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NEW YORK (AP) — They are two different players and, at times, it
looks as if they’re playing two different games.
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There’s the Serena Williams style, filled with intimidation and
huge shots. And there’s the way Caroline Wozniacki does it, with
great hustle and even better conditioning.
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Both players made it through the fourth round of the U.S. Open on
Monday and stayed on a path that could collide in the semifinals –
Williams with a big-serving 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 16 Ana
Ivanovic and Wozniacki with a 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-1 win over No. 15
Svetlana Kuznetsova that took 3 hours, 2 minutes.
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The 28th-seeded Williams is the only one of the eight women left in
the draw who has won a Grand Slam title, which could answer the
question of whose style works better in the sport’s biggest
events.
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But Wozniacki is top-seeded at the U.S. Open and No. 1 in the
rankings – tops in a system that rewards consistency more than big
moments. By that standard, it is, indeed, hard to find anyone
better.
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“I know I can be out there for hours and hours,” she said. “It’s
great to know that, and it’s great to know that it doesn’t matter
how long the match takes. I mean, I will not lose because I’m not
physically well.”
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Knowing that, as well, Kuznetsova pressed throughout and took a 4-1
lead in the second set. But that’s when the party ended for the
two-time major champion. She lost 12 of the next 14 games and
finished the night with 78 unforced errors on a windy night in
Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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“She was a wall,” Kuznetsova said. “To break a wall, you cannot hit
hard all the time. You have to mix it up. I think I did the right
things. I just couldn’t close it up in the right
moments.”
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Williams had to tone things down a bit for her match, played hours
earlier, but also in blustery conditions.
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Still, there were two moments that stood out: A key point she won
after letting a 3-0 lead slip in the first set, after which she
clenched her fist and screamed, “Come On”; and the way she closed
out the match, with four straight serves Ivanovic couldn’t return,
maxing out at 111 mph.
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Not surprisingly, the discussion afterward was whether Williams
tries to be intimidating on the court.
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“No, I don’t try,” she said. “I just am.”
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Roger Federer can be pretty intimidating, as well.
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Forced to wait until 11:51 p.m. to start his match, he came out
like a man in a hurry, putting away the first set against Juan
Monaco in 18 minutes en route to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 victory. In the
second game of the second set, he served four straight aces – a
perfect game, of sorts.
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“It’s only a game. Only four points,” he said. “But it’s nice to do
it that way instead of having to take 10 minutes.”
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Just as impressive was the quick way Federer closed out the match,
with a light mist falling, the court slickening ever so slightly
and the unsavory prospect of having to sit through a rain delay at
1 in the morning. He only lost 12 points in the third
set.
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“There was not much margin for us, because it was so late,” Federer
said. “Probably one rain delay and they’d have sent everybody
home.”
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Federer hasn’t missed a Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2004
French Open and his quarterfinal here will be against No. 11
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who overcame a two-set deficit against Federer
in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the victory. Tsonga beat
eighth-seeded American Mardy Fish, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 6-4,
6-2.
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“Doesn’t necessarily need to be the next Grand Slam, but it’s sure
something I’m looking forward to,” Federer said of the rematch. “I
live for the big matches, live for playing a guy who is explosive,
has got some firepower. I like to play those kind of players,
especially now that we’re in the deeper stages of the
tournament.”
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Also winning in straight sets Monday, though nowhere near as
quickly, was No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Djokovic held off four set
points in the first-set tiebreaker en route to a 7-6 (14), 6-4, 6-2
victory over No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov.
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Djokovic improved to 61-2 on the season and his opponent, a highly
regarded 22-year-old from Ukraine, knew what his odds were even
before the long tiebreaker.
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“No, I don’t think the tiebreak would change the match even if I’d
won it,” Dolgopolov said. “I mean, he’s better than me physically
now.”
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Djokovic’s quarterfinal will be against his Serbian Davis Cup
teammate, No. 20 Janko Tipsarevic, who defeated 2003 French Open
champion Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2. The Serbs
practice together a lot, which might give Tipsarevic the advantage
of some familiarity.
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“But those things are maybe 2 percent of the overall outcome of the
match,” Tipsarevic said. “You know, who plays better tennis is
going to win. It’s as simple as that.”
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Also earning spots in the women’s quarterfinals were No. 10 Andrea
Petkovic, who faces Wozniacki next, and No. 17 Anastasia
Pavlyuchenkova, whose next match is against Williams.
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Pavlyuchenkova defeated No. 7 Francesca Schiavone, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in
a match that featured 16 service breaks in 31 games. She knows
Williams probably won’t be contributing to that kind of number in
the quarterfinals.
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“I don’t want to go out there and enjoy just being on the center
court playing against Serena,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “I would like
to do well, try to fight, and with my effort I try to beat her. But
of course I respect her a lot, as well. She’s just
great.”
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