US Open clash pits No. 1 Roger Federer vs. Lleyton Hewitt
US Open clash pits No. 1 Roger Federer vs. Lleyton Hewitt
Saturday's third round matchup on the men's side of the US Open draw between former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and present No. 1 Roger Federer tops the bill.
Well, so much for that Serena Williams-Elena Dementieva final.
The women’s draw at the 2009 U.S. Open took a hit on Thursday when Dementieva, the No. 4 seed, was eliminated in the second round by 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin. That takes away the possibility of an intriguing Williams-Dementieva championship match.
No. 5 Jelena Jankovic was also bounced out of the second round by Yaroslava Shvedova; Williams beat Jankovic in last year’s final after splitting their previous six career meetings. Since Venus Williams is on the same side of the draw as her younger sister, she won’t meet Serena in the finals, either.
That’s assuming Serena makes it. Her path to the finals has a leggy 5-foot-11 obstacle to hurdle during Saturday’s fourth round.
No. 2 Serena Williams vs. No. 22 Daniela Hantuchova
Hantuchova has already been a pro tennis player for 10 years now. The photogenic Slovak made a splash back in 2001 as the WTA Newcomer of the Year and was quickly snapped up for endorsement purposes. Hantuchova’s career has unfolded from there much like Anna Kournikova’s – both proved to be highly successful doubles players, but Hantuchova has yet to reach a Grand Slam final in singles action. She peaked at No. 5 in the world rankings back in 2003.
The mental side of tennis is easy to overlook, until it comes spilling out onto the court. Hantuchova (now 28 years old) has a lot going on upstairs; according to a 2008 ESPN article, she speaks six languages and trained as a classical pianist. Brightness and sensitivity typically go hand-in-hand. Hantuchova’s self-described struggles with perfectionism and her anguish over her parents’ divorce caused her singles career to stall six years ago.
A coaching change and the irreplaceable value of life experience have worked wonders, but Hantuchova’s performances are still all over the map. She has victories this year against No. 7 Vera Zvonareva and No. 13 Agnieszka Radwanska, as well as losses to No. 61 Yaroslava Shvedova and No. 201 Alexandra Dulgheru. Overcoming a talent like No. 2 Serena doesn’t seem within her reach at this point – but Hantuchova does have one victory over Williams in eight attempts, at the 2006 Australian Open. She’s worth a look if the betting odds dump enough chalk on Serena. Those odds were pending as we went to press.
No. 1 Roger Federer vs. No. 31 Lleyton Hewitt
While the women’s draw goes into the fourth round, the men will be taking care of third-round business on Saturday. One match sticks out like a sore thumb: Federer, the top player in the world (as long as Rafael Nadal’s knees keep bothering him) against the former No. 1 from Down Under. Hewitt won the 2001 U.S. Open and the 2002 Wimbledon, and then dropped like a stone out of the top tier.
Hewitt’s mental approach to the game has also been called into question, although for a much different reason: He was voted the No. 10 most hated athlete in sports by GQ magazine in 2006, thanks to his overbearing attitude on the court and a string of unsavory public displays. However, like Hantuchova, Hewitt has experienced a minor renaissance, hiring respected coach Tony Roche (who has also worked with Federer) in 2007 and winning his first ATP Tour event in two years this past April in Houston. Hewitt then took No. 6 Andy Roddick to five sets at the 2009 Wimbledon quarterfinals before narrowly losing.
That was Roddick. Hewitt has a lifetime 7-15 record against Federer, and he hasn’t won in the past 13 matches between the two since 2003, including their semifinal battle at the 2005 U.S. Open. Their last meeting was just two weeks ago in Cincinnati; that one was over in 70 minutes, as Federer cranked out 11 aces and cruised 6-3, 6-4. Federer is a -3000 chalk for Saturday’s matchup to Hewitt’s +1000.
Saturday's third round matchup on the men's side of the US Open draw between former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and present No. 1 Roger Federer tops the bill.
Well, so much for that Serena Williams-Elena Dementieva final.
The women’s draw at the 2009 U.S. Open took a hit on Thursday when Dementieva, the No. 4 seed, was eliminated in the second round by 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin. That takes away the possibility of an intriguing Williams-Dementieva championship match.
No. 5 Jelena Jankovic was also bounced out of the second round by Yaroslava Shvedova; Williams beat Jankovic in last year’s final after splitting their previous six career meetings. Since Venus Williams is on the same side of the draw as her younger sister, she won’t meet Serena in the finals, either.
That’s assuming Serena makes it. Her path to the finals has a leggy 5-foot-11 obstacle to hurdle during Saturday’s fourth round.
No. 2 Serena Williams vs. No. 22 Daniela Hantuchova
Hantuchova has already been a pro tennis player for 10 years now. The photogenic Slovak made a splash back in 2001 as the WTA Newcomer of the Year and was quickly snapped up for endorsement purposes. Hantuchova’s career has unfolded from there much like Anna Kournikova’s – both proved to be highly successful doubles players, but Hantuchova has yet to reach a Grand Slam final in singles action. She peaked at No. 5 in the world rankings back in 2003.
The mental side of tennis is easy to overlook, until it comes spilling out onto the court. Hantuchova (now 28 years old) has a lot going on upstairs; according to a 2008 ESPN article, she speaks six languages and trained as a classical pianist. Brightness and sensitivity typically go hand-in-hand. Hantuchova’s self-described struggles with perfectionism and her anguish over her parents’ divorce caused her singles career to stall six years ago.
A coaching change and the irreplaceable value of life experience have worked wonders, but Hantuchova’s performances are still all over the map. She has victories this year against No. 7 Vera Zvonareva and No. 13 Agnieszka Radwanska, as well as losses to No. 61 Yaroslava Shvedova and No. 201 Alexandra Dulgheru. Overcoming a talent like No. 2 Serena doesn’t seem within her reach at this point – but Hantuchova does have one victory over Williams in eight attempts, at the 2006 Australian Open. She’s worth a look if the betting odds dump enough chalk on Serena. Those odds were pending as we went to press.
No. 1 Roger Federer vs. No. 31 Lleyton Hewitt
While the women’s draw goes into the fourth round, the men will be taking care of third-round business on Saturday. One match sticks out like a sore thumb: Federer, the top player in the world (as long as Rafael Nadal’s knees keep bothering him) against the former No. 1 from Down Under. Hewitt won the 2001 U.S. Open and the 2002 Wimbledon, and then dropped like a stone out of the top tier.
Hewitt’s mental approach to the game has also been called into question, although for a much different reason: He was voted the No. 10 most hated athlete in sports by GQ magazine in 2006, thanks to his overbearing attitude on the court and a string of unsavory public displays. However, like Hantuchova, Hewitt has experienced a minor renaissance, hiring respected coach Tony Roche (who has also worked with Federer) in 2007 and winning his first ATP Tour event in two years this past April in Houston. Hewitt then took No. 6 Andy Roddick to five sets at the 2009 Wimbledon quarterfinals before narrowly losing.
That was Roddick. Hewitt has a lifetime 7-15 record against Federer, and he hasn’t won in the past 13 matches between the two since 2003, including their semifinal battle at the 2005 U.S. Open. Their last meeting was just two weeks ago in Cincinnati; that one was over in 70 minutes, as Federer cranked out 11 aces and cruised 6-3, 6-4. Federer is a -3000 chalk for Saturday’s matchup to Hewitt’s +1000.