US Tennis Open 2011- Winners are: Novak Djokovik and Samantha Stosur

[MuffyBee]

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2011/08/31/nadal-opens-us-open-defense-with-shaky-win/
Nadal opens U.S. Open defense with shaky win
August 31, 2011

Spain's Rafael Nadal kicked off his attempt to defend his U.S. Open title with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 victory over big-hitting Kazakh Andrey Golubev, coming from behind in all three sets to secure the win.
 ::snipping2::
Nadal will next face France's Nicolas Mahut, who rallied for a 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 win Tuesday over Colombia's Robert Farah, in the second round.

Mahut won the only match between them - at the 2007 Queen's Club event in London.

The U.S. Open is the last of four Grand Slam tournaments on the tennis calendar.

Nadal made the final of two of the first three, defeating Switzerland's Roger Federer to win his sixth French Open in early June but then losing to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in early July.

Since that loss to Djokovic, Nadal had two relatively early exits at U.S. Open tune-up events in Montreal and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nadal defeated Djokovic in last year's U.S. Open final but has lost to him five times this year and has been knocked down to No. 2 in the rankings by the Serbian star.

[MuffyBee]

http://mystateline.com/fulltext-news?nxd_id=275717
Top-Seeds, Serena All Advance At U.S. Open
August 31, 2011

(Flushing Meadows, NY)  --  World number-one Novak Djokovic and reigning champion Rafael Nadal were opening-round winners Tuesday at the 2011 U.S. Open.
 ::snipping2::
On the women's side, world number-one Caroline Wozniacki, fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka and three-time champion Serena Williams were easy opening-round winners.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

Venus Williams withdraws from U.S. Open

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/01/venus-williams-diagnosed-with-sjogrens-syndrome/
Venus Williams Diagnosed With Sjogren's Syndrome
September 1, 2011

Venus Williams withdrew from the U.S. Open Wednesday, revealing that she had been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain.

There is no known cure for the disease, but doctors told The Post it is rarely life-threatening and -- if managed -- shouldn't be career-ending. The surprising announcement came just hours before her scheduled second-round match against 22nd-seeded Sabine Lisicki.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gSZN2Y1GfwiyywhrPDM9aqxEDCnw?docId=CNG.a724b78e2e84cd84028c7fdda12aa83e.781
Federer, Serena untroubled at stricken US Open
September 1, 2011

W YORK — Roger Federer and Serena Williams, with 29 Grand Slam titles between them, cruised into the US Open third round on Thursday as the injury-plagued and illness-hit tournament claimed two more victims.

Five-time US Open champion Federer eased past Israel's world number 93 Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 for his 225th win at a major, one more than Andre Agassi and just eight behind Jimmy Connors's all-time mark of 233.

The third seed next faces either Croatian 27th seed Marin Cilic or 18-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic, the youngest player in the men's draw.
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Triple women's champion Serena Williams took just 49 minutes to dispose of Dutch qualifier Michaella Krajicek 6-0, 6-1 and could face Belarusian Victoria Azarenka for a last 16 place if the fourth seed beats Argentina's Gisela Dulko.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

Rafa!  Rafa! Rafa!

http://www.chron.com/sports/article/Nadal-into-US-Open-s-3rd-round-when-Mahut-stops-2153432.php
Nadal into US Open's 3rd round when Mahut stops
September 2, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the U.S. Open's third round when Nicolas Mahut stopped playing because of an abdominal muscle injury while trailing 6-2, 6-2.
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Nadal has made it at least this far at 27 of his 30 appearances at Grand Slam tournaments. Two of his second-round losses at majors came at Flushing Meadows in 2003 and 2004.

He next faces 2002 Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian, who beat 30th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/09/02/bloomberg1376-LQWOP80D9L3501-62O0CL3DIIUF739O24JQ98G673.DTL
Former Champion Sharapova Exits U.S. Open in Third Round
September 2, 2011

Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Former champion Maria Sharapova was eliminated in the U.S. Open's third round by Flavia Pennetta, becoming the highest seed to lose so far in the tennis season's final Grand Slam tournament.

Defending men's champion Rafael Nadal won when Nicolas Mahut of France retired due to injury after dropping the first two sets. Andy Murray, the No. 4 seed from Britain, came back from a two-set deficit to top Robin Haase of the Netherlands.

Sharapova, the No. 3 seed from Russia, lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 while making 60 unforced errors, including 12 double faults. The 24-year-old double-faulted twice to open the final game, which Pennetta ended with a backhand service-return winner. Pennetta, 29, of Italy, is seeded No. 26.
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Pennetta next will face Peng Shuai, the No. 13 seed from China, who beat Julia Goerges, the No. 19 seed from Germany, in straight sets today.

All of the men's singles matches today, Day 5 of the tournament, are in the second round. All women's matches are in the third round.

 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/story/2011-09-03/US-Open-Day-6/50251232/1
Federer, Wozniacki streak into U.S. Open fourth round
September 3, 2011

[MuffyBee]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/09/us-open-rafael-nadal-wins-queasy-flavia-pennetta-into-quarterfinals.html
U.S. Open: Rafael Nadal wins; queasy Flavia Pennetta into quarterfinals
September 4, 2011

Flavia Pennetta, a 29-year-old Italian who was vomiting on court and was searching for shady spots the longer her fourth-round match went against 13th-seeded Peng Shuai of China on Sunday at the U.S. Open, overcame a 5-0 deficit in the second-set tiebreak and moved into the quarterfinals for the third time with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) win.
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Defending men's champion Rafael Nadal, who called for the trainer once for treatment on his foot, beat unseeded David Nalbandian  of Argentina, 7-6 (5), 6-1, 7-5, in 2 hours and 39 minutes.

Nadal, seeded second, has won 10 career Grand Slam titles and is the fourth man in history who owns at least one title in each of the four majors.
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[MuffyBee]

I think this is a very valid concern.  JMHO

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpps/sports/nadal-blasts-usta-for-allowing-play-in-rain-dpgonc-20110907-kh_14912154
Nadal Blasts USTA for Allowing Play in Rain
September 7, 2011

(NewsCore) - Rafael Nadal blasted the US Tennis Association (USTA) after play resumed briefly at the US Open Wednesday afternoon with a light rain still falling.

"It's a tough day here and especially we don't feel protected," Nadal said in an interview with ESPN's Pam Shriver after his match with unseeded Gilles Muller began, only to be halted 15 minutes later with the second seed trailing 0-3. "The players, we're not feeling protected [by] the tournament.

"Grand Slams, you win a lot of money and we are part of the show and they are just working for that, not for us. They knew it was still raining, and they call us on the court ... that cannot be possible."
 ::snipping2::
Nadal said he hoped the players will begin to rally together to have more of a say in the way these situations are handled going forward.

"Hopefully that's going to happen very soon, because we are here working hard and we want to feel good when we're playing a tournament," Nadal said. "For sure we have to be together."

After meeting with the two players, the USTA released a statement outlining their position.

"We have experienced referees, and they decide if courts are fit for play. Conditions may not be ideal, but still can be safe," the statement said.

"However, if a player or players feel that conditions are unsafe, we listen to them, as we have always done, and the referee uses that information as part of his/her assessment on whether to continue or halt play."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/09/08/bloomberg1376-LR5Z2J0YHQ0X01-71H9QHGK26CL8JKK4JCDU6GM81.DTL
Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal Advance at Waterlogged U.S. Open
September 8, 2011

Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur reached the U.S. Open women's semifinals, while Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray moved into the men's quarterfinals as play restarted following two days of rain. Water -- this time a leak in the surface of a showcourt -- still played a key role.
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[MuffyBee]

http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen11/story/_/id/6949114/us-open-rafael-nadal-foils-andy-roddick-final-four-hopes
Nadal foils Roddick's final four hopes
September 9, 2011
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Roddick was bludgeoned 6-2, 6-1 6-3 by Nadal, who is starting to look like the defending champion. The No. 2 seed is the only man not to drop a set in five matches and will meet No. 4 Andy Murray in a Saturday semifinal.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

 
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/09/10/nadal-dumps-murray-to-set-up-djokovic-finale/
Nadal dumps Murray to set up Djokovic finale
September 10, 2011

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal, his form and confidence rising with each match, powered past Britain's Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-2 at the U.S. Open on Saturday to set up a rematch of last year's final with Novak Djokovic.

The second-seeded Spaniard was brilliant from the baseline and the net, and proved too steady against an out-of-sorts Murray, who shouted at himself and whacked his leg with his racket as his frustrations boiled over in the first two sets.

In the fourth set, Nadal again unsteadied the volatile Murray, giving himself a chance to avenge a string of stinging losses to Djokovic this year.

Nadal beat Djokovic in last year's final but the Serb, who advanced with a thrilling five-set win over Roger Federer on Saturday, has beaten the Spaniard in five finals this year, including Wimbledon, to replace him as world number one.

This year I'm not having a lot of luck against him. I have played him already in five finals and I lost all of them," 10-time grand slam winner Nadal told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. "So hopefully, New York will help me this time."
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

 
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-us-open-men-20110911,0,5549678.story
Novak Djokovic stuns Roger Federer in U.S. Open semifinal
September 10, 2011

Federer squanders a two-set lead, then can't convert two match points in fifth set and loses to No. 1-ranked Serb. In Monday's final, Djokovic will face Rafael Nadal, a winner over Andy Murray.

 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/sep/11/us-open-2011-williams-stosur-live
US Open 2011: Serena Williams v Samantha Stosur – live!
• Hit F5 or turn on autorefresh for updates
September 11, 2011

[MuffyBee]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/story/2011-09-11/us-open-mens-final/50362010/1
U.S. Open: Nadal tries to break Djokovic's control
September 11, 2011

NEW YORK – Rafael Nadal's mental fortitude is like Fort Knox. Breaking in is next to impossible.
But Novak Djokovic has tunneled into the Spaniard's cabeza, and for the second consecutive Grand Slam final the plot line centers on whether Nadal can figure out how to exorcise the Serb from his cranium.
Nadal, the defending U.S. Open champion, leads 16-12 in career meetings and 5-1 in Grand Slam clashes, including a four-set defeat of top-ranked Djokovic in last year's New York championship. The 24-year-old Serb, in fact, had never beaten Nadal, 25, in a final before this season.

But the tide of their rivalry has shifted dramatically in 2011.

Djokovic has squashed Nadal in every corner of the world and on every surface, beating him in five finals and depriving him of his Wimbledon crown and No. 1 ranking in July.

In a brutally honest self-assessment, the No. 2 from Mallorca admitted the mental breach Saturday following his four-set defeat of No. 4 Andy Murray.
More...

On TV: 4 p.m. ET, CBS

USA TODAY will blog the final live at tennis.usatoday.com

[MuffyBee]

 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/09/us-open-serena-williams-upset-in-finals-by-samantha-stosur.html
U.S. Open: Serena Williams upset in finals by Samantha Stosur
September 11, 2011

 ::snipping2::
Ninth-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia won her first major championship with a 6-2, 6-3 win over 28th-seeded Williams on Sunday on Arthur Ashe Stadium. If the seedings made Stosur the favorite, Williams, who was already a 13-time major winner, was the heavy favorite.
But in the first game of the second set, as Williams hit what was about to be a definitive forehand winner to save a break point, Williams bellowed just before the ball landed. Chair umpire Eva Asderaki of Greece called Williams for a violation and the point was awarded to Stosur.

It also meant the game went to Stosur and as boos filled Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams had a contentious discussion with chair umpire Asderaki that included Williams saying,"If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way."
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Stosur seemed momentarily unnerved by the incident and the Ashe crowd booed loudly for almost a minute and Williams came back to win two straight games to take a 2-1 lead from 0-1 down.

But the 27-year-old Stosur never changed expression or quit hitting winners. On her third attempt at match point, Stosur pounded a forehand return winner past Williams to complete the 1 hour, 13-minute win.

Williams was gracious on court during the awards ceremony, saying the point that was given to Stosur didn't matter because Stosur was playing too well anyway.

[MuffyBee]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/09/serena-williams-fined-2000-for-us-open-tirade/1
Serena Williams fined $2,000 for U.S. Open tirade
September 12, 2011

Serena Williams' wallet is $2,000 lighter after her outburst during the women's final of the U.S. Open Sunday. That no doubt isn't going to sit well with fans who think she went way over the line when she called chair umpire Eva Asderaski "a hater" and added that she was "unattractive inside."

(Poll in article Is Serena Williams' $2,000 the right amount?)

Here's the official statement from the U.S. Tennis Association:

    U.S. Open Tournament Referee Brian Earley has fined Serena Williams $2,000 following the code violation issued for verbal abuse during the women's singles final. This fine is consistent with similar offenses at Grand Slam events. As with all fines at the U.S. Open, the monies levied are provided to the Grand Slam Development Fund which develops tennis programs around the world.

    After independently reviewing the incident which served as the basis for the code violation, and taking into account the level of fine imposed by the U.S. Open referee, the Grand Slam Committee Director has determined that Ms. Williams' conduct, while verbally abusive, does not rise to the level of a major offense under the Grand Slam Code of Conduct.

[MuffyBee]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/09/us-open-mens-final-djokovic-nadal/1
Live: Djokovic takes on Nadal in U.S. Open final
September 12, 2011

USA TODAY is blogging the U.S. Open men's singles final live between world No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia and No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain.

Djokovic, aiming for his fourth career major title, has posted an amazing 63-2 record in 2011 with nine titles, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He is also a perfect 5-0 against Nadal, including a win at Wimbledon, where he beat the 2010 champion in the final.

Nadal, 59-10 in 2011, has won three titles, including his sixth French Open crown. The 2010 U.S. Open champion, Nadal has won 10 Grand Slam singles titles.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/sports/djokovic-beats-nadal-to-win-1st-us-open-1844874.html
Djokovic beats Nadal to win 1st US Open title
September 12, 2011

NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic held on to beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 Monday night in a final filled with lengthy, mesmerizing points to win his first U.S. Open championship and third Grand Slam trophy of the year.

The top-ranked Djokovic improved to 64-2 with 10 tournament titles, one of the greatest seasons in the history of men's tennis — or any sport.

And he's perfect against Nadal in 2011 — 6-0, all in finals, including at Wimbledon in July. Djokovic also won the Australian Open in January, and is the sixth man in the Open era to collect three major titles in one year.
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[MuffyBee]

I was rooting for Nadal, but alas, a victory for him was not to be...this time. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/12/sports/main20105151.shtml?tag=stack
Djokovic wins 1st U.S. Open title
September 12, 2011

(AP)

NEW YORK - Top-ranked Novak Djokovic returned brilliantly and swatted winners from all angles to beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 on Monday night and earn his first U.S. Open title and third Grand Slam trophy of 2011.

Djokovic improved to 64 wins from 66 matches with 10 tournament titles in a simply spectacular year, one of the greatest in the history of men's tennis — or any sport, for that matter.

"I've had an amazing year," Djokovic said, "and it keeps going."

Against No. 2 Nadal, Djokovic is 6-0, all in finals — three on hard courts, including Monday; two on clay; and one on grass at Wimbledon in July. Djokovic also won the Australian Open in January, and is only the sixth man in the 40-plus years of the Open era to collect three major titles in a single season.
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