Serena overcomes uneven start to advance

NEW YORK - Serena Williams began the quest for her fourth U.S. Open title with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Alexa Glatch.

Williams entered Monday’s play ranked second in the world behind Dinara Safina, even though Williams has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year and Safina is without a Grand Slam title.

Seeking her second straight U.S. Open championship, Williams hit 18 winners and had 19 unforced errors in an uneven start to the tournament. It was still good enough to beat Glatch, who earned a wild-card entry into the draw.

Williams’ sister, Venus, was scheduled to play Vera Dushevina of Russia on Monday night.

Four years and one baby later, Kim Clijsters still looks like a contender.

The 2005 U.S. Open titlist cruised through her return to Grand Slam tennis, defeating Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-1, 6-1 in the opening round in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Clijsters played her first Grand Slam match since the 2007 Australian Open, after which she retired to start a family. She had a baby girl in May 2008, but recently decided to return to competitive tennis.

It has been a good return thus far, one that has included four wins over top-20 opponents in two tournaments in August. Granted, this was only the first round of the U.S. Open, but her 58-minute win over Kutuzova included very few signs of rust.

 Slideshow 

Iniesta eyes Super Cup returnSerena No. 2 to Safina in U.S. Open seedings

Federer extends U.S. Open winning streak to 35

NEW YORK - Roger Federer extended his U.S. Open winning streak to 35 matches with a 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 victory over NCAA champion Devin Britton in the first round.

The top-seeded Federer is trying to become the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win six consecutive titles at the American Grand Slam tournament.

Britton was an 18-year-old wild-card entry from Mississippi who was playing in his second career tour-level match — and first at a major championship. He actually hit more winners than Federer, 32-31. But Britton also made more than twice as many unforced errors, 40-18.

Paul-Henri Mathieu, No. 26 on the men’s side, was the first seeded player to lose, beaten by Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2.

Another American, Sam Querrey, will debut later this week, bringing with him some lofty expectations — he might be the next great American tennis star in a country looking for just that.

“Everyone is doing what they can,” said Querrey, who is seeded 22nd. “A lot of times, even if you go back 100 years, you’ll have a period of 10 years where you’ll have four or five guys in the top 10, and then years where you might just have one guy. It’s kind of like a rolling wave.”

As much as anywhere else, the search for America’s next great player resonates at Arthur Ashe Stadium, inside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of America’s Grand Slam. It’s the place where Connors and McEnroe, Chrissy and Tracy Austin, ruled during a golden era that feels more like ancient history with each passing year.

Patrick McEnroe is in charge of putting together the program that will keep the pipeline filled, with hopes of producing multiple stars in the future.

“I think it’s going in the right direction,” Roddick said. “I think even with younger kids going back to 14, 15, 16 years old in Florida, from what I hear, it’s a lot more” organized.

That’s the future.

The present belongs — could belong, that is — to guys like John Isner (ranked 55th), Donald Young (185) and Jesse Levine (135). No. 25 seed Mardy Fish is on this list, too, but the 27-year-old withdrew Sunday with a rib injury.

And Querrey.

He stands 6-foot-6 and ranks third on tour with 696 aces this year, a stat that is allowing him to become more aggressive in his return game, as well, because he’s more confident about holding serve.

ALSO ON THIS STORY  Discuss: Sound off on tennis at Newsvine.com

He is 21-6 since Wimbledon and has played in four finals, including a victory in Los Angeles. He won the U.S. Open Series, a grouping of hard-court tournaments leading to this week. That pushed his ranking from barely inside the top 50 to a career-best 22nd. It also earned him a chance for a $1 million bonus if he wins the Open.

His biggest win this summer was a 7-6 (11), 7-6 (3) victory over Roddick, one that may not signal Querrey is ready to rise all the way to the top, but certainly serves as a confidence builder.

“It also helps if you play Federer or Nadal,” Querrey said. “Andy’s beaten those guys. Hey, he did it, I beat him, why can’t I beat those guys? So it kind of gives you that extra edge against them, too.”

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Zokora targets Sevilla gloryFederer is back where he belongs: top of world

Hingis to take part in celebrity TV dancing series

LONDON (AP) -Martina Hingis vs. Joe Calzaghe might be a mismatch either on the tennis court or in a boxing ring.

Going head to head on the dance floor might be a close run thing.

A five-time Grand Slam winner currently serving a two-year ban after testing positive for cocaine, the 28-year-old Hingis has signed up to take part in the seventh season of BBC's reality talent show `Strictly Come Dancing,' which starts Sept. 18.

Calzaghe, a retired former world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion, is another of the sports stars in the competition alongside TV presenters and soap actors.

Olympic long jumper Jade Johnson, cricketer Phil Tufnell and jump jockey Richard Dunwoody are also taking part.

Iniesta eyes Super Cup returnITF appeals doping ruling that cleared Gasquet

Roddick calls U.S. Open Twitter warning вЂlame’

NEW YORK - Watch what you tweet.

That’s the message tennis authorities are delivering as the U.S. Open gets set to start Monday, telling players and their entourages to be careful about what they post on the social networking site Twitter.

Signs are being posted in the players’ lounge, locker rooms and referee’s office at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with the header: “Important. Player Notice. Twitter Warning.”

The signs, written by the Tennis Integrity Unit, point out that Twitter messages could violate the sport’s anti-corruption rules.

“Many of you will have Twitter accounts in order for your fans to follow you and to become more engaged in you and the sport — and this is great,” the notices read. “However popular it is, it is important to warn you of some of the dangers posted by Twittering as it relates to the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program Rules.”

Andy Roddick, for one, is not a fan of the warning. In a tweet Friday night, the 2003 U.S. Open champion wrote that he thinks it’s “lame the US Open is trying to regulate our tweeting.. I understand the on-court issue but not sure they can tell us if we can’t do it on our own time ... we’ll see.”

He added in another tweet: “I definitely respect the rule about inside info and on the court, but you would seriously have to be a moron to send ’inside info’ through a tweet.”

Told of Roddick’s comments, tournament spokesman Chris Widmaier said, “We agree with Mr. Roddick that it would be ’moronic’ to provide what might be construed as insider information. However, in the age of new media, it is imperative to ensure the absolute integrity of the game.”

Sports leagues and governing bodies are paying close attention as more and more athletes turn to Twitter to reach fans directly; some NFL teams, for example, urged players not to use it. But tennis appears to be the first sport openly concerned about Twitter’s possible effect on gambling.

The signs at the U.S. Open say tweeting is not allowed on court during matches. They also warn about using Twitter away from the court, saying sending “certain sensitive information concerning your match or other matches and/or players should be avoided. Depending on the information sent out this could be determined as the passing of ’inside information.”’

The messages define that as “information about the likely participation or likely performance of a player in an event or concerning the weather, court conditions, status, outcome or any other aspect of an event which is known by a Covered Person and is not information in the public domain.”

 Video 

Barca set to close chequebookSerena looking to match King with 12 Slam titles

Nadal back to pre-injury practice routine

NEW YORK (AP) -Give Rafael Nadal credit for looking on the bright side.

Yes, he's been dealing with knee tendinitis. Yes, his French Open winning streak ended. Yes, he decided not to defend his Wimbledon championship. Yes, he's dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in the rankings.

On the other hand, while the Spaniard was sidelined, he got to spend time back home on an idyllic island.

"Yeah, maybe I was injured in the worst moment of the season ... one of the most important moments of the season," Nadal said Sunday, a day before the U.S. Open begins.

"But at the same time," he continued through a wide smile, "I must have been in Mallorca in the best moment of the season, too."

Heading into the year's last Grand Slam tournament, the only major event he hasn't won, Nadal is back to his pre-injury practice routine, spending 2 to 2 1/2 hours on court a day.

Still, he didn't sound like someone who thinks he will bring home a title from the U.S. Open this year.

"You never know," Nadal said, "but reaching the quarterfinals or semifinals would be a good result for me."

He was off the tour for about 2 1/2 months, from a May 31 loss to Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the French Open - ending Nadal's record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros - to his Aug. 12 return at the hard-court event in Montreal.

Nadal lost in straight sets to Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals there, and he lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at Cincinnati the next week.

To those watching with interest, Nadal certainly did not seem to be all the way back.

Roger Federer, the man who replaced Nadal atop the rankings in July, thought Nadal might be dealing with a stomach muscle problem. TV analyst John McEnroe wasn't quite sure what was wrong.

"My concern watching the last couple weeks is there seems to be some rust and his comfort level, movement-wise, is not as smooth and effective," McEnroe said.

"He's not serving as big. Something's gone off," McEnroe added. "His knees are OK, but he's gotten a couple nicks and aches and pains."

Nadal, though, pronounced himself fine on Sunday.

"The knees are perfect right now," he said. "I think everything is OK, so I don't have any problem."

His first test on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows will come against Richard Gasquet of France, a former top-10 player and 2007 Wimbledon semifinalist coming off a 2 1/2-month suspension for testing positive for cocaine.

Gasquet, ranked 46th, escaped what could have been a much longer ban after telling an anti-doping tribunal that cocaine must have entered his system when he kissed a woman at a nightclub.

While Gasquet was awaiting a final ruling, Nadal stood up for him publicly. They've known each other for about a decade.

"I support him a lot. First thing, because I believe in him. Second thing, because I think he's a very nice guy," Nadal said. "He told me he didn't take nothing. So I believe him 100 percent."

---

NO. 1 TOPIC: After winning Wimbledon, her third title from the past four major tournaments, Serena Williams made some pointed comments about being No. 2 in the rankings behind Dinara Safina.

Safina happens to have zero Grand Slam championships on her resume.

Asked to revisit that topic at Flushing Meadows, Williams wouldn't bite.

"I don't talk about that anymore. I'm sorry," the defending U.S. Open champion said during a pre-tournament news conference.

Asked why, Williams replied: "I've talked about it a lot, and if you want to read some answers that I said, you know, you can, but I think we should talk about something else."

After a follow-up question, Williams made it clear she wanted to move on, saying: "Any other questions that's not about No. 1?"

Safina also was asked about the topic. She, too, wasn't interested in a conversation.

"Well, you know, I'm not doing the ranking system," the Russian said. "You know, what can I do? There is ranking, and if you look at the ranking, I'm No. 1 in the world."

And she still will be two weeks from now - no matter what. According to the WTA, even if Williams were to win the U.S. Open again, she wouldn't surpass Safina in the rankings.

---

TEEN VS. TOP: Roger Federer has a pretty good idea how 18-year-old Devin Britton of Jackson, Miss., feels right about now.

Britton, who won the NCAA singles championship for Mississippi in May, will play Federer, of all people, in the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday. It will be Britton's second career tour-level match - and first at a Grand Slam tournament.

Federer, of course, owns a record 15 Grand Slam titles and is ranked No. 1. Britton is tied for 1,370th in the rankings.

Asked about what advice he'd give Britton, Federer recalled being 17 and playing in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland, against Andre Agassi.

"That was disbelief. I thought people were kidding me when they told me I was playing Agassi," Federer recalled. "I was in shock, but you try to enjoy it and try to put in a good fight. This is a bit different. This is a Grand Slam, best-of-five-set match - maybe something Britton has never played before. But a good thing in tennis is you always have a chance. Doesn't matter who you play; where you play."

Federer lost that 1998 match to Agassi 6-2, 6-3. Indeed, Federer lost each of his first three matches against the American.

But Britton perhaps can take heart from this: After that 0-3 start, Federer wound up going 8-0 against Agassi over the rest of their careers.

Keirrison open to Roma loanNadal training again after knee injury layoff

Federer is back where he belongs: top of world

NEW YORK - As last year’s U.S. Open began, plenty of people were wondering what was wrong with Roger Federer. Feeling sorry for the guy, even.

Federer arrived at Flushing Meadows in 2008 ranked No. 2, not No. 1. He arrived with — gasp! — zero Grand Slam titles for the season, having lost to Rafael Nadal in finals at the French Open (a blowout) and Wimbledon (a heartbreaker). He arrived to a chorus of questions about whether Nadal had surpassed him for good.

U.S. Open spectators rallied to Federer’s side, cheering for him as if he were an underdog — rather than the man who would depart with the champion’s trophy for the fifth year in a row.

“I was really blown away. I thought that was so cool,” Federer said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It was like they said: ’We have to support our man here, because he needs to come back to where he belongs.’ It was like they wanted to push me back to the top. Winning the U.S. Open was sort of the jump start.”

Yes, as this year’s last Grand Slam tournament starts Monday, Federer is back.

Starting with his victory in New York, Federer has won three of the past four major tournaments to raise his career total to 15 Grand Slam championships, breaking Pete Sampras’ record. He is ranked No. 1 again.

And there’s been more good news off the court: He’s now married and a father — of twins, no less.

“You change, all of a sudden,” Federer said, snapping his fingers, “from needing nine hours of sleep, to saying, ’Five is plenty.”’

As Federer-the-father bids to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win three consecutive major championships in a single season, and the first since Bill Tilden in 1920-25 to win six straight titles at the American Grand Slam tournament, it’s his nemesis, Nadal, who looks to be in need of a boost.

It’s Nadal who recently relinquished the No. 1 ranking; he’s now at No. 3. It’s Nadal whose 31-match winning streak at the French Open ended. It’s Nadal who did not defend his Wimbledon title, citing sore knees.

Nadal returned to the tour this month, but he acknowledges he’s not in peak condition.

“You never know. You never know,” said Nadal, who needs a U.S. Open title to complete a career Grand Slam. “We will see how I am physically.”

Federer’s take? “He’s downplaying his chances, which is very Rafa-like,” Federer said. “I understand. He has to be cautious.”

  U.S. Open 

Aug. 30-Sept. 13Interactive: Top contenders to watchAustin: Federer looking difficult to beatAustin: Serena's too mentally tough to topSerena can match King with 12th Slam titleRoddick calls officials' Twitter warning 'lame'Nadal not in peak condition heading into Open  Video: Roddick says U.S. tennis on the riseSlide show: Past men's championsSlide show: Past women's championsInteractive: Building the perfect tennis player 

 

But Federer also thought he noticed something else bothering the Spaniard — a stomach muscle injury.

“He looked a bit hurt in his abdominal last week, I have to say ... and already prior to that,” Federer said Thursday as he munched on pretzels in midtown Manhattan. “I don’t know how that’s going to affect him now. You’re not only talking about the knees, but also the abdominal.”

There are other men in the mix, to be sure.

Andy Murray, for example, is ranked No. 2 and hoping to win one more match at the U.S. Open than he did in 2008, when he reached his first major final.

“I was close last year,” Murray said, “and I think I’m playing better now.”

Andy Roddick, the 2003 champion, is a new man, with a trimmer physique, a more varied game and the confidence that comes with a strong run at Wimbledon — even if it did end disappointingly for the American with a 16-14 loss to Federer in the longest fifth set in Grand Slam final history.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia seems likely to add to his lone Grand Slam title one day. There are others who play well on hard courts, such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France or Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina.

But right now, men’s tennis comes down to the pair known as Rog and Rafa: One or the other has won 16 of the last 17 major championships. They played each other in seven of those finals.

“When he’s on, obviously he’s one of the toughest guys to beat out there. He’s one of the big favorites next to me, in my personal opinion,” Federer said. “But that is only if he’s healthy, and we’ll only know after a couple of matches played here. I hope he comes back strong, of course. I love the rivalry.”

No woman really seems to rival Serena Williams when it comes to major tournaments lately.

Like Federer, she is the defending champion at the U.S. Open.

 INTERACTIVE 

Nadal training again after knee injury layoffKeirrison open to Roma loan

Serena looking to match King with 12 Slam titles

NEW YORK - In one breath, Serena Williams says she considers herself the favorite at the U.S. Open.

In the next, she says she doesn't want to be touted as the woman to beat at the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which begins Monday.

At one point, Williams says she has no target number for major titles. At another point, she says she really was hoping to surpass Monica Seles' nine major singles championships — and now that Williams has 11, she wants to catch Billie Jean King's career count of 12.

"I used to never look at numbers. But the more I get, the more numbers I look at," Williams said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I want to get back to where I don't look at numbers."

Perhaps Williams is simply saying the first thing that comes to mind. Perhaps she's really not sure how she feels. Or perhaps she's working on her acting chops during interviews and news conferences.

This much is clear: There have been two very different tennis players who have shown up under the name "Serena Williams" the past 12 months.

Check out these statistics dating to the start of the 2008 U.S. Open:

Grand Slam Tournament Serena Williams is 25-1, for a .962 winning percentage, with three titles at the past four major championships, including a year ago at Flushing Meadows; she is 9-1 against top-10 players at majors in that span.Lesser Tournament Serena Williams is 21-11 (plus one walkover), for a .656 winning percentage, with zero titles at her past 12 nonmajor events; she is 3-5 against top-10 players at nonmajors in that span.

The contrast in numbers is far less pronounced for older sister Venus, but she, too, tends to play her best on the sport's biggest stages. Venus ranks second to Serena among active women with seven major titles.

  U.S. Open 

Aug. 30-Sept. 13 Interactive: Top contenders to watch Austin: Federer looking difficult to beat Austin: Serena's too mentally tough to top Serena can match King with 12th Slam title Roddick calls officials' Twitter warning 'lame'Nadal not in peak condition heading into Open  Video: Roddick says U.S. tennis on the riseSlide show: Past men's championsSlide show: Past women's championsInteractive: Building the perfect tennis player 

 

"The Williams sisters just take it to another level when they are playing the Slams," observed Martina Navratilova, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles.

"The Williams sisters look at it as an opportunity," added Navratilova, part of Tennis Channel's announcing team at the U.S. Open. "They don't put that much pressure on themselves when they play the other tournaments. It's sort of like warmups."

Compare that to someone such as Dinara Safina, who is No. 1 in the WTA rankings and seeded No. 1 at the U.S. Open, ahead of No. 2 Serena Williams and No. 3 Venus Williams. Safina is 0-3 in Grand Slam finals over her career; she has, however, won three other titles in 2009.

Ask the younger Williams about the key to defending her championship at Flushing Meadows and she insists that she can't allow any shred of pressure to creep into her thoughts.

"I have to be really relaxed. Last year, I was super relaxed, and super calm. I just enjoyed every moment," she said. "That's where I need to be again."

Williams certainly knows what it takes to succeed at major tournaments, but there have been dips in performance at those events, too. For a while, she drew criticism for spending too much time pursuing outside interests and not enough time honing her game.

 Slideshow 

Federer, Safina seeded No. 1 for US OpenSalgado relishes Rovers chance

US Open: VWilliams, Roddick to play opening night

NEW YORK (AP) -There will be a parade of past U.S. Open champions playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Day 1 of this year's tournament.

Monday's schedule features a night session with 2000-01 winner Venus Williams against Vera Dushevina, followed by 2003 winner Andy Roddick against Bjorn Phau.

The night session will be preceded by a ceremony celebrating charity work by athletes, including Andre Agassi, who will be returning to the stadium for the first time since playing the final match of his professional career at the 2006 U.S. Open.

Others slated to play in Ashe on the opening day of the season's last Grand Slam tournament include U.S. Open champions Kim Clijsters (2005), Serena Williams (1999, 2002, 2008) and Roger Federer (2004-08).

Kaka targeting Euro successRoddick withdraws from Indianapolis tournament

Querrey upsets Davydenko at Pilot Pen

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -American Sam Querrey has upset top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals of the Pilot Pen tennis tournament.

The hard-serving Querrey fired 15 aces, but was down in the pivotal ninth game of the third set Thursday. Four serves and two aces later, he took a 5-4 lead and then broke Davydenko at love to close out the match.

Davydenko needed a doctor to look at his right wrist midway through the match. He said it became sore from the force of Querrey's serves hitting his racket.

Elena Vesnina earned a spot in the women's semifinals earlier, defeating Anna Chakvetadze in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5.

Bolton close on EmanaTop-seeded Davydenko advances at Pilot Pen

Nadal not in peak condition heading to US Open

NEW YORK (AP) -Rafael Nadal concedes he probably isn't in peak condition heading into the U.S. Open.

The Spanish star returned to competition this month after taking off more than two months because of tendinitis in both knees. Now he's seeking the one major title he hasn't won.

"Well, I am No. 3 in the world. And the No. 3 in the world should have a chance to win, no?" Nadal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "But I don't know if I arrive in the best condition."

Nadal and Serena Williams hit tennis balls for charity on a makeshift court on Broadway in the middle of Manhattan. They showed off the Nike outfits they'll wear during the day at the Open: a hot pink dress for Williams, a bright yellow shirt with teal headband for Nadal.

One of the reasons Nadal decided not to defend his Wimbledon title was that he found himself thinking too much about his knees.

"After an injury, sure, you think about it a little bit," he said. "But I am much better, I feel."

Nadal made his comeback two weeks ago at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, losing to Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals. He then fell to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at the Cincinnati Masters.

Nadal had rested his knees since a fourth-round defeat to Robin Soderling at the French Open on May 31 ended his streak of four consecutive championships at Roland Garros. He lost his No. 1 ranking to Roger Federer and later dropped to No. 3 behind Andy Murray.

Nadal has never advanced beyond the semifinals at the U.S. Open.

"It's very special. I've won the other three, so if I win that it's going to be a complete cycle," he said. "It will be amazing."

Kaka targeting Euro successNadal to return next month

Williams sisters can't meet in US Open final

NEW YORK (AP) -Serena and Venus Williams have met in eight Grand Slam finals, most recently at Wimbledon last month. The U.S. Open won't feature No. 9.

The No. 2-seeded Serena and No. 3 Venus are in the same half of the U.S. Open field announced Thursday, meaning they could face each other only in the semifinals of the year's last major tournament.

"It is a shame. They're the people to beat. They rise to the occasion at the big ones, especially Serena," three-time U.S. Open champion John McEnroe said.

"In interest level alone, it's too bad," added McEnroe, part of the CBS Sports announcing team at the tournament.

That network began carrying the U.S. Open women's final in prime time in 2001, a move widely attributed to the sisters' ascension in the sport. Venus beat Serena that year for the championship, and nearly 23 million viewers tuned in, giving the final the largest TV audience of any program that night, including a football game between Notre Dame and Nebraska.

In July, Serena beat Venus at Wimbledon for her 11th Grand Slam singles title - four more than Venus owns. Serena also leads 6-2 in major finals and 11-10 overall in professional matches.

"There's definitely a rivalry, especially when we step out on the court," Serena said.

"We never talk about numbers, per se. But when we're on the court, we both have in the back of our minds that we won that many matches against each other," she said. "At least it's in the back of my mind."

There won't be Williams-Williams to decide a title, but there could be Federer-Nadal. No. 1-seeded Roger Federer and No. 3 Rafael Nadal were drawn into opposite halves of the field when the draw was held behind closed doors Wednesday.

They have played in seven major finals as Nos. 1-2, including at each of the other three Grand Slam tournaments, with Nadal leading 5-2. But because Nadal recently fell to third in the rankings, there was a possibility the two men who have dominated tennis in recent years would wind up on the same side of the bracket in New York.

Instead, 15-time Grand Slam title winner Federer has No. 4 Novak Djokovic and No. 5 Andy Roddick in his half. Federer edged Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set of the Wimbledon final in July.

Federer is bidding for a sixth consecutive U.S. Open title, but he wasn't always so comfortable in New York.

"I used to struggle here a little bit," he said Thursday, "just because I had trouble with the wind, trouble with the humidity ... my mind would wander during the tournament."

The potential men's quarterfinals are Federer vs. No. 8 Nikolay Davydenko, and Roddick vs. Djokovic in the top half; No. 2 Andy Murray vs. No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro, and Nadal vs. No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the bottom half.

Nadal could face Murray in the semifinals for the second straight year at the U.S. Open; Murray upset Nadal in 2008 to reach his first Grand Slam final.

Nadal's first Grand Slam action since his fourth-round loss at the French Open will start with an intriguing opponent: Richard Gasquet, the former top-10 player coming off a 2 1/2-month suspension for testing positive for cocaine.

Federer starts off against American wild-card recipient Devin Britton, an 18-year-old who won the NCAA singles championship for Mississippi in May.

Federer could play two-time major champion Lleyton Hewitt in the third round, U.S. Davis Cup player James Blake in the fourth, and French Open runner-up Robin Soderling or U.S. Open Series winner Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals.

The women's quarterfinals could be No. 1 Dinara Safina vs. No. 5 Jelena Jankovic, and No. 4 Elena Dementieva vs. No. 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the top half; Serena Williams vs. No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, and Venus Williams vs. No. 8 Victoria Azarenka in the bottom half.

Venus Williams could wind up facing 2005 U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters in the fourth round. Clijsters recently came out of retirement and is returning to the tournament for the first time since winning it.

Federer, Safina seeded No. 1 for US OpenZokora targets Sevilla glory

Venus, Serena excited about 'Fins ownership

DAVIE, Florida - Serena and Venus Williams confirmed they bought a small stake in the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday.

Their deal with owner Stephen Ross, first reported last week, made the sisters the latest celebrities to become minor owners in the NFL team.

Venus and Serena live in Palm Beach Gardens, about an hour's drive from the Dolphins' stadium.

"To have this opportunity is really where our heart is," Venus said. "We're South Florida girls. When we get off the road, this is where we come home to. When we come home to Dolphins games, it's going to be exciting."

The sisters are the first female African-Americans to hold an ownership stake in an NFL team, the Dolphins said. The NFL has no African-American majority team owner.

"We're really honored," Serena said. "Venus and I in tennis have tried to do so much for the sport. We're really excited to even have this opportunity."

Venus said she and Serena have been to "a few games." Serena dated former NFL players LaVar Arrington and Keyshawn Johnson, but the sisters said the Dolphins have long been their favorite team.

"We're just 'Go Fins!'-type people," Serena said.

"It's great going to the games for us," Venus said. "When we play tennis, you're so focused you don't really get to feel that atmosphere. When we go to a Dolphins game, we get to soak in the atmosphere and we realize, 'Oh my God, we do this too."'

The sisters posed for photographers holding team jerseys - No. 11 for Venus, No. 89 for Serena. EleVen is Venus' clothing line; 8-9 is the birthdate of their half sister, Yetunde Price, who died in a 2003 shooting.

"We are thrilled to have Venus and Serena join the Dolphins as limited partners," said Ross, a New York real estate billionaire. "They are among the most admired athletes in the world and have become global ambassadors for the game of tennis. Their addition to our ownership group further reflects our commitment to connect with aggressively and embrace the great diversity that makes South Florida a multicultural gem."

Serena has won 11 major titles and Venus seven. They staged their latest sibling showdown last month at Wimbledon, where Serena beat Venus in the final, and will play in the U.S. Open beginning next week.

Musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Marc Anthony recently bought small shares of the team. The Estefans are the first Cuban Americans to hold an ownership stake in an NFL team, and Anthony is from New York of Puerto Rican descent.

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Top-seeded Davydenko advances at Pilot Pen

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko credits one good return at the end of a 22-point tiebreaker with sending him into the third round of the Pilot Pen tennis tournament.

"That was the key to the match," he said. "If he makes an ace, I can lose."

Instead, Davydenko hit a strong backhand return that American Robert Kendrick put into the net, ending a 53-minute first set. The Russian went on to win 7-6 (10), 6-3.

"He put it right at my feet," Kendrick said. "I deserved it, I should have served to his forehand."

The eighth-ranked Davydenko struggled with Kendrick's serve, which occasionally topped 130 mph, giving up a dozen aces. But he broke Kendrick at love to go up 5-3 in the second set and served out the match.

After missing most of the spring with a heel injury, Davydenko is trying to do more than just get his game in shape for next week's U.S. Open.

"For me, it's important winning matches also here," Davydenko said. "If I'm winning (the) tournament, I'm making points here. ... For me, it's important for the ranking."

Second-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain also advanced with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Paul Capdeville. Third-seed Tommy Robredo of Spain wasn't as fortunate, getting upset 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) by Jose Acasuso.

Kendrick was among three Americans who lost to Russians on Tuesday. Taylor Dent fell to Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 6-4, and Kevin Kim lost to Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-1.

In the women's draw, Samantha Stosur needed almost 3 hours to beat Frenchwoman Alize Cornet after a first set that rivaled Davydenko and Kendrick. The Australian ended up losing the set after nearly 90 minutes, but won the match 6-7 (8), 6-2, 6-4.

"It was a bit of a battle out there," Stosur said. "I got through the second set pretty quick and then started to feel better about things. The third was pretty tight. I was pleased with the way I was able to get out of it and come back from a set down."

Amelie Mauresmo also advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Alona Bondarenko; Marion Bartoli defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; and third-seeded Flavia Pennetta defeated Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 6-1, 6-2.

"I was very focused on my game, and it was working pretty good," Pennetta said.

Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki was scheduled to play her first match Tuesday night against Carla Suarez-Navarro.

Top-seeded Davydenko advances at Pilot PenToffees show Lescott love

Top-seeded Davydenko advances at Pilot Pen

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko credits one good return at the end of a 22-point tiebreaker with sending him into the third round of the Pilot Pen tennis tournament.

"That was the key to the match," he said. "If he makes an ace, I can lose."

Instead, Davydenko hit a strong backhand return that American Robert Kendrick put into the net, ending a 53-minute first set. The Russian went on to win 7-6 (10), 6-3.

"He put it right at my feet," Kendrick said. "I deserved it, I should have served to his forehand."

The eighth-ranked Davydenko struggled with Kendrick's serve, which occasionally topped 130 mph, giving up a dozen aces. But he broke Kendrick at love to go up 5-3 in the second set and served out the match.

After missing most of the spring with a heel injury, Davydenko is trying to do more than just get his game in shape for next week's U.S. Open.

"For me, it's important winning matches also here," Davydenko said. "If I'm winning (the) tournament, I'm making points here. ... For me, it's important for the ranking."

Second-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain also advanced with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Paul Capdeville. Third-seed Tommy Robredo of Spain wasn't as fortunate, getting upset 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) by Jose Acasuso.

Kendrick was among three Americans who lost to Russians on Tuesday. Taylor Dent fell to Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 6-4, and Kevin Kim lost to Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-1.

In the women's draw, Samantha Stosur needed almost 3 hours to beat Frenchwoman Alize Cornet after a first set that rivaled Davydenko and Kendrick. The Australian ended up losing the set after nearly 90 minutes, but won the match 6-7 (8), 6-2, 6-4.

"It was a bit of a battle out there," Stosur said. "I got through the second set pretty quick and then started to feel better about things. The third was pretty tight. I was pleased with the way I was able to get out of it and come back from a set down."

Amelie Mauresmo also advanced with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Alona Bondarenko; Marion Bartoli defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; and third-seeded Flavia Pennetta defeated Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 6-1, 6-2.

"I was very focused on my game, and it was working pretty good," Pennetta said.

Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki was scheduled to play her first match Tuesday night against Carla Suarez-Navarro.

Top-seeded Davydenko advances at Pilot PenToffees show Lescott love

Serena No. 2 to Safina in U.S. Open seedings

NEW YORK (AP) -Defending champion Serena Williams was seeded No. 2 for the U.S. Open behind Dinara Safina on Tuesday because the tournament stuck to its policy of strictly following the world rankings.

Roger Federer was seeded No. 1 for the fifth time at the year's last Grand Slam. He is ranked No. 1 and has won the U.S. Open five years in a row.

Safina is No. 1 on the WTA Tour, which based the rankings on performances across tournaments over the preceding 52 weeks. The younger sister of former men's No. 1 Marat Safin is still seeking her first Grand Slam title. She is winless in three major finals, including a loss to Williams at the Australian Open in January.

Williams has won three of the past four Grand Slam singles championships and 11 overall, the most among active women. She will be seeking her fourth U.S. Open title.

Tournament director Jim Curley said the U.S. Tennis Association did discuss the possibility of moving Williams ahead of Safina.

"The U.S. Open has the prerogative of altering its seedings; it's something we have not availed ourselves of in quite some time," Curley said in a telephone interview. "We certainly spoke about it, but it never got to the point where we were seriously intending to not follow the rankings."

Since 1997, the USTA has matched its seedings to the ATP and WTA rankings.

"The players do earn their rankings over a 12-mointh period, both at Grand Slams and non-Grand Slam events. At the end of the day, whether you're seeded No. 1 or seeded No. 2 at the U.S. Open, it really doesn't matter. You're either at the top of the draw or the bottom of the draw, and the rest of the draw is determined by a coin toss," Curley said. "From a competition perspective, there really isn't any difference being seeded 1 or 2."

The draw will be announced on Thursday, and the tournament begins on Monday.

After the top two women, two-time U.S. Open champion Venus Williams is No. 3, followed by Beijing Olympics gold medalist Elena Dementieva and 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Jelena Jankovic.

Maria Sharapova is No. 29 - barely earning one of the 32 seedings after rising from No. 49 in the rankings last week. She won the 2006 U.S. Open for one of her three major titles but missed the tournament last year because of a right shoulder injury. The Russian had surgery in October and a long absence from the tour dropped her ranking.

Sharapova is among a dozen Grand Slam singles champions seeded at this year's U.S. Open. One major champion in the field but not seeded is 2005 U.S. Open winner Kim Clijsters, who recently came out of retirement and received a wild card from the USTA.

"This year was very interesting because not only did you have the Dinara-Serena situation but you also had ... Maria Sharapova, a former champion here, who might have been unseeded, and then you also had Kim Clijsters, who only has two tournaments on the computer and therefore doesn't even have a ranking," Curley said. "We looked at those two, as well, and still ultimately decided to continue to follow the rankings."

After Federer in the men's seedings are 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray, six-time major champion Rafael Nadal, 2007 U.S. Open runner-up Novak Djokovic and 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick.

Federer, Safina seeded No. 1 for US OpenKeirrison open to Roma loan

Top-seeded Davydenko advances at Pilot Pen

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko won a 22-point tiebreaker en route to a 7-6 (10), 6-3 victory over American Robert Kendrick at the Pilot Pen on Tuesday.

Davydenko struggled with Kendrick's serves, which occasionally topped 130 mph (209 kph). But he used a strong backhand return at 11-10 in the tiebreaker that Kendrick put in the net.

Davydenko broke Kendrick at love to go up 5-3 in the second set and served out the match.

The Russian is ranked No. 8 despite missing most of the spring with a heel injury. He's using the tournament as a warmup for next week's U.S. Open.

Davydenko was the third Russian man to defeat an American on Tuesday.

Igor Kunitsyn beat Taylor Dent 6-3, 6-4, and Igor Andreev defeated Kevin Kim 6-3, 6-1.

Gonzalez makes Moscow moveDavydenko rallies to advance to 2nd round

Federer, Safina seeded No. 1 for US Open

NEW YORK (AP) -Roger Federer and Dinara Safina were seeded No. 1 for the U.S. Open on Tuesday, with the U.S. Tennis Association following the ATP and WTA rankings.

The top-ranked Safina leads the women's U.S. Open field, ahead of No. 2 Serena Williams. Safina is 0-3 in Grand Slam tournament finals, while Williams is the defending champion at Flushing Meadows and has won 11 major championships.

Two-time U.S. Open winner Venus Williams is seeded No. 3, followed by Beijing Olympics gold medalist Elena Dementieva and 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Jelena Jankovic.

Maria Sharapova is seeded 29th. She won the 2006 U.S. Open for one of her three major titles, but missed the tournament last year because of a right shoulder injury. The Russian had surgery in October and a long absence from the tour dropped her ranking.

Five-time defending champion Federer is seeded No. 1 in New York for the fifth time. He is followed by new No. 2 Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and 2003 U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick.

The draw will be announced Thursday, and the tournament begins Monday.

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Sharapova falls short in Rogers Cup final

TORONTO - Elena Dementieva's U.S. Open tuneup was an overwhelming success.

The No. 4 seed overcame an ugly first set to beat Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday in the final of the Rogers Cup. Dementieva's steady play was too much for an error-prone Sharapova to handle in the first all-Russian final in tournament history.

A hardcourt specialist, Dementieva dominated No. 2 Serena Williams in the semifinal, and had a similarly easy time against former No. 1 Sharapova as she prepares for the U.S. Open, which gets under way Aug. 31.

"It's great to have so many good matches against so many top-10 players here," said Dementieva, who has three wins in 11 career meetings with Sharapova. "I hope it's going to be good preparation. For sure, this kind of win gives you a lot of confidence, so right now it's all about recovering and getting ready for New York."

Playing in her first final since a serious shoulder injury, Sharapova committed 10 double faults and had trouble with even the most routine shots.

Despite the loss, Sharapova said she was pleased by her overall performance.

"I think it was a really great week for me," Sharapova said. "Playing six matches was great leading up to the U.S. Open. I think this was really good preparation."

Both players fought breezy conditions in front of a packed house at the Rexall Centre during a sloppy first set. It featured eight service breaks, 14 double faults and a number of easy shots hit long, or drilled into the net.

Dementieva went ahead 4-1 on the strength of two breaks — the first aided by three Sharapova double faults. But Sharapova saved three break points in the next game to hold serve, and closed within 4-3 when Dementieva double faulted to lose her service game.

Both players traded breaks before Dementieva finally finished things off, converting her third set point when Sharapova hit a forehand into the net.

The second set was a little tamer, with both players holding serve until the sixth game. Sharapova fought off two break points but fired a forehand into the net on the third to hand Dementieva a 4-2 lead.

That was all Dementieva needed, as she held serve throughout and clinched her 14th career WTA Tour title when Sharapova's drop shot fell into the net on the third championship point.

"I really like to play this tournament, but I've never done anything better than first or second round, which was very disappointing for me," Dementieva said. "Every time I come I have such great crowd support.

"I just feel so happy to finally win this title. It means a lot to me."

It's the second straight year a Russian has won the Rogers Cup women's title, after Dinara Safina captured last year's championship in Montreal. Dementieva took home $350,000 for the victory, while Sharapova earned $175,000.

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Federer in top form en route to Cincy win

MASON, Ohio - Changing diapers doesn't seem to bother Papa Federer's game.

With a dominant first set on Sunday, Roger Federer showed that he's in top-of-the-world form after his time off to become a father. A 6-1, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic brought him the Cincinnati Masters title, his first championship since his twin girls were born last month.

"That's the special part, especially winning for the first time as a dad," Federer said. "It gets me going emotionally a little bit, because I know it's been a wonderful summer."

His stellar season can get even better beginning next week at the U.S. Open. The Swiss star has won the last five titles there, and his performance on Sunday suggested he's fully capable of another. Djokovic hadn't lost a set all week, but was never in the title match.

"The closest I was going to get to the first-place trophy is now," the world's fourth-ranked player said, standing 5 feet away from the crystal bowl that goes to the winner of the $3 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

Federer's glass-enclosed trophy case in Switzerland has gotten a lot of precious additions lately. The 28-year-old star won his first French Open championship, then outlasted Andy Roddick in an epic five-set Wimbledon match that brought him a record 15th Grand Slam title.

He shuttled between hospital and practice court for three weeks after his wife, Mirka, gave birth to twins in July. His goal in Cincinnati was to work off the rust and get ready for the Open.

What rust?

"I felt like my game was already pretty well in place in practice, so knew coming over here it was not just to show up," he said. "That it paid off so quickly, I'm a little bit surprised, you know?"

He took control right away, breaking Djokovic's serve in a second game that lasted 13 minutes and 22 points overall. The 22-year-old Serb kept up better in the second set, but knew he was headed for his fourth runner-up finish in a Masters tournament this year.

Djokovic is looking forward to the U.S. Open, where he had one of his worst moments last year. He got into a verbal squabble with crowd-favorite Andy Roddick, who made a flippant remark about the Serb's numerous injuries during the tournament.

When Djokovic took exception to the remarks after a match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the crowd booed. Djokovic later apologized.

"It was unfortunate for me that it happened in one of the four biggest events in the world, and it happened in the city and tournament where I've always felt great, felt at home," he said Sunday. "But, you know, it's the past. I forgot about it. I really look forward to playing there, and hopefully the fans will accept me in a good way."

Federer knows what kind of reception he'll get, from street corners to center court. They love him in NY.

Last year, he was struggling when he showed up in Cincinnati and took an early loss, which opened the way for Rafael Nadal to end his four-year run as the world's No. 1-ranked player. A disappointing showing at the Olympics in China made Federer feel worse. Some commentators suggested he'd lost his ability to dominate the big moments.

He landed in New York and everything changed.

"I was lucky enough that when I got to New York, the fans were really there trying to push me back to No. 1 right away," he said. "They were great, you know. All the cab drivers and everybody was stopping to wish me luck. It was something that I've never really experienced before in New York. I think that really helped turn it around for me."

Feeding off the energy, he beat Djokovic in the semifinals and Andy Murray for the title. When Nadal had to take two months off after the French Open to let his sore knees heal, Federer took advantage of the opening and moved back to No. 1.

Federer will be trying to win a sixth straight U.S. Open title, something no one has accomplished since Bill Tilden did it from 1920-25.

"The fans for me really turned it around, and that's why this year I'm so excited going back there," Federer said. "I've had even better results, so I hope I can again show them what I can do on a tennis court."

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Pilot Pen opens with Dent advancing

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -Taylor Dent has won his first-round match at the Pilot Pen, the final hardcourt tuneup before the U.S. Open.

Dent won his ninth ATP match of the season, and third this month, 6-3, 6-4, over Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia. After two back operations in 2006, Dent has seen his ATP singles ranking rise from No. 865 at the start of this season to No. 202 at the start of last week.

One of the hardest-hitting servers in the men's game, the American was ranked a career-high 21st in August 2005, before severe back pain put him on the sidelines, including a six-month stretch in a body cast.

Dent was awarded a wild card this week to help him prepare for the U.S. Open next week.

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Czech player Ivo Minar denies doping

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) -Czech tennis player Ivo Minar tested positive for a banned substance after a Davis Cup match, officials said Monday.

Czech Tennis Association president Ivo Kaderka said the sample was taken after the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Argentine on July 10-12.

Kaderka said Minar was taking an unspecified food supplement that apparently contained a derivative of the banned stimulant pseudoephedrine.

The ITF in London said it had no comment.

The 25-year-old Minar, who is ranked 66th, denied deliberate doping.

"I have never consciously taken a banned substance," he said in a statement sent to the CTK news agency. "This is why I rejected the accusation of doping in my reaction sent to the ITF."

Minar cited an injury when he pulled out of the upcoming U.S. Open on Friday.

Kaderka said he interpreted Minar's decision to withdraw as an "offer to deal with the matter in a professional way," not an admission of guilt.

It's unclear whether Minar will be able to play in the Davis Cup semifinal against Croatia on Sept. 18-20.

Minar, who turned pro in 2002 and has never won a tour singles title, won a doubles tournament in Munich this year with Tomas Berdych.

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Federer snaps losing streak against Murray

MASON, Ohio (AP) -First Rafael Nadal. Now Andy Murray.

Roger Federer had lost five consecutive matches to Nadal before a straight-set win in the finals at Madrid in May, and on Saturday, the world's No. 1 player snapped a four-match losing streak against the second-ranked Murray to reach the finals of the Cincinnati Masters.

Federer won 6-2, 7-6 (8) and will face fourth-ranked Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. Djokovic earned his second consecutive appearance in the final and snapped his own five-match losing streak against No. 3 Rafael Nadal with a 6-1, 6-4 win in the other semifinal.

The top-seeded Federer, who won the tournament in 2005 and 2007, put more emphasis on reaching the finals than on snapping his personal losing streak against Murray, the defending champion.

"It doesn't matter to me," said Federer, the winner of a record 15 Grand Slams, including the last two at the French Open and Wimbledon. "I'm past that point. People try to hype it up, but I don't read anything into it. I know my game's on, and when my game's on, I know I can beat any player in the world."

Federer never faced deuce while serving, keeping Murray on his heels in the first match between the tour's top two players in the history of the $3 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

"I was just happy that I managed to keep it close in the second set, because I returned poorly and served poorly," said Murray, who had one set point in the tiebreaker at 8-7 before going wide with a backhand.

"Against Roger, if you do both of those things, it's going to be very difficult."

Federer was leading the tiebreaker 9-8 when Murray double-faulted to lose to the top seed for the first time in five matches since the finals of last year's U.S. Open.

Federer took control of the first set when Murray hit a backhand long on break point in the fourth game. Federer clinched the first set when he successfully challenged a call on his second break point of the eighth game.

"If you let Roger play well, then he's very, very difficult to beat," Murray said. "I mean, the first set, I was leaving the ball short and giving him a lot of second serves to look at and not making a whole lot of returns, so therefore, I was unable to put any pressure on him. He was going for his shots because I was leaving the ball in the middle of the court."

Federer felt the same way, especially since he didn't have to deal with the wind that plagued the tournament's previous two days. Saturday's match was played in unusually cool weather under cloudy skies with a steady breeze from the northwest.

"In the end, I felt like I deserved to win because I wasn't afraid to go after shots," he said.

Djokovic, who lost to Murray in last year's final, came out aggressively against Nadal. The Serb fired five aces and 13 winners in the first set, including a backhand passing shot to break Nadal in the fourth game. Djokovic gained an edge in the second set when Nadal knocked a backhand into the net on break point in the fifth game, but he maintained the pressure, finishing with 21 winners to Nadal's 10.

"(Nadal's) one of the best players ever, and he puts a lot of effort into every point, so even though I was a set and a break up, I knew he wasn't finished," said Djokovic, who has won his last two matches against Federern but is 4-7 overall. "I did everything I needed to do to win."

Nadal, the former top-ranked player who was in his second tournament after missing two months with tendinitis in both knees, still is adjusting to the speed and intensity of playing the highest-ranked players, he said.

"I knew I had to play aggressively, but he was always inside the line and I was always outside," he said. "I wasn't 100-percent ready to play. I need to play at this level more than one time. I know, when I play well, I can play at this level."

Federer, Nadal both out of Rogers CupToffees show Lescott love

Sharapova reaches first final since April 2008

TORONTO - Maria Sharapova advanced to the final of the Rogers Cup with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Russian compatriot Alisa Kleybanova on Saturday night.

Sharapova will face fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva in the tournament’s first all-Russian women’s final. Dementieva beat second-seeded Serena Williams 7-6 (2), 6-1 in the first semifinal.

“She’s a grinder,” Sharapova said of Dementieva. “She makes you hit a lot of balls. You really have to be steady with her, and take your opportunities when you get them.”

Sharapova, who missed nearly a year with a serious shoulder injury, will be making her first appearance in a final since April 2008.

Kleybanova, who needed 3 hours, 16 minutes to beat No. 5 Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals the previous night, was up 3-1 in the third set. However, Sharapova clawed back, breaking Kleybanova twice to roar ahead 5-4.

She then closed out the 2-hour 37-minute marathon with back-to-back aces, her third and fourth of the match.

Sharapova has dominated Dementieva in her career, winning eight of their 10 matches. They last met at the 2008 Australian Open, where Sharapova won 6-2, 6-0 in the round of 16.

The 27-year-old Dementieva, who lost to Williams in a nearly 3-hour semifinal match at Wimbledon, kept her cool while overcoming a 5-3 deficit in the first set.

“I was really waiting for this match after Wimbledon,” said Dementieva, who has two tournament wins this year but none since January. “It’s always very interesting to play against Serena, and I was looking for revenge after Wimbledon.

“I was very positive on the court, and very satisfied with the way I was playing.”

The second-seeded Williams came into the match as the hottest player in the tournament, but an unreliable serve and a litany of unforced errors were her undoing. The 2001 Rogers Cup champion was broken five times and looked out of rhythm from the start, hitting routine shots long, wide or into the net.

“I can’t say I was especially feeling the fire,” Williams said. “Obviously you want to do well, and I always really want to do well. Honestly, I think I could have and should have won, but I didn’t, so ... it is what it is.”

Dementieva has now beaten Williams in four of their last five hardcourt meetings, a positive sign for the Russian with the U.S. Open getting under way in just over a week. However, Dementieva wasn’t looking that far ahead.

“You never know,” said Dementieva. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of good matches over the past three weeks, and I hope it’s going to be a good preparation for the U.S. Open. But right now, I just want to focus on the final.”

 

Frank Gunn / APMaria Sharapova celebrates after her 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Alisa Kleybanova in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup on Saturday night. 

Williams entered Saturday having been broken just once in her first three matches — and it was the only break point opportunity she had allowed all tournament. But she struggled from the outset against Dementieva, giving up a break in the third game of the match.

Williams, though, was actually satisfied with the level of her service game against Dementieva.

“I don’t think I had too many service problems,” said Williams. “I think I served better than I did my first two rounds.”

The players traded several more breaks — six in total — before Dementieva prevailed in the tiebreaker. She opened up a 4-1 lead and eventually captured the set when Williams hit a forehand long. It was the first set Williams had lost all tournament.

“I really probably should have won the first set, which probably would have (led to) a different result,” she said. “But I didn’t. I started making a lot of errors (on) key shots I should have made.”

Dementieva broke Williams early in the second set to jump ahead 2-0 and held serve the rest of the way. The match ended when Williams pushed a forehand wide.

Kleybanova fought off 12 break points in her first two service games before Sharapova capitalized on No. 13 to take a 2-1 lead.

Sharapova converted her next break point chance to extend her advantage to 4-1 and held serve from there, making good on her third set point.

Kleybanova opened the second set with a flourish, breaking Sharapova for the first time in the match and building a 3-0 lead. Sharapova stormed back to level the set 4-4, but Kleybanova pulled back in front and earned a break to win the set after Sharapova committed her ninth double-fault.

In the early doubles semifinal, the sixth-seeded Spanish tandem of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat No. 4 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Ai Sugiyama of Japan 6-4, 6-4. They’ll face the winner of Saturday’s late doubles match, which pitted the top-seeded duo of Zimbabwe’s Cara Black and Liezel Huber of the U.S., against third-seeded Rennae Stubbs and Samantha Stosur of Australia.

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Federer needs 3 sets to reach quarterfinals

MASON, Ohio (AP) -A gust of wind snatched the tennis ball that Roger Federer had swatted toward the upper deck and blew it right over the top row of seats, making the souvenir vanish from sight.

As he watched the yellow dot sail away, the world's top-ranked player was thankful he didn't get blown away, too.

Federer struggled in blustery conditions Thursday against a player he has dominated throughout his career. A 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's David Ferrer put him in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters and left him relieved he was still around.

"This win today was perfect," he said. "It gives me another opportunity to play another match. I'm further into the tournament, which normally makes me play better."

Second-ranked Andy Murray watched Federer struggle with the wind and took the court with an idea of what to expect. He beat Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-1 in the next match at the $3 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, where the top players managed to move on.

"It's tough conditions, very windy," said Murray, who had only 14 unforced errors and was broken only once. "I saw a little bit of Federer's match before I was going on. You know you can't play to the lines. You're going to mis-hit some shots. It's just important not to get too frustrated."

Third-ranked Rafael Nadal was much sharper in his second match of the tournament, a 7-5, 6-2 victory over France's Paul-Henri Mathieu. No. 4 Novak Djokovic beat Jeremy Chardy of France 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.

Following his postmatch interview on the court, Federer swatted some souvenir balls into the stands - well, all but that last one that cleared the seats and bounced down the concourse, demonstrating what players were up against. Every mistake was magnified by mph.

"Just play smart," Federer said. "If you play dumb in the wind, that can backfire big-time."

Federer took time off after his Wimbledon victory - his record 15th Grand Slam title - to become the father of twin girls. His difficulties on Thursday had little to do with the layoff and everything to do with the wind, which played havoc with shots.

Federer usually likes to play in the wind but needed a set to get his bearings against Ferrer, who is 0-9 career against the Swiss star and has won only two sets in those matches.

Federer made 16 unforced errors in the opening set, unable to get the ball to land where he wanted. The swirling wind tousled players' hair, rippled their shirts and made the turned-off circular fans behind the players' chairs whirl as if they were drawing electricity.

The 27-year-old Spaniard seemed to draw energy off Federer's difficulties. When Ferrer broke to go up 3-2 in the third set, he had his chance.

Immediately, he blew it.

Federer broke right back to tie it at 3. Upset over the wasted opportunity to take control, Ferrer angrily swatted a ball into the stands and then dropped his racket. He sensed he might not get another opening.

He didn't.

Federer broke him to go up 5-4 with a move that showed a feel for the wind. He chipped a backhand that drew Ferrer to the net, then deftly lobbed a backhand over his head - the wind-pushed ball landed perfectly inside the baseline.

"I think at the beginning, maybe my footwork was just a touch off," Federer said. "After that, I think I got it together and started to play better and better. In the end, when it goes your way, all of a sudden you can actually use the wind to your advantage in a big way. That's what I hoped to do the whole match today, but it's not so easy sometimes."

He'll face Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Sam Querrey 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 on Thursday.

"He's the benchmark," Hewitt said. "He's obviously the in-form player at the moment and the guy to beat on any surface, especially after winning the two last big majors. We have had so many big matches over the years in a lot of situations. It's always a privilege to play Roger."

Nadal took two months off - missing Wimbledon - to let the tendinitis in both knees subside. He looked rusty last week in Montreal, and struggled in his opening match on Wednesday.

Nadal was back on his game against Mathieu, who fell to 0-9 career against the 23-year-old Spaniard. Nadal repeatedly won points with crisp shots that hugged the lines and left no room for return.

"Very pleased with my performance," he said. "I think I played much better than yesterday."

Toffees show Lescott loveFederer needs 3 sets to reach quarterfinals

Sharapova, Serena reach quarters in Toronto

TORONTO (AP) -Maria Sharapova beat Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 7-6 (3) Thursday to join Serena Williams in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup.

After waiting out a storm that suspended play for an hour, Sharapova eliminated the No. 7 seed to advance past the third round of the Canadian tournament for the first time.

It was another positive step for the 49th-ranked Sharapova, who returned in May from shoulder injury that kept her out of action for nine months.

"I thought it was a step up, definitely," Sharapova said. "I had to (play) against somebody that I've had trouble against in the past who I usually play three sets against. It was good to finish the match in two, but I really had no choice. I had to pick it up."

Zvonareva won four straight games in the second set before Sharapova recovered to force the tiebreaker, which she won easily. Sharapova will next face No. 14. Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

"I think this is definitely a great result," Sharapova said. "I've already played against three great opponents and I'm going to play another opponent tomorrow and you just hope that with each match you can raise your level and play better."

Williams had a much easier time, beating Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko 6-1, 6-4, two days after sister Venus Williams fell to Kateryna Bondarenko.

Serena Williams will face Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic next. The second-ranked Williams is the highest-seeded player left in the tournament after No. 1 Dinara Safina lost Wednesday.

Fifth-ranked Jelena Jankovic slugged out an 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the late match. Jankovic, fresh from winning the Cincinnati Open on Sunday, needed 2 hours to beat Clijsters, who returned last week after retiring two years ago to start a family.

Clijsters didn't look like a player who had spent time away from the court. The 26-year-old scored four break points off Jankovic and will take that momentum to the U.S. Open after receiving a wild card for the tournament Thursday night.

At first, it looked like another easy day for Williams. After cruising through the first set, she appeared ready for the next round when Bondarenko found her swing in the second set.

But Williams took a breath, relaxed, and won three straight games to move on.

It was a minor hiccup in Williams' quest for a second Rogers Cup title that she chalked up to a momentary loss in composure.

"I was just trying to be perfect and then I just couldn't get my serve in and got frustrated," Williams said. "You know, I've been practicing a lot on my serve, it just hasn't been well, so I think in any case it can be frustrating."

Earlier, Elena Dementieva rallied past Shahar Peer for a 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 victory. Dementieva will face Samantha Stosur, who swept Virginie Razzano 6-3, 6-1.

Aravane Rezai couldn't repeat after her upset of Safina, falling 6-3, 6-4 to Alisa Kleybanova; Safarova beat China's Zheng Jie 7-6 (3), 6-4; and Radwanska downed Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5, 6-3..

Williams has rarely been challenged at the Rexall Centre. She easily beat Yaroslava Shvedova on Wednesday and may not face a seeded player until the semifinals.

However, she knows she has to keep her cool if she's going to make it that far.

"I get really emotional on the court," she said. "Sometimes I'm really into the game too much, and I've just got to (remain calm). I can't help myself when I do that, I think it's just something natural and hopefully it helps me. I think towards the end I was able to relax and just calm down and then just try to stay positive more than anything."

She admitted she was disappointed in Thursday's performance after a strong start to the tournament.

"I thought that if I could keep up that form, I'm on my way into glory and today I didn't play as well so hopefully I can get it back," Williams said.

Williams needed just over an hour to beat Bondarenko, hitting three aces while committing three double faults. Williams, who will compete at the U.S. Open, said she is focused on winning the Rogers Cup for the first time since 2001.

"I'm just trying to play well," she said. "There's a huge gap so I'm just trying to do what I can and stay alive here. This is my first focus."

Mauresmo and Petrova upset losers at TorontoKaka targeting Euro success

Federer needs 3 sets to reach quarterfinals

MASON, Ohio (AP) -A gust of wind snatched the tennis ball that Roger Federer had swatted toward the upper deck and blew it right over the top row of seats, making the souvenir vanish from sight.

As he watched the yellow dot sail away, the world's top-ranked player was thankful he didn't get blown away, too.

Federer struggled in blustery conditions Thursday against a player he has dominated throughout his career. A 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's David Ferrer put him in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters and left him relieved he was still around.

"This win today was perfect," he said. "It gives me another opportunity to play another match. I'm further into the tournament, which normally makes me play better."

Second-ranked Andy Murray watched Federer struggle with the wind and took the court with an idea of what to expect. He beat Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-1 in the next match at the $3 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, where the top players managed to move on.

"It's tough conditions, very windy," said Murray, who had only 14 unforced errors and was broken only once. "I saw a little bit of Federer's match before I was going on. You know you can't play to the lines. You're going to mis-hit some shots. It's just important not to get too frustrated."

Third-ranked Rafael Nadal was much sharper in his second match of the tournament, a 7-5, 6-2 victory over France's Paul-Henri Mathieu. No. 4 Novak Djokovic beat Jeremy Chardy of France 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.

Following his postmatch interview on the court, Federer swatted some souvenir balls into the stands - well, all but that last one that cleared the seats and bounced down the concourse, demonstrating what players were up against. Every mistake was magnified by mph.

"Just play smart," Federer said. "If you play dumb in the wind, that can backfire big-time."

Federer took time off after his Wimbledon victory - his record 15th Grand Slam title - to become the father of twin girls. His difficulties on Thursday had little to do with the layoff and everything to do with the wind, which played havoc with shots.

Federer usually likes to play in the wind but needed a set to get his bearings against Ferrer, who is 0-9 career against the Swiss star and has won only two sets in those matches.

Federer made 16 unforced errors in the opening set, unable to get the ball to land where he wanted. The swirling wind tousled players' hair, rippled their shirts and made the turned-off circular fans behind the players' chairs whirl as if they were drawing electricity.

The 27-year-old Spaniard seemed to draw energy off Federer's difficulties. When Ferrer broke to go up 3-2 in the third set, he had his chance.

Immediately, he blew it.

Federer broke right back to tie it at 3. Upset over the wasted opportunity to take control, Ferrer angrily swatted a ball into the stands and then dropped his racket. He sensed he might not get another opening.

He didn't.

Federer broke him to go up 5-4 with a move that showed a feel for the wind. He chipped a backhand that drew Ferrer to the net, then deftly lobbed a backhand over his head - the wind-pushed ball landed perfectly inside the baseline.

"I think at the beginning, maybe my footwork was just a touch off," Federer said. "After that, I think I got it together and started to play better and better. In the end, when it goes your way, all of a sudden you can actually use the wind to your advantage in a big way. That's what I hoped to do the whole match today, but it's not so easy sometimes."

He'll face Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Sam Querrey 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 on Thursday.

"He's the benchmark," Hewitt said. "He's obviously the in-form player at the moment and the guy to beat on any surface, especially after winning the two last big majors. We have had so many big matches over the years in a lot of situations. It's always a privilege to play Roger."

Nadal took two months off - missing Wimbledon - to let the tendinitis in both knees subside. He looked rusty last week in Montreal, and struggled in his opening match on Wednesday.

Nadal was back on his game against Mathieu, who fell to 0-9 career against the 23-year-old Spaniard. Nadal repeatedly won points with crisp shots that hugged the lines and left no room for return.

"Very pleased with my performance," he said. "I think I played much better than yesterday."

Toffees show Lescott loveFederer needs 3 sets to reach quarterfinals

Williams sisters to own part of Dolphins

MIAMI - Venus and Serena Williams have found a new sport: pro football.

The tennis-playing sisters will become the latest celebrities to own a stake in the Miami Dolphins, a person familiar with the deal said Wednesday. The person didn’t want to be identified because the team plans an announcement Tuesday.

Another person close to the negotiations said an agreement was near but not yet final. That person also didn’t want to be identified because the announcement has not been made.

“There have been preliminary talks, and hopefully it’ll work out,” Serena Williams said Wednesday night after a 6-3, 6-2 win over Yaroslava Shvedova in Toronto. “That would be a great opportunity for both of us. You never know. We’ll see what happens.”

The Williamses live in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., about an hour’s drive from the Dolphins’ stadium. Their new role will be significant in part because the NFL has no African-American majority team owner.

Musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan and Marc Anthony recently bought small shares of the team. New Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also forged a partnership with singer Jimmy Buffett.

The Dolphins have said the involvement of the celebrities reflects the diversity of South Florida and shows that the franchise is connected with the community.

“There’s always so many opportunities out there, and Venus and I are always trying to expand our brand and do the best that we can do, and if an opportunity presents itself, we would love to see where it can take us,” Serena Williams said. “Who knows what’s going to happen, but hopefully we’ll be able to hopefully continue to expand our brand.”

A Dolphins spokesman said the team had no comment regarding next week’s announcement.

The Williams sisters have combined to win 18 Grand Slam titles, and they staged their latest sibling showdown last month at Wimbledon, where Serena beat Venus in the final.

Serena has won 11 major titles and Venus seven.

Ross, a New York real estate billionaire, completed his purchase of the Dolphins from Wayne Huizenga in January and began a partnership in May with Buffett. The agreement with the Estefans was announced in June, followed by the deal with Anthony last month.

Buffett and the Estefans are longtime Dolphins fans. The Williams sisters aren’t known to closely follow the Dolphins or the NFL.

Ross has said the minority owners are strategic partners and aren’t being brought aboard because of a financial need. He has pledged to improve the fan experience at games, and the celebrities will help — although it’s unlikely the sisters will be staging tennis exhibitions at halftime.

Buffett has yet to accept Ross’ invitation to become a minority owner, but the Dolphins’ stadium has been renamed Land Shark Stadium for this season. Buffett has written a song for the Dolphins, and they’ve introduced a new version of their fight song by the rapper T-Pain.

Anthony will perform the national anthem when the Dolphins host the New York Jets on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 12.

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Federer needs 3 sets to reach quarterfinals

MASON, Ohio (AP) -Roger Federer struggled in blustery conditions to overcome David Ferrer of Spain 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters on Thursday.

The third-round victory left the Swiss star relieved he was still around.

"This win today was perfect," Federer said. "It gives me another opportunity to play another match. I'm further into the tournament, which normally makes me play better."

Second-ranked Andy Murray was much sharper under the conditions, beating Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-1. Murray kept the ball in play, had only 14 unforced errors and was broken only one time - impressive numbers under the conditions.

"I saw a little bit of Federer's match before I was going on. You know you can't play to the lines," Murray said. "You're going to miss-hit some shots. It's just important not to get too frustrated."

No. 4 Novak Djokovic beat Jeremy Chardy of France 7-5, 6-3. Third-ranked Rafael Nadal had an evening match.

Unseeded Lleyton Hewitt, a two-time runner-up, edged Sam Querrey of the United States 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 to line up Federer next.

Following his post-match interview on the court, Federer swatted some souvenir balls into the stands - well, all but one that flew out of the stadium, demonstrating what the players had been up against. Every mistake was magnified.

"Just play smart," Federer said. "If you play dumb in the wind, that can backfire big time."

Federer took time off after his Wimbledon victory - his record 15th Grand Slam title - to become the father of twin girls. His difficulties on Thursday had little to do with the layoff and everything to do with the wind, which played havoc with shots.

Federer usually likes to play in the wind but had an uncharacteristic 35 unforced errors against Ferrer, who was winless in nine career matches against the world No. 1 and has won only two sets in those matches.

Federer made 16 unforced errors in the opening set, unable to get the ball to land where he wanted. The swirling wind tousled players' hair, rippled their shirts and made the turned-off circular fans behind the players' chairs whirl as if they were drawing electricity.

The Spaniard seemed to draw energy off Federer's difficulties. When Ferrer broke to go up 3-2 in the third set, he had his chance.

Immediately, he blew it.

Federer broke him right back to tie it at 3. Upset over the wasted opportunity to take control, Ferrer angrily swatted a ball into the stands and dropped his racket. He sensed he might not get another opening.

He didn't.

Federer broke him to go up 5-4 with a move that showed he had gotten a feel for the wind. He chipped a backhand that drew Ferrer to the net, then deftly lobbed a backhand over his head - the wind-pushed ball landed perfectly inside the baseline.

"I think at the beginning, maybe my footwork was just a touch off," Federer said. "After that, I think I got it together and started to play better and better. In the end, when it goes your way, all of a sudden you can actually use the wind to your advantage in a big way. That's what I hoped to do the whole match today, but it's not so easy sometimes."

Toffees show Lescott loveFederer, Nadal both out of Rogers Cup

Clijsters, Glatch, King get U.S. Open wild cards

NEW YORK (AP) -Past champion Kim Clijsters has received her U.S. Open wild card.

The 26-year-old Belgian recently came out of retirement and was promised an invitation to the American Grand Slam tournament, which begins Aug. 31. Clijsters won the 2005 U.S. Open and hasn't played in the event since.

American women getting wild cards from the U.S. Tennis Association on Thursday: Fed Cup team members Alexa Glatch of Newport Beach, Calif., and Vania King of Long Beach, Calif., Gail Brodksy of New York City, NCAA champion Mallory Cecil of Spartanburg, S.C., and Christina McHale of Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

Kristina Mladenovic of France and Olivia Rogowska of Australia also were placed in the tournament's field.

The draw is Aug. 27.

Dent, Levine among U.S. Open wild cardsKeirrison open to Roma loan

Dent, Levine among U.S. Open wild cards

NEW YORK (AP) -Taylor Dent will return to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2005 after receiving one of eight men's wild cards on Wednesday.

Dent, a four-time winner on tour, missed two full seasons because of three back operations. He was ranked a career-high No. 21 in 2005, and was currently 202nd.

Other American men given wild cards into the year's last Grand Slam, which begins on Aug. 31: Jesse Levine, Devin Britton, Chase Buchanan, Brendan Evans, and Rajeev Ram.

Chris Guccione of Australia and Michael Llodra of France received the last two men's wild cards.

The eight women's wild cards will be announced on Thursday. The U.S. Tennis Association already has said 2005 U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters, who recently came out of retirement, is receiving a wild card.

The tournament draw is on Aug. 27.

Keirrison open to Roma loanWilliams sisters, Clijsters lead U.S. Open field

Murray passes Nadal

MONTREAL (AP) -Andy Murray has overtaken Rafael Nadal in the ATP rankings, becoming the first British man to reach No. 2.

Roger Federer is still No. 1 in Monday's rankings. Murray's Rogers Cup title in Montreal last week moved him up to No. 2 for the first time, while Nadal is now No. 3 after being ranked No. 1 from August 2008 through June 2009.

The only other change in the top 10 this week is Fernando Verdasco's rise from No. 11 to No. 10, supplanting Fernando Gonzalez.

Dinara Safina remains at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, followed by No. 2 Serena Williams and No. 3 Venus Williams.

Costa blasts ZaragozaNadal to return next month

Mauresmo and Petrova upset losers at Toronto

TORONTO (AP) -Francesca Schiavone beat No. 15 seed Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-2, 3-6 in the first round of the Rogers Cup on Monday.

Mauresmo hadn't played since Wimbledon.

Maria Sharapova looked impressive in a 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 10 seed Nadia Petrova in a night match. Sharapova broke Petrova once in the first set and twice more in the second to run her record to 8-1 against her fellow Russian opponent.

No. 13 seed Marion Bartoli was also eliminated with a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Alona Bondarenko, who is ranked 33rd.

The first round also wiped out most of the Canadians in the field, leaving only Quebec's Aleksandra Wozniak in the tournament.

Fellow Canadians Stephanie Dubois, who reached the third round of this tournament in 2006 and 2008 when it was played in Montreal, Heidi El Tabakh, and Valerie Tetreault, all lost Monday at the Rexall Centre.

The 22-year-old Dubois, ranked 112th, double-faulted three times in the opening game of her match against Roberta Vinci and lost 6-1, 6-2.

The 194th-ranked El Tabakh took 17th-ranked Samantha Stosur to two tiebreakers but lost in straight sets 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4).

Tetreault was beaten 6-2, 6-4 by Agnes Szavay.

"I did great at the Rogers Cup for the past four years," Dubois said. "So this for me is a little bit disappointing."

Wozniak, Canada's top-ranked women's player, will meet Alisa Kleybanova on Tuesday.

Dubois, who reached the second round in 2007 when the event was held in Toronto, had her serve broken seven times by Vinci.

In other matches, Ai Sugiyama defeated Iveta Benesova 6-3, 6-4; Aravane Rezai beat Alize Cornet 6-4, 7-5; Kateryna Bondarenko topped Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (4) 6-2; Sybille Bammer eliminated Anna Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; Agnieszka Radwanska knocked off Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-3; and Patty Schnyder defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-1.

Beck, Daniel advance to Swiss Open semifinalsToffees show Lescott love

Roddick ousted; Murray beats Tsonga in Montreal

MONTREAL (AP) -Britain's Andy Murray defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Juan Martin Del Potro ousted Andy Roddick in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup on Saturday.

With his win, Murray will vault past Spain's Rafael Nadal into a career-high second in ATP rankings behind No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland when the next rankings are released on Monday. Nadal, returning from a knee injury, lost in the quarterfinals Friday night.

Murray ousted the seventh-seeded Tsonga 6-4, 7-6 (8).

Del Potro beat Roddick 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. He also defeated the fifth-seeded American in a third-set tiebreaker in the final of a tournament in Washington on Sunday.

Roddick used a service break to take his opening set, but was dominated in the second by the thorough baseline playing and serving of the 20-year-old Del Potro.

The two held service at 5-5 in the third, when Roddick went down 30-40 and then double-faulted. The 2003 Rogers Cup champion slammed his racket down on the court and the sixth-seeded Del Potro then served out the match.

"That was the worst game I've played in a while," Roddick said. "I won't forget that.

"I'm very disappointed with the way the match finished, as far as preparation for the U.S. Open, which is the point of this swing, I feel good about how I played. I like where my game is heading."

"These two weeks have been tough but it's a chance to win another tournament," Del Potro said.

"It will be good for me," he said. "I like playing players who are better than me. "I think he will have the pressure, but I have to play my best."

Murray is looking forward to becoming the new world No. 2.

"In terms of rankings, that's the biggest step I've taken so far," Murray said. "I played consistently well this year. ... Rafa had an injury, but it was Wimbledon that he missed.

"I also took a big break after Wimbledon. ... I've done enough to justify being No. 2. And getting close to one day becoming No. 1 is one of my goals. So it's great. I've put in a lot of hard work to get to this stage."

The 22-year-old Murray has a chance to become the first British player to win the event formerly known as the Canadian Open. The last Briton to reach the final was Roger Taylor, who lost in 1970 to Rod Laver.

Murray, already the highest-rated British player since ATP rankings were introduced in 1973, is the first person other than Nadal or Federer to hold the No 2 spot since July 18, 2005, when Lleyton Hewitt was second behind Federer. Murray has 8,850 points, 185 more than Nadal.

"Five years it's been Rafa and Roger as No. 1 and No. 2," Murray said. "Novak (Djokovic) had one or two matches to get to No. 2, so it's a tough thing to do because Rafa and Roger are maybe the best two of all time. So yeah, it's pretty special to get in between them."

Nadal was playing his first tournament since the French Open in May due to tendinitis in both knees. He said this week he still has work to do to reach his top level of tennis.

Murray also tied Djokovic for the lead in match wins this year with 49, including tournament victories in Doha, Rotterdam, Miami and the Queen's Club in England.

Murray broke service and held a 5-2 first-set lead when the streaky Tsonga broke back and threatened to tie it before the Scotland native served out the set.

The second set went to a tiebreaker in which Murray fought off two set points and finally won the Frenchman hit a backhand into the net.

Tsonga was coming off a dramatic three-set victory over Federer in which he trailed 5-1 in the third set only to rally and win in a tiebreaker.

"It's always tough against him because he dictates what happens in the match because of the way he plays," Murray said. "I just had to stay solid and make enough balls for him to make a few mistakes, and I came up with a few big returns."

Federer, Nadal both out of Rogers CupToffees show Lescott love