U.S. Open: Roger Federer, Serena Williams making things easy

 

Serena Williams on Thursday served 10 aces, hit 25 winners to five from her opponent, won 30 more points than outgunned Michaella Krajicek and pounded her way into the third round of the U.S. Open, 6-0, 6-1. It took the 28th-seeded Williams only 49 minutes to win.

Asked about her older sister, Venus, who pulled out of the tournament Wednesday because of an autoimmune disease called Sjogren's syndrome, Williams said, "I'm praying for her to be fine."

Serena now advances to a match with either fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka or Gisela Dulko.

Equally impressive was third-seeded Roger Federer, who was little tested in his 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Israel's Dudi Sela.

"Not much trouble on my serve," Federer said, "and from the baseline I also thought I had the upper hand. When it's like that, obviously it's tough for the opponent, but I just think I was superior today. It was a good match for me in the breezy conditions. It was a bit tricky early on to find the rhythm. That's why I was happy to get the first break."

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-- Diane Pucin in New York

Photo: Serena Williams. Credit: Nathan Denette / Associated Press.

U.S. Open: Venus Williams reveals she has an autoimmune disease

After withdrawing from her second-round match against 22nd-seeded German Sabine Lisicki, Venus Williams issued a statement describing the illness she said had kept her from playing all summer.

"I'm really disappointed to have to withdraw from this year's U.S. Open. I have recently been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain," Williams said.

"I enjoyed playing my first match here and I wish I could continue but right now I am unable to. I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon."

Lisicki, 21, who was a semifinalist at Wimbledon, was expected to give Williams an interesting test. Instead Williams will see her ranking drop to outside the top 100. Before the U.S. Open, Williams hadn't played a match since her fourth-round loss at Wimbledon, previously citing a viral illness, and she has played in only four tournaments in the last 12 months because of an assortment of injuries.

Williams, 31, won her 60th U.S. Open match Monday night on Arthur Ashe Stadium, in straight sets over Russian Vesna Dolonts, Williams, until this year, had reached at least the fourth round here every time she has played and is a six-time semifinalist.

The Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation website describes the ailment as "a chronic autoimmune disease in which a person's white blood cells attack the moisture-producing glands. Today, as many as 4 million Americans are living with this disease.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, Sjogren's often accompanies other autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, though Sjogren's is treatable and can be well-managed.

Williams, who was not seeded in this year's Open, waved gently to the fans as she left the grounds of Arthur Ashe Stadium after issuing her statement.

Earlier, Williams spoke of her summer-long illness, calling it "energy-sucking." It had not kept her from making sponsor appearances or designing her black, white and pink dress for her first-round appearance.

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-- Diane Pucin in New York

Photo: Venus Williams during her first-round match at the U.S. Open. Credit: Andrew Gombert / EPA.

U.S. Open: Serena Williams, no smiles, 22 winners, easy victory

 

Serena Williams, a three-time U.S. Open champion playing the tournament for the first time since she had left Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2009 after unleashing an obscenity-filled tirade against a lineswoman who called a foot fault that resulted in Williams losing a semifinal match to Kim Clijsters, took a decisive 6-1, 6-1 win over Serbian teenager Bojana Jovanovski Tuesday night.

It was the final first-round match of the women's draw and Williams dominated from the start. She won 54 total points to 27 by Jovanovski and was ahead 3-0 within the first 10 minutes.

Williams is only seeded 28th because her ranking had dropped so low during her absence from tennis for nearly 12 months beginning in July of 2010 because of, first, a toe injury and then from a pulmonary embolism. But since her return to the pro circuit in an event just before Wimbledon, Williams has gone 17-2 and she is undefeated on hard courts this summer after losing in the first round on the grass at Wimbledon to Marion Bartoli.

In the second round Williams, 29, will play 183rd-ranked qualifier Michaella Krajicek and seems headed for a third-round meeting with fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, who beat Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-3 in Tuesday's very first day match on Ashe Stadium.

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-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

Photo: Serena Williams. Credit: Kena Betancur / Reuters.

U.S. Open: Serena Williams on '09 blowup: 'I don't think about'

Because her pre-U.S. Open news conference was postponed by the oncoming Hurricane Irene on Saturday, Serena Williams stopped by the media room Monday to speak.

It is the first time Williams, a four-time champion here, has returned to the Open since her famous blowup with a lineswoman who had called her for a critical foot fault in a semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in 2009. Williams missed last year's tournament with a foot injury, the health consequences of which cost her nearly a year of tennis, and when the inevitable question was asked about her memories of her unseemly exit Williams fell back on a mixture of sarcasm and humor.

"I remember I lost and that was that. I got really popular. A lot of people were telling me they thought I was super cool, that they'd never seen me so intense. So, yeah, it was awesome."

And when she was asked if she'd learned anything from the incident, Williams answered, "I don't think about it. Are you still thinking about it? That was like two years ago. This is, like, two years later."

So Williams does have her dates straight. Next up, some tennis, probably on Tuesday.

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Photo: Serena Williams gestures at a lineswoman at the 2009 U.S. Open. Credit: John Mablango / European Press Agency.

Serena Williams rolls eyes at mention of '09 tirade

Serena Williams has returned to the U.S. Open for the first time since her 2009 semifinals loss, in which she screamed, cursed and shook the ball at a lineswoman over a foot-fault call at the end of the match.

During a news conference Monday, when asked if she learned anything from the incident, Williams replied: "I don't know. I don't think about it. Are you still thinking about it?"

Rolling her eyes, she added: "Oh my God. That was, like, two years ago. This is, like, two years later."

During the Sept. 12, 2009, match, Williams was two points from losing when she was called for a foot fault. It resulted in a double-fault, moving Kim Clijsters one point from victory. Clijsters went on to win, 6-4, 7-5.

After the call, Williams, who had won three U.S. Open titles, went on a tirade. She was fined $10,000 by the U.S. Tennis Assn. and a record $82,500 by the Grand Slam administrator.

When asked by a reporter what she remembered from "that controversial episode," Williams was evasive.

"You mean in the singles or doubles?" she asked.

Then she added: "I just remember I lost, and that was that. I got really popular. A lot of people were telling me they thought I was super cool, that they never saw me so intense. So, yeah, it was awesome."

The 29-year-old missed last year's U.S. Open after having surgery on her right foot.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Andrea Petkovic feels buzz in Serena Williams comeback

Andrea Petkovic, who advanced to the semifinals of the Mercury Insurance Open on Friday afternoon with a decisive 6-2, 6-1 win over American teenager Sloane Stephens, said she was impressed with the way Serena Williams won her first tournament since injuring her foot in July of 2010 but cautioned that even with the win in Stanford last week, Williams isn't certain to dominate women's tennis any more.

"Women's tennis has changed," said Petkovic, who said Williams was her idol when she was growing up in Germany. "I still think she's one of the greatest players in the history of tennis. But I also think she's going to have a much tougher time now than she had maybe five years ago because there are so many girls out there.

"I'm thinking of (Victoria) Azarenka, (Petra) Kvitova, Maria Sharapova, who is playing again almost at her best. So I think it's going to be tough."

We were right there with Petkovic until that Sharapova part. Williams beat Sharapova last week on her way to winning the title in Stanford. The score was 6-1, 6-3. Sharapova hasn't beaten Williams since 2004.

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-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Andrea Petkovic returns a forehard against Sloane Stephens during their Mercury Insurance Open quarterfinal on Friday at LaCosta Resort and Spa in Carlsbad. Credit: Denis Poroy / Reuters

Serena Williams loses to Vera Zvonareva in second round at Eastbourne

Serena Williams put up quite a fight but saw her comeback tournament come to an early end with a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 loss to top-seeded Vera Zvonareva in Wednesday's second round at Eastbourne, England.

Williams, who won her first match in nearly a year Tuesday, lost to Zvonareva for only the second time in her career in a match that lasted three hours, 12 minutes.

The 13-time Grand Slam champion fought back from 5-2 in the deciding set, saving three match points at 5-4. But Williams didn't have another rally in her after Zvonareva immediately broke again.

Venus Williams, returning from a five-month layoff, extended her own comeback at Eastbourne on Wednesday with a  6-3, 6-2 win over Ana Ivanovic.

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-- Chuck Schilken

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Serena Williams reacts during her loss to Vera Zvonareva on Wednesday. Credit: Toby Melville / Reuters

Second-seeded Kim Clijsters withdraws from Wimbledon

Not long after the Wimbledon seedings were announced Wednesday, the women's field was shaken up as No. 2 seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium withdrew a day after injuring her right foot at the UNICEF Open in the Netherlands.

"At this moment I feel frustrated that it has to happen now before one of my favorite tournaments," Clijsters said in a statement. "I've always enjoyed being a part of the Wimbledon atmosphere but I have no other choice now but to rest, recover and to not play tennis for a few weeks.”

Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki remains seeded No. 1, but the rest of the seeded players move up a notch. That includes defending champion Serena Williams, who is now seeded seventh, 19 spots higher than her world ranking.

Venus Williams is now the No. 23 seed, 10 places above her world ranking. Both Williams sisters, who have won nine of the last 11 Wimbledon titles, have just returned from extended layoffs due to injuries and other medical issues.

"The seeding order follows the WTA ranking list, except where in the opinion of the committee, a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw," said organizers of the two-week tournament that starts Monday at the All England Club. "The only changes this year are Serena Williams and Venus Williams. ... This reflects the balance between their proven records and also their lack of competitive play in the past 12 months."

See the complete men's and women's Wimbledon seedings below (world ranking in parenthesis).

Serena Williams struggles early but wins first match in almost a year

Before Tuesday, Serena Williams hadn't played competitive tennis in nearly a year. But going into her first-round match against Tsvetana Pironkova in Eastbourne, England, Williams said she was "feeling hot" even after the "long road back" from a pair of foot surgeries and blood clots in her lungs (see the WTA video, right).

Still, she struggled early against Pironkova, dropping the first set after falling behind, 5-0, before holding for the first time. Then Williams started to return to form, reeling off the first three games of the second set to take control of the match.  which she eventually won, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“I'm just so happy to be back,” Williams said.

It was her first match since winning Wimbledon last year. Eastbourne is a traditional warmup tournament for that event, which begins next week.

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Photo: Serena Williams celebrates a point in her match against Tsventana Pironkova on Tuesday. Credit: Mike Hewitt / Getty Images

 

 

Serena Williams withdraws from the French Open

Serena Williams, who has been sidelined since July after two foot operations, then blood clots in her lung, has withdrawn from the French Open, tournament organizers announced on Thursday. She will be replaced by Junri Namigata of Japan.

Venus Williams, who has not played since January because of a hip injury, is also doubtful for the tournament but has not officially withdrawn yet.

Swiss player Timea Bacsinszky (left ankle) and Russia's Dinara Safina (back) also pulled out Thursday and will be replaced by Anna Tatishvili of Georgia and Britain's Anne Keothavong.

The French Open begins on Tuesday.

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Photo: Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2010. Credit: Anja Niedringhaus / Associated Press

Man arrested for allegedly stalking Serena Williams

One of the charming things about Serena Williams is her use of Twitter. She tweets photos of herself, enthusiastically recounts her efforts to perform karaoke, one of her favorite pastimes, lets the world know that Green Day is her favorite band, that she stays up late watching reruns of "Golden Girls" and even posted an eye-catching shot of herself in a bright pink full-body suit, the kind speedskaters usually wear, as she went back to the tennis practice courts last week.

And she will often tell her fans in those tweets when she's at her home in Los Angeles or her home in Florida.

On Tuesday morning, police arrested an alleged stalker outside Williams' Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., home.

The man, 40-year-old Patenema Ouedraogo of Texas, was arrested at 2 a.m., according to the police, and allegedly said he followed Williams on Twitter, which helped him know when she was in Florida.

Williams, who is still recovering from foot surgery and more recently a pulmonary embolism that threatens to keep her out of the French Open and Wimbledon this summer, is back on the court practicing and has not, so far, posted on Twitter about her stalker.

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-- Diane Pucin

Photo: Serena Williams. Credit: Evan Vucci / Associated Press