[美網]Semifinal Preview

看板ALL-RUSSIANS作者jcshie (計劃總趕不上變化~)時間20年前 (2005/09/08 12:47)推噓0(0推 0噓 1→)

留言1則, 1人參與討論串1/1

FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY, USA - Two Grand Slam champions will face two former US Open finalists on Friday, as Maria Sharapova battles 2003 US Open runner-up Kim Clijsters and Mary Pierce faces 2004 US Open runner-up Elena Dementieva in what is sure to be a competitive pair of women's semifinals at Flushing Meadows. (1) Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. (4) Kim Clijsters (BEL) - Clijsters leads 3-0 It will be a battle of former world No.1s as big-hitting Russian teenager Sharapova takes on feisty Belgian Clijsters. After struggling during the summer hardcourt season with a chest muscle injury, Sharapova has made a remarkable return to competition, cruising through her first four matches at Flushing Meadows with the loss of only 12 games and toughing out a 75 46 64 victory over compatriot and No.9 seed Nadia Petrova on Tuesday night to reach her very first US Open semifinal. Next up for the 18-year-old will be 22-year-old Clijsters, who also cruised through her first four matches here without losing a set, and overcame a tough test in the quarterfinals, winning 11 of the last 13 games in a come-from-behind 46 75 61 victory over reigning Wimbledon champion Venus Williams. Clijsters will be making her second US Open semifinal appearance, having made it all the way to final in 2003 before losing to Justine Henin-Hardenne. Clijsters has defeated Sharapova in all three of their previous encounters, two coming in 2003 when Sharapova was making her first impressions on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and one earlier this season in the final at Miami, where the Belgian won on a windy day in two close sets. Watch for these two to go toe-to-toe from the baseline, with Sharapova to have an advantage on serve with her bigger, flatter delivery and Clijsters with much better movement. Another thing to watch will be how their forehands hold up under pressure, as both players have been known to break down on that side in the past. (6) Elena Dementieva (RUS) vs. (12) Mary Pierce (FRA) - Dementieva leads 2-0 It will be a battle of giant-killers as No.6 seed Elena Dementieva of Russia takes on No.12 seed Mary Pierce of France. Dementieva, a two-time Grand Slam runner-up in 2004, pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament on Wednesday ,saving a match point en route to a third-set tie-break victory against No.2 seed Lindsay Davenport. The competitive Russian also survived a close encounter in the third round, overcoming a 3-0 third-set deficit and winning another third-set tie-break to defeat 18-year-old compatriot Anna Chakvetadze. She will next take on two-time Grand Slam champion Pierce, who has been on fire in the last few months. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman has won 21 of her last 23 matches, reaching the final at the French Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, winning the Tier I event in San Diego four weeks ago and now making it all the way to her career-first US Open semifinal. She has taken out some big names in straight sets en route to the final four here, including No.7 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne in the fourth round and No.3 seed Amelie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals. These two players have played twice previously, with Dementieva coming out the winner on both occasions. However, a resurgent Pierce is not the same player she was in their prior matches. Watch for the in-form Frenchwoman to dictate the points early with her superior serving and flatter groundstrokes, while Dementieva will look to extend the rallies with her strong court coverage and wait for an opening to pound her big forehand into the open court. Another thing to keep an eye on is the Dementieva serve, which has produced 62 double faults in her first five matches. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 220.132.172.212