HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Day Nine

Q. I couldn't hear what you said on court about your victory salute. Do you give it a name? What is it?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: What kind of name you are waiting? (Smiling.) Just salute for thanks for crowd, you know. Everybody a lot of guys are kiss their hands and say thanks, put racquet up and say thanks. I do like this one.

Q. Do you practice it?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: After I winning matches.

Q. You haven't beat her in seven meetings. Coming into this match and considering how well you were playing in the tournament, can you talk about your expectations in terms of facing Venus, and is it that much more disappointing to lose this one?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah. Is a lot of disappointed, because I have the chance and the quality real to beat her because she doesn't like to play with me. I play different ball; I push her in defense; I don't give her the chance to play how she want, so every time I think we have a big fight. I don't know what she thinks, but I can say the true, and that often is the difference between me and other players. I can tell you the true. If I am injured, I tell you I am injured. If I am good, I say I am good and she play better. So this time is for her, but I will find the way to beat her. Yeah, yeah.

Q. Is that the case then tonight, that she was just better? Is that what you're saying?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Si. I think I lost a little bit more this match than she won. But in the same times, I can say that she serve so good. Is big arm is big part of tennis. And with wind, she has a little bit more chance than me. But for sure she play good in the most important moments. She serve when she had the possibility. She serve an ace. So we are two great athletes. One has to win; one has to lose.

Q. What's the scariest thing about Verdasco to you?

RAFAEL NADAL: Everything. He's a very complete player. He has all the shots and he's playing very well, no? Much better than he did last months, so gonna be very difficult match. I saw him play today, and I saw him play against Nalbandian the other day. He's playing very good tennis, so gonna be a very interesting match. I have to play aggressive, to play well. It not gonna be impossible, I think.

Q. Do you think you've got any edge just because of how long he spent on the court today?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I don't know. We don't know yet, no? We will see in one day and a half. I think we are fit enough to resist that. It was four hours?

Q. Four and a half.

RAFAEL NADAL: What? Four hours 23, so, yeah, was long, but I played in Australia five hours 15 minutes in semifinals, and I had to play the final one day later. So I was very tired, but I was ready. I think for sure he gonna be ready.

Q. [Schiavone] said in her press conference that you don't like playing her. I don't know how she garners that, but that's what she said.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. She said the reason was she pushes you to the wall; she shows you a lot of things that other girls don't; is that true? Do you not like playing her? Does she present certain challenges to you that, you know, that stand out?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I like seeing my name next to her name. I'm good with that.

Q. You're 7-0 against her.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. (Laughing.)

Q. I pointed that out, too. You come in, you're 7-0 against her over the years. You come into the match, and she was playing very strong tennis in this tournament and obviously earlier in the summer.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. What were your thoughts coming into the match facing her?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, I've played her for so many years. There have been times when she's had me down, but fortunately I was able to come back. I think, you know, when your record against a player isn't that great you have to keep positive, and, you know, do whatever it takes to get out there and play a good match.

She does that every time. I know when I play her I'm gonna have to play good tennis. I really do enjoy our matchups, obviously, because I usually come out on top. But I enjoy it.

Q. Could you kind of describe match point? That's a shot that is going to go down for a long time.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Is tough to explain. You are just you are with your sixth sense in the ball, in the point, knowing how important is, and, you know, just trying to run, fight, all the balls. So when I did the backhand along the line passing shot, you know, I was like even surprised that he took the volley. Of course, my reaction was just keeping the point and start running forward. Because normally with these volleys it's a dropshot, no, you gonna make another long volley. So I start running, and I just saw that space. (Smiling.) You know, is tough. Is tough to explain, because is like really short period of time and you are just running and trying to get the ball. When you see there a little bit of space, you just try to put the ball in. It was like unbelievable.

Q. But was the space you were looking at actually between the net and the chair?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I was just first trying to get the ball; after that, yeah, it was only space. He was in the middle of the court, so I didn't see a space to play crosscourt. I saw a little bit of space just on the top of the net, just in between, like you said, the chair and the net, and I just tried to put the ball inside, inside out no, outside in, and it's good. (Laughing.) So happy when I saw that the ball was going in.


[Photo(s): Getty Images]