Clijsters Stuns Venus, Serena on Auto Pilot

Moms have more fun, Kim Clijsters into the quarters.

Talk about a comeback story that would make Rocky blush -- Kim Clijsters, the 2005 U.S. Open Champ has been out of tennis for the past two years. She left the game to start a family and recently had a baby girl. Clijsters returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium with a vengeance on Day 7 at the U.S. Open with a strange, but convincing 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 win over the 3rd seeded Venus Williams.

This was only Clijsters' third tournament back, but she now finds herself in the quarterfinals of the world’s toughest tennis tournament with a possible semifinal run-in against Serena Williams, looming on the horizon.

Venus Williams on the other hand, ran hot and cold during week one at the Open because of a nagging knee issue. Her topsy-turvy loss to Clijsters was a prime example of her struggling game and limited mobility.

Venus came out flat and slow this afternoon and paid the price with an embarrassing 6-0 loss in the first.

Just when you thought Venus was down and out, she returned the favor with a bagel of her own, dropping Clijsters 6-0 in the second.

No one, including the players, had any idea what to expect when the third set started. Clijsters came out firing, broke Venus early and ran away with the 6-4 win in the deciding set.

If Clijsters can get through to the semifinals, she would likely face Venus’s kid sister, Serena Williams. Serena needs no introduction, owning 11 grand slam championships of her own, including three U.S. Open titles.

I wondered earlier in the week if Serena was peaking too early. Today, I got my answer. Unlike the unseeded women who tormented Dinara Safina all week long – the players who face Serena look downright helpless.

Today’s 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Daniela Hantuchova was just another illustration of Serena’s dominance.

The defending U.S. Open champ looks like she’s on the practice courts, getting to every ball and hitting winners at will. This seemingly stress-free version of Serena is having her way with all who dare to trespass on her court. She’s dropped only 17 games in 4 matches and her toughest test so far (if you can call it that) was a 6-3, 7-5 drubbing of Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the 3rd round.

Should Serena Williams match up against Clijsters in the semis, it has all the makings of a classic.

The 2009 U.S. Open Championships featured a wealth of young talent this week including 17-year-old Melanie Oudin. But the young are not likely to inherit this tournament. This year's title will ultimately belong to one of the champions from tournaments past. 3-time winner, Serena is certainly the favorite to repeat, but the 2005 champ, Kim Clijsters has earned her way into the conversation.

Isner’s Serving Barrage Blows Out Roddick

Another grand slam disappointment for Andy Roddick

One of the best chances in years for Roddick to add another grand slam title to his resume ended in disaster on Day 6 with a five-set loss to the six-foot-nine-inch tall American, John Isner, 7-6(7-3), 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6(7-5).

Try as he might, Andy Roddick just couldn’t hold it together against the big-serving John Isner. Roddick clawed all the way back from a 2-sets to none deficit against the giant – only to blow it in the fifth.

Yes, Isner played the match of his life. He launched 38 aces into the night and knocked the cover off the ball. But that doesn’t excuse Mr. Roddick.

News flash: Multiple grand slam winners find a way to win. Andy Roddick didn’t. It doesn’t matter how well Isner played, Roddick had realistic chances to take this match, but couldn’t get it done.

Roddick went 2 for 9 on break point chances including a love-forty lead he let slip away in the first set on Isner’s serve. Andy only dropped his serve once in the entire match, but failed to exploit his chances and didn’t really get fired up until he was down by two sets to love.

I appreciate the sportsmanship when Roddick credits his opponents for playing great, but at some point during these matches, Andy has to take stock. He must realize that no matter how well a “lesser player” is playing – he should still find a way to beat them. Otherwise, he’ll finish his career just like Michael Chang, a great player yes, but still just a one-slam wonder.

This doesn’t take away from the fact that Isner played a terrific match, but he has as much chance of winning the title this year as my cat.

Andy was the best shot on the men's side for the red, white and blue at the 2009 U.S. Open, but once again, that train left without us. Oh well, there’s always 2010.

Day 4 Preview: Venus, Why on Earth are you Playing Doubles?

Tell me a secret, "Why aren't you resting?"

Professional doubles players, please forgive me, but you must agree -- that winning a grand slam singles title would be preferable to winning the doubles title. I’m not being rude, just throwing it out there.

Venus Williams is hobbled right now. She’s hurting and for the second fastest woman in the game, (Serena is Faster) Venus needs to be taking it easy between singles matches, not hopping around on the doubles court. That being said, you can catch Venus and her kid sis Serena mixing it up on the Grand Stand Court this afternoon against Julia Goerges and Arantxa Parra Santonja. The best thing that could befall Venus in this situation is a painless and calculated default.

Moving on to the women’s singles draw, top-seeded Dinara Safina has a chance to get her act together and forget about her first round performance. Getting some second serves in would be a terrific start.

Maria Sharapova is in good shape today squaring off against a 17-year-old named Christina McHale from Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

4th seeded Elena Dementieva is taking on another American teenager named Melanie Oudin. Melanie, from Marietta, Georgia created quite a stir this summer by reaching the 4th round of Wimbledon.

Turning to the men’s side, Novak Djokovic is the highest seed in action today and should have little trouble with the six-foot-six-inch giant from Down Under, Carsten Ball. 5th seeded Andy Roddick plays the last match of the evening on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Marc Gicquel from France.

Subdued Safin Plays Last Match

     Safin lacked intensity during his final match, surprised?

It’s hard to know how react to the retirement of Marat Safin. It’s not like you can say he left it all on the court for us. Yes, he won two Grand Slam titles, beating Sampras in the U.S. Open final and denying Federer at the Aussie Open. And yes, he may have been one of the most talented players of his generation. But what did he really give in return?

Can you imagine if this guy had the heart of a Chang, a Roddick or God forbid a Nadal? That change in attitude or desire could have shaved at least five slams off of Federer's resume.

Safin loved to party, liked to sulk and his temper tantrums could definitely be entertaining. He’s only 30-years-old, but like he often did on the court, he’s hanging it up.

He came out on fire this afternoon. As you might expect, he cut down Jurgen Melzer in the first set, 6-1. As you might also expect, he faded away all too quickly and lost the next three sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

The result, like his career, was just a bit too anticlimactic.

Day 2 Drama - Safina Looks Lost, Ivanovic Out

         Safina barely avoids a top-seeded collapse

The first round is supposed be a relatively easy affair for the top seeds in a Grand Slam event. This U.S. Open has held true to that form with one glaring exception. We’re not talking about Venus – yes, she struggled, but she was dealing with knee issues. No, we’re talking about the top seed, Dinara Safina.

Her performance was dismal. I’m still in shock that you can play such sloppy tennis and win at the professional level. The UNFORCED ERRORS, double faults and all around bad play made this one tough to stomach. She needs to the right the ship or that top ranking will become a thing of the past.

On the topic of Safina being number one – there are many people who believe that she does not deserve the number one ranking. I disagree. There may be better players out there (like the Williams sisters) but Safina’s ranking is based on her performance this year. Although she has yet to win a major, she’s won 3 tournaments this year and done no worse than reaching the finals of two slams and the semis at Wimbledon. She’s won a tour best 52 matches this year, so the numbers speak for themselves. The other tournaments count too – otherwise, why play them?

11th seeded Ana Ivanovic got her first round walking papers on Day 2 from Kateryna Bondarenko – Ana faltered in a 3rd set tiebreaker and is playing with very little confidence right now.

On the good news front – Maria Sharapova looked dominating in her first round match and could become the story of the tournament. Look for her to be around next week.

Other seeds ran into little resistance booking their 2nd round invitations including the 4th seed, Elena Dementieva and the 6th seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The top seeds on the men's side avoided any significant drama on Day 2 with Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray all advancing in straight sets.

Murray faced a rather stiff challenge against the Latvian giant, Ernests Gulbis, but came through with top marks, 7-5, 6-3, 7-5.