The Day 2 story of the US Open: Dinara Safina’s fugly win against the #167 ranked Olivia Rogowska of Australia. The No. 1 Russian was a point away from going down 0-4 in the third set before finally finding a way to win. Dinara won despite 11 double faults and 48 unforced errors. The grand total for both players over three sets included: 24 double-faults, 113 unforced errors and 15 service breaks over 2½ hours. Yikes!
This quote from Rogowska sums it up: “I’m disappointed I lost, and I didn’t expect to say that after playing the No. 1 player in the world. It’s a bit weird.” (via CBS Sports)
Dinara says this scare could lead her to ultimate victory in NYC, remembering Marat’s past to US Open glory in 2000:
My brother, when he won US Open, he almost lost to Grosjean in the first round. He won 7-6 in the fifth set, and they finished, I think it was 5-4. He was up and the rain started, so they finished another day. So and then he had another like difficult match against Pozzi. So I remember he said he was struggling from the first round, but he made it. So maybe I’m following his steps this time.
Safina struggled, but in the end, all that matters is that she’s onto the second round. The same can’t be said for former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who capped off her dismal summer on Tuesday with a 2-6 6-3 7-6 loss to Kateryna Bondarenko. Ana had 50 unforced errors in the match. Ouch. She wasted a match point in the third set tiebreak. Double Ouch. And before Tuesday Ivanovic has never lost in the first round of a Major. Someone call 911!
Ana diagnosed herself as being “a little disbalanced” in terms of her fitness, mind and game. I think it’s a bad sign that she was talking about how badly she needs a vacation – before her match even started:
Q. You haven’t had a substantial break in a long time, right? You’ve been either rehabbing or practicing.
ANA IVANOVIC: Exactly.
Q. Or playing.
ANA IVANOVIC: Exactly. That’s something that I spoke actually today. Today actually before my match I spoke to my coach, because I just said, you know, I feel like I constantly kept going and going. It’s really hard, because even though I had some time off, I was still doing like a little bit of fitness or rehab or something. So my mind was still in tennis.
I feel like I want to have ‑‑ I feel happy that, you know, this season, it’s going to be a longer off season so I have longer time off and completely switch off and, you know, I haven’t had proper holidays in years. So I’m looking forward to that.
Kateryna seems happy right where she is:
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Maria Sharapova’s dress will make more news than her routine victory over Tsvetana Pironkova: 6-3 6-0 in 73 minutes. How do you like her “skyline” inspired evening dress?
Yes, the headband is silver. . .
Love the earrings, but I hate the dress. Leave it to Rafael Nadal to prove that clothing is overrated:
Rafa, you don’t need the lanyard – your pecs are credentials enough!
Nadal plays Richard Gasquet on Wednesday afternoon in a highly anticipated first round.
Novak Djokovic beat Ivan Ljubicic easily: 6-3, 6-1, 6-3. Nole confirmed that he is working with Todd Martin on a trial basis, to help him with his serve and volley game and to “look for positives.” Novak was also asked how he and the New York crowd were going to get along this year (click here for the story). He says that he and NYC have kissed and made up:
What happened last year, the way I get it, to be honest, was like, I don’t know, a fight with a girlfriend. Just a little fight with a girlfriend. These things happen. It was something that everybody can learn from it. I always felt like at home here. I played so well last three years. I see no reason for me thinking about something that happened already. So today was great. I just hope that the fans will behave nice, you know, in the next rounds.
Speaking of girlfriends, Djokovic’s girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, was behaving nice from the stands:
And in the “oh, to be a fly on the wall” department, here’s an intriguing snippet from Nole on advice he’s received from Marat Safin:
Q. Has he ever given you a great piece of advice or anything on how to handle the stress?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, yes, but not regarding tennis.Q. What was it regarding?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: That’s all I’m gonna say (smiling).Q. This would be the most interesting part of the interview.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I know. If these cameras are off, you guys aren’t writing, then maybe (smiling).
Come on Nole! All this discretion won’t get you back in the good graces of us fans. SPILL!
Marat Safin plays Jurgen Melzer on Wednesday.
In other men’s action - Andy Murray beat Ernests Gulbis in three and Querry, Verdasco, Tsonga, Berdych, and Cilic all won in straights. 119 ranked Spaniard, Ivan Navarro, is being toasted in the lockerroom for upsetting Ivo Karlovic. Stan Wawrinka lost a five-setter to Nicolas Lapentti. Click here for more results.
More on the ladies’ side - Dementieva, Jankovic, Kuznetsova,Wozniacki, and Petrova all got through in straights. Lisicki and Suarez Navarro prevailed in three. American Melanie Oudin scored a nice win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Click here for more.
Tags: Djokovic, Ivanovic, Jelena Ristic, Nadal, Safin, Safina, Sharapova, tennis, US Open, WTA
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The Safina match was beyond ugly. It was just torture. Instead of "enhanced interrogation techniques" (snorts), the CIA should just show tapes of Safina playing! I was ready to confess to anything by the second set!
As for Pumpovic, there's nothing left to say really. She's an unwelcome addition to Headcases-R-Us.
Ouch! I didn't watch the entire thing, but found some of the Safina match entertaining. But maybe I'm a depraved individual.
I think Miss Pump is just not pumped about tennis at the moment. She seems oddly resigned to her fate. . .talking about vacationing before a match is not a good mental strategy!
Fugly mwahahaha you crack me up!!
That explains why no commentator or annalyst chose Safina to win.
Can't believe Karlovic is out so soon and poor Wawrinka too.
I couldn't watch the Safina match. I turned it halfway through the first set. Beyond frustrating.
Maria's dress would be ugly on anyone else. She makes it work!
Carrie: I agree about Maria's dress. She makes it work and look kinda goddessy.
fugly was the right word for the safina match! i love her sometimes, want her to do well, but can't stand when she has these inexplicable lapses or forgets how to play. lots of talk about her coach needing to be a positive influence. she's better when she fist pumps and fights, but sometimes she just looks miserable. i hope she starts to enjoy more and take pressure off of herself, let her game flow!
oh ana 2.0! i thought she'd maybe pull this one out in the tie break. credit to bondarenko for hanging tough. i was telling husband to pay attention because ana was only on tv for a few mins and i had a feeling she might not make it. i hope she figures stuff out, esp the toss. she used to serve well and set up the big forehand. wth?
i was rooting for ernests for a while. he is so talented but can't stay consistent. kind of a waste if he doesn't take the game more seriously or train harder. he reminds me of safin, the big, smooth hitting, the big serve and shot making, esp the 2 hander. i would've been ok with murray mints out in the 1st.
shocked that stan and dr. ivo are out. i guess you never know what will happen!
i like maria's dress. maybe too much silver and too busy, but overall i think she makes it work. husband says she could wear a potato sack and still look awesome. luckily her game is coming back too.
rafa looks like roger guys with the new hairstyle. Anyone Agree?
I agree! I just watched Rafa vs. Gasquet-from a distance, with his warmup jacket on and the collar flipped, there's definitely a resemblance! I'll try to post some photos later.
How could Rafa look like Roger? hardly the same physique lol.. and Rafa's smile *shucks his awsome* please!!!
How does anyone find a female tennis match entertaining once you've watched any typical male tennis match shown on the TV? Just look at safina, her game is about muscling her opponent out of the game with shot selection a beginner could match. After henin and hingis, the top female players are pretty much carbon copies of safina all trying to imitate the power of the men's game with little variation. it's boring, especially with the laboured movement and nonstop unforced errors. extended rallies are a rarity. players themselves are mostly boring, 'cept for serena with her i-am-superior-to-all attitude which is great to watch, and a few others.
completely unlike the men's game, full of personalities like djokovic who you love or hate. cute guys like gonzalez who yell with those booming forehands really get you pumped up. even the emotionless federer gets u all fired up with his style that you like to imagine what goes on in that head of his. i don't really have to explain just how superior the actual tennis play of men is. it's so obviously better in every way.
how did they ever argue to get that equal prize money?
I don't see what equal prize money has to do with the quality of the tennis. Should we wait for better quality of play to give the women equal money? When would that be? And how exactly would you determine when that quality of play is high enough to warrant parity??? And should we go back in time and give Steffi the equal money she oh-so rightly deserved??? The WTA used to be very entertaining. There in a odd phase right now. Just like the ATP was in an odd phase when Hewitt, Roddick (the old one that could only serve serve serve) and co would win GS. And then came Roger and Rafa…
Safina's match was really devastating and miserable for a n°1… Masha played beautifull great tennis and I really hope this continues like that and her oufit is awesome but she's a princess so that's just so perfectly normal !
I'm disgusted for Ana and I really hope that she will get something going cuz it'll not be very cool to see such a champ, personality and girl get SO low !