Spain, Argentina reaches 2011 Davis Cup Finals

2011 Davis Cup Semifinal Results: Spain beats France, Argentina downs Serbia

Spain won both its reverse singles matches in Day 2 to beat France 4-1 and advance to the 2011 Davis Cup finals. Rafael Nadal beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets 6-0 6-2 6-4 to clinch the third point in the tie, and Fernando Verdasco beat Richard Gasquet 6-2 6-1 in the final match. In the other semifinal match, world #1 Novak Djokovic was forced to retire while trailing 6-7(5) 0-3 to Juan Martin del Potro. Janko Tipsaveric then won against Juan Monaco who retired in the non-bearing fifth match 6-2 0-0 for a final score of 3-2 in favor of Argentina. The loss meant that Serbia will not be able to defend its championship in the Davis Cup finals to be held this December. Argentina now advances to its fourth Davis Cup final and will be aiming to win its first title against Spain. Spain is the most successful nation in the tournament in the past 12 years winning the championships in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2009 while finishing runner-up in 2003. The USA continues to be the most successful Davis Cup nation with 32 titles with the last title coming in 2007. Australia follows with 28 Davis Cup titles.

Serbia vs Argentina Davis Cup Semifinal - Tie 1
Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia

Day 1:

David Nalbandian (#74) bt Victor Troicki (#16): 64 46 62 63
Argentina 1, Serbia 0

Juan Martin del Potro (#17) bt Janko Tipsaveric (#13) 75 63 64
Argentina 2, Serbia 0

Day 2:
Nenad Zimonjic - Viktor Troicki bt Juan Ignacio Chela - Juan Monaco 76(4) 64 62
Argentina 2, Serbia 1

Day 3:
Juan Martin del Potro (#17) bt Novak Djokovic (#1) 76(5) 30 retired
Argentina 3, Serbia 1

Janko Tipsaveric bt Juan Monaco 62 00 retired
Argentina 3, Serbia 2

Head-to-Head: Serbia leads Argentina 1 - 0

Sep 17 Update: Argentina leads Serbia, 2-1. Serbia, playing without world #1 is alive in their semifinal tie against Argentina by winning the doubles match. Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki beat Juan Ignacio Chela and Juan Monaco in straight sets, 76(4) 64 62 to prevent being eliminated from the Davis Cup. Serbia won the title in 2010, and will be hoping that world #16 Victor Troicki and #13 Janko Tipsaveric will win the reverse singles matches against lower ranked opponents on Day 3 to advance to the finals. However, though Argentina will be fielding lower ranked players, they will have the advantage of experience on critical matches. Juan Martin del Potro, a former US Open champion will be going against Troicki, while former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian will be playing against Tipsaveric.

Spain vs France Davis Cup Semifinal - Tie 2
Venue: Plaza de Toros de los Califas, Cordoba, Spain

Day 1:

Rafael Nadal (#2) bt Richard Gasquet (#15): 63 60 61
Spain 1, France 0

David Ferrer (#5) bt Gilles Simon (#11) 61 64 61
Spain 2, France 0

Day 2:
Michael Llodra - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bt Feliciano Lopez - Fernando Verdasco 61 62 60
Spain 2, France 1

Day 3:
Rafael Nadal (#2) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (#10) 60 62 64
Spain 3, France 1

Fernando Verdasco (#22) bt Richard Gasquet (#15) 62 61
Spain 4, France 1

Head-to-Head: Spain leads France 5 - 2

Sep 17 Update: Spain leads France, 2-1. Spain will be looking forward to advancing to the Davis Cup finals by winning one of the reverse singles matches on Day 3 and their players are favored on both matches. World #2 Rafael Nadal will be going against #11 Gilles Simon and Nadal holds a 4-1 advantage in their head-to-head matches including winning the past two matches they've played. The second reverse singles match will feature #5 David Ferrer against #15 Richard Gasquet. Ferrer holds a 5-1 advantage and has won their only match played on clay.

Photo Credit: DavisCup.com

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Djokovic beats Nadal to win US Open, 4th Grand Slam

Djokovic beats Nadal - wins 1st US Open title

World #1 Novak Djokovic punctuated a remarkable season by beating #2 Rafael Nadal to win the 2011 US Open in four sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1. This is Djokovic's sixth win over Nadal this year, and all wins have occurred in championship matches including the finals of Wimbledon. Djokovic won his 10th title of the season and brings home a total of $2.3 million - $1.8 for the US Open title, and an additional $500,000 for placing second in the US Open series. He improved his season record to an incredible 64-2 win-loss record. His victory at the US Open assured him of the year-end world #1 ranking.

In his winner's speech, Djokovic commented on his incredible season and on winning the US Open title for the first time. "It really sounds unreal; it's an incredible feeling. I had an amazing year and it keeps going. Every time I play Rafa it's a big challenge. I want to congratulate him on a great tournament again. I wish that we will have many more tough matches in the upcoming years. It's an absolute pleasure to be a part of the very few players that have won this trophy throughout history."

Nadal was going for his 11th major title but failed to defend his US Open title. He is now 3-6 in final matches this year, all six losses coming from Djokovic. The loss was also Nadal's fourth loss at a Grand Slam final - his second major final loss to Djokovic. He takes home $900,000 for finishing as runner-up. "Obviously I'm disappointed," said Nadal. "This guy is doing unbelievable things, so I just want to congratulate Novak. What he did this year is probably impossible to repeat. I tried my best in every moment.

Nadal vs Djokovic - US Open Final Match-up

It's a fitting end to the Grand Slam season with world #1 Nadal Djokovic going against #2 Rafael Nadal for the US Open championship title. Djokovic and Nadal had contrasting semifinal victories - Djokovic came back from a two-set deficit and saved two match points to beat 16-time grand slam champion Roger Federer while Nadal beat Andy Murray in a straight forward 4-set victory. The two rivals will be meeting for the 29th time. While Nadal leads their current head-to-head with 16 wins against 12 losses, Djokovic has compiled an amazing 63-2 win-loss season so far - including beating Nadal in all five championship matches they've played this year. Their last meeting was at the Wimbledon final where Djokovic won in four sets on his way to collecting his third grand slam title. Djokovic will be going for his 10th tournament victory this year while Nadal will collect his fourth if he wins the match. The winner will go home with $1.8 million.

This 29th meeting will be a rematch of last year's US Open final where Nadal beat Djokovic in four sets. At that time, Nadal was the #1 player in the world while Djokovic was #3.

Djokovic on playing Nadal: "You know, I know that I have a game that is good enough to win against him. I proved that this year in three different surfaces, so I believe that I have a good chance. I need to go out on the court believing I can win. But, you know, we're talking about a player who has won 10 majors already in his career and he's only 25. He's defending his title. I think last year in 2010 throughout the whole tournament and in the finals I never seen him serve better than that tournament. So I think, you know, again, depends from my serve and his serve, as well. But, yeah, it's gonna be a tough match."

Nadal on playing Djokovic: "I think I gonna do serve and volley. (Laughter.) You know, I have my game, and I beat him in the past playing my game. The thing is play my game very well and be enough strong mentally all the time, fight every ball, believe in the victory in every moment. That's something that for moments this year I didn't. But just play aggressive, try to play a similar match than last year here. I saw that match a lot of times and I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I gonna be able to do it. So that's always the same."

#1 Novak Djokovic - path to 2011 US Open Final:

SF: bt R.FEDERER [3] 6-7(7) 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5
QF: bt J.TIPSAREVIC [20] 7-6(2) 6-7(3) 6-0 3-0 Ret.
4R: bt A.DOLGOPOLOV [22] 7-6(14) 6-4 6-2
3R: bt N.DAVYDENKO 6-3 6-4 6-2
2R: bt C.BERLOCQ 6-0 6-0 6-2
1R: bt C. NILAND 6-0 5-1 Ret.

#2 Rafael Nadal - path to 2011 US Open Final:

SF: bt A.MURRAY [4] 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-2
QF: bt A.RODDICK [21] 6-2 6-1 6-3
4R: bt G.MULLER 7-6(1) 6-1 6-2
3R: bt D.NALBANDIAN 7-6(5) 6-1 7-5
2R: bt N.MAHUT 6-2 6-2 Ret.
1R: bt A.GOLUBEV 6-3 7-6(1) 7-5

Nadal vs Djokovic: Head to Head (Nadal leads Djokovic: 16-12)

Year Tournament City
Surface Round Winner  Score

2011 Wimbledon Great Britain
Grass F Djokovic, Novak 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3

2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Italy
Clay F Djokovic, Novak 6-4, 6-4

2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid Spain
Clay F Djokovic, Novak 7-5, 6-4

2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami FL, U.S.A.
Hard F Djokovic, Novak 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)

2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells CA, U.S.A.
Hard F Djokovic, Novak 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals London, England
Hard RR Nadal, Rafael 7-5, 6-2

2010 US Open NY, U.S.A.
Hard F Nadal, Rafael 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

2009 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals London, England
Hard RR Djokovic, Novak 7-6(5), 6-3

2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris France
Hard S Djokovic, Novak 6-2, 6-3

2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati OH, U.S.A.
Hard S Djokovic, Novak 6-1, 6-4

2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid Spain
Clay S Nadal, Rafael 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(9)

2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Italy
Clay F Nadal, Rafael 7-6(2), 6-2

2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo Monaco
Clay F Nadal, Rafael 6-3, 2-6, 6-1

2009 ESP vs. SRB WG 1st RD Spain
Clay RR Nadal, Rafael 6-4, 6-4, 6-1

2008 Beijing Olympics China
Hard S Nadal, Rafael 6-4, 1-6, 6-4

2008 ATP Masters Series Cincinnati OH, U.S.A.
Hard S Djokovic, Novak 6-1, 7-5

2008 London / Queen's Club Great Britain
Grass F Nadal, Rafael 7-6(6), 7-5

2008 Roland Garros France
Clay S Nadal, Rafael 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(3)

2008 ATP Masters Series Hamburg Germany
Clay S Nadal, Rafael 7-5, 2-6, 6-2

2008 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells CA, U.S.A.
Hard S Djokovic, Novak 6-3, 6-2

2007 Tennis Masters Cup China
Hard RR Nadal, Rafael 6-4, 6-4

2007 ATP Masters Series Canada Canada
Hard S Djokovic, Novak 7-5, 6-3

2007 Wimbledon Great Britain
Grass S Nadal, Rafael 3-6, 6-1, 4-1 RET

2007 Roland Garros France
Clay S Nadal, Rafael 7-5, 6-4, 6-2

2007 ATP Masters Series Rome Italy
Clay Q Nadal, Rafael 6-2, 6-3

2007 ATP Masters Series Miami FL, U.S.A.
Hard Q Djokovic, Novak 6-3, 6-4

2007 ATP Masters Series Indian Wells CA, U.S.A.
Hard F Nadal, Rafael 6-2, 7-5

2006 Roland Garros France
Clay Q Nadal, Rafael 6-4, 6-4 RET

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Stosur slams Serena to win US Open, 1st Grand Slam

Stosur wins 2011 US Open for first Grand Slam

In what is being dubbed as one of the greatest upset in recent tennis history, #7-seed Sam Stosur beat #28-seed Serena Williams in straight sets 62 63 to win the 2011 US Open and her first grand slam singles title. Despite being ranked lower, Williams was the heads-on favorite to win the match. She won 2 hardcourt titles over the summer including a straight set victory over Stosur in Toronto, and she headed into the championship match without dropping a set and riding an 18-match winning streak. Serena is also the most formidable Grand Slam opponent in this generation, winning 13 grand slam titles in 16 championship matches.

Stosur played a clean aggressive match with 20 winners and just 12 unforced errors. Serena was erratic with 19 winners and 25 unforced errors - still good enough to beat a lot of players but not the Australian on this particular day. Stosur now joins Na Li and Petra Kvitova as first time grand slam winners this year. She also became the first Australian woman to win a singles grand slam title in 38 years. Stosur's US Open prize will be $1.8 million - her biggest single paycheck to date. Serena on the other hand will bring home $1.4 million - $900,000 for the runner-up prize and an additional $500,000 bonus from winning the US Open series.

Stosur was playing a grand slam championship match for the second time. In 2010, she was the favorite to take the French Open title but was beaten by an inspired Francesca Schiavone. In her interview, Stosur credits her self belief but also her bewilderment on how she managed to win the tournament.

"I had to believe I had a chance. Having two victories over her in the past helped me feel it was possible. I was able to step up and hit my favorite shot - my forehand - off nearly every second serve she hit, which put her under pressure every time she missed a first serve... After that first set I sat down and could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I thought, 'I'm up a set now, I've got a chance to win one out of the next two."

"I can't believe I actually won this tournament. To go out there and play the way I did - you hope to be able to do that, but to actually do it is unbelievable."

As for Serena, she was gracious in her praise for Stosur's excellent play, and was reflective on her comeback so far. "I want to give all the credit to Sam, because I think she played really, really well... The last 14 months have been really hard. Six months ago I never thought I'd have even have a chance to play for the US Open, let alone seven weeks ago. I'm excited I'm healthy and alive, and still competing with the best." She however, has an ominous warning for the other players. "But every time I lose, I get better. So watch out."

Serena vs Stosur - 2011 US OPEN Final - Head to Head Match-up

RANK (SEED)YEAR EVENT SURFACE ROUND WINNER SCORE RANK (SEED)
4 (4) 2008 OLYMPICS HARD R32 S.Williams 6-2 6-0          79
2 (1) 2009 SYDNEY HARD R32 S.Williams 6-3 6-7(4) 7-5     46
2 (1) 2009 STANFORD HARD Q S. Stosur 6-2 3-6 6-2         20
1 (1) 2010 AUSTRALIAN OPEN HARD R16 S.Williams 6-4 6-2   13 (13)
1 (1) 2010 FRENCH OPEN CLAY Q S. Stosur 6-2 6-7(2) 8-6    7 (7)
80    2011 TORONTO HARD F S.Williams 6-4 6-2             11 (10)
31    2011 CINCINNATI HARD R32 S. Stosur W/O             10 (10)


13-time grand slam champion Serena Williams will be the heavy favorite when she faces Australian Samantha Stosur in the championship match of the 2011 US Open. Despite being seeded #28, the American has ripped through the draw of this year's last grand slam without the loss of a set and has bundled out #4 Victoria Azarenka in the third round and #1 Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. She is now in the midst of a remarkable 18-match winning streak after winning two hardcourt tournaments over the summer. Serena hasn't played for almost a year after winning her 13th grand slam title at Wimbledon in July 2010 due to injuries.

While Serena has won two tournaments this year, Stosur hasn't won a single tournament although she reached the final of the Toronto tournament losing to Serena herself in straight sets. She will however relish her second trip to a grand slam final. She reached her first slam final at the 2010 French Open where she beat Serena in the quarterfinals when the American was then ranked #1 in the world. She has also beaten Serena in a hardcourt tournament winning their 2009 quarterfinal at Stanford in three sets. Stosur trails Serena 2-4 in their head-to-head series. She will try to emulate Na Li and Petra Kvitova in winning her first grand slam this year. Whatever the outcome of the match, Stosur will rise to the #7 ranking.

Serena will be playing in her 17th grand slam championship match. She has a 13-win and 3-loss record. Her losses are to Venus Williams at the 2000 US Open, Maria Sharapova at 2004 Wimbledon, and again to Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2008.

Both women stand to gain a place in history if they win. For Serena, she will join the select list of Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as the only women to have won the US Open at least 4 times. She will also win a total of $2.8 million for winning both the US Open and the US Open series - the single highest paycheck in either men or women's tennis. For Stosur, she will be the first Australian woman to win the US Open in almost 40 years. The last winner from Down Under was Court.

Serena Williams on Sam Stosur:

"I feel like tomorrow going in we both have the same chances of winning.  She's playing great.  I have been watching her this whole tournament.  I'm not surprised that she's in the final. She's such a great player and a great athlete and a nice girl.  You know, it's definitely gonna be tough for me, so we'll see.  You know, we'll see."

"... Sam's such a fighter.  I think she is underrated as a fighter, because she often comes back when she's down. So you have to really watch out for that."

Sam Stosur on Serena Williams:

"I think playing Serena in a final is kind of bigger than maybe most other matches.  But obviously home crowd favorite American.  It's gonna be a great atmosphere if it's her.  And if it's not her, then it's gonna be fantastic as well.  We will see what happens and whoever my opponent ends up being."

"I think the one good thing is that one of the matches I beat Serena was actually in a Grand Slam.  So I think that's obviously a big, you know, confidence booster if I end up playing her to know that I have been able to do it in a major tournament. But, you know, every tournament is new, and she's obviously been playing extremely well and wants to -- she comes back, and I'm sure it's always to win Grand Slam titles.  It's gonna be tough if it's against her."

Serena Williams - Road to 2011 US Open Final


SF: bt #1-seed Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) - 62 64
QF: bt #17-seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) - 75 61
4R: bt #16-seed Ana Ivanovic (SRB) - 63 64
3R: bt #4-seed Victoria Azarenka (BLR) - 61 75
2R: bt Michaella Kracijek (NED) - 60 61
1R: bt Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) - 61 61


Samantha Stosur - Road to 2011 US Open Final


SF: bt Angelique Kerber (GER) - 63 26 62
QF: bt #2-seed Vera Zvonareva (RUS) - 63 63
4R: bt #25-seed Maria Kirilenko (RUS) - 62 67(15) 63
3R: bt #24-seed Nadia Petrova (RUS) - 76(5) 67(5) 75
2R: bt Coco Vandeweghe (USA) - 63 64
1R: bt Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) - 62 63

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Capriati with young Williams Sisters Photo

I was excited to see a photo of a teenage star Jennifer Capriati with the William sisters before the sisters even entered the professional tennis circuit. It looked like Serena was kind of awe-struck. It's such an innocent picture - a stark contrast to their intense on-court battles. Time had gone so fast that Capriati is now a candidate for the tennis Hall of Fame. Who would have known at the time when the photo was taken that these three American girls would all become world #1 and win a total of 23 (and counting) Grand Slam singles titles between them.

Photo Credit - Getty Images.
Photo Source - Jennifer Capriati's Career Highlights

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Serena vs Wozniacki - the real US Open Final?

Two years ago, Serena Williams was the number 1 player in the world and the defending US Open champion. She was expected to defend her title at Flushing Meadows when she run into the inspirational story at that time in the semifinals - Kim Clijsters who was playing in just her third tournament after coming out of retirement. The match was close with Clijsters winning the first set. Then, when Clijsters was two points away from closing the match with Serena serving, Serena was called for a foot fault which resulted in a match point. The scenes that followed after captivated the tennis world. Serena's infamous tirade with a line judge resulted in her losing the match, and the most hefty fine was levied against the American after several weeks of deliberations. Clijsters then beat an up-and-coming young Danish player named Caroline Wozniacki in the finals to win her second US Open title.

Fast forward to the US Open in 2011. Caroline Wozniacki is now the world #1 player, a title that is always raising eyebrows in the tennis world because Wozniacki earned it by playing more tournaments and lifting trophies in the smaller tennis venues around the world. She has won a leading 6 tournaments during this year but she won final matches against lower ranked players. Her biggest title of the year was in Indian Wells when she beat #17 Marion Bartoli. Bartoli is her highest ranked finals opponent. Her other wins included finals matches against #56 Elena Vesnina in Charleston, #40 Petra Cetskova in New Haven, #38 Lucie Safarova in Copenhagen and #31 Shuai Peng in Brussels. Since reaching the finals in the US Open two years ago, she reached the semi-finals last year, and also reached the same stage in this year's Australian Open. As world #1, she failed to make an impact losing in the early rounds at this year's French Open and Wimbledon.

What about Kim Clijsters? She successfully defended her US Open crown in 2010 and after winning her fourth Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne this year, the Belgian has been beset by injuries and has barely played after March. She lost to #114 Arantxa Rus in the second round of the French Open and pulled out of Wimbledon and this year's US Open. She is still ranked #3 in the world but by failing to defend her ranking points from last year, she is expected to go down to #8 in the world. As for Serena - she is in the same comeback trail as Clijsters was two years ago. The American won Wimbledon 2010 for her 13th Grand Slam trophy and did not participate in any other tournament for almost a year dropping out of the Top 100 in the WTA rankings.

She played in this year's Wimbledon reaching the third round but what generated the buzz was her play during the this summer's tournaments. She beat world #5 Maria Sharapova and #9 Marion Bartoli in Stanford to win her first non-Grand Slam title since Charleston in April 2008. She followed that up with another tournament win in Toronto beating world #4 Victoria Azarenka and #11 Samantha Stosur. Her convincing straight-set victories over four top 11 players made her the pre-US Open favorite. She entered the year's final Grand Slam with a 11-match winning streak, and a chance to continue her streak of winning a Grand Slam title every year for the past 5 years.

After five rounds and 124 matches played in the past 2 weeks, only four players remain in the US Open women's singles draw. The first semifinal will pit #9-seed Stosur against this year's tournament surprise - unseeded German Angelique Kerber. The second semifinal will be between Serena and #1 Wozniacki. Stosur is very talented and has certainly the game to be a first time Grand Slam winner like this year's French Open champion Na Li and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. She is now more experienced and this is her third time to be in this stage of a Grand Slam after reaching the semifinals in the 2009 French Open and being a finalist in the 2010 French Open. Kerber is just having a ball having never made it past the third round in 15 previous Grand Slams. In fact, she has lost in the first round of the past four grand slams she has participated in. She has come through the quarter of the draw that had the two Wimbledon finalists - #3-seed Maria Sharapova and #5-seed Petra Kvitova.

No matter how much excitement the Stosur-Kerber semifinal will generate, the tennis world is definitely going to focus on the Serena - Wozniacki match. It is the highly anticipated match-up of the tournament after the predicted Serena-Sharapova final didn't materialize. Serena has breezed through the tournament without the loss of a set. She has definitely been challenged in the second set of her third round match with #4-seed Azarenka but she has passed that test with flying colors. Wozniacki on the other hand had to battle through the fourth round to get past former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, after being down a set and two breaks in the second set. It will be a battle between a 13-time grand slam champion on the comeback trail, who wants to redeem herself in her home tournament after her debacle two years ago, against a world #1 who still lacks the respect from the tennis world.

This semifinal features the drama, history, story-line and excitement of a Grand Slam final - no semifinal has ever been anticipated since perhaps the Serena-Clijsters semifinals two years ago at the US Open. May this match be decided by the quality of tennis and may the better player win. No foot faults please.

Update:

The tennis world got to see world #1 Wozniacki blown off the court by #28 Serena Williams. It wasn't a pretty sight. Wozniacki won just 5 winners in the straight set loss, majority of her total points coming from Serena's unforced errors. It was an anti-climax for a highly anticipated match. After the fact, it looks like the Serena - Stosur final match-up would actually be a more competitive affair.

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Will Serena win the Richest Prize in Tennis History?

Before the US Open started a couple of weeks ago, two American players had the chance of winning the biggest single paycheck in tennis history - a staggering amount of $2.8 million ($1.8 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series). Americans Mardy Fish and Serena Williams won the US Open Series for the first time in their careers as they performed better than their peers in 10 summer tournaments leading up to the 2011 US Open. Fish, though playing his best tennis and reaching a career high ranking of #8 was not on the list of favorites for the last Grand Slam of the year. Serena on the other hand was the favorite along with Maria Sharapova to take the US Open title, despite being ranked just #28 in the world.

Fast forward to today - after five rounds of play and only 4 players remaining in each of the men's and women's singles draw - Fish has been eliminated in the fourth round falling to the talented Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after being up 2 sets to 1. Serena on the other hand has marched on through the draw without losing a set. She will face world #1 Caroline Wozniacki in the women's singles semifinals, and if she wins that match, will advance to the final against the winner of the Sam Stosur - Angelique Kerber match. Serena is heavily favored to win both matches and win her 14th Grand Slam singles title on Sunday.

If Serena does win her next two matches, she will earn the biggest paycheck in tennis history – the $2.8 million mentioned above. The current record is held by Roger Federer who won $2.4 million in 2007 for winning the US Open Series and capturing the US Open title. The record for largest price in women’s tennis (and all of sports) history is $2.2 million achieved twice by Kim Clijsters. Clijsters accomplished this feat first in 2005 by winning the US Open series and her first ever Grand Slam title. In 2010, she equaled the amount by winner her third Grand Slam title and finishing second in the US Open series.

Serena’s current total prize money earnings of $33.4 million is the most ever won by a woman athlete in the history of sports. By winning the US Open, she will push that total to more than $36 million. After her quarterfinal win, Serena was humorous in her reply when asked what she would do with that kind of money. “Well, I give half to my favorite uncle, and then the rest I probably save it hopefully. Pray that the banks don't go down.”

With her dominating play in the earlier rounds, Serena is set to add yet another record to her exemplary career. In tennis though – anything can happen. Two years ago, Serena was the defending champion, world #1 and favorite to win the US Open but lost to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals due to an infamous altercation with a lineswoman. At that time, Clijsters was on the comeback trail playing just her third tournament. This year, it’s a similar story with the the roles reversed. This time, it is Serena who is in the comeback trail after a series of injuries that prevented her from playing after winning her 13th Grand Slam at Wimbledon in July 2010. And, Serena will now be playing the semifinals against Wozniacki, the current world #1.

I am not a betting guy, but if my life depended on which woman semifinalist will be hoisting the US Open trophy by the end of the tournament, I would not bet against Serena Williams. Yes, she will win the richest ever prize in tennis history.

US Open Series 2011 Final Standings

Men:

1. Mardy Fish (USA)          230

2. Novak Djokovic (SRB)      170

3. John Isner (USA)          140

Women:

1. Serena Williams(USA)      170

2. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 130

3. Maria Sharapova (RUS)     130

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US Open 2011 Tennis Prize Money

A total $23.7 million will be awarded to players attending the US Open 2011, the final grand slam in the tennis calendar. The record amount will be distributed to the seven tournaments being held in Flushing Meadows, New York from August 29 to September 11. $16.9 million will be distributed equally between the men's and women's singles championships, with the men's and women's singles champion each going home with $1.8 million. A total of $3.6 million is the purse for the men's and women's doubles championships, with the men's and women's doubles champion team earning $420,000. Half a million dollars is the allocation for the mixed doubles championships with the champion team getting $150,000. A total of $1 million is allocated for the 224 participants in the qualifying tournament for both the men's and women's singles championships who fail to reach the main draw. See table at the end of this post for a detailed breakdown of the US Open 2011 prize money.

In addition to the base purse of $23.7 million, the top three men’s and top three women’s finishers in the Olympus US Open Series may earn up to an additional $2.6 million in bonus prize money at the US Open, providing a potential total payout of $26.3 million. If the winners of the Olympus US Open Series go on to win the US Open title, they will each receive additional $1 million in bonus prize money. This bonus prize money has resulted in the largest single paychecks in tennis history. Roger Federer of Switzerland earned $2.4 million in 2007 for winning both the US Open title and the Olympus US Open Series in 2007. On the women's side, Kim Clijsters of Belgium won $2.2 million in 2005 for achieving the same feat.

This year, Mardy Fish of the USA is the top finisher in the 2011 Olympus US Open series out-performing world #1 Novak Djokovic who finished second. Fish, the world #7 however, is not considered the favorite to win this year's US Open title though he would be among the dark horse contenders. Djokovic, the current Australian Open and Wimbledon champion is considered the US Open top contender, with French Open champion and world #2 Rafael Nadal, world #3 Roger Federer and world #4 Andy Murray expected to challenge Djokovic for the title.

Serena Williams of the USA is leading the women's standings with 170 points. With only one more tournament remaining, only Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland has a chance of eclipsing the younger Williams. Radwanska needs to reach at least the final of the New Haven tournament to overtake Williams in the standings. Williams is being touted as the favorite to win this year's US Open after winning 2 tournaments this summer. Former world #1 Maria Sharapova, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, French Open champion Na Li, and world #1 Caroline Wozniacki are the other favorites to challenge Williams for the title. Two-time US Open champion, Kim Clijsters, has withdrawn from the tournament on Friday citing a stomach muscle injury.

2011 US OPEN PRIZE MONEY*

SINGLES (Men & Women - 128 Draws) TOTALS

Winners (1)           $1,800,000

Runners-Up (1)           900,000

Semifinalists (2)        450,000

Quarterfinalists (4)     225,000

Round of 16 (8)          110,000

Third Round (16)          55,000

Second Round (32)         31,000

First Round (64)          19,000

TOTAL (128)           $8,468,000

$16,936,000 - Total for the singles tournament covering both men's and women's championships.

DOUBLES (Per Team, Men and Women - 64 Draws)

Winners (1)             $420,000

Runners-Up (1)           210,000

Semifinalists (2)        105,000

Quarterfinalists (4)      50,000

Round of 16 (8)           25,000

Second Round (16)         15,000

First Round (32)          10,000

TOTAL (64)            $1,800,000

$3,600,000 - Total for the doubles tournament covering both men's and women's doubles championships.

MIXED DOUBLES (Per Team - 32 Draws)

Winners (1)             $150,000

Runners-Up (1)            70,000

Semifinalists (2)         30,000

Quarterfinalists (4)      15,000

Second Round (8)          10,000

First Round (16)           5,000

TOTAL (32)              $500,000

Men's and Women's Singles Qualifying (128 Draws)

Third Round Losers (16)   $8,000

Second Round Losers (32)   5,625

First Round Losers (64)    3,000

TOTAL (112)             $500,000

$1,000,000 - Total for the singles qualifying tournament covering both men's and women's draws.

Source for the US Open 2011 prize money: www.usopen.org.

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Who is more popular - Nadal or Federer?

Google Trends data is showing that for 2010, Internet users searched for Rafael Nadal about 25% more than they did for Roger Federer. Not surprisingly, Spain provided the most searches for the Spanish #1, while Switzerland had the most searches for the 16-time grand slam champion. The top stories that generated the most Internet buzz for Nadal are his wins at the US Open (#1), French Open (#2), and Wimbledon (#3). For Federer, his 16th grand slam win at the 2010 Australian Open generated the most searches, while his semifinal loss to Djokovic at the US Open was second.

TOP Countries Searching for NADAL:
1. Spain
2. Morocco
3. Argentina
4. Switzerland
5. Peru
6. Colombia
7. Venezuela
8. France
9. Mexico
10. India

TOP Countries Searching for FEDERER:
1. Switzerland
2. Morocco
3. Peru
4. Singapore
5. Argentina
6. India
7. Colombia
8. Australia
9. France
10. Austria

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Clijsters' Tops Historic Valentine Rankings; Russia dominates Top 100

The WTA February 14, 2011 rankings marks the 4th time that Belgian Kim Clijsters is at the top of the tennis world and she has set several records in doing so. The current US Open and Australian Open title holder reached the finals of the Paris Open over the weekend to earn enough ranking points to overcome previous #1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. This week’s rankings are historic because of the following facts:

- Clijsters is the first mother in history to be ranked as #1 women’s tennis player.
- She tied Justine Henin as the only other Belgian player to achieve the #1 ranking 4 times.
- She rose to #1 after being un-ranked in August 2009, the shortest span that an un-ranked player reached #1 in both the ATP and WTA rankings.
- She was last ranked #1 in March 20, 2006 – a gap of 256 weeks. This gap in stint at the top is second only to Serena Williams’ 265 weeks.

Clijsters’ is now on her 20th career week as #1 player in the world, she’s currently at 12th place in this area. She is behind but may be able to catch up with #11 Tracy Austin – 21 weeks; #10 Dinara Safina – 26 weeks; and, #9 Amelie Mauresmo – 39 weeks. #8 Lindsay Davenport has 98 career weeks, and Clijsters will have to hold the #1 spot for more than a year to overtake her. This will not be easy considering that Wozniacki has two chances to grab back the #1 spot in the next two weeks. She is playing in the DUBAI and DOHA tournaments while Clijsters is not entered in both. Watch Kim Clijster’s message to her fans after the jump.

Other Notable Ranking Movers:

Jelena Dokic of Australia led 3 players into the top100 this week by posting a quarterfinal showing at the Paris Open where she lost to Kim Clijsters. She rose 29 places from #120 to #91, and posts the biggest jump amongst those in the top 100. In the top 20, Paris Open winner – Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic was the biggest mover jumping 4 spots from #18 to a career high #14. Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand had the biggest ranking drop in the top 100 rankings this week. She went down 25 places from #70 to #95.

Russia Dominates Top 100:

Ten different countries are again represented in the top ten this week with players from Belgium, Denmark, Russia, Italy, Australia, United States, China, Serbia, Belarus and Poland ranked from #1 to #10. Russia has 4 players in the Top 20 followed by the Italy, the United States and Serbia with 2 each. In the top 100 – Russia is #1 with 14 players, followed by the Czech Republic with 9 players, and the US with 7 players. Spain has 6 players in the top 100, while Romania, Italy and France have 5 each.

Watch Kim Clijster’s interview after getting back to the #1 ranking:

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