Daily News Channel
Former winner Serena Williams crashed out of the French Open on Wednesday leaving seventh-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova to face Australian Samantha Stosur for a place in the final at Roland Garros. Kuznetsova fended off a determined fightback by U.S. world number two Williams to reach the last four with a draining 7-6 5-7 7-5 triumph over the 10-time Grand Slam champion in two hours 46 minutes.
Rafael Nadal’s shock French Open exit at the hands of a player ranked outside the top 20 is already attracting suggestions that it may be the biggest upset in tennis history.
Roger Federer had to come from two sets down to avoid joining top seed Rafael Nadal on the French Open sidelines as he saw off Germany’s Tommy Haas 6-7 5-7 6-4 6-0 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals on Monday. With Nadal sensationally losing to Robin Soderling and with Novak Djokovic going out in the third round, the draw has opened up for second seed Federer as he bids to complete a set of grand slam titles. The French Open is the only slam to evade the Swiss star, with Nadal usually barring his path, but Haas came close to spoiling the party before Federer took command.
Four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal slid to an astonishing 6-2 6-7 6-4 7-6 defeat to Sweden’s Robin Soderling at the French Open on Sunday. Soderling, the 23rd seed, was a rank outsider against the world number one who had never lost a match on the clay at Roland Garros and was a short-priced favorite to win a record fifth straight title
Novak Djokovic’s hopes of matching Rafael Nadal on clay were dashed by unheralded German Philipp Kohlschreiber at the French Open on Saturday. The fourth-ranked Serbian became the highest-profile casualty of the men’s draw so far as he crashed out in straight sets in the third-round match on Court One at Roland Garros
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva followed third-ranked Venus Williams in departing the French Open at the third-round stage after being upset by Samantha Stosur on Saturday. The 30th-seeded Australian won 6-3 4-6 6-1 to equal her best performance at a Grand Slam tournament
Rafael Nadal breezed into the last 32 of the French Open with a straight sets 6-1 6-4 6-2 win over Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia on Wednesday. It was a routine victory for the top-seeded Spaniard who was securing his 30th straight win at Roland Garros and is bidding for a record fifth straight French Open crown.
World tennis number two Roger Federer has given his fans some hope that this year could be the year he finally conquers all at Roland Garros. The 27-year-old from Switzerland has won 13 Grand Slam titles, but never the clay court-contested French Open. Federer’s nemesis, Rafael Nadal, has already claimed the Australian Open in a strong start to 2009, and his preparations towards a fifth consecutive French Open title seemed to be all in order until the Swiss player struck at the Madrid Open this week
Injury-plagued Maria Sharapova is returning to WTA Tour action at next week’s Warsaw Open in Poland, the former world number one announced on her personal Web site. The clay court event, which starts on May 18, will be her first appearance in singles since the Rogers Cup in Montreal last August.
The polite hush that descends on the crowd seconds before service is nowhere to be heard when it comes to the issue of equal prize money in women’s tennis. It may be two years since Wimbledon and the French Open joined the other major tournaments in offering women the same cash prize as men, but for some tennis fans the issue is far from resolved. “Admit it sisters,” screamed one recent headline on Australian Web site AdelaideNow, “this is not equal.” The author went on: “Political correctness, sexual equality and feminism all prevent many commentators from stating the bleeding obvious …