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Joy in Mudville: On Sunday at New York, in the final of the 2012 US Open,
the 2012 Olympic & Wimbledon champ, 30 year old 4th seeded #4 (and former #1) Serena Williams from Palm Beach Gardens, FL,
defeated
the 2012 Australian Open champion, 23 year old top seeded #1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco),
6-2, 2-6, 7-5 (Victoria is shown during the match, Serena holding the hardware afterward).
Serena struck 44 winnners (including 13 aces) with 45 unforced errors (5 double faults) and scored on 5 of the 14 break points she reached against Victoria while totaling 94 points in the match; Vika hit 13 winners (no aces) with 28 errors (4 DFs), and converted 4 of the 8 break points she held against Serena while scoring 87 points. stats
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Serena's prize is $1,900,000; Victoria's prize is $950,000.
Victoria served for the match leading 5-4 in the 3rd set, but Serena broke Vika, held, and broke her again to take the match.
BBC: As it Happened
Serena said: "I honestly can't believe I won. I really was preparing my runner-up speech, because I thought, `Man, she's playing so great."
AP story
Victoria said: "Serena deserves the win. She showed how true a champion she is. I definitely gave it all today. Stepping out of this court today, I will have no regrets."
Serena now leads Vika 10-1 in
career matches. Their previous meeting was earlier this year on a chlorophyll court in the semfinals of the
2012 Olympic Games at Wimbledon, when Serena defeated Victoria 6-1, 6-2.
15 time Grand Slam singles champion
Serena is now 45-15 in WTA singles finals; this was her 6th
US Open final, she also won the title in 1999, 2002 and 2008. Serena won the 2010
Australian Open and Wimbledon titles, then stepped on broken glass at a restaurant after Wimbledon and was sidelined for about 11 months, during which she also suffered from a pulmonary embolism. Upon returning to play last year Serena won the Stanford and Toronto titles; this year she has won at Stanford, Wimbledon (
Championships and
Olympics), Charleston and Madrid.
Serena has a 53-4 singles match record this year, with losses to Ekaterina Makarova, Caroline Wozniacki, Virginie Razzano and Angelique Kerber.
2012
Australian Open champion
Victoria is now 12-11 in WTA singles finals; this was her first
US Open final. She won this year at Melbourne, Indian Wells, Doha and Sydney, and last year at Miami, Marbella and Luxembourg. Vika has a 54-8 singles match record in 2012.
is now shown below. There was no increase in prize money for losers in the 1st round of qualifying. In 2004 qualifying finalists received $9,375. Now they get $8,638. However, for the first time in many years, there has been a reasonable increase in prize money for early round losers in the main draw.
WTA SCOREBOARD: The US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York
The US Open Corona Park, Flushing Meadows, New York
Flushing Meadows: The US Open has 32 seeds, with no 1st-round byes. There are 16 qualifiers and 8 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals: Friday, August 26th.
2012: On Friday, August 24, in New York, 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur, 2012 top seed
Victoria Azarenka, and 2006 tourney champ Maria Sharapova practiced at the National Tennis Center...
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US Open, 1st Rd Mon-Tue Aug 27-28 11am
loser's prize: $23,000; points: 5
Monday: play resumed after rain delay
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n74 Alexandra Panova RUS 6-0, 6-1 Mon
Vika launching a backhand
n2 s2 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n92 Nina Bratchikova RUS 6-1, 6-1 Tue
Agnieszka driving a forehand
Agnieszka said: "I'm just very happy that I could give it my best in the first match. It's always difficult for the first match. Every week it's different surface, different balls. I was very happy I could play my first match on stadium...
"I'm really taking care of [my injured right shoulder] right now. It's really better." postmatch interview
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n90 Melinda Czink HUN 6-2, 6-2 Mon
Maria struck 24 winnners (including 5 aces) with 16 unforced errors (including 2 double faults) and converted 5 of the 10 break points she reached against Melinda; Melinda hit 8 winners (1 ace) with 14 errors (no DFs), and scored on 1 of the 2 break points she reached against Maria. match stats
Maria said: "I was happy with the way I came out. Never played [Melinda] before. A lefty. Conditions weren't exactly perfect. Overall I played steady, but there's room for improvement, that's for sure...
"[After the Olympics] I went to Montréal and I was supposed to practice there, supposed to play the next day, but I woke up and I had a stomach bug for a few days and wasn't feeling really good. I had some tests done, some blood work, some ultrasound stuff. They said I should just probably rest. I just went home and took Cincinnati off as well. I think it was just a sign that I needed a few weeks off...
"[I had the tests] because of the pain I was having. It was really weird. They told me I was fine, not pregnant. I'm like, 'Can I get my money back?' [laughter]" postmatch interview
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n4 s4 Serena Williams USA d n73 Coco Vandeweghe USA 6-1, 6-1 Tue
Serena driving a backhand
Serena said: ""The wind was blowing a lot at the Olympics, but I think this may have been more than the Olympics. I usually gauge the wind by my hair. If it's really going forward, I'm thinking it's really windy.
"To adjust I try to take pace off my serve. I didn't hit too many aces. I didn't hit anything too hard because I wouldn't have known where the ball was going.
"The match was so weird because the conditions were so tough out there, and I really couldn't play my game. She couldn't play her game either." WTA story
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n5 s5 Petra Kvitova CZE d n63 Polona Hercog SLO 7-6(8), 6-1 Mon
n6 s6 Angelique Kerber GER d n80 Anne Keothavong GBR 6-2, 6-0 Tue
Angelique driving a backhand
n7 s7 Samantha Stosur AUS d n65 Petra Martic CRO 6-1, 6-1 Mon
Samantha and Petra driving forehands, and Sam's backhand drive
Samantha struck 22 winnners (including 10 aces) with only 11 unforced errors (including 1 double fault) and converted 5 of the 8 break points she reached against Petra; Petra hit 7 winners (3 aces) with 25 errors (2 DFs), and did not reach a break point against Sam. match stats
Samantha won the first 19 points of the 1st set. Samantha said: "I knew at 4-Love, 40-Love that I hadn't missed a point, and the match had been going pretty quick and obviously in my favor. It did pop into my head for a split second. Then I hit the double fault and it was erased and I was quickly on with the next point...
"It was great to get out there again. I felt like I was ready to go. First match up, first day, was a good start... It was nice to come back and play very well today." postmatch interview
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*n84 Irina-Camelia Begu ROU d n8 s8 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-2, 6-2 Tue
Irina-Camelia said: ""It's the first top 10 player I've beaten and I'm really happy. I had nothing to lose tonight. I had the right tactics from the beginning and played the same from beginning to end. I served really well, too, which was the key." WTA story
Caroline said: "I tried, but I didn't succeed in playing well. I made too many errors. I definitely felt I couldn't hit through her today like I wanted to. When she had the opportunity, she went in and finished off the point."
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n9 s9 Na Li CHN d n70 Heather Watson GBR 6-2, 6-3 Mon
Heather and Na driving forehand and backhand
Na reached the US Open quarterfinals in 2009, but lost in the 1st round in 2010 and 2011. Na said: "I really happy I can win first match of these few years. Last few years always lose first round. So, yeah, I see the schedule, I say, 'Okay, you have to do for yourself. You really have to win the first match, otherwise same like last year and now I have to pack, I have to go back to airport to fly back home.'" postmatch interview
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n10 s10 Sara Errani ITA d n96 Garbine Muguruza ESP 6-3, 6(6)-7, 6-1 Tue
n11 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d n99 Jamie Hampton USA 6-3, 7-6(5) Mon
Marion following a backhand
n12 s12 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n164 q Elina Svitolina UKR 6-3, 6-2 Tue
n13 s13 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d n76 Johanna Larsson SWE 6(5)-7, 6-2, 6-0 Tue
n14 s14 Maria Kirilenko RUS d n42 Chanelle Scheepers RSA 6-2, 6-1 Tue
n17 s15 Lucie Safarova CZE d n107 wc Melanie Oudin USA 6-4, 6-0 Mon
Melanie and Lucie driving backhand and forehand
*n38 Sorana Cirstea ROU d n19 s16 Sabine Lisicki GER 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 Mon
Sabine and Sorana driving forehands
Sorana said: "People ask me what I do during rain delays. For example, today I was in the locker room most of the time. Usually I put my headphones on... I don't like to interact with many people when I'm in a break during my match, so I can keep my focus... but don't worry, once the match is done I'm friendly again :)
"But when the match was over today and I was done with cool down, press and physio, I was free to go home. It was 7pm when I got back to the hotel, so I was at my job for almost 12 hours today! And yes, for me the hotel means home because out of 365 days a year, I spend more then 300 days in a hotel!!!!" Player blog by Sorana Cirstea
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n20 s17 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d n40 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-4, 7-6(1) Mon
*n126 q Kristyna Pliskova CZE d n21 s18 Julia Goerges GER 7-6(4), 6-1 Mon
n22 s19 Nadia Petrova RUS d n100 Jarmila Gajdosova AUS 6-3, 7-6(3) Mon
Jarmila and Nadia driving backhands
n23 s20 Roberta Vinci ITA d n44 Urszula Radwanska POL 6-1, 6-1 Tue
*n72 Kiki Bertens NED d n24 s21 Christina McHale USA 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Tue
*n46 Sloane Stephens USA d n25 s22 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-3, 6-4 Tue
Sloane serving, Francesca driving a forehand, and Sloane after match point
n26 s23 Kim Clijsters BEL d n565 wc Victoria Duval USA 6-3, 6-1 Mon
Victoria and Kim driving forehands
Kim said: "In the beginning of the tournament you kind of have to get a feel for everything a little bit. It was pretty windy out there today as well, so that didn't make it all that easy to kind of find a good rhythm out there. But overall I think once [Victoria] settled down, I think she was pretty happy with the way that she played." postmatch interview
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*n81 Andrea Hlavackova CZE d n27 s24 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-4, 6-4 Tue
n28 s25 Yanina Wickmayer BEL d n163 q Julia Glushko ISR 7-5, 6-2 Mon
*n94 Ayumi Morita JPN d n29 s26 Monica Niculescu ROU 6-3, 6-3 Tue
Ayumi signing autographs after the match
*n69 Lucie Hradecka CZE d n30 s27 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-3, 6-3 Mon
n32 s28 Jie Zheng CHN d n132 Virginie Razzano FRA 4-6, 6-2 retired—right hip injury Mon
Jie launching a forehand on the run
*n82 Olga Govortsova BLR d n33 s29 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-3, 6-4 Tue
n34 s30 Jelena Jankovic SRB d n98 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6-1, 6-2 Tue
n35 s31 Varvara Lepchenko USA v n75 Mathilde Johansson FRA 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 Mon
Varvara driving a backhand
*n86 Elena Vesnina RUS d n36 s32 Shuai Peng CHN 7-6(5), 6-1 Tue
Elena following a backhand
*n87 Bojana Jovanovski SRB d n37 Mona Barthel GER 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 Tue
n39 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP v n66 Ksenia Pervak KAZ 7-5, 2-1 retired—right thigh injury Tue
n41 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d n108 LL Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-1, 6-4 Tue
*n56 Romina Oprandi SUI d n43 Andrea Petkovic GER 6-2, 7-5 Mon
n45 Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ d n52 Vania King USA 6-4, 6-2 Tue
n47 Venus Williams USA d n216 wc Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 6-3, 6-1 Tue
Venus said: "My serve is huge because it's such a huge part of my game. It's important for me to get my first serves in. Of course, when there's a big point, I'm thinking my serve is going to save me every time. I think sometimes I get so involved in my serve I forget to play the rest of the point. It's definitely a balance. But for me and anybody else, when your serve is in, the rest of your game is beautiful usually." postmatch interview
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n49 Alize Cornet FRA d n312 wc Nicole Gibbs USA 7-5, 6-3 Mon
n50 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d n68 Alexandra Cadantu ROU 6-0, 6-3 Mon
Aleksandra ready to swat a backhand
n51 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d n103 Kimiko Date-Krumm JPN 6-4, 4-1 Tue
n53 Simona Halep ROU d n64 Iveta Benesova CZE 7-5, 7-6(5) Mon
*n152 wc Kristina Mladenovic FRA d n54 Marina Erakovic NZL 7-5, 6-4 Mon
n55 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d n89 Camila Giorgi ITA 6-3, 6-4 Tue
*n67 q Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d n57 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 Mon
n58 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP d n145 q Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-3, 6-2 Tue
*n205 q Johanna Konta GBR d n59 Timea Babos HUN 6-2, 7-5 Tue
*n136 q Kirsten Flipkens BEL d n60 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Mon
*n79 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ d n61 Arantxa Rus NED 6-1, 6-3 Tue
*n117 q Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino ESP d n62 Shahar Peer ISR 6-4 7-6(5) Tue
n71 Anna Tatishvili GEO d n88 Stephanie Foretz Gacon FRA 6-2, 6-0 Mon
n77 Mandy Minella LUX d n115 Olivia Rogowska AUS 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Mon
n78 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP d n85 Sesil Karatantcheva KAZ 6-4, 6-1 Mon
*n93 Pauline Parmentier FRA d n83 Michaella Krajicek NED 6-2, 6-4 Mon
n91 Laura Robson GBR d n394 q Samantha Crawford USA 6-3, 7-6(6) Mon
Samantha and Laura driving backhand and forehand
*n110 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d n97 Mirjana Lucic CRO 6-3, 7-5 Tue
*n161 q Anastasia Rodionova AUS d n101 wc Julia Cohen USA 6-3, 6-0 Mon
Anastasia following a forehand
n105 Vera Dushevina RUS d n155 q Nastassja Burnett ITA 6-0, 6-3 Tue
n106 wc Casey Dellacqua AUS d n112 q Lesia Tsurenko UKR 6-2, 6-3 Mon
*n144 q Olga Puchkova RUS d n111 Irina Falconi USA 7-6(5), 6(2)-7, 6-3 Tue
*n142 q Tatjana Malek GER d n121 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Tue
n122 Greta Arn HUN d nNR sr Agnes Szavay HUN 6-4, 3-2 retired—low back injury Tue
n135 q Edina Gallovits-Hall ROU d n137 q Stefanie Voegele SUI 7-5, 6-4 Mon
n251 wc Mallory Burdette USA d n309 sr Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-4, 6-3 Mon
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US Open, 2nd Rd Wed-Thu Aug 29-30 11am Thu WTA story
loser's prize: $37,000; points: 100
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n136 q Kirsten Flipkens BEL 6-2, 6-2 Wed
Victoria driving a forehand
Victoria struck 15 winnners (including no aces) with 10 unforced errors (including no double faults) and converted 4 of the 7 break points she reached against Kirsten while totaling 59 points in the match; Kirsten hit 11 winners (1 ace) with 19 errors (4 DFs), and did not convert any of the 3 break points she reached against Vika while scoring 34 points. match stats
Vika said: "It wasn't as easy maybe as the score was, but I think I played well. I moved well, which was important, to execute in these [windy] conditions...
[Kirsten] has a really deep slice and it's a little bit tricky. It took me first few shots to kind of adjust and feel her ball, but I had to stay aggressive and not to let her try to command me with that shot." postmatch interview
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n2 s2 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n39 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 Thu
Agnieszka trailed 4-6, 1-3 before winning the last 11 games of the match. Agnieszka said: "The beginning of the match was a little bit tough. She's a very tough opponent with a lot of spins, some slice, and a lot of different shots. Then I started to play much better and started to make her run, and I was feeling much better about my game later on, especially during the third set."
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n78 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 6-0, 6-1 Wed
Maria launching a backhand
n4 s4 Serena Williams USA d n110 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 6-2, 6-4 Thu
Serena struck 32 winnners (including 11 aces) with 24 unforced errors (6 double faults) and scored on 4 of the 7 break points she reached against Maria José while totaling 65 points in the match; Maria José hit 5 winners (1 ace) with 12 errors (7 DFs), and converted 1 of the 7 break points she held against Serena while scoring 45 points. match stats
Serena said: "I wasn't really happy with the way I was playing. I just wasn't happy out there today in general. I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It was just one of those days, but I'm happy I made it through."
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n5 s5 Petra Kvitova CZE d n49 Alize Cornet FRA 6-4, 6-3 Wed
Petra said: "I played and I won. That's it... I knew what had to play, tactics and what help me and what it's not very good to play." postmatch interview
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n6 s6 Angelique Kerber GER d n47 Venus Williams USA 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 Thu
Venus serving, and Angelique driving a backhand
After winning the 2nd set, Venus took a 4-2 lead in the 3rd. Angelique said: "Venus was fighting in the second set and played great shots in the important moments. I couldn't do anything...
"In the third she was up, and I just fought every point. I had in my mind matches where I was down match ball and won, so I knew I could change it. I wasn't thinking of the time or the score, I was just trying to win points." WTA story
Venus said: "Today all I had was fight because I didn't play well. I don't feel like I put together more than two good points before I had to make two or three errors. I looked at the stats, and I made 60 errors. It's difficult to win like that."
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n7 s7 Samantha Stosur AUS d n135 q Edina Gallovits-Hall ROU 6-3, 6-0 Wed
n9 s9 Na Li CHN d n106 wc Casey Dellacqua AUS 6-4, 6-4 Wed
Na said: "first set was okay, like normal. But after first set, I was follow the rhythm of her. I was follow her, what she does on the court. Suddenly 4-Love down, I was feeling, 'What happened? One second, 4-Love down already.' (Snapping fingers.) I was like, 'Okay, don't think about how is score. Just try to keep going. If I lose second set, it's still like one set all. I still have chance.'
"I sure happy I still in the tournament. I didn't play best tennis today. At least I can stay in New York. I don't need fly back to China." postmatch interview
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n10 s10 Sara Errani ITA d n105 Vera Dushevina RUS 6-0, 6-1 Thu
n11 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d n56 Romina Oprandi SUI 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 Wed
n12 s12 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n51 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-2, 6-2 Thu
Sofia and Ana driving forehands
Ana said: "I'm very happy about today's match, because [Sofia is] a tough opponent. She does retrieve a lot of balls. She likes to use the pace off her opponent. I really tried to use the whole court and open up the court and sometimes go behind her. Looked for my forehand and tried to be more aggressive on that side. It worked really well. I'm very pleased." postmatch interview
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n13 s13 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d n87 Bojana Jovanovski SRB 7-6(3), 7-6(3) Thu
n14 s14 Maria Kirilenko RUS d n122 Greta Arn HUN 6-3, 6-2 Thu
n17 s15 Lucie Safarova CZE d n50 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Wed
*n152 wc Kristina Mladenovic FRA d n20 s17 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 6-1, 6-2 Wed
n22 s19 Nadia Petrova RUS d n53 Simona Halep ROU 6-1, 6-1 Wed
Nadia and Simona driving forehands
n23 s20 Roberta Vinci ITA d n45 Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 Thu
*n91 Laura Robson GBR d n26 s23 Kim Clijsters BEL 7-6(4), 7-6(5) Wed
Laura and Kim driving backhands, and Laura after match point
It was the last singles match of Kim's career; she had planned to retire after this tourney. It was also her first loss at Flushing Meadows since 2003. Kim leaves with 41 WTA singles titles, a 523-127 match record and $24,432,888 in prize money.
Laura struck 26 winnners (including 5 aces) with 28 unforced errors (including 5 double faults) and converted 2 of the 7 break points she reached against Kim while totaling 98 points in the match; Kim hit 32 winners (4 aces) with 33 errors (3 DFs), and converted 2 of the 9 break points she held against Laura while scoring 95 points. match stats
Oncourt after the match, Kim said: "This feels like the perfect place to retire, I just wish it wasn't today. I gave it my all today and it just wasn't good enough at the end of the match. But I'm still in doubles and mixed doubles.
"Since I came back it's been a great adventure for me, my team and my family, and it has all been worth it, but I'm excited for the next part of my life." WTA story
Laura said: "I just want to thank Kim for being such a good role model for me for so many years. It was an absolute pleasure to play against you."
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*n93 Pauline Parmentier FRA d n28 s25 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 7-6(5),6-3 Wed
Pauline about to connect with a forehand
n32 s28 Jie Zheng CHN d n67 q Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6-3, 6-1 Wed
n34 s30 Jelena Jankovic SRB d n117 q Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino ESP 6-4, 6-2 Thu
Jelena struck 16 winnners (including 3 aces) with 20 unforced errors (including 2 double faults) and scored on 4 of the 6 break points she reached against Lara while totaling 72 points in the match; Lara hit 17 winners (1 ace) with 39 errors (4 DFs), and converted 1 of the 8 break points she reached against Jelena while scoring 52 points. match stats
Jelena said: "[Lara] was a tough opponent with a very Spanish game: a great forehand with a lot of spin, and very solid off the ground. I had to work hard for each point and stay solid, and I'm happy I managed to win through today.
"Afterward I went to the practice courts. I wanted to clean up some things. I played pretty well today, but I needed to do some things better. Anyway it was a good day at the office and I'm looking forward to the next round now." WTA story
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n35 s31 Varvara Lepchenko USA d n161 q Anastasia Rodionova AUS 6-2, 6-2 Wed
*n71 Anna Tatishvili GEO d n38 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6(5)-7, 6-1, 6-2 Wed
n41 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d n86 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-3, 6-4 Thu
n46 Sloane Stephens USA d n142 q Tatjana Malek GER 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 Thu
n55 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d n94 Ayumi Morita JPN 7-5, 6-2 Thu
Tsvetana and Ayumi driving forehands
n58 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP d n84 Irina-Camelia Begu ROU 6-4, 7-6(5) Thu
*n251 wc Mallory Burdette USA d n69 Lucie Hradecka CZE 6-2, 6-4 Wed
*n144 q Olga Puchkova RUS d n72 Kiki Bertens NED 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 Thu
n77 Mandy Minella LUX d n126 q Kristyna Pliskova CZE 6-4, 6-4 Wed
*n81 Andrea Hlavackova CZE d n79 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ 6-2, 6(3)-7, 6-3 Thu
n82 Olga Govortsova BLR d n205 q Johanna Konta GBR 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 Thu
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US Open, 3rd Rd Fri-Sat Aug 31-Sep 1 11am
loser's prize: $65,000; points: 160
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n32 s28 Jie Zheng CHN 6-0, 6-1 Fri
Jie and Vika driving forehand and backhand
n2 s2 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n34 s30 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-3, 7-5 Sat
Jelena and Aga driving forehands
Agnieszka struck 15 winnners (including 2 aces) with 15 unforced errors (including 2 double faults) and scored on 6 of the 7 break points she reached against Jelena while totaling 70 points in the match; Jelena hit 23 winners (2 aces) with 37 errors (3 DFs), and converted 4 of the 8 break points she reached against Agnieszka while scoring 54 points. match stats
Agnieszka said: "[Jelena is a] very consistent player. We played couple of times against each other, and it was always long and tough matches. I was prepared for that. Especially with the hot conditions, you really have to fight more yourself than against the opponent, because today was really hot." postmatch interview
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n251 wc Mallory Burdette USA 6-1, 6-1 Fri
Maria struck 17 winnners (including 4 aces) with 12 unforced errors (including 4 double faults) and scored on 6 of the 11 break points she reached against Mallory while totaling 53 points in the match; Mallory hit 6 winners (no aces) with 18 errors (2 DFs), and converted 1 of the 7 break points she reached against Maria while scoring 52 points. match stats
Maria said: "I expected her to play a big, solid match. She has pretty huge groundstrokes, and she likes to go for it. My opponents have been quite different last few rounds. She's certainly somebody who could be dangerous if you give her the time to do what she likes to do. Overall, I was happy with the way I played." WTA story
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n4 s4 Serena Williams USA d n41 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-4, 6-0 Sat
Serena driving a forehand
Serena struck 31 winnners (including 8 aces) with 16 unforced errors (1 double fault) and scored on 4 of the 9 break points she reached against Ekaterina while totaling 67 points in the match; Ekaterina hit 10 winners (2 aces) with 18 errors (2 DFs), and did not reach a break point against Serena while scoring 41 points. match stats
Serena had lost to Ekaterina in the 3rd round of this year's Australian Open. Serena said: "Definitely was motivated. Knowing that I lost, could definitely happen again. Did not want that to happen." postmatch interview
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n5 s5 Petra Kvitova CZE d n93 Pauline Parmentier FRA 6-4, 6-4 Fri
n6 s6 Angelique Kerber GER d n82 Olga Govortsova BLR 6-1, 6-2 Sat
Angelique's backhand drive
n7 s7 Samantha Stosur AUS d n35 s31 Varvara Lepchenko USA 7-6(5), 6-2 Fri
Varvara and Samantha driving backhand and forehand
Samantha said: "Aside from that first service game, I felt like I served very well. As that first set went on and then throughout that second set I held pretty comfortably throughout. I think as I was doing that, then I would put a bit more pressure on her service games. That's kind of how the match unfolded. That's how I was able to get that run of games on the second set." postmatch interview
About her 4th round opponent, Laura Robson, Samantha said: "I have never played Laura before. She's obviously full of confidence and had two very, very good wins. Definitely can't go into that match slightly. Have to go out there and be on my game and ready to play some good tennis."
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*n91 Laura Robson GBR d n9 s9 Na Li CHN 6-4, 6(5)-7, 6-2 Fri
Laura and Na driving backhand and forehand, and Laura after match point
Laura struck 23 winnners (including 9 aces) with 27 unforced errors (7 double faults) and scored on 6 of the 17 break points she reached against Na while totaling 111 points in the match; Na hit 31 winners (7 aces) with 34 errors (5 DFs), and converted 3 of the 4 break points she held against Laura while scoring 99 points. match stats
Laura, who has never before progressed beyond the 1st round at a Grand Slam tournament, is now in the 4th round of the US Open. She defeated former #1 Kim Clijsters in the 2nd round.
Laura said: "When I heard that I was playing Li Na after I played Kim, I didn't really think anything. I just knew that it was going to be an extremely tough match, which it was, and that she's a great player. So I knew I had to play well; that's what I did...
"My first serve percentage wasn't great [54% in, winning 84% of those points], but I knew I had to keep going for it, because she was definitely taking advantage of my second serve." postmatch interview
Na said: "[Laura has a] huge first serve... I think I was making a lot of mistake in whole match, so of course give a lot of free point to her." postmatch interview
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n10 s10 Sara Errani ITA d n144 q Olga Puchkova RUS 6-1, 6-1 Sat
n11 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d n152 wc Kristina Mladenovic FRA 6-2, 6-4 Fri
Marion driving a backhand
n12 s12 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n46 Sloane Stephens USA 6(4)-7, 6-4, 6-2 Sat
Sloane serving, Ana driving a forehand, and after match point
*n23 s20 Roberta Vinci ITA d n13 s13 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 6-2, 7-5 Sat
Roberta after winning a point
*n81 Andrea Hlavackova CZE d n14 s14 Maria Kirilenko RUS 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 Sat
Maria and Andrea serving, and Andrea after match point
*n22 s19 Nadia Petrova RUS d n17 s15 Lucie Safarova CZE 6-4, 7-5 Fri
n55 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d n58 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP 6-1, 6(3)-7, 6-3 Sat
n71 Anna Tatishvili GEO d n77 Mandy Minella LUX 7-5, 6-0 Fri
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US Open, 4th Rd, Sun-Mon Sep 2-3 11am
loser's prize: $120,000; points: 280
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n71 Anna Tatishvili GEO 6-2, 6-2 Sun
*n23 s20 Roberta Vinci ITA d n2 s2 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-1, 6-4 Mon
Agnieszka said: "[Roberta] was just better today... she's really playing very uncomfortable tennis to play. I was really struggling today with that. With slow courts, with opponent like that, it's tough, especially when you're not playing your best." postmatch interview
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n22 s19 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Sun
Maria serving, Nadia and Maria driving backhands, and Maria after match point
Maria struck 32 winnners (including 4 aces) with 41 unforced errors (including 8 double faults) and scored on 6 of the 8 break points she reached against Nadia while totaling 89 points in the match; Nadia hit 17 winners (6 aces) with 31 errors (1 DF), and converted 4 of the 6 break points she reached against Maria while scoring 77 points. match stats
Maria was trailing 0-2 in the 3rd set when the match was stopped by rain. After the rain passed, Maria won 6 of the next 8 games to take the match. Maria is now 11-0 in 3-set matches this year, and 23-1 in 3-setters since the start of 2011.
Maria said: "I always think that no matter how you start the match, it's always how you finish. Whether it's an hour or three hours you're out on the court, I don't want to give up until the last point." WTA story - postmatch interview
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n4 s4 Serena Williams USA d n81 Andrea Hlavackova CZE 6-0, 6-0 Mon
Andrea serving, and Serena launching a backhand
Serena struck 31 winnners (including 8 aces) with 7 unforced errors (2 double faults) and scored on 6 of the 9 break points she reached against Andrea while totaling 60 points in the match; Andrea hit 9 winners (2 aces) with 13 errors (1 DFs), and did not convert the one break point she reached against Serena while scoring 29 points. stats
It was the 5th double bagel that Serena has delivered in her career.
Serena said: "I honestly don't think I started out strong in the tournament. I feel like today I'm getting more comfortable with the court and comfortable with the conditions. I'm getting back to more my game, which is good. I like to play better during the second week. Hopefully I can do that." postmatch interview
About her quarterfinal opponent, Ana Ivanovic, Serena said: "[Ana is] playing well. Every time I play her in particular she plays really well. She goes for a lot of shots. She's such a big hitter... Obviously being No. 1, having that Grand Slam under your belt, she knows what it's like to win."
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*n11 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA d n5 s5 Petra Kvitova CZE 1-6, 6-2, 6-0 Sun
*n10 s10 Sara Errani ITA d n6 s6 Angelique Kerber GER 7-6(5), 6-3 Mon
Sara said: "It was incredible fight, I think. It was very difficult match mentally and also physically. So it was very difficult. First set was one hour and 15, I think. So it was also very tactic match, I think. Trying to wait the other, try to do the better thing for me, the worst for her. So it was strange game also sometimes." postmatch interview
Angelique said: "I was trying to give my best, and it was very close and hard match also in the first set. But the balls from [Sara] were very difficult for me, and also the spin. I just tried to be aggressive, but in the important moments she was better. She beat me, and it's okay. I do everything I could do today." postmatch interview
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n7 s7 Samantha Stosur AUS d n91 Laura Robson GBR 6-4, 6-4 Sun
Laura and Samantha driving backhands
Samantha struck 18 winnners (including 6 aces) with 24 unforced errors (2 double faults) and scored on 4 of the 12 break points she reached against Laura while totaling 77 points in the match; Laura hit 17 winners (2 aces) with 41 errors (6 DFs), and converted 2 of the 8 break points she reached against Samantha while scoring 67 points. stats
Laura successfully defended 8 match points before Sam won on her 9th. Samantha said: "I thought it was a good match. I thought I played pretty well. Towards the end there, probably stepped it up another gear when I had those match points and couldn't quite get them. So I think it was a really good match, and definitely one that I maybe needed going to the quarters." postmatch interview
Laura said: "I felt like I didn't play as well as I did in my last three matches. I just hit too many unforced errors. Sam is someone who sort of makes you feel like you're playing bad because she hits it with so much spin, so it's hard to get her serve back sometimes. But it's been a good tournament for me." postmatch interview
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n12 s12 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n55 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-0, 6-4 Mon
Ana driving a forehand, Tsvetana driving a backhand, and Ana after match point
Ana struck 26 winnners (including 2 aces) with 21 unforced errors (including 2 double faults) and scored on all 7 break points she reached against Tsvetana while totaling 63 points in the match; Tsvetana hit 11 winners (1 ace) with 23 errors (3 DFs), and converted 3 of the 9 break points she reached against Ana while scoring 35 points. match stats
Ana, who has won at Roland Garros (and reached another final there), reached the final at Melbourne, and the semifinals at Wimbledon, has now reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
Ana said: "I sort of know the things I'm doing well and I know I'm in the right path and I believe in it a little bit more. I think that confidence is sort of coming from that. So, putting it all together, I imagine I'm probably playing the best I have played this year." WTA story
About her quarterfinal opponent, Serena Williams, Ana said: "[Serena has] been having so many victories lately. Her serve is definitely her strength. I really have to be sharp from the first moment on. and stay aggressive and stay in the moment. Try to enjoy it as well, and enjoy the challenge."
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US Open, QFs, Tues-Wed Sep 4-5 11am
loser's prize: $237,500; points: 500
Tuesday: rain stopped play - Wednesday: rain delayed start of play
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n7 s7 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(5) Tue
Victoria driving a forehand, Samantha following one, and Vika driving a backhand
Victoria struck 29 winnners (including 1 ace) with 24 unforced errors (5 double faults) and scored on 6 of the 8 break points she reached against Samantha while totaling 100 points in the match; Sam hit 37 winners (5 aces) with 32 errors (1 DF), and converted 4 of the 11 break points she reached against Vika while scoring 88 points. stats
Victoria said: "[Samantha] really pushed me to dig deep. We fought really hard... It was always somebody had to grab the opportunity to provoke mistakes. Even though there were mistakes, but there was provoking them, coming in and playing big shots. I think that the quality of tennis was really high, and it was tense because it could go either way." postmatch interview
Samantha said: "I have to say I'm really pleased with the way I played. I thought it was a really, really good match... [Victoria] fights very hard every single match she plays and she does it very well. That's probably part of the reason she's #1 at the moment." postmatch interview
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n11 s11 Marion Bartoli FRA 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Tue-rain-Wed
Maria serving, Marion and Maria driving forehand and backhand, and Maria after match point
Maria struck 44 winnners (including 10 aces) with 35 unforced errors (including 11 double faults) and scored on 5 of the 10 break points she reached against Marion while totaling 91 points in the match; Marion hit 18 winners (2 aces) with 25 errors (6 DFs), and converted 4 of the 16 break points she reached against Maria while scoring 86 points. match stats
Maria said: "[Marion] was going a lot for her second serves. I think she probably had like 30 serves that were 99‑miles‑per‑hour second serves. It's like she worked consistently to get 99 miles an hour. Every time I looked at the clock it was like 99, 99. If I lose this match, I'm going to have nightmares [laughter]. I guess she just has that nontraditional game where it's kind of sneaky. You don't know if she's going to come in or if she's gonna hit the ball or be flat or hit the frame. She's worked a lot on it. That's why it's good." postmatch interview
About playing #1 Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals, Maria said: "I think we both play a pretty aggressive game. We're good competitors and we love to win. I mean, who doesn't? But she's had such a solid year this year, kinda her breakthrough in terms of winning the [Australian Open], being so solid, so consistent, being #1 in the world for the first time. So a lot of firsts for her, which I think a lot of people expected in the last few years. This is kind of the year where she's come out and played really great tennis."
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n4 s4 Serena Williams USA d n12 s12 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6-1, 6-3 Wed
Serena serving, Ana and Serena driving backhands, and Serena after match point
Serena struck 26 winnners (including 12 aces) with 14 unforced errors (3 double faults) and scored on 4 of the 6 break points she reached against Ana while totaling 57 points in the match; Ana hit 9 winners (no aces) with 13 errors (2 DFs), and did not convert either of the 2 break points she reached against Serena while scoring 37 points. stats
Serena said: "I felt solid. In the second set I could have stayed focused a little more... Ana did play better in the second set and definitely put a lot more pressure on me. It feels good to play like that in the quarterfinals and especially against Ana Ivanovic. She's been No.1 and has a Grand Slam under her belt." WTA story
Ana said: "I played some really good tennis to get into this position, and even tonight I felt I was striking the ball so nicely on both sides. That's something I've worked hard for."
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n10 s10 Sara Errani ITA d n23 s20 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-2, 6-4 Wed
Roberta suspicously eyeing a forehand, and Sara driving a backhand
Sara said: "It was very difficult match, I think. Quarterfinal with your best friend, of course, is difficult. There is many tension. Also for the rain, we were going out, in, then out, in, out. So it was difficult. We know each other very well. We played [doubles] together many times. So was also strange to see her on the other side of the net. Normally also when you walk on the court, we go together, we speak. Today was a bit strange, but sometimes happens. I think we played a good match. For the tension is normal. It's not unbelievable match, but we played a good match, I think." postmatch interview
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US Open, SFs, Fri Sep 7 1:45pm & 3:45pm
loser's prize: $475,000; points: 900
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Victoria serving, Maria driving a forehand, Vika driving a backhand, and after match point
Victoria struck 19 winnners (including no aces) with 19 unforced errors (5 double faults) and scored on 5 of the 12 break points she reached against Maria while totaling 103 points in the match; Maria hit 44 winners (8 aces) with 42 errors (10 DFs), and converted 3 of the 5 break points she reached against Vika while scoring 96 points. stats
After winning the 1st set, Maria broke Victoria's serve to open the 2nd. But the rest of the 2nd set was dominated by Victoria. In the 3rd set, although Vika held serve more easily than Maria, she did not break Maria's serve until match point.
Victoria said: "I felt like towards the end of the first [set] I was kind of getting a little bit better, trying to find the momentum and getting more and more comfortable in the match. So even though I lost the first set I felt like it was close. I had a few opportunities; I missed them. But once it finished, I kind of thought that I had to turn it around and start from zero, like it's a new match." postmatch interview
Maria said: "A lot of swings in the match today. Certainly had the lead and the advantage. [Victoria] picked up her game. In the third [set] I think a lot of it had to do with the returns. I didn't do much on her service games. She was winning them pretty easy. On mine they were quite long, and just making too many errors not putting any pressure on her. So that's, I think, the most frustrating part." postmatch interview
About the final, Victoria said: "[Serena is the] toughest opponent there is in the draw, and being in the final makes it even more difficult. So definitely gonna be a tough one... If you look at our record it says it all. I haven't won in any last meetings, so I definitely need to find something to surprise her tomorrow, because she's in a great form, feeling really confident right now. She has everything on her side."
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n4 s4 Serena Williams USA d n10 s10 Sara Errani ITA 6-1, 6-2
Serena serving, Sara and Serena driving forehands, and Serena after match point
Serena struck 38 winnners (including 9 aces) with 21 unforced errors (no double faults) and scored on 4 of the 10 break points she reached against Sara while totaling 60 points in the match; Sara hit 6 winners (no aces) with 9 errors (no DFs), and did not reach a break point against Serena while scoring 35 points. stats
Serena said: "It's awesome to be back in the final again. I dreamt about this all year and I'm really happy." BBC story
Sara said: "I just try first set to be a bit more on the defense, to receive a bit more far away, and play [Serena's] high balls and try to make that game. Then was not so good, so I changed and try to be a bit more aggressive. In any case, it was very difficult." postmatch interview
About the final, Serena said: "I have to stay focused on the task at hand and play the current #1 player in the world. I always believe I'm the best, but on paper she's been more consistent, going much deeper in the Slams than I have been. I definitely have to do the best I can." WTA story
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US Open, Final, Sat Sep 8 7pm RAIN PPD-SUN SEP 9 4:30pm
loser's prize: $950,000; points: 1400
winner's prize: $1,900,000; points: 2000
n4 s4 Serena Williams USA d n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
Serena serving, Victoria and Serena driving forehand and backhand, and Serena after match point
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US Open, Doubles Final, Sun Sep 9
loser's prize: $210,000
winner's prize: $420,000
s2 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci d s3 Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-2
US Open, Mixed Doubles Final, Thu Sep 6
loser's prize: $70,000
winner's prize: $150,000
Ekaterina Makarova RUS & Bruno Soares BRA d s4 Kveta Peschke CZE & Marcin Matkowski POL 6(8)-7, 6-1, (12-10)
US Open, Girls Singles Final, Sun Sep 9
*Samantha Crawford USA d s12 Anett Kontaveit EST 7-5 6-3
US Open, Girls Doubles Final, Sat Sep 8
s4 Gabrielle Andrews USA & Taylor Townsend USA d s2 Belinda Bencic SUI & Petra Uberalova SVK 6-4, 6-3
US Open, Qualifying Finals Fri Aug 24 11am
losers' prizes: q1 $3,000 2pts; q2 $5,700 40pts; q3 $8,638 50pts; qualifier 60 points
n67 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d n150 Anastasija Sevastova LAT 6(8)-7, 7-5, 6-2
*n142 Tatjana Malek GER d n95 Yung-Jan Chan TPE 6-4, 2-0 retired
*n155 Nastassja Burnett ITA d n102 Jana Cepelova SVK 6-3, 6-3
*n394 Samantha Crawford USA d n108 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
n112 Lesia Tsurenko UKR d n156 Irena Pavlovic FRA 6-2, 6(7)-7, 6-2
n117 Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino ESP d n141 Alexa Glatch USA 6-2, 6-4
*n145 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d n120 Paula Ormaechea ARG 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
n126 Kristyna Pliskova CZE d n214 Maria Sanchez USA 6-3, 7-6(4)
*n164 Elina Svitolina UKR d n129 Valeria Savinykh RUS 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
n135 Edina Gallovits-Hall ROU d n204 Donna Vekic CRO 2-6, 6-4, 6-0
n136 Kirsten Flipkens BEL d n276 Catalina Castano COL 7-6(5), 7-6(5)
n137 Stefanie Voegele SUI d n186 Heidi El Tabakh CAN 6-4, 6-3
n144 Olga Puchkova RUS d n207 Dia Evtimova BUL 6-0, 7-5
n161 Anastasia Rodionova AUS d n219 Veronica Cepede Royg PAR 6-1, 6-2
n163 Julia Glushko ISR d n169 Saisai Zheng CHN 6-3, 6-3
*n205 Johanna Konta GBR d n195 Shuai Zhang CHN 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
US Open, Withdrawals/Non-entries
n15 Kaia Kanepi EST bilateral achilles injury
n16 Vera Zvonareva RUS illness
n18 Flavia Pennetta ITA right wrist injury
n31 Petra Cetkovska CZE right ankle injury
n48 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS right knee injury
n104 Elena Baltacha GBR ankle injury
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US Open champions will win a $1 million bonus if they won the US Open Series, and thus receive a $2.8 million prize.
: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.
