TENNIS/US Open: France's Amelie Mauresmo, whose style of tennis is the most pleasing to watch of any player in the top 10 with its combination of grace, power and variation, notably on her one-handed backhand which is the best in the women's game, reached the semi-finals of the US Open yesterday at Flushing Meadows with a 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory over the number three seed Jennifer Capriati.
It was not exactly a shock, Mauresmo having now won her last three matches against Capriati, including this year's Wimbledon quarter-final. However, the 23-year-old French woman is notorious for suffering from nerves and with the crowd solidly behind the New York-born American this was a notable victory.
Since winning this year's Australian Open, her third grand slam title, Capriati has struggled to find her form, and no longer appears to be enjoying her tennis. It took the 26-year-old Capriati, a child prodigy, nearly 11 years to win her first grand slam, and now the pressure of chasing the Williams sisters seems to be weighing her down. Mauresmo, as usual, was prone to careless errors at important moments, but managed to steady her game sufficiently to force Capriati to self-destruct.
Serena Williams, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, and number one seed, had reached the semi-final under floodlights with a crushing 6-2, 6-2 win over Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova who had previously defeated Belgium's Justine Henin.
Serena, the younger of the Williams sisters, will play fellow American Lindsay Davenport in tomorrow's semi-final, and currently appears omnipotent. "I feel so free and floating," said Williams, which given her size is an interesting concept.
New America and old America are poised to meet for a place in Saturday's semi-finals in a quarter-final match which may be highly significant for both Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick. Should Sampras lose he may seriously consider retirement in the near future, while victory for the 20-year-old Roddick could be the impetus he needs to win his first grand slam title. There is no doubt who the television companies and the tennis money men want to win, and that's Roddick.
Roddick is seen as the player who might, just might, lift the men's game out of its current trough. Tennis is very much a minority sport in the US, but it remains the financial power base, and with Sampras and Andre Agassi close to the end of their illustrious careers, a new kid on the block is an absolute necessity.
Greg Rusedski was proved wrong when, after losing to Sampras in the third round, he stated he would be "surprised if he wins his next match against Tommy Haas. To be honest with you, I'd be very surprised."
Presumably which ever chair Rusedski was sitting on he fell off it, Sampras completing a 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 victory over the young German, who is currently, if somewhat undeservedly, the world number three.
