Kuznetsova the Favorite in Decimated Bottom Half US Open

Svetlana Kuznetsova is one of four former champions in the draw (alongside Serena and Venus Williams and Justine Henin), but aside from her championship run in 2004 her best showing was a fourth round finish in 2006.

12 months ago Anna Chakvetadze made her debut appearance in the fourth round of a major at the US Open and since then she has made steady progress in the Grand Slam arena, reaching the quarterfinals at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

Shahar Peer’s thrilling third round win over Nicole Vaidisova saw her advance to the fourth round of a major for the fifth time in her career and she will now try to become the first Israeli woman to reach a singles quarterfinal here; Peer and the recently retired Anna Smashnova jointly hold the record for the highest ranked Israeli woman – both of them have a career-best mark of No.15.

At 2006 Wimbledon Agnieszka Radwanska became the first Polish player to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam and after her stunning defeat of reigning champion Maria Sharapova she has now repeated the feat on the other side of the Atlantic.

The Polish teenager’s victory also sees her join an elite list of just 10 players to have scored career wins over Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis and Venus Williams; she defeated Williams in Luxembourg last season and Hingis in Miami earlier this year.

Three women are appearing in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time – Victoria Azarenka and Julia Vakulenko had both made the third round of a major before this week and Agnes Szavay has reached the second round twice in 2007, but their progression to the round of 16 is a career-best result.

Alongside Azarenka, Ivanovic, Radwanska and Szavay, Tamira Paszek is one of five teenagers left in the draw and for the second major in a row has reached the fourth round on debut; at Wimbledon she defeated Elena Dementieva to reach the fourth round for the first time ever in a major, before falling to Svetlana Kuznetsova. (WTA)