1. Venus and Kim on Collision Course
Old rivals Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters are just one match away from setting up a blockbuster fourth round showdown. Clijsters, who trails Venus 4-6 in their head-to-head record, is eager to test her revitalized game against a player of Venus’ caliber. “I haven’t played the big ones yet, Venus, Serena (Williams), (Maria) Sharapova, (Elena) Dementieva,” Clijsters said. “Hopefully I’ll give myself a shot at doing that here but first, the third round.”
2. No Retirement Talk . . . Yet
Amelie Mauresmo suffered the earliest US Open exit of her career on Wednesday, but the thirty-year-old former world number one will not decide on retirement until the end of the year. “I’m sticking to the decision that I made at the end of last year to really sit and see how the year went and make a decision at the end of this season,” Mauresmo said afterward.
3. Venus Refuses to Take the Bait
When asked about the ongoing debate on who is the real number one player in the world, Venus Williams refused to be drawn into the discussion. Instead of backing her sister, Venus declared that the rightful claimant to the WTA throne was atop the rankings. “My thought’s that if you play consistent, you can be very highly ranked,” Williams said. “‘(Dinara’s) played very consistently, and kudos to her and credit to her for being able to hold onto that No. 1 ranking and playing so well.”
4. Tennis and Golf
Daniela Hantuchova is the subject of a new sports magazine feature, but it is not because of her tennis prowess. Hantuchova, one of the most notable golfers on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, was recently profiled by Golf Digest.
5. Hanging Out With the Dolphins
Speaking of other sports, Venus Williams turned up at her press conference on Wednesday wearing a Miami Dolphin’s t-shirt. Venus, along with Serena, is one of the newest celebrity part owners of the National Football League team.
6. Disappointing Results for Stosur
Samantha Stosur headed to Flushing Meadows brimming with confidence after enjoying a solid summer of positive results and a career-high ranking peak. But, all her dreams came crashing down on Wednesday as the Australian was beaten in the second round by American Vania King, who is ranked ninety-nine spots beneath her.
7. Get Your Twitter Coaching Fix from Nick Bollettieri
Tennis coaching legend Nick Bollettieri is trolling the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center—-and twittering as he goes along. Follow Nick at @NickBollettieri for a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at professional tennis.
8. Mr. Cranky Pants or a Good Coach?
Zeljko Krajan, the coach of world number one Dinara Safina, received quite a tongue-lashing after his less-than-optimistic demeanor during Safina’s opening round challenge. Mary Carillo even went so far as to call him “Mr. Cranky Pants” on ESPN2. Afterward, Krajan downplayed the criticism saying, “I know I’m doing whatever is the best for her.”
9. Thursday’s Matches of the Day
Melanie Oudin will take on Elena Dementieva in the first match of the day in Arthur Ashe. Oudin is quickly developing into one of the most consistent American juniors rising through the ranks. Another young American, seventeen year-old Christina McHale, is scheduled to play the night match in Arthur Ashe Stadium against Maria Sharapova. Doubles fans, keep an eye on Court 7 for the first round meeting between the pairing of Victoria Azarenka and Vera Zvonareva vs. Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko.
10. Tennis Question of the Day
“Both Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are sporting Nike headbands this year at the US Open. Is this a retro fashion nightmare, or do the headbands complement their outfits?”
On the Baseline’s live coverage of the 2009 US Open is brought to you by Grand Slam Tennis Tours.
The strip like headbands are a bit too severe for me. I’d like to see something just a little wider with some softness. I do like how they match however.