Tennis US Open: Men's champion Andy Roddick continued his run at the US Open yesterday with a crushing 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Argentinian Guillermo Canas in the third round.
The American, seeded two, crunched 49 winners as he raced to victory in just one hour 37 minutes, setting up a clash with 18th seed Tommy Robredo of Spain.
For the third match in succession Roddick made a fast start, breaking Canas early and running through the first set. Roddick bashed 21 aces and though Canas dug in during the third set, he was powerless to prevent the second seed going through in style.
Equally persuasive, women's third Serena Williams hammered Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals yesterday and then said she was surprised to have the crowd on her side.
Williams served up her best performance so far, belting 12 aces as she clinched victory over the Swiss 15th seed to set up a match with either eighth-seeded Jennifer Capriati or Ai Sugiyama, the number 12 seed from Japan.
Williams, the champion in 1999 and 2002, lost to Capriati in the quarter-finals at the French Open earlier this year but beat her at Wimbledon before losing to Maria Sharapova in the final.
She has enjoyed surprisingly strong support at Flushing Meadows this week but said she expected the crowd to side with Capriati if they meet in the quarter-finals.
"I would think so, because usually the fans aren't for me," said Williams. "I've got great receptions here but usually when I'm playing a Lindsay Davenport, or even when I played Martina Hingis, they're like really for them.
"This year (though) it's been amazing. They're really out there cheering for me. It's kind of weird but cool."
A showdown with Capriati would hold few surprises for Serena as the pair have played 16 times, with Williams leading 10-6.
"I like playing Jennifer a lot," she said. "She brings out the best in me so I think it would be a great match."
French Open runner-up Elena Dementieva recovered from a terrible start to beat an emotional Vera Zvonareva 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a bizarre fourth-round match yesterday.
Zvonareva looked on course for victory when she romped through the first set only to suffer an emotional meltdown, frequently collapsing into fits of tears and smashing her racket as Dementieva won seven of the last 10 games to advance.
The 10th-seeded Zvonareva dominated the opening set but sixth seed Dementieva worked her way into the match and took advantage as her fellow Russian struggled to keep her emotions together.
Dementieva, who lost to compatriot Anastasia Myskina in the final at Roland Garros in June, struggled on serve, but her excellent court coverage helped her take the second set and storm to a 4-0 lead in the decider.
Zvonareva broke the run by holding in the fifth game and gave herself hope of an unlikely comeback when she broke Dementieva in the eighth game.
But Dementieva then broke in the next game to set up a quarter-final against either second seed Amelie Mauresmo of France or 16th seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy.
Meanwhile, Germany's Tommy Haas continued his impressive comeback from injury with a 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Brazilian qualifier Ricardo Mello to reach the fourth round of the men's competition.
The former world number two, who only returned to the tour in February after more than 16 months off following two shoulder operations, powered his way through to a last-16 meeting with Russian Mikhail Youzhny or Czech Tomas Berdych.
"I served really well today," Haas said. "I think I was only broken once, and hit 11 aces, so my serve is in a good position right now."
From the moment he broke Mello's serve in the sixth game of the match on his way to taking the first set, Haas was always in control. One break was enough to give him the second set and, though he fell behind to an early break in the third, Haas hit back immediately and then clinched a break in the 11th game of the third before serving out for victory.
On Saturday, top seed Roger Federer marched into the last 16 with a convincing straight-sets victory over Fabrice Santoro of France. The Swiss star, who already holds the Australian and Wimbledon titles, dispatched his French opponent 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (9/7).
Meanwhile, Tim Henman twice came back from a set down against Michal Tabara of the Czech Republic to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, winning 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
US Open: Weekend results
MEN'S SINGLES THIRD ROUND: (1) Roger Federer (Swi) bt (31) Fabrice Santoro (Fra) 6-0 6-4 7-6 (9-7), (16) Andrei Pavel (Rom) bt Hyung Taik Lee (Kor) 6-4 6-2 1-6 1-6 6-4, Sargis Sargsian (Arm) bt Paul-Henri Mathieu (Fra) 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-2 7-6 (7-4), (6) Andre Agassi (USA) bt (25) Jiri Novak (Cze) 6-4 6-2 6-3, Olivier Rochus (Bel) bt (3) Carlos Moya (Spa) 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-5, (22) Dominik Hrbaty (Svk) bt (15) Paradorn Srichaphan (Tha) 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 6-3, (19) Nicolas Kiefer (Ger) bt Thomas Johansson (Swe) 6-4 6-0 6-1, (5) Tim Henman (Gbr) bt Michal Tabara (Cze) 4-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 6-3, Joachim Johansson (Swe) beat Stefan Koubek (Aut) 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 6-3 Tommy Haas (Ger) bt Ricardo Mello (Bra) 6-2 6-2 7-5, (18) Tommy Robredo (Spa) bt Alexander Peya (Aut) 6-3 6-3 6-2, Michael Llodra (Fra) bt Juergen Melzer (Aut) 6-3 6-2 7-5, (2) A Roddick (US) bt (29) G Canas (Arg) 6-1 6-3 6-3, Tomas Berdych (Cze) bt Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
WOMEN'S SINGLES THIRD ROUND: (1) Justine Henin-Hardenne (Bel) bt Lisa Raymond (USA) 6-4 6-3, (14) Nadia Petrova (Rus) bt (19) Silvia Farina Elia (Ita) 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-3), (9) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt (21) Amy Frazier (USA) 7-6 (7-3) 7-5, (27) Mary Pierce (Fra) bt (7) Maria Sharapova (Rus) 4-6 6-2 6-3, (29) Eleni Daniilidou (Gre) bt Anna Chakvetadze (Rus) 6-4 6-2, Shinobu Asagoe (Jpn) bt (13) Paola Suarez (Arg) 6-4 6-4, (11) Venus Williams (USA) bt (20) Chanda Rubin (USA) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, (5) Lindsay Davenport (USA) bt (26) Elena Bovina (Rus) 7-6 (9-7) 6-2,
WOMEN'S SINGLES FOURTH ROUND: (3)-Serena Williams (USA) bt (15) Patty Schnyder (Swi) 6-4 6-2, (6)Elena Dementieva (Rus) beat (10) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) 1-6 6-4 6-3
