Tennis News

Hovering outside the world's top 10 for three years, Dinara Safina must have felt that she was destined to stay in the shadow of her more illustrious brother Marat Safin.

A recommendation in 2007 from Ivan Ljubicic changed all that.
 

Ljubicic advised the services of fellow Croatian Zeljko Krajan as a coach and since they hooked up, Russian Safina has been almost unstoppable.
 

Agnes Szavay was dumped out of the US Open in the second round by Tathiana Garbin on Thursday.
 
The 13th seed from Hungary won the opening set but crumbled against her Italian opponent, who claimed an impressive 5-7 6-2 6-3 triumph.
 
Next up for Garbin is France's Severine Bremond, who also upset the odds at Flushing Meadows by knocking out 20th seed Nicole Vaidisova.
 

Sixth seed Andy Murray dug deep to reach the third round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, beating Frenchman Michael Llodra 6-4 1-6 7-5 7-6 in a tough test of his title credentials.

World number 38 Llodra outplayed the Scot in the second set and had two set points to force a decider but Murray held on to set up a clash with Austrian Juergen Melzer.

One break gave Murray the first set but Llodra attacked his second serve to great effect in the second to level the match.

Venus Williams was simply too overpowering for Paraguayan qualifier Rossana De Los Rios Thursday during the second round of the US Open. Williams, the No. 7-seeded player, had no trouble eliminating De Los Rios, 6-0, 6-3.
 

Men’s top-seed Rafael Nadal and women’s No. 1 Ana Ivanovic lead an all-star cast into action today at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, as the 2008 US Open rolls on. Sharing the Day Four marquee are Venus and Serena Williams, James Blake, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Mardy Fish, Dinara Safina and a host of tennis’ top talents, all determined to finish first in second-round play.
 

In her match up today against France's Alize Cornet, home court advantage wasn’t enough for 23-year-old American Bethany Mattek, who fell to the 19-year-old 7-6 (5), 6-1. In this second round match, Mattek put up a fight in the first set, but couldn’t get past the mentally tougher, and apparently more relaxed, Cornet. Mattek had several break points that she was unable to convert; she was a mere 33% in her break point conversions.
 

Serena Williams is seeking payback at the US Open, where she last lifted a title in 2002. Only this time she is hoping it will come in the form of officiating. The eight-time Grand Sam champion believes she's been slighted over the years by bad line calls.
 
"One year I really ran into a lot of bad luck where I got the worst calls possible," she complained.
 

Dinara Safina took the court of Arthur Ashe Stadium with an unwavering focus which, with the exception of brief moments in the middle of both sets, she maintained in her second round match vs. Roberta Vinci of Italy. It paid off with a 6-4, 6-3 win to advance the Russian to the third round.

 
No. 6 seed Safina, the runner-up at this year’s French Open, showed off powerful baseline shots and an equally powerful serve, racking up six aces.
 

At the age of 32, Rossana De Los Rios is one of the oldest women left remaining in this US Open field and the mother of an 11-year-old daughter, Ana Paula. She took an extended break from tennis, but is back now and producing her best US Open result.
 

Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic, who are playing their first US Opens as the top seeds, take to the court in day four against a pair of qualifiers.
 
Both have had limited success in the past in the final Grand Slam of the season at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. In five tries Spain's Nadal has been unable to get past the quarter-finals and Ivanovic, of Serbia, has never been beyond the fourth round.