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Twin challenges for Federer at US Open
Updated: 2009-09-07 09:00 Twin challenges for Federer at US Open NEW YORK: Sleeping patterns are vital to top tennis players, so new father of twins Roger Federer knows he has his work cut out as he bids to become the first man in 84 years to win six straight US Opens. Federer on Saturday kept his campaign to match Bill Tilden on track with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 third-round win over old foe Lleyton Hewitt, also a father, and then took the time out to reflect on his new paternal responsibilities. "We have a good setup. Mirka is great. She works extremely hard," Federer said of his wife, who gave birth to twin girls in July, shortly after Wimbledon when her husband became the all-time Grand Slam title record holder with 15. "She's tired during the day but she has also some help, has a little bit of life, and also can come and watch me play and get outside a little bit. That's important," Federer said. "Sure, I'm losing sleep but that's part of it. I make sure on my off day maybe I do get a night where I can sleep in longer or take an afternoon nap. It's working out OK." Isner shocks Roddick in fifth-set tiebreaker
NEW YORK: Big-serving John Isner upset fifth-seeded fellow American Andy Roddick 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6 to advance to the fourth round of the US Open on Saturday. The 6-foot-9 (2.06m) Isner boomed in 38 aces and took the fifth-set tiebreak 7-5 to claim victory over the 2003 winner and this year's Wimbledon runner-up. "Hit a big serve, get into the net and hit big forehands and dictate play," Isner, 24, said about sticking to his style of play. "I played well and I think I deserve it." Roddick, who served 20 aces himself, saved two match points from 3-6 in the tiebreak with a pair of aces before he netted a forehand to end the three-hour-51-minute battle against the big serve-and-volleyer. "It was a tough one to lose, especially after kind of coming back all that way," the 27-year-old Roddick, who also saved a match point in the fourth set with an ace, said about his fight back after dropping the first two sets. Witten enjoys taste of the big time
NEW YORK: Seven months after he nearly gave up the game and two weeks after he was dropped by his clothing sponsor, American Jesse Witten gave the world's fourth-best player, Novak Djokovic, a huge scare at the US Open on Saturday. The 26-year-old, who needed a wildcard to even get into the Open's qualifying event, served for a two-sets-to-one lead in their third-round encounter before the Serb finally scraped through 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. In his on-court speech, Djokovic admitted it must have been hard to distinguish which one of them was the world No 4, while the 276th-ranked Witten said his $48,000 pay cheque would allow him to compete more. "It makes me want to keep playing," Witten said. "It gives me some money to keep playing. So now I can afford to keep playing for the rest of the year, at least." At the start of the year, Witten was struggling on the Futures circuit - two levels below the main tour - and considering hanging up his racquets. AFP/Reuters (China Daily 09/07/2009 page12) |
