Yep well done to Roger. Wimbledon victory is his 17th Grand Slam title. He takes the number one ranking off Djokovic by a mere 75 ranking points. He should keep that #1 ranking until at least the Olympics, so he'll surpass Sampras' record of 286 weeks at number one on July 16th.

A bit of shuffling about in the women's top 10 after Wimbledon:
#1 Azarenka (8800) +1
#2 Radwanska (8530) +1 (career-high)
#3 Sharapova (8370) -2
#4 S. Williams (7360) +2
#5 Stosur (6195) =
#6 Kvitova (5275) -2
#7 Kerber (5170) +1 (career-high)
#8 Wozniacki (4091) -1
#9 Errani (3410) +1 (career-high)
#10 Bartoli (3400) -1

The next notable tournament is the London Olympics, with Tennis scheduled to be held between July 28th and August 5th. They'll be playing on the grass at Wimbledon again, though it will have a slightly different feel with coloured clothing allowed and there will probably be some Olympic Rings about courtside I would think. Roger and Serena will probably go in as favourites, considering their recent win. I'm sure Roger will be hoping for gold, he's fell short in 2000, 2004 & 2008 (came closest in 2000, losing the Bronze Medal match). 2012 is probably his last chance, don't expect he'll be around for Rio 2016. Serena has only been in the singles at the Olympics once in 2008 but also fell short (losing to the eventual gold medallist, Dementieva).

Final went as expected I see. He truly is a champion, best I have ever seen.

Perhaps too big a leap for Murray with his mind issues. He will win a major, just not Wimbledon. Like Henman before him, the expectation is just too debilitating.

Kathy Freeman spoke of it pre 2000 Sydney Olympics. All she wanted to do was run and hide as the pressure tormented her for weeks coming in to the race.

Not surprised Federer won, although Murray did the best he could and I'm sure he will get at least one more opportunity at a grand slam final in the future.

A week away from the US Open. I do not fancy Stosur's chances of defending her title, lol. An early exit could potentially see her fall just outside the Top 10. Stosur is currently ranked #7, knocked down a place by Kerber last week who rose to a career-high ranking of #6. Kerber has made huge steps since her breakthrough at the US Open last year when she was ranked around 90 in the world pre-tournament.

The lost chickens, Li Na and Kvitova, seem to be finding form ahead of the US Open with both winning their first WTA title of the year in the past fortnight. Li Na won in Cincinnati last week and was runner-up in Montreal the previous week. Kvitova was a semifinalist in Cincinnati last week and the winner in Montreal the week before. Li Na and Kvitova both lost in the first round of the US Open last year, so would definitely be looking to improve on that.

BTW, if Wozniacki wins the tournament at New Haven this week she will become only the fourth player in WTA history to win the same tournament five times in a row (Evert, Graf and Navratilova being the other three to achieve this). (http://www.wtatennis.com/news/20120819/wozniacki-eyes-rare-five-peat-in-new-haven_2256076_2890950)

Kim Clijsters has retired from tennis (as planned) following her 6-7(4-7) 6-7(5-7) loss to Britain's possible future star Laura Robson in the 2nd round at the US Open at the age of 29.

An amazing personality and a great ambassador for women's tennis.
When she first retired from tennis back in 2007, she had one Grand Slam title (US Open 05) but a number of semifinal and final appearances at Slams, and at the time upon reflection she was the "what-if?" girl, plagued with injuries, someone who had underperformed on the big stage, and played second fiddle to Henin.
Once she came back from retirement in 2009, after the birth of her daughter (Jada), she showed her real potential and captured another three Grand Slam titles (US Open 09 & 10, Aussie Open 11). Nagging injuries probably prevented her from winning another one or two Grand Slams.

She finishes her career with 4 Grand Slam Singles titles.

US Open 2005 final - Clijsters def. Pearce, 6-3 6-1


US Open 2009 final - Clijsters def. Wozniacki, 7-5 6-3


US Open 2010 final - Clijsters def. Zvonareva, 6-2 6-1


Australian Open 2011 final - "Aussie Kim" def. Li Na, 3-6 6-3 6-3


41 WTA Singles titles: 1 in 1999, 2 in 2000, 3 in 2001, 4 in 2002, 9 in 2003, 2 in 2004, 9 in 2005, 3 in 2006, 1 in 2007, 1 in 2009, 5 in 2010, and 1 in 2011.


20 weeks at World Number One (she was also the first player to attain the number one ranking without winning a Grand Slam title):
Aug 11th 2003 to Oct 19th 2003 - 10 weeks
Oct 27th 2003 to Nov 9th 2003 - 2 weeks
Jan 30th 2006 to Mar 19th 2006 - 7 weeks
Feb 14th 2011 to Feb 21st 2011 - 1 week

We will miss you Kim!

Stosur into the 4th round of the US Open. She'll face Laura Robson (ranked #89) in the 4th round, who defeated Clijsters in the 2nd round and scored her first Top 10 win by defeating Li Na in the 3rd round.
Stosur could potentially face world number one Azarenka in the quarterfinals. Azarenka is very likely to win against her 4th round opponent Tatishvili (ranked #71). Stosur has never won against Azarenka in six attempts, and she's never won a set against Azarenka either.

Hewitt won and advances into round 3.

Top half of draw Womens quarterfinals -

Azarenka (1st seed) vs Stosur (7th seed)
Azarenka leads Head-to-head: 6-0 (Stosur has never won a set against Azarenka)

Sharapova (3rd seed) vs Bartoli (11th seed)
Sharapova leads Head-to-head: 4-0 (Bartoli has never won a set against Sharapova)

Smart money would be on Azarenka and Sharapova to win and progress to the semi final. I can't see Stosur winning against Azarenka, even though I'd love Stosur to continue in the tournament. Azarenka has been looking deadly. Sharapova looked vulnerable in her 3 set win over Petrova (had a rain delay not occurred I suspect Petrova could have won). If Bartoli plays a very good match and Sharapova is off, then an upset is achievable.

Quarterfinals on the bottom half of the draw to be decided tonight. If Ivanovic wins her 4th round match against Pironkova, it will be the first time since winning the French Open in 2008 that she has progressed to a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Bottom-half draw quarterfinals -

Ivanovic (12th seed) vs Serena (4th seed)
Serena leads head-to-head: 3-0 (Ivanovic has never won a set against Serena)

Errani (10th seed) vs Vinci (20th seed)
Errani leads head-to-head: 3-2 (Errani also won a set in both of her two losses to Vinci)

You would have to be pretty confident of Serena progressing to the semifinals. Despite Ivanovic gradually improving this year, I have difficulty in seeing her knock over Serena. Serena never played Ivanovic at her peak in 2007/2008 though. It is good to see Ivanovic on the cusp of breaking the Top 10. She is a marketable personality for the WTA, and if she can break that Top 10 it will help keep her relevant.

Errani, the French Open finalist, has progressed to the quarterfinal stage of a Grand Slam for the third time this year. I suppose it isn't a total surprise that she has got to the quarterfinal, perhaps her straight sets win over last year's semifinalist Kerber was somewhat surprising. Vinci is a surprise quarterfinalist, and scored an upset with a convincing victory over Radwanska (2nd seed). It is the first time Vinci has reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Funnily enough, Errani and Vinci are playing doubles together (they have been for a couple of years now). Either way, an Italian will progress to the semifinal. I'd have to favour Errani to progress to the semifinal. Errani is starting to show she is not a flash in the pan. She's only 25, a number of years ahead on the tour for her.

Stosur should be proud of her effort against Azarenka and her entire campaign at the US Open. Getting past Azarenka was always going to be difficult, but she got very close to causing that upset against the World #1.

The Sharapova/Bartoli quarterfinal had to be postponed yesterday because of rain (Bartoli leading 4-0 in first set). The other womens quarterfinals are scheduled for today as well. Rain is falling again today, and no play has occurred so far, though the rain looks to be clearing from New York on the radar. Azarenka would be laughing, an extra day's rest for her compared to the winner of Sharapova/Bartoli.

Semifinal match-ups:

Azarenka (1st seed) vs Sharapova (3rd seed)
Azarenka leads Head-to-head: 5-4

Serena (4th seed) vs Errani (10th seed)
Serena leads Head-to-head: 3-0

In brief, Azarenka has been playing consistently better than Sharapova at the US Open, so I would have to favour her to win. It should be a rather loud match, lol. Serena should win her match, as she will overpower Errani. Errani will attempt to disrupt her rhythm, including throwing in some drop shots, but I can't see her stopping Serena.

The womens semifinals are scheduled to be played Saturday morning (Aussie Time).

Sharapova and Azarenka have also qualified for the WTA Championships in Istanbul at the end of October.

No updates for the mens at all?

I follow the WTA Tour, so I nearly always comment just on womens tennis (far more interesting and changeable). I don't pay much attention to the ATP (the men).

Women's US Open final:

Azarenka (1st seed) vs Serena (4th seed)
Serena leads Head-to-head: 9-1 (Azarenka's lone victory happened in the finals of Miami 2009 when Serena was #1)

Serena has been a machine at this tournament, although she has had a fairly easy draw and didn't meet a seeded player until the QFs: Vandeweghe (6-1 6-1), Martinez Sanchez (6-2 6-4), Makarova (6-4 6-0), Hlavackova (6-0 6-0), Ivanovic (6-1 6-3), then Errani (6-1 6-2).
Azarenka was equally dominant in the early rounds (destroyed 28th seed Zheng in Round 3), but faced competition against more difficult players in the QF and SF. Azarenka's route: Panova (6-0 6-1), Flipkens (6-2 6-2), Zheng (6-0 6-1), Tatishvili (6-2 6-2), Stosur (6-1 4-6 7-6(7-5)), then Sharapova (3-6 6-2 6-4).

Recent form and past history would suggest Serena will win the final. Azarenka is a very good player and a deserving #1, but she has a habit of not playing her best tennis against Serena. A win for Azarenka is not out of the question, but I'm going to go with Serena winning her 15th Grand Slam title.

The women's final is scheduled to start at 9am (AEST) tomorrow morning. Although in the USA Storm Chasing thread (http://forum.weatherzone.com.au/ubbthreads.php/topics/1125600/Re_US_Storm_Chasing_2012#Post1125600), I did notice that severe storms are expected in NYC that afternoon as well.

Didn't get to watch the women's final, have been too busy and needed the extra sleep. Grand Slam number 15 for Serena, but she had to fight for it, and it appears as though it wouldn't have taken much for the match to go in Azarenka's favour in the final set. There should be some decent highlights of the match on YouTube uploaded now or fairly soon, haven't searched yet.

Rankings after US Open:

#1 - Azarenka (10,265) (=)
#2 - Sharapova (8,435) (+1)
#3 - Radwanska (8,295) (-1)
#4 - S.Williams (7,900) (=)
#5 - Kvitova (6,690) (=)
#6 - Kerber (5,085) (=)
#7 - Errani (4,755) (+3) (career-high)
#8 - Li Na (4,526) (=)
#9 - Stosur (4,200) (-2)
#10 - Bartoli (3,800) (+1)

After losing in the first round and failing to defend her semi-final appearence at last year's US Open, former World #1 Wozniacki slips out of the Top 10 for the first time since around mid 2009. From the best to a mess in roughly 7 months. I still cannot believe she spent 67 weeks at #1. This is karma, lol.
#11 - Wozniacki (3,440) (-2)

Clijsters retires ranked #20. I wonder if Schiavone could be contemplating retiring as she gets close to falling out of the Top 40. Laura Robson rises to a career-high #75, and just a few places off being the UK's #1 female . Nice jump up for Dellacqua as well, firmly back in the Top 100 in #80. However, Gajdosova's decline continues and she has dropped out of the Top 100.

Serena has also qualified for the WTA Champs in late Oct. Qualifying for the Champs uses Year to date points, unlike the overall rankings which uses a 12 month running total (which is why Radwanska hasn't qualified yet).

Murray maiden grandslam! Great to see.

Yes I am generally not a great fan of tennis, in fact i think that most of the time it is as boring as bat pooh but this match was a rare event for me and I enjoyed it for once -maybe I'm converting or something Ant. Lol.

Stosur out in the second round of the China Open (Premier Mandatory tournament). Disappointing for her considering she reached the semi finals in Tokyo (Premier 5) last week. Similar misfortune for Petrova, the winner in Tokyo last week, losing in the second round.

Runner-up in Tokyo, Radwanska qualified during last week for the WTA Championships in Istanbul.

Current standings for Race to Istanbul (Race to Istanbul based on year to date points):
1. *Qualified* Azarenka (8911)
2. *Qualified* Sharapova (8415)
3. *Qualified* S. Williams (7900)
4. *Qualified* Radwanska (6915)
5. Kerber (5350)
6. Kvitova (5310)
7. Errani (4975)
8. Li Na (4277)

9. Stosur (3965)
10. Bartoli (3410)

11. Wozniacki (3320)

Stosur is currently in 9th, which is the '1st Alternate' spot. It is important she qualifies directly, which she could do by moving up into 8th on the Race (they have the power to award a 'wildcard' instead of having the '8th' person qualify, but I don't believe they've ever exercised this power). She reached the semis there last year, and if she doesn't directly qualify, her only chance of defending her points is if someone who qualifies withdraws.
The Race looks pretty decided already. Only Li Na's qualification hopes can be threatened by either Stosur or Bartoli depending on what all three do in these last couple of weeks before Istanbul (Stosur's early exit in China won't help her, especially if Li Na goes deep at the China Open!). Wozniacki could sneak in as 2nd Alternate if Bartoli plays poorly over next couple of weeks.
Not looking good for Stosur... Time to get out the voodoo dolls again? *Pokes Li Na voodoo doll*

Put that voodoo doll away Seabreeze! Li Na jia you!

It was worth a try.
Aga got the Bartoli voodoo doll out last year, and Bartoli was struck down with a viral illness in her final tournament of the year which allowed Aga to qualify, lol!

While Li Na had a bad year at the Grand Slams, she does deserve that spot though, she won a Premier 5 tournament in Cincinnati, was runner-up at Montreal and Rome (also Premier 5 tournaments), and runner-up at the Premier tournament in Sydney. She played decently at the higher-level tournaments (aside from the Grand Slams). E.g. this week's result, a semi final appearance at the China Open (Premier Mandatory).
Meanwhile, Stosur was more inconsistent and didn't win a WTA title this year (did reach one final in Doha, a Premier 5 tourny).

Stosur has Bartoli snapping at her heels for the 1st Alternate spot though. Hopefully Bartoli loses her semifinal today in Beijing, as it would give Stosur a little breathing space!