Williams Advance, Gulbis Shocks at US Open

Posted on September 3, 2007

Gulbis? Latvian US Open Upset Maker

19-year-old Latvian Ernests Gulbis orchestrated the biggest upset Sunday at the US Open, straight-setting No. 8 seed Tommy Robredo 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 to move into the fourth round.


The No. 88-ranked, 6-foot-3 Gulbis is in a Slam fourth round for the first time.

No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal led the seeds Sunday, overcoming a knee injury and Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-1.

"I start with some doubts in the beginning," Nadal said. "Yesterday I have pain. When I go to practice I stop practice for the knee. Yesterday I didn't take any anti-inflammatories yesterday because I can't every day. But today morning I put some anti-inflammatories. Yesterday I work hard. I think it's typical after the match. It was the first match when I really push hard."

Other seeded winners were (3) Novak Djokovic (d. Del Potro), (20) Juan Ignacio Chela (d. (12) Ljubicic in five), (15) David Ferrer (d. (24) Nalbandian in five), (17) Carlos Moya (d. Kohlschreiber in five), and (23) Juan Monaco (d. Calleri).

"Now I am playing very well, no?" Ferrer said. "I happy with my game. Maybe the best moment of me of the year."

In the only all-unseeded match, Swiss Stan Wawrinka beat American Robby Ginepri in five sets.

"He pretty much controlled the tempo of the whole match, and I was letting that aggravate me throughout the match," Ginepri said. "He was taking his bathroom breaks and taking time between points. It was getting to me out there. That's something that I can always go back and work on."

On tap for Monday are (5) Andy Roddick vs. (9) Tomas Berdych, (6) James Blake vs. (10) Tommy Haas, (1) Roger Federer vs. Feliciano Lopez, and (4) Nikolay Davydenko vs. Hyung-Taik Lee.

Williams Sisters Into Quarters at US Open

It was an upset in terms of seeding only as No. 12 Venus Williams eased past No. 5 Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-2 Sunday at the US Open.

"I can't say that I'm not here to prove a point per se," Williams said. "I'm definitely out here to advance to the next round, to make my chances better, to get obviously to the title, which is the ultimate goal for every player. So no matter who I'm playing, I'm not out there to prove anything or, so I beat so and so. It's important for me to get to the next round."

Both Williams sisters moved into the quarterfinals as No. 8 Serena Williams muddled through a bad-tempered 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 10 Marion Bartoli.

"With Serena she just elevates her game when she needs to," Bartoli said. "She's not obviously trying to play the hardest on every point. She just wait for the great moment, and then go for it and play some great shots when she really need to." 

Also into the quarters was world No. 1 Justine Henin who spanked No. 15 seed Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-2, and No. 3 Jelena Jankovic who outlasted No. 19 Sybille Bammer in three sets.

Henin will next play Serena Williams for the third time in a row at a Slam.

"I think that I've been pretty lucky," Henin said "I haven't been lucky, but that worked pretty good for me in the last two Grand Slams. I hope it's going to be another good one. Yeah, we know each other pretty well. I know everyone was waiting for that match, and here we are. That's why I'm playing tennis, to play this kind of match. That's why I'm here. I'm very happy I'm going play her, and I hope we can show good tennis, and I think it's great for me."

Scheduled for Monday at the US Open are Victoria Azarenka vs. (4) Svetlana Kuznetsova, (6) Anna Chakvetadze vs. Tamira Paszek, Agnes Szavay vs. Julia Vakulenko, and (18) Shahar Peer vs. (30) Agnieszka Radwanska.

TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Paradorn Srichaphan has pulled from the Thailand Open citing a wrist injury...How odd was that Serena Williams vs. Marion Bartoli match at the US Open Sunday? Women's tennis is center stage in the U.S. on CBS, with two women who can run all day, yet their BMI (Body Mass Index, measuring body fat) is at a level you wouldn't see outside women's golf or football, not an elite aerobic-heavy sport. And what is with Bartoli's service set-up and motion, which doesn't utilize her legs or movement into the ball at all? Any beginning teaching pro would immediately change that. Time to hire a physical trainer and real coach -- both of them.