PHOTO OP: Wozniacki won't take this lying down

"This might hurt tomorrow..."

She may have entered the US Open as the top seed but Caroline Wozniacki was still considered the underdog when faced with Maria Sharapova on the other side of the net in today's fourth round match. But by the end of her straight set win over the '06 champ, the Danish lady baller announced herself as a firm fave to earn her maiden major at the US Open.

Wozzi showcased some stellar defense and world class movement (not to mention yellow nails to match her undies) in taking down the Russian glamazon 6-3, 6-4, her first win over the 14th seed in three career meetings. Although Shrieka hit double the winners Wozzi did (32-16) she also littered her stat sheet with errors (36-10). The 3-time Grand Slammer was also undone by her serving woes, throwing in 9 DF's including three consecutive clunkers to get broken in the first set. Wozzi will face Dominika Cibulkova, who upset 11th seed ad '04 champ Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6 (4), for a place in the final four.

Let's give props where props are due. This was a pressure match for the Dane being the top seed for the first time at a Slam facing off against a former US Open champ and No. 1. Moreover, Shrieka had been playing well and in good form. But Wozzi seems genuinely comfortable, dare I say HAPPY, to be in the top spot at Flushing Meadows, playing with confidence and closing out matches when the opportunity arises. She clearly enjoys the pressure and believes she belongs saying recently that she "deserves" the top seeding.

How refreshing.

[Photo(s): Reuters]

PHOTO OP: Ellen Degeneres came to drink

Ellen Degeneres and her Honey Deuce cocktail joined Venus Williams during a booking signing for "Come to Win" at the US Open today.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

Murray upset by Wawrinka, falls in US Open third round

Andy Murray is leaving another US Open empty-handed. And early.

The Brit baller, who was upset by Marin Cilic in the fourth round last year, was shocked by 25th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3 in the third round. The Swiss was the more aggressive of the two, blasting 58 winners to 43 for Muzz and 13 aces to only 5 for the fourth seed. He'll battle Sam Querrey, who bested Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Muzz was seen by the trainer twice during the match, once for tightness in his leg and another time for tingling in his elbow, but didn't blame the loss on injury. He did, however, allude to possible fatigue as an explanation for his performance:

Q. So what was the treatment for then when the trainer came on?

ANDY MURRAY: The first time, just tightness in my quad; the second time, just getting sort of pins and needles around my right elbow.

Q. When did you first start to feel the problems?

ANDY MURRAY: Beginning of the third set probably.

Q. Did it affect you moving one side or the other or any particular shot?

ANDY MURRAY: No, no. I was still moving okay.

Q. Did fatigue play a part at all today?

ANDY MURRAY: Could have been. I don't -- I don't know. I haven't been really tired in any long matches for a long, long time.

So whether it was fatigue or not, I don't know.

Of course the media asked the inevitable question about coaching and whether there's a greater sense of urgency now:

Q. You mentioned the coaching situation before the start of the tournament. Does this in any way accelerate the search?

ANDY MURRAY: No, no. You got to be patient. You know, I was getting asked five, six days ago, You're playing great tennis; will you think about going without a coach? It's based on one match. I'm not going to panic and hire someone to try and make things better. So, no. I'm going to take my time. I'm going to go home, have a rest - 'cause I need it - and see what I decide to do after that.

Q. Is this something then that you feel you have to sort out personally yourself, the situation, rather than something a coach could help you sort out? Is this something that needs to be sorted out with you?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't understand the question.

Q. You said dealing with the situation now, you haven't felt like this for a while; you have to work out why you're in this situation. Is that something that can only come from you, or can a third party help?

ANDY MURRAY: I'll speak to all the guys I work with and see what's gone well this year, what hasn't gone so well. You know, it's one match. I wish I'd played better. But I'm not gonna panic and start trying to analyze everything that's going on, because I've been pretty much injury-free the whole year. Physically I felt good the whole year. You know, I played some of my best tennis in two of the majors this year.

So, you know, I want to improve and get better. I'm obviously going to look for a coach and people that are gonna help me to do that. But, you know, I'm happy with the guys that I work with just now. They're all very, very good at what they do. So I'm not gonna start changing everything. I'm still looking for a coach. That's it.

I'd say a coach is in order, stat. Muzz had a great summer and yet still failed to show his best stuff at a major where he was a strong fave of many to make, and win, the final men's match at Flushing Meadows. But he seems to have issues with changing course mid-match when his game plan isn't working, reverting to his counter-punching ways and thinking he can win with defense. And on these fast courts the aggressor will always win in the end as he did this time.

A tough pill to swallow, for sure.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Days Five + Six

Day 5

Q. How have you found the rhythm of your serve, because you're serving very well?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, Toni arrives and everything under control. No, seriously, I don't know. That's pretty strange, because I wasn't serve very well the previous days. I started to serve well one or two days before the competition. But the week of practice, I wasn't serve really well, no? I changed a little bit the grip, like five or six days ago, because I felt when I played against the wind I didn't have free points. So I needed that, no? So I tried to play the serve a little bit more aggressive. For the moment, it's working really well, so I going to try keep playing like this. And, sure, serve like this is a big confidence on my game.

Q. Considering your success at Roland Garros and a good run at Australia this year, do you feel right now you are as poised as you've ever been in your career, both mentally and physically, to get to semis, to get to a final, and to actually contend for this championship?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah. Why not? I think I've had a pretty consistent year, and now to get through -- I've never been past the second round here, so now to be in the fourth round is a big jump. I think it's just the kind of following on from the year I've had. It's pleasing to now back it up in another Grand Slam and to be playing well. Yeah, once you get to this point, you never know what can happen. So if you keep playing well, then, yeah, can you find yourself in maybe semis or finals. If I've been there once, I definitely want to try to be there again.

Q. Do you feel as confident as you've ever felt in this particular campaign where you are right now, as confident as you've ever been in your career?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, absolutely. Like I said, I never had a good US Open. If I wasn't feeling as confident as what I've ever been here, then I think there's something wrong. So I think I'm playing well and hitting the ball well. Yeah, I think I have a good chance.

Q. We see your mother as a coach, but how do you work physically?

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You mean fitness?

Q. Yes, fitness.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, I do have -- well, I don't have a fitness coach. I have some other people working with me, but my mom, she's definitely the one who's traveled with me. That's the person that I feel more comfortable with. So fitness is a big part of my game, and, you know, physically I feel pretty good playing all these years on the tour. So I always take, you know, lots of time during the offseason to get ready physically before I start my practice.

Q. Do you ever ask your mother to be a little more calm when she's watching, or...

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I always ask her, but I realize it's very difficult to watch and not be able to help. She's very emotional, and she really wants me to win. So it's kind of hard, because she's not only my coach, she's my mom. Well, I guess it's just very emotional for her.

Q. Does she know that she's very good on television? Because she looks so...

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: She hates when, you know, the camera goes on her. (Laughter.) She hates it.

Q. How much time do you spend in New Jersey?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Ooh, um, after I played that event in Brussels, I flew over to New Jersey for a few days afterwards. So I was there until, yeah, we left to Cincinnati. And then kind of in between Montreal and the US Open I was there for a couple of days. And before Indian Wells. You know, like whenever it fits with my schedule, obviously now. When I wasn't playing I spent more time here, obviously, in the summer. I was at our house more. But now time is kind of divided between going to tournaments and being there.

Q. Can you compare sort of the traditional lifestyle in Belgium with Jersey life?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I mean, it's home. They're both home. I think you create that home atmosphere. You know, I even try to create it in our hotel room. No, I mean, it's obviously nice to go to a place that you're familiar and you can cook yourself and do everything kind of yourself. But obviously, you know, my childhood memories are in Belgium. You know, I still live in the same street as my parents used to live, where I grew up; my grandparents live next door. I mean, that's what I love, and that's obviously what I go back to, you know, when I go back after the US Open. That's what I look forward to the most is going back and just being there.

Q. If Rafa were to win here and complete the career slam, how do you think that will change the way his record is looked at, his career is looked at, in comparison with Roger's?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. I hope he doesn't win the tournament this year (smiling). But, I mean, his record is incredible. You know, for someone so young, he's won pretty much everything, you know, bar here. You know, he's made a semifinal here a couple of times. If he wins, that's obviously great for him. But, I mean, his career is pretty impressive as it is anyway. He's won on all the surfaces; he's won Olympic gold; he's won however many tournaments. I'm sure he'd love to win here, but I don't think I mean, I'm sure for him it would be incredibly nice. It wouldn't change the way I view him as a player if he wins the US Open. To me, he's one of the greatest ever right now. He's going to win more slams. He's going to get closer to however many Sampras won, however many Roger wins by the end of his career.

Q. What are your thoughts on the speed of this court versus the speed at Wimbledon and how that affects Rafa's game?

ANDY MURRAY: It's quite clear the balls are a lot faster, a little bit harder to control the balls. Guys are serving harder. But I think the court itself I think grass is definitely still quicker than here. I just think because of the warm weather and obviously the balls being they seem very light in comparison to the Slazengers, which are pretty heavy. I think it's just a little bit harder to control the ball on the return. Obviously guys serve a little bit bigger, which might make it a bit harder for Rafa to break.

Q. You had such a wonderful breakthrough obviously in Paris. A lot of people might have expected you enjoy, sort of lose the rest of the season because you achieved this great thing. You really have seem to have reset yourself perfectly and are putting yourself in position again with another Grand Slam.

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Thank you.

Q. Was it mentally difficult to get over that and get yourself ready for the hard court?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yes, was difficult, but new experience give you the chance to make a new step. So everything that is new is maybe at the start a little bit slow and then came back, because I won the championship at Roland Garros. Is not another person. I have the chance to play again in a big Grand Slam like this. I want to do well. I have the quality and the opportunity to do it.

Q. So it made you hungrier?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah.

Q. You spoke in the past about some of the books you've been reading. What have you been reading this summer?

ANA IVANOVIC: I've been reading a lot Stieg Larsson's books, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. I'm on the third book. I've read about 50 pages in the last few weeks. I haven't had much time to read. Just trying to take a lot of walks and spend time outside. Didn't spend too much time in the room.

Q. Back to the Stieg Larsson books. The main character, Elizabeth Salander, she's a feisty character. Do you get any inspiration from that? She takes no nonsense from anyone.

ANA IVANOVIC: I do recognize myself in some of them. I do get very stubborn sometimes. That's a little bit annoying to my coaches. But, hey, you have to take the bad, too.

Q. Talking of the best, trying to perform the best you can, your outfit was really amazing. Could you talk to us about why you had that beautiful outfit and top it off with a victory.

VENUS WILLIAMS: I mean, so far this year my outfits have been based off of cities that I play in. This outfit was really about New York. It's firework bursts actually on the dress. It's like bursts of fireworks. It's about a celebration of me playing my best obviously at home and kind of doing what I love and being able to wear something fun while I do it. So just always trying to do something fun on the court.

Q. Speaking of EleVen designs, have any female tennis players approached you trying to rob some of your designs?

VENUS WILLIAMS: You know, that will be fun. As my company continues to grow, maybe there will be some other representatives. Obviously, EleVen is about sport, but I don't think the primary focus will be tennis as it grows. It's just a small feature.

Day 6

Q. Have you looked a bit ahead [in the draw?] Do you know what's coming possibly next round and the round after?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, I saw Montanes won in his match against Nishikori. I will play him in the next round, which will be a very difficult match. We played many times. We had tough matches. Yeah, I think here was the first round last year we had a tough four setter, I think. He's a good player. It's gonna be tough.

Q. Do you know what might happen the round after that?

ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah. Everybody has been telling me that since the draw came out. I'm going against Roger in the quarters. He still needs to win two more matches, and I still have to win one more. It's still far ahead.

Q. Does that bother you people have been telling you, or it's gonna happen no matter what you do?

ROBIN SODERLING: No, I mean, I'm the fifth seed, so I know I'm gonna play one of the four top guys in quarters. I mean, they're all good players, so it doesn't really matter who I'm playing.

Q. The other day you spoke about how much you looked up to Maria and that you had never had the chance to meet her. Can you describe any interaction that you had with her before or after the match today?

BEATRICE CAPRA: Before the match, you know, she would just walk past me and kind of like give me a glare, which is kind of intimidating. (Laughter.) You know, after the match when we shook hands, she was really nice. She said, Great tournament. Keep up the hard work. You know, I think she's a really nice person. Yeah.

Q. What did that mean to you?

BEATRICE CAPRA: It meant a lot. It really meant a lot to me that she said that. She didn't have to say anything. But, I mean, it encourages me, I guess.

Q. Did you see Francesca Schiavone's shot between the legs?

ROGER FEDERER: I think I did see it. I'm not sure.

Q. Is it more difficult for a girl, in your opinion, to do it?

ROGER FEDERER: Well, yeah, because they never come to the net, so they'll never be lobbed. No, I've seen her hit some very good shots in the past already, you know. She has a great ability to come up with some different kind of variation for a woman's player, which is nice to see. I think she played incredible at the French Open. She is not scared of trying out a few things, you know. That's why I kind of like to watch her.

Q. When you were a junior, was the whole Maria [Sharapova] image thing something that you thought maybe one day you'd emulate?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, which way?

Q. Well, she's the big Nike girl. You're now Stella McCartney.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, you know, to be honest, Kournikova was always for me the girl that I thought was just I wanted to be like her, definitely, you know. I thought she was very pretty; she was handling everything really nicely. You saw her everywhere in the commercials. I think I would more go for Kournikova.

Q. But what about on the court? Did you watch Maria's game? Did you see her win here in '06 or even Wimbledon when she was 17? What did you admire about her?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yeah, of course. I think when you're a junior you see a lot of matches, in the women's game. And, yeah, I saw some of her matches, definitely. But, you know, she's a fighter; she never gives up. I think that's a great thing about her. But, you know, players that I really admired was, yeah, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis; those were the girls that I really looked up to.

Q. You're regarded as one of the toughest mentally out there on court, if not "the" toughest. Do you believe that in yourself? Also, how has the surgery and injuries since then, how have they really affected your confidence and perhaps showing you a little bit of vulnerability that you didn't have before?


MARIA SHARAPOVA: Um, I mean, I do feel that, you know, especially in certain situations that I feel I don't know if the word "tougher" is the right word, but, you know, it's something that's, you know, won me many matches in my career.

Growing up I was never the biggest, the strongest girl on tour. You know, even though I have big shots, there are many girls that are more powerful that were quicker. But in certain situations -- you know, coming into juniors, I was playing girls that were much older than I am. You'd be in a position where it's 6 all in the third, and I'd have to battle it out. You know, I found a way to stay calm, and, you know, be tough inside of me. It wasn't really about, you know, seeing an error from the other side, and, you know, saying, come on or pumping the fist. It was more of a feeling you had inside of staying calm. That's kind of the toughness that I felt. Like I said, it's certainly won me many matches.

Q. Compared to other Opens, how are you feeling mentally and physically? You know, you're getting into the last final week. You have hopefully a few matches less until it's that final match. What's going through your mind right now?

GAËL MONFILS: I feel great physically. I mean, before the Open I was strong; I work hard like physically, so I feel great even if I have like long match. Basically I feel great. I hope the conditions will be better, and then I have like couple interesting like match to come one against Richard so I will try to play the best tennis I can. I know I can made it through the quarters, so I will try to take my chances on Monday.

Q. Do you think there's a lot of differences between your's and Richard's game?

GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, a lot. I think Richard is more talented than me in couple ways. Like he can adapt more about the conditions. Then I think I'm stronger than him physically, and maybe a bit mentally, also. Sometime he is like too defensive, like me. So actually it will be a good match, and we will see who's going to put like more pressure on the opponent.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

Fourth-seeded Jankovic ousted by Kanepi in US Open third round

Jelena Jankovic's summer of misery came to a fitting end today at the US Open. During a windswept Day 6 the fourth seed, who had only earned one win in three tourneys during the US Open Series, was defeated by hard-hitting Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 7-6 (1) in the third round. The pair struggled to keep the ball inside the lines combining for 78 errors against only 32 winners. The 31st seed will face last year's semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer for a spot in the quarterfinals.

JJ blamed the tough, blustery conditions on-court for her struggles today but credited Kaia for managing her game better under the circumstances:

Q. How bad was the wind and how did you try to manage playing into the wind when you were against the wind?

JELENA JANKOVIC: Oh, the wind was really tough. The conditions were really, really tough, you know, to play. I had a really hard time, you know, hitting the balls. You know, obviously they were going all over the place. The wind was really strong, and she handled these kind of conditions a lot better than I did. You know, that was the case today. It was really tough to play tennis, because, I mean, it's tough to serve, tough to hit the balls. The balls move all over the place, and I had a really hard time over there. Unfortunately, I lost.

Q. How close to unplayable was it?

JELENA JANKOVIC: I don't know, but it's, you know, to be honest, you can't you know, I had a hard time serving. You toss the ball, and it was all over the place. And then you hit the ball one direction, it goes another. You're just getting ready to hit the ball and just moves away from you. So it was really hard out there. But like I said, she handled the wind a lot better than I did. She was the better player today. Congrats to her.

Regardless of the conditions this result is not a big surprise. As I mentioned earlier JJ has been struggling to find her best form all summer long after rolling her ankle in Portoroz. I think under normal circumstances (read: having actual confidence) the Serb would've out-steadied the Estonian in these tough conditions, but it wasn't to be today.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Venus goes Vegas

So, remember how I wondered if Venus Williams had another EleVen day dress to go with the Tide-winning one she wore a couple of days ago? Right. Well, I still don't know if she does. But the 2-time US Open champ had a surprise up her sleeve debuting a second, and very sparkly, night dress during her 6-2, 6-1 domination of Mandy Minella in the third round last night.

Geez, who knew Charo could play such high-level tennis? I certainly didn't but I'm thoroughly impressed. By her play, not the dress.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

(UPDATED) VIDEO VAULT: Fight breaks out during Djokovic-Petzschner match at US Open

It was an eventful night at the US Open particularly during the Novak Djokovic/Philipp Petzschner second round match. Not only did we get a little cock talk from Nole but a fight broke out in the upper section of Arthur Ashe Stadium midway through the first set.

Here's my description of what went down:

[Open scene] She mad. He get madder. He say bad thing. She say, "Shhhhlap." He laugh. Crowd goes, "Ooooh." They keep fighting. [End scene]

It's Oscar-worthy stuff peeps.

UPDATE: Here's more footage post-shhhhlap including the two men falling over the seats and security making its way over. NYC tennis is for reals.


[Via: Arn522]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Days Three + Four

Day 3

Q. Melanie Oudin was talking the other day about the difference of coming in this year with expectations as opposed to prior when people didn't have expectations of her. You at 20 years of age came in as the No. 1 and had to play with great expectations of you. Can you talk about as a very young woman of say 20 years of age what it's like coming in with those expectations and what you've learned now two years later?

ANA IVANOVIC: It is a whole different story. I see myself also as two different persons. Once you're actually coming up and you have no expectations, you are hungry for success, and you really don't know what the stakes are. You just go for it. You have no fear. You play freely against anyone you come up against. 

Once you actually get in a position to defend some points and there is more outside pressure coming in, it is a lot different story. Because even though you perceive yourself the same or maybe even better, if you're improving, still there is a lot of outside effect. That creates some doubts and obviously pressure. Everyone deals with it differently. That's what I feel it was the biggest change with me, is that I managed to sort of let go of this. Now I feel, you know, as I am just coming up again, and I have really nothing to lose. I got that joy of competing again.

Q. Is that the greatest lesson you think you've learned from having been in that rarified air of being the world's top player?

ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, it is. I mean, I learned about myself and just about the world in general and how everything goes. You know, I mean, what I learned is that it goes on no matter what. (Smiling.)

Q. There's a lot of talk with the McEnroes, John and Patrick, about the future of American tennis. Who is the next big American star. Do you embrace that and want to be that guy?

RYAN HARRISON: Absolutely I want to be that guy. I have a ways to go. I've qualified and still have a ways to go to get there, but I'm definitely working has hard as I can. I'm really putting all the work in. I'm trying to stay open minded with everyone who is giving me their opinion and really trying to listen as much as possible and take in as much as advice as I can. Then just trying to work on the game and work on transitioning up to trying to hopefully being a full time tour player.

Q. Who has given you the best advice?

RYAN HARRISON: Roddick has been helping me since I was 15, 16 years old. Every time I see him, he's always been extremely helpful and really talked to me a lot about some of the things he experienced when he was first coming up. Obviously coaches, Patrick McEnroe, Jay Berger, Diego Moyano is working with me most of the time now. 

My dad coached me from the time I was two years old, and he's been you know, he's been always there for me, always there to support me throughout my entire career. He's been unbelievable about being on me to stay humble and stay you know, stay I guess just to the point where I can really focus on taking it one at a time and just taking every day as it comes.

Q. The replay showed your left foot did touch the line.

ANDY RODDICK: That's fine.

Q. If she had just said left foot would it...

ANDY RODDICK: There would have been no discussion. There would have been zero discussion. There was two after that. It was the fact that I couldn't get her to admit that it wasn't the right foot just infuriated me beyond... The lack of common sense involved in that was unbelievable to me. I just have trouble when they stick to an argument that obviously isn't right. It's her job to call it. 

Like I said, there were two after that that they said front, and there's no argument there. There's zero argument there. I mean, we got to be able to maybe have a test, like point to your right foot, point to your left foot; okay, now call lines. I think that would be maybe standard.

Q. Did she have an opportunity to correct herself, though?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, she was talking. She was talking.

Q. She answered the one thing, right?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. Then I pointed again. She said, No. Then I said again, Have we thought about this? Do we realize that it's a physical impossibility? She says, No. I think she was definitely responding, you know, when I was asking questions. None of the responses was, It was your left foot.

Q. In hindsight, did you let it go too far?

ANDY RODDICK: In hindsight did I let it go too far? Yeah, probably. Probably. I think it was a very correctable mistake, and I probably let it get to me more than it should have. Yeah, sure.

Q. You are a good friend of Randy Lu. You play doubles together. You are coached by the same person. Randy beat Andy in Wimbledon. I was wondering if he gave you any tips to beat Andy?

JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Yes, he did.

Q. Or if your coach had specific tactics.

JANKO TIPSAREVIC: Coach told me the regular tactics. I played him twice so I more or less knew what to expect. Coach was mainly telling me what I need to focus on, you know. Regarding Roddick, I more or less knew what strengths and what weaknesses he had. Randy gave me a couple of tips. Well, they worked, so... I am grateful for that.

Q. Touching Andy's chest with your forehead must have some meaning. You don't do that after every match. Why did you do that?

JANKO TIPSAREVIC: You know what, he's not a good friend, he's a friend of mine. I think he's a very nice guy. And, you know, just to say those nice things after probably being really, really disappointed, it was just like an emotional thing. I wanted to hug him, but then it probably wouldn't be so good. So is just saying nice words after being disappointed and losing, I mean, against and underdog on your stadium in front of your home crowd, that just brings up a big champion in him.

DAY 4

Q. What are your thoughts on the possibility of playing Maria Sharapova? [She will be playing Shrieka]

BEATRICE CAPRA: I'm really excited. I think it will be an amazing experience. I know she's just such a tough competitor. You know, when I was younger I used to always look up to her, and so I think it will be a really, you know, good match for me to see where I am compared to that kind of level.

Q. What was it that you looked up to?

BEATRICE CAPRA: I thought she was just so mentally tough. You know, she just always went for her shots, and you can never tell any of her emotions. You know, that really inspired me. One of my great assets is I'm really I like to think that I'm mentally tough, and I'll always stay in the match until the end.

Q. The New York crowd tends to be loud and especially in the night matches. How does the atmosphere at the Open compare to the other Majors?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, the atmosphere here is great. I really love playing here. I mean, it's a great feeling. Also coming back from last year, you know, being in the finals, coming back here and just, yeah, playing on the big courts, it's a great feeling.

Q. How have your expectations of yourself changed from a year ago at this time when you were a surprise and you made the run to the championship match?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Um, the expectations maybe from the outside has changed, but from myself I always go into a tournament and I want to win it. Doesn't really matter what tournament I'm playing, and I always believe in myself. It's not always possible to win every tournament, but at least I give it a shot. You know, the only time I get disappointed with myself is if I feel like I haven't given 100%. You know, I'm almost always giving 100%. It's just about if I lose a match, okay, the opponent was just playing better than me that day, and I need to get back and work harder and be better for next time.

Q. Have you seen any huge improvements in your style lately with Paul on your team now?

ROGER FEDERER: No. I mean, when I'm playing great, regardless of who's in my player box, I can beat anybody, you know. It's about being consistent and being confident in the way I play. I'm not all of a sudden going to play a two handed backhand or serve and volley on my second serve nonstop. It's just not gonna happen. 

It's in the details, and it's very important to me what Paul tells me and what Severin also tells me, who I've been with for three years now. It's an interesting, you know, time right now, because I went through times where I thought every time was interesting for me, because I went through times where I didn't have a coach, I had times where I had two coaches, as well, one coach. Here we are at the stage again where there's someone new to the team, and I kind of like those times, yeah.

Q. You're the only past champion left in the men's tournament. How much of an advantage is that, or a help is that, knowing you've done it in the past versus other players who are trying to but don't know that they can, because they haven't?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely an advantage, I would think, yeah, because weathering the conditions here in New York. A lot of players can really do well here in New York because it's a fair kind of a court. 

It's a quick court, so if you're not feeling well, it can all of a sudden slip away from you. So it's a dangerous court to play on, and everybody has the last slam left to prove. I think that's why it makes it really hard to win. You could be unlucky and get hit with a really hot day or a very windy day, and not even in your control sometimes you lose a match here. 

That's where it's important like today to get through easily instead of maybe going five hour match, you know, and losing the tournament because of a match like this, you know. Yeah, I mean, I would consider it as an advantage. But again, I'm not at match point serving for it, so still a lot of hard work to do.

Gilbert: "Do you have that tweener shot between your legs?"

Novak Djokovic: "No, I have something else between my legs." [Would you care to share???]

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Going day to night with Kim Clijsters + Venus Williams

Kim Clijsters made it safely through to US Open third round last night defeating Aussie Sally Peers 6-2, 6-1. Though the scoreline looked easy, the defending champ was broken twice and continued her serving issues keeping a mediocre 51% on first serves and throwing in four double faults. She'll face a sterner test in the third round where Wimbledon semifinalist Petra Kvitova awaits.

Kimmie is also debuting the Center Court Collection by Fila. For her day matches the Belgian baller is working the Center Court Cap Sleeve Top ($48) paired with the Center Court Skort ($45) while at night she's ball bashing in the Center Court Dress ($65).

I'm feeling the Center Court Dress much more than the day outfit. The top and skort fit well but the designs on their own are very busy, particularly with the blues and stripes fighting for attention. The two pieces alone are fine but together feels over-the-top. The night dress, on the other hand, looks fresh on Kimmie since she usually tends to stick with separates. The black tone offers the dress a nice contrast to the blue and adds sleek sexiness to the dress as does the tank style. Moreover, the silhouette is more flattering on Kimmie than the day separates.

Venus Williams debuted the winning design from her collaboration with Tide during her 7-6 (3), 6-3 second round win over the big-hitting 19-year old Canadian Rebecca Marino. The day outfit was a black and white printed halter dress with side slits. As you may recall, the 2-time US Open champ debuted her night dress from EleVen on Monday that continued the corset dress inspiration from the previous Slams most notably the "Can Can" style from Roland Garros.

I actually didn't mind the day dress print design so much but the fit and execution were an issue. The dress had some dangling ties which seemed to bother V at the start while it looked to be a bit short for her - she was constantly havig to pull it down. The night dress was pretty tame considering she described it as being "...a little bit louder, a little bit more in your face, and little bit more sexy," during Ralph Lauren conference call last week. I can see the sexiness but the rest she missed. Still, this dress actually looks well made and sturdy unlike some of EleVen's past offerings. Hopefully, V is getting a stronger grasp on her design chops.

Now, I'm not sure if this day dress is the one she'll be wearing for the rest of her matches or if it was a one time thing for the contest. She said she'd have two EleVen dresses for the tourney, but I'm not sure if she included this one. It does have an orange EleVen logo on the bust, though.


[Photo(s): Getty Images]

SIGHTING: Kanye West, Usher and John Legend take in some tennis

The US Open always brings out major celebrities under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium and last night was no exception.

Kanye West, Usher and John Legend all made appearances at Flushing Meadows last night watching Andy Roddick get upset by Janko Tipsarevic in the second round of the US Open.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]