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North American Report
UPDATED: August 24, 2012 Web Exclusive
Open for Tennis
A preview for the upcoming U.S. Open
By Wan Xin
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Autumn may be the best time to visit New York City – the weather is good, the city is busy, and the U.S. Open is right around the corner.

Each year, 256 of the best tennis players in the world compete against each other at the competitive championship. This year, the stakes are high. 

On the men's side, Roger Federer just won a record fifth Cincinnati title on August 19, dominating second-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-0, 7-6 (7).

Coming off an impressive season putting him at the No. 1 seed, the 31-year-old Swiss star's confidence is sky-high. Federer is back atop the world's rankings, having won a record 17 grand slam championship titles, as he heads to the U.S. Open feeling healthy and fine-tuned. He skipped the Rogers Cup in Toronto, giving himself some time to recover from the Wimbledon and Olympics in London. 

But what about the other players? Can Djokovic defend his title? Will Andy Murray of UK get back on track? Is there a "dark horse" in the making?

After an incredible victory last season, Djokovic has not been at the top of his game as of late. He lost to Federer in the semi-finals at Wimbledon, and Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina defeated him for the Olympic bronze medal on Wimbledon's grass. Coming off the hard-court season, Djokovic put together a string of wins to take the Rogers Cup and get to the final at Cincinnati. The Serbian is in good shape heading into the Open to defend his title in NYC. 

After winning the gold medal at the London Olympics, Andy Murray was brought back to earth on North American soil, where he withdrew from the Toronto Masters with a knee injury, and suffered a surprise defeat by unseeded Jeremy Chardy of France in Cincinnati. Murray will head to the U.S. Open with just three hard-court games under his belt since his Olympic triumph on the grass courts, but he said he was not worried about lack of preparation before Flushing Meadows.

The men's draw in the U.S. Open took a hit this year when third-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain had to withdraw because of an injured knee. Nadal hasn't played since Wimbledon because of the injury.

Unlike men's tennis, women's tennis has lacked dominant players for years. That means everybody has a chance at the upcoming tournament.

Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, becoming No.1 on January 30 this year. She reached the semi-finals at both Wimbledon and the Olympics, but lost her first game at Montreal.

Other big names to watch? Serena Williams, of course. She hasn't lost a set since the Wimbledon final. She won her 19th straight match in Cincinnati before losing to Angelique Kerber of Germany due to fatigue. Next week, she will enter the U.S. Open as a heavy favorite.

Li Na of China is another to keep an eye on. Her title in Cincinnati was her first since winning the 2011 French Open. Having made the final in Montreal the week before, Li continued her strong momentum to beat Radwanska and Venus Williams to reach the final. She fought back to beat Kerber 1-6, 6-3 and 6-1 and won the Cincinnati Open title.

The title run also validates her new partnership with coach Carlos Rodriguez, who worked with former world no. 1 Justine Henin of Belgium for her entire professional career.

Besides Li, three others have good chances to win at the U.S. Open: No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 3 Maria Sharapova of Russia, and defending champion Samantha Stosur of Australia.

(Reporting from New York City)



 
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