2013 US Open Preview by Tennis Now

2013 US Open Preview

WHAT’S INSIDE LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

MEN’S DRAW PREVIEW

FEDERER’S NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

WOMEN’S DRAW PREVIEW

NEW BALANCE LAUNCHES NEW TENNIS LINE

RIVALRY OR NOT, HERE THEY COME

12 STATE OF THE UNION

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Nick Georgandis

Letter from the Editor The US Open is here, and with all of the headlines surrounding it – Maria withdrawing, Roger dropping out of the top 5, Delpo riding a hot streak, Rafa on the comeback – to say that it promises to be a good one could be an understatement. The way I see it, the women’s trophy is pretty much Serena’s for the taking, as she’s been the overwhelming favorite to win it for several years. Her power game is perfectly suited for the hard courts of New York, and her personality meshes well with the electric crowds, the boisterous fanfare and the celebrity-studded night sessions. There is, however, one major roadblock. The one woman who poses the biggest threat to Serena’s fifth title: Victoria Azarenka. And as TN writer Erik Gudris points out in his article, “Rivalry or Not, Here They Come,” this head-to-head is starting to heat up quickly. It may be thinking too far ahead, but we’re already anxiously awaiting a rematch of last year’s final. Read more about Serena and Vika on page 12. As for the men’s side, well, it’s anyone’s guess who can survive through the third (third!) Monday this year. Djokovic plays exceptionally well in Flushing, Murray will leave it all on the asphalt to defend his first major title, Nadal is, well, Nadal, nearly invincible, and even at No. 7, you can’t count Federer out (read Chris Oddo’s article on Federer on page 8). But I like Juan Martin del Potro’s chances. He’s shown some true grit in big matches this summer, and he’s doing what it takes to turn the “Big Four” into the “Big Five.” He’ll be one to watch over the next two weeks.

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Until next time, enjoy the drama of the Open!

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2013 US Open Preview

Federer’s New York State of Mind

How will the former champ fare at the US Open? by Chris Oddo

Coming in as a No. 7 seed at the 2013 US Open, Roger Federer will enjoy the benefit of low expectations in New York. It’s not something that he’s accustomed to, but keep in mind, it wasn’t something that Pete Sampras was accustomed to either when he won his last US Open title in 2002. That was the year that Sampras wobbled into New York like a lamb and danced out like a lion, having become the Open’s oldest champion since Ken Rosewall in 1970, after a four-set victory over Andre Agassi for his 14th and final Grand Slam title. Sampras hadn’t won a title in his last 33 tournaments at the time, and he was seeded 17th in New York. Considered by most everyone to be on the downside of his career, Pistol Pete had lost in the second round at Wimbledon to Switzerland’s George Bastl, and would later say, “The future is flying home,” after the match. He was thought to be done heading into New York, but his flight had another leg, so to speak, because something about the Open—the energy, the way the fast hard courts suited his game, his past glory at the event, the familiar and for him beatable opponent he faced in the final—enabled Sampras to take flight again. He summoned all the youth and vigor in his old bones to make one last victory march.

2013 US Open Preview

Federer’s situation is not nearly as dire as Sampras’ was. He’s seeded 10 spots higher and he won a title as recently as this summer in Halle, but the similarities, in some ways, are striking. The secondround Wimbledon loss. The disconcerting lack of big victories and the string of puzzling losses to unproven players that normally wouldn’t be authorized to carry one of Federer’s RF cardigans, let alone beat him handily. The Federer that the tennis world has seen this summer is surely not the Federer of old, the purring sports car that hugs the corner as it races away from those who aspire to chase, the cutthroat frontrunner with the best serve and forehand in the game. This isn’t 2007 after all, but who doesn’t believe that Federer has the ability to relocate his most formidable, most inspired tennis for a twoweek swan song in New York? Doubt him, sure. But rule him out? No way. As the 2013 US Open approaches, lying in wait, further from the limelight than he has been in years, is a player that knows how to win in New York. Federer has five US Open titles to prove it. He’s also got a game perfectly suited for the hard courts of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. And, perhaps more importantly, he’s got no pressure on him at the moment. He’ll be the sympathetic favorite each time he takes the court, and that dynamic might just be the perfect tonic for Federer’s psyche at the Open. All of this bodes well for a man who hasn’t found his form very often or very convincingly in 2013. The looser Federer can be, the better his chances will be to win in New York.

What does he have to lose, after all? Whatever it is, for the first time in a long time, it actually feels that Federer has more to gain this year in New York. He’s not particularly confident, so he’ll need something to get him through the early rounds. Perhaps not being considered one of the favorites will actually work in his favor at the Open. Perhaps Federer, like Sampras in 2002, will be overcome by the unbearable lightness of being, get swept up by the moment, and play the most amazing, passionate tennis of his season. Is it likely? Maybe. Is it possible? Of course. There comes a point when players get in a funk and get so down that they shut off the brain and start—finally! —improvising again. That might be what Federer needs more than anything at this juncture of his career. To improvise. To trust again. To let his otherworldly feel for the ball and for the tactical intricacies of a high-stakes match take over. Maybe, more than anything, Roger just needs to loosen up and let the fur fly. Put that colossally brilliant and gifted tennis machine on auto pilot and see how it takes off and lands. He’s good enough, and we all know that. Whether or not he’ll be good enough in New York is another question entirely, but as Pete Sampras taught us 11 years ago, once a legend, always a legend.

2013 US Open Preview

RIVA OR N HE TH CO by Erik Gudris

ALRY NOT, ERE HEY OME 2013 US Open Preview

While Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams don’t want to call it one just yet, many tennis fans are ready for the sport’s newest rivalry to add another chapter at this year’s US Open. by Erik Gudris

“I don’t think about the idea that I want to be a rivalry. I just think that every time we play, I face a big challenge, my biggest opponent, and that’s what I want to go through.” –Victoria Azarenka on Serena Williams

Rivalries are a part of every sport. Through the years, tennis has had its fair share of classic ones, some so important and compelling that they become big enough to create mass interest among all sports fans. In the women’s game, none will likely ever top the classic duel between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova of the late 1970s and 1980s, but certainly more recent ones like Steffi Graf versus Monica Seles and the history-making battles between the Williams sisters captured worldwide attention. As Serena Williams now competes into her third decade, many have wondered if she would ever face a consistent rival again. At times throughout her career, she has faced off against not only her sister Venus for Grand Slam titles, but also Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova. Though Sharapova has been cited as Williams’ chief opponent in the last few years, her inability to beat Williams since 2004 has made their recent encounters feel less and less like the WTA’s must-see matchup. Enter Victoria Azarenka. Despite the fact that Williams prevails by a whopping 12-3 in their head-to-head, the Belarusian star is quickly

2013 US Open Preview

making up ground this season. Azarenka’s defeat of Williams in the Doha final was her first in over four years. Now with another recent victory over Williams in the Cincinnati finals, Azarenka finds herself poised to be the reigning US Open champion’s stiffest competitor for the title yet again. For a player who in the past often seemed to battle herself as much as her opponent, Azarenka’s transformation from an injury-prone head case to a two-time Grand Slam champion and a recent No. 1 has been truly remarkable. But it is all a result of hard work, a newfound maturity, and a relentless drive to win. But to beat Williams, who has basically owned Azarenka until this year, Azarenka had to finally believe she could defeat a player many feel is the best to ever play the game. When asked if her recent success is turning her meetings with the current world No. 1 into the WTA’s long awaited new rivalry, Azarenka admitted she doesn’t quite see it that way.

2013 US Open Preview

“I don’t think about the idea that I want to be a rivalry. I just think about the fact that every time we play, I face a big challenge, my biggest opponent, and that’s what I want to go through,” Azarenka said after winning Cincinnati. “And playing in the final of any tournament against the best player, that’s what you really strive for and to overcome and beat. That’s why I’m playing tennis. That’s what excites me. That’s what motivates me. You know, I had tough losses before against her, but I feel like I learned from those losses, and it helps me improve. I’m reaching for the new level that I want to be at, physically, mentally, tennis-wise, and that’s the progression that I’m really the most excited about.”

the court, like an animal, and I’m the same exact way, like my dad described me as a pit bull. But the second we get off the court, it’s like we just leave absolutely everything on the court, and off the court we realize that it is what it is.” Azarenka agrees with Williams’ sentiment of an on-court/off-court balance. “I think on court we’re just fighters out there. I just enjoy the battle that much and have a lot of respect. And off court, Serena is a great person. I like her a lot. We get along. We have a good laugh. We’re talking after the match. So it’s no problem. But to be able to compete at that level, it’s great, and I think it’s exciting for the fans to see not only the good fight on the court but a good relationship off court as well.”

While Williams herself wants to win every time, what is unique about her matches against Azarenka is how quickly they are able to switch back to being friends once the trophies are handed out. Williams has said in the past that Azarenka is one of the few players that she will spend time with off the court, despite the fact that they ESPN tennis analyst Chris Evert is not quite ready to describe are competing against each other week after week. Williams hopes “Azarenka vs. Williams” as a rivalry just yet. But she does feel that her friendship with Azarenka can turn out similar to perhaps Azarenka will make this US Open a lot more compelling to watch on the greatest women’s rivalry of all time. the women’s side. “I was watching Martina Navratilova in the ceremony at Wimbledon and Chris Evert, sitting by each other, and to see the relationship, it was really cool to see how they were laughing and they just were friends, and Chris even made a statement how she said Martina was her friend longer than any of her husbands,” Williams said. “So it was really funny, and I just thought, that’s so fun. I thought it was a great relationship how they had ups and downs, but they also were always the last two in the locker room at the end of the week.”

“I think Victoria Azarenka is the one player that doesn’t fear Serena,” Evert said. “Victoria is like a street fighter out there. She’s hungry. Hard courts are her best surface. It’s a good matchup for her playing Serena. What she does better than anybody else against Serena is the moving and court coverage. She can run down Serena’s power and defuse it with her own power. I love the fearlessness of Azarenka. I think rivalry, it’s too soon to tell, but I think it’s going to make for a more interesting US Open, as she is challenging Serena.”

Williams also sees some parallels with the Evert/Navratilova rivalry, which saw the two Hall of Famers face off in 61 finals.

Whether or not one wants to call it a rivalry is a matter of personal choice. But one thing we can be sure of is that Azarenka vs. Williams is going to be one head-to-head that will certainly have a lot more history added to it, no matter the final result at this year’s US Open.

“It’s happening more and more with me and Vika being the last two at the end of the week. Again, it’s just that she’s so competitive on

2013 US Open Preview

STATE OF THE UNION A closer look at the great American ATP race by Nick Georgandis In early August, the American tennis fan base came unglued when, for the first time since the beginning of the ATP rankings in 1973, no American male held a place in the Top 20.

track and soccer. Japan has a huge passion for baseball and is almost as mad about golf as the United States. Russia prides itself on great teams in basketball and hockey.

John Isner, who had been No. 20, dropped to No. 22 after a dismal performance at the Rogers Cup, only to bounce back to No. 14 after reaching the finals at Cincinnati a week later.

Now look at the opposite end of the spectrum. Spain has 14 men in the Top 100 despite only having a population of 47.1 million. France is second with 13 men in the Top 100 out of a population of 65.7 million.

Still, the trend is there, and it has tennis commentators, Hall of Famers, executives and players all scratching their heads for a reason. The answer is simple: math. To understand America’s shortcomings in men’s tennis in the last decade, particularly the last three to five years, one needs to look at the statistics behind the sport. We’ll start with the basics - a look at the men’s Top 100 as of Aug. 14, 2013.

The difference? With their smaller populations, Spain and France don’t have as much money to throw at so many different sports programs. Both countries are passionate about their soccer, and both have had success in international basketball, but there are not giant professional football, baseball or hockey leagues in either country to drain away its potential tennis players. Need more proof? The U.S. (3rd), Russia (9th) and Japan (10th) are three of the world’s 10 most populated countries. Check out the remaining seven in the table below, along with each one’s population and where each one’s top male tennis player is ranked.

31: Number of countries represented in the ATP top 100. 5: Number of in the top 100 from America, a country with a population of 316.4 million people. 6: Number of players in the top 100 from Russia, a country with a population of 143 million people. 1: Number of players in the top 100 from Japan, a country with a population of 127.4 million people. The U.S., Japan and Russia all have large populations that are wildly passionate about a number of sports. For the U.S. - obviously baseball, basketball and football are the main draws, along with golf,

Country

Population

Top Male Player

China

1.359 billion

#182 Ze Zhang

India

1.232 billion

#113 Somdev Devvarman

Indonesia

237.6 million

#355 Christopher Rungkat

Brazil

193.9 million

#112 Thomaz Bellucci

Pakistan

183.9 million

#1,624 Yasir Khan

Nigeria

173.6 million

#1,475 Sanni Adamu

Bangladesh

152.5 million

No Players Ranked

2013 US Open Preview

Those seven countries combine for 3.533 billion people ... and zero Top 100 tennis players. By those standards, the United States, with its five men in the Top 100, is a powerhouse. A further look at the choices available to young people in the United States drives home the point of why America has so few men ranked in the Top 100. In 2007, 28.7 million kids between the ages of 8-17 played at least one organized sport. Estimating that half of those kids were male, you have 14.35 million boys active in athletics. A survey broke down sports that boys of that age range were involved in, with the following results (the sum is more than 100% as many boys played more than one sport):

And the financial aspect isn’t exactly feasible, either. $150,000: Cost to prepare a junior player for the pro circuit, according to the USTA’s Patrick McEnroe. $68,495: Cost of a year’s tuition at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. In 2011, only 38.62% of households in America made more than $68,495 in a year. In short, there is an exceedingly small number of young American athletes who are interested in playing tennis and whose families can afford to have them play tennis. Even without the lofty ambitions of going pro, tennis is still a pricey endeavor for any family to take on. With so many more options among boys, and the opportunity to play them without large financial investments, it will take outside forces - particularly unparalleled commitments by the USTA, if American men’s tennis is to ever approach its former lofty standard.

100 80 60 40

40% 5.74 m

24% 3.44 m

20%

17%

Soccer

Track

10%

8% 1.15 m

0 Football Basketball Baseball

2013 US Open Preview

Wrestling Swimming

Tennis

21 2013 US Open Preview facebook.com/DunlopSport

Murray is Defending Champion, But Is It Rafa’s U.S. Open to Lose? by Chris Oddo

At first glance, the 2013 U.S. Open draw comes off as a bit strange. Roger Federer’s name with a seven next to it? What’s that? And no, they aren’t referring to the 32-year-old’s Wimbledon titles, they are referring to his seeding. After a dismal season by his standards, Federer has dropped to seven in the rankings, and the Swiss maestro will begin his quest for a sixth U.S. Open with perhaps the lowest expectations that he’s had at a Grand Slam since he was an unproven 20-something more than 10 years ago. But normalcy returns when one scans the top three seeds. Novak Djokovic, reigning world No. 1 and a finalist in New York three years running, Rafael Nadal, the hottest player in the game at the moment, Andy Murray, the defending champion and a player who

2013 US Open Preview

has reached the final of the last four Grand Slams he has played in. So who has the upper hand? Is it Rafa, based on his dominance on hard courts of late? Or is it Djokovic, considered by many to be the best hard court player in the game? Or could it be Murray, the defending champion who seems to have learned the art of peaking at the right time with Ivan Lendl as his coach? Hard to say, but easy to guess. Just line up those three on a board and throw a dart while wearing a blindfold, and presto—there’s your winner! Here’s a quarter-by-quarter breakdown of the draws for those who prefer to take an “educated” guess at it.

Djokovic’s Quarter Let’s start by saying that the top-seeded Serb had a disappointing U.S. Open series, losing to Nadal in a third-set tiebreaker (no shame in that, but it could take its toll psychologically) in Montreal, then following that with a quarterfinal loss to John Isner in Cincinnati.

It’s going to be a tough run for Djokovic, and it’s hard to predict what type of form he’ll take to New York. Should we read into his loss to Isner as a bad sign, or should we assume that Djokovic was saving his best, both mentally and physically, for New York?

Djokovic will start his tournament with Ricardis Berankis of Lithuania, and if the seeds hold, he could have a very tricky encounter with Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. Dimitrov defeated Djokovic in Madrid this year, but the 22-year-old is still awaiting his breakthrough Slam. Could it be this year?

Other potential bracket busters in this quarter are No. 12 Tommy Haas and No. 21 Mikhail Youzhny.

If Djokovic advances to the quarters, he might have another blockbuster match with Juan Martin del Potro on his hands. Djokovic barely got by the Tower of Tandil in the Wimbledon semis, and this would be a heavily anticipated quarterfinal if it materialized. It won’t get any easier from there for Djokovic, as Andy Murray will likely be waiting for him in the semifinals.

Pick: Djokovic Possible Popcorn Third-Rounder: Benoit Paire vs. Fabio Fognini

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Nadal’s Quarter Some pundits, Brad Gilbert among them, see Rafael Nadal’s draw as being a difficult one due to the presence of big servers in his path in the early rounds. Nadal could face hard-serving Canadian Vasek Pospisil in the second round, and possibly John Isner in the round of 16, but given Nadal’s form at the moment, it is very difficult to imagine these big bombers, as daunting as their heavyhanded games are, taking out Nadal in a five-set match. If Nadal takes care of business in the first four rounds, the Spaniard could be looking at his first Grand Slam quarterfinal against Roger Federer. Remember, the pair were scheduled to meet in the Wimbledon quarterfinal, but the draw imploded and neither player got past the second round.

2013 US Open Preview

Federer will face Grega Zemlja in the first round, and he could face Sam Querrey in the third round and Kei Nishikori in the fourth, which is to say that Federer has a very good shot to reach the quarters if he plays as well as he did against Nadal in Cincinnati. Also lurking in this section of the draw: No. 22 Philipp Kohlschreiber, No. 27 Fernando Verdasco, Bernard Tomic, and No. 19 Tommy Robredo.

Pick: Nadal Possible Popcorn Third-Rounder: Tommy Robredo vs. Kei Nishikori

Murray’s Quarter Andy Murray has been nothing but spectacular in his last four appearances at Grand Slams, but things will get tough for him in the second week in Queens, as the defending champion could face Stan Wawrinka in the round of 16 (Wawrinka beat him the last time they played and has beaten him in NY before) and Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals (Berdych defeated Murray in straight sets just last week in Cincinnati). But Murray is a clutch performer at the Slams of late, and in the best-of-five format that he seems to embrace, he’ll have chances to exact revenge on both Wawrinka and Berdych.

No. 17 seed Kevin Anderson is another player to watch out for in this section of the draw.

Pick: Murray Possible Popcorn Third-Rounder: Stan Wawrinka vs. Kevin Anderson

Whether or not he is successful might have less to do with Murray’s talent and more with how he handles his first go-round as a defending champion at a Slam.

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Ferrer’s Quarter Remember David Ferrer? Nice hair, chews on his towel, never gets tired? French Open finalist? Yeah, that guy. Well, Ferrer once again is the high seed that nobody is talking about. Could that be because he’s only won one match since Wimbledon or because he simply gets no respect? Perhaps both, but don’t count Ferrer, a semifinalist in New York last year, out. Ferrer could face No. 30 seed Ernests Gulbis in the third round and No. 14 Jerzy Janowicz in the round of 16 if the seeds hold. Both of those matches could be tricky for the No. 4 Ferrer, because both players are capable of serving off the court. Should Ferrer reach the quarters, the seeds say that Richard Gasquet will be waiting for him, but in truth it’s hard to tell as this section of the draw could be very wide open.

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Other lurkers in this section: No. 10 Milos Raonic, No. 32 Dmitry Tursunov, and No. 18 Janko Tipsarevic.

Pick: Gasquet Possible Popcorn Third-Rounder: David Ferrer vs. Ernests Gulbis Semifinals: Djokovic d. Murray, Nadal d. Gasquet Finals: Nadal d. Djokovic

2013 US Open Preview

Collision Course: Women’s Draw Preview Can anyone stop a repeat of last year’s US Open finals between this year’s big favorites – defending champion Serena Williams and the surging Victoria Azarenka? by Erik Gudris

The unexpected retirement of Marion Bartoli followed by the last-minute withdrawal of Maria Sharapova has suddenly made this year’s women’s singles draw at the US Open decidedly more intriguing. But even with a few surprises expected, defending champion Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka appear to be on yet another collision course for the finals.

2013 US Open Preview

Williams’ Quarter The world No. 1 will ease into her title defense with an opening round match against veteran Italian Francesca Schiavone, who she beat handily in Toronto. But looming on the horizon is a potential fourth round meeting against the winner of a possible all-American clash between two rising stars in No. 23 seed Jamie Hampton and No. 15 seed Sloane Stephens.

since Venus continues to struggle with a sore back and has an opening round match against No. 12 seed Kirsten Flipkens, who won their last meeting. No. 8 seed Angelique Kerber could be a potential quarterfinal foe for Serena, but the German has not shown the same stellar form of late that took her into the top five last year.

A Williams versus Stephens match would likely be hyped beyond all comprehension. That is considering Stephens beat Williams in Melbourne back in January and then received substantial backlash for her now infamous interview in which she made disparaging comments about the 16-time Grand Slam champion. If the potential meeting does happen, it could well be Williams’ toughest test before the semis.

A tough draw for the top seed for sure. But not one that the defending champion can’t navigate to reach the final four in New York.

While some may be looking ahead to a possible all-Williams sisters showdown with elder Venus Williams in the bottom half of this section, that possibility is looking less and less likely. Especially

Pick: Williams Darkhorse: Stephens First Round Match to Watch: Flipkens vs. V. Williams 2013 US Open Preview

Radwanska’s Quarter No. 3 seed Agnieszka Radwanksa posted decent summer results that included reaching the finals of Carlsbad. But it’s hard to say she’s a definite lock to reach the semis. While the Polish star should get through her early rounds easy enough, potential opponents in No. 32 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or the suddenly on-again No. 24 seed Ekaterina Makarova might pose a stern test for Radwanska. The two names to keep an eye on further down in this section are No. 9 seed Jelena Jankovic and No. 5 seed Li Na. Jankovic is coming off a run to the semis in Cincinnati and is playing with a lot more confidence now. The former No. 1 gets big-serving American Madison Keys in a first-round match-up that could test all of Jankovic’s return skills. Li also got to the semis of Cincinnati, where she tried out some new serve and volley techniques that she hopes will add a new dimension

2013 US Open Preview

to her game. Her best showing in New York was reaching the quarters in 2009, but she is due for another deep run. If she can keep the errors down in her often hit-or-miss game, she should reach the quarters again. Plenty of up-and-coming players are here too, including Monica Puig, Sorana Cirstea and Laura Robson, who made a deep run last year. A possible Radwanska vs. Li quarterfinal could go either way, much like their tense battle at Wimbledon earlier this year. Will Li serve and volley her way to victory if things get tight?

Pick: Li Na Darkhorse: Jankovic First Round Match to Watch: Monica Puig vs. Alisa Kleybanova

Errani’s Quarter If you are looking for the “anything might happen” side of the draw, look no further than the section headlined by last year’s semifinalist and this year’s No. 4 seed Sara Errani of Italy. Errani certainly has posted enough consistent results to justify her top seeding, but she still looks vulnerable, especially against some of the big hitters she might face. One of those is No. 27 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia. The 2004 champion once again finds herself flying under the radar, just the way she likes it. A potential third round meeting between her and Errani just might see the Russian moving onwards to her third major quarterfinal of the year. But if anyone can benefit the most from Bartoli and Sharapova’s absence in the draw, it has to be No. 6 seed Caroline Wozniacki. After a turbulent past couple of years, the former No. 1 finds herself with a very workable draw in the early rounds on her favorite surface. Russia’s Elena Vesnina and the unseeded Lucie Safarova have the potential to upset Wozniacki, but the Dane has the game and

experience to outlast both. Anything could happen in this section. But for Wozniacki, this is her best opportunity in several years to finally make another deep run at a Grand Slam.

Pick: Wozniacki Darkhorse: Kuznetsova First Round Match to Watch: Maria Kirilenko vs. Yanina Wickmayer

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Azarenka’s Quarter With her win over Serena Williams in the Cincinnati final, Victoria Azarenka is now firmly a co-contender for the title that narrowly escaped her last year. The current Australian Open champion faces off against Germany’s Dinah Pfizenmaier in the opening round. After that, it really is up to Azarenka to get through a first week that might see her take on No. 17 seed and Stanford winner Dominika Cibulkova, or even No. 13 seed Ana Ivanovic as a potential fourth round opponent. But with all things Ivanovic of late, can we really expect the former No. 1 to get that far? Who Azarenka might face in the quarters is a real toss up. No. 7 seed Petra Kvitova could get there, depending on how consistent she is. No. 11 seed Sam Stosur, who just ended her coaching relationship with Dave Taylor, the coach that helped her win the 2011 title, certainly has the weapons to go far. And don’t forget unseeded Andrea Petkovic, who finally appears free of injury and poised to make some noise in New York.

2013 US Open Preview

Still, this is Azarenka’s section to lose. Based on her recent results, she’s probably not going to. And with Azarenka feeling more confident than ever, she just may take that winning feeling all the way to a third Grand Slam title.

Pick: Azarenka Darkhorse: Stosur First Round Match to Watch: Bojana Jovanovski vs. Andrea Petkovic Semis: S. Williams d. Li Na; Azarenka d. Wozniacki Finals: Azarenka d. S. Williams

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2013 US Open Preview

After an up-and-down summer season, Agnieszka Radwanska moves up to the No. 3 seed at the US Open. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also one of the favorites to reach the final round in Flushing.

2013 US Open Preview

Juan Martin del Potro had a sizzling hard court summer season, and the Tower of Tandil is poised for a repeat performance of his 2009 championship run.

2013 US Open Preview

Fans are hoping that Roger Federerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to switch back to his old 90-inch frame will bode well for the five-time US Open champ.

2013 US Open Preview

Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fabio Fognini had an impressive summer clay-court performance this year, posting a 13-match win streak and winning back-to-back titles in Hamburg and Stuttgart for the first two singles titles of his career.

2013 US Open Preview

Andy Murray returns to Flushing Meadows ready to defend his title, riding a momentum that propelled him to new heights after he also won his first Wimbledon title this year. His results in the past year have undoubtedly solidified his place as one of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Four.â&#x20AC;?

2013 US Open Preview

Roger Federer may be coming in as the No. 7 seed at the US Open, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still the No. 1 fan favorite.

2013 US Open Preview

RANKINGS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Djokovic, Novak Nadal, Rafael Murray, Andy Ferrer, David Berdych, Tomas Del Potro, Juan Martin Federer, Roger Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried Gasquet, Richard Wawrinka, Stanislas Raonic, Milos Nishikori, Kei Haas, Tommy Isner, John Janowicz, Jerzy Almagro, Nicolas Simon, Gilles Fognini, Fabio Cilic, Marin Anderson, Kevin Tipsarevic, Janko Robredo, Tommy Seppi, Andreas Youzhny, Mikhail Kohlschreiber, Philipp

SRB ESP GBR ESP CZE ARG SUI FRA FRA SUI CAN JPN GER USA POL ESP FRA ITA CRO RSA SRB ESP ITA RUS GER

10,980 8,860 8,700 7,210 5,135 4,740 4,695 3,470 2,625 2,610 2,555 2,405 2,185 2,185 2,113 2,110 2,040 2,025 1,805 1,740 1,685 1,620 1,550 1,475 1,445

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Williams, Serena Azarenka, Victoria Sharapova, Maria Radwanska, Agnieszka Errani, Sara Li, Na Bartoli, Marion Wozniacki, Caroline Kvitova, Petra Kerber, Angelique Jankovic, Jelena Vinci, Roberta Stosur, Samantha Flipkens, Kirsten Ivanovic, Ana Kirilenko, Maria Stephens, Sloane Lisicki, Sabine Cibulkova, Dominika Suarez Navarro, Carla Cirstea, Sorana Petrova, Nadia Halep, Simona Vesnina, Elena Hampton, Jamie

USA BLR RUS POL ITA CHN FRA DNK CZE GER SRB ITA AUS BEL SRB RUS USA GER SVK ESP ROM RUS ROM RUS USA

12,260 9,505 8,766 6,335 5,125 4,825 4,365 3,490 3,440 3,420 3,265 3,220 3,210 2,961 2,940 2,870 2,865 2,556 2,400 2,375 2,260 2,212 2,040 2,013 1,881 2013 French Open Review

2013 US Open Preview

2013 US Open Preview 2013 US Open Preview