Defending Champ Roddick Gets Easy Win over Atlanta Teen

Jenkins

Andy Roddick overwhelmed 17-year-old Scoville Jenkins of Atlanta 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 Tuesday night to reach the second round at the year's last major. I just wanted to welcome him to the court," Roddick said with a laugh. "I knew he was a little bit nervous, so I thought that I'd go at him and show him something early on."


When Jenkins won his first game — after trailing 6-0, 2-0 — his father jumped out of his seat and pumped his fist.

Two weeks ago, Jenkins became the first black player to win the USTA Boys' 18s National Championship. Winning that title earned him a wild card from the U.S. Tennis Association.

"I didn't play too bad. That's probably the best player I've played in my life: No. 2 in the world, defending champion," Jenkins said. "I've never seen a serve like that before."

Asked what it was like to return a 152 mph serve, Jenkins smiled.

"I don't know," he said. "I didn't return it."

Jenkins, who'll play in the U.S. Open junior tournament next week, is ranked 1,441st — a mere 1,439 spots below Roddick. Before playing his first tour-level match Tuesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, he never had faced anyone ranked higher than 347th.

"All is fair: He took the wild card, he came here to play. Once you get out there, it's business," Roddick said. "I knew it was going to be a pretty daunting experience for him, especially early on. He'll be fine. Every other stadium will feel like nothing after playing out there."

Venus Williams Wins Outside the Limelight


Williams finished off her 6-3, 7-6 (3) first-round victory over Petra Mandula in near obscurity in Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Williams' match didn't start until after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday because 2003 runner-up Juan Carlos Ferrero was taken to five sets by 28-year-old qualifier Tomas Zib of the Czech Republic. Beset by illness and injury most of the year, the seventh-seed Ferrero struggled to a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (4), 6-3 victory.

"I certainly didn't expect to play that late," Williams said. "But, at least it wasn't raining."

Williams, seeded 11th, was struggled with injuries — she skipped the 2003 Open with a torn abdominal muscle — and has at times seemed distracted by her off-court interests.

If she doesn't reach the semifinals it will be the first time since Williams began playing in Grand Slams in 1997 that she hasn't made it to that round in at least one major. Williams lost in the third round, quarterfinals and second round in the first three Grand Slam events this year.

"I'd like to be better, most certainly," Williams said. "But it just puts it in light the circumstances that I've had this year, just the challenges that I've had physically."

It won't be easy, though. Williams is scheduled to face Lindsay Davenport, the No. 5 seed, in the quarterfinals. Davenport has won her last four hard-court tournaments and dispatched of Lubomira Kurhajcova 6-4, 6-0 in the first round.

On Wednesday, Williams' sister Serena, seeded third, and Amelie Mauresmo, the No. 2 seed, play second-round matches in the day session, and eighth-seeded Jenifer Capriati faces Magui Sema of Spain at night.

Tennis-Open-Haynes emerges from shadow of Williams sisters










[align=left]By Simon Cambers
NewYork (Reuters) - We have heard this somewhere before.

[font=arial][size=-1]A teenage American girl, tall, athletic and from Compton, Los Angeles, coached by her father who defeats a seeded player at the U.S. Open.

However, this is not a Williams sister, this is Angela Haynes.

The 19-year-old left-hander leapt into the limelight on Wednesday with a stunning 6-3 6-2 second round victory over 22nd seeded Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows.

Born in Compton, Haynes began playing at the age of three with her brother and sister, under the tutelage of her father, Fred, and though she did not play much junior tennis, she was tipped as a future top professional.

After a slow start to her career, the world number 221 justified her wildcard entry into the last grand slam of the season by scrambling past Tatiana Peribiynis of the Ukraine before demolishing Maleeva in confident fashion.

"I played really well today and this is definitely the biggest win of my career," Haynes said.

"But I can't dwell on this match. I have to really stay focused here and the week is just beginning."

Haynes said Venus Williams had helped her with advice about life on the tour.

"She always talks to me. Richard (Williams, father of Venus and Serena) also gave me some advice a couple of years ago. They're down to earth and they're always willing to help me out."

Too young to hit with the Williams sisters growing up, Haynes concentrated on her long-term goal of becoming a professional. That is not her only aim in life, though.

"Ten years from now, I actually think I'll be done with tennis and I'll have a family," she said. "But I would like to have been number one, or maintain top five.

"I'd also like to go back to school at some stage."

Quiet, unassuming and humble, Haynes now lives in a small town in California called Victorville, where the slower pace of life suits her character.

"I need some tranquillity when I go home. I don't really like the fast life -- I'm dying here in New York.

"The people are pushing me out of the way every day. Something serious."

Hayes next plays 16th seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy for a place in the fourth round.
[/align]

Serena Advances in Fashion at U.S. Open


(New York Times)



By HAL BOCK, AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP)- Wearing what she described as her "micro-mini" outfit, third-seeded Serena Williams advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Lindsay Lee-Waters.

It was not easy, the former Open champion said.

"It was a great test," Williams said. "She hits the living daylights out of the ball. She was killing everything."

Williams said she felt at ease in the first two rounds of the open, relaxed and calm with nothing to lose.

And as for her outfit — a black, studded tank top that revealed her midriff and matching tight shorts — she simply smiled.

"I have another surprise for the next match," she said.

Venus advances at the US Open



Venus Williams of the United States waves the crowd after defeating Shikha Uberol of the United States, 7-5, 6-1, at U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on Thursday.



Williams' victory made for history. For the first time at the U.S. Open, four black women advanced to the third round.

Williams joined her sister, Serena, along with Chanda Rubinand Angela Haynesin advancing. All four players will not reach the fourth round. Venus Williams and Rubin face each other in their next match.

seems like black folks are taking over tennis. scoville jenkins is a major talent, as well as the four black girls. dont forget there is a black french guy called gael monfils who won the wimbledon junior title and also won the junioraustralian open and is the finest junior tennis player in the world. he is only 17. so he will be makin the step up to dominate very soon. we're taking over hehehehehehebanana.gif.

Haynes Makes It to Open's Biggest Stage
Haynes

By BEN WALKER, AP National Writer


NEW YORK (AP)- Angela Haynes got what she wanted at the U.S. Open . Sort of, anyway. The 19-year-old wild card made it to the biggest stage at Flushing Meadows when her match Friday was shifted from Louis Armstrong Stadium to Arthur Ashe Stadium. Once there, she lost in the third round to 16th-seeded Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Haynes found out about 90 minutes before the match that she was moving, and said she had plenty of time to get ready.

Then she walked onto the feature court and looked around.

"This is my first time on Arthur Ashe, so it was a lot going on for me," she said. "Yeah, just real excited, kind of nervous. But what can I do?"

"The crowd and the whole ambiance, being out there in front of all the people, being on TV, people counting on you," she said. "I mean, I think I was the favorite. I sounded like I was."

Haynes drew plenty of support with her early run in the tournament, and she had her chances in this match. But in the second set, she lost after holding a 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker.

Schiavone startled her younger opponent by hitting a return through her legs.

"She shocked me with that one. I was too busy looking at her, because it was a good shot, I forgot to hit the volley," Haynes said.

Haynes grew up in Compton, Calif., and knew the Williams sisters when they were kids. She was one of a record four black women to reach the third round, joining Serena, Venus and Chanda Rubin.

Fittingly, her early victories earned her a spot on the Ashe court.

"He opened the window for a lot of African-Americans. He was a great tennis player, great person," she said. "We need more people like him."

Tennis-Open-Serena battles errors and Golovin to advance



By Martyn Herman

NEW YORK, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Serena Williams moved into the fourth round of the U.S. Open with an error-strewn 7-5 6-4 defeat of French teenager Tatiana Golovin on Friday.

The third seed, twice a champion at Flushing Meadows, accumulated 42 unforced errors in the one hour 34 minute contest and admitted she was far from her best.

"Nearly 50 unforced errors in two sets, that's virtually giving away a set," she said. "I was going for far too much.

"When I was down 4-1 I still felt comfortable and relaxed. But I couldn't get the ball in, I wasn't looking at it.

"There were shots that I really should have made. I was playing two opponents, her and myself."

The elegant 17-year-old Golovin, wearing a pair of low-cut yellow shorts that put Williams's outfit in the shade, rattled off four games in a row to lead 4-1 after dropping her opening service game on Arthue Ashe Court.

But Williams, who is yet to drop a set at this year's Open, began to play with more authority and broke Golovin's serve twice more to take the first set.

Williams, sped into a 4-1 lead in the second set but instead of folding, Golovin broke back and it was a mighty relieved Williams who served out the match after one hour 34 minutes.

"She has improved so much, she played a really good game," Williams said of her young opponent.

The 1999 and 2002 champion meets 15th seed Patty Schynder in the fourth round.

Dont forget James Blake.

See Serena has her own clothing label named aneres--an anagram of Serena......Thankfully,Marc Rosset hasn't had the same idea or his attire could have had the word t***er sprawled all over itniceone.gif