to 0-16 in matches against players ranked in the top 10. The Long Beach native shares the same hometown and last name with the former player who the USTA National Tennis Center is named after. In fact, they attended the same middle school.

King made 39 unforced errors in the matched compared to 17 for Wozniacki, who is seeking her first Grand Slam title.

R-FED, SERENA MOVE ON: Former champions and world No. 1s Roger Federer and Serena Williams survived tough tests Saturday on Ashe.

Federer dropped a set for the first time in the tournament to Croatia’s Marin Cilic, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, but still sounded confident afterward. “As long as I’m in the tournament I know I have a shot and that’s what it’s about right now,” he said. “I seriously don’t care how I’m playing. I wish I play my best every single time and feel amazing. That’s not reality.”

He added: “That’s what the beauty of this game is, trying to find a way when you’re not feeling great.”

Williams beat fourth-seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 6-1, 7-6 (5). The second set was perhaps the best played of the women’s tournament so far. Azarenka staved off four match points to extend the match. At one point, she was serving down 3-5, 0-40 and came back to win three straight points with some gutty all-court play.

The game of the match came in the 10^th game at 5-4 Williams serving as Azarenka kept battling back. At one point in the game, Williams ran down an angled forehand and slid ending up in the splits position showing her amazing athleticism.

Azarenka was impressed. “To have somebody just going at you like that, it’s a little bit painful,” she said. “She’s playing at a higher level than actually I’ve seen her play in a few years. I felt we were playing a very top level of game. It was like a semifinal or even a final, the level.”

FISH DEFEATS FORMER ILLINOIS STAR ANDERSON: He won just 53 percent of the points in a 3 hour and 20 minutes match, but Mardy Fish was still thankful he only needed three sets to beat South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) in the third round Saturday.

“It’s huge,” Fish said. “Mentally, physically, everything.”

Fish even referenced the youthful Donald Young in his presser. Young was extended to the limit in his second-round match on Friday. “You know, I’m 29. I don’t wake up in the morning feeling like I’m 20,” Fish said. “I don’t feel like Donald felt this morning. I’m sure he felt fine. I won’t feel like that tomorrow morning.”

HURRICANE IRINA STILL ALIVE IN MIXED DOUBLES: American Irina Falconi and partner Steve Johnson upset No. 2 seeded Katarina Srebotnik and Canada’s Daniel Nestor in mixed doubles on Saturday 6-3, 3-6, 10-8.

Falconi, the Ecuador native who moved to Washington Heights in Manhattan at age 3 before a move to Florida, lost to No. 22 seed Sabine Lisicki 6-0, 6-1 in singles on Friday.

“I came in here defending 60 points and I made 100,” Falconi said after her match. “I made some cash, I got some media — there’s nothing but positives to take from this week.”

Falconi, known as a popular blogger on USTA.com, is coached by Jeff Wilson in Alpharetta, Ga.

In another huge upset in, top seeded Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan fell to Americans Melanie Oudin and Jack Sock, 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 on Saturday.

RODDICK FOLLOW-UP: Andy Roddick hasn’t seemed to really have enjoyed himself at this year’s Open. Until Friday night. That’s when Roddick, 29, actually played another player from Nebraska, which he said he thought would never happen in his career. Roddick beat last year’s US Open boys’ champion Jack Sock 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the late match on Ashe.

The fan support was pro-Sock and he looked better at times than the more tentative Roddick scoring 42 winners to 27 by Roddick. “It was just cool,” Roddick said. “I had a good time.”

SUNDAY’S ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM SCHEDULE:

Starting at 11 a.m.

Men’s Singles – 3rd Round

David Nalbandian (ARG) v. Rafael Nadal (ESP)[2]

Not Before: 1:30 PM

2. Men’s Singles – 3rd Round

Andy Roddick (USA)[21] v. Julien Benneteau (FRA)

This match may be moved to Armstrong Stadium.Not Before:3:30 PM

3. Women’s Singles – 4th Round

Maria Kirilenko (RUS)[25] v. Samantha Stosur (AUS)[9]

Arthur Ashe Stadium 7 PM Start Time

1. Men’s Singles – 3rd Round