The second week of the U.S. Open met with some resistance from rain clouds. Play was suspended for most of Monday, and most of the matches scheduled had to be postponed. The tournament is still far from over, however.
Michael Chang and Pete Sampras retired from professional tennis last week, but American veterans Andre Agassi and Todd Martin are still going strong. Agassi, seeded first, has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Andy Roddick is also still playing well after a tough first round match against Tim Henman and second round match against Ivan Ljubicic. After their match, Ljubicic criticized Roddick’s behavior in the fourth set. Ljubicic felt that Roddick’s antics influenced a lineman’s call on a crucial shot. He told reporters no other ATP players liked Roddick. He later backed off some of his comments, and the two players settled their differences late last week.
James Blake faced off against Wimbledon champ Roger Federer in the third round Sunday. Blake fought off many break points, but eventually lost in three well played sets.
Big server Mark Philippoussis lost in the third round to Argentinean David Nalbandian in four sets. After a second set tiebreak it seemed Philippoussis ran out of energy, giving Nalbandian a relatively easy end to the match.
On the women’s side, many of the top seeds still remain. Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne are both playing extremely well. Clijsters took out American Meghann Shaughnessy in the fourth round in two sets.
Despite a nagging foot injury, Lindsay Davenport is still in the hunt for her second U.S. Open singles title. She has only dropped one set in the four matches she has played in the tournament. Jennifer Capriati is also having an impressive run in her search for her first title.
Roddick and Agassi may see each other in the finals, if they both continue playing well. Roddick will most likely have to get through Federer in the semifinals, which will prove tough for the young American. If all the higher seeds in the women’s draw prevail, the semifinal matches will match Davenport against Clijsters and Capriati will play Henin-Hardenne.
