Djokovic, Venus headline China Open

Venus Williams

Photo: AFP

World number two Novak Djokovic and American superstar Venus Williams are headed to Beijing for the China Open, an event that will bring many of the world's top tennis players to town from Saturday.

Both the ATP and WTA tours have made the hard-court tournament, which runs through October 10, a key part of their long-term strategies for growing the game in the vast nation.

While the sport's dominant duo Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are scheduled to play in Shanghai in mid-October, they have opted out of the Beijing event, clearing the way for Djokovic to defend the title he won last year.

The 23-year-old Serb, who this month helped his country secure a spot in the Davis Cup final against France, will face a tough challenge from Britain's Andy Murray, who has been out of action since a third-round loss at the US Open.

Seven of the world's top 10 men will compete in the Chinese capital including French Open runner-up Robin Soderling of Sweden, Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko.

Djokovic is taking nothing for granted. On his website, he said he would "face a big challenge during the next few weeks" with three titles to defend -- Beijing, Basel and Paris -- before the season-ending championships in London.

On the women's side, the draw lost some serious star power with the withdrawals of world number one Serena Williams and US Open champion Kim Clijsters, both recovering from foot injuries.

"I am very sorry to have to cancel for Beijing," the 27-year-old Clijsters said on her website, adding there was "no doubt" that she would be ready for the season-ending WTA championships in Doha.

Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, currently number two in the WTA rankings, will be the top-ranked woman in Beijing, while Williams' sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner and world number three, will be her main challenger.

Also in hot pursuit of the title will be on-form Russian Vera Zvonareva, who has climbed to a career-high number four in the rankings after finishing runner-up to Clijsters at Flushing Meadows.

Last year's winner, Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova, will be looking to bounce back after crashing out of the Pan Pacific Open in Japan this week in straight sets to unheralded German Andrea Petkovic.

Her compatriot Maria Sharapova also will be looking for redemption after being unceremoniously dumped from the Tokyo event in the first round by Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm, who turned 40 on Tuesday.

Serbian number six Jelena Jankovic -- who has had good luck in Beijing, reaching the final in 2007 and winning the title in 2008 -- will be eager to perform well after falling to Estonia's Kaia Kanepi in Tokyo.

The China Open is played at the National Tennis Centre. The women's main draw gets under way on Saturday and the men's on Monday.

The following is a preliminary list of seeds:

Men

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1)

Andy Murray (GBR x2)

Robin Soderling (SWE x3)

Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x4)

Tomas Berdych (CZE x5)

Fernando Verdasco (ESP x6)

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x7)

David Ferrer (RUS x8)

Women

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x1)

Venus Williams (USA x2)

Vera Zvonareva (RUS x3)

Jelena Jankovic (SRB x4)

Samantha Stosur (AUS x5)

Francesca Schiavone (ITA x6)

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x7)

Elena Dementieva (RUS x8)

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Federer blows hot at windy US Open

Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates defeating Robin Soderling of Sweden during the US Open tennis tournament in New York September 8, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Roger Federer mastered the wild weather and his opponent to storm into the US Open semifinals on Wednesday and remain on course for another showdown with his great rival Rafa Nadal.

Federer was at his brilliant best as he outclassed Sweden's dual French Open finalist Robin Soderling 6-4 6-4 7-5 to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows for the seventh year in a row in conditions better suited for flying a kite than tennis.

"It's not easy, you know, it's cold, everywhere it's blowing,” Federer told reporters. “You feel like it's blowing through your ears and into your eyes.”

"I used to dislike it so much (but) I'm on the other side now.

“I was able to turn it around and kind of take enjoyment out of playing in the wind."

Yet to drop a set in the tournament, Federer next plays Serbia's Novak Djokovic in Saturday's men's semifinals with a final against Spain's Nadal looming large. The US Open is the only grand slam where the pair have not met in the final.

Djokovic also advanced in straight sets, beating Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-6 6-1 6-2, but was unable to produce his best after gale force winds turned the last slam of the season into a lottery.

"These are the worst conditions at this tournament," Djokovic grumbled. "I don't think the crowd enjoyed the tennis too much."

Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonarea steamed into women's semifinals but were more relieved than excited after being tormented by the elements as much as their rivals.

"This felt like playing in a hurricane," Wozniacki said after beating unseeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 7-5. "It was just about surviving."

Zvonareva was almost apologetic after her 6-3 7-5 win over Estonia's Kaia Kanepi that was littered with 11 service breaks and 88 unforced errors.

"We both were trying our best out there," the Russian seventh seed protested.

Comical moments

The wind inside Arthur Ashe Stadium was blowing so hard that hitting winners almost became a secondary consideration.

Players were repeatedly having to re-toss after gusts blew the ball out of their reach when they were about to serve. Just landing the ball on the court became an achievement.

It lent itself to some comical moments but for tennis purists, it was a day to forget. The only consolation was that Mother Nature did not claim any victims and the four favorites all won easily.

Federer alone seemed unaffected by the conditions, thumping 18 aces past a bewildered Soderling. The fifth seed ended a run of 12 straight losses to Federer when he beat him at Roland Garros in June but normal service resumed on the hard courts of New York.

"I've played in such strong winds,” Federer said. “I've practiced in such hot conditions.

“Whatever you throw at me, I can do it.”

The acrobatic Monfils provided Djokovic with some worrying moments when he grabbed an early service break but the world number three was able to break back and win the first set tiebreaker before running away with the match.

After a slow start to the tournament, Djokovic is starting to show signs that he is getting back to the form that saw him reach the US Open final in 2007, but has to face Federer next.

The Swiss beat him in the 2007 final and the semifinals each of the past two years and will be an overwhelming favorite to win again.

"I like playing under the radar sometimes," Djokovic said. "It releases the pressure on myself."

After reaching the final 12 months ago and starting this year's championship as the top seed, Wozniacki automatically forfeited any hope she had of quietly sneaking through.

The Dane, who has not dropped a set in the tournament and remains on course to pocket a US$1 million bonus if she wins the title, briefly lost her cool during an argument with the chair umpire in her latest match.

"I'm really competitive," she said. "I really don't like losing."

Wozniacki's opponent in Friday's women's semifinals is Zvonareva. The winner will play either the defending champion Kim Clijsters or Venus Williams in Saturday's final.

Zvonareva has been one of the most improved players on the women's tour this year and is Russia's highest-ranked player.

She made her first grand slam final at Wimbledon in July and is through to her first semifinal at Flushing Meadows.

"I guess I'm improving," she said. "I've been playing for a while, but I'm still out there and still working hard."

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US tennis Open showdown nears for Federer, Soderling

Robin Soderling of Sweden returns the ball to Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands at the US Open 2010 tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City

Photo: AFP

NEW YORK – Roger Federer and Robin Soderling moved closer to a US Open quarter-final showdown with straight-set triumphs on a blustery Saturday that also saw Novak Djokovic reach the fourth round.

French Open runner-up Soderling broke 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer's streak of 23 Grand Slam semi-finals in a row with a quarter-final triumph on the Paris red clay over the Swiss superstar who had won their 12 prior matches.

Swedish fifth seed Soderling, who lost the Roland Garros final to top-ranked Rafael Nadal, and world number two Federer each need one more victory to book a rematch on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts after third-round triumphs.

"Everybody has been telling me since the draw came out I'm playing Roger in the quarters. It's still far ahead," Soderling said.

"It's always difficult to play against Roger and I have played him a lot of times. In any tournament they play, Roger and Rafa will be the favorites, but there are a lot of players who can beat them."

Five-time US Open winner Federer hit 13 aces and 31 winners in brisk winds that tested even his formidable skill to down 109th-ranked Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, and reach the last 16.

"The wind was very strong. Tough conditions to play in, especially if you're down in the score," Federer said. "You could tell Mathieu was really struggling after being down. His serve, his returns, everything kind of falls into pieces.

"It's really hard to stay positive when you're down and the wind is the way it is. You have to be careful, maybe not aim at the lines as much. After four games or so, I knew what I could do and what I couldn't."

Soderling beat 48th-ranked Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in gusty conditions that were remnants from Hurricane Earl's nearby brush a day earlier.

"It was very tough. I was fighting the wind the whole time. During these conditions I played a pretty good match," Soderling said. "It's great to make it to the second week at the US Open. It will be very big next week."

Also advancing to the fourth round was Serbian third seed Djokovic, who eliminated US wildcard James Blake 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to book a date with US 19th seed Mardy Fish.

"It felt like Hurricane Earl came to the center court. It was incredible," Djokovic said. "It was a big mental struggle just to stay on the court and stay focused. If James had won the second set it could have been a different match."

Federer, trying for his seventh US Open final in a row, next faces Austrian 13th seed Jurgen Melzer, whom Federer ousted in this year's fourth round at Wimbledon in their only prior meeting.

Soderling will meet Spanish 21st seed Albert Montanes, who led 6-2, 2-1 when 147th-ranked Japanese qualifier Kei Nishikori retired after only 38 minutes with a groin injury.

"He was not well physically so that was lucky for me," Montanes said. "I realized he was very flat. He was not moving. I tried not to think of that but he was moving quite slowly."

Federer, seeking his 64th career title, had won 40 US Open matches in a row before losing last year's final to now-injured Juan Martin Del Potro.

Federer saved a break point on a service winner in the eighth game and broke on an errant Mathieu backhand in the ninth to win the first set and took the second when Mathieu double faulted away breaks in the third and last games.

"The first set was key," Federer said. "After that I was able to break it back and break his will a little bit."

Federer broke Mathieu in the sixth game of the last set, then saved three breaks points in the final game and held to win in 99 minutes.

Melzer beat Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 to book a date with Federer.

"I really enjoyed the way I played," Melzer said. "I was really on top of him and really had the momentum going."

Montanes claimed his first spot in the fourth round in 36 Grand Slam trips. He was among nine Spaniards in the third round, the most at any Open-era Slam.

French 17th seed Gael Monfils fired 17 aces and 56 winners to beat Serbia's 44th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4.

Monfils booked a fourth-round match with countryman Richard Gasquet, who ousted South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5. Monfils and Gasquet each matched their best US Open result by reaching the fourth round.

Cap: Robin Soderling of Sweden returns the ball to Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands at the US Open 2010 tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City

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