TENNIS US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS: THE US Open schedule calls for the women's champion to be crowned tomorrow night but there are few around Flushing Meadows who do not believe today's semi-final contest between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters is the final by another name.
If there was disappointment at the departure of American surprise package Melanie Oudin there was genuine satisfaction at the progress into the semi-final stage of Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer and Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, two 19-year-olds who have reached the last four of a grand slam event for the first time.
Yet such satisfaction was tempered by reality. This has been an era of one-sided grand slam finals in the women’s game and a final featuring either teenager against the younger Williams sister or the resurgent Clijsters will almost certainly add to the litany.
Good manners demands nobody countenance such a notion but it was obvious both considered today’s meeting as the crucial moment in their fortnight.
Equally obvious was the mutual respect. Williams watched Clijsters defeat her sister in three sets in the fourth round and, like everyone else, was mightily impressed by the Belgian, who is playing in her first grand slam event after a two-year break from the sport, during which time she got married and had a daughter.
“I just saw how well she moved. Seems like she’s even faster than what she was before. I was thinking that maybe I should have a baby and then I’ll come back faster,” said Williams, laughing.
“She [has always] played hard. Now she is at a totally different level because she has absolutely nothing to lose. Ultimately, that’s when you can play your best tennis.”
Clijsters, too, was gushing about her opponent, not least because of Williams’ knack of producing her best tennis on the biggest occasions. But the former number one was also quick to swat away the notion the three-times US Open winner was a clear favourite.
“Every player always has a moment in a match where, whether it’s either one or two games, where they just kind of lose that aggressiveness a little bit or just lose focus.
“So I think I will get chances. Something that I’m going to be really focused on is obviously play aggressive tennis and try to dominate a lot of points.”
The pair have meet seven times before, with Williams holding a 6-1 advantage, including an epic three-set victory here in 1999 when they were both 16-year-olds.
After 10 days during which the women’s tournament has had as much profile as the men’s tournament, largely thanks to the prominence afforded Oudin and Clijsters, a one-sided final would be a rotten anti-climax.
Wozniacki brought fellow teenager Oudin’s giant-killing run to an end. The American 17-year-old Oudin, ranked 70th in the world, had grabbed all the headlines over the previous nine days as she upset a series of Russian seeds en route to the quarter-finals.
Yet having knocked out number four Elena Dementieva, former champion and 29th seed Maria Sharapova and 13th seed Nadia Petrova in come-from-behind three-setters, Oudin finally met her match as 19-year-old Danish ninth seed Wozniacki, also playing her first grand slam quarter-final, defeated her 6-2 6-2.
Wozniacki’s win sets up the semi-final clash with another unseeded teenager, world number 50 Wickmayer, a 7-5 6-4 winner over Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine.
Five-times champion Roger Federer weathered a mighty Swedish storm before beating 12th seed Robin Soderling 6-0 6-3 6-7 7-6 to reach the men’s semi-finals.
Gusting winds and the magic of Federer threw Soderling off course in a first set that flashed by in just 25 minutes. Yet, just when it seemed Federer would blow away Soderling to roll into his 22nd consecutive grand slam semi-final, the Swede perked up and set pulses racing for over an hour as he inched towards an unlikely upset.
Soderling entered the match with a 0-11 record against the all-conquering Swiss and looked to be heading towards another mauling as he did not register on the scoreboard until holding for 1-1 in the second set.
But that only turned into a brief respite as he was powerless to stop Federer from breezing through it in double quick time, sparking a mass exodus from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But if the thousands of fans who streamed out early had stuck around for only a few more minutes, they would have seen the tide turning as Soderling suddenly warmed up to the task.
He crafted two break points in the sixth game but could only shake his head in disbelief as Federer fired down two thunderbolt deliveries to get out himself out of a corner.
The 15-times grand slam champion looked to be heading for another straight-sets win when he steamed ahead 4-0 in the tiebreak but to the astonishment of the crowd, he was overtaken.
The Swedish 12th seed, runner-up to Federer in the French Open final, hit back with some crafty forehands to strike back and snatch it 8-6.
As the clock crept towards the midnight hour, Federer looked like a man who was being forced to work over-time against his wishes.
But just when it seemed the night might stretch on indefinitely, with the Swede holding set point at 6-5 in the fourth set tiebreak, Federer yelled "Come On" as Soderling smacked a service return wide. Two points later a roar rang out all over Flushing Meadows as a Soderling forehand error handed Federer victory. Guardian Service
Flushing Meadows Results
MEN'S SINGLES: Quarter-finals: (4) Novak Djokovic (Ser) bt (10) Fernando Verdasco (Spn) 7-6 (7-2) 1-6 7-5 6-2.
MEN'S DOUBLES: Semi-final: (3) Mahesh Bhupathi (Ind) and Mark Knowles (Bah) bt (5) Max Mirnyi (Blr) and Andy Ram (Isr) 6-4 6-2.
WOMEN'S SINGLES:Quarter-final: (9) Caroline Wozniacki (Den) bt Melanie Oudin (USA) 6-2 6-2.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES: Semi-final: (4) Serena Williams (USA) and Venus Williams (USA) bt (13) Alisa Kleybanova (Rus) and Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-2.
GIRLS' SINGLES; Third round: Laura Robson (Brit) bt (12) Tamaryn Hendler (Bel) 6-2 6-1; (11) Heather Watson (Brit) bt Annika Beck (Ger) 6-4 7-5.
MIXED DOUBLES FINAL: Carly Gullickson (USA) and Travis Parrott (USA) bt (2) Cara Black (Zim) and Leander Paes (Ind) 6-2 6-4.
