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US Open Review

Men’s Singles Championship

Final: Juan Martin Del Potro (6) beat Roger Federer (1) 3-6 7-6(7-5) 4-6 7-6(7-4) 6-2

Juan Martin Del Potro claimed his maiden Grand Slam title in sensational fashion with a thrilling five set victory over five time defending champion Roger Federer.  In doing so he became the first Argentinean to win at Flushing Meadows since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 and at 20 the fifth youngest winner of the US Open in the open era.

Standing at 6’6’’ Del Potro becomes the tallest player ever to win as Grand Slam singles title, surpassing 6’5’’ 1996 Wimbledon Champion Richard Krajicek.

Del Potro serving

Del Potro has lost all six previous encounters with Federer but fought impressively in his first major final. The sixth seed kept pounding his huge ground stokes and hit a total of 37 forehand winners during the match.

It was the first five set final at Flushing Meadows in a decade and at four hours and six minutes it was the longest final since Boris Becker beat Ivan Lendl in 1989.  Severe weather conditions in New York during the last few days of the tournament meant it was the second consecutive final played on the third Monday.

Del Potro won eight more points in the final  than Federer – 180 to 172

Appearing in his 21st major final world number 1 Federer had been aiming to win a 16th Grand Slam title and become the first player since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win six consecutive US Championships. By reaching the last four Federer extended his all time record of consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances to 22.

Federer has now reached all four Grand Slam finals in the same year on three occasions.  The last player to achieve this was Rod Laver in 1969.

Federer and Del Potro

Australian Open and Olympic Champion Rafeal Nadal reached his eleventh career Grand Slam semi-final despite suffering from an abdominal injury. However the Spaniard’s quest for a career Grand Slam ended in a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 6-2 defeat to Del Potro. The Argentinean has now beaten the Spaniard in their last three meetings and is the first man to beat both Nadal and Federer in the same Grand Slam. 

4th seed Novak Djokovic reached his first major semi-final of the year - and his 3rd consecutive last four appearance at the US Open – but found Federer in inspired form.  However the Serb gained sufficient points to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in November.  After his victory Del Potro became the 5th qualifier – after Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic - leaving only three spots up for grabs.

For the first time in the open era no American men reached the quarter finals.

Second seeded British number 1 and 2008 Finalist Andy Murray suffered a surprise loss in the last 16 to Croatian 16th seed Marin Cilic. After missing two set points in the tenth game of the first set the Scot produced a uncharacteristically subdued performance and fell to a 5-7 2-6 2-6 loss.  Cilic then led Del Potro by a set and a break in their quarter final before the eventual Champion reeled off 17 of the last 20 games.

Murray had never lost to Cilic on the senior tour but had lost to the Croat in the semi-finals of the 2005 Junior French Open.

Women’s Singles Championship

Final: Kim Clijsters (WC) beat Caroline Wozniacki (9) 7-5 6-3

In only the third tournament of her comeback Clijsters completed her stunning return to the tour by taking her second US Open title at the expense of ninth seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki. Having given birth to her daughter Jada in February 2008 the 26 year-old becomes the first Mother to win a major championship since Evonne Goolagong-Cawley won Wimbledon in 1980.

There has not been a three set women’s final at the US Open since 1995 when Steffi Graf beat Monica Seles 7-6(8-6) 0-6 6-3.

With the win Clijsters became the first female wild card to win a Grand Slam title.  As the Belgian could only receive a WTA ranking after the end of the tournament she became the only player ranked outside the top 10 to win the US Open. 

Lowest ranked female players to win a Grand Slam

  • Unranked Kim Clijsters (wild card) - 2009 US Open
  • Unranked Evonne Goolagong (No. 1 seed) - 1977 Australian Open
  • No.111 Chris O’Neil (unseeded) - 1978 Australian Open
  • No.81 Serena Williams (unseeded) - 2007 Australian Open
  • No.68 Barbara Jordan (No.5 seed) - 1979 Australian Open
  • No.31 Venus Williams (No.23 seed) - 2007 Wimbledon
  • No.18 Sue Barker (No.1 seed) - 1976 French Open
  • No.17 Virginia Ruzici (No.2 seed) - 1978 French Open
  • No.16 Venus Williams (No.14 seed) - 2005 Wimbledon
  • No.15 Maria Sharapova (No.13 seed) - 2004 Wimbledon
  • No.14 Jennifer Capriati (No.12 seed) - 2001 Australian Open
  • No.12 Justine Henin (No.10 seed) - 2005 French Open

In the first stage of her career Clijsters reached five Grand Slam finals – winning the 2005 US Open – and seven further semi-finals.

Clijsters and her family

Clijsters took out five seeded players during her historic run to the title beating Marion Bartoli (14), Venus Williams (3), Li Na (18), Serena Williams (2) and Wozniacki (9).  She became the first ever player to beat both Williams sisters in one tournament on two occasions – having beaten both sisters during the 2002 WTA year-end championships. 

Martina Hingis and Justine Henin are the only other players to beat both Williams sisters at a Grand Slam. Hingis at the 2001 Australian Open and Henin at the 2007 US Open.
 
Reaching the final marked a major breakthrough for Wozniacki as the 19 year-old had never previously passed the fourth round at a Slam.  She became the first Danish player in the open era to reach a Grand Slam final.  Her fourth round win over French Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova was the first time she had beaten a top 10 player at Grand Slam.

Wozniacki has won a tour leading 62 matches in 2009. 

Defending champion Serena Williams did not drop a set in reaching the semi-finals before losing 4-6 5-7 to Clijsters.  The match ended in dramatic and controversial circumstances when Williams received a point penalty on match point after verbally abusing a lineswoman who called a foot fault on a second serve.  The American was fined $10,500 by the WTA.

It was only the 3rd time Serena Williams has lost in a Grand Slam semi-final after Wimbledon in 2000 and the 2003 French Open.

19 year-old Belgian Yanina Wickmayer had only ever won one Grand Slam main draw match prior to Flushing Meadows but made it all the way through the semi-finals.  This ensures that two unseeded players reached the last four at a major for the first time since seeding was increased to 32 at Wimbledon 2001.

It was the first time since 2003 that no Russian players reached the US Open semi-finals. 

Both Li Na and Kateryna Bondarenko created firsts for their respective nations – Li becoming the first Chinese woman to reach US Open quarter finals and Bondarenko the first Ukrainian woman to reach the same stage.

Juniors

In the Girls singles Heather Watson won her first Grand Slam title becoming the first British girl to take the junior title. In doing so she emulated Andy Murray’s run to the 2004 Boys title.  Seeded 11 Watson sealed the victory with a 6-4 6-1 win in the final over her doubles partner Russian Yana Buchina. 

With the win Watson has moved up to a career high of 3 in the ITF Junior World Rankings.

The 17 year-old dropped just one set in the tournament and had wins over the reigning Wimbledon Champion Noppawan Nertcheewakarn and French Open finalist Daria Gavrilova. It was Watson’s second junior Slam final of 2009 after reaching the doubles final at Roland Garros with Hungary’s Timea Babos.

2008 Wimbledon Junior Champion Laura Robson narrowly failed to make it an all-British final as the 15 year-old was edged out 7-5 in the third set by Buchina in the semi-finals. 

The French Open is now the only junior Grand Slam where Robson has not at least reached the semi-finals.

Heather Watson with her trophy

Ahmed El Menshawy partnered American Harry Fowler in the Boy’s Doubles and reached the second round losing to eventual semi-finalists Matthew Kandath and Jack Sock. Oliver Golding and Swedish partner Tobias Blomgren fell to the second seeded Argentinean pairing of Facundo Arguello and Agustin Velotti in the first round. In the Girls Doubles both Watson and Robson lost their first matches but Stephanie Cornish won a round with her Canadian partner Katarena Paliivets.

Doubles

The Williams sisters took the women’s doubles with a 6-2 6-2 win over the defending champions Cara Black and Liezel Huber.  It was the sister’s 10th Grand Slam doubles crown and their second in New York after winning a decade ago.  It was gave them a third Grand Slam crown in 2009 – the first time they have achieved this.

Serena now has a total of 23 Grand Slam titles across Singles, Doubles and Mixed. Venus has 19.

The Men’s doubles title went to the 4th seeded pair of Leander Paes and Lucas Dlouhy who came from behind to beat 3rd seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final.  Paes and Dlouhy had finished as runners up to the Bryan Brothers in the 2008 final and avenged this loss in the semi-finals. The Indian/Czech pair won the French Open title in June for their first major title together.

36 year-old Paes has won 42 career men’s doubles titles and has 10 Grand Slam doubles crowns – 6 Men’s doubles and 4 Mixed doubles.

The Williams sisters celebrating victory

This Week on Tour

The ATP World Tour takes a break for a week as the Davis Cup again takes centre stage. AEGON Team GB take on Poland at Liverpool’s Echo arena in their Europe/Africa Zone 1 relegation play off.

Great Britain have won all seven previous Davis Cup ties against Poland.

In the world group semi-finals 2005 Champions Croatia host the Czech Republic and defending champions Spain are at home against shock semi-finalists Israel. The world group play-offs see the following match ups: Chile vs Austria, Belgium vs Ukraine, Brazil vs Ecuador, Netherlands vs France, Serbia vs Uzbekistan, Sweden vs Romania, Italy vs Switzerland.

The WTA tour sees two International events at the Bell Challenge in Quebec City and the Guangzhou International Women’s Open in China.

Movers and Shakers

With his victory US Open Champion Del Potro moves back to his career high ranking of five.  Federer maintains the number one ranking for a 248th total week. 

Murray’s early loss means Nadal regains the number two ranking from the Scot. British number two James Ward breaks into the top 200 for the first time in his career at 193.

After only three tournaments Clijsters impressively re-enters the rankings in the top 20 at 19.  Wozniacki moves up to a new career high of number six.  Dinara Safina maintains her hold of the number 1 ranking over Serena Williams.

ATP rankings 15/09/2009

1. Roger Federer (SUI)
2. Rafael Nadal (ESP)
3. Andy Murray (GB)
4. Novak Djokovic (SER)
5. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
6. Andy Roddick (US)
7. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (FRA)
8. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
9. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
10. Gilles Simon (FRA)

Top Brits

3.      Andy Murray
193. James Ward
239. Josh Goodall
252. Alex Bogdanovic
302. Dan Evans

WTA rankings 15/09/2009

1. Dinara Safina (RUS)
2. Serena Williams (US)
3. Venus Williams (US)
4. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
5. Elena Dementieva (RUS)
6. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
7. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
8. Jelena Jankovic (SER)
9. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
10. Flavia Pennetta (ITA)

Top Brits

70. Anne Keothavong 
103. Elena Baltacha
107. Katie O’Brien
151. Mel South
196. Georgie Stoop

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