i agree with you about justine, although she's not that powerful but she can run and chase the ball.

as for kim, i've also noticed that on minor tournaments, she can win but on major events, she's always the runner-up

altough i dont like watching WTA events, im glad that these two belgians are back

Wow! Bilib talaga ako sa inyo! Updated lagi!

Anyway, next week is U.S. Open na kaya late night viewing ulit, unless Star Sports wouldn't show the Slam. Would they or would they not?

I guess, ang talagang bet dito sa Open is Roger Federer. The only way he would not win the U.S. if is someone could play more unhumanly than him. I guess, Rafa's a good bet too since he beat Andre at Montreal. Syempre, di ko parin tinatanggal si Andre. He still has a huge chance if he's in peak condition. Andy and the others... no comment nalang.

Roger Rings Bell
By Tennis Week
08/18/2005

Roger Federer is ready to make some noise in Times Square next week. The world No. 1 isn't planning on commandeering a cab or joining local tourist attraction the Naked Cowboy in a karaoke contest. Instead, the Nasdaq-100 Open champion will ring the opening bell for the Nasdaq Stock Market on Thursday, August 25th at the Nasdaq Market Site located at 4 Times Square on 43rd Street and Broadway.

Federer, who visited Times Square the day after he captured the 2004 U.S. Open to pose for photographers with his U.S. Open title trophy, is scheduled to appear at about 9:20 a.m. Tickets to the 2006 Nasdaq-100 Open go on sale Monday, August 29th by phone. Please call (305) 442-3367 to purchase tickets for the tournament, which will be staged March 22nd-April 2nd at Key Biscayne's Crandon Park.

Draw Ceremony
Picking the draw
Calling the Draw
Practice makes perfect
Sharapova Sighting
Swinging Away Federer, Sharapova Headline US Open Draw Day
by Jason Brown
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
The long and winding road to the 2005 US Open final began in earnest today with the unveiling of the men's and women's singles draws, held in a morning ceremony at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium of the United Nations in New York City.

A pair of former US Open winners joined defending champion and top-seed Roger Federer in his half of the men's draw.

Top-seed Maria Sharapova drew a difficult top section of the draw featuring the defending US Open women's champion and both Williams sisters.

Meanwhile, second-seed Rafael Nadal will have to find a will and a way to get past two-time US Open champion Andre Agassi and 2003 winner Andy Roddick to reach his first US Open final.

2001 US Open champion Lleyton Hewitt, the runner-up to the Swiss a year ago in Queens, looms as a threat to the title defense, along with 2000 titlist Marat Safin, who famously upended Federer at the Australian Open in an instant classic, five-set semifinal.

Federer could meet the winner of Hewitt-Safin in the semifinals.

On the heels of capturing his first Slam at the French Open, Nadal, a precocious 19-year-old Spaniard with the fastest wheels in the business, could lock up with Agassi in the quarterfinals. If that should happen, a re-match of their US Open Series Rogers Cup final in Montreal would be in the offing.

Should Nadal survive that match-up, he could find Roddick in the semifinals. As an unseeded player in last year's US Open draw, Nadal lost in the second round to Roddick in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3, 6-4.

The top ranking and US Open seeding didn't procure too many favors for Sharapova.

Although she avoids No. 2 Lindsay Davenport, No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo or No. 7 Justine Henin-Hardenne until the final, Sharapova has No. 4 Kim Clijsters, No. 8 Serena Williams and No. 10 Venus Williams blocking her path, not to mention 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, the fifth seed.

Kuznetsova and Sharapova could square off in the quarterfinals, while Serena and Venus Williams could have a blockbuster showdown earlier in the fourth round.

The winner of Williams vs. Williams would meet Clijsters in the quarterfinals.

Possible women's semifinals match-ups include: Sharapova vs. Clijsters and Davenport vs. Mauresmo.

Potential Men's Quarterfinal Pairings:

No. 1 Roger Federer vs. No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko
No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 7 Andre Agassi
No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt vs. No. 5 Marat Safin
No. 4 Andy Roddick vs. No. 8 Guillermo Coria

Potential Women's Quarterfinal Pairings:

No. 1 Maria Sharapova vs. No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova
No. 2 Lindsay Davenport vs. No. 6 Elena Dementieva
No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo vs. No. 7 Justine Henin-Hardenne
No. 4 Kim Clijsters vs. No. 8 Serena Williams

Potential Men's Semifinal Pairings:

No. 1 Roger Federer vs. No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt
No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 4 Andy Roddick

Potential Women's Semifinal Pairings:

No. 1 Maria Sharapova vs. No. 4 Kim Clijsters
No. 2 Lindsay Davenport vs. No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo

Intriguing First-Round Matches:

Men

Mardy Fish vs. Ivo Karlovic
No. 28 Greg Rusedski vs. James Blake
No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt vs. Albert Costa
Paradorn Srichaphan vs. Younes El Aynaoui


Women

No. 1 Maria Sharapova vs. Eleni Daniilidou
Mashona Washington vs. Sania Mirza
Amy Frazier vs. Carly Gullickson
Sesil Karatantcheva vs. Meghann Shaughnessy

FLASHBACK:



Rafael Nadal & Richard Gasquet

me naman between henin-hardenne and clijsters, mas gusto ko si justine kasi she is really better than kim..kaso lang nga she kept getting sick, kung di sana world # 1 sya ngayon. she's world # 4 before that match w/ clijsters, and clijsters was 7, now nag palit na sila i admire justine's backhand talaga, sobrang galing, and her stamina. i was so disappointed when she lost early sa wimbledon, couldn't believe it. wasn't even able to watch the match. usually kasi i wait till semi-finals na eh. di man lang umabot so frustrating. i thought rin this time talo si clijsters, coz di sya parati nananalo..but then i guess, it's her turn on the top now..in fairness, laki ng improvement talaga nya..maybe she's finally over leyton hewitt...hehehehe

By the way, Sports plus will telecast this year's US Open LIVE.

Ako naman, tuwa sa pagkapanalo ni Clijsters kasi siya fave ko sa women's tennis at palagi na lang cyang talo kay henin-hardenne sa last 3 outings nila sa grand slam finals. however, impress ako kay Justine dahil siya na lang ang woman player na may normal body, (yung hindi powerful ang game unlike others) and she's still able to beat the seeded players at ganda pa ng backhand. As for Clijsters, kahit maganda ang performance niya sa US Open series, i think nde cya mananalo sa US open dahil parati cyang nagchochoke pagdating ng grand slam, magaling lang cya pag warm-up events kaya nakakafrustrate.

As for the US Open seeds nagulat ako na si Berdych nakasabit sa 32. Ganda ng laro niya against Nadal, he's capable of beating anybody pero inconsistent lang talaga. As for dun sa mga na awardan ng mga wild cards, grabe swerte naman pati si Jan Michael Gambill nakasama pa, lucky cya dahil American cya... Gulat ako hindi wild card si Andrew Murray kahit ayaw ko siya... hehehe

Federer warming up
Sharapova Sighting World No. 1's Sharapova, Federer Receive 2005 US Open Top Seeds
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Grand Slam Champions Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Serena Williams Seeded in the Top Eight

US Open Champions Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin, Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi Among Top Eight Men's Seeds

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The USTA today announced that defending US Open champion and world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland and world No. 1 Maria Sharapova of Russia will be seeded No. 1 at the 2005 US Open in men's and women's singles, respectively. The 2005 US Open will be played at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., August 29 - September 11.

Federer, the reigning US Open and Wimbledon champion, will be followed No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain, the reigning French Open champion; No. 3 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, the 2001 US Open champion; No. 4 Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion; and No. 5 Marat Safin of Russia, the reigning Australian Open champion and winner of the 2000 US Open.

Sharapova, who took over the world No. 1 ranking on Monday, is followed by No. 2 Lindsay Davenport of the United States, the 1998 US Open champion; No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo of France; No. 4 Kim Clijsters of Belgium; and No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, the defending US Open champion.

Roddick and Clijsters won the 2005 US Open Series men's and women's titles last weekend, and will both play for double prize money with the potential to win $2.2 million at the US Open.

For 2005, the US Open continued the practice of following the ATP Entry System and WTA Tour rankings to determine the men's and women's singles seeds. This is the fourth consecutive year that the US Open has seeded 32 players in both singles events.

Federer, 24, has won nine titles this year, including the ATP Masters Series events in Indian Wells, Miami, Hamburg and Cincinnati. The five-time Grand Slam champion has held the No. 1 world ranking since January 2004.

Sharapova, 18, has won three titles this year, and on Monday became the 15th player to achieve the No. 1 ranking on the women's tour. The 2004 Wimbledon champion has reached the quarterfinals or better at all three Grand Slam tournaments this year, losing to the eventual champion each time.

The draw for the 2005 US Open will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, August 24 at 11 a.m. at the United Nations in New York City.

The following is the complete list of 2005 US Open men's and women's singles seeds.


Men:
1. Roger Federer, Switzerland
2. Rafael Nadal, Spain
3. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia
4. Andy Roddick, United States
5. Marat Safin, Russia
6. Nikolay Davydenko, Russia
7. Andre Agassi, United States
8. Guillermo Coria, Argentina
9. Gaston Gaudio, Argentina
10. Mariano Puerta, Argentina
11. David Nalbandian, Argentina
12. Tim Henman, Great Britain
13. Richard Gasquet, France
14. Thomas Johansson, Sweden
15. Dominik Hrbaty, Slovakia
16. Radek Stepanek, Czech Republic
17. David Ferrer, Spain
18. Ivan Ljubicic, Croatia
19. Tommy Robredo, Spain
20. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain
21. Fernando Gonzalez, Chile
22. Mario Ancic, Croatia
23. Jiri Novak, Czech Republic
24. Mikhail Youzhny, Russia
25. Taylor Dent, United States
26. Feliciano Lopez, Spain
27. Olivier Rochus, Belgium
28. Greg Rusedski, Great Britain
29. Tommy Haas, Germany
30. Max Mirnyi, Belarus
31. Carlos Moya, Spain
32. Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic

Women:
1. Maria Sharapova, Russia
2. Lindsay Davenport, United States
3. Amelie Mauresmo, France
4. Kim Clijsters, Belgium
5. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia
6. Elena Dementieva, Russia
7. Justine Henin-Hardenne, Belgium
8. Serena Williams, United States
9. Nadia Petrova, Russia
10. Venus Williams, United States
11. Patty Schnyder, Switzerland
12. Mary Pierce, France
13. Anastasia Myskina, Russia
14. Alicia Molik, Australia
15. Nathalie Dechy, France
16. Elena Bovina, Russia
17. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia
18. Ana Ivanovic, Serbia
19. Vera Zvonareva, Russia
20. Elena Likhovtseva, Russia
21. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia
22. Dinara Safina, Russia
23. Silvia Farina Elia, Italy
24. Tatiana Golovin, France
25. Shinobu Asagoe, Japan
26. Francesca Schiavone, Italy
27. Nicole Vaidisova, Czech Republic
28. Gisela Dulko, Argentina
29. Flavia Pennetta, Italy
30. Anna Chakvetadze, Russia
31. Ai Sugiyama, Japan
32. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Germany

Beauty and the best - Sharapova claims number one ranking





MIAMI (AFP) - Maria Sharapova's combination of dazzling looks and steely determination have turned the Russian tennis superstar into a sports phenomenon who transcends her game.

Little more than a year after she shot to stardom with her 2004 triumph at Wimbledon, the 18-year-old has become the fifth-youngest woman to claim the world number one ranking and the first Russian woman to achieve the feat.

It hardly matters that Sharapova's final step to the summit - she finally displaced American Lindsay Davenport atop the rankings on Monday - came after a week in which she was idled by injury.

"The computer doesn't lie," was Sharapova's blithe assessment as she contemplated capturing the coveted No. 1 despite nursing a right pectoral muscle strain that prompted her to withdraw from the WTA Tournament that ended in Toronto on Sunday.

"You have to achieve something in order to get there. It has been an amazing two years."

Amazing, indeed. Sharapova was an unheralded 17-year-old when she became the first Russian to win Wimbledon, dethroning two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the final.

She became the second-youngest Wimbledon winner in the Open era behind Martina Hingis, who was 16 when she won in 1997.

She capped her milestone 2004 with a victory in the WTA Tour Championship, the culmination of a season that saw her rocket from No. 32 at the end of 2003 to fourth in the world.

While she remains in search of her next Grand Slam title, Sharapova has stalked the number one ranking for much of 2005, meanwhile reigning over a global endorsement empire.

Sharapova is the world's best paid sportswoman and has scooped some 25 million dollars in sponsorships and endorsements, sultry images of the player selling everything from signature perfume and clothing lines to mobile phones.

Japan recently issued a postage stamp featuring her image, and her decision to wear shoes flecked with real gold at this year's Wimbledon sparked a fashion furore.

But as Sharapova's ascent to the summit of the rankings showed, she is more than a marketing phenomenon, and true tennis fans are entranced by her gritty, grunting competitiveness.

The climb began in earnest when Sharapova arrived at the age of nine at Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Florida, accompanied by her father, Yuri with her mother, Yelena, remaining in Siberia for the next two years.

Bollettieri has credited their faith and determination with instilling the same qualities in the young player, who is now reaping the rewards.

"Of course it's a dream come true to be able to win a Grand Slam and be number one in the world," she says. "It definitely puts a smile on your face."


www.espnstar.com

sad ako Justine Henin Hardenne lost to Kim Clijsters. although i have to admit, sobrang laking improvement ni kim clijsters this year..as in! and medyo disappointed ako na Justine didn't fight hard enough..so unlike her...

Federer, Roddick book Wimbledon final rematch at Cincinnnati Masters

CINCINNATI, Ohio, (AFP) - Andy Roddick defeated Lleyon Hewitt for only the second time in eight matches on Saturday to reach the final of the Cincinnati Masters, where he will face Roger Federer in a repeat of the last two Wimbledon finals.

America's Roddick beat third-seeded Australian Hewitt 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to earn his first victory in their career series since June 2004 on grass at Queen's Club in London.

The result gives Roddick the chance to change his fortunes against Switzerland's Federer, who bolstered his own confidence with a resounding semi-final comeback victory over wild card Robby Ginepri 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Federer, the world number one, has allowed Roddick just one win from 10 meetings, winning their last five including the last two Wimbledon finals.

"I'm excited," said Roddick, whose lone Grand Slam title came at the 2003 US Open. "I'm going to have to play aggressive like I did today.

"But it's just great to be through into another final," added Roddick, the champion here two years ago.

Roddick rained down 23 aces, striking 43 winners and just 18 unforced errors. The win improved his record this season to 49-10 with four titles.

"I played some serve-and-volley today, and that made the difference," said the American. "I served very well. I didn't want him to have the chance to push the returns back and turn it into a battle."

Hewitt said: "I had three break point chances in the first set, but I wasn't able to take them. he used his backhand well."

Hewitt had won all five of the pair's previous meetings on hard court before Rodick came through in one hour, 35 minutes.

"I was a bit tired, I didn't have as much energy as I would have liked," Hewitt said.

Federer goes into the Roddick contest with understandable confidence.

"I have a great record against anybody right now, so it doesn't really matter who I play in the final. I'll be in there as the big favourite," said the top seed, who stands 13-1 in outdoor hardcourt finals.

"But I play my best in the finals, in the important matches. That's why I'm number one. There's no secret."

Federer's triumph put him within a victory of a ninth title this year.

"I'm not overconfident, but very confident," Federer said. "I just know what I have to do. I know my game is in place now. Once I win a certain amount of matches, I know what I can do, what I can't do."

Victory over Ginepri boosted the stylish Swiss to 63-3 for the season as he aims to extend a winning streak in finals to 22 in a row.

"I play the percentages extremely well in finals and on big points, well, I've been unbeatable," said Federer. "That's always what I'm looking for."

Federer has not lost in his past 17 matches this season dating to a semi-final setback at Roland Garros against Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.

Cincinnati, where Federer stood 1-4 before this week, will be his only tournament tune-up before he begins the defence of his US Open title a week from Monday.

"I feel very fresh, mentally especially. Physically, I was struggling in the beginning of the week with some muscle pain in my shoulder and chest because of serving," Federer said.
"But I really feel like I've got the confidence back, I've got the footwork back. The eye is back - watching the ball, following the ball, reading the game. So definitely I'm feeling really good right now."


www.espnstar.com

Clijsters, Henin-Hardenne advance to Rogers Cup final

TORONTO, (AFP) - Seventh-seeded Belgian Kim Clijsters eased past Russian Anastasia Myskina 6-4, 6-1 here on Saturday to reach her second WTA Tour final in as many weeks, where compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne awaits.

"I was starting to feel better and better the longer it went," said Clijsters, who is aiming for her third tournament win in four events. "This is my first final in Toronto, and I am really happy to be in it."

Belgian fourth seed Henin-Hardenne booked a spot opposite Clijsters in the final by ousting French second seed Amelie Mauresmo 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 in the night semi-final, taking a 4-3 lead in the career rivalry of the former number ones.

In last year's Olympics final, Henin-Hardenne defeated Mauresmo in straight sets to claim the gold medal.

After Henin-Hardenne took the first set, Mauresmo went on the attack.

She leveled the match at one set each, then broke in the first game of the third set.

But Henin-Hardenne broke right back and relentlessly went on to wrap up the match.

"I just kept fighting and tried to stay in the match," Henin-Hardenne said. "Then I found my game. I am happy to be back in the finals here."

Henin-Hardenne admitted she couldn't account for all the twists and turns the match took.

"It was pretty strange," she said. "Even when she came back in the first set, I think I've been very consistent, won a lot of points with the forehand. I was up two-love in the second and lost a little bit of energy and aggressivity. She took all the opportunities. She was serving much better, came to the net much more often.

"When she broke me first game of the third set, I was a little bit scared at that point that it could be a quick third set. But it turned over."

Mauresmo said: "In that second set, I was feeling that she was going down physically and that I was maybe going to be able to make the difference physically in that third set.

"I guess that was the contrary that happened. You know, she came back pretty strong, really able to put, again, the pressure on me on each point. And then I felt, you know, I was a little bit down in that third set physically."

Clijsters and Henin-Hardenne have a long rivalry, but haven't met for more than a year as each has battled health problems.

"It's going to be, I think, our first match since final of the Australian Open 2004," Henin-Hardenne said. "So it's a long time ago. I think it's very good for both of us. I hope we can play good tennis and give something good to the crowd."

Clijsters missed much of last season with a left wrist injury but has won a WTA Tour-best five titles this year and hopes to add another at this US$1.3 million tuneup for the US Open.

"I think she's a really tough person," Myskina said. "She came back from this big injury and still winning almost every tournament. It's great for her, and I am really happy for her, and I think she's going to play really well at the US Open."

Myskina, a former French Open champion who had won 13 of her previous 15 matches, slipped to 3-7 lifetime against Clijsters.

American Lindsay Davenport, the current world number one, was not entered here.
Russian Maria Sharapova, the top seed, pulled out of the event before it began after aggravating a right pectoral strain last week in Carson, California.


www.espnstar.com

1st Federer, R. 910 2nd Nadal, R. 837 3rd Roddick, A. 477 4th Hewitt, L. 355 5th Coria, G. 346 5th Davydenko, N. 346 7th Gaudio, G. 342 8th Safin, M. 321 9th Agassi, A. 315 10th Puerta, M. 293

Yikes! Looks likes Rafa is closing the gap with Federer! tsk tsk tsk! Roger should move quickly to retain the number one spot!

Here's a pic of Roger watching the qualies of his fav football team (FC Basel) competing in the champions league on Aug 10, while Nadal is closing the gap on him!