Begins today. Here are a couple of ESPN articles.

Men's (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/usopen08/news/story?id=3548782)

Women's (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/usopen08/news/story?id=3548833)

In my opinion, Ana Ivanovic should have an easy run for the title as long as she stays healthy and doesnt get injured (missed Olympics because of this)

The other people I would watch out for are:
Dinara Safina. Rising star in her
and
Svetlana Kusnetsova. I think she has a great chance!
and
Melanie Oudin. She is from my hometown of Marietta, and only at age 16 has a chance to do really well in the Open.

Here are my predictions:

Quarterfinals: Ivanovic vs. Safina or Oudin. Safina/Oudin loses in a heartbreaker third set
Agniezska Radwanska vs. Serena Williams. I feel that despite Serena playing in the U.S. Radwanska will get the edge of this match.
Anna Chakvetadze vs. Svetlana Kusnetsova. I feel that Svetlana will get the edge of this match from her experience in the U.S. Open (6, while Anna has only 4)
Jelena Jankovic vs. Vera Zvonereva. I feel that Jelena will have control of this match the whole time in a straight set match. Also, watch out for Arvane Rezai from France in this part of the bracket. She already won her first match today.

Semis: Ana Ivanovic vs. Radwanska. Radwanska's run for the championship ends here in a straight set match
Jelena Jankovic vs. Svetlana Kusnetsova. I feel again that Jankovic has an easy win here.

So the championship consists of two Serbians. I feel that it is time for Jelena to win a major, and will win in a third set against Ana.

I will post my men's predictions later.

Also, if it isn't too late I feel that we should have a contest for the Open. LMK what you think Ash!

I think Ivanovic's health will prevent her from winning. I have a feeling one of the Williams sisters will win.

On the men's side I'm going with Djokovic in an upset. :)

We do not have any tennis cards to give away for contest.

I agree about Djokovic. I was going to post my men's predictions tonight and post him defeating nadal in the championship. I dont feel that roger has it in him to win a major in '08

Quick update for todays no. 1 match
New No. 1 Nadal Passes Tough First Test
By Neil Schlecht
Monday, August 25, 2008


Against a surprisingly tenacious qualifier, the German Bjorn Phau, ranked a lowly 136, Rafael Nadal survived his first-round encounter on Arthur Ashe stadium Monday – his first match as the newly minted World No. 1.
Nadal won, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6, but he was unexpectedly extended to nearly three hours under gray, humid skies in dispatching the German, who was only playing in his second ATP tour match of the year. The Spaniard, of course, is having a banner year, winning the French Open, Wimbledon, and the gold at the Olympics in Beijing en route to the No. 1 ranking.
Asked if he felt different taking the court as the top player in the world, Nadal said: "I have the same goal. When I was No. 2, the goal was the same: win the US Open."
Nadal, the winner of the US Open Series, looked occasionally sluggish, perhaps feeling the effects of his exhausting, tour-leading year and travel from China. But Phau, a scrappy 28-year-old journeyman, did plenty to make Nadal uncomfortable on court. He scrambled well, playing the kind of defense Nadal is known for, and occasionally unleashed big running forehands and jumping one-handed backhand drives.
"I didn't play with normal intensity," commented Nadal. "I play a little bit less intensity than last few months for sure. Important thing, final, is win."
In the early going, there was little sting on Nadal’s groundstrokes or his serve, and he uncharacteristically misfired on shots off both wings. Nadal registered 35 unforced errors and was just 2-for-13 in break point chances. In the final set, several times it appeared that Nadal would finally break Phau to close out the match, but the determined German fought back each time and forced a final tiebreak.
Nadal roared to a 5-2 lead in the breaker and held off Phau to advance. The top seed moves on to play another qualifier, Ryler De Heart, of Tampa, Fla.

just thought i would share, kristie ahn, a qualifier, goes to my school. shes going to be very popular when she comes back :)

she must not be too good because she isnt homeschooled lol :) Melanie Oudin (her sister goes to my bro's school) is from marietta, where i am from

who here is watching the Donald Young vs. James Blake match? It is amazing. Donald is from Atlanta, and I have been watching him for a while! This is an unbelievable match, and is now going into a 5th set!

I'm watching. Blake looks beat at this point. He needs to keep his composure and use his experience to win (Blake).

And blake won the match in the 5th! I fell asleep at 4-4 in the 5th. Melanie Oudin (from Marietta) lost 7-6,7-6, but it was a really good match played by her in her first Major. Also, she still is playing in doubles with another rising american, Asia Muhammed.

here is an update for today!

Top Talents Headline Day 3 Lineup

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
By Mark Preston

Round one concludes and round two begins on Day Three of the 2008 US Open, as a slate of tennis’ top talents—three of whom have won here before—take to the courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, each in pursuit of tennis’ toughest title. Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko, Lindsay Davenport, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic all see action today.
Five years ago, Roddick won his first and only Grand Slam title here, going on to finish the 2003 season ranked No. 1 in the world. He’s been back to Slam finals three times since then, twice at Wimbledon and once more here in 2006, but he’s never again finished first in a major. In technical parlance, he’s due. Why Roddick’s potent game, which has taken him to a 443-140 career match record and 25 titles hasn’t translated into more Grand Slam hardware isn’t a complete mystery—five of the Slam losses he’s suffered since winning here were at the hands of Roger Federer. But this is a guy who ought to be winning Slams, and there’s no Slam he’s more equipped to win than this one. The No. 8 seed will get a good first-round workout today against Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, at 35, the oldest man in the draw. Roddick was 7 when Santoro turned pro in 1989, but though Santoro will be giving away a few years, that’s all he’ll surrender. Roddick will have to keep the points short and not get drawn into lengthy rallies, or he could be in for a long outing. Santoro gets a set, but Roddick gets to advance.
No. 3 seed Djokovic played his way into the final here last year, capping a sizzling summer that proved something of a coming-out for the coming talent. This year, he’s undoubtedly arrived, ranked No. 3 in the world on the strength of a season in which he’s won three titles, including his first career Slam crown at the Australian Open. He took the hard-court Indian Wells tournament in March, beating Rafael Nadal en route, and then beat Nadal again on hardcourts at the Cincinnati event earlier this month. He’s here fresh off a bronze-medal performance at the Beijing Olympics. In this wide-open draw, he’s one of the favorites for another second-Sunday showing. France’s Arnaud Clement is a former top-10 talent, who this year reached the quarters of Wimbledon. He and Djokovic have split their two career meetings, their last went to Clement on grass at Queens in 2007. But on this stage, at this time, Djokovic is the more accomplished talent. The big-hitting Serb is through in three.
It’s been 10 years since Lindsay Davenport held aloft the US Open champion’s trophy, one of her three career major singles titles. Now 32 and hampered for most of this season by injury, this—her 17th career appearance at the US Open—may be her last best shot to run deep in a Slam. She’s won two titles this year, both on hardcourts, and certainly has proven herself well suited to Flushing’s cement floors, reaching the quarters or better on 10 separate occasions. Her opponent, 19-year-old Russian Alisa Kleybanova, is ranked No. 34 in the world and is coming off her best career Slam showing—a fourth-round Wimbledon finish, but Davenport ought to take this on experience alone. In two, the ex-champ secures a third-round presence.
At the start of this event, Russia had 17 women in the Open’s main draw. Only one of them, Kuznetsova, has experienced the singular sensation of standing alone at its end. The 23-year-old, champion here in 2004 and runner-up here last year, may be the least-known and most under-appreciated major talent in tennis. Though she’s without a title this year, she’s reached three finals, including a runner-up finish at the hard-court Indian Wells event, taking out Maria Sharapova in the semis. Her opponent today, Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, is making her US Open main-draw debut. Ranked No. 53, she’s coming off a quarterfinal showing at last week’s New Haven event, but playing a talent the size of Kuznetsova on a stage the size of Ashe is the very definition of an overwhelming experience. In two, Kuznetsova advances.
Jankovic, the No. 2 seed, has spent time this year at No. 1 in the rankings, reaching the semis at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros. A semifinalist here in 2006, she’s still in pursuit of her first Slam crown. Her one tournament win this year was a triumph at the Italian Open, where she beat both Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova. Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson has been ranked as high as No. 29, but this second-round showing matches her best-ever US Open performance. Jankovic is on in straights.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2008-08-27/200808271219850388359.html http://www.usopen.org/images/nav/top/usopen.org_printable.gif (http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html)http://www.usopen.org/images/nav/top/ibmRibbon.gifTo print this page, select "Print" from your browser's File menu.Top Talents Headline Day 3 Lineup

By Mark Preston
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

roddick just beat santoro 6/2 6/2 6/2

the magician had no tricks up his sleave,,,LOL

Didn't get to watch any matches because of work. I caught most of the Ivanovic match yesterday...she put a scare into me!

Go Nadal! #1!

What a surprise another early exit for Ana the Dream Girl. Womens tennis is so open now it is finally good to see gone are the days of Graf, Selles, Higins, winning every week it is finally good to see.

Figures. Ever since I started collecting Ana she goes downhill!

I AM IN SHOCK!!!!!! Actually not really, cus she was injured so figures

Hey Guys, I was at the Open yesterday, sorry no auto's. Very tough to get close to the big-time players. I did meet the CEO of Ace Authentic and even bought An Ana I. match used ball and box of cards which I pulled a Kournakova/Sharapova Dual jersey #5/100(Pic coming soon). Here are some pics from yesterdays event.
http://s514.photobucket.com/albums/t347/Hoffmoen/US%20Open%20Pics/ (http://s514.photobucket.com/albums/t347/Hoffmoen/US%20Open%20Pics/)

Cool pics! Thanks for sharing.

Is that Sharapova/Kournikova up for trade?

Sorry man, this card is too sweet. I'll have a pic of it up later. Peace

Roddick's girlfriend is HOT!

Roddick is fighting Gulbis in the second set. Good match so far.

I think Ivanovic's health will prevent her from winning. I have a feeling one of the Williams sisters will win.

On the men's side I'm going with Djokovic in an upset. :)

We do not have any tennis cards to give away for contest.

Women's semifinals were today. Jankovic defeated Dementieva and Serena Williams easily beat Dinara Safina. Looks like my pick of one of the Williams sisters will be correct!

Also, men's semifinals is tomorrow morning. Nadal vs Murray and Federer vs Djokovic. Federer/Djokovic should be a great match to watch.

I work as a photographers assistant at the US Open every year, I've been doing it since I was 15. This year has to be the crappiest one I've worked at, not much excitment or anything.

I picked up a Blaster Box of 07 Straight Sets from the Ace Authentics booth the other night on my way home. $20 for 7 Packs. Got Base cards of Federer, Djokovic, Blake, The Bryan Brothers, Sam Querrey, Clijsters and Ivanovic. Also got a Ai Sugiyama Materials Card and a Vera Zvonareva Base with Bronze Stamping.

I also did manage one day to get out and shoot some of Andy Murray's match vs. Del Potro. Still have to edit the photos but here is one (sorry for the big size)

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh261/JustinBerl/_9037378.jpg

This was shot overhead on Ashe, with an Olympus E-3 Pro Camera with a 400mm Lenses.

You have a sweettttttt job!

Here are some more of my pictures from a few years ago, these two are from 2005

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh261/JustinBerl/US%20Open/DSC_0158.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh261/JustinBerl/US%20Open/DSC_0131.jpg

Great pics!

These are from 2006

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh261/JustinBerl/US%20Open/DSC_0280.jpg

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh261/JustinBerl/US%20Open/DSC_0085.jpg

Agassi! Man, I miss watching him play.

Do you know when the Agassi pic was taken? Like was it in the semis against Ginepri or do you not remember? O and once again SWEET PICS!

Awesome pics, what a sideline!!

One thing I wonder...

They can "throw" their cotton sweat bands past photographers row, near the players-reserved seating.
Just how far do/can they hit those signed balls?
Nadal seems to really put some "OOmph" behind his, as did Agassi, how close to the very upper tier, or out of the facility do they come?

Thank You for posting.

Do you know when the Agassi pic was taken? Like was it in the semis against Ginepri or do you not remember? O and once again SWEET PICS!

The Agassi was from Kids Day, him and Steffi played doubles against Roddick and someone, maybe Serena. I can't remember exactly.

Awesome pics, what a sideline!!

One thing I wonder...

They can "throw" their cotton sweat bands past photographers row, near the players-reserved seating.
Just how far do/can they hit those signed balls?
Nadal seems to really put some "OOmph" behind his, as did Agassi, how close to the very upper tier, or out of the facility do they come?

Thank You for posting.

Some people get it up to the walkway surrounding the Upper Deck, a lot of time though it looks like it's hit hard enough to go up far in the stands but it just goes pretty high in the air and comes back down to the lower level seating.

The 1st few years of Ashe Stadium, when the Mets were in town at the same time. They would have a player come over for a photo op with a player to see who would be able to get a ball out of the stadium. One year it was Benny Agbyani (sp) and another year it was Todd Zeile. Zeile did it with James Blake, they both got it very close to the top of the upper deck (Zeile with a Bat and Blake with his Racquet) but didn't get it out.

Thanks for all your kind words about my pictures, I will post some more after I get finished editing the new ones of Murray from the other day along with some more that I've found like Sharapova, Vaidisova, etc

Andy Murray onto the Finals..Perhaps Federer can restore some order up top! But IDK, Murray has all the shots and is executing.

Wow, the 2008 Rafa jouney comes to an end...What a ride it was. The energy spent on Olympics & winning Gold just caught up... Simply, Mentally-Physically drained(He is human)


I really give this 22y/o level headed, Spaniard- Mayorgan credit for being so well grounded and internally fierce, this kid says the right words at every question & man he got heart.
He really wasn't supposed to be here, Ranked #1 and challenging on EVERY surface(especially Hard Courts) so fast, 2010 was early projections for realistically vying for #1 ranking.

Now to bolster my ITF Tennis collection ;)

JustinBerl-thanks for sharing the pics. Would like to see the Sharapova and Vaidisova! :)


Murray looked great against Nadal. I was worried that he would lose what he had on Saturday because of the match postponement. I'm sort of a Federer fan now because of my box pulls so I hope he wins tomorrow!

Women's final just begun on CBS.

lets go Jankovic!

She's not winning any of these long rallies.

I know! I have a feeling she is going to lose unfortunately, especially with serena playing at home (USA). Btw, have you sent out the group break cards yet? Also, who do you predict to win? Mens and womens?

I received your payment Saturday. Post office is closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday...

In the post above I predicted one of the Williams sisters and Djokovic. Federer will take it in 4 tomorrow.

Sound great about the cards! On the other hand, I am taking Federer because I dont think that it is possible for him not to win a major this year, even against the rising star of Murray. Also, I AM SO MAD THAT JANKOVIC LOST!