U.S. Open Daily: Day 13 Preview

September 9, 2011 | By Eric C. Peck
Nadal_09_11
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

Saturday, Sept. 10 is Day 13 of the U.S. Open, and while there may be no guarantees in life, the only guarantee about the day is that the elite of the elite in the sport of tennis will be showcased in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Perhaps the fact that Mother Nature washed out Wednesday and Thursday’s action may have been detrimental to the players who are now forced to play with little rest, but a good thing for tennis fans, as the realigned schedule has both men’s and women’s semifinals will be played to determine the final two on each side of the draw who will vie for the title of 2011 U.S. Open champion.

On the men’s side of the draw, the committees who decide the seeds of the players must be patting themselves on the back, as the numbers one, two, three and four seeds will contend for a shot at the crown. Starting things off at noon at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the top-seeded Novak Djokovic from Serbia will face the number three seed and five-time U.S Open champ, Roger Federer of Switzerland.

"He’s been moving well for years now and has taken his game up to a bit of a higher level. When we do play against each other, it’s always exciting," said Federer of his semifinals foe Djokovic. This will mark the fifth consecutive year Federer and Djokovic will play each another at the U.S. Open, with Federer holding a 3-1 record against Djokovic. The winner will get a slight rest as the Men’s Singles Finals match has been moved to Monday, Sept. 12 at 11:00 a.m. from its originally scheduled Sunday, Sept. 11 date.

The winner of the Federer-Djokovic battle will face yet another of the four top seeds as fourth-seeded Andy Murray from Great Britain faces the number two seed, Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Both Murray and Nadal do not have the luxury of much rest, as both played just 24 hours earlier on Friday afternoon and were victorious over a pair of Americans, Murray with a 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) win over the 28th-seeded John Isner and Nadal a 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 winner over the 21 seed Andy Roddick.

"I am in semifinals and I’m happy with that. I will try my best to win," said Nadal after his Friday afternoon win against Roddick. "I don’t think about the title. I think about the next match and try to recover fast today and be in
perfect condition for tomorrow at 2:45 to have a fantastic match and play my best tennis."

And with two of the three remaining American hopefuls being sent home on Friday, Serena Williams has a chance to shine for her homeland on the ever important and solemn 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11th tragedy with a trip to the Women’s Singles Finals Sunday morning. Standing in her way is the top-seeded and world number one-ranked Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark, and the two will no doubt shine under the lights Saturday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium at 7:00 p.m. The 28th-seeded Serena has steamrolled over the competition en route to her semifinal showdown with Wozniacki as she looks to find her way into Sunday morning’s finals match and the opportunity to hoist the 2011 championship in front of a home crowd.

The winner of the Wozniacki-Serena showdown will face either the unseeded German Angelique Kerber or the number nine seed, Australian Samantha Stosur. Kerber, currently ranked 92nd in the world, toppled the number 12 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland, and the number 26 seeded Flavia Pennetta from Italy, among others, as she made her way to this year’s semis. Stosur too opened some eyes, including a big upset over a trio of Russians, the second-seeded Vera Zvonareva on Thursday, 24th-seeded Nadia Petrova in the second round and the 25-seed, Maria Kirilenko in the third round. Stosur and Kerber take the Grandstand court at 6:00 p.m. Saturday evening for their semifinals matchup.

Click here for the full schedule of play for Saturday, Sept. 10, Day 13 of the 2011 U.S. Open.


Eric C. Peck

Eric C. Peck is Editor-in-Chief of Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached by e-mail at eric@litennismag.com

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