Friday cat blogging--U.S. Open edition, part 1

Seeded players: Watch them while you can

The second round of the 2009 U.S. Open has concluded, and half of the seeded players have been eliminated. Here are the seeds that are already gone:

4--Elena Dementieva (2nd round)
5--Jelena Jankovic (2nd round)
11--Ana Ivanovic (1st round)
12--Agnieszka Radwanska (2nd round)
14--Marion Bartoli (2nd round)
15--Samantha Stosur (2nd round)
16--Virginie Razzano (1st round)
17--Amelie Mauresmo (2nd round)
19--Patty Schnyder (2nd round)
20--Anabel Medina Garrigues (2nd round)
23--Sabine Lisicki (2nd round)
25--Kaia Kanepi (1st round)
27--Alisa Kleybanova (1st round)
28--Sybille Bammer (1st round)
30--Alona Bondarenko (2nd round)
32--Agnes Szavay (1st round)

With so many top players out of the competition, the draw has taken on a different flavor. Both Williams sisters are still around, as are Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Flavia Pennetta, and Caroline Wozniacki. Maria Sharapova has held on, as has the world number 1. And a couple of former hard court stars--Li Na and Daniela Hantuchova--have survived to play in the third round.

And then there is 2005 U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters, whose next opponent is her countrywoman, Kirsten Flipkens, who defeated Jelena Dokic and upset Anabel Medina Garrigues. If Venus Williams' knee gets her through the third round, she and Clijsters should meet in the round of 16.

The way things are going, it is probably a good idea to expect more upsets.

Paszek cleared by Austrian anti-doping agency

The disciplinary committee of Austria's anti-doping agency has concluded that Tamira Paszek's treatment for a back injury was illegal, but that Paszek had no blame in the incident. The Austrian player received a homeopathic treatment which involved enriching and replacing her blood. The re-injection of blood is illegal, but Paszek said she did not know this at the time the procedure was performed.

Paszek was given a temporary ban, but an actual ban will not be imposed. She is not currently playing, however, because of her back problem.

More upsets, and other U.S. Open goings-on

Today's conclusion of the second round of the U.S. Open contained so much drama, it would be easy to overlook some of the less drama-filled matches. But there was more to the action today than just big upsets.

Sara Errani defeated a very up-and-down Patty Schnyder. Down 1-5 in the first set, Schnyder then reeled off four games in a row, but performed terribly when serving at 5-6. Errani won the first set 7-5, then easily won the second, 6-2, upsetting the 19th seed.

Gisela Dulko upset 30th seed Alona Bondarenko, 6-4, 6-0, and Shahar Peer all but ran over Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-2, 6-0. Yanina Wickmayer defeated Peng Shuai in a match I wish I could have seen, and Katarina Bondarenko allowed Shenay Perry to win only two games.

Is anyone else exhausted from today? I had some time off and was able to watch the tournament, but three of my favorite players--Patty Schnyder, Jelena Jankovic and Sabine Lisicki--were all playing their matches at the same time. I tried to watch all three at once, and I think I blew something out in my neurological structure. To make matters worse, all three of my players lost, and two of them held match points.

U.S. Open--what they said

"There is things I can improve in my game, but I don't have pressure, no."

Dinara Safina

"You never know, with Dinara Safina, whether she's going to play like a genius or play like a dunce."

Virginia Wade

"I'm sure when she plays bigger matches she's going to be ready for it. She doesn't need to take that many steps with those long legs."

Kim Clijsters, speaking of Venus Williams and her knee injury

Have you noticed any differences on tour since you've come back?
"Yes. A lot of Russian is being spoken in the locker room...."

Kim Clijsters

"They better watch out--we are coming."

Yaroslava Shvedova, representing the latest generation of tour players

Do you feel like you lost this match more than she won it, or...
"No, I think she won it."

Elena Dementieva, speaking of Melanie Oudin

You said you have no fear, and you went out there and you weren't supposed to win. Now as people are watching you and you're making these upsets and showing yourself that might change, how do you think you're going to deal with that?
"I don't think it's going to change at all. I don't listen to what other people say about me, like good or bad things. I just go out there and play my game. When I play with no fear, that's when I play my best. I don't worry about anything. I just play my game, and it usually works."

Melanie Oudin

"Safina closed it out and pumped her fist, living to battle herself another day."

Lynn Zinser, writing for the New York Times

...what was going through your mind at the end of that first set when you found yourself down a set?
"Well, I've been down a set also in the first round. There are still two sets more to play."

Dinara Safina

"When I'm in my hotel room, I get to watch a lot of matches, but I do it without the sound."

Maria Sharapova

"I told her after my match, 'You inspired me.' I was watching her game, waiting for my match."

Yaroslava Shvedova, referring to Melanie Oudin

A number 1, playing on Louis Armstrong, does that bother you? Do you believe you belong playing on Arthur Ashe?
"Me personally I like more Armstrong because it's less wind than Arthur Ashe. Doesn't matter if outside is gonna be no wind, on Ashe it's always like turning around."

Dinara Safina

"She's had many opportunities to make Safina more miserable than she is."

Rick Beckham, referring to Kristina Barrois

"The wind blows harder when you're on top."

Kim Clijsters

Others emulate her, but there is only one Thrill Ride

If you enjoyed watching Dinara Safina grab victory at the last moment yesterday, then you probably really relished seeing her pull the same kind of trick today. Kristina Barrois, who impresses me every time I see her, gave the top seed all she could handle. Barrois has a very attractive game, and had she been a bit tougher mentally...well, who knows?

Thrill Ride went down 0-2 in the third set. Then, serving at 4-3, 0-40, won four straight points. After three deuces, she held, partially because of a lucky netcord incident. She double-faulted 15 times, again looked a bit dazed and confused, but somehow, came away with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory.

Between Safina's last-minute victory and the upset of 4th seed Elena Dementieva, there was plenty of drama for one day. But drama ruled today, and those two matches were just the beginning. Jelena Jankovic, the 5th seed and last year's finalist, could not have been at her best: Her grandmother died last night. She looked somewhat flat, and she might have gotten through, anyway, but Yaroslava Shvedova was in the way. Shvedova, who was last year's WTT Most Valuable Player, showed today just how valuable she is.

Playing aggressive tennis while also matching Jankovic in defense, Shvedova took advantage of her opponent's off-kilter condition, and went at it with Jankovic for two hours and forty minutes, finally claiming a 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 victory. It was close--Shvedova served for the match twice, and Jankovic would not let her have it. But just when it looked like Jankovic could finally prepare for the third round, Shvedova--saving two match points--finished as the winner.

Then there was Sabine Lisicki. Lisicki, the 23rd seed, came into the tournament after yet another injury layoff, this time involving her shoulder. Her opponent was the very competent Anastasia Rodionova, who is often her own worst enemy because of her tendency to go into angry mode and stay there. Rodionova couldn't have hoped for a better opportunity; Lisicki was a shadow of herself, unable to do much with her serve and her forehand, which--when they are working--are very formidable.

True to form, though, Rodionova--when she received a bad line call and the umpire would not overrule it--had a burst of temper. One could hardly blame her, but--also true to form--she couldn't let go of it. She became sullen and argumentative, and opened the door for Lisicki to find her form. The German did find some of her form--so much so that she hit 39 winners. But she made a lot of errors, too. Though she double-faulted "only" ten times today, she served one of those double-faults at match point, and the match slipped away from her.

But there was more: When Rodionova hit match point for a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory, Lisicki fell and twisted her ankle as she tried to return Rodionova's shot. She screamed, fell to the ground, then began to cry in pain. She was then escorted away in a wheelchair and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Sabine Lisicki has come so far. She went from being just a big hitter to being a big hitter with a variety of great serves--some huge, some tricky--a reliable drop shot, and an amazing forehand. But lately, she makes me think of Anna Kournikova--she is either injured or excessively double-faulting. The injuries and time off appear to have set Lisicki back quite a bit. There was a time when she would follow a big upset with a terrible loss, but she got past that fragility and brilliantly won in Charleston this year, never dropping a set. Now she is injured again. I hope it is not serious, and I hope that Lisicki can regain her consistency; she is too talented to go by the wayside.

So today, this most dramatic of days at the U.S. Open, there were many chances for top players to come from behind and win, but only Safina was able to actually do it. The Thrill Ride goes on.

Melanie Oudin--thigh injury, cool shoes and all--knocks 4th seed out of U.S. Open

If you were watching the U.S. Open and couldn't handle all the drama in the Safina-Barrois match, you were best advised to tune into the ATP, because there was even more drama going on in Arthur Ashe Stadium. 4th seed Elena Dementieva--winner of the Olympus U.S. Open Series--had all she could handle in the compact package of energy and style that is Melanie Oudin. The 17-year-old American and former junior world number 2 is said to "lack weapons." However, she has the one weapon that is hard to find on the tour these days--belief.

Like her tennis idol, Justine Henin, Oudin has that always-coiled look when she is on the court, as though she could spring onto anything at any time. Her serve, though hardly poor, could be improved, and the first half of the match, she had problems with her backhand. But her footwork, her net play, and her sneaky forehand are more than good enough. She came in on Dementieva a lot, and she frequently dictated play.

After losing the first set 5-7, Oudin served for the second set and was broken at love, but she broke right back to take the set 6-4. In the third set, Oudin went up a break right away, but then had to call for the trainer. Her thigh was re-wrapped, but she was soon unable to push off for her serve, and she had tears of pain in her eyes. She was quickly broken back, and it looked as though she might have to retire, but she received more treatment during the changeover, and came back with a better ability to hit her serve. She broke Dementieva again and once again, she had the momentum.

Dementieva saved two match points, but Oudin won the match with a successful wide-out serve. Oudin made a lot of unforced errors, some of them undoubtedly brought about by her injury, but she had the tenacity to keep going, even at her worst moments. It was a thrilling match, and featured shot-making from both players that sometimes had spectators gasping.

This is, sadly, another heartbreaking loss for Dementieva and her many fans. Widely considered a likely (many said the most likely) contender to win this year's Open, the very talented Dementieva is instead the victim of a player who--though she may be too hampered by injury to compete at her best level in Flushing Meadows--looks to have a future as bright and colorful as her shoes.