Louis Armstrong stadium to be torn down and replaced by two smaller stadiums

Louis Armstrong Stadium, which is located at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, was built on a marsh, and is expected to deteriorate within eight years. Some time within the next six to eight years, it will be torn down. In the meantime, $30 million, a tenth of what is needed, has been dedicated to overhauling the entire complex by creating two smaller stadiums where Louis Armstrong Stadium now stands. The Grandstand will also be replaced by a new stadium.

There is a possibility that the new Armstrong Stadium will get a roof, but it is expected that Arthur Ashe Stadium will not get one because its structure cannot support one.

My U.S. Open top 10

Here, in ascending order, are my top 10 U.S. Open happenings:

10. Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her: Many a thing she ought to understand. And I expect she does understand those things, but Maria Sharapova still has to figure out how to get back to her former status. She can choose to change her game, or she can continue to work on her wayward serve, and use it once again to control points. Caroline Wozniacki beat the error-prone Russian in straight sets in the round of 16.

9. Dazed and confused: It was a scary moment for everyone watching when Victoria Azarenka crumpled onto the court during her second round match. Azarenka sustained a mild concussion when she fell while running sprints before the match.

8. Someone has to win: The three-hour ordeal contested between Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and their opponents, Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, must have been maddening for the Czech team, who failed to save five set points in the first set, and--at the very end--failed to save four match points. For spectators, it was both maddening and thrillng. Only one team can walk away with the win, but credit has to go to Benesova for some very fine serving and some very exciting shot-making.

7. Still crazy-making after all these years: While she was calling the match, Elise Bergen said of Patty Schnyder, "When Schnyder gets out on the court against a big hitter like Wickmayer, her goal is to drive her crazy." How true. And Schnyder almost had her way, though she ended the match with a most unfortunate double fault; Wickmayer earned a 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory. Still, it was great to see Schnyder hit all of her vintage looping shots--over and over--for more than two and a half hours. Despite seeing her lose (she's a big favorite of mine), I was thoroughly entertained by this under-the-radar thriller.

6. Iced Danish: After all the build-up, top seed Caroline Wozniacki fell in the semifinals to wind-controller (remember the 2009 Indian Wells championship?) Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva was at her best, and it didn't hurt her any that Wozniacki was flat from the outset.

5. So near, and yet so far: Both Venus Williams and Vera Zvonareva must have felt the title within their grasps, but Kim Clijsters prevented one from winning her third U.S. Open title, and the other from winning her first major. Williams' serve became wobbly during her semifinal match against Clijsters, and just about everything became wobbly for Zvonareva during the final.

4. Break, blow, burn: The weather was a major player in this U.S. Open. During the first week, on-court temperatures blazed well over 100 degrees, and during the second week, winds gusted as high as thirty miles per hour. Both extremes--and especially the wind--made it quite difficult for the players to compete. To top it off, there was rain, too, which caused the doubles final to be completed a day late.

3. The late-late show: It isn't unusual for Elena Dementieva to play in a drama-filled three-set match. She used to almost always win these contests, but lately, she has struggled with some of them. She and Sam Stosur played until 1:30 in the morning, providing the crowd with one of the best matches played in the tournament. The momentum swung wildly, and Stosur came back from being down 0-3 and 3-5 in the third set. She saved four match points, and then advanced to the quarterfinals when Dementieva lost her focus during the tiebreak.

2. Queen of the hill, top of the heap: 2nd seed Kim Clijsters won her third U.S. Open title when she easily defeated Vera Zvonareva in the championship match. Clijsters was impressive throughout the tournament, taking out both Sam Stosur and Venus Williams before reaching the final. The Belgian won the tournament last year, shortly after she returned to the tour, and many tennis-watchers thought her momentum had slowed down too much for her to pull a repeat. But Clijsters knew how to win the big points, and she put on her impressive return-of-serve show throughout the U.S. Open.

1. That was fun--want to do it again?: For me, the "real" final was the one that was played in doubles. Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, the joyful pair who got together shortly before Wimbledon and won the championship, did it again in Flushing Meadows, and under very difficult circumstances. Playing against world number 1 Liezel Huber and partner Nadia Petrova, they were three points from a loss when the match was postponed because of rain. They came back on Monday, saved a match point, and forced a tiebreak. And they continued to go for everything. If they lost, they were going to go out in a blaze. But they won--their second major in a row. Tested by a three-hour thriller in the third round, and by the number 1 seeds in the quarterfinals, King and Shvedova brought the right balance of steadiness and flash to a memorable championship.

Miscellany

A reminder to U.S. viewers: Unmatched, a documentary about the rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, will have its premier showing tomorrow night, September 14, at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN. It will also be shown at 11 p.m. on the 14th on ESPN2. Viewers can also watch at 8 p.m., Thursday, September 16 on ESPN Classic, and Saturday, September 18 at 1 a.m on ESPN 2.

Navratilova was given the Eugene L. Scott Award on Friday at the Legends Ball in New York.

USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier says that putting a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium would mean there would be no money available to fund grassroots tennis in the U.S.

Vania King says that she began playing doubles with Yaroslava Shvedova because Anna-Lena Groenefeld, with whom she had been playing, sustained a stress fracture in her foot. She expected Groenefeld to return for the clay season, but that didn't happen. King and Shvedova formed a team during the grass season and decided--for obvious reasons--to stay together.

This is the second year in a row that Esther Vergeer has won the U.S. Open women's wheelchair singles final with a score of 6-0, 6-0. 

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour "Looking Back at a Legend" series continues with a look back at Tracy Austin.

Wild card Rebecca Marino has advanced to the second round of the Bell Challenge in Quebec. She defeated countrywoman and wild card Heidi El Tabakh 7-6, 7-6.

They did it again! King & Shvedova win U.S. Open title

Yesterday, the rain came when Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova were down 2-6, 6-4, 4-5, 0-15. It was also Shvedova's birthday, but, as it turns out, she had to wait a day to receive her most lavish gift. Today, at 3 p.m. New York time, King and Shvedova--and their opponents, number 2 seeds Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova--returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium to complete the U.S. Open championship match.

The circumstances could not have been more tense. Huber and Petrova were only three points from the title, and suddenly, King was serving at 30-40. King saved that championship point (the second onw the team saved) with a ferocious forehand swipe down the line. Later, spectators would cheer loudly when Shvedova hit a backhand lob with heavy topspin and painted the back line. Despite increased aggression by Petrova, some formidable volleys from Huber, and a fast service game for the 2nd seeds at 5-all, King and Shvedova were able to force a tiebreak. Under the most challenging conditions, they held serve.

This match "deserved" a tiebreak, so to speak, for only a tiebreak could increase the drama for spectators who had waited overnight for a result. Throughout the match, but especially during the tiebreak, King and Shvedova did the same thing they did at Wimbledon--they enjoyed themselves. And when Shvedova hit yet another line-skimming lob--this one with her forehand--at match point, it was the perfect ending to a great doubles championship match.

King and Shvedova had a quite a tournament. They defeated the top seeds, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, in straight sets in the quarterfinals.  And in the third round, they won a wild three-hour thriller against Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

King and Shvedova had played together only twice when they entered the 2010 Wimbledon tournament and won it. Now they have done it again. In her speech, King said that, two years ago, she wasn't sure she wanted to play tennis anymore, and she didn't know if she believed in herself. How fortunate--for us, and for Yaroslava Shvedova--that King decided to keep going.

In case you missed it...

Daria Gavrilova's press conference is worth watching. "That was a really bad match, actually," she said of her championship contest against friend Yulia Putintseva.

Women's doubles final to be concluded tomorrow

Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova were serving at 2-6, 6-4, 4-5, 0-15 when rain fell and caused a delay in their U.S. Open championship match. The match was expected to resume within a hour or so, but the rain continued, so King and Shvedova, and their opponents, Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova, will conclude their match tomorrow.

Gavrilova wins U.S. Open junior girls championship

Daria Gavrilova, the top seed, won the U.S. Open junior girls' title today, defeating the unseeded Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-2. Both Gavrilova and Putintseva are from Russia.

Vergeer wins 5th straight U.S. Open title

Esther Vergeer , the number 1 seed, won her fifth consecutive U.S. Open women's wheelchair singles championship today, defeating Daniela Di Toro 6-0, 6-0. The final was much easier for Vergeer than the semifinal was. In that match, she had to save a set point.

Vergeer and partner Sharon Walraven won the doubles title yesterday. In singles, Vergeer is now on a 396-match win streak.

3 questions to ponder

Last night's final left me with questions, all of which I have pondered before, but which now seem more relevant than ever:

1. What is it with the Russians? With the exception of the "old" Sharapova, some of the best players on the women's tour are known as much for not handling pressure as they are for their forehands and volleys. Among Sharapova, Kuznetsova, Petrova, Dementieva, Zvonareva, and Safina, there are only five major championships, all won by Sharapova and Kuznetsova.

2. What does Vera Zvonareva's tennis future look like? She is considering dropping out of doubles competition in order to stay physically fresher. She said that in the final, she felt physically unable to compete.

3. Does Kim Clijsters now have enough confidence to win majors on grass and/or clay? I may be projecting something onto her in which she has questionable interest. Clijsters may not wish to be on the tour much longer--I don't know. And if she retires with three U.S. Open titles, that's still a lot nicer for her than retiring with only one U.S. Open title. But the question is nevertheless tempting to ask.

Clijsters re-claims her U.S. Open title

A wry smile appeared, for just a moment, on Vera Zvonareva's face when Kim Clijsters double-faulted at 6-2, 5-1, 30-all in the U.S. Open women's final tonight. Break points had eluded the Russian throughout the match, and now she had one, and at such a strange point in the proceedings. Clijsters responded with an ace, and won the championship on her first match point.

It was a masterful performance by the defending champion, who showed off not only her signature movement and solid groundstrokes, but also a tidy and beautifully placed serve. Zvonareva was barely allowed into the match, so decisively did Clijsters dictate the rallies. In short, Clijsters could hardly do anything wrong, and Zvonareva could hardly do anything right. And when Zvonareva did have opportunities, she was unable to gather enough composure to take advantage of them.

The match was over in exactly an hour. There hasn't been a three-set women's final at the U.S. Open since 1995, when Steffi Graf lost all the games in the second set, but still still won the championship, defeating Monica Seles. The best recent final was played in 2008, when Serena Williams won a spirited and entertaining two-setter over Jelena Jankovic.

Clijsters lost the 2003 U.S. Open final in straight sets to Justine Henin. She won in 2005, when she defeated Mary Pierce; Pierce won only four games. Clijsters was injured in 2006, and did not compete. She then retired from the tour, so she was absent in 2007 and 2008. After she returned in 2009, the U.S. Open was just her third event, but she defeated Caroline Wozniacki and took the title again. She has now won 21 straight matches in Flushing Meadows.

Zvonareva managed to get one good racquet-crack in during the short match. When the final was over, she told her opponent how frustrated she felt because she had not played well. Clijsters reminded her of all the finals she had lost to Henin, and said that, afterwards, she, too, felt frustrated because she knew she could have played better.

This was Zvonareva's second major final. Earlier in the season, she lost the Wimbledon final to Serena Williams. That, too, was a match in which she was totally dominated. Zvonareva--whose career has been repeatedly interrupted by serious injury--has a solid and varied game, and has become mentally stronger than she used to be. But in tonight's match, she made a stream of unforced errors that took her out of the competition. The woman who had looked so steady against Caroline Wozniacki suddenly looked so tentative and confused against Clijsters.

Vergeer and Walraven win U.S. Open women's wheelchair doubles championship

2nd seeds Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven won the women's wheelchair doubles championship at the U.S. Open today. Vergeer and Walraven defeated Daniela Di Toro and Aniek Van Koot, the top seeds, 6-3, 6-3.

Vergeer, the top seed, will play Di Toro in the singles final.

In junior girls' competition, top seed Daria Gavrilova defeated 15th seed Sloane Stephens 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, Yulia Putintseva defeated On Jabeur 6-4, 6-3. Both Gavrilova and Putintseva are from Russia.

In junior girls' doubles, Timea Babos and Sloane Stephens, the 3rd seeds, won the championship when they were given a walkover by An-Sophie Mestach and Silvia Njric.

U.S. Open--what they said

You know, some things I already saw--you know, in my head I already knew. Okay, I've played it there, so the next ball will be here. But I need to focus on the ball I was hitting. You know, just made a few mistakes and she took advantage of it.

Caroline Wozniacki

I feel like my career hasn't been traditional in any way. I feel like as long as I'm striking the ball well, I'm gonna keep playing. At this point I'm striking the ball well, so there is no end in sight at the moment.

Venus Williams

I play with passion, but I leave it on the court. Off the court, I'm very calm, and, you know, just not that emotional at all. The tennis is an emotional game. As long as you know yourself and you know which emotions are good for you, which are bad, you can use it to your advantage.

Vera Zvonareva

She hits those flat groundstrokes that stay low to the ground. Is that especially difficult on a day when you're not really in sync with your forehand, or like you said, you're not really feeling it?
No, because, I mean, I was playing really well at periods, and there were periods where, you know, I made mistakes. That's life. You know, I've beaten her before. So, no, it doesn't matter.

Caroline Wozniacki

I always feel good here. If I can give myself the opportunity to get to the second week, play these kind of matches and not get surprised by opponents at the beginning of the tournament, anything is possible.

Kim Clijsters

There are some beautiful players out there today, but all the points look the same.

Chris Evert

Never look back. I'm just looking forward all the time.

Vera Zvonareva

I was hitting into wind; you can hit it harder and flatter. It's instinct, you decide to do it. And it worked.

Kim Clijsters

I mean, in one hour to go through five racquets, it's quite a lot. But, you know, it happens. I will just have to bring some more racquets tomorrow.

Vera Zvonareva

She's always been high-strung; today, she's been unstrung.

Mary Carillo, referring to Vera Zvonareva

I kept the same strings for two years.

Chris Evert

Paths to the final

Tomorrow evening, 2nd seed and defending champion Kim Clijsters will play 7th seed Vera Zvonareva in the U.S. Open women's singles final. Here are their paths to the final:

VERA ZVONAREVA
round 1--def. Zuzana Kucova
round 2--def. Sabine Lisicki
round 3--def. Alexandra Dulgheru (25)
round 4--def. Andrea Petkovic
quarterfinals--def. Kaia Kanepi (31)
semifinals--def. Caroline Wozniacki (1)

KIM CLIJSTERS
round 1--def. Greta Arn
round 2--def. Sally Peers
round 3--def. Petra Kvitova (27)
round 4--def. Ana Ivanovic
quarterfinals--def. Samantha Stosur (5)
semifinals--def. Venus Williams (3)

Defending champion Clijsters to play in U.S.Open final

The stats for today's second women's semifinal match at the U.S. Open tell a lot: Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters made a combined 93 unforced errors and hit a combined total of 53 winners. They broke each other four times apiece. The wind blew, and the momentum of the match swung, sometimes surprisingly. It took two hours and 23 minutes to sort it all out, but in the end, it was defending champion and 2nd seed Kim Clijsters who walked off the court a winner.

Venus Williams, seeded 3rd, took the first set 6-4, after breaking Clijsters in the seventh game. The wind began to blow with more force when the second set started, and it became harder to serve, though Williams did hit three consecutive aces early in the set. After a furious exchange of breaks, Clijsters took the lead at 5-4, then suddenly suffered a service collapse, easily giving Williams yet another break. The set would go to a tiebreak--the first the pair had ever played against one another. The 3rd seed double-faulted her way to a 0-3 deficit, and never recovered. In almost no time, Clijsters had six set points, and she took the set on her second one.

Williams began the final set with more service errors, and Clijsters got an early break. But then the 2nd seed made back-to-back double faults and lost her focus again, resulting in a break for Williams. Clijsters was to break back, however, with a backhand lob that turned out to be the shot of the match. With a 5-4 lead, she held easily.

The defending champion's 4-6, 6-7, 6-4 win gives her a 20-match streak at the U.S. Open. She won the Open in 2005, with a decisive victory over Mary Pierce. Clijsters retired from the tour, and didn't play in Flushing Meadows again until 2009, shortly after her return to professional tennis. In that tournament, she defeated both Venus and Serena Williams, and then beat Caroline Wozniacki in the final.

Venus Williams won the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001. She last reached the semifinals in 2007, when she was defeated by eventual champion Justine Henin. Williams did not play in this year's U.S. Open Series because of problems with her knee.

Windy and clear, but no Sunshine

Vera Zvonareva had to use five racquets in her semifinal match against top seed Caroline Wozniacki at the U.S. Open this afternoon. The 7th-seeded Russian broke her racquet strings four times, but it didn't distract her from breaking Wozniacki four times, also. Maintaining a high level of aggression and again handling the wind with patience and precision, Zvonareva used her strong serve to stop the 1st seed's campaign to win a major title.

At 2-1, 40-30 in the second set, Zvonareva used poor judgment in hitting a volley, and Wozniacki broke her on her first break point. This might have been a turning point in the set, but Zvonareva immediately broke her back at 15.

Zvonareva won points on 70% of her first serves, and she hit five aces. She was also successful at the net 76% of the time.

This is Zvonareva's second trip to a major final. Her first occurred earlier this summer, when she reached the finals at Wimbledon, where she was defeated by Serena Williams.

U.S. Open--what they said

This could really go either way!

Nick Bollettieri's choice for the Williams-Clijsters semifinal match

Could go either way. Wouldn’t be surprised to see if either wins it.

Bollettieri's choice for the Wozniacki-Zvonareva semifinal match

We just had compassion for each other.

Chris Evert, commenting on her rivalry with Martina Navratilova

Venus never, ever loses her cool on court.

Ravi Ubha

He wants to chest bump, chest bump, chest bump. I'm like, no. Do it with your girlfriend; don't chest bump me.

Liezel Huber, referring to Bob Bryan

King & Shvedova 1 match away from back-to-back championships

The surprise champions of the 2010 Wimbledon tournament, Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, advanced to the final of the U.S. Open today with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over 9th seeds Cara Black and Anastasia Rodionova. The third set was especially entertaining, as Rodionova brought up the level of her play and challenged the 6th seeds. Shvedova blew some volleys by being over-eager, but then steadied herself.

There was one amazing moment when a ball flew through the center of the court. King yelled "me!" but Shvedova, who probably didn't hear King, went for it. Standing side by side, each woman--one with a backhand and one with a forehand--was a mirror image of the other. Shvedova's racquet got the ball over the net. For just a moment, though, the synchronized swings created a really beautiful sight.

In the women's wheelchair singles quarterfinals, Esther Vergeer had to fight harder than usual to defeat Florence Alix-Gravellier 7-5, 7-5. Korie Homan is not playing in the U.S. Open (I'm not sure why--possibly continued wrist problems), so the Vergeer-Homan team will not be competing. Vergeer's partner will be Sharon Walraven. Vergeer was hitting today with Martina Navratilova.

Huber & Bryan win U.S. Open mixed doubles championship

Liezel Huber and partner Bob Bryan won the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship today, defeating Kveta Peschke and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-4, 6-4 in the final. Qureshi was able to save one match point off of Bryan's serve, but Peschke could not save the second.

Robson out of U.S. Open junior draw in 3rd round

Laura Robson, whose decision to not play in juniors somehow never come to pass, lost in the third round of the U.S. Open junior girls' competition today. Robson, seeded 8th, was defeated by the USA's Robin Anderson. Also going out was 4th seed Elina Svitolina, 6-4, 6-0. Stephens is seeded 15th.

Karolina Pliskova advanced to the quarterfinals. Her sister, Kristyna, lost in the second round.

U.S. Open--what they said

It was difficult to play your best tennis, and I had to find the right balance between being patient and being aggressive.

Vera Zvonareva

I've always been enthralled by the power of trends in the tennis world. Players have such a gift for copying each other at every level.

Patrick Mouratoglou

To deal with ponytail whiplash is something else...

Pam Shriver, commenting on Caroline Wozniacki's flying hair

Most of the people didn't believe in me, but you're not always going to play your best tennis, and to me, it didn't matter.

Vera Zvonareva

What are you gonna take away from your successful tournament here? What do you think was the best part that you learned about yourself making it this far?
The fighting spirit.

Kaia Kanepi

There haven’t been too many (comedians) on the women’s tour.

David Rosenberg, in reference to Andrea Petkovic

(Oops...there went Martina Hingis, Amelie Mauresmo, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Francesca Schiavone--just to name a few of the WTA's players who have repeatedly brought laugh-out-loud humor to the tour for years.)

It felt like playing in a hurricane or something.

Caroline Wozniacki

I would say it was the most difficult conditions I have ever played in.

Dominika Cibulkova

If you're emotional, doesn't mean you're not mentally tough.

Vera Zvonareva

Wind gusted up to 34 mph and played havoc with Wozniacki's shots--to say nothing of Trump's hair.

Associated Press reporter