Legends Federer, Tiger Woods Huddle as Swiss Claims US Open
Posted on September 11, 2006
Federer Sets New Records with US Open Title Unlikely as it seems, there remain new personal and historical milestones for Roger Federer to achieve. By defeating Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to win his ninth Grand Slam title in Sunday's US Open final, Federer became the first player in the history of tennis to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year for three consecutive years.
He has now won nine of the past 14 Grand Slam titles. Federer, who on Monday begins his 137th consecutive week at No. 1 in the INDESIT ATP Rankings, also clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the third consecutive year.
For the first time in his career Federer won three Grand Slam titles in the same season, following his second Australian Open title in January and his fourth consecutive Wimbledon championship in July. Federer is the first man to reach all four Grand Slam finals in a calendar year since Rod Laver in 1969 and the only man in the Open Era, and one of four in history, to reach the final at six consecutive Grand Slam events.
And, in another first, Federer got to meet his golfing counterpart, undisputed World No. 1 Tiger Woods, before Sunday's final. Woods and his wife Elin sat next to Federer's girlfriend Mirka in the players' box during the match.
"We've been trying to meet on several occasions but with our schedules it has never worked out," Federer said in his on-court victory speech. "He promised to come if I made it to the final, so I had some pressure. It's great to see you here, thanks Tiger."
In a spectacular final, Roddick rebounded from a sluggish start when he surrendered his serve three times in the first set to be on level terms with Federer - whom he now trails 1-11 in career meetings - at 5-5 in the third set. But Federer then won seven straight games to blow open the match and had one match point on Roddick's serve to close out the fourth set to love. But Roddick held and Federer served out the match, winning his ninth Grand Slam title.
Federer collected $1.1 million for his victory, taking him past $6 million in earnings for the year and $26 million for his career.
Federer, who had won 10 of 11 career meetings with Roddick coming into the US Open final, steamrolled the 2003 US Open champion in the opening set, winning the first five games and winning three of the American's first four service games to grab the first set. (Roddick has been broken just five times en route to the final.)
But Roddick, who reclaims the No. 1 American mantle from James Blake by reaching the final and climbing to No.6 in the INDESIT ATP Rankings, broke Federer to love in the first game of the second set. Winning just four of his first 13 visits to the net, Roddick began to be more aggressive with his approach shots and began to use his volleys to great effect, eventually winning his first set in his past five matches with Federer to level the match at one set all.
Unlikely as it seems, there remain new personal and historical milestones for Roger Federer to achieve. By defeating Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to win his ninth Grand Slam title in Sunday's US Open final, Federer became the first player in the history of tennis to win Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year for three consecutive years.
In the third set, at 2-2, Federer was down 0/40 and ultimately saved a fourth break point to hold serve. In the following game Roddick went one better, saving five break points to level at 3-3.
But with Federer leading 6-5, Roddick played a loose game to drop serve to 15 for the first time since the first set to concede the set to the Swiss, who would go on to win seven consecutive games to take a 5-0 lead in the fourth set.
Federer produced one of his best performances in a Grand Slam final, clipping 69 winners (including 17 aces) and making just 19 unforced errors. He broke Roddick six times in the match, restricting arguably the world's best server to a winning percentage of just 39 on second serves. Roddick, who fired 102 aces for the tournament, slid just seven aces past Federer in the final.
Federer, who lost just 10 points on his first serve in the match, was playing his fourth match in five days. He improved his match record on the year to 70-5, and has now won 70 or more matches in a season for four consecutive years.
-- ATP
Davenport, Kuznetsova Lead Favorites at WTA Bali
Former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, appearing in perhaps one of her last events before retirement, and former US Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova are the primary recipients of appearance money the week after the US Open at the Wismilak International in Bali, Indonesia.
Last week at the US Open, Davenport was evasive as to whether she would play a few events in Asia and Europe to wrap up 2006 before calling it a career, or whether she would make an appearance in Australia in January 2007 to play one final year.
Other stars attracted to Bali this week are No. 2 seed Patty Schnyder, fast-rising Serb Ana Ivanovic, and willowy Daniela Hantuchova. From there the seedings fall off the table with No. 6 Marion Bartoli, No. 7 Maria Elena Camerin, and No. 8 Severine Bremond.
Late pull-outs were Anna-Lena Groenefeld (shoulder), Elena Likhovtseva (ankle), Jelena Jankovic (back), and Vera Zvonareva ("schedule change").
Kuznetsova and Schnyder receive first-round byes, while Davenport opens against Russian Galina Voskoboeva, ranked outside the Top 50 on the WTA Tour Rankings.
While Bali officials spread the appearance wealth to attract a solid field of marquee players, the depth at the Wismilak International won't faze the contenders, with Japan's No. 234-ranked Junri Namigata receiving direct entry into the main draw.
Davenport is the defending champion at Bali, last year defeating Francesca Schiavone in the final 6-2, 6-4.
Nadal Pulls Leaving Ljubicic to Headline China Open
Ivan Ljubicic remained at the No. 3 ranking after his shocking exit in the first round at the US Open. This week the Croat attempts to reestablish his dominance and secure a spot at the year-end Masters Cup as the top seed at the China Open in Beijing.
Ljubicic took over the top standing in Beijing when world No. 2 Rafael Nadal pulled from the event citing an injured ankle, also blaming the problem for his early exit at the US Open.
Joining Ljubicic among the seeded players are US Open semifinalist Nikolay Davydenko, Marcos Baghdatis, Mario Ancic back from a water sports accident, Dominik "The Dominator" Hrbaty, Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan, "Dr." Ivo Karlovic, and Korea's Hyung-Taik Lee.
Opening-round matches include Ljubicic vs. the last man granted direct entry into the draw, No. 205 (at time of entry) Go Soeda of Japan; (8) Lee vs. Russian Igor Kunitsyn; (4) Ancic vs. Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez; (6) Srichaphan vs. former Top 10er Rainer Schuettler, and Davydenko vs. fast-court specialist Kenneth Carlsen.
In last year's final the top-seeded Nadal beat the No. 2-seeded Guillermo Coria 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
Michael Chang is the only multiple winner in the history of the Beijing event, capturing the title from 1993-95.
Tursunov, Moya Head ATP Bucharest Field
Russian blogger Dmitry Tursunov leads the thin claycourt field this week at the BCR Open Romania in Bucharest, joined by seeds Florent Serra, Carlos Moya, Gilles Simon, Filippo Volandri, Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, Florian Mayer and Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Moya faces a tough opener against Peru's Luis Horna in one of the few first-round matches of interest, with wildcards going to Romanians Victor Crivoi, Victor Ionita, and Razvan Sabau.
In last year's final the unseeded Serra beat No. 4-seeded Russian Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-4.
Dechy, Zvonareva Win US Open Doubles Title
FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY, USA -- In a doubles fortnight full of surprises, it seemed only fitting that the champion's crown would go to one of the most unheralded teams in the draw. Playing only their fourth event as a team, Nathalie Dechy and Vera Zvonareva were the last women standing, defeating Dinara Safina and Katarina Srebotnik in two sets, 76(5) 75, for the US Open doubles title.
The unseeded duo of Dechy and Zvonareva remained solid through some particularly tight situations during Sunday's final. With Zvonareva serving 4-5 they clawed their way out of triple break point to even things up 5-all, then in the tie-break roared back from a 5-3 hole, winning the last four points to clinch the set. Finally, they broke their No.8-seeded opponents at love in the ultimate game of match to complete the one-hour, 46-minute championship win.
"It's just the way the game goes, and we got to enjoy it no matter what," said Zvonareva about the gritty handling of the tight situations. "That's what we've been working at for 20 years, to play in front of the crowd on the center court of a Grand Slam in the final. It's a great opportunity. You just have to enjoy it. No matter how you play, try to do it."
Although they never faced the world's Top 2 teams, Dechy and Zvonareva were definitely not spoiled when it came to the draw they were given. They survived three-setters in their first two matches, a 75 16 63 victory over Kaia Kanepi and Gabriela Navratilova, and a 36 64 62 defeat of No.4 seeds Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama. They won the rest of their matches in straights, including two more upsets in the quarters and semis, over No.7 seeds Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez and No.6 seeds Kveta Peschke and Francesca Schiavone.
"The first match was such a nightmare," Dechy said.
"It was so bad," Zvonareva added. "I couldn't put the ball in the court. We hadn't really played together too much, and I was playing singles and I was just feeling on the court I have no space, like I couldn't make a shot in doubles. Every shot was going into the net or to the fans, because I couldn't find the court. But then we started communicating with each other better."
Upon defeating the No.8 seeds in the final, they became the first unseeded team to claim a Grand Slam women's doubles title in over five years, since the Williams sisters captured the Australian Open in 2001 as a wild card tandem.
"We were not seeded, but we played some good matches in the French Open already," said Dechy; in their first event, they made the Roland Garros quarters. "We really got better match by match, I think. It's not a matter of seeding; it's a matter of playing well match after match."
And the seeds certainly fell during the fortnight. Top seeds and defending champions Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur and No.3 seeds Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs both fell to Safina and Srebotnik prior to the final, while No.2 seeds Yan Zi and Zheng Jie lost to Peschke and Schiavone.
But it was a happy ending for both Dechy and Zvonareva, to whom the US Open marked a career-first Grand Slam women's doubles title. Zvonareva had only made one major semifinal in women's doubles previously, while Dechy hadn't even passed the quarterfinals. But there's a first for everything.
"You always come to the tournament with the desire to win," said Zvonareva, a two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, including at Wimbledon this year. "But, it's more important to not expect anything. Just go on court, do your thing. Just concentrate on every point, go match by match, like Nathalie said. That's what we were doing well. No matter who's on the other side of the net or how we're playing, we try to fight for every point. That's the most important thing."
-- WTA
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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Roger Federer becomes the very first player to win three straight Wimbledons and US Opens in the Open Era. Federer surpasses Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall with nine career Slam titles. Rosewall was on hand for the finale...Also on hand was Tiger Woods, owner of 12 Slams. Woods met with Federer for the first time just before the final for about 10 minutes. Afterward, Woods and his wife Elin spent nearly 90 minutes with Federer immediately after his title...Bjorn Borg won his 9th Slam in his 22nd event, Federer in his 30th, Pete Sampras in his 31st. Federer's last five Slam finals have gone four sets. Four of his first five went straights. Federer is the 10th straight European to win a Slam title. Gaston Gaudio was the last non-European Slam winner...Without Roger Federer would Andy Roddick have four, maybe more, Slam titles? After not reaching a final all year, Andy Roddick has reached the final in three of his last four events...Roddick's lone career Slam Top 10 win remains Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 US Open final. Roddick moves up to No. 3 in the ATP Race and will likely finish Top 5 in the rankings...Tiger Woods and Roger Federer are both represented by IMG. Hence the meeting. Maria Sharapova is also with IMG and the "swoosh."...Andy Roddick has a better five-set record (8-8) than Roger Federer (9-10). Federer is the first man to reach all four Slam finals in a single year since Rod Laver's Slam in 1969...Pete Sampras won 14 of 18 Slam finals, only bested percentage-wise by Roger Federer's nine of 10. Federer again out-aced Roddick 17-7. That seems to always happen. The scoreline for the final was nearly the same as that of the Federer-Agassi match from last year...Brad Gilbert is serious about getting Andy Murray in fighting shape, according to the BBC: "Andy Murray will face two of Thailand's top kickboxers after his first round match at the Thailand Open. Murray, 19, will take on veteran Khaosai Galaxy, known as "the Thai Tyson", and Somluck Kamsing, who won an Olympic boxing gold medal in 1996. "He has to learn to fight first, so I'll go easy on him, but tennis player or boxer, I won't be letting him win," said Somluck, now a singer and actor. The Thailand Open takes place in Bangkok from 25 September to 1 October."...From X-Discussion boarder 443: "Such impossibility is not even worthy of hope. Federer could play the worst match in his life versus Roddick playing the best match ever and he'd still win. I have no problems with Roddick, but you can't race a donkey against a race horse and hope the donkey would win. That's why it's sad to hear the US media actually believing there is a chance. And then Roddick starts hoping he can do it and when he inevitably loses there is a huge disappointment and everybody calls Roddick a loser and a bad player -- which he isn't. There is no chance save Federer breaking a leg."...From blogger Peter Bodo on Maria Sharapova: "And those blood-curdling shrieks? Let's not kid ourselves, we know exactly what they are: cries for attention and acknowledgment, a petition for validity. See, see how hard I can hit the ball? See, see how hard I'm working? See, see how godawful hard this is and how good it feels and how terribly much I need to let loose and experience the sheer thrill of abandon, the one thing I can never afford to do when I see that ball coming toward me because -- because, lacking the talent of Justine, lacking the flair of a Serena, lacking the versatility of an Amelie, this is the only way I can experience a little bit of what they have, and still somehow be good. And without being good -- without winning that last point, I'm nothing."...Blogger Charlie Bricker on the offensive concerning reporters harassing Maria Sharapova about the banana/fingers incident during the US Open final: "Then, after Sharapova twice made it clear she didn't care to talk about it, a fellow who owns a little once-a-month tennis magazine you've probably never heard of began lecturing her. "...the question, in all candor, it's a fair question. There's a phrase that an honest question deserves an honest answer. And the issue relates to fairness in the competition and the no-coaching rule. It's a simple question, and we're interested in it." He put a full-court press on her for the next three minutes until someone, graciously, broke the joint up with a question that began, "Maria, no fruit involved..." Sharapova's sharp and right-to-the-point final word on the subject: "We should tell all the players, have a banana and they're all going to win."...From CBSSportsline.com on Maria Sharapova stating she'll do whatever it takes to win: "And, much to her chagrin, Sharapova was asked to address again the apparent signals she received from her father and her hitting partner during matches at the Open, including holding up four fingers or waving a banana. In-match coaching isn't allowed in tennis, but she and her agent offered this explanation: Sharapova focuses so much on the task at hand when she plays that she sometimes forgets to drink as much as she should to stay hydrated -- and the hand signals were simply meant as a reminder. When asked about it after the final, Sharapova deflected the question, saying it wasn't what she wanted to be talking about on a night she earned a major championship. "I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana," Sharapova said Saturday night. "It's not about what I wear. It's not about the friends that I have. My career right now is about winning a tennis match. And right now, I'm sitting here as a U.S. Open champion, and the last thing I think people need to worry about is a banana."...Andy Roddick is 0-3 vs. Top 10 players in 2006 and 1-7 vs. Top 10 players career in Slams...From SI.com's Jon Wertheim: "Given how well Sharapova plays and how fiercely she competes, it makes her blatant cheating all the more disappointing. Someone in her camp of enablers ought to impress upon that she is discrediting herself and discrediting the sport. And just because the toothless administrators turn a blind eye, doesn't make it right. Sure it might just be a silly banana and some gesticulating fingers. But "you don't play fair" is one of the most serious charges you can levy against an athlete...Poor Willie Coria's forgettable year continues. Already embroiled in an unpleasant personal situation, a bum shoulder wreaks havoc on his game. His shoulder is finally better and he's so committed to rectifying his serve that he practices in a driving rain. He goes out against Sweeting, slips on the court, hurts his groin and retires after five games...So go to any West Side Story Web site and here are the lyrics from "I Feel Pretty.": "I feel pretty Oh so pretty I feel pretty and witty and gay." Yet in the Sharapova commercial the cast sings: "I feel pretty Oh so pretty I feel pretty and witty and...bright." Hmmm."...From Sportbusiness.com: "Mobile phone company Sony Ericsson agreed a three-year deal to become the official mobile phone of the Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai. Under the deal Sony Ericsson has exclusive worldwide rights as 'Official Mobile Phone of the Tennis Masters Cup' and will enjoy prominent on-court brand presence, on-screen score graphics during all national and international broadcasts, global promotional rights and top level hospitality and tickets at the men's season-ending finale which takes place for the second year running at Qi Zhong Stadium, Shanghai from 12-19 November 2006."...Roger Federer on having Tiger Woods watch him win the US Open: "We have been trying to meet for a while, but he promised me he would come if I was in the final, so there was a bit of pressure, but thanks for coming...It's like maybe the first time your parents see you do something special, or somebody comes to you, you really maybe look up to. For me, it's like when I go out there and I see Tiger sitting there, it's like, I try to play well, you know?"...Roger Federer has clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for three straight years with his US Open win -- does he have three more in a row in him to tie Pete Sampras' all-time mark?