Haas Outlasts Blake

Defending champ exits US Open

(NEWSER) - Defending champ Maria Sharapova exited the US Open in stunning fashion today, falling to Polish teen Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in a third-round match. The 28-slot seeding disparity (30 to 2) almost seemed reversed as the Russian fan favorite ran up a 2-0 advantage in the third set and then unraveled. "There are no excuses," she said. More»

'04 champ Kuznetsova, Chakvetadze join Henin in final four

(NEWSER) - 2004 women's champion Svetlana Kuznetsova cruised into the semifinals of the US Open today, dispatching Agnes Szavay 6-1, 6-4 to earn a shot at fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze. Chakvetadze upended crowd favorite Shahar Peer 6-4, 6-1; top seed Justine Henin is already in, with the fourth spot going to the winner of tonight's match between Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic. More»

A smash in red and crystal, the Russian defeats Italy's Roberta Vinci

(NEWSER) - Maria Sharapova dazzled in her US Open performance last night. The 2006 champion, bedecked in a crystal-studded red dress, downed Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-0, 6-1 in only 50 minutes. The tennis ace, who has struggled with a shoulder injury this year, was all confidence in her custom-made togs, smashing 30 winners to Vinci's 3 and advancing easily to the Open's second round. More»

Women's bracket is top-heavy, critics charge

(NEWSER) - The US Open is sparking controversy even before it begins because of complaints that the women's tournament structure is conspicuously lopsided with all the best players in the top bracket. "We got all the heavy hitters up top," said analyst Mary Jo Fernandez. Fans argue that the finalist from that top half will be unfairly exhausted from her stiff competition. More»

(AP) - She sat there in shock. Then, the tears started falling. Believe it or not, 17-year-old Melanie Oudin is the toast of the town at the US Open. Gritting her way through a shaky third set, the 70th-ranked player from Marietta, Ga., pulled off her second upset of the Open today, defeating a more-seasoned, more-famous, more-moneyed opponent—29th-seeded Maria Sharapova, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. More»