Black Tennis Pros

WTA Tour Players

Serena Williams, USA vs Marion Bartoli, FRA
Venus Williams, USA vs Ana Ivanovic, SRB


ATP Tour Players

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA vs Rafael Nadal, ESP

For additional U. S. Open schedule information, click here.

The middle Saturday of the U. S. Open is proving to be costly for some brand name players. American Donald Young has been the latest of a new crop of talented players to bite the dust at the U. S. Open today. Spaniard Feliciano Lopez proved that experience is the greatest teacher. After succumbing to Young's precision play in the first set, the Spaniard had to fight it out, but prevailed over the next three sets to defeat Young by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(7-5), 5-7.

Another of the youngsters to fall was American John Isner who lost to world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland by a score of 7-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

On the Arthur Ashe stadium in front of a sold-out crowd, 18-year old Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland had no fear of defending champ Russian Maria Sharapova and took her out with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.

Radwanska began the match letting balls fly off of her racquet and breaking Sharapova's serve with a passion. Sharapova's serve was iffy at best for the entire match. She served 12 double faults and made 49 unforced errors.

Radwanska easily took the first set. Sharapova played much better in the second but had to entertain a revised Radwanska in the third.

When asked about her strategy of coming in so close on Sharapova's second serve, Radwanska said "I know she doesn't like people moving when she serves, so whenever I got the chance, I did it."

Where's your Polish joke now?

ATP Tour Players

James Blake, USA vs Stefan Koubek, AUT
Donald Young, USA vs Feliciano Lopez, ESP

For additional U. S. Open schedule information, click here.

Decked out in yet another ensemble from her new 'EleVen' line of clothing, 27-year old American Venus Williams took her high-power game to Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine and easily defeated her by a score of 6-1, 6-2. Venus now advances to the round of 16. In her post match interview, Venus had a few things to say.

"I just want to take that experience from Wimbledon and bring it here."

"I've done it a couple of times here before and I want to do it again."

"I definitely would like to have a higher first-serve percentage, but it's not something I'm worried about," she said. "I still feel like I can get my serve in. My second serve nowadays has a lot of kick. So it was a good day."

Over the years we've all seen Serena Williams sit down during the changeover and consult her notes to either stick to, or modify her game. In yesterday's match with Russia's Vera Zvonareva she did the same thing and pulled out her pink notebook for a quick study. What happened next, that was a surprise.

Chair umpire Damian Steiner told her to put it away. Even scolded her!

"He told me I couldn't use my notes," Williams said after a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win that put her into the fourth round. "I was like, 'Well, it's not like I'm Harry Potter and my dad can magically give me notes to read.'

"It's something that I write myself. Just little things. What if I were to take a paper on the court and write something, what's the difference?" she said.

Shortly thereafter, Steiner relented.

Hmmmm, somebody had a very itchy bug up his butt yesterday. We'll let him slide just this once, perhaps he needs more fiber in his diet.

Serena moved on to the round of 16 at the Open regardless.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga effectively guaranteed that Great Britain's Tim Henman would not win a Grand Slam Tournament in his tennis career lifetime by defeating him yesterday by a score of 7-6 (7/2), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Prior to the loss, Henman had already decided that this would be his last ATP Tour Grand Slam Tournament. The soon-to-be 33-year-old Englishman only has his country's Davis Cup clash with Croatia at Wimbledon next month to follow.

"Relief is not quite the right word but I am ready to get on with the next part of my life," he said.

"I've had a fantastic career - but there are a lot of exciting things ahead of me - two young kids and another on the way.

"I feel so clear in mind that time is time and that a couple of good matches at the Davis Cup and I will leave this sport a happy man."

Tsonga is also a happy man! He moves on to the 3rd round of the Open.